According to a google search
"M needs..."

1. a 6ft wooden fence as she can sail over 4ft fences.
2. an obsession.
3. a thorough physical examination and some tests.
4. a whole lot of lemon zest for a charity bake sale.
5. a place in the home that is hers, even if the room is used for other purposes while she is away.
6. to find some books on designing a website.
7. help with a present for her best friend.
8. a shoulder to cry on.
9. to learn the fine art of tip-toeing.
10. your help and guidance as she goes through this difficult time in her life.

It is kind of interesting how truly some of these ring.

The boy has been accident free since Saturday morning, but who's counting.

The timer is a thing of the past and he even goes on his own. He doesn't even seem to want the rewards anymore.

Who told him he could grow up?

I like the new phase. This has definite potential.

The last time I spent this much time with a toilet I had just found out I was pregnant. I can't honestly tell you if this experience is any better or not.

L's teacher and I decided now might be a good time to start really concentrating on potty training/learning (it is all semantics, right?) so that he had a chance of being more in control before the winter really hits.

So far, he is doing pretty well at school and this weekend I started the homefront assault. Could someone just drug me and let me know when it is all over? Please?

It isn't that there are so many accidents (just 2 yesterday and none today so far) but I am not good at keeping track of time so I am using a timer to remind me to take him to the potty. Ding. Pee. Ding. Please, pee. Ding. Sing. Pee. It isn't even 10 am yet and we are skipping church to work on this today.

Stickers, charts, jellybeans, OH MY! We have both washed our hands so much I think our skin will fall off soon!

The real kicker is that I just am not convinced that he is truly ready for all of this. Sure he likes the prizes and is happy when he produces, but at the same time, he doesn't let me know when he needs to go. He just doesn't seem to care.

So I ask you this. Who is really getting trained right now? I feel like I am learning a lot and I am not sure how I feel about it. I don't want to live my life by a timer for too long, that is for sure.

Little Man's friend asked a tough question yesterday after using our bathroom. I was just glad his mommy was around to answer.

The question? "Where is Little Man's Daddy's toothbrush?"

Friend's daddy is deployedas well and the friend was concerned that LM's daddy wouldn't have a toothbrush when he got home.

I am glad I am not getting the tough questions from LM. He seems to be accepting everything at face value. That is hard too, though.

I am one of those mothers who is always behind when it comes to getting her child in for routine appointments. This time, though, it wasn't my fault completely that Liam took almost 4 months to have his 3 year well child appointment. This time, I can blame the crazy army medical appointment system because they weren't taking appts any of the times I tried and there are only so many times a week (one week I called 9 times) before it starts to get in the way of daily life.

That said, here are the stats. At almost 3.5 years of age, my little boy is a whopping 28.5 pounds and 36 inches tall. The good news is that he is finally registering on *the* charts again. You know, the charts by which all others will judge the health of your child. 2 years after falling off the charts he has managed to claw his way back on.

I am just so tired of taking him in to see the doctor and hearing yet another probable cause to his short stature. Just today, I took him to an allergist for a totally unrelated reason. He has been having hives off and on and I couldn't pinpoint an environmental cause.

We left the office with 2 appointments to follow up. One is to have an xray taken of his chest and of his sinuses. The other appointment is to have a sweat test done to rule out cystic fibrosis. I guess of all the tests he could want, that one is pretty benign in that there are no needles involved, but COULD YOU PEOPLE PLEASE STOP MAKING ME RESEARCH RARE CONDITIONS THAT MY SON MIGHT HAVE? Seriously, in his short life doctors have suggested growth hormone deficiency, celiac and now cystic fibrosis as the reason for his height. Isn't it possible that he is just short? Healthy but short?

Now I am off to google cycstic fibrosis. I am 99.9999999% sure that he doesn't have it, but it is better to know for sure...isn't it?