Ramblings of a Baby

This morning I woke up to the sweetest sound. Reagan was in her crib but I could hear through the monitor. She was repeating "I happy. . . I happy." What a nice sound to wake up to. Far better than an alarm clock. Though I have not used one of those since Reagan was born since she wakes up earlier than I ever need too. But I usually wake up to her crying or just yelling "Mommy!!!"

Well sweet Reagan, "I happy too!"

Signal Hill Water Park

What a fun afternoon! Reagan and I met some friends at the water park at Signal Hill. The water only comes up to my knees at the deepest part. There is a large pirate type ship in the center of the pool with slides to slide down and cannons that squirt water on the people below. Along the perimeter of the pool are several other slides and whales with water coming out of their spouts, and turtles squirting water out of their mouths. It is perfectly designed for toddlers. We met a few of our friends there for the afternoon. We packed a lunch and lathered on the sunscreen:)

Reagan was not completely comfortable in the water but she did not want to get out. She tried to go down the slides several times by herself but got nervous each time and asked me to go with her. When I was putting her in her car seat to go home she said, "Fun water Mommy." "Thank you Mommy." She was asleep before we got out of the parking lot!

Reagan, Annie, and Everett eagerly waiting for the park to open!


Reagan really enjoyed this whale.


Going down the slide with Mommy!

Sing Along "Pee Pee in the Potty"

Last night Reagan used her big girl potty for the first time!

A few weeks ago Reagan and I went to Ikea and bought a few potty's. There is one in her bathroom and one downstairs. She knows that you pull your pants down and sit one them, as she tried to demonstrate in Ikea. But she doesn't really know how to make yourself go potty. So they have mainly been used as chairs and the occassional hat.

Last night Billie had Reagan sit on the potty while he got her bathwater ready. While sitting there she peed. I was in the next room and heard him clapping and saying how proud he was of her. I ran in and Reagan was sitting on the potty smiling. We sang "Reagan went Pee-Pee in the Potty, Pee-Pee in the Potty" and Reagan just giggled. It was a fun moment. Reagan got off the potty and sat and stared at the pee inside as if it was the most amazing thing she had ever seen. She was also very proud to pose by it while Mommy took a picture. Parents are weird!

Reagan is nowhere near ready for official potty training, neither am I, but this was a fun step in the right direction!

Cows-N-Corn

Last Saturday Reagan and I went to Cows-N-Corn for their Ice Festival. We had a fun time. She enjoyed the hayride, looking at the animals, eating a hot dog, and eating the ice cream (that was definitely my favorite part).

But what made this trip so special was getting to witness Reagan take a chance on something new despite how scared she was.

One of the attractions was a cow train. It was nothing more than some go carts decorated to look like cows attached together and pulled around on a tractor. Reagan had seen it go by us a few times and would get really excited. She had fun mooing and waving each time it passed. I asked her if she wanted to ride it and nodded yes and began to run to where we saw people getting on board. Some of the cows were large enough for an adult to sit in and ride while holding their child. I was pretty certain that was the only way my cautious daughter would ride the cow train. But I asked if she wanted to ride alone and she quickly let out a forceful "NO!" and then reached her arms up and said, "Up pease." So I picked her up and we proceeded to get in a cow together. As she sat in my lap she watched as some of her friends go in cows by themselves. Reagan looked at me and with a whine said, "Down." I figured this meant she had gotten scared and did not want to ride anymore. I set her down and as I began to climb out she was already trying to get in the cow made just for kids behind me. I hesitantly put her in the cow because I was certain that as soon as the train began to move Reagan would begin to cry and I would have to get the drivers attention to stop the ride.

Well, Reagan proved me wrong! I still rode the train myself in the cow in front of her. I could tell how nervous she was but she also looked very determined. As the train took off there was a momentary look of panic on her face but I did my best to show how much fun I was having and she got herself together before any tears fell. Reagan never lost the look of concentration on her face or her death grip on the sides so I can't be sure if she enjoyed herself or not. But when I picked her up out of the cow I told her how proud I was of my big, brave girl. She smiled, gave me a hug, and then patted my cheek. She was proud of herself too!

Our Life As We Now Know It

It would appear that Billie is enjoying a beautiful weekend day relaxing without a worry in the world. But it is not until you see the whole picture that you realize what our life has become and we are enjoying every minute!

4th of July Weekend

What a great 4th of July weekend! Billie had off on Friday and Monday so we got to spend a lot of time together as a family. We did not go away so we had some adventures close to home.

After recently reading Roots, Billie has become interested in the Civil War. Living in Bristow is very convenient for a person with an interest in the Civil War since many important battles were fought on the very ground we now live on. On Friday we went up the the Manassas Battlefield and walked a one mile loop where the 1st Battle of Manassas was fought. We did not bring the stroller as it was a great, safe place for Reagan to run around. We figured that we would take turns carrying her once she go tired. While we did eventually have to carry her she lasted a lot longer than we had anticipated. When we got home she slept for 3 hours and 45 minutes. I eventually went in and woke her up out of fear that she would not be able to go to sleep at night.


Saturday was the acutal 4th of July. Our neighborhood, Amberleigh Station, put together a family fun day. The event began with a parade where the neighborhood kids decorated their bikes and scooters with patiotic details. Reagan helped me decorate her stroller. The parade ended at the tot lot where a moon bounce, games, face painting, and pizza were set up. It was a nice way to meet many of neighbors with children near in age to Reagan. She had a great time.



After Reagan's nap we went with friends to LaGrange Winery in Haymarket. It was a gorgeous day to sit outside and sip some wine. The winery had set up a little area with a slide and seesaw. Reagan made a friend and played there for most of the time. We ended the day with a BBQ back at the house. Reagan was in bed long before the fireworks began. I am looking forward to seing them with her next year.

Where Did the Time Go?!?!?!???

The reason that I started this blog was so that I would be able to capture the days I spend with my sweet girl. I did not make my blog public because I did not want to feel the pressure of people wondering why I had not posted in so long. Well...apparently I need that pressure. The last time I posted was in February. February! How in the world did that happen? We have done so much, learned so much, and grown so much since my last post, much of it I have already forgotten. So I thank my friend Inga for starting a blog and asking to see mine. Knowing that someone else may look at mine adds just that nudge I need to keep it up:)