Last week Reagan and I were at my parents' house in Indiana. They recently put in a pool, and Reagan has been in it a few times this summer. The first couple of times she got in, we put Elmo water wings on her but still held her the entire time she was in the water. On our most recent visit, however, Reagan didn't want to be held. In fact, when one of us would reach out to stabilize her, she would push our hands away.
She doesn't actually swim, per se, but with her water wings to assist her, she can get to where she wants to go. She also enjoys standing on the top step inside the pool (steps that will one day lead to the deck that hasn't yet been built) and jumping into the water. It really doesn't matter if there is someone there to catch her--she is fearless.
Reagan enjoys singing while she swims (Disney Princess songs--especially "A Whole New World"), and she's not afraid to take the occasional drink from the pool. She loves to play with anyone, but she especially likes it when Grandpa is in the pool with her.
Wednesday, August 31, 2005
What I'm Reading Right Now
Lately I've been too busy reading what I have to read to read anything for my own edification or pleasure. But due to a difficult family situation, I was inclined to pick up a book that had been in my "get to it someday" stack for some time. And what a blessing it has been!
Back in my days as an assistant at Word Publishing (now W Publishing Group), I had the pleasure of working with Dr. Chuck Lynch. (He was a dream author to work with, by the way. Extremely accommodating and humble.) He is a psychologist and president of Living Foundation Ministries. His book, You Can Work It Out, is about restoring relationships by tapping into the power of personal responsibility.
Now this may all sound like psycho-mumbo-jumbo, but his idea is really very simplistic: Everyone involved in a conflict has his or her own circle of responsibility. One person's circle may cover 75% of the conflict, while another's may cover 50%. Still another could cover just 5%. The point is, a conflict is never just one person's fault.
Lynch's method is to establish where the parties are AT and determine where they want to BE, before establishing responsibility. Then the parties take an X-ray of their conflict, identifying their circle of responsibility. (Lynch offers step-by-step examples of how to do this.) Only when responsibility is established can the parties move toward where they want to BE.
Dr. Lynch primarily addresses marital issues, but his principles can be applied to other relationships. He offers biblical insight to back up his methods. He also tackles situations involving others who won't accept their responsibility. (Guess what? You're still responsible for yours!)
God is teaching me how to deal with someone I just don't know how to handle. He's prompting me to pray more and get angry less. God has also assured me that vengeance is his (Yes, even God has a circle of responsibility!) and hidden sins are made known. For my part, I have to dismiss bitterness and not allow anger to cause me to sin.
Back in my days as an assistant at Word Publishing (now W Publishing Group), I had the pleasure of working with Dr. Chuck Lynch. (He was a dream author to work with, by the way. Extremely accommodating and humble.) He is a psychologist and president of Living Foundation Ministries. His book, You Can Work It Out, is about restoring relationships by tapping into the power of personal responsibility.
Now this may all sound like psycho-mumbo-jumbo, but his idea is really very simplistic: Everyone involved in a conflict has his or her own circle of responsibility. One person's circle may cover 75% of the conflict, while another's may cover 50%. Still another could cover just 5%. The point is, a conflict is never just one person's fault.
Lynch's method is to establish where the parties are AT and determine where they want to BE, before establishing responsibility. Then the parties take an X-ray of their conflict, identifying their circle of responsibility. (Lynch offers step-by-step examples of how to do this.) Only when responsibility is established can the parties move toward where they want to BE.
Dr. Lynch primarily addresses marital issues, but his principles can be applied to other relationships. He offers biblical insight to back up his methods. He also tackles situations involving others who won't accept their responsibility. (Guess what? You're still responsible for yours!)
God is teaching me how to deal with someone I just don't know how to handle. He's prompting me to pray more and get angry less. God has also assured me that vengeance is his (Yes, even God has a circle of responsibility!) and hidden sins are made known. For my part, I have to dismiss bitterness and not allow anger to cause me to sin.
Thursday, August 18, 2005
Dressed to Nap
I've been noticing that Reagan can now open her closet doors from her crib. It hadn't been a problem, since she couldn't actually reach anything in the closet, just the doors. But last week I put her down for a nap while she was still quite energetic and active. (She was wearing a white tank top and a pull-up.) I heard some sounds for several minutes, but eventually it got quiet and I assumed she went to sleep. When I went back to check on her a few hours later, she was just waking up. Her closet door was open, there was an empty hanger on the floor, and she was wearing her most elaborate dress--pink and princessy, the one she wore for Easter! She had it on frontwards, with both arms in the right sleeves. The only thing she wasn't able to do was zip it. Since I only heard sounds at the beginning of her nap, I can only assume that she slept in the dress.
Friday, August 05, 2005
Houston: We Have a Poop!
Yesterday Reagan took one of her many trips to the potty. While waiting for something to happen she said, "Shoo-shoo." I said, "Yes, you can shoo-shoo on the potty. That would be great!" After several minutes of the same sort of banter, I saw the look of concentration and heard the sounds--Reagan had her first poop on the potty! It's completely ridiculous how proud a mother gets the first time her child does this. I had to call Scott immediately. We called Nana & Gran and Grandma & Grandpa! This is big news in the Gibbs house.
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