The following items were recently removed from my parents vcr:
-a domino
-a set of keys
-a toilet paper roll
-two bite size pieces of Twizler

I bet you can't guess who put them there. . . and just for the record, the vcr still doesn't work.

The Potty Training Blues

This post has nothing to do with Lincoln and everything to do with me. Lincoln is doing so well. While I am happy for him, there's a part of me that's very sad. Though I really haven't considered Lincoln a baby for some time, I guess there was a piece of me that still considered him my "baby." As I see him wearing big boy pants and taking himself to the restroom, I can't help but realize that my "little man" is now a little boy.

It seems a bit silly to be on the verge of tears about this. I know that this has more to do with Lincoln growing up and less to do with the fact that he is no longer wearing diapers. I think I may be struggling with this more than some moms because I don't know if I will ever have any more kids. While I've tried to "soak in" every moment and enjoy each stage, the truth is that the time has passed way too fast. So today as my heart rejoices with a little boy who is so very proud of himself, a piece of my heart breaks as well.

Tales of Potty Training

We've been potty training for a week. Lincoln has done really well. He hasn't had an accident at our house since Friday. School and other places away from home are a different story, but hey, you've got to celebrate the successes.

Lincoln thought the potty seat was a rocket before we started the training process. He would zoom all over the house with the seat.










A friend recommended the book Potty Train Your Child in Just One Day by Teri Crane. Basically the whole premise of the book is to make the training process fun. She suggests throwing a "potty party." I decided to go with a camping theme.


I set up a tent in the playroom.






This is the entrance into the bathroom.







This would be where we spent the majority of the day on Thursday. (If you're wondering why there is an owl on the wall, I hung up pictures of animals all over the bathroom. We played "I Spy" in the dark with flashlights. He LOVED it!)





Lincoln and "Boy" watching a potty movie in the tent. In the morning, you train the doll to use the restroom, and then in the afternoon, you start working with your child. Lincoln came up with the doll's name. Pretty original. : )




We spent LOTS of time reading that first day too! Thank goodness for the Leap Pad!







At the end of the day, the book tells you to have your child throw away his diapers because he is now a big boy. Lincoln burst into tears and started stashing his diapers behind his back. He did NOT want to throw away his "bipers!!!"







We celebrated all of Lincoln's hard work that first day with a Happy Meal.

That first day was exhausting for both of us! He had a few accidents. Then there were the times when he made it to the potty, but forgot to pull down his underwear. By the end of that first day, I was ready to pull those diapers out of the trash. Luckily, I have a potty training cheerleader. Thanks for all your help Jessica!!!

If I had one bit of advice for moms out there, it would be this: For some crazy reason, I thought I was going to get so much done around the house while we were stuck at home for a few days. I soon realized that was not going to be the case. Once I let go of that, things were much better!

I included this last picture just for fun. Last night, he brought his potty chair into the playroom so he could sit and watch some basketball. I quickly snapped a picture and then informed him that the chair must stay in the bathroom.

Give the boy a remote, and he's good to go!

I've really been a bad blogger lately. Here's our Christmas Holiday in a nutshell. We've managed to:
-both get the stomach bug
-celebrate Christmas
-fly to Tenn. to visit Keith's family
-begin potty training (We started this today.)

Hopefully I will be able to post some pictures next time. Too bad I can't work on that from the bathroom. If today is any indication of what is in store, we will spend more time there than we will in the rest of the house.