Potty Praise

Reagan, who is beginning to potty train, often follows me into the bathroom. Yesterday, she came in when I was using the restroom. I said, "Mama's using the potty," and she began to clap for me. When I said I was all done, Reagan waved into the potty and said, "Bye bye, pee pee."

Potty Training 2

This whole potty training thing is harder than I imagined. Reagan is happy to sit on the potty for long periods of time, providing she doesn't actually have to use it. Once she really needs to go, she begins to get up, try to sit on my lap, hug me, run across the room--anything to keep from having to go on the potty.

At least twice she has cried after finally going. And it's not just a little cry; it's a "I can't believe you're making me do this, and if you really loved me you would stop this nonsense right now" cry.

And the potty doll...well, we decided to go for the deluxe electronic model. Only problem is, it totally freaks Reagan out! You "feed" the doll a bottle of water, and after a couple of minutes she begins to say, "Mama, pee pee." Then you put her on the potty and she drips into it. When she's all finished, she's supposed to say, "Dappa," as in "diaper," but we've never reached that point yet. We had to turn it off because Reagan was scared.

So, let's see. We spent around $20 on her potty chair. Then there was $25 for the potty doll and $15 for a potty video (which, by the way, she actually likes). Oh, and we also bought a potty seat to go on the big toilet for around $10. So that's a total of about $70 on potty training supplies, and we're no closer to being potty trained than before. In fact, with all the crying, we may have actually regressed!

Potty Training

We've only just begun potty training and I'm already exhausted. I spend most of my time trying to keep a squirmy toddler seated on a plastic potty. I use bribes--something I am philosophically opposed to. I ply her with liquids. I tell her everybody does it. And I beg.

Today, Reagan actually did use the potty once. She promptly began to cry--howl really--afterward. Was she afraid? I don't know. Perhaps she was mourning the loss of babyhood. Maybe she knows that once she starts using the potty, the baby gig is up. She'll be responsible for keeping herself dry and clean.

I'm starting to search for the perfect "drink and wet" doll. This is Dr. Phil's recommended method for potty training. I also plan to get a couple of books on the subject for Reagan to read while she sits. If anyone has any other brilliant ideas, I'm all ears.

(Helpful Hint: Reagan seemed disturbed by the fact that her bottom kept sticking to the seat. Scott suggested putting baby powder on the seat, and it works great. The only problem is that when Reagan gets up--as she so often does--she makes white imprints of her bottom on the sofa.)

Reagan Used the Potty!

OK, so it was only once. And she probably had started before I got her seated. But she did use it! Of course, she cried immediately after, as if she were afraid of what she had just done. I hugged her and praised her and did everything I knew to let her know that what she had done was a good thing--a wonderful thing!

It's not much...but it's a start.

Growth Spurt

Reagan must be going through a growth spurt, because she has been eating a ton lately. For toddlers, eating is usually sporadic--eat everything at one meal, nothing at the next. But she has been eating consistently for several days now. Yesterday, for lunch, she had two pickle spears (that's half a cucumber!) and a cheese sandwich. When she was finished, she asked for another pickle! (I didn't give it to her. I figure, two pickles is enough for any not-yet-two-year-old.) As I was putting her down for her nap, she said, "Hungry." I decided she was probably trying to stall, so I just ignored her. However, her first word upon waking was, "Snack."

In addition to her recent eating habits, her sleeping habits have been odd. After we got back from vacation, she actually cried a few nights in a row when we put her to bed. (Reagan is one of those kids who usually can be put down completely awake and not make a peep about it.) But then, last night, she tried to put herself to bed! Without a word, she walked up the stairs, into he room, and started trying to climb into her crib. Needless to say, we kissed her goodnight and lifted her into the crib. Too bad she doesn't do that every night!

My Guilty Pleasures

Days of Our Lives (Been a on-again, off-again fan since high school)

Brat Pack/John Hughes films (Forget Two and a Half Men--Jon Cryer will always be "Duckie" to me)

Point of Grace's Life, Love, and Other Mysteries (Not so much "guilty" as "totally sing-alongable")

Trashy fiction (I don't mean dirty; it's just that it doesn't have to be well-written or clever)

Snack Cakes (Little Debbie, Hostess, anything that won't decompose for decades)

Shopping (but I only buy bargains, and I'm really good at it!)

King of the Hill reruns

The Latest

Here are some of Reagan's new favorites.

Favorite food: Pickles, Kosher dill spears (She ate TWO last night at dinner!)

Favorite entertainers: The Wiggles (replacing Barney as #1)

Favorite toy: Fisher-Price Dollhouse (handed down from cousin Melanie)

Favorite beverage: Juice (She used to be a big Milk girl)

Favorite activity: Coloring

Favorite words: Stuck (as in, "I'm stuck!"); All done (complete with sweeping hand motions); Eggo! Mine! ("Let go! Mine!)

My New Favorite Activist

I've just discovered a new writer/radio host/political activist who really interests me. I first caught an interview she did on James Robison's show. Her name is Star Parker, and she's the president and founder of the Coalition on Urban Renewal and Education (CURE). Parker, a single, African-American mom, was once dependent on welfare. She addresses the issues of poverty and the welfare system in her book, Uncle Sam's Plantation.

Having "been there, done that," Parker has a unique understanding of the flaws of the welfare system. She presents the differences between the truly needy who simply need a "hand up" and the lazy poor who only want a "handout."

I loved reading Parker's personal story and how she overcame her dependency on welfare when she became a Christian. Her transformation from a promiscuous drug-user to a respected business owner is truly inspirational. Above all, she speaks with authority to those trapped in the system: You can rise above. You can escape the tyranny of Uncle Sam's Plantation.

With appearances on Larry King Live, the Oprah Winfrey Show, and Politically Incorrect under her belt, Parker is certainly a rising Star in the political world.

Back from Vacation

It has been weeks since I have written, so I'll try to cram all our activities into one entry. After everyone in our family finally recovered from sickness, we were able to take a short vacation. The first several days were spent in Indiana with my parents. We visited with family, held a yard sale, and even went to Holiday World in Santa Claus, Indiana. Reagan is totally Grandpa's (or "pawpaw," as she say) girl.

Reagan enjoyed seeing "Ho Ho" in Holiday World (Santa is a big part of the theme park, which was once called Santa Claus Land). She also loved riding the carousel, the kiddy planes, and the fish. But her favorite part of the day had to be the water park. She wore all the adults out by running around tirelessly through the gated area of sprinklers and various water elements. She is a brave little girl and doesn't like to hold hands while in the wave pool, either. We watched "Elmo in Grouchland" at least twice through in the car on the way there and back.

We were home by Tuesday but decided to go camping for a night on Wednesday. We went to Cedars of Lebanon State Park, only an hour from home. Reagan loved camping and kept calling the tent her "house." We made a fire and had hot dogs and s'mores. Surprisingly, Reagan didn't care for the chocolatey treat. She preferred the plain graham crackers. The camping experiment went pretty well, except that it took about an hour for Reagan to fall asleep. She was so wound up and isn't used to sleeping with anyone else in the room with her. Overall, we decided that camping with Reagan is fun, but it's also a lot of work!

On Saturday, my brother, Dave, his wife, Sharon, and their kids, Matt and Melanie, came in for a NASCAR race. Reagan had big fun with her cousins, and she can say everyone's name very well. Uncle Dave seems to be her favorite, since he lets her play with his cell phone. They actually got to stay a little longer than planned, since the race that Scott and Dave were going to got rained out on Saturday night and had to run on Sunday.

Packed in between the trips and visitors were little outings, like Reagan going to play with her cousin Ashley on Wednesday, and then going to visit Nana and Gran on Friday. It was a busy, action-packed week.

Today is Monday, and it's a somber day in our house. All the visitors are gone. Daddy went back to work. It's just Mama and Reagan. Things have gone surprisingly well. Reagan really does thrive on routine, so I think she's even a little relieved to have life back to normal.