PottyWatch '08

So on the way home from Michigan we stopped at Target and picked up a shiny new "potty."

I've got to say - I feel like an idiot typing "potty."

It may seem early, but Rae and I decided it was time to try it out. Kaylee has been telling us when she fills her pants for a while now – and has even told us before she actually does the deed. And let's not forget the wonderful finger painting incidents.

Day one was interesting. Kaylee immediately became obsessed with the thing. First she wanted to drag it all around the house. Then she wanted to climb on it (and in it). And it finally ended in several naked-butted time outs when Rae got hit and bit when trying to remove the princess from her plastic throne. (Why she kept putting her back on it I do not know.)

Day two I decided to try to put her on pre-bath. That didn't go over so well. She was excited to sit down again – but nothing can hold her interest when there are bubbles mere inches away. (Note to fathers: Potty first, THEN draw the bubble bath.)

So we're on day four of "PottyWatch '08" now. So far it's nothing more than this plastic thing taking up another square foot in my already tiny bathroom. (Not to mention the phone book. Apparently her feet need to touch the ground – and they don't.) I find it kind of odd that it has a handle on either side. I guess they're designed to give the kid something to do with their hands (instead of doing THAT with their hands), but really it looks like they're there as a poop-aid. You know, for those times you haven't had enough fiber and really need to "bear down."

At the moment she's not going anywhere near it. She's back to cutting teeth (Got another one last night. That's a total of nine!) so she's got one monster diaper rash. She's a little less monkey and a little more baboon right now. Poor thing was walking around the house patting her butt last night saying "ouch." She was even having a hard time sitting down for dinner – and that kid loves to eat.

So we're holding off on any more chair time until the great flare up subsides. For now it remains just another large plastic thing on the floor for me to stub my toe on in the middle of the night.

But really, what's one more?