Two steps forward, one step back.

That is an apt description for life these days, it seems.  H has taken to potty training in a big way.  He takes it pretty seriously (more so than we do), and within 4 days of committing to underwear only, he began to have accident-free days.  The problem with this (wait, there’s a problem?!!), is that for some insane reason, he has decided to potty train himself for nighttime, too.  Our intent was to not worry about nighttime at all for at least another year.  We were fine with throwing him in a diaper or pull-up for nighttime, and calling it a day.  What has happened instead is this:  H uses the potty before bed.  We put him in a diaper or pull-up, and stick him in some PJs.  We tuck him in.  He proceeds to wake up 3 or 4 times throughout the night to go to the potty.

Oh-em-gee.

We are tired.

I can’t exactly say, “Holden, don’t bother with the potty, just keep peeing in your diaper.”  No, that would not be a sane thing to do.  So, we are running with it.  Sleep deprivation and all.

We are exhausted and HE is exhausted, with all of the middle-of-the-night trips to the potty.  His patience and mood have suffered because of it—remember, this is a child who has not napped for an entire year.  Until, a few days ago.  He was actually so exhausted from his nighttime bathroom excursions, that he took a 2-hour nap.  He hasn’t done that in 12 months.  You know what I did while he slept?  I painted the wood paneling in my fucking dining room.

The 2-hour nap from the other day was unfortunately a one-time stint.  H continues to be exhausted during the day—he snaps at me easily, screams at the cat for getting too close to his toys, spits, throws things, and yells.  He’s not like this all the time, and yes, most of this is normal almost-3-year-old behavior, but it does seem to be going to a whole new level since we started using the potty a couple of weeks ago.

Even still, it’s a necessary step that gets us a bit closer to the beginning of preschool this September.  Growing up is tumultuous, painful, exhausting, and beautiful.