Potty Training 101...

To start off... we both survived.

We have completed week number 1. Last Saturday morning (9-19-09) I decided I'd had enough buying, changing, packing and making sure the diaper bag was in order. So... I put "big girl" panties on her and our potty training journey began.

I know my timing and methods were and are a little unconventional and most of the time my "just rip the band-aid off quickly" approach back fires... but hey, if it works it works! It was a little rocky at first... and I wanted to shoot myself... and there were several "come to Jesus" moments for me where I truly saw the graces of God. I don't say this in a sarcastic tone, I truly believe that God was was on my side and gave me the strength to hold my ground and push through.

If you haven't picked up on it yet, my daughter is VERY independent and strong willed. (I have no idea where she gets this??!!) I absolutely love this quality of hers, yet sometimes it makes for very interesting events around our house. This is one of them.

If I told you every story and thought I had through this first week, we would literally be here for an entire lifetime, so I'll only share a few that bring the biggest smiles to my face.

Saturday: Our first accident.

I had put her in her booster seat at the kitchen table. She was happily devouring a bowl of spaghetti-o's. All of a sudden she yelled at me and said: Momma, I WET, I WET! About the time I turned around from the sink I saw the "wetness" dripping down from the high chair and puddling on the floor underneath the chair.

My first thought was: oh, no... what do I do????? (this would be where I was talking to God)

I sprang into action. I pulled her out of the chair and calmly we went off to the bathroom. I let her sit on the potty and explained that big girl panties weren't like pull-ups. If you tee tee in them you will get all wet and icky. She agreed that she didn't like icky. We got all cleaned up and headed back to the kitchen to clean up the rest of the mess.

She sat in another chair and offered her support while I soaked up the mess with paper towels, bleached the booster seat and the chair it was attached too and mopped the floor.

I had just finished putting up the mop and was going to bend down and and attach the last strap of the booster seat and when I did... I hit the bowl of spaghetti-o's she had enjoyed so much earlier and it went flying... like, I could have sworn that bowl had wings... It flew REAL high. The only problem with something flying that high was the fact that at some point it had to land. And land it did.... all over the booster seat, chair and floor I had just bleached and mopped.

This would be the part where I mentioned earlier that I had several "come to Jesus" moments. This would be what I was talking about. I could have lost my sanity right then, but instead of bursting into tears in that very moment... I turned and looked into the bluest eyes (well, besides her dad's) and we both died laughing. I mean hysterical laughing. (this is what I describe as God's Grace.)

So, we cleaned again and entered that afternoon fearless of what was to come in our potty training 101 class.

Something I have learned thus far is that the child isn't the only one that gets trained. The parents do too. Here are several things I have found on our little life adventure:

-you have to train yourself to ask your child if he/she has to go potty... at least every 10-15 minutes. After about two days of this... you will wake up in the middle of the night from a nightmare of "do you need to go potty... do you need to go potty... do you need to go potty... do you need to go potty... do you need to go potty... do you need to go potty????" B now answers me most of the time with "NO Momma... I not need to go potty!!!" (sometimes she even points her finger at me and says this!)

-Potty time is private time... regardless of how old you are. After a few arguments we finally found our rhythm... I help her get onto the potty and then I have to leave AND shut the door. After I finally translated her 2-year old language the first couple of times I figured out she was saying.." momma, you doe... and shut da door." I have to admit... I was apprehensive at first... You know... leaving a two year old in the bathroom... on the potty... by herself. But, it turned out okay. When she is finished with her "business" she says: O-tay Momma, you tum in now. I frew.

-Prayer is important. You HAVE to take this journey with God. Lets just face it... It isn't nearly as enjoyable if you leave him out. If you didn't have him, you wouldn't appreciate the humor.

In about 16 years... B is going to read this blog and want to shoot me.

My baby girl is growing up too fast,

Ashley

AG California

In Flight

Walking on Cloud Nine

Jammin' out to the IPod

I can't hear you!

This is often the response I get when the camera comes out.

I call this one... Digging for Gold.

Baylee and Mom on the plane... Not too sure what is going on with my hand... strange, I know.

Byron sat one row in front of us and pretended like he didn't now us.

I see the OCEAN!!!

The birthday boy... in the car... on the phone... blind folded... not knowing his surprise is waiting patiently outside the window.

Oh, the things we do to our fathers! HA!

Baylee and her "Uncle Bubba"

One of my favorite pictures. Sail boats in Pismo Beach

Bay-watch babe!

This is the picture I snapped right before she busted her crust and fell into the cold, cold water. She spent the rest of this trip to the beach wrapped up in a towel in PawPaw's arms!

Us three Gray's...

Dad & Rhonda

Going to the Beach Check list:

Orange Swim shorts: CHECK

Blue Texas A&M T-shirt: CHECK

Cowboy Boots: CHECK

Hat: CHECK

Classic Byron, just classic.

Thanks for reminding me just how redneck you really are.

I've really got to start letting you out more! HA!

He wears short shorts! HA! The water was FREEZING! I stepped in for about 10 seconds and my ankles had flash backs of high school days of icing them ... that was all I could stand, but not Byron. He was like a kid in a candy store. I really think he would have stayed out there forever!

Yea, this is the face you are going to get from now on Mom when you ask me to smile for that dumb camera! I'm NOT going to do it!

This stuff is SO cool! Let me throw it everywhere!

What you don't see is her sitting on my other flip flop because she didn't want to get dirty...

Every once in a while a blind squirrel will find a nut... no, wait... I mean a french fry? What?

Jackpot! Elephant Seals!!

Elephant Seals just Chillin'

Elephant Seal coming out of the water!

Heaven, just Heaven.

Ahh... this is what I live for... views like this!

Starfish: Sunning

Starfish: Underwater

What's in a name?

Everyone knows how random I am... so this post shouldn't surprise you. I was laying in bed last night saying my prayers. When I was finished my mind started to wonder. Usually these wondering thoughts are what put me to sleep... just not last night.

See, I've recently redone our guest bedroom into a little girlie princess palace for Baylee and I angled the bed into one corner. (btw: Baylee still refuses to sleep in her big girl bed... so my efforts have been futile thus far.) So anyway, I was thinking how I could fill the dead space behind the bed.

Since my daughter has gotten on this kick of ALWAYS saying her FULL name: Ba-yee An Day. (Baylee Anne Gray) I thought I would order some of that really neat scroll stuff and have her name cut out and put Baylee on one side and Anne on the other....

Anyway, these thoughts lead me to thinking about my own name... Like how my parents came up with my full name and what thoughts went into choosing it. My biggest concern last night (not too sure why this became an issue last night of all nights, but like I said I'm random) was the fact that Ashley is such a "young" person name. I'm fine with my name right now... but can you really picture me as an OLD lady... I'm talking 95+, in the nursing home or retirement home with a young sounding name like "Ashley?" I mean, old people don't have names like Ashley... And God forbid that I actually live that long, am I going to have to wear a purple dress with red shoes and a red hat and decorate my wheel chair or my cain with a big red boa just to keep up with the young sounding name that I have????? I mean, I'm really worried about this folks!

Then it hit me.... Have I done this same thing to my child? Will her name fit her at 2 years old and then again at 92?

Promising I have never smoked crack,

Catch of the Day

We ventured down to the beach this afternoon. It was a little different than your normal beach. It was COLD! Literally, the water was freezing. We had a little excitement... it was Baylee's first trip to the beach. She kept telling Pawpaw... "this is fun, this is fun!" She was running in the water and fell. I didn't have the camera out of the bag at this point so I missed a really good photo opp... her face was classic. Too cute.

Byron has decided he is going to try out for Survivor. He is pretty sure he can win. Within 15 minutes of being on a deserted stretch of beach in the middle of the Pacific Ocean , with his bare hands, years of outdoor expertise, and a little redneck ingenuity, he caught a "Giant Poison Man-Eating Island Kelpfish." Little bit of a run-on sentence, but it is the only way to describe the full experience that went on.

(see below if you don't believe)

Really, the sheer skill of how he caught it was truely AMAZING. Yes, the fish is alive in this picture, and it was shortly returned to the wayward sea.

Seriously, we didn't make this up.

True Story,

The Texafornians

We have arrived....

Okay, I've been waiting for AWHILE to be able to write this blog... However, I couldn't because this trip was to be a complete suprise. My father turned the big 5-0 on Monday, August 31st. With the help of my step-mom, Rhonda, we planned a HUGE birthday suprise. We all flew out of DFW Monday headed West. Just about as far west as we could literally go. Arroyo Grande, California is where we are now. All settled in the WONDERFUL 70 degree (yes folks, that would be the high for the day) temp's. Rhonda blind folded dad and drove him around for 45 minutes trying to get him all turned around so he wouldn't know he was at the airport. I thought he would cry when he knew we were there and that we were his big suprise. He didn't, but Ron did. Dad did call in sick to work on Monday! HA! Here are a few pics.... Trust me... there will be more to come! We will be here until Sunday, September 6th!

Dad, talking on the phone while blind folded. He was talking to his boss, telling him that his Wife had a suprise for him and that he was going to be late getting to work.... About 10 minutes after that, he called his boss back and said wasn't going to make it into work AT ALL! HA!

The view from Dad & Rhonda's back yard.

Pawpaw & Baylee.

Sincerely,

The Texafornians

(well, for now anyway!)