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- Big news of the week: yesterday was Leander’s birthday!! Our sweet boy turned THREE years old yesterday (and I still can’t really believe it). Thankfully, even though his photos (I posted his 3 year old portraits yesterday, did you see them?) might deceive otherwise, he didn’t turn into a teenager overnight & he woke up this morning still my sweet little baby boy. You know when you have a birthday & people ask: “Well, do you feel older?” Leander might have had a birthday, but (thankfully) he still feels the same.
What did we do for his actual birthday? Well, we went to Kennywood – of course! What better place is there for celebrating your third birthday? (Unfortunately, Braelynn will never have that privilege with her January birthday). We rode rides, hugged characters, saw Santa, and ate delicious food – it was grand! And because we recently renewed our season passes, we had free Holiday Lights tickets – so we took Auntie Ellen & Uncle Jonathan, Alethea, Layla, Auntie Ruby, and Grandma along too! It was delightful! - Tonight we are hosting a grand Mickey Mouse themed birthday party to celebrate our little man!! He is absolutely obsessed with Mickey Mouse & so the theme was super easy (it’s also super easy because I have a lot of Mickey Mouse stuff). His cakes are baking (I just pulled the yellow cake out of the oven & flipped it out of the pan & absolutely destroyed it – the chocolate cakes popped out just fine but I annihilated the yellow cake – hopefully a lot of icing will help fix it) – Auntie Ruby is coming over later to help me assemble & ice them – it’s going to be fabulous.
- In even BIGGER news though, this week has been potty training week. (Can you hear my joy in that statement?) Newsflash – it’s been a roller coaster ride.
I remember potty training Braelynn being hard. But we chalked it up to her being young (she had just turned 2 when we initially potty trained her). Well, Leander is now 3 & guess what: it’s still hard.
It’s just such an exhausting process – I have to watch the kid like a hawk every moment that he’s awake & spend about 75% of my day cleaning up accidents (and that’s not a joke).
There have been victories and there have been defeats. There have been moments when I’ve celebrated: he’s getting it! he’s actually understanding & getting it! And then there have been lots of: he’s not getting it at all – this kid is never going to be potty trained.
“They” say that by “Day 3”, the kid should really start to get it – and Day 3 was the day he pooped on the potty for the first time and actually started taking himself to the potty. I was like: we made it – there will be accidents from here on out – but we’ve made it!
And then “Day 4” arrived & he straight up refused to sit on the potty. He’d scream & cry & throw a fit every time I tried to suggest going to the potty or if I would simply take him to the potty. So, Day 4 was a regression day I guess.
Today is Day 6, and I feel like we’re still in the regression phase. I’m discouraged today. Potty training is hard. SO hard. And absolutely no fun. My hands are hurt & cracked from constantly scrubbing up accidents & washing them – I’m exhausted from literally not being able to do anything but sit & watch Leander – it’s rough. He will get it eventually, right?
Check back next Saturday for what will (hopefully) be a very happy update. I’m saying it now: next Saturday I’m going to say that Leander is doing amazing – he’s having less & less accidents every day & he’s no longer fighting me to sit on the potty – if I speak it out, it’s more likely to happen, right? Stay tuned! - My phone went off on Wednesday & I opened it to see a message from one of my sweet photographer friends: “I hope you’re home: go check your front porch.” She had spontaneously bought me Starbucks (my favorite Peppermint Mocha too!) & dropped it off (along with a bag of candy) on my front porch! I stood at my door & sobbed – can you tell it’s been a week?! Mama’s exhausted y’all.
But it was seriously the sweetest, most touching gesture I think I’ve ever experienced & it brightened my day in ways unimaginable. I still am a bit in shock & awe that it even happened – it felt like a dream.
