ah, hem...

All right, people.... let the truth be known....

We've got a

and if that's not clear enough, let's just say that there's a

roaming around our house these days!

I'm due on Grant's birthday, November 15, which makes me about 10 weeks pregnant. I know this is still pretty early on, but we just can't keep this a secret for much longer! Actually, Grant let the cat out of the bag several weeks ago when he was asked to give the closing prayer in Primary. He said, "Heavenly Father, please help me to keep my mommy's secret, and only tell the people she told me I could tell." (So, we probably shouldn't have told him so soon, but he has been begging and praying and scheming and dreaming about a new baby for months and months and months! The fact that I'm due on his 6th birthday has been a source of utter joy and excitement for him.)

The bottom line is...wish us luck!

a solicitous, somewhat desperate plea

Yup, you guessed it. This post addresses one of my all-time favorite featurettes in the story of motherhood: potty training. I'm writing with sort of a guilty, nagging sense of shame. You see, Jack is nearly 3, and is dead set on NOT becoming toilet trained. By writing this, I am allowing myself to become quite vulnerable and open to mocking and jeering by all you fabulous moms who wiped your hands of the process (literally!) in a matter of days when your kids were, oh, maybe 15 months...

But now in my utter meekness, I am seeking your advice. I've tried bribes. I've made the chart with the most amazing stickers as a reward (that's what did it for Grant.) I've bought the cool underwear. I've begged, praised, cajoled, and the other day declared with gusto that our house was going to become a "poop free zone!" (Grant was slightly concerned about that, but really I meant "poop-in-the-diaper" free zone.) We've practiced sword fighting (well, I haven't. But we've watched Grant demonstrate.) We've read books and watched movies. What am I missing here?

Lately, Jack will say, "Mom, don't worry, I'll go on Thursday." "Saturday." "Tuesday." But, to no avail. The problem is, the kid is 40 lbs. He looks like he's 4. He doesn't FIT in diapers, and good heavens, he poops man-poops! (Sorry for the frank language.) I took him to Target and had him try all the little potty seats, and his cute, big bum can't even squeeze on any of them! We've got a little seat that fits over the big toilet, and that's going to have to cut it.

Should I just drop it and leave the poor guy alone, or can anyone give me some pointers?