Never Pray for Patience

Jack woke me up at 3:15am and said he had to go potty. He was dry. He went pee in the potty. Then he went back to bed. When I asked if he wanted me to sit on his bed for a minute (which is usually protocol,) he said, "No, you leave now, Mom." (In retrospect, I should have woken up Ben to go on the potty at this point, too.)

Ben was the first to wake up in the morning and came to our room, soaking wet. It was obvious that he didn't have to use the potty right away because the entire contents of his bladder was all over his pajamas and his bed. On the bright side, he did seem very annoyed by the fact that he was wet, so that's good.

Jack got out of bed and went to the potty again. He was still dry. The boys are making fantastic strides, but the fact that Jack woke up to use the potty and then still woke up DRY is absolutely amazing to me. He's got it. He really seems to get it!!!!!

Ben did go poop twice today - both in the afternoon and both were started in his underwear. We're still working on his timing. He's soooo resistant to let go of his feces that he starts walking too late and too slow to the bathroom. I have to let it fall into the toilet so he can feel like he's finishing it in there. We go crazy with praise, exciting phone calls and of course, a present. He's getting better. A little faster each time. Other than that, there haven't been any accidents. It occured to me today that the boys have BOTH woken up DRY from their naps since Day One, with the exception of Ben on Day Five. Can I get an amen?

Patience is a scary thing to pray for. Admittedly, I wouldn't recommend it. Because only then will God provide opportunities for your patience to be tested... err, I mean... strengthened. No, I never pray for patience. Instead, I pray for diligence. Consistency. Grace. Wisdom. And boy, do I need a lot of that lately.

The restraint needed from forcing your kids to sit on the potty, reprimanding them for wetting their bed or to let go of Mommy long enough for her to get a glass of water is overwhelming. Even still, I've been trying to make a conscious effort of letting the boys know that they are in control of their bowel movements. They get to decide when to release it. To be patient until they're ready to sit on the potty. They have the control. This makes a big difference in our day... and also makes me MORE than excited when Andy comes through the door.

So, yeah. Don't pray for patience. Unless you really do relish opportunities to let your head explode from the stress of it all!