Potty training Day 1 (of what will be a 1000 day program at this rate)

A few months ago I found a couple of little potty chairs at a dollar store near my parents' house. They are almost identical in shape to the Baby Bjorn potties that get great reviews on Amazon. Since they were only seventy-five cents, I figured I couldn't go wrong. Yesterday I bought a pack of Huggies Pull-ups (Disney princesses!) on clearance with a coupon, so I guess we essentially have all we need. Have I mentioned in this blog that I am a sucker for a good deal?

My girls have no concept of pottys or bathrooms other than a place to take baths, so this may be a long road. And I don't have any delusions of "elimination communication" or early pottytraining, just a desire to end the use of diapers by age 3, which seems reasonable. Today however, the girls seemed very interested in the picture of the little girl on the pack of diapers, sitting on her little purple potty. So I explained that she was a big girl and sitting on a potty, then whipped out the little potty chairs and asked if they wanted to sit on them. Red, as usual was interested in obliging and started by putting her foot right into the seat. Curly tried sitting down and, finding it uncomfortable, jumped into my lap and started reading a book, as if to distract me. After I helped Red sit on the seat in the traditional way, she seemed to find it quite funny and spent a few minutes there pointing to the pack of Huggies and the "big girl" on it. Then we tried letting the baby dolls potty, then the big pink and purple doggies pottied. All very amusing to Red, who pointed and laughed, while Curly seemed suspicious that I was trying to trick her into something not in her best interest.

I think the next step will be to buy a couple of books about going to the potty. And who knows, maybe someday they'll even be willing to sit on the potties without their diapers. Until then I guess we'll continue to prop their baby dolls up and praise them endlessly for "going potty".

By the way, here is a link to the Pull-Ups Potty Training free DVD offer:
http://www.fsisolutions.com/KCPullUpsDVD/

Bubbles

When you first become a parent, you anticipate so many new changes and experiences. Like the familiar phrase: "Having a baby changes everything". Some of those changes are wonderful (seeing the first smiles), some a little less wonderful (changing the 1000th diaper), and some completely catch you by surprise. Something that has really amazed me is how my perspective on so much has changed. Recently on a trip with the girls to the zoo, I was pointing out the tropical fish in the aquarium. Watching those little blue eyes widen at their first glimpse of jellyfish, coral reefs, and sharks, I could feel the awe and amazement they were experiencing. I actually felt my heart quicken with wonder as I looked at those creatures for the hundreth time. Imagining all of this through their eyes, I was able to grasp the beauty and wonder of it all over again. God has truly created a magnificent world!

Red and Curly have really been into bubbles lately. They haven't learned to blow them yet, but they tirelessly chase the ones I create and beg for more"bublleles". Last week, as I was blowing my little heart out, I started to look at those bubbles...how beautiful and really amazing they are! Translucent and full of rainbows, they glide along into the sunshine and out of sight over our roof. They seem lighter then air, yet have an extraordinary strength for something formed of water and soap!

I guess what I mean by all of this, is that becoming a mother has given me the gift of taking a second look at common things that never used to impress me. It causes me to ponder what God meant in the gospels about having the faith of a child. Everything seemed so simple when I was a child. It was so easy to take the Word at face value, and simply follow it. I pray that the Lord will help me re-discover that simplicity of faith, and that the joy of the bubbles and fish will remain on my mind!

Happy Cinco De Mayo!

Ok, I admit that the only reason that I actually noticed it was May 5th today, is the date has a different meaning to me than, well, whatever it is that Cinco de Mayo actually is all about. It just happens to be the day that Craig and I started dating, way back in 2001. That's right, it's been seven years! Of course we celebrate our wedding anniversary, and in passing mention Valentines Day to one another each year, but that day is particulary special to me.

Starting our dating relationship was a very serious decision for us. We knew how we both felt about dating, relationships, and marriage, and how much weight we put on friendships in general. Moving to that new level was a big step for us, one that we didn't at all take lightly. In turns out, for us dating was almost a bigger decision than marriage. Don't misunderstand me here, what I mean is: we put a lot of time and prayer into the decision of becoming a couple at the beginning, and God really blessed that for us. It wasn't long into our relationship that we both realized we had found "the one" we were meant to be with. I was really thankful that God made it crystal clear to me, and for once in my life, I didn't feel indecisive! So happy Cinco de Mayo, and may God give you clarity in all your relationship too!