Thursday

Frank continues to do well with the toilet here at home. The phrase that seems to be evolving as his catchphrase is, "I need to do something in the potty." Each time he goes, he really only squeezes out a few drops, but I guess he's learning to identify that feeling, and eventually he'll learn to be able to hold it a bit and let out more than a few drops at a time. He has yet to pee in the toilet at school, though. He sits quite nicely for them now, several times a day (thank you, Cars potty seat!). His teacher, N, tells me that he'll sit for twenty minutes, singing to himself, smiling and chatting with the other kids as they come and go, and really seems quite relaxed about it all now.

This morning in the car, he told me he wants to wear Big Boy underwear to school Monday. "Okay, honey," I told him. "But that means you have to go pee pee and poo poo in the potty at school, and you haven't done that yet. When you do that, then you can wear the underwear to school." He seemed to accept that, and assured me he would do that. I have a feeling that was his motivation for sitting on the potty, no lie, for a half hour today immediately after nap- I think he was trying to squeeze out something, anything! He also has a prize bag at school, too, for when he starts going there- I wanted to make sure he gets instant gratification when he starts producing there.

I only hope I said the right thing, in telling him he's not allowed to wear it until he starts peeing in the potty at school. I wanted to try and make it seem alluring to him, like something to shoot for. Maybe I should have said okay, and let him wet himself a few times Monday, anyway? We'll see. We'll try him out Saturday during the day in underwear and see how he does.

They had "muffins with Mom" at daycare today, too. They made the muffins, and the kids also made little flower pots with different-colored cutouts of their hands as the flowers. It's really cute. He also made me a card on construction paper. On the front is his handprint. His handprint! In bright red paint! Six months ago, getting his hand covered in bright red paint would have sent him into hysterics!! And N told me he was really into it, and was very calm about the whole thing.

We're still working on getting him to eat a chewable vitamin, and he still eats a godawful diet, but he fingerpaints! And gets his hands dirty in the name of art! To me, these things, so ordinary to others, are miracles.