Our New Hobby

• It's a hard process, but by Day 3 he would go just enough to make himself uncomfortable and then announce his condition to us ("I'm wet!" or "I'm yucky!"). Then we'd whisk the Cutlet to the bathroom and guide him through the routine. I wonder, who's being trained here?

• Wow, we do a ton of laundry now. And it all seems to be little pairs of underwear with Thomas the Tank Engine, Spider-man, Superman and the characters from the movie Madagascar.

• We didn't even leave the house all weekend (except for a brief Wal-Mart basics run and church on Sunday) just to keep him on track. That track, for those who don't know or don't remember, means we spent most of the weekend as Pee and Poo Poo Cheerleaders. One bit, two bits, six bits a dollar! When you gotta go you gotta stand up and holler!

• The Bissell Spotlifter™ with powered brushes is awesome.

• We've rediscovered the joys of Bear in the Big Blue House's "Potty Time with Bear" video. Six times. Whatever works, people. At least he's interested in the process, if not having gotten it down to a science yet. We're at the "science fiction" stage right now. Plus, watching a little fuzzy blue mouse poop really never gets old.

• When he had to poo, he called it "putting rocks in the potty." Sometimes when he'd pee, he called it a waterfall or said it was raining. It's like Niagra Falls was in our bathroom.

• Two words: leather furniture. Three words: easy to clean. One more word: often.

• If our son doesn't take to the whole using-the-potty thing soon, we're gonna let the dog teach him how to go outside. Upside: the Cutlet can scoop Max's poo while he's out there. Downside: not socially acceptable anywhere but camping.

• We know it's a common problem nowadays that many children take forever to get it. I wonder if it's because my generation is a bit too coddling with the toddlers. My mom claims I was essentially potty-trained in one day, but that's because kept me confined in the kitchen, made me drink lots of fruit punch and then gave me a cookie every time I used the little-kid potty in there. No wonder I get a hankering for chocolate chips every time I'm at a urinal. But then again, the 70s were a much different time; who needed seatbelts when you could roll around in the back of a hatchback?

• Maybe we're putting too much pressure on ourselves because we want to avoid the whole two-kids-in-diapers thing. I mean, T-Filet 2.0 isn't due until early December. We've got time, right? Right? Dang it! You're supposed to tell us when you've got to go! Crap! Don't sit on my lap! We want to remember what it's like to go to the grocery store and not worry if we have enough diapers or wipes.

• Did Abraham Lincoln's parents go through the same thing with him?

One a semi-related note, we may find out something exciting tomorrow. I'll keep you posted.