AJ is potty trained at last. At least during the daytime. I can�t tell you how happy I will be on the day when I get to toss the Diaper Genie out the window. The thing has been slowly falling apart for the last 6 months at just the point when it makes absolutely no sense to buy a new one.

To celebrate a week of success in this particular area, AJ and I had a �Mommy and AJ Day.� It was originally called �AJ and Mommy Day,� but AJ protested that he wanted to change the order of the names. Despite my immediate agreement, this argument took ten minutes. While it was taking place, only one of us was wearing pants.

After AJ donned pants and I went for my morning swim, during which time AJ wore his dad�s nerves to a frazzle, AJ and I embarked on a very serious trip to Toys-may-or-may-not-be-us in order to obtain a) the toy of AJs choice (barring a Mommy veto) and b) a whole lot of big boy underwear.

Upon our arrival, our first stop was the underwear section, where AJ was confronted with a baffling array of choices. He selected two packages of Thomas the Tank Engine underwear, but insisted on a package of The Wiggles underwear. Now AJ doesn�t even like the Wiggles. However, he now has the faces of four grown men who apparently hired Giranimals for their wardrobe department, plastered across his ass. Fortunately for all of us it is a very small ass. I like to think he was attracted by the music notes winding their way around the waistband, but I can�t be sure.

Business accomplished, we turned to pleasure. AJ walked down every aisle of the store with appraisal skills worthy of a job on the Antiques Roadshow. Most toys got barely a second glance. A few got sampled and rejected. We spent a good hour just checking everything out. At the end, AJ�s attention was captured by a giant toy pickup truck covered in NASCAR logos that incomprehensibly played, in addition to the usual truck sounds, Queen�s �We Will Rock You.� The entire song. Did I mention that the truck rocked and shook while it played the song? No? I suppose I should be grateful that it didn�t play �If this van is a rockin�, don�t come a knockin�.� Oh, how I wish I were joking.

In the end, though, AJ rejected all electronic toys (hooray!) in favor of a plastic toy croquet set, with which he has been amusing himself almost non-stop since we brought it home. After our toy binge, we headed to Culver�s for a surprisingly tasty lunch and, most unsurprisingly, fantastic frozen custard. For those of you who have never experienced frozen custard, I pity you. It is one of the things that makes living in the Midwest worthwhile. While AJ and I were sitting in our booth eating our ice cream, swinging our legs against the seats, and playing I-spy, a gaggle of little girls in sparkly leotards, clearly having recently been released from the gymnastics school up the street, twirled their way up to the counter, whereupon AJ spotted T. T. was the first little girl in AJ�s preschool class that we started hearing about regularly. �I like T,� AJ announced one day as we walked home from school. �She has pretty hair.� Although T. made it in and out without noticing us, thanks to her leotarded posse, the rest of our lunchtime conversation revolved around her. �Who�s that man calling over there,� he asked, pointing out a man chatting on his cellphone between bites of his Butterburger. �I don�t know,� I replied. �I think he�s talking to T,� AJ opined wistfully.

AJ�s morning of toys and ice cream wore him out. He fell asleep in his car seat before I even got out of the restaurant parking lot. Being a big boy is hard work.

[second entry today]

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