Officially Caught Up... Three New Posts Today!

Catching up... and maybe I can even say that I am now officially CAUGHT up?!! Can it be? Hurray!

Enjoy the last three posts mostly dedicated to my big THREE year old!! Scroll down and check 'em out! More on Kaki coming this week with a sweet little one who will be 7 months old on Friday!!

Potty Training H-E-Double Hockey Sticks!

(The following post is ALL ABOUT poop... this is completely for my own records and reflections and not intended for the masses unless you are so inclined... you were warned... Thank you!)

Pardon the title but... really... it's been hard! But wait, I thought he filled his potty jar and got to go to the hockey game? Right... he did, BUT he did that by adding one potty penny at a time... for the pee pee, not the poo poo! Oh the poo poo, the poop, the big #2... why, oh why is it so hard?!

Well, I guess we should go way back... about 27ish years ago when a sweet little girl named Katie was learning to go #2 on the potty... her parents had tried everything... but alas, they had no luck. So they did what any good parent would do... they doped her up with miralax and forced her to sit on the potty for 30 minutes at a time... screaming, crying, begging to get off and poop in a diaper... oh please! For the love! Can she just poop in a diaper?!!

Seems cruel, doesn't it?

Well, when we first started potty training Caden it became clear very early on, like day one, that he wasn't going to be easy when it came to pooping on the potty. My every day pooper and sometimes twice a day pooper was becoming an every FOUR day pooper. I know that sounds terrible, but I was operating under the assumption that what goes in WILL eventually HAVE to come out... and so I waited, and waited and waited... and then when I knew there is NO way it wasn't coming out we sat, and sat, and sat on the potty... screaming, crying, begging, to poop in a diaper. No go... tried a suppository or two... BUT I couldn't hold him down in order to get it in well... flailing, kicking, screaming... the kid is STRONG! Even KK was visiting during one of these times and the two of us together couldn't do it... and during that particular struggle I decided that was IT... I couldn't do it any longer. I could NOT listen to my sweet baby boy scream ANY longer. It was torture... for him and for me and I was over it. So I gave him a diaper... and made a habit of giving him a diaper every 3 days if he hadn't pooped... which of course he never did.

Well, then came the potty incident of 2012, when we exploded all over my brother's nice new rug... nice one! Clearly, our plan was getting us no where and I knew that. So I talked to his doctor about it one day when we were there for Kaki's well-check and she suggested I do Miralax and not fight the issue... she told me and I quote, "If you try to fight him on this one, you will lose!!" FINALLY, someone who was understanding what I had been saying... we are LOSING this battle. She had given me the out I so desperately wanted... I didn't want to have to be tough on him!

So I went home, got some miralax and we started. Well, miralax makes your kids a smelly, tooty mess. Or at least it does for Caden, so I decided that I didn't really like that, plus I felt like it was making him not feel well...but basically it was me just making an excuse not to use it and thus not having to worry about Caden pooping on the potty at all... at least not by torturing him to do it... or forcing him... or whatever you want to call it.

Diapers, diapers, diapers... that gets old too. I mean a three year old who is eating the same food I eat really shouldn't be pooping in a diaper anymore, you know?! Or even worse... a kid who says, "Mommy, I need a diaper so I can poop!" REALLY doesn't need a diaper to poop. I mean he obviously knows it's coming... I mean, hello!

I was feeling pretty good about our diaper deal and I had learned my lesson in Nac and was letting him have a diaper every other day and wasn't forcing the potty issue at all. Well, he QUICKLY (like overnight) got used to the fact that he was going to get to poop in the diaper without a fight on the potty at all. And then he got even smarter and realized that he could ask for a diaper ANYTIME he needed to go to the potty... like he could ask for one two, three times a day... even when he didn't REALLY need to poop so he could pee pee in there too... that way he wouldn't have to interrupt his playtime and could just go... I mean, duh!

Well, I guess I look dumber than I actually am because I caught on to this pretty quick... it was earlier this week, while KK was visiting us that I was discovering that Caden was outsmarting me... BIG time. So I had a little pep talk/pow wow with KK and I decided that enough was enough... I had tried it all... NOTHING was working!

Aside from buying him his own COUNTRY, I had offered to buy him everything... take him anywhere... let him play with ANYTHING and NOTHING was a big enough motivator. I even started taking away his favorite toys every time he used a diaper to poop... BUT nothing! I mean his favorites... the trumpet, the Baylor flag, the drum... and while my life was much quieter for those few days... I was getting NO WHERE! Pretty soon his ENTIRE playroom would be up on a shelf and he would still be pooping in the diaper... NOT ok!

So... I decided it was time... I was going to INSIST that he do it on the potty... no more diapers NO MATTER WHAT! So, all day Friday I pumped that kid full of juice... and not juice mixed with water... straight juice... he was eating lots of fruit... it was just a matter of time. So Saturday comes along and he is obviously VERY gassy... which means that he is trying with ALL HIS MIGHT to fight the urge to poop. Not to mention he has had a double ear infection this week, so with all of the YUCK coming out of his nose and down his throat plus all of the meds he is on, we knew he was REALLY needing to go. Justin and I took a deep breath and said ... "Here we go... we are about to enter potty training h-e-double hockey sticks... we can do this! We are going to win!"

5:30 pm, Saturday evening... started on the mini potty in front of the TV. A new tactic after Caden seeing it in the garage and asking to use it to poop. So we tried it...

30 minutes later we are still sitting on the little potty... and nothing. He asks if he can move to the big potty... SURE, we say! And so he does...

6:00pm It's dinner time at the Cox house and so we all sit down for dinner... EXCEPT for Caden who we make continue to sit on the potty. We thought this isolation tactic might work to our advantage. So Justin, Kaki and I all sat at the table with Caden in the bathroom... crying, yelling at times, asking over and over again to be done. Spankings were his alternative... seems harsh I know, but we had to do it...

6:45pm Caden is STILL sitting on the potty. By this point I have spent over 30 minutes singing, praying, rubbing his back, trying to calm him down and make him relax while on the potty. Justin took a turn once, but it was Mommy who he wanted to "come see me." And so I did. After sitting there with him for over 30 more minutes Justin felt like we needed to take action... so we put in a suppository!

We have had to use suppositories on Kaki a few times lately and it never has taken longer than 15 minutes to work although the bottle says it can take up to an hour... so we were hopeful that by 7:45 or so, we'd have a happy kid who had just pooped on the potty and we could feed him some dinner and get him to bed. Oh please say that it will only be another hour at the MOST! And by the way... Daddies are REALLY strong and a HUGE help when trying to put a suppository in! Praise God for Justin!

7:45 rolls around and still NOTHING! NOTHING! He has managed to still hold it in and refuse to let it out. Again, we spent the hour going in between singing, praying, talking, being firm, saying "PUSH, PUSH..." I felt like a labor and delivery nurse... We were counting and pushing, and counting... I could tell when he'd try to push and when he wouldn't... a few times we got a little something during a good push, but still no actual poop!

8:00 it's been over an hour, the kid is tired, his hands are red and hurting from holding himself up on the potty for so long so we decided to let him get off and eat dinner. Keep in mind that we have let him get up to take a "break" a few times, but each time he runs right back to the potty because he can tell it's coming... it really was the most frustrating thing to watch him RUN back to the potty knowing that it was coming out and then get there and not actually do anything to go!

8:15pm...

Caden is eating dinner at the table by himself. Tough love people... we were trying to keep it up although it was killing us. So sweet thang sat there and chowed down on his pizza all by his lonesome. If he turned around we'd tell him to watch the microwave... isn't that sad?!

8:30pm back on the toilet. Justin took a shift. As I was pouring myself a glass of water (don't worry I had already had a glass of wine with dinner) I heard Justin say, "Caden, if I put a diaper underneath you while you try to poop will that help?"

From the kitchen I scream, "NOOOOOOO! No diapers!!! We are NOT going back there! Absolutely not!!"

I was thinking that Justin had surely lost his mind. It had been THREE long, painful hours at this point... NO WAY were we going to give up now... NO SIR! You are going to do it!!

9:00pm VICTORY... but not in the way we KNEW it needed to be. It was actually kind of a pathetic excuse for poop... BUT we didn't think we could change the rules and now say that while he DID poop it wasn't enough. So we said YAY CADEN! Celebrated for a few minutes and then sent the kid to bed, without a bath...

9:15pm Caden is asleep... SO TIRED!

9:45pm Justin and I are asleep... BEYOND TIRED! I think it may have been the most mentally exhausted I have ever been. Truly!

Which brings us to today...

Juice... mexican food for lunch... Sprite... chocolate milk... miralax... oh yes I did!

1:30pm Caden starts crying and screaming, "I am pooping... I am pooping!!" But he's in his playroom and not on the potty. So running... he climbs on the potty with just a little bit of a mess in his undies and sits...

Justin is coaching him through it... you can do it Caden, you can...you need to... it's coming!!

It's COMING!!!

And boy... did it EVER come... not sure where it all came from, but he did it!! And it was glorious!

And we clapped and cheered and Justin drove him straight to Sonic for an ice cream treat! He didn't have to take a nap because he had pooped in the potty! It was SO exciting! And it made the night before not seem so bad... because it had worked... we had won! He pooped... no diaper!!

Now... I don't consider us cured... and I know that we still have more long, painful, stand-offs on the potty in our future... BUT we're moving in the right direction and I don't think there is ANY way that he can outsmart us on this one!

All of this to say... that being a parent IS tough and sometimes we have to do things we HATE doing and those things may even make our kids sad, cry and scream BUT at the end of the day we all cheer, hug and eat ice cream together and that's what really matters!! So I guess that means that even potty training H-E-double hockey sticks has its rewards... Way to go Cox Fam!!

I Filled My Potty Jar...

... AND I got to go to the Texas Stars hockey game with my Daddy... on a dude date!

It sure pays (in potty pennies) to go pee pee in the potty...

I worked so hard to fill my potty jar up to the red line with the STAR next to it, all along knowing that it would get me here...

At the hockey game... my first... with my foam finger... my pretzel...

And my photo-happy Daddy...

And my Sprite...

At first I didn't like it when the hockey boys started to fight, BUT then once I saw it happen more than once I decided that it was pretty cool... AND then I decided that I would ask Mommy to fight me when I got home!

But she said no... and I was sad... fighting is the coolest...

Except that it's really not... because even the hockey guys get in trouble when they fight! They have to sit in the box... :)

I had a really fun time with my Daddy and I got to stay up really late... Kaki was already in bed when I got home!! I can't wait to go back and watch the Texas Stars again!!

Yay for potty training!!

Caden's Three: An Interview

Well, I hardly know what to say about my lil' man being three! Our first love... in the last three years he has taught Justin and I a lot about a lot... and a little about a lot too! :) Let's be real... parenting is a growth experience unlike any other. It's a marathon, a roller coaster and a peaceful drive down a country back road, all rolled into one. To say that I have liked every minute of it would be a complete lie... there are plenty of moments that I would rather just pass on by, but then when I take a step back I remind myself that this is only a snip-it... a tiny season... a brief glimmer of time that will soon pass and tomorrow, next week, next year... those tough moments will be just another memory... and perhaps even one that I don't remember all that well... and then there is not much that I can't swallow... (at least without a nice glass of wine at the end of the day!!)

Caden is a bundle of energy and ball of fire. He is stubborn and hard-headed, but also sweet and tender. He is loud and often hilarious, but prefers quiet and order to chaos and confusion. He tends to be shy but warms up quickly. He is loyal and true to those he loves most especially his family. He is a protective big brother believing that only certain people should have the privilege of knowing, touching, talking or even looking at Kaki. He is her best friend and he'll tell you that too. He likes to teach her how to use all of her toys, but does seem to have a bit of trouble when she is showing him how to use his toys... go figure. He is obsessed with all things Baylor, especially RGIII and the Baylor Band. He loves to sing and dance, but I am afraid he did pick up a serious case of the "white boy." He talks, and talks and talks and talks. When he wakes up in the morning he knocks on his door, alerting us that he is up and from that moment on he NEVER shuts up... I mean stops talking! :) He is constantly asking questions and is always interested in what we are doing next... and will often ask the same questions over and over again until he has achieved the appropriate level of frustration from his Daddy and I! :) He is a button pusher and he is SUPER smart about how and when he chooses to do it. He has beat us at our own game several times which has continued to assure us that we HAVE to run our house as a dictatorship and not a democracy... the American way is not the Cox way... as much as we wish it were. I will be the first to admit that I fail miserably at this at times and when pushed to the edge I am reminded why I must be a dictator and am always encouraged that in just a few minutes after taking a more authoritative role things seem to go smoothly... and we are back to some semblance of balance again. BUT this is certainly not my strength and one that I have to work on daily. It's important to teach him obedience... and I know that! Caden is learning to pray for himself... it is the sweetest thing as I lead him through his prayer. I never quite know what he is going to say, but I am blessed each time I hear him talking to God because I know God is listening. Oh, my sweet boy, while a handful at times, I wouldn't trade him or his enthusiasm for life for anything else in this world. He has a piece of my heart that no one else can take... it's all his! I love you Cade-man! Happy three years!!

Last year, I started doing birthday interviews with Caden... I think they will be such a treasure to have as they provide such a unique snapshot of his little personality. Of course the interview is a bit rough in places, but I wanted it to be as authentic Caden as possible and that it certainly is... It's 10 minutes long, so only the faithful should attempt to watch it from start to finish!!

Enjoy!!

Busy Blog Day... Check It!

I have put up 4... count 'em... 1-2-3-FOUR Posts up today!! Not to mention the previous posts I completed earlier in the week!!

Don't miss out on all of the Christmas, Baylor Bowl Game and Birthday fun...

Scroll down and enjoy!!

Caden's SCHOOL Party

Okay... I know it seems like birthday overload... but I promise this is the last party post... BUT not the last "I'm THREE" post... so get ready! :)

While we were traveling over the break I remembered that I had told Caden's teacher that we would celebrate his birthday on the first day back to school after the holidays. I asked Caden what kind of cookies he wanted and he of course said Baylor cookies... GREAT! I was hoping he'd say Break n Bake Chocolate Chip cookies... :) but he didn't... okay, okay, okay!

So what is a Momma who is barely going to be in town 48 hours before school starts to do??!! Call her super talented and sweet friend Gina and ask her to do it! :) My friend Gina... her blog is on my blog roll to the left... is the BEST sweets maker ever... and I say sweets because she does it all... cakes... cookies... I am sure she could do just about anything anyone asked!

Not only do her things taste amazing... but they are always SUPER cute! So I had no doubt that should could whip up something cute for Caden BUT when she showed up at my house with these...

I was a bit overwhelmed... I mean seriously?! This is not cookies... this is a cookie bouquet... crazy, crazy cute!! Have you ever seen better Baylor cookies in your life? It was hard to keep Caden from rippin' in from the moment he saw them. We had many a tantrum over not getting a BU cookie RIGHT NOW!

So naturally Caden was stoked to take these works of art to school to share with all of his friends. He wore his new Baylor gear... head to toe and was proud of those cookies! And I was a bit proud too... and then a bit embarrassed of what the other moms would think of my OVER THE TOP cookies... I was afraid I might get a few comments and some eye rolls... I mean who brings cookies like THAT for her kid's school party???!!! NOT ME!! But my friend Gina does!! :) And I love her for it!!

Thank you for making Caden's party so special, Gina!! He was so very proud to show-off his Baylor cookies!! We love you and your talents!!

And that's it... the THIRD and FINAL birthday celebration of the Chade and his 3-ness! :)

Chuck E Cheese Please... It's My Birthday!

Well... we left off last post with a little pull-over from one of East Texas' finest state troopers... "On our way to Waco sir... to celebrate my son's birthday with my family..." not even that worked!

So we were off and ready to celebrate Chuck E Cheese style with the Cox fam in Waco. This was my VERY FIRST time to Chuck E Cheese... yes, I know, shock and awe... not sure how I made it this long without ever going but I had... but let me just say... I'm a believer! Especially the one in Waco... it was very clean and nice. I was impressed! And the pizza... it was pretty darn good!!

And I'm not really sure how this blog post ended up as a review for Chuck E Cheese... who in the world cares what I thought about it... Caden was the man of the moment and he LOVED every bit of the Chuckster and his cheese! Loved it!

He was winning tickets from the first game... he was ready and had his sights set on a BIG, HUGE Chuckie... a new bed friend... yay!!

And you better believe that Daddy would never let the Cade-man go home empty handed on his birthday... so he was doing some ticket winning of his own... balla... shot calla!!

A little ski ball... Uncle Tag had first played with Caden and when I told Justin to let him try it by himself, Uncle Tag said, "well... you might want to watch out because it will go about two lanes over and he'll try to throw it in the hole instead of roll it... " well sure enough... that is EXACTLY what happened!! :)

Uncle Tag and Caden were tearing it up playin' hoops!! :)

The girls...
Aunt Ree and Uncle Tag with the Chade...

We eventually had to take a break from the games to eat some pizza and cake and open presents... of course! :)

I love his faces... he is always so excited ... and he loved his new Elmo book!

BUT the Baylor Sweatshirt took the cake... LOVED it! He wants to wear it EVERY. DAY. He calls it his Baylor shirt with the hat... :) It's a hoodie! Ha! Thanks Ree Ree and Tag!

And then he opened his camera... a real working digital camera. He wasn't quite sure what it was at first BUT he LOVES it and has taken 100+ pictures... and those don't include the ones that I have already deleted... he is camera crazy! Some of the photos he has taken are priceless... he has a tendency to catch my most UNflattering angles... :/

Cake time... Sweet Nana and Bop had everything covered for our birthday party on the go, complete with a cake, ice cream, pizza, wings, drinks, TOKENS, TOKENS and MORE TOKENS!! And Ree and Tag supplied the awesome decor... Caden loved his Thomas balloon!!

The boy loves him some candles... or maybe it's the fire he loves...

Deep breath...
Don't spit on it... don't spit on it...

Let's DIG in... YUMMO!

Well... by the end of the party we had collected some SERIOUS tickets... but not quite enough for the MONSTER Chuck E that Caden had his eyes set on so Daddy did a little bargaining and bought the remaining tickets-worth so Caden could have his new friend... isn't he cute?!! Who knew a mouse could be so appealing!! And then I remember Mickey... and Minnie... and Fievel... so who am I??!! Mice are it!!

Family pics with Chuck E! My Nana/Bop the best party planners ever! What a fun party!!

Caden had the BEST birthday... TWO parties, LOTS of wonderful gifts and he saw ALL of his VERY FAVORITE PEOPLE IN THE WORLD!! He loves his family!! AND I think the best way to determine the success of ANY birthday is how you look at the end...

And I think this is one very content little man... clutching Chuck E for life! :)

Happy Birthday Chade-Man!!

Thank you Nana and Bop and Ree Ree and Tag for making Caden's birthday party such a success. Y'all are so sweet to be available to celebrate with us!! Thank you for doing everything!! We love y'all!!

A Baylor Band Party for the Birthday Boy!!

Caden turned 3!! I know, it is just absolutely unbelievable... I feel like I just watched the ball drop 18 times while lying in a hospital bed... and now he's three and he is a big brother and potty trained... well mostly... and oh my goodness, he's three!! I will do a detailed "Caden at 3" post but for now I just want to capture the FUN of his actual birthday!!

We were still in Nac for the big event and originally if I am to be completely honest I was a little bummed that we would be out of town on Caden's birthday, BUT I think it actually ended up being one of those little nuggets that God gives us because he KNOWS what is best... Caden had a fabulous day!

It was truly a team effort making the Baylor Band Birthday party of his dreams all come together. Aunt Emily was SUPER sweet and made Caden the coolest birthday banner to hang throughout the house and took care of ordering balloons... 30 of them... in green and gold... and also got one of her sweet friends who is actually the wife of one of our best friends from college to make Caden the BEST birthday cake ever! It was a green and gold Baylor Band birthday from start to finish...

Without further adieu... here is what Caden saw as he walked out of his room on the morning of his birthday... TA-DA!!!!

Happy Birthday Caden!!!

Every band needs a field to march on... so KK googled her little heart out and found the perfect solution! :) I had this idea after watching Caden turn our entryway rug into the "field" for weeks!! And he LOVES that thing!!

All of his loot...

I made Caden a band hat... and it is HILARIOUS looking... totally a homemade job for sure... and of course he would not wear it, but I had to try and I'm glad I did... :)

He was checking out his new big boy bike... a little overwhelmed with all of the birthday fun! See that stereo on the table... it was playing the Baylor Fight Song as he can walking down the hallway... I think it may have been a bit much at first, but once he woke up a bit more he was SO excited! And this is why we don't do parties for this child... :)

He opened up his presents on his new field with the Baylor band playing in the background!

Everyone went with the band theme for his birthday and he received ALL sorts of goodies... three instruments that actually play... a sax, a clarinet and a trumpet... trumpet is his favorite. A piano and a Mickey Mouse that comes with a guitar that you can play along with... he dances and does the splits too... Mickey... not Caden... at least not yet!

I also made Caden my very first attempt at a Surprise Ball... you can see it on the dining table in the pictures above... it was so fun! He had LOTS of Baylor gear to unravel ... all to be prepared for the big event happening later that morning...

BUT first... Green and Gold pancakes... and for the life of me I don't know why we didn't take a picture, but we were busy... :) Having SO much Baylor Band fun!! He loved them and in fact asked for Baylor pancakes today at school when they were having PJ and Pancake day... ha!

Then after breakfast we all put on our Baylor gear... and grabbed an instrument and headed outside for the Golden Wave Marching Band's debut in the Evans New Year's Day Parade...hurray!! Uncle Josh and Albi took a little convincing but I think everyone thoroughly enjoyed our jaunt through the neighborhood. Sweet Kaki-girl missed the parade... but actually it ended up working out well that she was napping when all of the parade fun was going on!!

Here we are... starting to assemble...

Can you sense Uncle Josh's enthusiasm??!! I think he is worried about what his neighbors might think...

I was the official flag carrier and boom box DJ... playing the various Baylor Band songs as we marched...

My child is OBSESSED with his shadow and LOVES watching himself do his band "moves" as he marches... it is hilarious!! I am not ashamed to admit that we let Caden use the iPad A LOT and thus he has learned almost every move to every song that the Baylor band does... and I have video to prove it... wait for it! He is certainly a perfectionist when it comes to this band stuff... he really pays attention and then mimics what he sees... doing it over and over again until it's just right... oh wow!

Parade route... up the driveway...

LONG... driveway...
Playin' that trumpet with all his might!!!

And back down the driveway... Aunt Emily may have missed her calling... she was marching right in time! :)

After that Good 'Ol Baylor Line we paused for none other than a family Sic 'Em Bears... in the middle of the road... oh yes we did!!

Then Uncle Josh breathed a HUGE sigh of relief when we decided to move the party to the back yard... as soon as we put the football field down... Caden went after it. He marched and played his heart out and then decided it was time to take the other side of the ball, so to speak, and wanted to play catch!

This is what he does at home... he lines all of his instruments on the stairs and then plays football on the rug below the stairs... he will then step up on his stool and conduct the band, take an instrument and play in the band and then go back to his football.... he acts out the ENTIRE Baylor Football experience... complete with the FUMBLE, FUMBLE and TOUCHDOWN... and chanting R-G-3... R-G-3... it's really too much sometimes... so, so funny!

And for those of you who think I am exaggerating I am really not!! Just ask anyone of our family members... they'll tell you... the kid is impressive with his knowledge of all things Baylor football... band, RG3... what have you...

After the morning parade and football fun we came inside to munch on some of Caden's favorite foods... quesadillas, queso and chips!!

Kaki girl was up and ready to celebrate with her BU gear too!!

Just in time for our after lunch dessert the cake arrived!!

Don't you love it??!!! Sweet Mary picked the sailer bear because it looked most kid friendly... and I love it!! :)

And Caden did too!!

Can you see how excited he is??!!!

He's been anticipating the candle blow out for weeks at this point... he is ready!

And he did it!! Then it was time for cake and green ice cream :)

YUM!

After lunch there were NO naps for the Cade-man so it was more outside time with Mommy playing with our new toys from Christmas and his birthday... playing catch... rolling down the hill in the backyard... and going, going, going until he literally could go NO more!! It was a sweet time with just my boy and I for nearly an hour or so... before the rest of the fam joined in! I treasured that one right on up!! Poor Caden... by the time the sun was setting he was walking all funky because his legs were SO tired from running around ALL day long... so we made him come in, and rest on the couch with the iPad... another Chade fav! :)

It was a fantastic, wonderful, Caden filled day... full of all of his favorites!! He was a very happy, tired, three year old by day's end and I was a very happy Mommy who felt beyond blessed to be sharing life with these three...

Happy Birthday Cade-man!! We love you!!!

AND FOR THE VIDEOS OF OUR MAN IN ACTION... ENJOY!!!

(Side Note: for posterity's sake I must document this... sorry Caden! The afternoon of Caden's birthday it was clear that Caden needed to go #2, but we STILL have not mastered that part of potty training yet. He holds, and holds and holds... after trying multiple times on the potty... but since it was his birthday I decided to not make him try and just give him a diaper and let him go for it. I knew it was needing to after all of the stuff he'd eaten and it had been a few days... well I was outside with Kaki enjoying the nice weather when all of the sudden Emily rushes out and tells us about the poop explosion that happened inside... I thought she may have been kidding but OH NO! Poor guy had SO much in there that it exploded... everywhere... and by everywhere I mean on Josh and Emily's brand new entry rug... AWESOME... BIG FAT POOP STAIN and a VERY mad Daddy!! I was sad for Caden and embarrassed for both of us but of course Emily and Josh were ever gracious by not making a fuss over it at all! It has since been sent to the carpet cleaners and supposedly looks like it is brand new... we'll see next I'm there! So when I said in my earlier post that we "broke" their house in... that is what I meant... It's not a party until somebody poops on the carpet!! It gives party pooper and entirely new meaning, doesn't it??!! Sorry Josh and Em... and thank you!!)