One-Bathroom Blues

Kiera: Want pull-up diaper.
Me: Okay. Do you want to go sit on the potty?
Kiera: Sit potty.
Molly: (Following me and Kiera into our tiny bathroom.) I have to go potty, too!
Me: Well, then you should have peed while I was nursing Kiera. I've been sitting here nursing her for ten minutes, and you've been lying on the floor next to my feet kicking my chair, so now you can wait.
Molly: But I have to pee really bad! (Kiera's diaper is now off, and Kiera is climbing onto the potty.)
Me: Too bad! You'll have to wait!
(Kiera pulls stool over to toilet, puts insert seat on toilet, sits on it, pees. Smiles. Pees some more. Farts. Takes some TP and wipes.)
Molly: My turn now!
Kiera: (Was about to get off potty; now clamps hands on the little handles on the insert seat she sits on.) Nooooooooooooo!
Me: Molly, just wait a minute, okay? Kiera, do you need to pee anymore? Do you need to poop?
Kiera: Poop.
Me: Okay.
(Kiera sits, but is clearly not actually, you know, doing anything other than antagonizing her sister.)
Me: Are you done, Kiera?
Kiera: Done.
Me: Okay, let's get you off.
(Kiera starts to climb down, then sees Molly looking at her and sits on it again.)
Kiera: Nooooooooooooooooooo!
Molly: It's MY turn now!
Me: Molly, can you step out of the bathroom for just a minute?
Molly: No, I don't WANT to leave!
Me: Just for a second. (Did I mention that I have to pee, too? This all happened about ten minutes after we all got up. I would really like Kiera off the potty so that Molly can pee and then get off the potty so that I can pee.) Molly, GO OUT.
(Molly reluctantly steps out of the bathroom.)
Kiera: (The very second that Molly is out of sight) All done!
(I take Kiera off the potty and let Molly come back in; Kiera tries to get back on the potty AGAIN but no, she said done and she is DONE. Kiera flushes the potty, and then Molly wants to wait until the tank finishes filling before she'll sit down and use it. Molly finally uses the potty, after which they move on to squabbling over handwashing.)

My life would be easier if Kiera used a potty chair rather than an insert seat. Well, except for the fact that there is no room in our bathroom for a potty chair. Anyway, like Molly, she likes to sit on the real toilet and flush it afterwards, which is great except for the whole "we have only one bathroom and thus only one toilet" issue.

Molly's Bedtime Reading

Ed decided to read Molly The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe. She seems to be enjoying it. Thanks to everyone for suggestions.

Beverly Cleary was a popular suggestion, though a couple of people wondered if her books might seem a little dated to our kids. I've re-read a couple of the Ramona books (we have them around -- when I spot a children's book I liked as a kid at a garage sale, I pick it up) and they hold up pretty well. I loved Joan Aikin as a kid, but I think Molly would find the books a little scary and a little confusing. I do think she'd love Roald Dahl. Watership Down is a great book but might be a bit heavy -- the story from the survivors of the doomed warren was really disturbing to me at eleven.

We have a copy of Good Night, Mr. Tom but that one's going to have to wait.