Yes, it’s two of everyone’s favorite things, together at last!
In an effort to get Jonah to poop on the potty, we’ve had to engage in some bribery. A couple of months ago, we began the arrangement that if pooped in his potty, no matter how small, he would be rewarded with some sort of prize. These prizes started out small, usually a small sheet of five to ten stickers. I suppose this was in conjunction with the size of the nugget-sized poops Jonah was presenting to us. But within the last couple of days, the size of the poops have gotten much larger; as a result, we’ve stepped up the prizes. The other day I gave him a Percy train (from the Thomas the Tank Engine series, as if you didn’t know) and also a Cubs-themed Mr. Potato Head, both of which he loved. He also saw me get them out of the closet, the place where we keep the larger loot. Unfortunately, he now understands where the good stash is at.
The end result of all this is that he is pooping the potty with somewhat alarming frequency, each time demanding a “closet prize.” Our theory is that he’s saving them up in a sort of fecal holding pen and letting them leak out a little at a time in order to increase his overall income. I guess I can’t begrudge him this, as it is eminently logical and is exactly what I would do in his situation. Still, I have to wonder whether I’m creating some sort of complex. Anyway, the good news is that he’s pooping in the potty a lot more these days.
As for the nudity, Jonah has also discovered what a joy it is to walk around without pants. Again, I suppose none of us can blame him for this either, as he finds he’s most comfortable that way. Usually we’ll put him down for his nap with t-shirt, underwear and sweat pants on and he’ll emerge with only the t-shirt. Also after bath time, he’s a lot more adamant about running around nude rather than put on his jammies. What will be really fun is when he starts to whip out his junk at the grocery store or Target. I don’t think we’re at that stage yet, but those days are just around the corner.
Little Elliott (by the way, still not so sure about the “Little E” nickname, as I don’t want any of my children to be associated with NASCAR) is slowly adjusting to life outside of the womb. I find his appetite is increasing, but like all babies, his activities are reduced to eating, sleeping, crying and moving his bowels. Sometimes he’ll be awake and just sort of look around, which is nice. Jonah has also figured out where Elliott gets his food from, as one of his current favorite phrases is, “Elliott get milk from boob?” Usually this is framed as a question, as if he’s just confirming what he already presumes to be true.
