Here, Kid, pee in this cup please....

Today I had to take James to the pediatrician since he has been sick. Our appointment wasn't until late afternoon, and the kids were getting a bit tired. One of the things the pediatrician wanted was a urine sample. This is where the fun begins, folks. Getting an almost-four-year-old to pee in a cup. This is how it went:

We go into the bathroom; luckily its a big one. I have Tyler in my arm, sleeping away. (He was in the sling but got antsy so I took him out) Katie is standing there, about 3 inches from James. Of course, she didn't want to miss a thing. She had to see what was going on. I explained to James that we had to get some pee into the cup. Well, poor kid, trying to pee in front of three people in a strange bathroom, into a cup no less. I was squatting down holding Tyler in my right arm, the cup in my left hand, ready to make the 'catch.' James stood there, concentrating very hard, but nothing was coming out. I coaxed him and encouraged him, but it just wasn't happening. First, he would concentrate really hard and then he would stop and ask 'What happens when my pee goes in the cup?' or 'What are they gonna do with my pee?' Then, the concentration would start all over again. Katie, being overtired and feeling ornery, decided to give James a hearty thump on his back whenever he was concentrating really hard. After about five minutes of this, I couldn't help it. I started cracking up. Here I was, crouching down with a sleeping newborn in one arm, a cup in my other hand, coaxing my son to pee while my two year old thumps her brother on the back every time he is about to pee. I laughed, James laughed, Katie laughed. And then we went back to concentrating, then giggling a little, and concentrating again. Finally, after what seemed like forever, we had success!!! Whilst capturing said specimen, there was a knock at the door. It was the nurse, seeing if we were OK and offering to give James a drink. I wanted to jump up and down and congratulate myself, telling her 'I did it! We did it! And I didn't even fall over or go insane, thank you very much!' Instead, I handed her the cup, waited for the results and hauled the kids home to make dinner and go to bed.