We’re in kind of a nudist phase, lately. Where by “we” I mean Laurel, except insomuch as there’s an extra amount of work involved for whoever’s looking after her while she’s running around the house with nothing on.
Most mornings begin with a diaper change. As soon as I reach for the new clean, diaper, she’ll say “Be naked!” There are all sorts of things she wants to do naked: eat meals, nurse, go outside. (This morning she engaged in one of her favorite hobbies, standing on our back stoop with a top and no bottoms, hollering and playing with leaves.) Often, there are tears when it’s time to put the diaper back on.
Kind of by accident, the nudity phase has led to some experiences using her potty. It’s by no means consistent, but if she spends enough time without clothes on, eventually she gets to a point where she needs to pee or poop. You can tell it’s happening because she gets a little agitated and maybe holds her crotch. This has ultimately led to several instances of eliminating on the potty. She’ll have several days of using it daily, then go several days refusing to go near it. (Or, like today, will sit on it, but not pee until she’s put back into a diaper.)
What this means, among other things, is that she’s learning to control her bodily functions, which is great. She’s gone several hours without peeing, holding it in well, when she wants to. For a long time, using the potty scared her — probably because it was so unfamiliar. She’s still uneasy with it sometimes. And, often, she likes using it best when she’s by herself. I’ve left the room more than once only to come back and find her peeing in it. Another time, she asked Devin and I to leave.
Anyway, it’s a long, slow process, and that’s just fine.
Laurel has also started swim classes. For months she’s splashed and “swum” in the bathtub. Her love of water led us to believe she’d enjoy being in a swimming pool, so we signed her up for classes on Saturday mornings with Devin. Their first one was last week — and it was not met with the ebullient delight we imagined.
I wasn’t there, but she was pretty freaked out by the whole experience, owing in part to swallowing/choking on water a few times. Devin took her to a local YMCA pool again today; apparently she was very slightly less miserable this time. (And wanted to get back in the pool after getting out.) When I talked to her about it later, she said it scared her. I asked if she liked swimming and she said no, but she liked having a shower afterward.
— Beth
The Carraway Seed 