Operation Big Boy Underwear Blackmail Photos & Update

I've been toying around with the idea of potty training Dylan for a while. A month or so ago he shot himself in the face on the potty (which we both thought was hilarious) and then on Super Bowl Sunday he had his 1st real success going peepee. Other than that he would just sit on it and occasionally toot. Nothing major. On one side people were telling me to go ahead and do it before Colton comes. On the other, moms were sharing their horror stories of trying to hurry up and get their children out of diapers before younger siblings came, only to have them regress. I was torn. Then I was homebound with Dylan last week trying to kick his cough with nothing else to do, so I thought I'd give it a try since I could sequester him and his toy cars to the hardwood floor/non rug/non leather couch area of the house (aka the kitchen). I called Kristen that 1st morning and she gave me a pep talk with some hints, since 1 1/2 year old Jackson started having success on the potty a month ago. The first order of business was to ceremoniously have Dylan put on the Thomas the Train big boy underwear and take the blackmail pictures he will hate me for when they end up in his wedding video some day. I have gotten the biggest kick out of looking at his cute little cheekies as he has been prancing around in his skivvies: Here's how the first few days have gone:

Day 1, in a 4 hour span before Autrey came home and took him to Cabela's- 2 accidents, 1 success

Day 2, most of the day until he went to Academy with Autrey in the late afternoon- 2 little successes of a few drops, 1 accident, 1 real success, then he asked to go twice and couldn't figure out how to release it so he had another accident

Day 3, in underwear all day long - HUGE day! 10 successes in a row (A few times he even asked me to go between the 15 minute intervals. This kid is responding very well to the M&Ms for sitting on the potty and the sucker or Hershey's kiss he gets for going peepee.), 1 accident at 7pm

Day 4 (Last Night)- He wore a diaper because I needed to be in other parts of the house that morning (carpet hazard) and he had friends coming over to play that afternoon and I didn't want to be stressing out. Without timers or asking him, Dylan told me twice he needed to go potty and was successful twice. He kept his diaper dry all day until we drove to the library with Autrey.

I think we are off to a great start. Only 4 wet accidents in 4 days and none of the brown variety. He has always managed to poop when he has a diaper on in the mornings or right after his nap. I know he doesn't want to poop in the potty yet and I'm not going to force him. So far, so good. Wish me luck...

The rest of the 27 month update:

*We bought Dylan and Colton bunk beds and new furniture for Dylan's room since they will most likely be sharing a room at some point down the road. Obviously Colton's bed will stay in the box for a few years, but sometime soon we will begin transitioning Dylan into a "big boy bed." He seems excited for it. So stay tuned...

*"lellow" = yellow, like Luigi from Cars. He usually requests a "green Chick Hicks M&M" for sitting on the potty. He knows that "Lika" (Lightning) is red and Mater is brown. Transferring that color knowledge to other objects isn't there yet.

*He saw a small tan Jeep the other day and called it a "little Mimi's truck" because it looked like the Tahoe.

*He is getting good at recognizing and naming shapes.

*He likes to count objects. He is usually accurate with 1-3 objects. From 4-15 the one-to-one matching is generally lost because he is counting too fast, skips objects, or points to them twice.

*He walks up and down the stairs with his feet alternating, like grown-ups do. He sometimes still puts his hand on the wall with one hand as he goes.

*He can sort his wooden pizza toppings into 3 piles of "peppa-onis," "peppas," and "mush-wooms."

*He continues to be OBSESSED with puzzles and cars.

*When I am cooking he will say, "I want to look!" and wants to sit on the counter to watch and help stir. I used to let him throw the raisins in the oatmeal, but then he decided to eat them all instead.

*He loves to color with markers. He takes off the lids, puts them back on, and puts them back in the container on his own.

*Even without me asking he will clean up his toys before nap/bedtime.

*While praying he will now bow his head and close his eyes, at least at the beginning.

*His favorite game is to "Boo" us. He will hide and then say "Boo" in a tiny little voice. When he "Boos" daddy when Autrey comes in for prayer, it is usually followed with intense tackling and flying in the air. Dylan loves it.

*Heard recently:

-"Dylan" and "Shilo" (he can pronounce the L sound now).

-"gril" and "buy" are still girl and boy.

-"Snow-b-oh" = snowmobile, like the one on his Bob the Builder vest

-"Daddy's at work. He's helping people."

-"Christmas treat" = Rice Krispie treat

-After we got home from Tommy's birthday weekend: "Amarillo orange" "No, uncle Matt! Don't take it away!" (I have no idea why he would say that when Matt wasn't even around.) "Tommy coming over?" (He said that after I spent a few hours deep cleaning the house. I promise I clean more than just when we are having company. This is me, Miss OCD, remember?)

-"See ya later alligator. After a while crocodile."

-"That's mama's belly. It's Colton's room."

-Me: "You're my favorite big boy. Colton's my favorite baby"

Dylan: "Thanks, mom!"

-Me: "What's your name?"

Dylan: "Dylan Duke" (said really fast).

Me: "How do you spell it?"

Dylan: "D-Y-L-A-N!" (also said really fast)

Me: "Where do you live?"

Dylan: "I live on _______ (omitted for security purposes) Road."

Quick Colton 26 week Update:

*I love watching my belly move through my shirt when Colton kicks, which he does a lot. He is a mover and a shaker...and I'm convinced my boys both enjoyed sitting on my spine. Autrey started doing SI stabilizing exercises with me, but it is still pretty painful during the day and at night. Unfortunately everything the doctor recommended I could take to help me sleep more than 2 hours at a time all night long didn't really help (Unisom, Benadryl, Tylenol PM). Even when I take 2. Oh, well. When I went for my 26 week appointment today the doctor said everything looked great with Colton and my cerclage is holding up well, but that my amniotic fluid level was low. I have to go back on Monday to see if it was a one-time fluke, or whether it means there is the threat of growth restriction or the need to be more aggressive with my Protein S deficiency treatment (Is there anything more aggressive than daily Lovenox shots?? I shudder...) and I might need to see a perinatologist. Unfortunately there is nothing I can do besides wait until I go again on Monday and find out for sure. Turns out that fluid level isn't a reflection of the amount of water I'm drinking and I'm already limiting my physical activity as much as I really can. I know what I'll be praying for this weekend...