*2 Year Update - My 24/7 Journey*

[diaperuser]

Becca thank you for sharing.

[igel]

I do not know if you have read this story "Diaper and Me, a love story", it's written by @Shotgun Diplomathere on DD board. It's about a woman who has taken your journey to a padded life.

[Beccathelittle]

I have not, thanks for sharing though!  

[Beccathelittle]

Hi DD! 

22 months, 6 Days!  Getting closer to my 2 year anniversary!

I really hope everyone is doing well, and that you all will be blessed with a good month ahead! Can we talk about this heat wave & crazy weather? My goodness, it's been so crazy as of late. Today I went shopping with my sis & I was absolutely not enjoying the weather. Plastic Backed dips are no fun during this heat wave, and I've been as of late just using cloth backed northshore megamaxes to get by. Still using plastic pants, but it definitely is a bit warm, and I'm getting a light rash here or there even with barrier cream daily. No fun! Hoping everyone stays super cool!

Very early into the month we had a major power outage from storms and I was without power for nearly a full day. Changing and cleaning up without power during emergencies is also not very fun! 😛 Stuff that I'm learning to better manage as I go on. Got breakfast during that day at a mcdonalds and appreciated a well lit bathroom to clean up  yay for adult incontinence wipes!

Any changes this month? I'm genuinely not very sure on how much has changed but I will say I'm starting feel more and more a lot of uncontrollable wettings as time goes on. Especially for some reason when I'm laying in bed ready to fall asleep. I'll just suddenly feel the rear of my dip growing` warm & lotsa dripples with non the wiser why or when it started. Still finding myself in super soaked dips & trying to keep a schedule for when to better change. But I'm thankful for very absorbent megamaxes cause they hold quite a lot in!

Messing is becoming pretty automatic, I'm finding myself going especially while standing up and realizing I'm messing but the warning that I would normally get just before is starting to fade away even more. Like sometimes I'm not really getting much of a warning, just a feeling like I'm pushing and out comes some messy to clean up. 

While I don't get on DD all that often, I do like to look at other threads to read all these new journals & I guess I feel a little bewildered by the questions some people have. It feels like a percentage of persons have zero patience. Why are you trying to rush something or push for drastic surgery when you can easily get there like I have by just time and practice?

Not judging by any means, but I do want to encourage everyone that if you put on a diapers, and use it 24/7 over time you will see results. Practice makes perfect & trust me, it becomes so engrained and habitual that you will forget when you wet. Half the time I'm wondering did I just pee? I can't remember! 😕 For fun I like to get out of the shower & change into a fresh dip. An hour later I'll check my dip and realize I'm wet. Yay random dribbles that I had no idea where happening!

Things are changing! But it's at a slow pace overtime. Hang in there for all you new people that are trying it out!  The feeling of a soaked dip becomes so normal that 99% of the time you will not even be paying attention (at least for me) on how soaked you really are!

Small little update, but I wanted to share my new progress! Still wouldn't trade my diaper life for anything! Stay padded friends!  

If anyone has any questions, feel free to ask!  

[diaperuser]

Another nice update. Making great progress 

[ozziebee]

Heya Becca,

Great updates, and do please keep us posted. 

I think I’ve had a bit of an epiphany today, when thinking about my own bowel IC desires. We’ve conversed privately about the process of doing the deed - how one should react when feeling a bowel urge. 

I’ve had a few hangups on my desire to progress with bowel IC, namely I had it as a child and all that entailed (the cleanups, smells, teasing, punishment, etc), and more recently working towards bladder untraining whilst keeping said bowel continence, then a realisation that I really needed bowel IC too but how to do that (when an urge hits do I actively push, or just let it passively work? What if its an inconvenient time and I fight it?). 

I’m also on ADISC, and one poster on there has been TPI since birth, and suffers from nocturnal bowel movements. His response was whats done is done, get on with the morning and then go clean up. 

Foe the past few nights I’ve been having some tummy rumblings, with my bowels working away down there. When I felt a bit of pressure I’d bear down a bit, and fidn that fluffy’s been let off the chain! But no BM. 

My epiphany today was that I should react to an urge like a toddler would - stop and grunt and carry on, then continue on as if nothing has happened. If I’m due to change at 12, and have a BM at 10 (whilst I’m still working away (at home), I still work, and change at 12. I can’t take 30mins off work at 10am to change, so live with it - whats done is done. Just need to accept it and move on  

I’m also very irregular down there, as I can go 3 to 4 days between BMs sometimes, which frustrates me 

I had an interesting experience the other day - I had an unexpected and uncontrollable BM which came completely out of the blue, and was quite soft. Before I knew it, I was pooping. So Im at the stage now where soft BMs I will likely not be able to control. 

Fine with me. 

So, how to get some regularity into these BMs?

[Beccathelittle]

10 hours ago, ozziebee said:

My epiphany today was that I should react to an urge like a toddler would - stop and grunt and carry on, then continue on as if nothing has happened. If I’m due to change at 12, and have a BM at 10 (whilst I’m still working away (at home), I still work, and change at 12. I can’t take 30mins off work at 10am to change, so live with it - whats done is done. Just need to accept it and move on  

So, how to get some regularity into these BMs?

Hey Love,

I feel your epiphany is pretty much everything I've been doing since I first started. It's been a lot easier because I work from home when I first started. But even out and about, or at the office, public etc if I feel a need I go!

I would very much suggest buying a quality brand dip & plastic pants. They really do a great job of keeping in everything, including smells. Keep yourself clean with barrier cream and over time it will definitely become so easy to the point you're not really thinking about it. It's worked for me so far, but I'd still say that It's not instantaneous even for myself. Sometimes it's sudden, sometimes I still get a small window of warning. Either way I know it's coming out eventually.  

I feel anyway, it's a mind balancing game. Like if you know you're protected, you know you wont be smelly, and you get so used to it that your mind really does put it into memory. So try to stop worrying or stressing, just do what you need to do & clean up right after.  

 

With the regular BM stuff it's definitely different for everyone, and I'm pretty sure we all have different diets. I love me some good rice, beans, broccoli, pumpkin, cabbage, fish, chicken etc. And I don't very often eat fast food anymore. It's too expensive & I love eating things that I know are good for me. 

I feel that everything above more than anything is why I've had good progress so far. Just consistent healthy meals & a positive mental fortitude for the messier side of things.  

You probably will notice overtime, that doing the above you will be messing VERY regularly. I usually find myself in two to four messy diapers a day with an average of about two. >.> Smaller amounts but a lot more frequent.

Hope this helps!

 

[spark]

On 7/16/2023 at 6:37 AM, ozziebee said:

So, how to get some regularity into these BMs?

Don't do what I did to achieve regular bowel movements.   I ended up with type-2 diabetes and was prescribed Metformin.   Unfortunately, a side effect is frequent bowel movements. 

I went from 1 a day to about 4 or 5 day.   I haven't tried to become bowel IC, and I'm not a big fan of it because the clean up is so difficult.   If I did, I would need twice as many diapers, which would cost prohibitive.

[zzyzx]

52 minutes ago, spark said:

Don't do what I did to achieve regular bowel movements.   I ended up with type-2 diabetes and was prescribed Metformin.   Unfortunately, a side effect is frequent bowel movements.

I will agree that adding Metformin to my mix of medications did have an impact (change) to the LGI track.....  Based on how things are now, I would rate things as on the constipated side prior to starting Metformin.  Constipation is not an issue while on that med, at least for me.

[spark]

36 minutes ago, zzyzx said:

I will agree that adding Metformin to my mix of medications did have an impact (change) to the LGI track.....  Based on how things are now, I would rate things as on the constipated side prior to starting Metformin.  Constipation is not an issue while on that med, at least for me.

That's an understatement for me, and it's gotten progressively worse.   My A1C is fine, and that's important, but it can be annoying.

I've always been reluctant to pursue bowel incontinence, and I think I would feel restricted if I was fully 24/7 for everything.  That was true prior to any medication.  I'm pretty much 24/7 for my bladder.  I wear diapers every day and only occasionally use the potty monster for my pee, and that's usually when I'm also pooping.

Another major difference is: when it's time, it's time.  Especially in the morning.  There are times when I'm getting ready for work, and I don't have the time to clean a messy diaper, and I have to get to the toilet.   I'm sure if I conditioned myself to use the diaper for that, I could diaper trained in a few weeks (maybe even days).

[zzyzx]

6 hours ago, spark said:

That's an understatement for me, and it's gotten progressively worse.   My A1C is fine, and that's important, but it can be annoying.

@spark

You will want to discuss your bowel issues with Metformin with your doctor.  Are you on "regular" Metformin, or the extended release version?  Supposedly the extended release version isn't as bad....  However may be a bit more expensive depending on your drug coverage.

[oznl]

On 7/16/2023 at 12:15 PM, Beccathelittle said:

If anyone has any questions, feel free to ask!  

I’m going to take you up on that offer if you don’t mind.

As you may or may not know, I’m about 4.5 years in on “24/7”.  At this point I’m bedwetting fairly frequently (there’s no way I’d risk going to bed undiapered now) but to be harshly honest with myself, I’m not sure I’m seeing any what I’d call “genuine” daytime incontinence.  There’s no doubt that there’s been substantive physiological changes to pee flow rates, volume & cadence.  This to the point where I think attempting to go without a diaper during the day would be at best, incredibly inconvenient.

But peeing is still (for the most part), voluntary whilst I’m awake.

It happens because I let it happen.  I think.

My question to you is:  “If you think carefully about the wetting incidents you’ve experienced, do you think that it’s possible that these are a product of diaper-use being so ingrained so that a decision to use ones diaper is unmemorable to the point of being immediately forgotten or is it a genuine, physiological lapse in control”?

I suspect that most of my daytime “surprises” are the former rather than the latter although I accept I may be wrong.

[Beccathelittle]

4 hours ago, oznl said:

My question to you is:  “If you think carefully about the wetting incidents you’ve experienced, do you think that it’s possible that these are a product of diaper-use being so ingrained so that a decision to use ones diaper is unmemorable to the point of being immediately forgotten or is it a genuine, physiological lapse in control”?

I suspect that most of my daytime “surprises” are the former rather than the latter although I accept I may be wrong.

Hey onzl!

I hope you're doing well, and just wanted to also mention that I appreciate your funny banter & writings in your own 24/7 journal! It's been a fun read and one that I can appreciate your own insights on.

For myself, I find it wonderful that there are like minded individuals with similar goals/desires around incontinence & 24/7 use. I know from my own experience I've read plenty of guides & written experiences even when I was in my mid teens. I guess the older ones like the 12 month guide etc had given me fanciful machinations & daydreams a lot growing up that never really ever left.

I prefaced with the above because all the journals, blogs, guides and what have you all seem to have wildly different experiences in how quickly or how long things took to progress. It becomes hard/easier to separate true accounts of others, to what are heavily veiled kink fluff that is pretty unreasonable to assume xyz will happen by xyz time if at all. Then to top it off, everyone has their own genetic/biological/physiological differences. 

Somewhere after first starting to where I am now, I stopped really caring to compare or worrying really about my new found diaper dependence/continence ability. And Mentally I made peace that for myself, this is who I am, and I know I'll be diaper bound until my time on this planet is done.   

Early on I was so focused & curious on if any changes were happening, or if I was feeling xyz in my diapers that it became a headache & nuisance. I feel that eventually once I stopped so strongly focusing if something is happening below that my progress really kicked off more. If that makes sense? Time has really dulled the sense as well, it becomes so monotonous as I'm sure you also are fully aware one. It's to the point where It becomes hard at least for myself to really write much on what's happened in a month for me that would be "new" unless it's something major.

To your question, I feel that long term use could be a little of both and eventual leading to more genuine lack of control. How long that takes is very different for everyone, and trying to judge our own progress by others is probably not the best decision at least for my own sake. 

There are times where I still consciously wet/brain says hey & I immediately let go, for nothing but a tiny amount to come out. (Does this mean my bladder has genuinely shrunk or just a trained habit I wonder?) Other times when my body is demanding I pee I struggle to remember what to actually do down there to let something out.. (Is this mental or a physical change?)  But then there are other times I've gotten in a fresh diaper, and found myself soaked none the wiser when I actually did any of it. Even just sitting for less than an hour while working, I decide to do a finger test and come to find i'm pretty damp. I've also found myself having urine running down my thighs or on the floor when getting into the bath/shower or changing and been none the wiser that I was doing it. Or getting into bed, freshly diapered and feeling the seat of my diaper getting warm & feeling myself wetting but not initiating it. 

I've not once waken up dry since starting 24/7, having already self trained myself to wet the bed before committing to this new chapter in my life. Is that a physical change or one that's contributed to anything of the above? 

Messing has been so varied, but I know that it's finally at a point where I have such little warning that the thought of ever retraining would be a nightmare and plenty of dirty undies. No thank you! Is that a physical change, or a mental change? 

Why do some people progress so vastly differently? How much of that has to do with their body or their mental attitude towards things?  

I wish there was a way to to print out a diagnostic internal health checkup on ourselves but alas we're humans 1.0. Maybe in the future? So for now it's subjective unless I opt to finally go see a urologist and having something written down permanently on my files.. Save that for another year.. maybe..

Anyway sorry if this was a little long, or if it doesn't answer your question fully. I guess for myself I just don't know >.>

 

[oznl]

1 hour ago, Beccathelittle said:

I hope you're doing well, and just wanted to also mention that I appreciate your funny banter & writings in your own 24/7 journal! It's been a fun read and one that I can appreciate your own insights on.

Thank you!  It’s nice to know somebody is reading it!  Sometimes I do wonder…

1 hour ago, Beccathelittle said:

Early on I was so focused & curious on if any changes were happening, or if I was feeling xyz in my diapers that it became a headache & nuisance. I feel that eventually once I stopped so strongly focusing if something is happening below that my progress really kicked off more. If that makes sense? Time has really dulled the sense as well, it becomes so monotonous as I'm sure you also are fully aware one. It's to the point where It becomes hard at least for myself to really write much on what's happened in a month for me that would be "new" unless it's something major>

There are strong similarities there with how I developed bedwetting.  One of the great paradoxes with that was that over-thinking it (or indeed, “thinking it” at all) simply inhibited the behaviour, at least during the formative stages.  I've learned that the best way to wet the bed is to not try to.

If I was to confine my journal to developing dependency then as you mention, the updates would be quite infrequent.  That's a very slow thing.  My intent however was to provide a "warts and all" account of LIVING in diapers 24/7 so stuff happens every week.  That "what's living in nappies REALLY like" is why I put it in "Lifestyle discussion" as opposed to "Incontinence desires".  There's a certain element of "incontinence desires" content that appears there because emerging diaper dependency IS a thing and an irrational pursuit of incontinence has become a thing I've learned about myself along the way.

2 hours ago, Beccathelittle said:

Anyway sorry if this was a little long, or if it doesn't answer your question fully. I guess for myself I just don't know >.>

No, thank YOU!  Long form is good form.  It's something I can read, re-read and comprehend.

If I’ve understood you correctly, you’ve managed to mentally disengage from the whole continence mechanism for such a time that it allowed your physiology to catch up with your headspace.

The lesson for me here is that i should use my own learning with respect to bedwetting and apply it to my day-nappies: stop over-thinking them...

[Beccathelittle]

Hey DD!

Today is my 23rd month & 6h day into being in diapers. So close to year 2.. What should I do to celebrate I wonder? 

Honestly, while again I don't have too much that I can add, there was two instances this month that made me pretty self aware of how much I've come to have changed over the last two years. 

Earlier in the month I had a get together with friends and family, and we spent close to 6 or 7 ish hours together enjoying a day at home with some good noms and company. While I'm not self anxious about my padded disposition anymore, I found it a little fascinating at how infrequent anybody seemed to need to use the potty. I know we all had great food and drinks but I don't genuinely recall anyone needing to go.. at all.. 

Meanwhile I'm in a soaked dip, and by the end of the day my megamax definitely needed a very well deserved change.. I guess it made me reflect just how much my body has gotten used to going.. Trying to think back now before I started wearing diapers permanently I can't seem to remember just how long I used to hold it for.  Crazy how much a body can change.

Yesterday I had to attend an office function for a few hours and we had a four odd hour meeting together, and halfway through the meeting I could feel myself dripping and the tell tale warmth. Again made me think about how for others four hours isn't really that long.. But for me on the other hand 😕 I couldn't imagine just how long I'd even be able to if I was trying. Definitely nowhere close anyway..

So yeah, again nothing HUGE, more just a self realization & reminder of just how far I've come.. Will see what happens in the future!

Sorry for a small update  Just not a terrible amount of "new" things.. If you do have any questions as always I'll do my best to answer them.

[SEC1794]

Do you still like wearing diapers as much as you did when you first started untraining?

[diaperuser]

@Beccathelittlenice update. Is there anything you want like onesies or something else. 

[Beccathelittle]

12 hours ago, SEC1794 said:

Do you still like wearing diapers as much as you did when you first started untraining?

Very much so, do not see that ever changing. 🙃

11 hours ago, diaperuser said:

@Beccathelittlenice update. Is there anything you want like onesies or something else. 

Thanks!  As for things I'd like/want I'm not really sure what I'll do to celebrate my 2nd year anniversary.  Maybe a new little outfit or some abus instead of the standard northshore. 😛 

 

 

[growlycub]

I’m pretty curious how you deal with messing in social situations? Do you have a sense that it’s going to happen and just leave the room with your diaper bag before it does? I know you’ve gotten completely surprised in the past with a BM. Does that still happen?

[Beccathelittle]

Hey DD!

I made it to my second year Time really flies huh? 

While it doesn't really feel like the whole "just yesterday I was sorta moment", in fact it's more like I'm struggling to remember to remember what it felt like before being in a near constant soggy state of diapers.. 

Things down there definitely work far differently from where I first started.  Though I wouldn't go to the extreme of saying it's 100% total loss either. I can remember well before starting having read things like the 24/7 un-potty training guide that I guess "paved" the idea / provided a path some of us walked down to get started, though for it's accuracy I'm unsure. I feel I still have limited control of both bladder & bowel control and I wouldn't say my experiences all happened in the first year either or even early through the second year. I'm still slowly experiencing body changes & I feel that before anyone can really have any progress you need to truly have acceptance on your new state.. How ever long that takes you is a personal matter, but once you're over that hill & the perception of yourself is slowly changed to the padded reality only then will you start to see major changes.  Physical ones I'm sure slowly come after that  and time... 

Wetting has become a constant state down there, and sometimes I feel warm dribbles here or there, or a small unexpected stream. Other times It's when I'm stepping in our out of the bath or shower and moving towards my changing area that I notice the little dribbles running down my legs.. 

I know when I sneeze or get into a coughing fit I've found myself both wetting and having some very uncontrolled small toots.. 🙃 Such is life.  Other days there are moments when I find my bladder dying to release and for some reason I'm struggling to remember for the life of me how to relax.. Only for a few moments later a very small stream to come out..

When I first started wearing 24/7, I made it a goal to start eating more cleanly and to keep a healthy diet, although some days / times I've broken this especially with parties and holidays I've tried my best to keep a good diet with healthy fiber , carbs, fats and some small protein. It's not the perfect diet but it definitely helped with my messing habits especially early on.

I will say now, I can expect two-four messes in a day with the average of about two to three. They all come very unexpectedly and it's a moments notice before I'm feeling the sudden urge and letting myself relax. What does come out is not very large & it's been a pretty quick clean up and on my way.. When at home or in private I know it's more reflexive than anything, I do get a warning still but I'm not really paying much mind and it's out in moments.. I wouldn't say that it's totally out of my control though, and it's only been a few rare moments when it's omg it's coming out wtf I didn't realize sort of thing..

I'd say I'm nearly always fully aware I am / about to need to mess. I don't know if that will change. 

On 8/21/2023 at 9:35 PM, growlycub said:

I’m pretty curious how you deal with messing in social situations? Do you have a sense that it’s going to happen and just leave the room with your diaper bag before it does? I know you’ve gotten completely surprised in the past with a BM. Does that still happen?

I hope the above answers how messing feels, but in "social situations" such as when I have to attend an in office meetings, or with friends / in public I know my body still reacts pretty close to how it is at home. I feel the need and it's a habit to just let go, but I do try very much to clean asap & not stay in a situation that would cause others to really be aware or "smell/see" anything..

In public I wear very comfy plastic pants & I've never had a complaint of smelling like a potty.. I do my best to keep myself VERY clean & practice good skin healthcare.. Bathing, Washing, Barrier Creams, and never staying in a dirty dip too long.  I would hope others have the same mindset on this  

Last thing I'd want is to push my ab/dl onto others, or my newfound incontinence after all this time. I'm sure unexpected things will happen more and more in the future, but if you plan well & bring changes with you. It's pretty easy to manage.

------

So yeah... 2 years   Still unsure how to "celebrate" it's been a pretty hectic week in real life.. And we're finally getting the tiny bit of rain we desperately need in Texas. Seriously, wearing plastic pants in 100 degree weather is not fun, even with a dress or skirt..  

My Questions for readers who care to comment - 

Do I keep updating this journal? Should I slow down from monthly to every couple of months? I'm not really sure what I can contribute that isn't just a repeat of more of the same unless there are some MAJOR changes.. It's just a very slow progression and it all really just feels same samey.. 

I've tried my best to document everything but it's hard sometimes when everything feels more of the same. It's just slow and I have yet to have anything really "new" to report in the last few months.  

 

[diaperuser]

@Beccathelittle please keep monthly updates. I like reading your progress. 

[oznl]

48 minutes ago, Beccathelittle said:

My Questions for readers who care to comment - 

 

Do I keep updating this journal? Should I slow down from monthly to every couple of months? I'm not really sure what I can contribute that isn't just a repeat of more of the same unless there are some MAJOR changes.. It's just a very slow progression and it all really just feels same samey.. 

I've tried my best to document everything but it's hard sometimes when everything feels more of the same. It's just slow and I have yet to have anything really "new" to report in the last few months. 

 

I guess it depends on your objective.  If you’re trying to describe a transition to incontinence then, if your experience resembles my own, it’s highly likely that there will be very long periods where nothing happens.  That can make calendar-driven updates challenging.

For my own journal, my objective was instead, to chronicle how the “24/7” fantasy actually played out in the mundane, less-prurient reality of my comfortable, middle-class suburban married life.

Most weeks I’ll think of something that happened (nappy-related) in my world and just write a few paragraphs about it.

If I confined myself to physiological changes, it would be slim pickings.  I’m not sure anything has changed much for me in the last 6, or even 12 months.  Note my caveat of “not sure”.   One thing I’ve learned is that some of the bigger changes hide in plain sight.

I’m at 4.5 years and although I by now experience reasonably regular nocturnal incontinence (aka “bedwetting”), during the day I don’t think I’m a long way ahead from where you are.  To borrow your words, “things down there definitely work far differently” now (and less reliably).  I know I can get by without nappies for short periods of time but I find it uncomfortable and very inconvenient. 

Anyway, I like to read the tales of fellow-travelers on this strange road but whatever you decided to do, thank you for you content to date.

ps: according to the board metrics, more than 33 thousand people have read your thread so don't underestimate its interest 😄

[Little Sherri]

1 hour ago, Beccathelittle said:

My Questions for readers who care to comment - 

Do I keep updating this journal? Should I slow down from monthly to every couple of months? I'm not really sure what I can contribute that isn't just a repeat of more of the same unless there are some MAJOR changes.. It's just a very slow progression and it all really just feels same samey.. 

I've tried my best to document everything but it's hard sometimes when everything feels more of the same. It's just slow and I have yet to have anything really "new" to report in the last few months.  

First of all, I would say, do whatever suits you, it's your thread, and you don't owe anybody anything. My two cents would be that, like @oznlabove (whose thread I credit [or blame] for largely starting me down my own 24/7 path), I wouldn't be writing much if I all I sought to document were tectonic physiological changes. Those haven't happened. Maybe becoming an intermittent bedwetter would show up on the Richter scale. Other than that, this is a slow roll down a looooong hill. But, in the meantime, I'm doing all the stuff people do, just while wearing diapers while I do it. So, I tend to journal about the situations my absurd life choices put me in, from time to time, to show that, A), people can  do this, if they really want to - I'm far from the edgiest or most gifted individual, and, B), that this - the 24/7 life - is not always an ABDL fantasy playing out in real life, and it's not always rewarding or a party. But sometimes, it is. 

[Davidevens87]

4 hours ago, Beccathelittle said:

In public I wear very comfy plastic pants & I've never had a complaint of smelling like a potty..

 

Would love to know what brand you wear/ recommend.  Thanks!

[igel]

I realize it's little like a logarithmic function, first a tremendous change by every week, and then slowly but steadily creeping toward the goal, which never will be achieved.

   So I do understand if you do not think you have much to tell anymore for a monthly update. Still interesting to hear how it's going.

   There are others like Kali is an ABDL and Serah in Diapers that both have thought about to write and rewrite an untraining manual. Ever have such thought to get your input. I guess you have read thus manuals many times before you started your journey, so what have been your biggest surprises this far. (Poss and Neg). 

I completely forgot to thank you for your updates.