my, my...

Mr. Baseball and I have discovered that having a 3 year old is nothing like having a 2 year old. In fact, its much worse. I believe our thoughts during the Redhead's "twos" were..." Wow, we must be doing something right with our parenting, we have such a well behaved child."

Uh-huh. Then he turned three. (*sigh*) Lord, please forgive me for thinking I was any kind of a perfect parent.

God has such a sense of humor.

While three is a difficult age, its also a fun age. He does tend to redeem himself by saying the funniest things. For example...

* (while sitting at the lunch table the other day) "My, My, what a big bottom you have." - when asked where he heard this, he proceeded to say that he heard it from me. I.don't.think.so.

* "Mommy, where is YOUR penis?" (after seeing me getting out of the shower).

* (after watching the popping of the world's biggest zit on youtube) "I'm going to do that with the bump when I grow up." Just don't ask.

* When snuggling in the bed the other morning, Mr. Baseball and I kissed his cheeks at the same time and made a "Redhead sandwich" and the next words out of his mouth were..."Aw, Shucks..." I laughed soooo hard. He has great comedic timin

Despite the challenges, he's such a great kid and we love him to pieces!

self-diagnosis

The redhead knows two languages. He's brilliant, what can I say?

I wish I could take credit for his academic prowess - we've spent hours reading books and discussing colors, numbers, and thoughts.

However, these two languages seem to be most commonly spoken amongst "his peeps".

The two languages I am referring to are English (in Big Boy Voice) and Whiny English.

The latter is what this post will focus on.

It seems this is his language of preference as of late. Even when I tell him to use his other language, he opts for Whiny English. He knows my disgust for all things whiny.

Unfortunately, he gets this language honest. In a way, he did learn it from me. I think it was imprinted on his genetic code upon conception just to get me back for speaking Whiny English to my mom when I was younger.

No matter where it came from, it must be nipped in the bud. I have no patience for such nonsense.

When Whiny English is spoken here, we tell the redhead to stop being a "whinypants" and to use his big boy voice.

The other night, redhead was taking a bath and assumed the normal position of laying on his tummy in the water. I had given him fair warning of the impending ceremonial draining of the water and expected him to comply. Notsomuch. He began whining and I began ignoring him and looking away. Several moments later, as he was still whining, I glanced at him and the only word that came out of his mouth was...............................

"whinypants".

I couldn't stifle my laughter.

If only we could use this amazing gift of self-diagnosis at more critical times. For instance, he could tell me, "mommy, pneumonia", or perhaps, "mommy, need antibiotics". Heck, we could quite possibly bypass the doctor's office altogether...and maybe save some money doing so.

At least he's got a good sense of humor.

a penny for my thoughts...cause that's probably all you'd pay

Its been a full week since we began our potty training adventure and I'm exhausted. Its not like newborn baby exhaustion though - I still remember that all too well, but nonetheless, I'm bushed! We have had our ups and down, poops and pees, good times and bad, but he's potty-trained. The last diaper worn was the one I removed last Monday morning. My brain can't function enough to calculate the savings thus far on not having to buy diapers, but I'm sure it is a lot!

This process has probably been one of my biggest challenges as a parent so far. It might have been the method that we used (http://3daypottytraining.com) - it was very intensive in that I had to be by his side and watch him like a hawk for the whole 3 days (something I'm not used to and worried how it would happen cause I LOVE my space!)

However, despite the constant physical proximity to an underwear-wielding toddler, I learned quite a bit about both of us.

* The redhead is very smart - this I already knew, just got to see again firsthand. He picked up on telling me he had to go potty by the end of the first day.

* He has a wonderful spirit and a great sense of humor - this I already knew too, but got to appreciate again as we spent much time in the bathroom (check out his angel face as we wait out another pee).



* Only God can give us patience and He showered it on me this past week in an incredible way. I was able to be supportive and encouraging in the middle of the night while changing wet bedsheets and a urine-soaked toddler.

* I truly enjoyed not blogging, but instead spent precious time playing with my son and seeing his imagination and creativity.

* I also saw the importance of both parents in this process. I had two appointments I had to keep last Monday and Tuesday and it worked out that Mr. Baseball could be home with the redhead. He picked up right where I left off and did a great job while I was gone.

* I learned that M & M's are a great reward for potty-training. They're also a great reward for tired mommies!

* It feels GREAT to have a potty-trained child. Each day gets better as he continues to "get" it. Our night have been good too - he just woke up dry for the 4th morning in a row. Of course we still have had to get up in the middle of the night with him when he needs to pee.



Redhead, your daddy and I are so proud of the big boy you've become and we're soooooooo proud of you for using the potty! We love you!

the scoop on the poop

Well, we've made it to day three sans diapers! Here's a small recap of each day:

Day One - definitely the toughest so far!

* All 19 pairs of underwear/boxer briefs were wet within the first 4 hours.
* Cleaned up lots of pee-spots on the carpet and couch
* Stayed dry through naptime (1.5 hours) - this was big!
* Finally started to "get" that he had to tell me when he needed to potty - usually it was when he couldn't hold it any longer.
* Had a crying fit prior to a HUGE pee; received a matchbox car for being so brave
* I got so frustrated at one point in the day I slammed my hand down in karate kid fashion on the floor whilst whispering the F-word. No permanent damage sustained. This moment was not witnessed by the redhead.
* Two accidents over the course of the night, a small disruption in sleep
* No poops

Day Two - much better than day one

* Only went through about 6 pairs of underwear
* Got pretty good at telling us when he needed to potty
* Still got a little scared when he felt the real "urge to go" - lots of encouragement and praise will be needed for a while on this issue
* Kept underwear dry for longer intervals
* Stayed dry for another 1.5 hour long nap
* We got poops! - his reward was a meal from Chick-Fil-A!
* Only had one accident overnight (we did wake him up to take him potty)!!

Day Three

* so far so good - no accidents
* one Big pee with another one expected any moment.

Thanks for all the positive encouragement. Even though it is a 3-day program, his training is far from over. It is still going to take a lot of diligence on my part to keep him in line. I'll post another update soon.

** Since I've been chasing the redhead around all day and rushing him to the pot, I haven't had the chance to take any pictures of his cute tushie in underwear, but maybe I can get one soon. It is adorable!

it's go time...literally speaking

Today is a momentous day in our household.

Today my baby boy will set out on his quest to become a big boy and it will all begin by exchanging these...

with these...

That's right friends, today begins our 3-day potty training adventure. I'm excited and the redhead is too. I've been telling him all week that babies wear diapers and big boys wear underwear and pee-pee and poo-poo on the potty. I've read up on what I need to do and I'm ready to do it. Underwear a plenty has been purchased (19 pairs in all), rewards and treats are at the ready (stickers and M & M's along with Matchbox cars for those really proud moments), and I've got the potty chart all set to go to track his success.

By the time you read this, he'll already have his big boy pants on and there will not be a diaper/pull-up to be found in our abode.

Accidents...oh I know they will happen - and often over the next couple days.

Frustration...it will come, but I can't let it show - this is all about positive reinforcement.

One thing I am absolutely sure of is that failure is NOT AN OPTION. I refuse to look back. He's ready and I'm ready, so off we go!

I'll only be able to check back in and give updates/pictures while he's sleeping since I have to watch him like a hawk the rest of the time. Hopefully, I'll be able to share the whole rundown on Thursday at some point.

BTW, if you're curious about what method I'm doing, here's the website...

http://www.3daypottytraining.com

I covet your prayers and encouragement, especially from those of your who have been in my shoes. And Nan, we'll probably be talking at some point over the next three days. Be prepared!