Long day
Today was one of the worst days we’ve had with the kids discipline-wise EVER. They were awful. This is one of those days I can understand parents who leave to go buy some toilet paper and never come back home. Okay, I could never go that far, but it was a bad day nonetheless.
It’s mostly Mikaela. Driving us out of our ever-loving minds. It’s amazing how much you can love a child and be so totally frustrated by them at the same time. She came into the world with a mean streak! She seems to delight in mischief, making Gabriel cry, and making us nuts. Then she’ll turn around the next day and act like an angel.
I made a decision today to start sending her to OUR room when she’s punished. Our room contains nothing but a bed and a nightstand, so there’s nothing with her to play with there. I don’t know why I didn’t think of it before. Anyway, isolation seems to be like the best punishment for her personally … she REALLY hates being alone, even for a small amount of time. I’m just going to have to step up things on my end and stop letting the little things slide. She constantly almost follows directions. By that, I mean, if you tell her to put something in an exact spot or do a specific thing, she will make sure you are looking and put the thing in the vicinity of where you told her to put it, but not exactly in the right place. She then gives us an evil grin … she knows exactly what she’s doing. Thumbing her nose at us. It’s hard to explain, but if you could be here and see it, you would know.
Thank you, internet, for letting me vent. Maybe tomorrow will be a little easier.
On letting babies “cry it out”
I just read a Time magazine article on babies and sleep. The story quotes many studies and basically says that parents need to let their kids learn how to comfort themselves and get to sleep on their own. In other words, parents need to let kids fall asleep on their own – even if that means crying themselves to sleep.
I am speaking as a parent who’s had experience both ways on this issue. We were very businesslike about Gabriel’s bedtime, and kept to a schedule very well. After he was past early infancy (I think around 5 months of age or so), we’d put him to bed and let him cry himself to sleep. After less than a week, he was falling asleep on his own without crying, and he’s been absolutely perfect ever since then – at least about going to bed by himself.
Mikaela, on the other hand – we were really bad about having a schedule with her. And I tended to give in to holding her, putting her in the swing, rocking, or feeding her to sleep just to preserve my sanity (Gabriel was only 16 months old when she was born, and having 2 that close together was really hard on me at first).
And now, every single night with her is a struggle. And she’s 3 years old! Jay and I are kicking ourselves in the butt.
First-time parents, please take it from me – or actually, my mom: she once told me when Gabriel was very young that when it came to putting him to bed, “don’t start anything you don’t want to continue indefinitely.” In other words, if a child grows accustomed to being rocked to sleep, well, they’re going to expect it every night without fail. And when they wake in the night, instead of falling back to sleep on their own, they will need to be rocked to sleep again. Or bottle-fed, or whatever it is that they’ve now grown attached to and “need” to fall asleep.
Not that I have anything against rocking your babies … but you might want to do it while they’re awake!
Parenting 101
We live across the street from a family who has several children, one of them a three-year-old boy. The parents let him run around with his siblings, unsupervised. I think the oldest sibling is 11. I’ve observed that the two older siblings are not really watching brother well, and he often plays in the street. Our street isn’t super-busy, but good grief, a three-year-old shouldn’t be playing in the street!
Also, there is a new house being built directly next-door to us, and I walked out my back door yesterday to find the three-year-old and his siblings playing there. On a construction site. Lovely. Jay came outside and told them to shoo. They did.
On Halloween night, this boy’s mom was looking all over for him, to find that he’d gone trick-0r-treating with a group of the neighbors.
Do you see a pattern here? Mom apparently has better things to do than watch her youngest son.
Don’t get me wrong; some days there’s nothing more I’d rather do than shoo the kids outside so I can get some housework done. Or five seconds of quiet. But guess what? They are too young to be outside while not in the supervision of an adult. Safety comes first! That should be a no-brainer for any parent.
Scary
After a number of deaths and a warning from the FDA, the manufacturers of cough and cold medicine for infants are pulling their products off the market. One of the products is one I have in my medicine cabinet and have used on both kids – Triaminic Infant & Toddler Thin Strips Decongestant Plus Cough.
The FDA is pushing for a warning against “decongestant use in children under 2, and antihistamines in those younger than 6.”
I should have bought stock in Breathe Right® strips.
Where I’m at
I am gearing up to home-school the kids this year. I want to start when the public schools start, but we are still trying to figure out where/when/if to move, and I want to be settled before starting.
I have been accumulating lots of material and finding lots of great resources on the web. But I’ll expound on that in another post.
More on moving: Jay and I looked at our lease and figured out that we need to figure out what we’re doing in the next 30 days, so we can give 30 days’ notice and be out by the end of our lease Sept. 30. I’m not normally so commitment-phobic, but this decision has my stomach in knots. We can’t find anything I like in our price range. And by “like” I mean, “not a total piece of crap.” I’m not being super-picky at all.
Say a prayer that we can find a decent place in a decent neighborhood … man, this has been such a long journey!
In other news, my 17-year-old niece is coming in for a short visit tomorrow. I’m excited about her coming, but I hope we don’t bore her to death.
It’s storming again here (right now). All people can talk about here is the crazy amount of rain we continue to get. At least it keeps everything nice and green!
Oh! I almost forgot. I went into a new children’s consignment store here this weekend and wound up having a long conversation with the owner. I forget how we got on the subject, but after hearing that her 4-year-old daughter has autism, I confessed that I suspect my son may possibly have a high-functioning form of autism. The woman chided me for stalling and said that I need to have him evaluated by a pediatric neurologist. I guess I do, but every time I gear up to make the appointment, he does something that makes me think maybe he’s catching up and doing fine. Then I go hear other kids his age talk and interact with each other and it makes me think, he is NOT fine, and I need to do something. His ‘symptoms’ include a speech delay, odd mannerisms, texture aversion and extreme pickiness with food, an obession with lining up/ordering things, and the fact that he won’t potty-train. Among other things.
This is such a gut-wrenching thing. It’s not that I would ever love him any less if he was diagnosed with autism or anything else, but as his mother who loves him dearly, I don’t want him to have to deal with a lifetime of difficulty from being “different.” Not that the problem doesn’t exist just because I’m in denial. It’s just hard to face.
Today
Today is both mother’s day and our 7th wedding anniversary. Jay made me a very nice breakfast this morning, and got the kids to tell me ‘happy mother’s day.’ Very sweet.
Jay is at church right now with the kids and I’m about to pass out from lack of sleep. I really wish I could take Lunesta or something (sleeping pills), because I frequently have major trouble falling asleep and staying asleep. But, I don’t really want to take anything that would incapacitate me if the kids needed me in the middle of the night. Man, people who sleep well don’t realize how sleep problems can affect your quality of life. Some days I walk around feeling like I’m in a fog. Caffiene helps, but it can only do so much.
Speaking of lack of sleep, I just talked to my sister-in-law, to wish her happy mother’s day (her baby will be 1 week old tomorrow). I can hardly remember those days with my kids … it’s all such a blur. For those first few weeks, you just stagger around and hope you’re slapping the diaper on the right end. Those days seem long when you’re going through them, but oh, how time flies. My kids’ innocent baby days are long gone.
I often wonder if we’ll ever have another baby. I regret pressuring Jay into getting things … uh … ‘taken care of’ when Mikaela was just a few months old. I guess if God wants us to have another one, somehow, He’ll make a way.
Augh!
My children continue to give me gray hair with their mispronounciations that sound like bad words.
Today, Mikaela tried to say clock. Let’s just say I’m not going to be talking about time again any time soon!
Gabriel made me laugh today. After he got out of preschool, I headed for the library so the kids could get some books. As we passed the local supermarket, Gabriel said “Goba – chew!” repeatedly.
At first, I had no idea what he was saying – Garbage Truck?
Then, I figured it out from the context, since we were driving right by it.
“Oh, GROCERY STORE?”
“Yeah, Goba-chew!” He replied.
I said, “baby, why do you want to go to the grocery store?”
“Because I firsty (thirsty)!”
That’s an odd thing I’ve recognized about his speech. He tends to end things he can’t pronounce with a “jew” or a “chew” sound, even if it’s not even remotely close to the way the word is supposed to sound. Helicopter is “ha-chew-chew.” Tricycle is “Tri-jew.” I’m sure there’s more, but those are the first things that come to mind.
I feel like a detective trying to figure out what he’s saying to me every day. Oh, I hope he’s “caught up” by the time he starts first grade.
Smarty pants, part II
Today, Gabriel came up to Mikaela and pointed to a purple flower embroidered on her jeans, correctly identifying it as “purple.” Mikaela looked at him with an exasperated expression, saying, “no, Gay-bul dat PANTS.”
I have a feeling we’re in for more of the same …
Gabriel
A few days ago, Gabriel came running in the room wearing a plastic replica of a medieval soldier’s helmet. He pointed to it and said, “I have football hat!”
Earlier this morning, Mikaela was running around with a blanket on her head, which Gabriel thought was hilarious. “Mikaela’s funny, mama!” he said.
Cute only gets you so far
My daughter is currently trying to charm her way out of bed. She’s pulling every cute trick out of the bag, and every time I look at her she smiles angelically and says “up!” (Get me up.)
I’m not falling for it this time. No matter how much I want to.
How does a 2-year-old know how to be so manipulative?
No, I don’t swear in front of my children
My son has been pronouncing ‘sit’ VERY clearly like “sh*t” recently. Eeeek. My mother suggested I try to get him to change “sit” to “sit down” so people won’t think he’s cursing. Sigh.
And Mikaela’s apparently jumped on the let’s-turn-mom’s-hair-gray bandwagon as well: she mispronounced “frog” in the worst imaginable way a few days ago.
I think we’ll just avoid talking about sitting and frogs for now!
Smarty pants
Yesterday I was telling Mikaela and Gabriel to pick their toys up out of the living room floor. I pointed to a plastic cup and – momentarily at a loss for words – told Mikaela to pick up “that thingy over there.”
She walked over to it and picked it up, saying wryly “that a CUP, mama.”
Home again
Well, we’re back home, after a very, very long day yesterday.
If you’re just tuning in, I was visiting my family in east Tennessee. We were staying with my sister and family, and my mom and dad came up from B’ham to visit with us, as well. Night before last, they threw me a birthday party, complete with chocolate/raspberry cake (my favorite!!). It was very sweet.
Anyway, yesterday morning, we woke up, ate breakfast, packed everything into my sister’s van and headed for Nashville. The plan was to spend some time visiting with my sister-in-law and our newly-married friends before catching our plane back to Texas a few hours later.
The visit with Tracy, my about-to-burst-pregnant sister-in-law, went well. But, for some reason, when we went to check out our friends’ new place, Mikaela just had a meltdown. I believe it was the worst she’s ever had. She was mad at me because I wanted her to sit still and watch Shrek and not wreak havoc in their very nice, new house. This indignity, combined with the lack of a good nap (and possibly hunger) was just too much, apparently because she felt the need to scream for about 20 minutes. It was one of those fits that makes you look like a total loser of a parent, because there was really nothing I could do to make her happy or to stop the screaming (short of giving in and letting her “explore” in the non-Mikaela-proofed house). Hopefully we haven’t convinced our friends not to have kids!
We said our goodbyes to our friends and our sister-in-law and got on the plane in Nashville (we walked right past Reba McIntyre in the Nasville Airport, by the way), where Mikaela started to have another meltdown. It lasted most of the flight, until she finally stopped fighting her sleepiness and konked out. I tried snacks and stickers and stuffed animals, to no avail. I felt extremely helpless and fairly mortified. We are now officially “those people with the bratty kid.”
I arrived in San Antonio at about 8:40, bedraggled and exhausted. I was so glad to see Jay. We drove home and got in around 11:30 pm, and the kids and I had a very good night’s sleep. Mikaela is being an angel today. Just a couple of minutes ago, while I was typing, she walked up and kissed and then patted me on the leg. 
Nice surprise when I walked in the door from our trip last night: Jay had me a birthday cake and present waiting for me (yesterday was my birthday). He actually lit my “29″ candle and sang to me. Great end to a fairly frustrating day.
Well, at least the flowers looked pretty…
I tried to get pictures of the kids in a field of bluebonnets this weekend, to no avail. It was windy out, so Mikaela kept having to brush her hair out of her eyes. And Gabriel wouldn’t look up at me because the sun was in his eyes. This is what all of the photos look like:
Weekend
Friday night the family went to Lowe’s. When we reached the cash register, I happened to look up and see a bat flying around the store (a frequent occurence here in Austin). I freaked out and told Jay to hurry up so we could get out before it swooped down to suck our blood. Mikaela looked up at the thing to see what we were talking about and said, “Buh-fy!” (butterfly). Yeah, butterfly with large teeth!
We went to Georgetown to see Jay’s sister and pick up her unused hammock last night. I’m so excited … I’ve always wanted a hammock, and this is the first place we’ve lived where we actually have room for one outside. Too bad it’s rainy today, because I’d love to be out there in it.
Last night, Jay’s sister and her 12-year-old son came over for dinner, and afterward, we went to a local play center filled with inflatable toys – moon bounces, mazes, tall slides and the like. We’ve been several times lately, and the kids really have a blast. Mikaela amazes me going down the tall slides head-first. One thing she’s recently figured out: she doesn’t have to do all the work of climbing the steps up to the tall slide – people will do it for her. If there is an adult nearby when she’s about to climb the slide’s steps, Mikaela will hold up her hands and say “help you!” (which means, ‘pick me up!’) She always puts on her most pitiful face when she’s doing it. The adult invariably looks around to see whose child this is, then carries her on up. I am close by, but I’d prefer that Mikaela just do it herself – I like to foster independence in my kids, and so far it’s worked really well. Until my manipulative little daughter decided she’d found a way to get someone else to do the legwork so she could have fun. It’s funny, but kind of scary, though – Mikaela is the kind of child who would walk off with a stranger. I have to keep an eagle eye on her.
This morning, Jay and I got up and taught Sunday School. We’re currently subbing for a friend who recently had knee surgery. Our class is older 3′s and younger 4′s. We only had 13 kids last week, but this week, we had 18. Shew, that’s a lot of young kids. Really, most of them were angels, but there were a couple that kept disrupting worship and story time. One kid in particular was a handful. Jay told him to get out of the wooden sink, and he didn’t and wound up getting stuck (Jay got him out). Later, during storytime, the same child was “shooting” Jay with his pretend gun – ‘pow! pow! pow!’ Another child said “you tooted!” to Jay during story time (he hadn’t). Jay kept a really straight face and said, “that’s not appropriate.” I probably would have laughed. I guess that’s why I’m not a teacher … I’m not serious enough.
Gabriel – cute update
Gabriel has been very sweet lately. He gives Jay and I kisses frequently, which always makes my day. He’s such a great helper, too… he will do almost anything I ask, replying, “awight!” (All right)
One sweet development lately have been his prayers. He will say them when prompted, but you never know what he’s going to say. He always remembers to pray for his family members, but I heard him thank God the other day for TV and milk. Well, at least we know what’s near and dear to his heart!
His language gets better steadily. I think it’s a combination of hearing Mikaela and his speech therapy class. From some reason, he doesn’t take instruction and/or correction from me well at all, so I don’t feel like I’ve been very instrumental in helping him to overcome his speech problems. Heaven knows, I’ve tried.
He does say a lot of things clearly, but some things take some time to figure out. Like last week, he said, “heh-chew-chew.” Jay and I scratched our heads and finally figured out from the context that he was saying “helicopter.” Goodness.
Jay and I have noticed something recently: not only can Gabriel keep a beat to music (he was born with rhythm – got that from Jay and not from me!), he can sing with almost perfect pitch. He may not have all the words to a song right, but he sure can hit the notes. American Idol 2021: Gabriel?
Another thing I’ve noticed recently is that he’s starting to stay in the lines a lot better when he colors. He loves to color, play with play-doh and paint. I need to scan and upload some of his artwork.
Update: to read all entries about Gabriel and his external hydrocephaly, speech delay, learning delay, sensory processing disorder / sensory integration disorder / sensory integration dysfunction, click on “Gabriel’s Journey.”
Mikaela – cute update
There’s a new play-center here in town full of inflatable (think “moon bounce”) games. There’s mazes and slides and all kinds of things. The kids LOVE it.
There is a special play area at this place that’s designated for toddlers and younger kids. I took Mikaela over to it, but she was having none of it. She walked straight over to the 18-foot (seriously) inflatable slide, scaled the ladder, and whooshed down the other side. You could see the adrenaline rush on her face. So, she spent the next hour-and-a-half doing more of the same: up the slide, down the slide. That kid has no fear!
Let’s see, what else has she been up to? Oh yeah, singing! Everywhere we go in the car, she serenades us. Loudly and often off-key. She sings songs she knows, and then she makes up songs. Songs she knows (well, “knows” is used loosely): “C is for Cookie” by Cookie Monster, the alphabet song, and “Sing a Song” by Sesame Street. We hear the alphabet song about 50 times a day (not counting the times I hear it echoing in my ears when I’m trying to sleep). But anyway, when we’re in the car, she has to make sure she has your attention before she sings: “Mama! I sing a song!”
This has been a good week. She seems to be getting over the worst of her temper-tantrums. I think she’s finally figuring out that they’re not going to get her what she wants. We’re still having to work on her attitude, though … she sometimes throws things when we tell her to do something that she doesn’t want to do.
She sure does have a temper. Right now, she’s mad at her runny nose. I’ve never heard someone growl while wiping their nose before!
Read the rest of this entry »
What’s that, up in the sky?
It’ s pouring down rain here. We never get just a shower here, it seems – it’s either drought or flood. We had some good storms here tonight, but nothing too bad. I was kinda hoping for at least a severe thunderstorm … oh, well – spring is still young.
Well, Tuesday will make two weeks since my interview and still no word. That can’t be good. I must not be as charming and witty in person as I think I am. 
After a full week on this Kimkins diet, I’ve lost 16 pounds. I can already tell a difference in the way my clothes fit. How’s that for fast?!? I joined a gym today, so hopefully, I’ll maintain the quick loss. I know it will slow down some, but I’m determined to finally get rid of this “baby” weight.
I went out to a movie Friday night with one of my girlfriends. That was the first movie I’ve seen in a theater since The Terminal with Tom Hanks (I think that was 2003?) Needless to say, I don’t get out to the movies much! Anyway, my friend and I went to see Music and Lyrics, which was pretty cute. The whole thing was especially worth seeing for the hilarious cheesy-80s-band love ballad video at the start of the movie. What a riot.
Let’s see .. .what else? Oh, Mikaela made me laugh out loud the other day. I was changing her diaper, when she looked over and said very clearly, “Oh my gosh! I pooped!”
Saturday morning we had a pretty successful yard sale – we made $361 and gained a lot of storage space from selling some large items. Note to self: learn how to speak enough Spanish to communicate prices before next yard sale!
Mending
My kids are a bit better today, thank goodness.
Today is GORGEOUS - it’s warm and the trees are in bloom. This afternoon while the kids napped, I sat out on the back porch and blew bubbles with a friend. Yes, I’m five. I forgot how fun bubble blowing was. It’s very therapeutic. You should try it.
Speaking of weather, I’m ready for a good storm. I love sunny skies, but I also love a good thunderstorm. If I’m at home, that is. Don’t like to be caught driving in them (who does?) Austin could use some good storms – we’re in a drought that seems like it’s been going on forever.
I still haven’t heard back about that job. Sigh.
And another
The kids are sick with a stomach bug. I’ll spare you the gory details.
Saturday night, I had to take Mikaela to the ER because she was dehydrated. They put an IV in her arm and then put a splint on it so she wouldn’t bend it, topped off with a gauze wrap so she wouldn’t pull the cord out. She was *not* a happy camper about it, to say the least. She’s on the mend today, but Gabriel just came down with it. I can’t even joke about it anymore; I’m just over it.
Mikaela made me laugh last night. Jay and I walked into the room and there was a tone-deaf cartoon character singing on TV, and Mikaela had her fingers plugging her ears.
Hope you’re all well. Sorry for the blog drought. I’m just too tired to be witty. ha.
Oh! I almost forgot … I just started a new diet this week, and it’s going pretty well. I’ve lost 10 pounds in 3 days. I know, some of that was water weight, but it’s encouraging nonetheless. Anyway, a friend of mine lost almost 100 lbs. on this diet from September until this month. Very inspiring. It’s low carb/low calorie. If you’re interested: Kimkins
Little miss observant
I recently bought an identical version of Mikaela’s beloved stuffed “doggie” that she sleeps with. I intend to use the replacement if doggie ever gets lost or falls apart. The new doggie is (obviously) much cleaner-looking than her old one. The old doggie is faded from many spins through the laundry, and is currently covered in pop-tart and God-knows-what-else.
Anyway, Mikaela recently left her old doggie at a friend’s house, so I pulled the replacement out. I was hoping she wouldn’t notice a difference. She looked at the new-looking thing and said, “All clean!”
Stuff
Oh, what a day. It was long but it was good.
I started trying to teach my kids today, as if they were in preschool. They did pretty well, but Mikaela kept getting the wiggles and I had to keep changing activities to keep her attention. The kids played with play-doh, colored with crayons and markers, put puzzles together and glued shapes on constrution paper. We read books, sang songs, played educational games and went over everything preschool-y, like colors, the alphabet and numbers…
Anyway, the kids seemed to enjoy it. They are both so smart. (Not that I’m biased or anything).
Around lunchtime, I got a call from a friend wanting to meet at Gatti-land, this local place that’s somewhat like Chuck-E-Cheese. The two women I met there had three kids each, so between the three of us, we had eight kids. It was mildly chaotic but nice at the same time. After the kids ate, we took them to the park. It’s been SO nice outside – our highs have been in the 70s for most of the last 2 weeks.
While I was out at lunch, I got a call from an agency wanting to meet with me tomorrow about a job I applied for. It’s a 4-month contract position with a high-tech company here in town. I would be editing and managing projects. I don’t know if there’s any hope in the position turning into something permanent; I guess I’ll find out in the interview tomorrow. Anyway, I’m excited. The woman who called me about the position sounded like she really wanted to give me the job. I don’t want to get my hopes up too high, since I’ve had so many prospective jobs fall through, but this sounds like a definite possibility.
Back to the kids … Mikaela has been chattering away all day. Some of the cute stuff:
She pointed to my chest and said “ELBOW!” (Note to self – stop wearing bras that make boobs look like elbows.)
She drew a circle on her paper, pointed to it and said “apple!”
She rolled a long crescent shape out while playing with her yellow play-doh, and pointed to it and said, “banana!” Then, she squished it flat and said, “moon!”
While we were taking a nap together (sometimes I let her nap in my bed), she decided that a mole on my arm must be dirt, so she licked her finger and tried to rub it off.
Tonight, we went out for ice cream. I got her a cup of strawberry ice cream with sprinkles (she’s never had sprinkles). She promptly took her napkin and tried to wipe the sprinkles off.
That’s all folks. I’ve got a big day ahead of me tomorrow – lots to do. I’ll update you if I happen to get hired on the spot tomorrow.
Ladykiller
Is my son handsome or what?
I admit, I might be biased. But seriously.
He had me in stitches a couple of days ago. We were on our way home from shopping and it was around lunchtime. He pipes up from the backseat: “WUNCH, mama! I be hungy!”
He also made me laugh the other night when he told me very seriously that he wanted “jooce NOT milk” in his cup.
We’re obviously still not “there” yet, but his communication skills are a lot better.
My favorite thing about him, though? The fact that he will come up, kiss me and say “I love mama!” unprompted. I wouldn’t trade that for a million bucks!!!
Stinky gets a bath
That baby doll I wrote about in the last post? Mikaela gave it a bath today. IN THE TOILET. Sigh.
Incidentally, it DOES smell better.
If you need me, I’ll be scrubbing my toilet.
Mikaela
This photo is the essence of my daughter – wild-eyed, messy hair, carefree. She could barely stop moving long enough for me to get the shot.
She’s really developed quite a personality over the last 6 months or so, and every day with her presents new challenges and lots of laughs. She is incredibly mischevious, but it’s hard to stay mad at her because I know her curiosoty just gets the best of her. I just have to stay one step ahead of her. She gets into things that Gabriel never figured out how to get into (or didn’t care to). Like a couple of days ago when I found her spraying my hairspray and clogging the toilet with as much toilet paper as she could stuff in it. Why? Because she can. I’ve stopped wondering why with this child. I have learned that Gabriel thinks it’s hilarious when she misbehaves, so if I hear him laughing hysterically, I know to come running. Hysterical laughter and silence that lasts longer than 30 seconds are always bad things.
I know I’ve probably mentioned all this on here before, but she knows how to say her alphabet pretty well, and can count to 10 (although she always skips “3″). I guess this is normal for her age; Gabriel still can’t do either. I know, in time … I’m just saying, I don’t really have a frame of reference as to language milestones set in my head because of his delay. Anyway, Mikaela can communicate pretty well. Some examples:”mo juice, mama” “oh, gross! (directed at her dirty diaper)” “get baff (I want to take a bath)” “ree a book (read me a book)” “dat papa’s shoes” “no, mooshie, ge down (no, Lucy, get down)” … you get the drift. It’s fun teaching her things because she actually tries to repeat things when you say them. Oh, and sometimes she says things I don’t want her to. Like today, I heard hear exclaim “Oh, cap!” (oh, crap). That would be my fault. :/
My baby is turning 2 this weekend. We’re having a small family get-together. Jay got the party decorations today – Strawberry Shortcake. I am still on the mend, so I sent him to the party store. He did a good job.
I am looking forward to her birthday and dreading it, as well. My baby’s not going to really be a baby anymore. That makes me sad. Mama, kiss your babies. You blink, and all of a sudden, you have a two-year-old.
Parenting the strong-willed child
Before you have children (BC), it’s so easy to look at a parent of an unruly tyke and sniff superiorly, “My child will NEVER act like that! I won’t allow him to!”
Snort.
Here’s a news-flash for the unenlightened: kids are born with minds of their own. It’s the old nature vs. nurture debate. Sure, you can raise a kid “right,” doing all the things that ‘good’ parents do, but some bullheaded kids just have other ideas about what they want to do.
Take for example eating. I never understood why some parents allow their children to turn their noses up at the family dinner table, to later allow the child to have something else more to his liking. What a waste of food, I thought! I would just tell the kid, ‘eat this or go to bed hungry’ and he’d fall in line. Not so much. I tried that more than once and – surprise – the kids called my bluff and went to bed without eating a single thing. They’re already on the slim side, so that’s not something I want to make a habit of. So, when they don’t eat dinner now? They get a healthy snack at bedtime and/or a cup of Pediasure.
Aside from the dinner wars, which I think are pretty common, some kids just decide to challenge you at every turn. You say up, they say down. You say go to bed, they grin and run from you. You say let’s go, they fall in the floor and scream. This is my daughter, the 20-lb. spitfire.
Yes, I discipline. I am totally confident that I’m doing a good job of that. It’s just that her mischevious nature gets the better of her quite often, and she decides that whatever she wants to do is worth the risk. It’s just the way she was made – fearless. It’s scary.
God help me in her teen years. Maybe she’ll get it out of her system early.
Long time no blog
Sorry, I’ve been tied up with the kids and new puppy. I’m exhausted. I never realized puppies cried all night like babies. She’s getting better, though.
I can’t believe it’s Thursday already. I’ve had a really busy week and it’s FLOWN by. Tuesday my church “home” group went to visit one of our members’ new babies. He was so cute! I wish I could shrink mine back to that size.
Wednesday morning, I went to a Mothers of Preschoolers (MOPS) group at the church. The kids get to play and get a Bible lesson, while the moms get to hear a speaker, eat breakfast, do a craft, and talk. It was fun, but I felt a bit like a fish out of water. The women were dressed much nicer than me (I was in jeans and a T-shirt) and looked fairly well-to-do. They were nice enough, though. It’s not that I don’t WANT to wear nice, matching outfits, but between my size and my budget (and the fact that the kids are running me ragged), that falls by the wayside.
Anyway, all day today, I scoured the local thrift stores and consignment shops for spring clothes for Mikaela. I also got a few new items at Target. She’s pretty well set, but will eventually need more shorts. It’s funny .. I get these weird nesting things every so often, and I’m like, “Must go shop for clothes for the children!! NOW!!” As if they will go naked if I don’t buy the next season’s clothes right that second. I can’t explain it. Must be a mom thing.
Tonight, I went and painted pottery with one of the girls from my church’s “home” group. It was nice to have a break from the kids and do something crafty. I can’t ever seem to get crafts done at home lately. Every time I leave the room, Mikaela wreaks havoc.
For example: two days ago, this was my day:
In the morning, I walked into the kitchen to find Mikaela wallowing in an entire roll of paper towels that she’d unraveled and thrown on the ground.
Later, I found her playing in the dog’s dish.
At naptime, I walked into her room to find her with no clothes on. I sat down to get her re-dressed, and sat in what I’m presuming is pee.
That evening, she got into my Scrabble game and fed letter tiles through the slats of the dog’s crate. I told my mom I hoped the dog didn’t poop vowels.
Sigh.
More than a toy
My daughter loves this stuffed dog. My sister gave it to her when she was a baby. It’s a pink and white bag of beans, and if the house was on fire, my daughter would surely make me run back for it.
She drags it around everywhere (think Linus with his blankie), and it’s often covered in food and drink. She showers it with affection, giving it frequent kisses and hugs – even when she’s half-asleep. She’ll also come into the room holding doggie up and making barking noises.
I’m not sure what we’re going to do when the poor thing finally falls apart from being loved on so much. That will be a sad day in our household.
Does anyone want to borrow my kids for a week?
Fun happenings with the kiddos the past few days:
- Walked in on Gabriel intentionally peeing on his bedroom floor and giggling
- Mikaela stood on a rubber ball and fell back and hit her head on the train table, giving herself a large goose-egg
- Kids had a splash-fight in the bathtub, getting the entire bathroom and me soaking wet
- Every time you turn around, Mikaela has shedded her clothes and is running to the bathroom screaming “poh-yee!!” (potty, as in ‘I need to go potty’)
- From the second we enter the kitchen to fix dinner, both kids cry until they are served
- After Jay got down right next to Mikaela (they were playing), she slapped him square across the face
And now, our saving grace in the face of toddler tantrums: the cute stuff:
- Mikaela looked at Jay and said, “you da man!”
- Gabriel said, “gimmie five!” after picking up all of his blocks
- Mikaela found the hairbrush on the counter and said, “oh! bwush haiw!”
- After going potty, Mikaela toddled over and hiked her leg over the tub edge. I asked her what she was doing and she said, “baff” (bath) in a tone that was like, “duh!”
- Mikaela has learned the favorite phrase of toddlers the world over: “No, my toy!”
- Whenever Mikaela accomplishes something, she says, “yea! I di’ it” (I did it)
- Mikaela has started taking her pull-up (diaper) off and taking it to the garbage can to throw it out.
- Gabriel is obsessed with order. He always organizes the items in the shopping cart when we shop. When he’s done with his bath, he puts all his toys in a neat line on the side of the tub. Now, if I could just get him to voluntarily clean his room…
Footie PJ’s Rock!
I reserve the right to use these pictures for blackmail purposes when my kids are teenagers.
Not that there’s anything wrong with that
I’m trying to teach our kids my name and Jay’s name. So far, they’re pronouncing my name “Meh-nee” and Jay’s name … well, Gabriel just said, “Papa’s Gay!”
And it all comes back to the toilet humor
As a mother of two toddlers, it seems like my life revolves around potty chairs, diapers, and toilet humor. Oh, ’tis but a season, I keep telling myself.
I was pleasantly surprised yesterday when Mikaela announced, “pah-yee” (potty) and ran to the bathroom. I opened the door, and she took her pants off, climbed on the pot, and went. She made quite a production of straining and grunting, even though it wasn’t necessary. I guess eventually she’ll figure out that she doesn’t need to do that on every bathroom trip.
Since then, she’s gone several more times. All the praise we’re heaping on her must be going to her little head, because I overheard this from my little bragger on the monitor at naptime today: “Gee-bull, I peepee pah-yee!”
Just in case he hadn’t noticed the fanfare and ticker-tape parade.
Noah says hello
It’s “wainy ‘side,” as Gabriel says (translation: it’s rainy outside).
Boy, is it ever. It’s raining dogs, cats, aardvarks, and llamas.
I guess this is a normal mid-winter rain, much like the kind we often got in central Tennessee. But, living in Texas for the last two years, I’ve gotten used to the warm, dry weather. I already knew I’d become a weenie about the cold weather (50 degrees = parka weather), and I guess I have to admit I’ve become a wimp about the rain, too. I don’t like it.
I especially don’t like driving in it, as I had to do tonight to take Gabriel to the after-hours clinic for a nasty cough. They prescribed him a $40 decongestant/anti-histamine. And that was WITH insurance. Geez. Well, I hope it does the trick. He’s had this cough since mid-December, and this was his second doctor visit for it. I was afraid it had developed into pneumonia, but thankfully, it hadn’t.
Still recovering
Oh, where to start? Jay and I worked (okay, well, mostly Jay) feverishly last week to get the kids’ Christmas presents together, including Gabriel’s custom-built train table, a ‘castle’ – themed bedroom, and a mountain of toys.
Gabriel’s train table turned out pretty nicely – I think Jay did a good job on it. I can hardly pry the child away from it, so I think it goes without saying that Gabriel likes it as well.
The castle room wasn’t in our plans until about a week ago. One of our harebrained ideas, but I think it turned out okay. It was fun putting it together. Jay made decorative corner shelves that looked like castle walls, and we made some shadowbox art as well. The rest we purchased from Target, Michael’s and IKEA. All told, the room probably only cost us around $150. Not too shabby.
Anyway, Christmas went pretty well. We have been talking about the true reason for the season, but I don’t know how much our kids “get” yet… probably not much. We read the Christmas story from a kids’ picture book on Christmas Eve, but Gabriel kept interrupting and Mikaela kept trying to get up and walk off. Sigh. Maybe next year they’ll understand a little more…
Adventures in Christmas Shopping
I went to several stores tonight to find some things we needed for the kids’ rooms. We have decided to make Mikaela’s room into the bedroom for both kids, and Gabriel’s room into a playroom. They’re still so young, I don’t think they’ll mind, but we’ll see.
Part of the reason for this change is the gi-normous train table that Jay built for Gabriel’s Christmas present. It is going to take up half the room, and that + a bed = nowhere to play. So, the giant train table and the rest of their many toys are all going to get shoved into one room, and hopefully the other will stay clean (ha).
Anyway, I went to Wal-mart tonight to get paint for the train table. What an ordeal. The first time the guy mixed the paint, the color didn’t come out right, so he had to re-do it. After he re-did the color and handed me the can, I walked back the the back of the store to continue my shopping. All of a sudden, the can fell out of the cart, hit the floor and popped open. I skated around in a pool of black paint while an employee called a janitor. The janitor gave me a dirty look when he arrived. I SAID I was sorry. The lid probably wasn’t on good, anyway. Hmph.
So, I hurried and finished my shopping and headed for the door. On my way home, I stopped at Walgreen’s drug store. I wanted to find a decongestant and a back massager for my aching back. I found a cute small one called “the atom” or something like that. When the cashier rung me up, she couldn’t stop smirking. I wanted to tell her I wasn’t going to use the massager for any perverse reasons, but why bother, she probably wouldn’t have believed me anyway.
Now I’m back at home, and my son – who has had a cough all day – is burning up. I hope he gets better by Christmas. Poor guy.
Walkin’ in a Winter Wonderland
Tonight we walked the Trail of Lights, a 1-mile-long Christmas lights/scenery display winding around paths in Austin’s Zilker Park. It’s free and the kids love it. See pictures of the displays here.
This was our 2nd year to go. I have to say, this year’s unseasonably warm temperatures made it much more enjoyable than last. The temps were in the high 50s or low 60s when we made the walk at 9:00 this evening.
On Tuesday night, we went to a Christmas party for our church “home” group. We ate a delicious potluck meal, sang carols, and had a “white elephant” gift exchange.
The home group is comprised of young couples with lots of kids between us. My kids always act like monkeys when we’re at someone’s house and Tuesday was no exception. I had to fish Mikaela out of their bathtub twice, and I kept having to tell Gabriel to stop jumping on their son’s bed. I don’t allow these things at home, so I’m not sure why they get out in public and act like they’ve never heard of rules before? I hope people don’t think we just let them run wild. Oh, well, I’m sure I’m not the first parent who’s been embarassed by my kids’ antics.
A way to vent frustration at my kids
After a REALLY long, really frustrating day last week, I was at my wit’s end. The kids were driving me nuts. Gabriel, especially, was being really obnoxious. So, I beat him…. with a pillow. He giggled hysterically, and when I finished “beating” him, he sighed and said, “Mama, I pee pee inna pants.”
Oh, well, it was fun while it lasted.
Speaking of gas…
My 21-month-old daughter was making “zerbert” noises the other day while playing with her doll house. Upon closer inspection, she was making these noises while sitting her doll on the toilet.
Not even 2 yet and she’s already crude. I have NO idea where she got that from, other than observation.
Sigh.
Never a dull moment
Parenthood is always full of surprises. Like a few minutes ago when I went to check on my daughter in her bed – I bent over to tuck the blanket around her and smelled something AWFUL. It was her beloved stuffed dog that she drags everywhere, even to the table, where she spills food all over it. Apparently doggie was due for a bath. I had to pry him away from her, and now he’s on the spin cycle as I type.
Another surprise today: my son decided to re-decorate the Christmas tree. He was supposed to be napping at the time and had apparently slipped out of his room, where he quietly took all the ornaments off the bottom 2/3 of the tree and stuck them into two clusters. Problem was, he dropped most of the wire hooks in the process, which we had to search for. Sigh.
There’s always plenty of laughs sprinkled through the frustrations, though. Jay and I have both smiled over Mikaela’s rendition of Old MacDonald: “and a moo moo, and a moo moo, E-I-E-I-O.” (that’s all she knows of it.)
She also made us giggle last night, when we’d just put her and Gabriel to bed. He was crying, and we heard her voice thunder from her room: “HUSH!”
He actually gave us a scare tonight. We found him in his room, bent partially over, with his hands over his eyes, and he would NOT take them off. He whimpered and trembled when we tried to pry his hands from his face. I still don’t know what his deal was, but he was acting fine when we put him to bed. Very strange.
Well, I can hear Mikaela crying in her room… must’ve woken and found doggie missing.
A cure for croup
Only a parent who has been through it knows how frightening-sounding those late-night, barky coughing spells can be. Croup usually equals an anxious parent, a miserable child, and not much sleep for anyone.
My daughter has croup for the second time this fall. It starts out with a runny nose, but at night, she has a horrible-sounding cough.
Last time it got so bad, I had to take her to the ER so she could get a steroid shot to calm the swelling in her windpipe. The doctor there advised me to try home treatments next time, including running a cool-air humidifier, taking the child into a steamy bathroom for a few minutes, and/or taking the child out into the cool night air for a bit. All of these things theoretically work by moistening the dry and irritated airway of the child, calming its swelling down.
I have never had much luck with the home treatments, until last night. Instead of just running the cool-air humidifier in her room, I got her carseat out of the car, propped it back on a pillow so she’d be in a reclined position, and set the humidifier on the floor next to her, where it was blowing the moist air right in her face. (I wrapped her in a blanket so she wouldn’t be cold.) I know, it sounds like torture, but it’s REALLY helped - she’s sleeping like a baby. Last time, she woke about every 10 or 20 minutes to have a coughing fit – this time, she’s only coughing a few times the whole entire night.
I think it helps that her carseat is big and cushy, too… she konks out nearly every time she’s in the car.
Sleepy time
Putting Mikaela to bed has turned into a production. She’s now requesting that I fetch specific stuffed animals or dolls for her to sleep with – “beaw” (bear), “dog,” and “baby” to be specific. She seems to add a new one every time she goes to sleep. If she keeps this up, her bed’s going to be so full of animals, there’ll be no room for her!
I was an expert bedtime staller (‘mama, can I have a glass of water?,’ etc.)… apparently, she’s following suit.
I want a pony for Christmas
I went to Target about a week ago and saw it: a life-sized stuffed pony for sale. I thought it was cute, so I went to check it out. This wasn’t just any regular stuffed pony: it snorts and whinnys, turns its head toward your voice, moves its head all around, and eats its carrot. I think it’s the cutest thing I’ve ever seen, but at a price of $250, I think we’ll just have to wait.
boys
My son likes playing with dolls. No big deal for his age, really … except for the fact that he ALSO likes to carry my daughter’s purse around all day, and last week Jay caught him pretending to put powder on his face. I discourage this every time I see it, but past that, I really don’t know what to do. It’s hard to keep the kids and their toys separate. Maybe I need to get Gabriel some more fun toys or something.
And the tally is in
No, not the election numbers – the weight after we recovered from our stomach viruses.
Mikaela, inexplicably, gained a pound. I took her to the pediatrician today to check, fearful she’d lost weight after being sick and having a lousy appetite. I don’t know how on earth she gained a pound … maybe by my sheer will.
The other good news is that I lost 15 pounds! In 1 1/2 weeks! I know, part of that was probably water weight. But, I’m happy anyway.
My hair is turning grey
Ever since my kids’ stomach viruses, they haven’t had good appetites at ALL. Neither have Jay or I, but it’s going to be quite some time before either one of us is in danger of starving to death.
But the kids on the other hand, Mikaela especially, can’t stand to lose any weight. They’re both picky eaters, especially the last week or so. I know, they’re recovering, but GEEZ… I’m having to BEG them to get them to eat a bite of cookie! Something, anything, just to get some food down them …
I fixed Mikaela three different things for dinner last night, to no avail. She never ate a single bite. I am at my wit’s end.
I used to be of the opinion that the kids could eat what I put in front of them or just go to bed hungry … and Mikaela has called my bluff. She WILL go to bed hungry if you don’t feed her what she wants, and that’s not a good thing for an under-weight toddler.
Sigh.
Stomach bugs are no fun
Mikaela was first, several days ago, then Gabriel. Friday night was my turn, and Jay had it Saturday into Sunday. Good Lord in heaven, I wouldn’t wish a stomach bug on my worst enemy. I can’t remember the last time I had one, and I hope to never have one again!!!
All I’ve eaten in the last several days amounts to what I would normally call a snack. Well, at least maybe this will be a good jump-start on losing a few pounds. Have to find that silver lining, you know me …
Sick yet again
Another member of my household is sick … it never seems to end.
Mikaela came down with a stomach bug last night. I’ll spare you the gory details, but let’s just say it required lots of clothes-changing, sheet-changing, and carpet cleaner. Ugh.
She seems much better today, and is sucking down the pedialyte I’m giving her to keep her hydrated.
I’m so frustrated that she got this bug after we’ve worked so hard this last few weeks to get her weight up. She’s SO teeny for her age (20 months, 18 1/2 lbs.), both height and weight-wise. She looks proportional, but the doctor was concerned about her weight and wanted us to start giving her Pediasure to bulk her up. I’m pretty sure we were doing well in our endeavor until this latest bug… so, I guess we’re probably back to square one.
Anyone else have any magic tricks for getting a kid to put weight on? I’m trying Pediasure, Carnation Instant Breakfast, and chocolate ice cream. I mean, she eats regular food too, of course, but I’ve added those things in to help her weight along …
