Potty Training Newsflash

After 18 long months of on-and-off, try-this-and-try-that, frustrating, puzzling, and discouraging potty training with Meg, it appears that we may have had a breakthrough. Just before we left for Louisville last week, we started a new sticker chart for our girl. When she reaches a certain number of stickers, she gets a prize (such as a date with Daddy, or the head bands that she wanted from the drugstore). We hoped that this would help both with consistency in the fluids department (since she's been able to do that on the potty for a long time but often didn't want to), and with motivation in the solids department (since she's been terrified, apparently, to even try that). So the day we started the sticker chart ended up being the day before we left for Louisville. When we came back, I was hoping to jump right back into it, but I didn't know how Meg would do.

Well, last night as we were getting Meg and Matthew undressed for bed, Meg announced, "Tonight's the night that I wear my underwear all night long!" Quite honestly, my heart sank, and I rolled my eyes at Dave behind Meg's back. I didn't want to stifle her enthusiasm or discourage her from trying, but it seemed like lousy timing. We just moved Matthew into Meg's room about a month ago, and they've required frequent intervention to smooth out the bumps in that transition. Now I was picturing myself doing multiple, groggy sheet-and-pajama changes in the middle of the night, having both Meg and Matthew awake in the wee sma's, trying to get them back to sleep after a big to-do...

Oh, me of little faith! After one well-intentioned but ill-fated attempt at a preemptive strike (Dave and I dragged Meg out of bed last night before we went to sleep to give her a chance to pee), our girl woke up this morning fresh as a daisy and accident free! She was declaring herself diaper-free forever, but I wasn't sure what would happen at nap time, which is when she usually... well, you know.

So nap time came and went, and when it was over MEG HAD POOPED IN THE POTTY! I think she woke up having to go, and she must have raced down the bunk-bed ladder and hit the potty just almost in time... I had to toss that pair of undies, but the bulk made it into the bowl. (I know, I know, this is just way too much detail for some of you [cough, cough Dad Wilcox].) But I have been waiting and praying for this for a loooooong time now, and I must commemorate and celebrate this day!

We are SO proud of our girl, and so grateful to those of you who advised us to give her space and encouraged us that it would "click" for her one day. It looks like that day may have come... I'm cautiously optimistic, and very, very grateful (thank You, Lord!) for this sign of hope.

Together Again

For those who don't know our story from the last week or so, I will share more details soon. In the meantime, suffice it to say that Dave, Esme and I made an unexpected trip to Kentucky last week and missed the "Snowpocalypse," as one of the news channels was calling it, here in Maryland. (About 30 inches in our neck of the woods.) Last night we finally made it back, and this morning we got Meg and Matthew from my parents' house, where they stayed for most of the last week. I have never been away from them for so long. It is soooooo good to be together once again.

Again, more soon to come, but I have to share Meg's best quote of the day before signing off. As we put the kids to bed tonight, Dave reminded Meg not to wake Matthew up. "Because he's a grouch!" he warned.

"He's not a grouch!" Meg replied. "He's a mammal... just like a fish!"

I'll leave you with that illuminating thought, plus one more...

they're calling for 10-20 more inches in the next 48 hours.