Success!!

Guess what!

We are FINALLY a diaper free home (during the day)  Our little man decided that it was high time to stop crapping in his pants, and we couldn't be happier.  

It's kind of funny because we'd allowed the potty training process to become a power struggle, and honestly what a stupid thing to have a power struggle over.  I mean, who's going to win that one? The one with the actual control over his bodily functions, or ones trying to bribe, bully, plead, and coerce?   Lesson learned- you're not going to win a power struggle with a two-year-old over anything potty training.

Let's just say that we didn't win the struggle.  We did however accept defeat, and stopped worrying about it all together.  We changed his diaper in the morning without a single word about using the potty.  We cleaned up foul messes without complaining. We just dropped the subject all together.

Three days later, he got up, took off his diaper, brought us a pair of roos to put on him- and he's been using the potty every since.  He did it. On his own terms.  He won.

(Don't tell him, but I kinda feel like a winner too!)

Here are a few pictures from our Big Boy celebration at Chuck E. Cheese.

(Who looks like the bigger kid in this picture?)

YAY!

I dare you not to laugh

Never take your eyes off of a two year old. Never

Guess what happens when you combine...

a plug and cover plate laying innocently on the floor

a hole in the wall

and a master of mayhem?

That's right, you get to spend the next 30ish minutes scraping the crap out of your arm while you use various kitchen utensils and tools rigged up with magnets to fish out said plug and cover plate.

Awesome.

Do you kiss your mother with that mouth?

Earlier tonight, Sara called me to tell me about how Allie rolled over on the pillow she was laying on and ended up on her back on the floor. (The pillow was also on the floor-- just to clarify!) It was a pretty stellar milestone, but Sara also felt as though it might have been a "mommy fail" since Allie rolled off the pillow in the 5 seconds that she looked away to get her camera.

I assured her that if that was the worse thing that Allie did when she wasn't looking- that we could probably call it a success.

Point proven tonight by my youngest son.

Matt and I were cleaning up from dinner, and I told Owen to go get his jammies picked out and then I'd come give him a bath. Eli ran back to the bedroom with Owen, so I took a couple more minutes in the kitchen before heading back. Just as I was about to head to the bathroom, I heard Owen cackling and shrieking. I ran to the bathroom and discovered Eli, grinning, wet up to his armpits, drinking from his tiny, little cupped hand, from the toilet. Yes. From the TOILET.

Disgusting. I don't even know what to say.

See Sara, now don't you feel better about what your kid did in the seconds that you looked away? ;)

Dear Baby

Dear Eli,

My precious, precious boy. I can't even begin to tell you what a joy you have been in our lives these past two years. You have brought a fullness to our lives, and filled a space that we didn't know was empty. Every day is special with you. Because of you.

You are such a funny little boy. You make the best faces, and you can always make me smile. You can light up a room with your silly ways. You still have very few actual words, but you are incredibly communicative. I rarely have trouble figuring out what it is that you want. :)

My absolute favorite thing about you is your sweet, loving nature. You love to snuggle, read books, and get belly rubs. When I ask you if you're "Mommy's baby", you give an emphatic head nod to assure me that you are.

You bring the sunshine into our world.

We love you.

Happy Birthday!

Mommy