Meet Smem

This isn't the greatest video. You might need to turn up your speakers.

Reagan was outside playing with his new Moon Sand (another post in itself) from his Great Granny Betty. I was right inside the door watching him because it was a bit chilly. He was talking to himself. Then he started talking to and about a new friend. So I quickly grabbed the camera. This is what I got:

Reagan: Smem. Smem's a nice boy. He's not a boy. He's a girl. He's not on your pants. He doesn't like your pants dirty . He doesn't like your pants all dirty. Smem doesn't like all your pants.

Me: Who?

Reagan: Smem is not liking your pants.

Me: Smem?

Reagan: Smem waked up and put his pants on. Then one day Smem brought a shovel for him. Then one day he got a shovel for him!

He kept talking to and about Smem, but the camera was full so I had to stop recording.

I wonder if Smem knows Chotty, Kalli, and Windslow?

As of today (one week after this video was taken), Smem was on Cash's (a friend from school) big boy underwear today.

Um, ok. Whatever you say, Sweetie.

The Party's Over

What a HUGE improvement from yesterday to today.

• Potty Training. Reagan had a very successful potty experience before lunch this afternoon. There was absolutely no mess. And very little crying~~compared to last night. We were both so proud! He had one accident while we were out after lunch, and he had another super successful try tonight after dinner~~with NO crying.
• No treadmill today. Reagan didn't want to go to the gym today. So I decided that we would exercise at the park. I did "arms" by pushing him high and fast on the swing. And we chased around the playground. I then rested on the slide while he played in the mulch with a car. And it was a gorgeous day outside.
• David's new job. David actually got to have breakfast and coffee with us this morning. That was nice. He still got home late, but he did tell me this morning that he was going to be home at 7pm (his normal time). However, he just was in a conversation that made him lose track of time. No big deal. Reagan and I were having such a good day that it didn't matter too much that he was late. And we had a wonderful dinner when he got home.
• The house. No progress on the house. I didn't even swiffer. I took a nap instead. I think I needed the nap. And I can tackle the house while Reagan is at school tomorrow.

Reagan is getting ready for bed with David right now. It is my turn to lay down with him tonight...one of my absolute favorite things to do. This was a good day.

Pity Party for One, Please

I'm beat. I didn't even do anything today that makes it understandable for me to feel like I do. I just feel exhausted. My body aches, and I just feel blah.

I can make up reasons, though. I don't mean that I'm pretending that I did these things. But this is what may be leading to the exhaustion, although it just doesn't make sense that these activities (if you even want to call them that) would tire me so much.

• Potty training. That is mentally and physically wearing me out.
• The treadmill. I did walk today at the gym. But only for 30 minutes at a fat burning pace (meaning my heart rate wasn't up to the roof). And I did the arc trainer for 15 minutes. I thought that the workout would make me feel better and more energized. Today, not so much.
• David's new job. Starting a new job is always hard in the beginning. But I'm being selfish about it. HE'S the one working all the freaking time right now, but here I am (at my pity party) resenting his new employer. David has been leaving the house about 30 to 45 minutes earlier and getting home about 30 minutes later than his previous job. And as soon as Reagan goes to bed (at about 10:30), David has to hop back onto his laptop and work until 2 or 3am. He did this on the weekend, too. I feel for him. But the selfish part of me misses our couple time in the evenings. And I'm all "poopy" about it. He says he's happy there, so I am happy, too. (But if these hours don't get better soon, I will no longer be happy.)
• The house. Our house was B-E-A-U-T-I-F-U-L and spotless on Christmas Eve. Ever since then I just can't seem to keep each room clean. The office looks like a tornado ripped through a computer parts warehouse and scattered boxes, hard drives, chips, gizmos, and thing-a-ma-bobs all about. Our office is also (mostly) a guest room. Hope no one just shows up on our doorstep needing a place to stay. Our bedroom is being over run with laundry. Our kitchen is the house's catch-all. And it has caught about everything that has passed through it. And our living room still has new toys from Christmas in it. Because they are "new" they are played with often. So they are hanging out in the living room for a bit longer. Nothing is really dirty, but the rooms are getting to be a bit cluttered. And I just miss December 24th when everything was in its own place~~even if it was just for about 3 hours. And this makes me tired just thinking about tackling this project.

I think I'm going to peel myself up off of this chair at the pity table and watch the Biggest Loser. That is such an inspiring show, and maybe it will make me feel better about everything and motivate me to (1) become a super potty trainer, (2) go to the gym again tomorrow, (3) get over myself and be a better wife, and (4) hire a maid.

Just kidding about the maid. I will get back to my cleaning schedule tomorrow. Wednesday is 'swiffer-the-house-day'.

We're going back, back, back to school again!

(The title comes from the movie Grease 2.)

Two weeks at home seems like an entire summer vacation. Reagan goes back to Mother's Day Out tomorrow, and I think we are both equally excited about it. He is looking forward to seeing all of his friends~~Cash with whom he crashes cars with; Blake who eats dirt; Madison who has stinky poop; Makenzie who is Madison's twin (I wonder about her poop); Ella the granddaughter of someone famous; and Jizelle who Reagan calls "gazelle". (I'm sure Blake and Madison are happy that this is what Reagan pictures when he talks about them.)

I'm looking forward to my 4 hours of alone time tomorrow. I'm actually eager to go the gym. Yes, I did just say that. I'm looking forward to the potty training stress relief that the treadmill is going to bring me.

On a somewhat related note, I saw a brand-spankin' new baby this afternoon. She was doing the hungry cry. And for about 1 minute I thought, "Oh, I sure do miss that. (not the cry) Maybe we should have another one." And then I quickly thought of all of my friends that have 2+ kids. I admire them so much. They are all doing a wonderful job raising happy and healthy families of 4+. But I must really know myself, because I just don't think I could do it. I don't think Reagan is hard or "too much to handle". But I do believe that 2 would be hard and too much for me.

Our family is perfect right now. (Except for the schnauzer and shih tzu who like to snack from the litter box.)

Was that too much information? I have lost some judgement here since my brain is slowly oozing from ears due to Potty Boot Camp this evening...

The Problem and The Solution

Reagan loves the movie Cars. Really loves it. I think we watch it at least 7 times a week. And before any judgement occurs, it is rarely watched in its entirety unless it is Saturday or Sunday. And if it is watched, it is the only thing that is watched on that day. (Um, most of the time.)

As much as Reagan loves the movie, it comes second to playing with and reenacting the movie with his own Cars. This must run in the family because David seems to enjoy doing this, too. (I'm the smart one behind the camera.)

Part of this play involves playing chase. Observe:

The piece you just watched is called "The Problem". If you are 3 your bones are very "mushy" for a lack of a better word (very scientific, I know...please remember I've been home away from teaching for 3 years), and your mushy bones can go around and around and around and around a chair while crawling on your knees. However, if your are 33 your bones have lost their mush-factor. David often complains (under his breath) that this racing hurts his knees.

A little background info: David has 1/2 a kneecap in one knee due to a mountain biking injury, and he has recently diagnosed himself with a torn meniscus in the other knee. He frequently becomes Dr. David when it comes to his body...Megan knows this well.

Ah. But however cute and dorky my Dr. Husband is, he is very smart and resourceful. Please observe the following film I have titled "The Solution":

This is just one of the reasons I married him...and I'm not talking about just his cleverness. There are lots of giggles going on in this house!

Potty Progress

I really wasn't going to devote another post to our potty training until we had some serious news to shout from the rooftops, but alas--I have nothing else to blog about today since my life is totally consumed with tinkle and poop (our vocabulary in this house).

Last night Reagan got some tinkle in the potty! Most of it was in his big boy underwear, but some did make into the potty. We called my mom (Grandmother) and told her all about it. A few minutes later Reagan did it again! More tinkle in the potty. We were very, very proud of him.

Today I was looking forward to DAY 3 of our boot camp, as this seemed to be the magic day for Em's daughter (and another Mommy Nerd's daughter) months ago. According to these two moms Day 3 was still messy, but it may have been the last seriously messy day. And I thought between me and David being home it wouldn't be so bad.

Well, we promised Reagan a toy for tinkling on the potty, so we went to get that. (That is a whole 'nother blog in itself.) After that we went to drop something off at David's parent's house. We took the potty so we could play there for a bit. Then they invited us to lunch, so we went. We were gone from our house for about 3 hours...I felt like the DAY 3 was wasted since we were out and about. (I had also somehow taken the extra underwear out of my bag, so after Reagan had an accident he had to wear a Pull Up. Ugh!!!)

Here's the good news. Although we still had several accidents this evening after nap, Reagan POOPED on the potty this evening!!!! I won't go into detail, but he did not ask to sit and then poop. But poop made it into the potty!! We were all totally excited.

One of us (the one that is about 3 feet tall) was mostly excited because he got to spray the air freshener.

Tomorrow will be a challenge because, again, we won't be at home all day. We are going to go to church and then to lunch. But after talking to David about my "Em Pep Talk", I have accepted that there is no "wrong" or "right" way to potty train. We have taken bits of advice from friends and books and made our own system~~and not just to potty training. We have done this to our whole parenting system. So our "right" way is to stay home in underwear as much as we can. And when we have to go out he will wear underwear with a pull up over it. And we will continue to go to the potty while we're out and about every 1/2 hour to 1 hour. And it may take more than 3 days to fully train him, but we have accepted that this is our life for now.

And I'm good with it. :)

He Knows if You've Been Bad or Good...

Abby must have been a good girl this year.

Santa Claus came to our house sometime before I went to bed. I had just poured myself a glass of wine, and I was getting ready to watch A Christmas Story before I went to bed. (This was at about 12:30am...after our Christmas Eve celebration with David's family.)

When I walked into the living room I saw Abby sitting just like this picture with her nose to a bag of rawhide chews that Santa left for her and Elton. I promise that I am not exaggerating with I tell you she sat like that for the entire two hours that I watched the movie. Every once in a while she would lay down, but she'd pop right back up again with her nose just on the edge of the hearth.

David was worried that she'd warp the wood floor with her drool.

We had two very happy dogs the next morning when we finally opened the goody bag from Santa.