Have We Found Our Baby Name?

Now that Reagan is going to be a big sister, we've been trying to include her in the pregnancy and birth in little ways. Recently, we've been asking her what we should name her baby sister. Her responses have ranged from "Snow White" and "Belle" to gibberish that we can't understand.

This past week, we asked Reagan again what we should name baby sister. Her response: "Kellie Pickler." Now, unless you're American Idol devotees like we are (well, mainly Reagan is), you may not know that Kellie Pickler is the very country-fied blonde contestant who always seems confused about something Simon Cowell has to say to her. She certainly has a likability factor and a charming accent, but she's not exactly the most brilliant young woman on the show.

Nevertheless, Reagan is sticking to her "Kellie Pickler" name choice. Mama and Daddy aren't on board just yet.

More Potty Talk

I realize potty training is a subject that I've revisited several times on this blog, but we have a new development that I thought was worth mentioning: Reagan is finally pooping in the potty!

She has been consistently peeing in the potty with very few accidents since my last entry. We still put pull-ups on her for sleeping, and sometimes when we leave the house for errands and such. And until several days ago, Reagan would wait until one of those opertune pull-up times to do her business. In fact, she would even ask for a pull-up. That's when I realized we had a problem. She was intentionally avoiding pooping in the potty.

I'd like to say that I came up with some great motivator. The fact is, even after bribery, she resisted. Our luck came in the form of constipation. We had been in Indiana visiting my parents for a long weekend, and Reagan had gone four days without pooping. She still didn't go on our first night home. The next day, knowing it was bound to happen, I decided to forego the pull-up for her nap and deal with the consequences--hoping she would not go in her panties.

By late afternoon, she still hadn't gone. I guess by evening her prune juice finally kicked in, and she was able to go in the potty with me cheering her on. It wasn't pretty. She was upset and her tummy hurt (constipation doesn't make for the most comfortable bowel movements). But when she got immediate praise--and a treat and a prize from her reward bag--she felt much better about the situation.

Three days and four prizes later, she is consistently going "shoo shoo" in the potty. And she says, "I so proud!" Don't know how long we'll have to keep up with the bribery, but I'm not ready to cut her off until the whole system is well-established. For now, I'm just happy not to be changing any more stinky diapers.

Reagan's Favorite Things

Here's a list of Reagan's current favorites.

Favorite TV show: Dancing with the Stars (American Idol is a close second)

Favorite CD: Walk the Line soundtrack ("Listen to Johnny Cash!")

Favorite movie: Annie (loves to sing "Tomorrow")

Favorite characters to portray: Belle ("I Belle!"), Annie, Clifford

Favorite noisy toy: My First Leapad

Favorite quiet toys: Cinderella, Snow White, and Alice in Wonderland dolls

Favorite sayings: "My father's not crazy!" (from Beauty and the Beast), "I need help," "No, I not take a nap," "You read book"

Reagan's imagination is developing so quickly. Every day she decides to be a new character--and you must call her by that name. She's also learning new songs constantly, and she LOVES the music of Johnny Cash. Her favorite song right now is "Jackson." (We got married in a fever hotter than a pepper sprout!)

We are constantly squishing imaginary spiders and such, as Reagan tells us, "I scary!" Yesterday, she decided the TV was scary, so we had to turn it off. Conveniently, it was no longer scary when it was time for "Dancing with the Stars" to come on.

Reagan has started telling random people at the mall about the baby in Mama's belly. She says that she has "Baby Kate" in her belly. She also likes to play doctor, which means she wants you to do a pretend ultrasound on her tummy. You have to say, "It's a girl!" and then she rubs off the imaginary gel and gets up.

Every day is a new reason to laugh in our house.

Naming Baby

As many of you know, Reagan is going to be a big sister in June. We've been trying to ease her into the idea in a number of little ways, but so far Reagan is still asking for a puppy rather than a sibling.

This morning, Reagan and I were cuddling in bed and talking about baby names. I asked her what she would name a baby brother or baby sister. At first she thought we should just name it "baby sister." But when I started mentioning boy names that were on our "still-in-the-running" list, Reagan finally came up with one of her own to add to the list: "Um...Rudolph!"

OK, so I guess we watched that DVD a few too many times before Christmas. Don't tell Reagan, but I'm pretty sure there won't be a Rudolph Gibbs in the family anytime soon.

Feelings...Woh, Woh, Woh...Feelings

For some reason, Reagan is interested in feelings these days. One day while eating lunch, Reagan looked at me and asked, "Mama, you angry?" I said, "No, I'm not angry." She came back with, "You sad?" Again, "No, I'm not sad." Finally, she asked, "You happy?" and I responded with, "Yes, I'm happy!"

Since then, this has become a recurring conversation. Reagan asks just about everyone she sees if they're angry, sad, or happy. And she rather enjoys sharing her own feelings as well. (She's always happy, by the way.)

Potty Training (Still!)

Over the holiday, our potty training saga took a positive turn. We were in Indiana for almost 5 days with my parents, so my mom got the whole process jump-started. (OK, I know it's lazy to let your parents do the work, but since I've been pregnant, I haven't had the energy or patience to give this whole potty training thing my full attention.) Anyhow, at Grandma's, Reagan went to the potty a few times each day and even did a "shoo-shoo" in the potty once. She was rewarded with candy treats, so she was pretty motivated.

When we returned home on Sunday, Reagan had again decided that she wasn't interested in using the potty. But by Monday, we had renewed determination to make it work. That day she wore big girl panties and use the potty several times, with one small accident. (She was listening to music in her crib while Scott and I were putting Christmas decorations back in the attic.) Again, treats were the secret weapon.

On Tuesday, Scott went back to work, so I knew it was up to me to dig in and "get-r-done"--as Larry the Cable Guy would say. Once I got her to go the first time (around 8:30), she went pretty much every half hour until lunch time! At this point, I began to suspect she was "working the system"--trying to get as many treats as possible. Was it possible that she could be holding back so she could go again in a few minutes for another treat? Perhaps. But, in the end, I decided the sugar buzz was a small price to pay to have a potty-trained child. By the end of the day, she had gone 17 times!!! And one of those was a shoo-shoo!

Today (Wednesday), Reagan is off to a good start. Again, she's going about every 30 minutes, but we've cut back on the treats a bit. And if she says she has to go immediately after she has just gone, I let her know that she will NOT, in fact, get a treat. (But I still take her to the potty. Don't want to risk any accidents.)

We're spending a LOT of time in the bathroom, but I have to believe that a few days of intensive "work" will pay off eventually. I'll keep you posted.

Ode to Reagan

My nephew, Matt, (age 11) had to write a poem for a school assignment. If you know Matt well, you understand that sitting down and writing a poem is not on his list of fun things to do. (He's more of a science guy.) But despite his protestations, the end product is a sweet poem that our family will cherish for years. If you don't understand the last line, see my previous post entitled, "False Alarm."

Rambling Reagan
by Matt Bower

I have a cousin, who is two and a half
She has curly hair and a cute little laugh.

Reagan Joelle is her name
And rambling around is her game.

She runs around all over the place
And when she hides she leaves not a trace.

She’s loads of fun and as smart as you please
But she loves to touch everything she sees.

She is full of joy and has lots of charm
Except when she pulled the fire alarm.

Our Disney Souvenir

I haven't been blogging lately. "Why?" you may ask. Because I have been spending just about all my free time (which isn't much) resting. You see, we brought back a little (VERY little) souvenir from our Disney vacation: I'm pregnant!

In our usual style, this wasn't a surprise souvenir; it was very much planned. We knew we wanted a summer baby, and it just so happened that the first opportunity to create one coincided with our trip to Disney World. Our projected due date is June 12, 2006.

I've been pretty sick with this one, much as I was with Reagan. And, speaking of Reagan, she has become quite the "Daddy's girl." Since I tend to crash on the couch when Scott gets home from work, the two of them are spending lots of quality time together.

As for the sex of the baby, we won't know until late January. When asked if she wants a baby brother or baby sister, Reagan replies, "No! Doggie!" Boy is she in for some disappointment.

Don't expect a lot of pregnancy updates. I'm really just not that into writing these days. But I will try, at least, to write about the really important stuff--like whether it's a boy or girl and when we decide on a name. Other than that, plan on long stretches of my being incommunicado. I will, however, make attempts to keep Reagan's blog updated at least once a month.

Bye-Bye Paci

Those of you who know Reagan also know that she has two great loves in her life: her cow and her pacifier. She is only allowed to have the latter while she is sleeping or preparing for sleep. For months we have been subtly trying to convince Reagan that she no longer needs a paci--that big girls don't sleep with one--to no avail. This week something extreme happened that brought Reagan's paci days to an immediate halt.

Reagan has developed a bad habit of undressing herself (see earlier posts), particularly during naptime when she has decided she really doesn't want to nap. And it's not enough to simply undress herself. She has to dismantle her diaper into hundreds of tiny pieces. (If you've ever taken apart a diaper, you understand what a huge mess this makes.) So far, these diapers had all been merely wet. But on Wednesday the diaper was, as we say, a "shoo-shoo."

I went in to check on Reagan about ten minutes after putting her in the crib. She was undressed from the waist down, holding her filthy hands out in front of her with the diaper at her side. I began to assess the situation and form a plan of action. After an initial round of wipes, I put Reagan in the tub with LOTS of soap. As I was cleaning up the crib, it appeared that most of her bedding was relatively clean. (That didn't, however, prevent me from washing everything--including toys--in hot water for two cycles.) Then I saw it--the paci. And, you guessed it, it was "tainted."

My first instinct was to save it. How could we live without it? Then I thought, "No. This is it. The moment we've been working toward. The paci must go." I explained to Reagan that her paci had "poo poo" on it, and that it had to be thrown away. I also reminded her numerous times that this wouldn't have happened if she had kept her clothes on like I have told her again and again. (Hey, this was a tough moment for her, but I wanted her to know exactly who was at fault!) Then I gave her the princess pillow we had already promised her for when she gave up her paci.

The first night was rough. She cried, and I rocked her for a while. Even that didn't work, so I decided to lay down with her until she fell asleep. (I am generally opposed to this, but I knew that I could break the habit of sleeping with her a lot easier than I could break a two-year pacifier habit.) The next day, she went down for her nap without incident. And by the next night, she didn't make a peep when we put her to bed.

If I had known it would be this easy, we would have taken it away months ago! Reagan still talks about her paci and even asks for it sometimes, but we remind her that she's a big girl now and doesn't need it. And sometimes she even reminds us at bedtime: "No paci."

Again with the Nudity!

This morning, I needed to wake Reagan up a bit early so that Scott could drive her to her Nana's house on his way to work. As I crept into her room, I could hear her light snoring. When my eyes adjusted to the low light, I was able to see that Reagan was completely naked and sound asleep! Her warm footie PJs were there beside her along with her diaper. But the truly amazing part is that both the diaper and the bed were completely dry! (She's still in the process of potty training. She sometimes has dry naps but has never had a dry night.)

Potty Power!

For the last three days, Reagan has been wearing "big girl panties"--except for when sleeping--and hasn't had an accident yet! This is quite an accomplishment, since she had just about given up the whole potty training thing, deciding it was better to just let someone else do the work of changing her diapers. The renewal in interest came with a DVD we got at the public library. It's called "Potty Power" and it has lots of songs and stories about going to the potty. Reagan was very sad when it had to go back to the library, but she is still keeping up the good work and using the potty like a big girl!

My Latest Obsession: English Tea

As I mentioned in my Disney post, my friend Nori and I had afternoon tea at the Garden View Lounge of Disney's Grand Floridian Resort while we were on vacation. I have had an interest in traditional English tea rituals for years, and I have even hosted several tea parties with my friends. But now, having experienced all the delicate details in the tea itself, the food that accompanies it, and all the dainty accoutrements required, I have gone beyond interest to obsession.

For the last few days, I have spent hours on the Web, searching for just the perfect tea strainer. (Did you know that they are as inexpensive as around $2 for a plain stainless steel one and as much as thousands for an antique silver one?) I have suddenly decided that herbal teas in bags are for tea "wimps" and only loose-leaf English varieties will do for my collection in the future. I have even started doing something I just never thought I would do--drinking my tea with cream! The very thought--scandalous!

My next venture? Finding a friend who is willing to try out some tea rooms in the area with me. There are a few nearby, but the most noteworthy is all the way in Dickson. Someday, I will make the trek--even if I have to drag Reagan there with me. (On second thought, she doesn't even use silverware, so I doubt she has the social graces to sit down to afternoon tea.)

In the meantime, I am beginning preparations for my Second Annual Mother/Daughter Teddy Bear Tea. Since this is a kid-friendly event, I probably won't get to truly explore all the nuances of traditional English tea. But perhaps, if I find a nice tea shop around town, I can at least premiere a few new tea "gadgets" and a nice blend of loose-leaf English tea leaves!

Um...Let's See..How 'Bout...

Since we got back from Disney World (see my post at www.valsmomblog.blogspot.com), we have been asking Reagan about her favorite things from the trip. When I ask her who her favorite princess is, Reagan responds with, "Um...let's see...how 'bout... __________," then fills in the blank with either Cinderella, or Jasmine, or Snow White, or Ariel, or whomever. She's repeated this pattern several times, and it's so funny.

For the record, today her favorite princess is Snow White and her favorite non-princess character is Tigger.

Disney World

Although our vacation started and ended on rough notes, we had a delightful time at Walt Disney World. Reagan was certainly old enough to enjoy the trip, even if she's not old enough to remember it for years to come. That's okay, too, since we took enough pictures and video to help her remember.

We opted to drive, and we stopped in Atlanta at my brother's house both coming and going. On the evening we arrived, we had eaten at CiCi's Pizza. Reagan had both cousins, Matt and Melanie, on either side of her on the drive back from eating, and they were giggling and playing. We got all the way to Dave & Sharon's street when Reagan began projectile-vomiting! It lasted less than a minute, but I didn't realize that much puke could come out of a child that size. We got the other two kids out and gently removed Reagan from the vomit-soaked seat.

Scott got to clean the car seat, while I took Reagan in for a bath. Within minutes, she was back to her normal, playful self. (The car seat, however, was not. Even after a thorough washing, we caught occasional whifs of throw-up throughout the drive to Florida.)

With that little bump in the road, we ventured on our way. Our drive was relatively uneventful until we got close to our destination. Our mapping program took us off the beaten path, eventually directing us to a closed road. We used our instincts and eventually found our way onto Disney property and then to the Pop Century.

Check-in was a bear, but the Pop Century was fun and active. (It's good for families with kids, but I don't recommend it for a relaxing childless vacation.) We got into our room with just enough time to freshen up for dinner with my friend Nori at Bahama Breeze. It was great seeing her, and she made instant friends with Reagan when she brought her a belated birthday gift that included a princess book, DVD, and magnet.

The next day we headed to meet my friend Conny at the Disney's MGM Studios. Conny, who works as an entertainment manager at the Magic Kingdom, wasn't scheduled to work that day, but she met us to walk us into the park with her ID. I hadn't seen Conny in over 10 years, and she looked exactly the same--as youthful as ever!

At the studios, we went straight to the Voyage of the Little Mermaid, then the Playhouse Disney show. (Those were probably Reagan's favorites at that park.) After hitting some other rides/shows, we hopped over to the Magic Kingdom for our Fairytale Lunch with the princesses at Cinderella's Royal Table in the castle.

The lunch was a bit of a splurge, but since we got into the parks free and got a deal on our hotel (thanks, Conny!), we decided to go for it. It did not disappoint! There were half a dozen princesses there, and each one visited our table for autographs and photos. We fully expected Reagan to be beside herself with excitement, talking up a storm in her little Snow White costume (yes, she--along with nearly every other little girl there--was in costume). We were soooo wrong. Reagan was so awe-struck that she completely clammed up! What's more, she wouldn't even smile for the photos--and she's normally quite the poser. Furthermore, she refused to eat even one bite of her lunch. (Fortunately, we didn't have to pay for her meal, since she's just two.) Despite her backward reaction, we know that she really did have a grand time. She's been talking about the princesses ever since.

We cranked through a few of the kiddie rides at the MK, then went back to the Studios to finish off the night. Reagan actually fell asleep on the way back over, and she stayed asleep through the entire Great Movie Ride. (FYI, there's a gunfight in that ride! And she didn't even budge.)

The next day, we took a break from the parks and had brunch with Conny at the Animal Kingdom Lodge (very yummy!) and I had tea at the Grand Floridian with Nori (very fun and girly!). Scott had the priviledge of dealing with a little constipation issue with Reagan (she hadn't gone in 5 days!) while I was away. That evening we went to International Drive and had dinner at pizzeria Uno.

Our second day in the park was spent with Conny at the MK. I didn't understand how great knowing an "entertainment manager" at Toontown would be--but it really was! She walked us up to most of the characters and princesses. She had even told the princesses we were coming, and they welcomed "Princess Reagan" as we walked in. We also had the Pooh characters entirely to ourselves! They even allowed us to come back later--without standing in line--and see Piglet, who was MIA at our morning greeting.

We saw pretty much everything at the MK that we wanted to by evening, so we hopped over to Epcot to let Scott ride a couple of grown-up rides. We also strolled through the World Showcase and saw some of the performers (the Chinese acrobats were Reagan's favorite!).

Then came our "rough ending." That night, Scott got violently ill. Since we were all in a rather small hotel room, none of us got much sleep, although Reagan got the most. He was still pretty sick the next day, so I did most of the driving back to Atlanta. Once we arrived at Dave & Sharon's, he went straight to bed.

Scott got sick exactly 4 days after Reagan had. When we returned home, I got sick exactly 4 days after Scott. Coincidence? I think not!

Barring the illness, we had a very good--and incredibly affordable--vacation. If Conny is still working at Disney in a few years, we'll definitely plan another visit with Mickey and the gang!

False Alarm

At the risk of repeating myself, I am copying a post from my other blog (What Reagan's Doing Now) below. It's a story that shouldn't be missed, so I'm doubling my coverage. Enjoy!

This is an entry that will live in infamy in the Gibbs household.

It was the end of our Sunday morning church service. Scott was down in the fellowship hall, manning the PA system for Kids Town; I was on the platform, having just finished singing a closing song; and Reagan was in her Toddler 2 classroom. Before Pastor Paul could utter "Amen", the fire alarm went off.

Our pastor quickly dismissed everyone, and I rushed down to the end of the building where Reagan's class is held. (They had already evacuated the children, so the room was empty.) Everyone was walking out rather casually at that point, feeling certain we were facing a false alarm. I was near our associate minister's wife, and I jokingly reminded her of the time her oldest daughter (probably around age 2) pulled the alarm. She made the comment that hopefully this time it wasn't her kid, and I said something like, "Well, I guess it could be Reagan."

I made it outside and spotted Reagan's teacher holding her. I went to retrieve her and said, "Did she freak out on you when all the noise started?" She replied, "No. Actually, she was the one who pulled the alarm."

Utter disgrace and mortification are words that come to mind. Yes, our darling two-year-old was responsible for the evacuation of about 400 people. The firetrucks came, and the firefighters secured the building. All because of our little climber.

Reagan joins an elite group of kids who have done this at our church, and the club includes two of our pastors' children. Apparently, the placement of the alarm pull in the toddler classroom has been a problem before (about half a dozen times in as many years).

As I took the walk of shame to retrieve my purse at the other end of the building, word was spreading about who the culprit was. (Reagan, by the way, had no clue what she had done.) Other parents were helping us laugh it off with a "Hey, it could happen to anyone" and even the occasional "My kid did it two years ago." Everyone was very good-natured and lighthearted about it.

And we can even laugh...now.

False Alarm

This is an entry that will live in infamy in the Gibbs household.

It was the end of our Sunday morning church service. Scott was down in the fellowship hall, manning the PA system for Kids Town; I was on the platform, having just finished singing a closing song; and Reagan was in her Toddler 2 classroom. Before Pastor Paul could utter "Amen", the fire alarm went off.

Our pastor quickly dismissed everyone, and I rushed down to the end of the building where Reagan's class is held. (They had already evacuated the children, so the room was empty.) Everyone was walking out rather casually at that point, feeling certain we were facing a false alarm. I was near our associate minister's wife, and I jokingly reminded her of the time her oldest daughter (probably around age 2) pulled the alarm. She made the comment that hopefully this time it wasn't her kid, and I said something like, "Well, I guess it could be Reagan."

I made it outside and spotted Reagan's teacher holding her. I went to retrieve her and said, "Did she freak out on you when all the noise started?" She replied, "No. Actually, she was the one who pulled the alarm."

Utter disgrace and mortification are words that come to mind. Yes, our darling two-year-old was responsible for the evacuation of about 400 people. The firetrucks came, and the firefighters secured the building. All because of our little climber.

Reagan joins an elite group of kids who have done this at our church, and the club includes two of our pastors' children. Apparently, the placement of the alarm pull in the toddler classroom has been a problem before (about half a dozen times in as many years).

As I took the walk of shame to retrieve my purse at the other end of the building, word was spreading about who the culprit was. (Reagan, by the way, had no clue what she had done.) Other parents were helping us laugh it off with a "Hey, it could happen to anyone" and even the occasional "My kid did it two years ago." Everyone was very good-natured and lighthearted about it.

And we can even laugh...now.

Reagan Loves the Pool

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.

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.

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.

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.