AHHHHHHHHH!

I'm about ready to tear my hair out today... this potty training thing is making me crazy! Some of you know our issues with getting Caleb to go #2 on the potty... well it is just getting ridiculous at this point. He is 3 1/2 years old and KNOWS what he needs to be doing. This stubborn streak is a tough one to break. I wouldn't have SUCH a problem with him not going on the potty if he would go AT ALL, but since he knows he's not supposed to go in a pullup or in his underwear, he just holds it for days. Like 5 or more days. That is NOT a good thing for his little insides. I have tried everything, except giving him laxatives, but that is next on my list. I've already got a call in to the pediatrician for some advice.

So this is just the last thing on my list of his behaviors lately. Yesterday we had a sort of throw-down over a cup of orange juice. Well, really, it was over him and using manners to get what he wants. He is normally a very polite little guy, asking instead of telling, saying please, but for some reason, Caleb has NEVER said "thank you". In fact, I'm not sure I've ever heard the words come out of his mouth. I know that 3 is still young, but I also realized that is his 19-month-old little sister can and does say thank you in the appropriate situation WITHOUT being prompted, then he is perfectly capable of saying it too. We talk about it all the time. When his friends help him or share, I always ask, "Did you tell them thank you?" and he either ignores my questions are says no. When I hand him a refilled sippy, I ask him "What do you say?" And he says nothing, grabs the cup and turns and walks away.. so he KNOWS. Yesterday, I was done. He gave me a sassy look and turned his back without saying "Thank You" for the last time. I calmly (I do always TRY to stay calm with him, but it doesn't always happen. I was calm this time though) reached over, took back his cup, and told him he could not have it until he told me "Thank you." I explained that it's what polite little boys say, and it goes along with saying "please" and "may I" and ht is old enough to say it from now on. It's not a new concept. At first he kinda shrugged and decided he didn't want his juice that bad, so I let it go for a few minutes. I needed to run to the post office, and the juice cup came with us in the car and rode in between the fron seats where he could see it but couldn't reach it. By the time we got to the PO, he was starting to whine that he wanted his juice, so I repeated for the 40th time that all he needed to do was say "Thank you mommy" and he could have it. We went in, did our PO business, came back out, and as I strapped him in his carseat he started crying that he wanted his juice. Same deal, all he has to say is Thank You. Not too hard, just say the words. Still wouldn't do it. Back home we went, with him crying loudly into his blanket, all the way home (all 0.8 miles haha). When we got home I sent him to his room to cry until he was finished and wanted to come out and say Thank You. It only took 5 more minutes until he came out and whispered it. The total time here MIGHT have been pushing 20 minutes, so it's not like I withheld liquid from him all day or anything (in case it sounds insane of me). After he said it, he got a big hug, and lot of praise and a reminder that from now on, we say Thank you when someone gives us something or helps us. He was good about it for the rest of the day. But today is a new day, and we're working on that poop thing.

I feel like I am such a mean mom when I have to resort to things like this with him, but we have found that nothing else works for him. I'm not hurting him physically, and I'm trying to teach him to be a polite and disciplined young man. He just has a stubborn streak that I've never seen the likes of before (It feels like two stubborn people's genes mixed and made a super-stubborn gene that not only doubled the amount of stubbornness, but made it grow exponentially). We have to stay two steps ahead ofhim, and it's hard! We are surprised every day at how smart he is!

...And I don't even want to THINK about how hard Carly will be...!! (Start praying for us now!)