More from the mouth of my babe ...

Instead of excuse me she says "scooby" (scuse me) - 28 months

Instead of button she says "butt". For example, "Mommy my bellybutt is right here" - 28 months

Instead of tickle tickle she says "kickle kickle" - 28 months

Instead of move she says "moos" - 28 months

She really is good at communicating. As of Sunday she was 29 months old. She knows how to count to 14, she knows 12 shapes, all of the basic colors, she can almost sing the alphabet and we are working on left and right as well as spelling her name. She loves to learn and frequently throws new phrases at me (and in the right context). Her new one today was "I'll be right back".
This was followed by a tantrum (I took away her bathroom stool because she uses it to get to other things in the house that she cannot reach). She screamed in a way only a 2 1/2 year old can and said, "Mommy, go to your room!"
I dont know if my laughing hysterically helped the situation or made her angrier.

How is it that we are already a week into March? Even though I said that I wouldn't lay in bed at night and think about how I haven't posted on my blog ... I DO! I am trying to remember the cute and sassy things that are said to me by the two year old that rules my world. There are many and at this point I don't remember all of the dates but I want to at least remember her age and what she said. Here are a few of her best!

*Gina had gotten a purple pen and written on herself while I was washing dishes. I told her that it was very naughty for her to write on her self and when I walked toward her to take the pen and clean her up, she jumped and ran down the hall. I followed her and it took a few minutes for me to find her hiding under our bed. I laid down on the floor and looked at her. I asked her why she was hiding under the bed. She said, "It's complicated". That's it. That is all she said. She came out and we cleaned her up. (I think she was about 27 months)

*When I catch Gina doing something that she knows she shouldn't be doing ... she grabs my face between her hands and says, "Mama, you are my angel". It is really difficult to punish her after that. (This started at about 28 months)

*When she needs to go potty she says "I am stinky!". (age 29 months)

*She was scared because the power went out and she asked if she could talk to her "nother Ma-maw in Iaho (Idaho)". (29 months)

*When looking in the crayon box as we are coloring pictures ... "Mommy its a rainbow!" (age 28 months)

*I was in a hurry and put her shoe on the wrong foot and she said, "Mommy, that is my left foot!" (age 29 months)

*I was crying about something sad and she said, "Mama, watta matter? You cwying? I yuv you dont cwy." (29 months)

*She randomly pretends to cry and if I don't respond she says, "Mama, Gina cwying, watta matter?" (28 months)

*She refers to herself in the third person. Gina needs a sippy cup. Gina sad. Gina wants a cookie. Gina wants fwench fwies. (28 months)

*She also fake coughs and says, "Mama, is Gina okay?" (28 months)

*She looks at the picture of Jesus in her bedroom and says, "He goes to nurswee." (nursery)
(29 months)

Anyway, that is what I can think of right now. There will most assuredly be more to come as she is just getting warmed up with this talking business!

I really thought this would be easier!

I set up this blog with great plans to keep track of the cute things my daughter says as well as her milestones. I really had this idea that I would be able to just dash off a few lines everyday and document her life. I am hard core about not wanting this to become something stressful. I don't want this to be one more thing I think about when I am laying in bed at night and cant sleep. So, here I go, not in any particular order.

We are potty training!!!!!
I had a crippling fear of this necessary step and Regina could smell my fear like a wild animal. Of course it doesn't help that she is extremely stubborn. We have started the process two other times and it wasn't working out. She was probably still a little to young and being a novice, I didn't recognize the signs.

Attempt number 1:
Getting her to just SIT on the potty was the first insurmountable task. She wasn't interested in a small version so we got a seat to put on the big toilet. We would get really excited and say, "that's my big girl!", every time she would sit on it for ten seconds. We also let her see us sit on the potty to help her get the hang of it. One day when she just wasn't feeling the need to cooperate, I sat on the potty and told her "Mommy sits on the potty"! She then clapped her hands and said "that's my big girl". It is good to know that she has me trained!
Attempt number 2:
After a lot of reading and asking other mothers with successfully trained children I decided to try the no diaper all day approach. She would wear a diaper at night but when she woke up we would immediately take her to the potty and she would wear panties all day. I was determined this was going to work. Regina was determined that she wasn't ready. She would sit on the potty and sit and sit and sit... but not go. As soon as we took her off of the potty and put her panties on her - she would pee. I know I am the only mother in the whole world that has dealt with a child peeing on their feet. Again, after a week we decided she just wasn't ready and we backed off.
Attempt number 3:
More research. More investigating. More planning. Ok! This time it will work! I will be calm and patient and consistent and masterfully train my daughter to use the toilet! We combined a few ideas and marched into battle. Again we would have her wear only panties all day. This time I would take a time when I could be home with her as much as possible and just concentrate on the potty. I would set a timer and take her to sit on the potty every 15 to 20 minutes. I would give her a small toy to play with as she sat on the toilet. I would read her favorite book to her as an enticement to stay there. AND ... we armed ourselves with tootsie rolls. My daughter at two years old, already has an Achilles heel. It warms my heart to know that it is chocolate! We started out the week with all of us sick and on antibiotics but I was not going to let that slow me down. We woke up and put her on the potty and waited and waited and waited .... no potty. We put panties on her and forged ahead with the plan. Day one ... nothing. Day two ... nope. Day three ... notta. Day four ... HELP! Day five ... HOW DO OTHER WOMEN DO THIS? Day six ... they make diapers in adult sizes - right? And on the seventh day ... she created water! We sat her on the potty in our usual routine and I began to read Peter Rabbit for the thousandth time when I heard that glorious sound! My sweet girl looked at me with surprise on her face and said, "Mommy! I made water!"

Epilogue:
We are doing very well with staying dry these days. Even during naps! She has only told us she had to go once but that will come in time. I am now plotting my course of action to take this to the next step. We have already had some messy accidents but I will spare the details. Since I have already given detail about my daughter's habits where peeing is concerned, I think I will leave out the parts about her pooping and just let you know the outcome of that battle when it is over!

This is for all the women out there ...

Question: Why are we (women) insane? I think we have this innate need to be over-burdened. Today I have baked cookies, washed laundry, washed dishes, chased a two year old with an ear infection, made dinner for my husband on his break from work and any number of other things. Its a normal day other than the fact that I have the mother of all head colds; fever, cant hear, can barely talk. Would the laundry have still been piled up tomorrow, or the day after? Of course. And the cookies? Perhaps I thought the ingredients were going to magically disappear from my cupboard over night? I could definitely have gotten away with taking care of the kiddo and feeding my husband and checking in sick on the rest of my "To-Do" list. In the midst of dinner I realized I was thinking about how much I accomplished and how it made me feel like a good wife and mother to have gotten all of this done. Almost in the same inner breath, I realized how truly sick I was. Not physically ill but sick in the head to think that this was what was expected of me. Honestly, my husband didnt expect anything but dinner. My daughter just wants milk and a dry diaper. Maybe its time to rethink our priorities. It was such a small thing but the impetus for a whole train of thought about what my priorities are. It also brought to mind a conversation with my little Gina. This morning she emptied every box, every basket and every bucket of toys in her room. I sat down in her room and asked her if she could help me pick up all of the toys. Her response, "In a minute Mommy". Where had she learned such a phrase? Of course it was me. How many times have I said that to her? More importantly, how many times was it necessary to put her off for a "minute"? I know that I will think about all of these things as I lay in bed trying to fall asleep in spite of the coughing and sneezing. I pray that I will find a way to do more than just think about the important things in my life.

In the Beginning ....

So I have finally decided to blog. Life is interesting so it will be good writing practice. Maybe this will be a good way for me to keep track of the milestones in our lives. So much has happened just in the last 10 years! I think I will work on a brief synopsis of that time to catch everyone up to today. It might make some of the current posts make more sense. On the other hand my current posts may not make any sense to anyone but me.