TMI Tuesday: Potty Training Postponement

Last week was an experience. Following our trip to New York, and nearly a month of our son showing signs that he was ready, we decide to take the plunge (or plop if you will) and start introducing our son to the potty. Actually, it was a matter of reintroducing him to the toddler thrown that he picked out for himself at Walmart a few months ago. Well, it was an interesting first day.

It was a completely new routine for all of us as every couple of hours we would gather around the plastic bowl and read an appropriate book to our son as he sat there patiently. While there were a few hiccups early in the morning, things were moving along about as smoothly as one could expect by the time the sun went down. He seemed to be getting the hang of it and enjoyed both the stories being read and receiving the stickers which we pulled out as an incentive for sitting there calmly. He also decided to read to us while his bare bum was perched in his seat of distinction a few times.

The following morning, while I was groggily getting ready for work, I could hear the usual back and forth above my head as my wife and son made their way from the bedroom to the bathroom. However, a few minutes later, I could hear the excitement and the clapping of little hands as our son peed in the potty for the first time. Actually, technically speaking, he peed from the potty not in the potty. Details, details. This success made for a great morning and start to the week.

By the end of the day, everything had changed. You could say that the crap hit the fan. While he was comfortable making progress at the house the day before, everything came undone at daycare. All the hard work and all of the huge steps that our son had taken were gone. We don’t know what exactly happened but it clearly wasn’t done the right way… and we were definitely not happy about the fallout! Now, potty training is on hold at daycare and we are trying to retrace those previous steps and milestones at home.

Slowly we are making progress once again. While he still isn’t as comfortable as he once was, there are small steps being made and the interest is slowly creeping back in. It is all about confidence right now as he continues to show other signs of readiness but an unwillingness to “fail” on the potty. That will return in time and, until then, we will continue to encourage him to take a load off whenever he has the urge.

It Is (Past) That Time Again

When I first started working at my current company it was outlined that I would have an annual review to go over my performance during the previous year. Of course, the only exception to that policy was the first six months as I agreed upon being hired that I needed some time to get re-acclimated following an extended absence from the industry. This placed my first review in the middle of April 2014. Obviously, this would mean that my second review would occur around the same time the following year. Well, that obviously didn’t happen or you would have read this post months ago.

However, while it would have been nice to have everything move along as planned, we have been busy this year with both new and existing business. A great problem to have and something that I attribute to us all doing our jobs and doing them well. So, months later, we were finally able to find a window in the day to get my review done last week. Thankfully, my company believes in retro pay!

It is still an odd process for me as each of my colleagues completes and evaluation form rating me on a scale of 1-5 (1 being the best) and providing comments on various categories related to the my performance. I have filled this same form out for a few of my colleagues and it can be a bit of a challenge at times especially given the fact that we have to recommend three areas of improvement. While it was difficult to determine these things in others, it was rather easy when completing my own form. Yes, I was also required to take a step back and review my own performance.

By being honest with my own review, the others sounded fantastic as I sat across the desk from the owner of the company. Heck, I would much rather be too harsh on myself and use it as motivation than think I am doing a great job only to struggle with my responsibilities. Seems that my boss feels the same way which made for a great experience going over the previous year and the flattering comments that my colleagues wrote as well as the points where I need improvement. Both were very much appreciated. The salary increase at the end of the meeting was appreciated as well!

It continues to be an interesting process but one that is hugely beneficial in monitoring my performance. I know what to keep doing and where I need to improve my routines. Hopefully I can show the marked improvement that I expect by the time my next review comes around which is still scheduled for April! Of course, you will find out shortly afterward in a few months. 

Changing Things Around

I had both been looking forward to and dreading this past week for months because of the many long nights that were on my schedule. I knew that things would be different by this time of year with our son having arrived and while I wanted to get out and get back to my previous routine I was also dreading being away from our baby for so many nights in a row. This week was originally planned so that I would be at the lodge on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. At best I was expecting that I could miss Tuesday but that didn’t change the fact that I would be out late the other two nights.

This week just goes to show that sometimes you just have to trust the plan that has been laid out before us. With the first front moving in on Tuesday the first night of my week was quickly taken off the table. This was a change that I had contemplated previously so there wasn’t much of a difference on my end. On Wednesday night the schedule remained the same and I was at the lodge catching up with my brothers but, at this point, Thursday night, our state meeting night, was questionable at best. By the time I left for the lodge after work on Wednesday, the stated meeting had been postponed and my week opened up.

It was still hard to be away from my wife and son during the night but at least I was able to slowly get back into things rather than having multiple obligations taking me away from family throughout the week. However, knowing how much I missed them for those few extra hours out of the office makes me wonder how I am going to handle my annual business trip at the end of the month. I guess it is going to take some to get used to the idea and this new reality.

For now, I was only out late once this week and I will be out late once next week as well. Hopefully things will move as quickly as they are currently planned and that my son doesn’t wait up for me like he did on Wednesday. While I hate being away, even for a few extra hours at the end of the day, it is at least occasional and brings be back to a modified routine. It may not be perfectly measured at this point but I will continue measuring the different proportions and gauging where and when I need to remove some things from my schedule.