Potty Update & New Family Photos

It's Friday and the potty training week has gone by very quickly. Although I tried to go into it with low expectations, I was secretly hoping that N would just "get it" in 2 or 3 days. He is "getting it," just not all together and as quickly as I had dreamed, I suppose. My patience has been tested, and I have had to adjust to the new "power dynamic" in our relationship...but all is well, and I think we're moving in the right direction.

The good part is that he tells me when he needs to pee pee a lot of the time. He likes his rewards - we started with m&m's, but teddy grahams have ended up being the preferred treat. The not-so-good part is that he hasn't pooped on the potty yet, and sometimes he has temper tantrums. He would much rather play outside than bother to come inside for a bathroom break, so I've caught him in the act in the yard a number of times...but I guess boys will be boys, right?

At this point, we are continuing with training since he is showing signs of improvement and is pretty positive about the whole experience. I had originally planned to use regular underwear only, but now I am thinking that pull-ups are a pretty good thing, especially since he can typically only make it 30 minutes or so between bathroom visits. I know they will come in handy when we want to leave the house, or when we have a lot going on and the idea of having to clean up a bunch of messes is overwhelming. They worked really well yesterday when we spent all morning visiting Great Grandma for her birthday.

We took a round of family photos a few nights ago. Our church is putting together a pictorial directory and asked each family to submit a photo. Here are a few of our favorites from that batch.

N helping Daddy set up for the family photo


One of my favorites


Snuggling with M - I love this cuddly age!


Daddy giving kisses