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?

Home.

In case the subject line doesn't say it all, we're back.

No more sand-filled S'mores. No more crowded house. No more never-ending games of Uno. No more private beach. No more golf cart. No more warm pie. No more "Papachawie" and "Gammaendee".

But we did bring home two more teeth.

Photos to come. Video to come as soon as Cindy sends them to me.

Updates of sorts

Tooths: She's officially sporting four teeth these days. Two on top and two on the bottom. She looks like a little beaver. And the way she's been chewing on things – Rae thinks there are more on the way. She's also showing a bit of the "Rice Gap" between her two top teeth ... we'll see if that's something she outgrows or not.

Words: "Dadee" and "Mum" have been staples for a while now, but she's starting to really use other words now. (Not just fluky wordish sounding things like in the past.) She likes to throw the "bawbaw" and play catch with "Ahday" and Porkchop. She loves to chase the "keekees" and freaks out whenever she sees a "pawpee" on TV. Her "uh uh uhs" are slowly becoming "me me mes" when she sees something she wants. Oh – and she's started putting her finger to her mouth and shushing us when we're too loud. Way too cute.

Shoes: The kid is obsessed with her shoes. She likes to carry them. She bends over to stare at them on her feet. When she is "me me me-ing" at her shelves it's often because she wants her slippers – not one of the many toys. She'll sit for hours (OK - minutes. But that's hours in toddler time.) trying to put shoes on her feet. And then there's our shoes. She wears them. Carries them around the house. Brings them to us. Puts them away for us. I swear we've got a little Imelda Marcos on our hands.

Photo-rama-jama

Someone got Kaylee a subscription to Ranger Rick magazine. She loves the pictures of animals – I love that someone out there is still supporting print media!

Check it out – more teeth! She can finally bite stuff.
Just make sure to keep your fingers clear.

For some reason Rae thought it would be a good idea to let Kaylee feed herself yogurt. I got the "Mike – can you bring us a paper towel" call at least twice.