First Prize

We've had to up the ante in Operation Potty Training.  Apparently, we are in Phase Two.  I didn't know there was a phase two when I started this nearly a month ago, but for us, at least, there is.

And it's all about - you guessed it- number  two.

Yesterday I wrote about our weekend shopping trip to Sam's Club, where, amongst many other items, we purchased these:

A big box of Pull Ups and another huge package of disinfectant wipes because we are running out of the teeny tiny packs they sell at my used-to-be-normal-shopping stores.  You also see a jar labeled "Poo Prize."  It's full of all the random Halloween and Christmas candy that I didn't want to give the boys or eat myself, which was stored in the cupboard and promptly forgotten about.  Until Saturday, when I found myself with giant boxes of cereal, animal crackers, cans of green beans and random snacks and nowhere to put them.

I was forced to clean out the cupboards, whereupon I found said icky candy, and heard my sister M's voice, "I had to make a poopy prize box for S because he quit pooping when he started preschool.  I spent a small fortune at the Dollar Store, but it worked."  Voila!  A poopy prize jar was born!

That was Saturday.  We introduced the Poopy Prize Jar with much fanfare and excitement.  Today is Tuesday and NO ONE has come forward to claim a prize, (ie I should be folding that load of kid laundry but I'm blogging instead).

THEN, IT HAPPENED.

I was talking with my mom on the phone while the boys played in the playroom before dinner, when I noticed M was becoming agitated, then started walking funny.  "Bye, Mom, gotta go!"  I knew she'd understand when I called her back later.

It took much convincing that poopy LIKES to come out on the little potty, not backwards on the big, big potty. (That's when my guys straddle the toilet facing backwards to pee - thanks to my mommy friends for that tip - it works, but only for pee.)  Then more convincing and some storybook reading to get him to actually stay seated.  Now, M has done this before but not in many days and not for a Poopy Prize Jar prize. Praise the Lord!  It happened halfway through the story!

M has been wanting a "big big sucker" (ring pop) since he saw them in the jar, but I stayed strong and kept repeating my mantra of, "When you go poopy in the potty you can have one."  Despite it being 5:30 and right before dinner, I didn't care and let him eat the whole sticky disgusting thing, in hopes that it would inspire N to give it a whirl.

He did give it a shot and made a number one hit, resulting in a standard M&M reward (which are losing their appeal at 3+weeks, btw).  We celebrated that he kept his Pull Up dry all morning during our outing and his unders dry all night at home, which is an accomplishment in itself.  One step at a time, I keep reminding myself.  

First Prize - strawberry Ring Pop

Ascending the throne

I took the second pic to show you what our bathrooms look like now.  There are two stools - one for the toilet and one for the sink, not shown, a toilet ring, a little potty, a container of disinfecting wipes, a container of baby wipes, a few books (on the sink and under M's feet), as well as a pile of pull ups, diapers, and underpants also not shown on the sink.  It's a hot mess, and both of the bathrooms the boys use look like this.  

But I'll live with the hot mess because I just took out the garbage bin and there is less trash in there than normal - I think we're finally reducing our diaper carbon footprint.

It was a pretty good day here in Potty Training Land, I mean, at our house.