Second Time Around

Whoever said things are easier the second time around didn't have a second child. Anecdotal evidence at least backs up my theory that second children are significantly more work than their first born siblings. Whether or not this theory holds true for numbers three and beyond I have no idea, nor do I intend to ever find out. At least first-hand. Grant is far from the quiet, reserved child that can sit and look at a book alone for an hour. If Grant's quiet for more than 5 minutes, disaster has struck.

The ONE area that Grant is really surprising me is on the whole potty-training issue. In his never ending quest to do everything that Jackson does, Grant is more than eager to sit on the potty. Jackson wanted nothing to do with the potty chair. As he explained to Melissa (my sister) about a month AFTER his 3rd birthday, "it's okay if I poop in my pants, my Mommy will change me." Anyone who knows me knows that potty training is the one area that I absolutely refuse to delve into wholeheartedly. I put all my faith in the fact that there's not a normal kid alive who's gone down the aisle at graduation with diapers on and I'm a firm believer in the powerful influence that other children have over the habits of my kids. Two months after Jackson announced that I was more than willing to wipe up poop, Thomas, the 5 year old down the street, informed him that only babies wore diapers. And that was that. The dirtiest four-letter-word in a 3 year old's vocabulary is "BABY."

Grant isn't anywhere near the stage that I'd let him run around commando, but it is a start. He's not quite two yet and makes it to the potty once every couple of days. I'll count my blessings.