So I managed to be fairly productive today in several aspects (far more so than on Monday), which is to be expected considering that Tuesday is ‘the only real work day of the week.’

I don’t necessarily have a lot about which to write, so I’ll ramble a bit about Kirstin. She’s been recovering from her first cold now for the last few days, and therefore has been quite the sleepy girl. She’s been taking it pretty well, though. She’s always happy and ready to go when she’s awake, and she doesn’t fight off the sleep business or anything (at least not more than normal).

She does seem (at least in my observation) to get sleepy very quickly, and shortly thereafter is out. It doesn’t take much (or any) coaxing, and she has been in good spirits, so that’s nice. She’s not constantly screaming in pain or the like.

In random news, today I encountered an article (I didn’t save it, because it wasn’t really all that interesting) about a group of people that go ‘diaperless’ from birth. These people essentially potty train their children once out of the womb. It seems a little on the ridiculous order, especially considering that a one-month old can’t figure out his/her fingers (let alone ‘give advance warning’ of an impending evacuation).

The article got somewhat descriptive, even outlining one woman’s experience ‘holding her daughter above a public restroom sink’ while she did her business (urine, of course). Not so sure what I think of that. Wait, scratch that. Pretty sure that’s fairly repulsive. One explanation of the process is not that parents teach their very young (under 1 year) children how to hold it, but rather are very observant of the signs their children make prior to ‘needing to go.’

So in a way, it’s potty training the parents…at least for the first year or so.

Anyway, enough of that particular subject. But while we’re on the subject, we got a catalog here in the mail about a month ago that has all sorts of baby and toddler stuff for sale. Of the items in said catalog, one thing stuck out like a sore thumb: The Peter Potty (r) Toddler Urinal for $39.95. To quote the description:

Faster, Neater Potty Training For Boys
Introducing the only flushable toddler urinal! Now boys can learn standing up from the start. The low basin makes aiming easier, promoting success and reducing mess. And kids love pushing the flush button when they’re done! Includes fillable water tank (no plumbing needed) and removable holding tray with all-day capacity. Great for transitioning to standing, too. Height adjustable.

Okay, there’s something dramatically wrong with this. For starters (I know you can’t see this), the picture accompanying it has a kid (he’s probably four years old) leaning against said urinal with a big smile on his face. Eesh. I can just imagine — “Hey, Johnny — go stand by the urinal and smile for the camera…” Only in America. Specifically Appalachia.

My two favorite parts of the description, though: And kids love pushing the flush button when they’re done! Look, kids! It flushes! Water. Boys. Free-standing device. Container of urine. Looks like a recipe for at least three-strikes against this device. Buyer beware.

My other favorite: …removable holding tray with all-day capacity. Does it come with a cake as well? I’d hope so. I’ve been around plenty of urinals in my time, and unless there’s some sort of deodorizing device (or plumbing to remove urine from vicinity), there’s no way I would leave this alone for a day. See my previous bit about at least three strikes. Add two more. Piss stinks — bad. Boys.

Guess I repeated one there, but I was once a boy myself. I don’t recall playing in urine, but that doesn’t mean it didn’t happen, either.

The only thing this device has going for it is the idea of introducing a urinal to a child. That unfamiliar device can be quite daunting to a young’un (especially at first), but I’m not sure that benefit outweighs the other ‘risk factors’ I mentioned.

Ah well. People apparently have too much money to spend on stuff like that anyway… There’s no way I’d shell out $40 for a device we’ve already got (albeit in different form) installed and plumbed.

So I’ll leave it at that. Food for thought. Until next time…

“Forgive your enemies, but never forget their names.”
– John F. Kennedy (1917-1963)

–MZ