Potty Training at the Wilcox Household

PT Day One: Fun, Fun, Fun (and a little mess)

Day One started with Jack coming downstairs to see Monkey (his stuffed animal) sitting on his highchair with a present in his arms. After singing a couple rounds of "Happy Birthday," Jack excitedly opened the present to find...new big-boy underpants! We put a pair on Monkey and a pair on Jack, and then we ate a big, bland breakfast. After breakfast Jack drank all the juice and soda he wanted--he was in heaven--and together we potty-trained Monkey. After a few accidents, Jack got the concept and actually ended up peeing nine times on the potty before lunch (really, he drank a lot). Each time he went in the potty he got a sticker to put on his Wiggles potty chart, so he could show Daddy how many times he went at the end of each day. Throughout the day I would ask him, "Jack, are you dry?" and he would emphatically say "Yes!" and get a treat for it. I thought Day One was fairly successful, except for the fact that for the first time in 27 months my son did not go poo. Where was the poo?

PT Day Two: The Shine has come off the Apple
Finally, the poo arrived. Twice. In the morning. The first one he warned me, and we made it to the potty to squeeze out a tiny poo about the size of a Whopper--not the sandwich, the chocolate-covered, malted milk ball. Yea! Five minutes later, the rest of the load showed up in his pants. Yikes! An hour later: more in the pants. Oh, the depths of potty-training despair--or so I thought...

PT Day Three: Pee and Poo Strike!

No pee, no poo, no compliance! it's rock bottom; I'm depressed. We may have sat on the potty, but a surprisingly small amount of waste came out of my child for a full 24-hours! Do you have to go to the potty? No! No, no, no! Even so, he is oblivious to my pain, yelling out "Yea, Mommy, you get a treat!" each time I go potty throughout the day.

My friend Alli calls to check on us. "Oh, yeah," she says, "I meant to warn you about that." My friend Charlotte calls, "It's going to get worse before it gets better." What? What happened to my happy-to-potty son from Monday who loved his treats and stickers?

PT Day Four: Relax, He Gets It...

So, it's a new day--new strategy. I know he understands what he's supposed to do. The formula: lots of liquids, less-frequent check-ups for dryness and cleanliness. Put the onus on the stubborn child. We're in the trenches, and it's war...

...Success! Pee & Poo in the potty after waking completely dry from a good nap. In his own words:

I did it, Mommy. I poo-poo-ed on the potty! [a 3-second silence] "Pee-yewwww!"

It was the most beautiful poo I've ever seen. We're back on track--there's light at the end of the tunnel.

PT Day Five: Diapers? What Diapers?

Routine established. Finally! No accidents this morning, and we actually got out of the house for a walk! We even stopped at the playground and pond (the site of our first public urination--I've never been more proud!)

The Sound of Static and the Big PT

I've come to appreciate the sound of static. It's constant, unbroken, comforting, and relaxing all at once. We just finished day two of potty training (PT), and I'm exhausted. But there's this quiet hum coming from the boys' monitors, and it's the sweetest sound I've heard in a while. Really, there's nothing like it. I'm guessing you have to be a mom to really appreciate it.

Oh, I hear sweet things all day. Jackson saying, "I love Sam, Mom. I love him" in his soft little voice, for one. Another treasured sound is Sam's new little "coo." Oh, and after this week, let me add "Mommy, I gotta go potty" to that list.

But at the end of the day, the sound I yearn to hear most is static. The boys and I got Rick a new hammock for Father's Day, and one night last week Rick and I grabbed the monitors and headed outside with a bottle of wine. We sat there gently swaying between the trees on a comfortable, cloudless night and the only sound other than an occasional insect or tree frog was the simple white noise coming from those two little boxes. It was then that I realized how much I appreciated static, but this week the appreciation has deepened. I haven't gotten out of the house for two whole days, my grocery list is growing, I haven't exercised and I'm eating food that's been in my pantry and freezer for months now. I'm too tired to leave the house once Rick's home and the boys are down (I've been breastfeeding, cooking, cleaning, potty training, comforting, disciplining, instructing, dressing and undressing two kids since six this morning) so nothing will change for tomorrow, but just over my shoulder there's static...

...What's that? Sam's crying. Oh, precious, fleeting static!

Sam Cash is 3-months old!

Our little guy, Sam, is three months old today. He's sleeping about 8 hours at night before waking up hungry, he's starting to teethe--and drool, and he smiles a lot. He's a great napper, and he loves it when his big brother plays with him. Here are a couple videos we took of him this week.

A Day with Planes

Father's Day Fun

Rick took Jack to the North Carolina Aviation museum near the Charlotte-Douglas airport. It's one of their favorite places to go, and this time I made Rick take pictures. Jack always returns home talking about the planes--how they take off and land--and always seems to have a new plane when he comes through the door.

Shake your Booty!

Jack picked up some cool, new dance moves from his friend, Noah. Believe me, he didn't get any coordination from either of his parents, so we give full credit to Noah. He gets a little camera shy in the middle of this video, but I couldn't resist sharing his attempt to bust a move!

Happy Father's Day!

Dads Rule!

We love all the dads in our lives: Happy Father's Day, Pepa, Uncle Pete, "Uncle" (you know who you are!), Uncle Randy (someday--I expect sooner than later--you'll be an awesome dad), Papa, Uncle Rod, Uncle Jim, and Uncle Chad! Oh, and of course the most important dad, our Daddy--you're the best!

Letter to Daddy from Jack:

Dear Dad,

Thank you for:

• playing cars
• taking me to the aviation museum
• building tunnels
• letting me help you fill the foodbeeder
• playing trains
• taking me to the pond
• giving me baths
• teaching me how to shower
• letting me stay up late
• instilling in me a love for bagels
• letting me drive
• reading to me
• playing "car wash"
• searching for planes on the internet
• teaching me about sprinklers and rainbows
• teaching me to pray to Jesus

Love, Jackson Cole Wilcox

Letter to Daddy from Sam:

Dear Dad,

Thank you for doing all those cool things with my big brother, Jack. I can't wait until we can do fun things together too.

Love, Samuel Cash Wilcox

Happy Anniversary, Nanee and Papa!

To our Nanee and Papa Wilcox: Congratulations on 44 years of marriage.

Our Friend, Ducky

Happy to Share

A popular afternoon snack at our house is popcorn. Every once in a while, I'll pop some corn as Jack is waking up from his nap. On this day, Jackson decided to share his popcorn with Ducky.

He's working on sharing...now if he could just do it that easily with his human friends...

Ahhhh....Summer!

Baylee, The Graduate

Summer--here I come! Our niece, Baylee, recently graduated from preschool and will be a full-fledged kindergartener this fall. This picture of her reminds me of that feeling the last day of school brings --there's nothing else like it--the satisfaction of a year's hard work completed and the anticipation of those lazy summer days. Congratulations, Baylee! We're so proud of you!

Jack & Averi

Bring on the sun! This picture of Jack and his cousin is just so precious to me! The two were busy checking out the bird feeder (or foodbeeder, as Jack calls it), oblivious to the camera. Jack enjoyed a full week with his cousin who was visiting from Rochester, NY.

Fun at Katherine's

One warm, sunny day our neighbor filled up the baby pool and pulled up the slide for instant water fun! The kids took turns splashing into the pool and had a blast. I love the look on Katherine's face when she hit the water!

Jack-isms

Here are some fun and silly things you will hear from Jack:

• I want my shoes onoff (yes, "on" and "off" are one word)


• Faster, Mom, go faster! (when I'm driving)


• Oh my, Sammy! or Oh dear, Sammy! (when Sam's crying hits fever-pitch)


• Jackson Cilwox (when asked what his name is)


• I'm two! (also when asked what his name is)


• My toot-toot! (when he passes gas)
• My sleepy, too (when he's tired)


• Ummm...raisins. (his answer to "What would you like for a snack/bfast/lunch/dinner?")
• Foodbeeder (birdfeeder)


• Pray to Jesus? (when we sit down to eat)


• Come on, _______ (insert anyone's name here)--for some reason this is always said in a voice almost two octaves lower than usual.


• ABCD's (instead of ABC's)


• Daddy's home! (whenever the garage door goes up)

Happy Birthday, Grandma Harding!!!

We love you and miss you! Have a great day!

Love, Jackson and Sam Cash

Sam's two-month appt.

Jackson and I took Sam to his 2-month appointment this morning. We walked all the way to the doctor's office, enjoyed looking at the fish in the huge aquarium, and then had Sam checked out. Here are his stats:

12 1/2 lbs. (!) --just under 50th%

23" long --just over 50th %

Three shots (he's not a fan, if you were wondering)

One oral vaccination (also, not a fan--it just wasn't the same as momma's breastmilk)

Three stickers for Jack:)

Dr. Wrinkle checked him out and said his motor skills were great--he has great head control, and has even flipped over twice already!

Jackson and I then walked to our favorite little pizza joint for lunch with our friends, Alli (momma), Austin (2 1/2 yrs. old), and Tristan (7 mos.).

Gatlinburg, Tennesee

The Redneck Riviera

Two weekends ago, Rick (my wonderful, wonderful husband) surprised me with a childless (!) day away to Gatlinburg. With a battery-powered breast pump in hand, we were meeting our friends, Chris and Jill for a full day of adventure. I had never been to Gatlinburg, and when I told my friend that we were going she said, "Oh, the Redneck Riviera, huh?" What?

Despite the four million "made in China" stores that line the strip of Gatlinburg, and the amusement park-esque rides (which I can only guess to have sketchy safety regulations) in Pigeon Forge, we really enjoyed the big RR. We did realize a little too late that Gatlinburg has an awesome artisan community tucked away behind the strip (maybe something to enjoy next time). When all was said and done, I enjoyed the outlet mall in Sevierville the most--shopping with a friend, no kids, and great deals--pure fun! Rick and Chris enjoyed some hiking in the picturesque mountains, too.

Our trip to the big RR was a much-needed and enjoyed get-away.