"Potty Pooper"

I will spare you all any pictures but I am just so excited I HAD to document it!

I am also hoping I don't jinx myself by saying it but...

We had our FIRST poopy in the potty!!! Just to clarify, that would be CASH but WE are very excited about it.

He has been telling me, after the fact, that he is "ginky" and grabbing his bum but the other day he grabbed his bum and whined a bit. I checked his diaper but he hadn't done anything and I was on the phone so I just let it go. Well, he ended up with a stinky diaper shortly after that.

So, this morning I noticed he was doing it again...I sat him on the potty and could tell he was pushing. It took about 10 minutes but he was content to sit there and then...SUCCESS!!! Hoping, hoping, HOPING it continues and we can be D-O-N-E, DONE with this diaper thing!!! :)

He is still waking up in the mornings (and from his naps) wet but Makayla did the same thing at 21 months. She got the pooping thing down first, THEN the other came shortly after. I won't complain on that one...who WOULDN'T rather clean up a potty mess instead of a poopy one?

Crossing fingers he is an easy one to train! (maybe even before our trip in May!!!)

The Terrible Twos

We have all heard the term and many have probably dealt with it to one extreme or another. However, for me, my four older kids were relatively calm with pleasant demeanor. (Well, Talon was a bit rough as a baby and toddler and I am trying to remember if we really actually got too bad.) Now, that's not to say that we didn't have our tantrums to deal with or some very frustrating situations...but the others were fairly easy to handle.

Enter Cash...my cute and last little guy. As a baby I would call him "Average". He was not too bad or colicky like I know some can be, nor was he as quiet, calm, cuddly and pleasant as my others. He was a just a normal, regular baby. He has always been a bit strong willed and a very BUSY little baby boy and toddler. Cash is also a bit doted on...with four older sibling that just love him to pieces and a mom who tends to "give in" more than usual, the kid pretty much gets what he wants...which doesn't help the situation!

With my others I could take them to a movie or sit through a nice lunch at a very young age without any disruption....not Cash. He is too busy, and too noisy and now we have hit that dreaded, infamous stage (hopefully it's just a stage) that we all call, "THE TERRIBLE TWOS"! Combine that with an already VERY stubborn, doted on, little boy and let's just say life hasn't been easy in the Fullmer household....at least for me!

What makes the tantrums worse is the fact that he has a very, VERY high pitched scream! When he cries, when he's frustrated and sometimes, I'm sure, just for pure fun and torture it is exactly that...TORTURE! It can be hard to handle. I try to stand my ground, stay tough and not give in, but sometimes I just want the screaming to end and give in to whatever it is he wants. Mistake #1, I'm sure!

He tends to use this scream in public and have his fits in public sometimes also. It is so hard and embarrassing. I have had a couple of women roll their eyes, do the "Oh my gosh!" giving me their glares and one lady even threatened to get the manager in a movie theater (at this time he was 10 months old and just making baby noises, not even crying)...come on really? If he's being disruptive then ask me to leave nicely, which was what I was going to do anyway, but don't threaten me with the manager! I just want to say to those women, "You obviously don't have kids!"

I guess, I am really just asking for tips. What do I do and how can I handle this better? How can I teach him to stop screaming like that? I have put him in his crib when he has the tantrums, I have tried to reason with him calmly. I can just feel my anxiety peaking and that is NEVER a good thing. I am also so worried about leaving him when we go on our trip in May. I am so grateful for those who have agreed to watch him for us and I just don't want them to have a hard time with him. I am so scared and feel so bad if he is difficult to handle....which is adding to the anxiety! Right now, I guess that is my biggest concern, leaving him and making others deal with his tantrums and screams. I have great family and I will owe them HUGE, I know. I really just don't want him to be hard for them. Let's just say some big tears were shed last night over this.

So, okay...I have vented, shared my concern and would love any advice or encouragement. Who said parenting would be easy? I would have to say it is definitely the hardest, yet most rewarding thing I have ever done. We love our little Cashy. He has brought us joy and made our family complete. He also has so many cute moments...which is a good thing because that is his saving grace...and I don't regret our decision to have him. I just want to learn how to deal with his strong personality. I have asked myself, "why couldn't we end it with a great, calm, super happy and easy baby?" then the answer comes pretty quickly, "Oh I know why, because then I would probably want another one. At least with him, I KNOW for a fact that I am DONE!!! " :)