An Official Announcement

This family, is, for the first time since our honeymoon (practically), diaper. free.

diaper.  free.

diaper.  free.

I'll just let that sink in a minute.

This girl is a rock star.  After convincing her that Cinderella uses big girl pants and goes on the potty all the time!, she was willing to give this thing she has previously deemed "completely inconvenient" a shot.  And while I can't say she really enjoyed it, she certainly picked it up fairly quickly.  Although, the frog potty spent a little too much time in my living room, centered to the T.V. with Mickey Mouse on repeat, and it did seem like forever till she was comfortable on other, foreign, toilets.  And we did eat a lot of gourmet chocolates (of course! of course this was her currency!) And she still calls her panties "big boy pants."

Anyhow, I still can't stop singing "no more diapers! la la laaaa!" but I will clarify, it (hopefully?) won't be forever, since "oh, you're done having kids??" is usually what follows that little song of mine.  We're not *done* per say, we're currently in the "how can we grow another arm?" , um, stage of things. Any ideas? Like I could even dream of keeping tabs on 3 children.  Plus, I've had 2 really easy, ridiculously easy, ridiculously (and strangely, I think) happy babies.  It's coming for me.  I know it is.  I've got vibes of colic and tempers and crying and crying and no smiles and "oh, look, he/she/it takes after yoooouuu." I'm simply terrified of the horror that will most definitely be baby number 3.

Child #1, however, is probably the most helpful thing I've ever met. He has no problems whatsoever sitting next to Ali, reading her stories, singing her songs, telling her of all his potty training woes, holding her hand, "you can do it, Ali!" chanting, and all other adorableness that is Mitchell Boyd Taylor.

He's also her biggest cheerleader. "YYYAAAAYY!! YOU DID IT! You're so big! Do you want a potty chocolate?! Yes? You're so big! Let's go show mom!!!"

This is not to say that the child has grown out of loving bad guys.  And when he is a "bad guy", he can be pretty ruthless.

So, we started having "yes days".  It started when he was being a bad guy, and I wanted him to clean his playroom.  "NO! Bad guys LIKE! MESSY! HOUSES!"  Okay, Mitchell, that's not even true.  There are plenty of bad guys who like things meticulously clean.

But instead of starting another world war with Captain Hook, I asked him if we could have a "yes day"

"NO!"

"If you say 'yes' to something I ask you to do, then I will say 'yes' to you! It will be so fun!"

Reluctantly, Mitchell agrees.  "Fine", he says in his bad guy voice.

"Can you help me clean your playroom?"

Rolls eyes (seriously), "yesssss"

"great.  your turn."

Mitchell immediately perks up, "Can we listen to Wreck-It-Ralph??!"

"YES!"

So we listened to Wreck-It-Ralph and the playroom got cleaned.  I'd call this a win.

It's a good thing he's only four and his requests are still innocent.  I don't think we would be able to have successful "yes days" if he started requesting vodka or something.  Currently, we've read stories together, sang songs, watched movies, made pancakes for dinner, had dance parties, washed the windows with the spray, built forts, and in exchange, we've cleaned bathrooms, bedrooms, playrooms, flushed the toilet (bad guys, apparently, don't do that), and played with Ali "extra nicely".

I love yes days.

Next problem? Ali and her abundant love of all things girl.

You can see the makeup all over her face, yes.  You cannot, however, smell the deodorant and perfume soaking her skin and pajamas.  Me: "Ali, what. on. earth?" Ali:  "I so pretty, mom!" Mitchell:  "I TOLD HER NOT TO!"

Kids.... I just have no idea.