The Death of Me

This boy may be the death of me.  See this face - it's ornery!  He's very stubborn - I don't know where he gets this (coughing under my breath - Jade)!

He will not do a single thing you want him to do, unless he decides he wants to do it.  For example, he's been sick.  He requires an antibiotic & a steroid for his cough.  Then, throw on a little dibby dab (quoting Abbie here) of Mucinex Cough.  Jade & I were holding him down multiple times a day to dose him like a calf.  He would in turn spit on my floor.  Hello - I have a sign that says No Spitting on the Floor - where does he come off with the idea that he can spit on the floor?!?  Or again in my eye (FYI - Mucinex burns eyes).  So...I decided to let him do it himself.  I told him if he takes his medicine he gets gum.  Well low and behold - it took him half an hour or more, but he slowly would come and get a syringe full at a time and he finally took all his medicine.  No spitting involved!  Who knew?!?  You couldn't manipulate him into it like Aubrie, but you had to let him decide when he wanted to do it.

So we're on to our next biggest struggle.  The potty.

I know he knows when he needs to use the potty.  In fact, if I can get him to sit on the potty he'll always go.  If we are out in public & Aubrie needs to go, because she needs to see every potty from here to Texas, he has to go too!  And - he goes!  This has been going on for probably a good 4 months.  He's almost 2 1/2 now.  I always swore I wouldn't have a 3 year old in diapers and darn him - I may now!  Aubrie potty trained so easy at 25 months.  One week & cotton training pants with sticker rewards - done.  She was a piece of cake.  Now he understood the concept much faster than her.  However, he hasn't decided he's going to do it just yet.  So I've finally given up & realized that he will not use the potty until he decides it is cool.  So that's right - I'm cleaning up man sized poo in his diapers daily - thanks a lot Ev for your love for your mama!  So now I've told him if starts using the potty - he gets to go to dance class.  This is a big deal to him b/c he bawls every week when Aubrie goes.  He says & I quote through tears "I just wanna dance".  Well bud - it's time to use the potty!  To which he replied "Pa Stuart no use potty, Daddy no use potty".  Which really surprises me b/c I didn't realize that Mom and I were truly cleaning up man sized poo from our husbands daily!