Day 7 update

Today was fabulous for the boys' potty skills. NO ACCIDENTS from either boy AND Ben started pooping on the potty! This morning, the boys were running around naked and I was in the bathroom getting together a load of laundry. I heard Sam yelling, "Ben pooped!" and then Ben yelling, "Hey, look at that!" I came running out, expecting to find a pile of poop on the floor -- but nope, Ben was standing there, holding his potty, which was full of poop. I was very excited and he was very excited! I read an article in one of the parenting magazines yesterday about using reverse psychology on toddlers -- and it apparently worked like a charm with Ben. The boys have a candy bin of Hershey kisses, mini peanut butter cups, mini M&Ms, and yogurt-covered pretzels, and they get to pick one reward for pooping on the potty. Ben didn't seem to particularly care -- so I started telling their father that Ben doesn't like candy, that maybe I will have to share the candy with Colin or Aidan because Ben clearly doesn't like candy. He kept saying, "But Mommy, I LIKE candy!" I would respond, "Oh, you say that, but I want to share with you and I can't until you poop on the potty -- so I don't think you actually even like candy." It apparently worked!

And, a funny potty training story. If I don't find humor in this stuff, I might lose my mind! On Friday, Ben peed on the kitchen floor, and before I could get to it to clean it up, he had grabbed a dishtowel from the kitchen cupboard and was cleaning it up. I stopped him and got the paper towels and cleaner and cleaned up the mess -- and threw the gross dish towel downstairs to the basement, making a mental note to throw it in a load with Clorox. That night, I went out on the porch to say goodnight to husband -- and saw the offending dishtowel sitting on the table next to him. It was obviously the same pee-towel, it is a towel with 3 snowmen on it, and the only "holiday-themed" towel we have -- so I asked him where he got it. He told me the boys must have thrown it down the stairs, so he brought it back upstairs with him -- and had been USING IT TO WIPE HIS FACE because it was so hot and he was sweating. I couldn't contain my laughter -- and had to tell him what the towel had been used for ... He immediately went to shower.