Adventures in Potty Training

Okay, so Andrew's doing really well with the whole potty thing--once he made up his mind, he just went for it completely. We've even worked up to diaperless naps, which he'd successfully handled, until Saturday. He lay down for his afternoon a little behind schedule, because we had been to the park and didn't get home until well after lunchtime. Anyway, he took a really long time settling down---playing with stuffed animals, singing the theme songs to all of his favorite shows at the top of his lungs, reciting entire Fireman Sam episodes (can you tell we watch too much t.v.?)...anything but going to sleep. Eventually, I came up to put the smack down (verbally, of course), and caught a whiff of something that shouldn't have been there. Here's how the conversation went:

Me: Did you poop?
Andrew: Uh-huh.
Me: Umm, wheeerrre did you poop? (He has an Elmo potty in his room--legitimate question)
Andrew: In my diaper.
Me: Uh, bud...you don't have a diaper on.
Andrew: ("Oh shit!" look on his face) Oh.

Yeah, that's right--he had pooped in his Lightning McQueen underwear (Are there still Underoos? Because that's what I always want to call these things!) Fortunately (mild grossness alert for the squeamish--I know the mommies can handle it), he had skipped his fiber for the day and the poop was marble-like; that also meant, however, that as I was changing him and getting fresh "underoos," a marble-shaped poop went rolling off the changing table, onto the floor, and under the changing table. Great. Trying to get him back to bed ASAP, I asked his daddy for help.

Me: Can you find the little turd that rolled under there?
James: Ummm....really?
Andrew: I want to HELP Daddy find the little turd!
Me: Uggggh.
James: (exasperated sigh) I don't SEE it...are you sure it went under here?
Andrew: (By this time lying on the floor beside James, peering into the dust-bunny infested underbelly of the changing table) I SEE the little turd! There it is! There's the little turd! THERE'S the little TURD!
Me: Got it. Now back to bed.
**************************************************************
In other, not so light-hearted news, I need everyone reading to send some positive mojo our way. My grandmother, Nannie, whom I posted about several weeks ago after a fall in which she broke some vertebrae and ribs, isn't doing very well. She was re-hospitalized (from the rehab center/nursing home) last week because of pain in her side that everyone assumed was from a poorly-fitted back brace. Well, no...she has gallstones, and surgery's not an option because her heart is not strong enough. The latest development is that she has come down with pneumonia, and they're sending her back to the rehab. center, because basically, there's nothing more they can do for her. She has pretty much stopped eating, she's drinking very little, and has "given up." According to the doctors, she has to decide to get better, and none of us really see that happening. So---prayers if that's your thing, if not, we're happy with some karma, good thoughts, etc. We'll be making a trip down in the next day or so, most likely without Andrew, although I'd like her to see him too. I'll have to give that one some thought. ---T