Dear Ryan

Dear Ryan,
I just wanted to write to you today to let you know how proud I am of all of your accomplishments. You are such a fun and funny little boy who is always up for an adventure. You surprise us each day with a new piece of knowledge you acquired by learning a song or counting by 10's or pointing left or right, for example.

We have had some trials over the past few weeks which really has involved more yelling and crying than our family has ever witnessed. We are desperately trying to get you completely potty trained and from one day to the next there is excitement and accomplishment and then we reach a roadblock. You are definately a strongwilled boy!!!

I wanted to write to you today to remember how very frustrating this rollercoaster ride is getting, but also to remember all that we are learning from each other. I'm learning alot about you...like the fact that you are stubborn like your mom and dad. That you are more willing to go up to bed alone (you never go to bed alone...always with mommy) than to sit on the potty after you've told us you don't want to try again. That you actually go up to bed with no argument and settle yourself down quietly without tantrum when it is your decision to go. That you scream and hollar frantically when you are forced to go up by mom or dad. I am also learning that when you are sucessful at something, your face lights up and becomes so animated it is more than just cute, it inspires me to step out of my comfort zone and try something new again too. You become so proud of yourself that you can't wait to tell all of your friends and family about your accomplishment. When it is long forgotten in my mind, you remember to talk about it for days to come.

I'm learning alot about me too...like the fact that I am stubborn too. I always have to ask myself if I am expecting too much from you or if I should just give it some more time. That I want everything to fall in to place perfectly and when it doesn't I feel a little out of control but your sweet face reels me back each time because you are such a neat little boy that you help me want to be the best mom I can be. I know daddy feels the same way. He hates to see you upset and would much rather be playing baseball with you than to have to deny some "fun" until some "work" is done. You're teaching me to switch gears from angry and/or frustrated back to happy and/or content mode when we come to an understanding after a struggle because it is in my nature to stew over the problem instead of moving forward.

Ryan, we are trying so hard to give you the tools you need to be a happy, secure, responsible little boy. Sometimes the lessons hurt us more than they hurt you. Regardless, we are learning some valuable life lessons from each other. In the end, we know that this frustration is temporary and the path will lead to more successes and then to more roadblocks, but we are certainly up for the challenge because you make our lives richer and we so look forward to each next adventure.

Love,
Mommy
XOXO