Dear Bently,

Yesterday you went the whole day with no accidents and no peeing in your diaper! I am so incredibly proud of you handsome! :) You did insist on wearing a diaper for part of the day, which is doesn't make sense since you still go on the potty! ;) I guess you really are a big boy now! ;(

Love,
Mom

Dear Bently,

This is what I count as day 2 of your self induced potty training. Today was actually a little more bumpy than yesterday. You started out the morning by peeing your pants at the breakfast table. You're already stressed out Dad didn't appreciate that so much. You then insisted on wearing a diaper. We've mostly let you decide. That might change as you get older but forcing you to potty train didn't work before so we're giving this method a go. Even though you were wearing a diaper you still went to the bathroom in the toilet! After you peed and pooped in the toilet you told Dad you wanted underpants. So you're in underpants currently! So I would say it was a pretty successful day! I'm grateful that every single accident you've ever had has always been in the kitchen. It's a miracle really because every where else is carpeted! :)

I love you my big boy! Seeing you wear underwear and go on the potty makes me realize how old you really are! I love you handsome!

Love,
Mom

Dear Bently,

Things sure have changed quickly in our house! Yesterday March 3, 2014 you told Dad that you wanted to go on the potty. He sat you on it but nothing happened. Not even 5 minutes later you told me to put you on the potty. So I did. A little irritated at the way this game is going. When you told me you went potty, I honestly didn't believe you one bit. But to my utter amazement and surprise, you had! You had pooped on the potty! Something you had never done before! I cheered and Dad came in because he had to see it for himself, then he cheered! I was shocked. I told your Dad maybe we wouldn't have change any more poopy diapers. I really didn't believe that anything would come of it. I mean you hated going on the potty. I thought it was some strange fluke. This morning though you wanted underwear. And you wore them pretty much all day long! You went pee on the potty every time. You did go a tiny bit in your undies once but not enough to make a mess even! I am in utter shock right now! You are so grown up. It's just like when you started walking. You went from not wanting to do it, to being pretty much a pro at it! ;) You even tell me when you have to go when I forget to remind you!

To be honest though today has been a hard day. The bribe was you go on the potty and you could play with my phone/nook. I didn't think you would ever go on the potty so when I made that deal, I didn't think I would have to follow through. So all day today you have wanted my phone/nook. That means every 2-10 minutes you are telling me you have to go pee. Even when you just went. Then you push until you get a drop of pee out and then think you get a reward. I don't really know how to fix this problem. All I know is I cannot keep putting you on the potty that often in one day! It's a lot of work. I am so exhausted! ;) You and Livvy kept me on my toes all day long!

I'm proud of you son! You are the cutest little man! You always get so excited when you go on the potty! :) And I am pretty excited too! Maybe we won't have to be diapers for you ever again! I love you so much my heart feels like it's going to burst! :)

Love,
Mom

Dear Bently,

We are making slow and steady progress in the potty training area of life. It's not going as fast as I want it to to be honest. But I can't blame you. I just don't have the time right now to be consistent with you. Thus potty training will be put on hold till at least my days off! :) Today though we did manage 1 time on the toilet! It's mostly because I had you sitting on the toilet and you happened to pee. You still don't remember to tell me when you have to go. Which was clearly demonstrated by your 2 accidents. Again this could be my fault, I wasn't being consistent on putting you on the potty or asking you if you needed to go. I guess I just hoped you would know. It's a work in progress. But hey, at least we can put underwear on you without you throwing a fit! ;)

Love,
Mom

Dear Bently,

You have started this adorable thing where you say "ok" all the time. I don't know why but it is seriously stinking cute! "Bently take off you jacket and shoes." "Okay Mom." How you say it just melts my little heart! :)

You Dad and I went shopping for a new mattress today and you had a blast trying out all the bed with us. You just giggled the whole entire time! I loved it! You would say "Oh this is a nice bed!" You were always so enthusiastic! I bet you would have been happy with any of those beds! Thanks for helping us pick it out! ;)

You are so much better with other kids now! It's amazing how much you've changed. I didn't even remember how bad you used to be till today. There you were at McDonalds taking turns and playing so well! I try and make you a play date once a week! It's my goal to help socialize you more and for me to be more brave in talking to other moms. We've played with mostly family so far! You love your cousins and they have started to love you more as you get better at playing with them! :)

You have picked up a horrible habit from me, but it's kind of cute too! You say "Oh my gosh!" all the time. I don't think you quite know what it is suppose to be used for because you say it at the most random times! It's kind of cute because you always exclaim it loudly and hold out the gooosh! ;) I'm pretty sure that's how you've caught me saying it! ;)

Speaking of which, don't judge us too harshly, but your Dad and I don't always have the cleanest language. We try really hard not to say things but sometimes they just come out. The other day soda exploded on your Dad and without thinking he said, "Holy Shi*" I glared him down and not a second later you laugh and say "Dad said holy shi*". I about died! Luckily you forgot it soon enough. Your Dad and I laughed about it later but if you could not swear, we would appreciate it! ;)

I love you Bently Elmer! I hope you always love me even with my shortcomings!

Love,
Mom

Dear Bently,

So I believe it was yesterday I told you if you wore underpants you could play with my Nook. Mostly I was sick of you asking to play with it and I figured you wouldn't want to wear  underpants so problem solved. To my surprise you were good with the idea. I figured once it actually came time to put them on you would throw a fit and wouldn't do it. To my utter shock and delight you didn't care. You wore your underpants for a good couple hours before it was time to leave and the diapers went back on.

Today I decided to leave them on and pray you went to the bathroom. You again easily slipped them on without complaint. I kept asking you if you needed to use the restroom and you kept saying no. It had been a long time (like 2-2 1/2 hours) But you still kept saying you didn't need to go. Finally, it happened. You peed your pants. It wasn't a big deal and I made sure to be very cool with it. But it still freaked you out pretty badly. After that the diaper was all you wanted. You want to wear underpants but you do not want to pee on the potty. I guess we'll just keep trying. The frustrating part is I just don't have time to potty train you and I don't think your Dad could handle doing it himself. I hope one day peeing doesn't freak you out so badly anymore! ;) I sure do love you!

Love,
Mom

Dear Bently,

I am beginning to despair you will never be potty trained. Okay so I know never is a little dramatic. But I always had this idea in my head that a child should be potty trained by 3. Three just seemed old. Kids who weren't potty trained by then had lazy parents. Parents who didn't care. Let me tell you having my own children always reminds me all my preconceived notions of being a mom, were wrong. You are exactly 51 days away from being 3 and there is no potty training in sight. You still are terrified of going to the bathroom outside your diaper. It's very depressing that you'll be three and still going in your diaper. But I guess you never know. Maybe tomorrow you'll wake up and realize you want to pee on the potty. Hey a mom can dream right?

I love you even if you wear diapers after 3! ;)

Love,
Mom