Three little pictures.

Life with my brilliant little boy Emmett is teaching me so much. Our new therapist has been helping me navigate the foggy waters of parenting a child with special needs. Her job is not only to work on speech, but to work on all aspects of his life. We set goals together that don't only include getting him to communicate with others, but how to interact in social situations and how to carry out basic tasks of living. Some days something as simple as pulling up his pants overwhelms my boy and he cries and fights.

The potty has been an ongoing battle. I refuse to teach Emm to use the potty using fear and domination. I don't want to crush his sensitive little spirit for the sake of some diapers. My boy cries if you even mention potty time. Well, at our last therapy session we realized that Emmett has become accustomed to the picture schedule that gets used every week. We lay out our plan with pictures on a board so he can see every step as it comes and it is comforting to him.

I tried out a bedtime schedule last night. Three pictures on the bathroom wall that show a bath, potty, then bed. That's it. Richard (the bedtime parent) showed Emmett the pictures and he eagerly followed each step--even the new scary one. He ran to the wall and pointed at each task as he completed it with a smile on his face. Nothing fell in the potty, but no tears fell either and that was all I was hoping for. This morning I showed him three more pictures that showed his morning routine plus one extra step. Potty, juice, TV. There were no tears and he eagerly sat on the potty. Again, nothing happened, but no tears and fighting either.

I am ever hopeful that if we continue with the picture schedule, three little steps at a time, we can get rid of the diapers before we know it.

*There must have been some good parenting mojo in the air yesterday. I heard my friend Poppins had a good mommy day yesterday too. (High five, Sister-friend!)