"No more diapers for me"

First of all, sorry for the sporadic posts, but baby #2 is beginning to wreak havoc on my back and sitting for long periods in this computer chair is probably the worst culprit. So I haven't been spending as much time at the computer as I want.

Now, back to Kaylin. She continues to grow into a "big girl" right before our eyes, by leaps and bounds no less! She's turned into the quintessential three year old (a month before her third birthday, but that's ok)--making up stories and songs, chatting to her herself all day long, being silly and funny and just generally, well, three! It's hilarious to watch, though I can see how some parents grow weary of the constant preschooler questions. (Every book we read these days results in a lengthy question-and-answer period, like "Mom, why does that cow have that ring in his nose?" (he's a bull...then I have to explain what a bull is...), "What does 'on the loose" mean?", "What's 'don't tell a soul' mean?", "Why is that horse dancing with a pig? Horses don't dance with pigs!" and on and on. Honestly, I do love being witness to the curious mind of a child, but some days...well, let's just say I'm learning to read Kaylin's books more quickly in the hopes of bypassing the questions.)

We're also knee-deep in potty training here! We started about three weeks ago when I took the plunge and put Kaylin in some "big girl underwear" so she could finally experience the wonderful world of wetness. The first time she peed, she looked down in amazement and said, "It leaked!" As incentives, Kaylin picked out some Strawberry Shortcake underwear and receives a few fruit-flavoured mini-marshmallows when she has a successful trip to the potty. (What can I say, she's my kid and easily motivated by sugar.)

From there we were lucky enough to receive a fantastic potty training video from cousin Bradyn, who is also on the road to dry undies, called Potty Power! The video is directed at preschoolers and features such classic songs as "No More Diapers for Me" and "Wipe Your Bottom". The songs are cute and catchy (so catchy they stick in mom's head too!) and the video really focuses on the differences between babies and big kids. That has been the big step for Kaylin. She sees that she's becoming a big kid and has really developed the confidence and understanding to use the potty regularly. Accidents are becoming fewer and more far between and that's all I could ask for. She sings her Potty Power! songs while sitting on the potty or washing her hands and is really proud of what she's accomplished. And she doesn't always remember to ask for her marshmallows, so I think we're on our way. We're just going to keep at it and continue to watch our big girl blossom!