Brenden is now two years old! His actual birthday was on Friday, but we were in Seattle and didn’t get to see him much that day. We had a birthday party for him on Saturday with lots of family and a few of his friends. The menu featured two of his favorite foods: pizza and cake. The kids had a blast hanging out with his people, including some time in the backyard with his new swingset, a kiddie pool, and YaYa’s crazy water hose flower. Here are some pics:

Pics from Brenden’s 2nd Birthday Party

We’ve gotten through one week! It has crossed my mind that someday Brenden might not like having had all the details of his pottytraining days posted on the Interwebs. May he forgive me.

He’s actually doing pretty well. At home, he is in underwear when awake and pull-ups when asleep. Away from the house, it depends. Most of the time, he’s in pull-ups there, too. Jenny did take him for a haircut Saturday morning in underwear, and I’m proud to say he had NO accidents! As he grows more reliable, we’ll try going other places that way. Overall, I’d say we have a 70-80 percent success rate. We ask him repeatedly whether he needs to visit the potty and also take him there frequently, which makes a big difference. Each success earns him a sticker on a chart. Once he fills the chart, we take him somewhere fun such as Baskin-Robbins or Chick-Fil-A. Although not always pleasant, this is an exciting time, and we’re proud of our little guy who’s not so little anymore.

Operation Pottytraining is underway! We have now completed Day 2. As expected, it’s been stressful, with a mix of success and failure. Day 1 was actually better than Day 2. He understands that using the potty is the way to go, but his body doesn’t always cooperate. I’ll spare you the details. It’s bad enough having to deal with them ourselves. From what we’ve read and heard, Day 2 and sometimes Day 3 are the hardest. We are pressing on and hoping to build on our progress tomorrow. Go Brenden Go!