All Aboard!

Several months ago I had made up my mind that we were keeping Cooper's birthday party VERY simple this year, as Big Mama would be 7 months pregnant at the time (in the heat of the summer).  My plan was to do a party at Chick-Fil-A because 1) it's one of the few places where Cooper actually eats, 2) they have a great indoor playground so we wouldn't have to worry about the weather, and 3) who doesn't love Chick-Fil-A (actually my dad doesn't...)?!  My plan was to get kids' meals for the little ones and then trays of chicken nuggets, fruit, cole slaw, etc. for the adults.  Easy peasy!  But then we went to a birthday party at the first of June for a boy from Cooper's class.  It was a choo-choo party at a park complete with a conductor and train, pizza, chips, and a pull-apart train cake.  It looked easy enough, not to mention Cooper never stopped talking about this party.  I ran the idea of copying the party by Karl, and he looked at me like I was crazy.  August weather is very different from June 1st weather.  It's hot and thunderstorms love to pop up out of nowhere.  Not to mention I would be very pregnant, and we don't know what my pregnancies are going to be like several weeks in advance.  What if I was on bed rest?  What if it rained?  What would Plan B be?  Where would we do this?  What about a bathroom? Very valid points.  All of which I knocked down too.  This is what my little man wanted, and it was just going to have to work.  No Plan B.  We decided to have his party at his beloved "choo-choo park" (a park close by that has a stationary, jungle-gym type train) and to copy every other detail from the original birthday party.  We had the same man come dressed as a conductor with his train, and we had chips, sliced watermelon, pizza delivered to the park, a pull-apart train cake from Publix, extra mini-cupcakes, juice boxes, water, and soft drinks.  I ordered all the decorations and toys for the party favors from Party City when I had a good coupon, so everything was pretty easy.  When Karl and I got to the park to set up, it was misting, but the temperature was very nice.  I selfishly prayed off the rain, and thankfully God postponed the rain until the very end of the party as everyone was getting ready to leave.  Talk about perfect timing!  The temperature stayed pleasant, the bugs weren't bad at all, and the rain held off.  The light occasional mist and cloudiness actually worked to our benefit because it kept others away from the park.  It was wonderful!  

When Cooper got there, he was so excited! We had talked about his choo-choo birthday party for over a month, and he could not wait to get his party started!

Then the choo-choo man arrived with his train that blows steam, has a whistle, and plays music!

Cooper's expression when he saw him was adorable!  He smiled the sweetest, most genuine little smile, and his eyes sparkled!

All Aboard!  Then it was time to load up for the first of many rides. The kids (and some grown ups) took lots of rides on the train!

Alex and Will 

(Can you tell they're used to getting their picture made?! As soon as I walked up with the camera, they were posed and smiling!)

My boys

Sweet Ellis

It was not just for children!

Lauren and Andrew were good sports and rode too!

As did Taren and Wade!

Ellis got his mama to ride...

...and his daddy!

Will, Alex, and their mama Brooke

My Super Cooper and brother Nicholas

Cooper and Maddux

Daddy even rode in the caboose all by himself!

There was also a lot of socializing and playground time!

After some delicious pizza (that was delivered hot and right on time!!), it was time for cake!  

This cake (and the two choo-choos on top) were the highlight of the party for Cooper.  He could not wait to get those trains off his cake!

This is my favorite time of Cooper's birthday parties.  The feeling of love that surrounds our boy as everyone sings "Happy Birthday" to him brings tears to my eyes!  I get so choked up hearing everyone sing that I can't finish the song myself.  We went through so much to have Cooper, and seeing him stand over his cake and hearing that song being sang to him...it gets me every time!

This picture cracks me up!  I love how ready Ellis is for his bite and how stuffed Cooper's cheeks are from his bite!

It was a great afternoon of celebrating our sweet 3 year old!  After the party, we chugged on home to open his presents.  This mama was out of steam by then, so I didn't get any pictures, but he did love everything he got and made sure to wake up ridiculously bright and early the next morning so he could resume playing with each and every thing!

33 Weeks

I am determined the savor and document and relish these last few weeks of pregnancy! Jake has been a joy to carry and has made this pregnancy very easy on his mama!  We are hoping he is just as easy outside the womb!

How far along: 33 weeks 

Total weight gain: 25 pounds

Maternity clothes: Yes, and they are so darn suffocating sometimes!  Pregnant women are hotter anyway, and when you add on the tight-fitting belly band found in all maternity pants and skirts, it definitely adds some warmth!  Don't get me wrong, I totally see the point in it and would prefer it over a zipper (if that was even possible) and my pants falling down, but in the summer, that extra layer can make for a super sweaty belly!

Stretch marks: Nada

Sleep:  It's getting to the point that I dread laying down at night!  As soon as I do, Jake curls up in a tight ball right on top of my bladder, which makes me feel like I have to go to the bathroom, even though I don't.  Yet I can't fall asleep because I feel like I have to go.  So when I finally waddle to the toilet, only a teeny bit comes out, which frustrates me to no end!  Once back in bed, the cycle starts over!  I wake up a lot during the night and have a hard time getting comfortable in any position.  However, I know this is good practice for what's to come!  

Best moment of this week:  I had a doctor's appointment on Tuesday and was reassured that contractions at this point are normal and okay...see Labor Signs for more details :)  Also, sweet baby has been getting the hiccups a lot, and it makes me giggle when he does!

Food cravings: I have developed a special love for chocolate chip cookies during this pregnancy.  For a long time, I didn't indulge in this craving because there's nothing healthy about it, but when I have, I have really, really, REALLY enjoyed every bite!  The other day we went to Chick-Fil-A for lunch, and they were passing out free samples of chocolate chip cookies.  They were a generous size, slightly warm, and very chewy.  Delicious.  As we left the restaurant, Karl told the lady who was passing out the samples that she had made this pregnant woman's day!  He was right!

Anything making you queasy or sick: Actually, the other night we grilled steak kabobs and had them with rice.  In  the past, this was something I loved!  When I was first pregnant with Jake, we ate this a lot because I was tired and didn't feel well, and this was something Karl could make by himself.  I actually did not enjoy this meal at all the other night, and I think it's because it reminded me so much of that nasty feeling in the beginning!  I had trouble finishing my dinner, which is not like me!

Have you started to show yet:  Most definitely.  The other day I was running errands and went in several stores.  At least one person in all but one store talked to me about my baby!

Gender: A sweet baby boy

Labor signs: I started having a lot of Braxton Hicks contractions last Friday night.  I had four while Karl was in the shower, and then had them more sporadically until I went to bed.  I thought they would be gone after I got some sleep.  I tend to always have one right after I use the restroom (which is a lot, especially during the night), so I noticed them during the night as well.  Saturday morning they were more frequent than Friday night, but they were not getting longer, stronger, or closer together.  Nevertheless, Karl put me on bed rest and took care of Cooper all morning so I could take it easy and lay down. By lunch time, I was starting to get nervous though.  There was still no consistency to them, but they weren't painless and were noticeable.  I didn't labor at all with Cooper, and while I did have a lot of Braxton Hicks with him, I never had them like this.  We didn't call the on-call doctor though because I was afraid of being sent to Labor and Delivery and then being sent home for being a nut.  By about 2:00, they weren't as frequent and weren't hurting at all.  From that point on, they fizzled out, thankfully!  I had a doctor's appointment on Tuesday, so I mentioned what had happened. I was absolutely terrified she was going to put me on bed rest, but she said it is normal to start contracting earlier during your second pregnancy, and as long as they stayed inconsistent, not to worry. I was so relieved!  Obviously, we don't want Jake making his debut this early (or for the next several weeks), but I'm afraid I would lose my mind if I was on bed rest!  The few hours Karl made me rest on Saturday were about all I could handle!  She checked me to make sure the cerclage wasn't showing any signs of stress or pressure, and everything felt like it should.  I've still been having some Braxton Hicks since Saturday, but they're back to being what I consider "normal."

Belly button in or out: I'm pretty sure it counts as an outie now 

Wedding rings on or off: On...but they're very snug.  When the days are really hot and I'm outside, I've noticed that my hands and feet swell; however, they are normally back to normal the next day.

Happy or moody most of the time: Happy and tired.  I've noticed that if I wear myself out, I have a much harder time bouncing back. After we got home from the beach, it took me over a week to get my energy back!  I guess that's part of being a human hotel with an almost-full term baby being a full time occupant in your uterus!

Looking forward to: Our sweet friends are celebrating Baby Jake this weekend with a Baby-Q Diaper Shower!  We are looking  so forward to getting some much needed diapers and spending some fun time with our friends!

Three

My little boy is now a big three year old.  When he was a tiny little baby, everyone told me time would suddenly fly by now that we had a child.  No one told me all I had to do was blink and he'd be three though.  A couple days before his birthday, our sweet boy had run in our room as he does every morning to wake us up.  He was especially excited this particular morning, and once he was sure we were awake, he took off like a rocket to get a particular toy to show us.  He was his wild, energetic self, and it was barely past 6:00 a.m.  This was just another typical morning in our household.  I rolled over and said to Karl, "Three years ago, did you ever imagine this is what our life would look like now?"  Of course he didn't, and neither did I.  We had no idea what was in store for us when in just a few days our first son would be born.

Just as people warned us that time would go by way too quickly, they told us we would love him more than we had ever loved anything.  They told us he would be our whole world, what made our world go round.  They told us it would be the hardest adventure of our lives.  They told us we would never be the same once he was placed in our arms.  We were warned, lectured, and advised over and over, but we had no idea how true all those pearls of wisdom would be.

And then our boy was born.

Some things you learn instantly and effortlessly.  We both immediately fell so head over heels in love that we felt like our hearts couldn't possibly handle such emotion.  In the second that he took his first breath, we were parents, responsible for this beautiful, delicate creation.  It felt divine.

But some things took more experience to learn.  By the time he was six months old, we had learned that yes, indeed this was the hardest, most demanding, confusing, frustrating job in the whole world.  We had learned that babies don't have memories because God is merciful and lets the multitude of mistakes you make in the beginning slip right on by your little one because some moments and days are just better not remembered.

We learned, grew, and changed by the day.  All three of us.  And three years later I wish that I could freeze time.  I now know how fast it does go by and that who this boy is today is not who he'll be next year or even next month.  I love who he was in each of his little stages these past three years, and I know I'll love who he becomes even more than I love who he is right now, as hard as that is for me to imagine.

This little boy is the very heart of me.  At night when I tuck him in and tell him that he's my best little buddy, I mean it with all that I am.  I'll mean it every day for the rest of my life, just as when I say, "I love you more," it's my heart's promise to him.  He is my best buddy, my heart, my whole world.  What a blessed mother I am to be able to say he is my son.

32 Weeks Pregnant

This was actually around 29 Weeks

I told myself when I got pregnant with Jake that I was going to do a much better job documenting this pregnancy than I did Cooper's.  Cough, cough.  I obviously have not! You always think you'll never forget the little details, but unfortunately, they do get scrambled around in your memory, and sooner than you could ever imagine, they slip away.  I am one of those crazy women who absolutely loves being pregnant.  I treasure this special time so much.  I am very blessed because I don't get morning sickness, and overall, I have easy pregnancies (minus the need for cerclages and having quirky blood sugar).  Jake's pregnancy has been pretty different from Cooper's though.  With Cooper, I never felt sick at all in the beginning and food tasted better than it ever had.  With Jake, well, I wasn't sick, but there were a lot of times I knew I'd feel better if I'd just gone ahead and gotten sick.  I was very queasy and felt car sick a lot.  Nothing tasted good to me in the beginning.  With Coop, I wanted cheeseburgers, pizza, Mexican, and milkshakes.  With Jake, I don't love any food!  Early on I did enjoy biscuits, ginger ale, and oatmeal.  I have started a mild obsession with cookies lately.  I'm not sure if it counts as a craving or if my nesting has started.  I felt the need to bake a lot with Cooper towards the end too.  I've carried Jake different from Cooper.  Cooper was very low and stuck straight out.  Jake is higher and wider.  Even my sweet husband has made the comment that my butt has gotten big (I haven't let him forget that verbal observation either).  I was pretty swollen at this point of my pregnancy with Cooper and had put my rings away for about a month now.  I noticed the other day that my feet are starting to look slightly swollen.  I can still wear my rings though!  Even though I'm not swollen this time (which could very well be attributed to the different types of summers I was pregnant--Cooper's was insanely hot, Jake's has been pretty mild), I am definitely bigger this time than I was with Cooper (as far as my weight gain goes).  I never had back pain with Cooper, and I've had it with Jake since my second trimester.  It comes and goes and is definitely worse at night.  Cooper moved constantly.  If I went more than a couple hours without feeling him, I would start crying!  The boy never stopped!!  Jake is very calm.  He's never been a kicker either.  He stretches and rolls and wiggles, but he doesn't get crazy wild like his big brother did.  Both have favored my right side.  Even in ultrasounds, the boys seem very different.  Cooper was always putting on a big show.  Jake is modest and shy.  He likes to cover up his face and stays pretty still during his time on the screen.  Based on how it feels when he moves, I think he'll be bigger than Cooper was.  Our prediction on Jake's personality is that he's our easy going, laid back baby, which as Karl and I both say, is exactly what we need (and deserve) to go with our high maintenance, fully energized first child!  

Now for the details of what it's like to be 32 weeks pregnant with Jake, a fun little question and answer session so I have at least some documentation of this pregnancy!

How far along: 32 weeks exactly 

Total weight gain: As of last week, 24 pounds.  On the scale, I weighed the same as the day I had Cooper, but I started out 4 pounds heavier this time.  Nevertheless, I'm now bigger than I've ever been before!

Maternity clothes: Yes, yes, yes!  I thought I'd still be able to wear little loose-fit summer dresses at this point, but since I've filled out so much in the hip area, I have to stick to my limited maternity apparel.  I bought maternity jeans today since I've realized I'll need some cooler weather clothing for closer to my due date and a little while afterwards.  I figured if I had maternity jeans, it'll take a little stress off me to get back in my old jeans as quickly.  I could wear my old jeans 6 weeks after Cooper was born, but they weren't very comfortable and were pretty snug.  Even if I can get back in my old jeans that soon after Jake (which I don't think I will), it'll still be December at that point, so I need something other than maternity capri pants, skirts, and short dresses!

Stretch marks: Nope!!

Sleep:  I'm having a really hard time falling asleep at night, and I have to get up at least twice a night to go the bathroom.  There have been a few nights that I got up as many as six times to go to the bathroom.  I've started feeling more tired during the day again (not as bad as the first trimester though).  A lot of days I'll lay down with Cooper when he lays down and nap with him for about 30 minutes.  It makes the rest of the day a lot easier!

Best moment of this week:  We took our last vacation as a family of 3 last weekend!  We went to the beach, and although it rained and was cloudy almost the entire time, it was so nice to get away and enjoy some time with Cooper and Karl.  

Food cravings: Nothing really.  I laugh at how my taste buds have changed during pregnancy though.  Normally I love hot foods and can handle a good bit of heat.  Not with Baby Jake on board!  I can handle very little spice now without breaking a sweat and needing my water!  

Anything making you queasy or sick: A lot of things actually still make me queasy.  Steamed vegetables are probably the biggest no-no for me.

Have you started to show yet:  I refer to myself as Big Mama for a reason!  I get tickled because I'm definitely big enough and showing enough that everyone in public is comfortable asking me when my baby is due and how I'm feeling and if I know what I'm having.  I have had a lot of conversations with complete strangers in the past month!  My favorite was last week at the grocery store when I was checking out.  I was bent over the buggy grabbing stuff to put on the conveyor belt.  The first few things I put on there were for Karl for the beach trip-two different kinds of beer and some of those frozen drink mixes.  The checkout lady asked me if I was celebrating the first day of the kids being back in school!  I started laughing and stood up straight and rubbed my belly and told her not this year!  She laughed and apologized and said she hadn't seen my belly when I was bent over.  It was amazing how fast she realized those drinks weren't for me though!

Gender: It's a boy!  We are so excited to add another little boy to this family!  I love that my boys will have a brother to grow up with.

Labor signs: I have Braxton Hicks contractions that are more frequent in the late afternoon/evening.  The cerclage is doing a great job though, and my cervix is measuring better than ever! 

Belly button in or out: Oh my.  This is another difference in my pregnancies.  My belly button is just about poking out this time!  In fact, several people have commented that I have an outie now since you can see it poking through my shirt a little!  

Wedding rings on or off: They are on!

Happy or moody most of the time: 95% happy.  I am moodier this pregnancy than I was with Cooper but still not very much and mostly just when I'm tired.  My body handles pregnancy well.  I honestly think I'm moodier when I'm not pregnant!

Looking forward to: Finishing Jake's nursery and Cooper's big boy room!  We are also getting eager to meet Baby Jake.  I told Karl the other night that I just can't wait to kiss Jake's cheeks!  The thought of holding this sweet baby makes my heart swell with joy!  

Oklahoma

Last week we traveled west to spend a long weekend with Karl's extended family in Oklahoma. We had yet to make this journey with Cooper, and we were past due for a visit with his family.  We first started seriously planning this trip several months ago.  We knew it would be hard with a toddler who may or may not be potty trained and a very pregnant mama, but we also knew if we didn't go this summer, it would realistically be a couple years before we would be able to attempt it again.  It is typically about an 11 hour drive.  That's just a long time to be in the car!  Cooper is finally at an age where he is a lot easier to travel with, can stay occupied in his car seat, and if he misses a nap, we can survive.  In the past it has been a major event to go visit my grandmother 3 hours away.  Traveling was a nightmare with him! However, since he is at a good age, we decided it was best if we took advantage of this summer before Jake joins our crew (hopefully he'll be a much easier traveler from the get-go though!).  As I said, it is typically an 11 hour drive.  Throw in a child who's been potty trained for two weeks and a 7 month pregnant woman, and it took a whopping 14 1/2 hours.  Yes.  A long time!  My doctor had told us to stop every couple hours so I could stretch my legs, and Cooper usually needed a little time to run around by then too.  We also ate all three meals on the road that day, so that took some extra time as well.  Even though it was a long car trip, Cooper did not complain or get cranky a single time.  He also did not have an accident the whole ride there, while we were there, or on the way home.  I was so proud!  He was a real champ!  He was so excited the whole way there and could not wait to see his GG-Pa (short for Great-Grandpa).  Karl and I were pretty excited about seeing him too!

Enjoying the view of the Mississippi River and snacking on his Papa's trail mix--his favorite snack of all!

I thought he would snooze off and on during the ride.  He only napped about an hour the whole way there, so that made for a lot of movie watching, book reading, playing, and snacking!  He's normally not a very good eater, but I learned on this trip he is an awesome car trip snacker!  He ate more in the car than he typically does in 3 days!

Mississippi Rest Stop

Our favorite stop was definitely the Mississippi Rest Stop.  It was beautiful and clean and everyone was very friendly.  I was able to get some great pictures of Cooper too.  He randomly started giving a thumbs up in some of the pictures, and he kept this up most of the trip too!  As you can see, he was very happy to run around for a little while.  This was also only about 2 1/2 hours into the car ride though!

I love these pictures of him in the tree at the rest stop.  The scenery at this place was incredible!

Our journey continued, and I'd say this particular stop was the highlight of the ride there.  We hit a lot of traffic and construction in Arkansas, and as time drug on, I felt like I had surely been taught wrong and that Arkansas was in fact the widest state in the country.  I looked at the GPS at one point, and it said we still had 5 hours and 25 minutes left.  I almost started crying!  That didn't include bathroom breaks and dinner.  My back was killing me, and I couldn't feel part of my left thigh any more.  I was exhausted from constantly entertaining Cooper and really wanted him to take a nap...so I could take a nap.  We toughed it out though, and about 7 hours later we arrived at Karl's grandfather's house.  It was about 9:30 when we got there, and Cooper had just fallen asleep about 20 minutes before.  He of course woke up as soon as we got there and was sooooooooo excited, so we let him run around and play for a little bit while we caught up with GG-Pa. 

The next day we took it easy and played in GG-Pa's amazing garden and went to get lunch at Karl's favorite restaurant ever--Coney Island.  They sell small hotdogs in steamed buns with chili and shredded cheese on top.  I don't like hotdogs, but I would happily eat these things by the dozen if I could!  

GG-Pa, Cooper, and Karl in front of the delicious Coney Island

After lunch, we headed home for a nice relaxing afternoon and got ready for some more family to come over for dinner.  Karl's Uncle Gene brought over fried catfish and sides for dinner, and Karl's uncle, aunt, and cousin and his family came over too.  His cousin and his wife have two little girls (one is older than Coop, one is younger), so that gave Cooper some playmates and gave his GG-Pa a little break!  Up until then, Cooper had not left the poor man alone!  He was beyond excited the entire time we were there and wanted to be with his GG-Pa nonstop!  

Uncle Gene is in the white shirt, GG-Pa is in the striped shirt, and Karl's cousin's daughters Brielle (little one) and Blakelee (taller one) are the beautiful two little girls.

The next day was the day Cooper had been greatly anticipating with all his little heart!  We were going to Karl's family's ranch for the day!  Cooper knew there would be tractors, horses, and fishing, and this sweet boy could barely control his excitement!  I have seen Cooper very, very excited about things before.  I have never seen Cooper this excited!

Little Man with his fishing pole and chain saw...what more could a boy need?!

We were just about to the ranch when Cooper let us know he needed to use the bathroom.  Karl pulled over and let him go on the side of the road (being a boy is so much easier than being a girl), and since we were almost there, we let Coop ride in the back of the truck with GG-Pa.  

Immediately upon our arrival, Cooper was on the tractor!  While he was content to just sit on the tractor and pretend, he was thrilled when GG-Pa took him for a ride...

Of course, Daddy had to take him for a ride too!

Karl's aunt and uncle fixed us a fantastic lunch, and we visited with them and Karl's cousin and her little boy for a little while.  I had been nervous about going to the ranch because of the heat and bugs; however, God blessed us with a perfect day!  The temperature stayed between 77-82 (depending on cloud cover), and there were no mosquitoes!  And it was August...in Oklahoma!!!  They've gotten a lot of rain like we have, and the grass was the most beautiful shade of green.  Everything just looked beautiful!  After lunch, we headed over to the pond to fish.  This was Cooper's first time to fish, and Karl bought him a special Spiderman fishing rod the day before we left.  Coop could not wait to use his "fifin' rod."  

I know this is silly, but I prayed when we got there that Coop would catch a fish.  I knew how special it would be for him to catch his first fish in this setting, and we all got so excited when Little Man got a bite within two minutes of casting and reeled in his first large mouth bass!

He got several more bites and was able to reel in two more fish before he lost interest.  You gotta love the attention span of a 3 year old boy!

At this point, it was way past nap time, but we still had one order of business to finish...horseback riding.  Karl's Uncle Don took Coop on a little bareback ride, and this ultimately was Cooper's favorite part of the day!  He loved riding that horse!  When Uncle Don asked him if wanted to go fast, my little daredevil of course said, "Yeah!" so Uncle Don let the horse trot a little, and the smile on my boy's face was from ear to ear!

After his ride, we headed back to the house to say goodbye to Karl's aunt, uncle, and cousin, but to our surprise, his Aunt Betsy was about to make us hot fudge sundaes.  Just when I thought this day couldn't get any sweeter!  The whole day was a real treat, and I hope somehow Cooper is able to remember it.  It was a day that little boys are made of.

After our sundaes, we loaded up and headed back to GG-Pa's house.  Cooper and I both slept the whole way back!  We were all so tired once we got back, we took showers, warmed up some leftovers for dinner, and sat down in the living room for a little more visiting.  Karl turned on Cooper's favorite movie, Toy Story, and Cooper went and crawled in the chair was his GG-Pa to watch the movie.  That was one of my favorite times of the trip.  It melted my heart to see them sitting together like that.  I know it takes a real special person for my son to be willing to sit still, and at that moment, I'm pretty sure GG-Pa was the most special person in the whole world to Cooper.  

The next morning, we packed the car and said goodbye.  We were all so glad we had made the trip.  As Karl said, it's so special to see your child do the same things you did, at the same place, and with the same people.  His favorite childhood memories are about Oklahoma and the ranch, and maybe some of Cooper's will be too.  

p.s.  It only took 11 1/2 hours to get home :)

Potty Trained

Potty training was not on my list of things I was looking forward to as a parent.  I think it was right there with Cooper leaving for college on what I dread most as a parent!  However, I knew it was one of those things we were going to have to go through eventually, and Karl and I knew this summer would be a good time for that to happen.  We have been told horror story after horror story about potty training, especially when it comes to boys.  Last summer when Cooper first showed an interest in using the potty, I talked to one of the pediatricians in the practice we go to, and she said not to get too excited at that time because he was probably going through what she termed the "potty honeymoon stage."  It was new and exciting, but it would soon lose its charm too.  As a pediatrician and mother of three young boys, her advice was DON'T PUSH IT!  She said the more interest we showed in it and the more we pushed it, the faster he would lose interest and the harder it would be on us to potty train him.  She recommended following his lead.  I decided this was excellent advice, as I had no interest in potty training!  Sure enough, she was right about the potty honeymoon stage.  Within a month of visiting her, he had completely lost interest in his potty.  Throughout the year, he would occasionally use his little potty but never seemed overly interested.  However, this summer it became increasingly obvious that the boy was ready to graduate from diapers.  I decided we would do it once we were done with his swim lessons in mid-July.  That would give us about 6 weeks before he started Mothers Day Out and about 3 months until Jake comes.  Plus, it was getting to the point where I couldn't procrastinate it any longer!  After listening to a lot of advice and reading a thing or two about it, Karl and I decided that we didn't want to follow a "method."  There are a lot out there, and while most people we know tried and succeeded with particular methods, it seemed that most people had to try several before their child eventually got the hang of things.  That just seemed like it would cause frustration for Cooper and us.  The one truth I've learned in parenting is that you have to be very flexible!!  No child fits any particular mold, and when you try to force a mold on them, you end up feeling like a failure.  We had decided from the get-go that we would follow Coop's lead, and if after a few days we didn't feel like we were progressing, then we would try again later.  I bought him a Cars toilet seat that goes on top of the regular toilet seat but narrows it so his little booty doesn't fall in.  That, some cool undies, and Tic-Tacs were are all this boy needed.  He was ready!  I had bought some Tic-Tacs before we started potty training just to have in my purse.  Cooper loved them, and they ended up being a great motivator for him to use the potty!  If he tee-teed in the potty, I would give him a couple Tic-Tacs.  If he pooped in the potty, Karl or I would let him sit in our lap and "drive" around our street.  He's a very easy kid to bribe! The first couple days I kept him naked in the house.  If he had underwear on, he seemed to think he could just go as if he had on a diaper (and it didn't bother him at all to be wet), but if he was nude, he was able to use control and hold it better.  Those days we also just potty trained during the first half of the day because we had places to be in the afternoon or at night.  I decided being pregnant is the perfect time to potty train because I need to use the restroom about every 30 minutes, so I was never able to get distracted and wait too long to take him.  If I had to go, I knew he needed to go too.  I tried to take him between every 15-30 minutes those first two days.  He was more eager about going in the mornings than as the day progressed, but he still was good about trying to go even if he didn't think he needed to.  By Sunday (the third day), we let him wear underwear after his nap, and we went to Karl's parents' house for dinner.  He did great and stayed dry the whole time.  We were so nervous about the car ride to his parents' house and home, so we put a trash bag under him and reminded him constantly not to tee-tee on whatever character was on his underwear!  I packed 3 extra pairs of underwear just in case he had an accident, but amazingly enough, I didn't need any of them!  On Monday, we ran a few quick errands, and by Wednesday, we were back to our normal routine of running errands (plus visiting every bathroom of the store we were in).  He still wasn't to the point of telling us that he needed to go, but he would go when we took him or say "yes" if we asked him if he needed to.  By the end of the week, he was a pro! For now, I do put him in a diaper for nap and at night because he has never woken up dry, and I don't think he's ready for that right now.  I have noticed that he is almost dry when he wakes up from nap now, so maybe in a few months we'll try.  I'm not in any hurry to change wet sheets every day, so once again, I'm not going to push this!  I'd say he's had less than a handful of accidents total since the day we started.  He has done amazing and made this so easy.  In hindsight, I am very glad that I listened to that pediatrician and didn't push him last summer and waited until he was truly ready (or more than ready).  He was able to take the lead, and Karl and I were able to support and guide him.  One thing that has always been true about Cooper is that he does best when he does something in his own time.  He's a precious little boy and is growing up too quickly.  As proud of him as I am and happy that we have successfully undertaken this milestone, I'd be lying if I said I didn't miss his little diaper booty running through the house!