Rain, Rain, Go Away

Oh my gosh, what a day! This morning we went to see J's classroom. He was so excited about it. Well, we wake up and it's pouring down rain. Great. So I'm already running a bit late and we finally get to the school.

I had an internal debate about the best way to get both kids inside, while staying dryish. I decided to take O out of his carseat and just carry him, regular style. So I jump out of the car and run around to try and unbuckle him. This crazy, black dog comes out of nowhere! I'm feeling a bit sorry for it, so I reach down to read it's collar and it jumps in my car! I catch a glimpse of it's tag and her name is "Pepper". So I'm talking really sweet to Pepper and she won't get out of the car. She climbs into the driver's seat and curls up in a ball. I run around to that side of the car and open the door. Pepper jumps into the passenger seat. I can't reach her. And no amount of yelling "Pepper, come here!" is working. I run to the other side. Rinse and repeat...you get the picture. Meanwhile J is yelling from the back "get out of mommy's seat Pepper!" and the baby is screaming.

Somehow I manage to wrangle this dog into my grasp. Only now guilt takes hold. I can't just leave her, right?? So I find the phone number on her tag and call her house. Just my luck, no answer. I leave some sort of crazed message. Again, guilt takes hold. I consider leaving her in my car, but decide I don't know this dog well enough to have her around my babies. So I shove the poor dog out into the rain.

At this point, it's been so long that now people are leaving orientation. They see me let this dog out and assume I brought my dog to orientation. One lady accusingly says "whose dog is this?" I shout from my rain-soaked position, still wrangling a screaming baby out of the car while trying to not drop the umbrella, "I have no idea, but I called the number on the tag".

So 20 minutes, 2 ticked off kids, one really soaked mommy, and a dog smelling car later, we finally make it inside. That part went amazingly well. J enjoyed his classroom and his teacher. I'm just crossing my fingers he doesn't flip out too badly when I actually leave him there.

Then I get back in the car only to realize my jeans are soaked from the dog sitting in my seat. Thanks, Pepper. All I could do was just laugh hysterically.

Talking back

In our lazy week of sickness, J has endured way too many hours of the Disney channel. In fact, Matt asked me how it came to be that J knew the entire morning lineup of playhouse Disney. Oops!

Some can claim that television is educational and interactive. Sure, you can try to pass it off as such, but let's call a spade a spade. The tv is a way for mommy to get things done, take a nap, check her email, or just sit in silence. Most kids sit through "interactive" tv with glazed expressions while Dora asks "who do we ask for help when we don't know which way to go?" silence "Right! The map. Good job!" silence. I think I can count on one hand, in my 15+ years of childcare, the times I've heard kids actually respond to these interactive questions. Yeah, they sometimes talk to the characters, maybe learn to count or say their abc's, or sing along. But never do they answer the questions.

So it is with shock that I heard James respond to Mickey the other day. It went something like this:

Mickey: Minnie is going to take some soup to Goofy. Can you help Minnie take some soup to Goofy?
J: NO! No, Mickey! I don't like Mickey to say that!
M: Great! Let's take the soup to Goofy.

Apparently interactive tv does not mean that Mickey will respond accordingly. Or maybe Mickey just likes to stay ever cheerful?? Whatever the case, I'm pretty sure that kids can see through the interactive ruse.

Future Lyricist?

J was playing and stumbled upon a forgotten apple he had nibbled on hours before. He belts out the following tune, sung to the tune of "Twinkle, Twinkle".

Rotten apple
Rotten apple
How I wonder what you are!

Safe and Safe

That's what J called O after "helpfully" covering him up.

Sometimes he can be sweet.

I've been sick yesterday and today. The kind where I can't even manage to get out of bed or keep my eyes open. Needless to say, it's been a boring couple of days for J.

This morning, when he got up, he wandered to our bedroom door. Matt happened to still be home so he came upstairs to say hi to him. He took him potty and brought him to lie down in the bed with me.

After getting settled with a show, J leans over and whispers excitedly to me "guess what?". I'm almost sure I mumbled some sort of response. Then, "daddy give me a kiss AND a hug! Daddy still here and give me kiss AND a hug!" Apparently the highlight of the poor child's day is a kiss and hug from daddy to start the day off right. He was mostly so excited because he's not used to seeing Matt in the mornings.

By lunchtime I could barely function, let alone hold a small baby. So I asked Matt to come home and climbed back in bed. J joins me and asks me to play, I tell him no, I'm too sick but daddy will be home soon. He thinks for a second, then says "Daddy comin' home. He give you a kiss and a hug and make you ALL better!" So sweet.

My heart was melting at that point, but it only got better. He climbed off the bed and wandered away. Next thing I know, he reappears with a book. And he says "mommy, I'm gonna read you a story. It's Go Dog Go!" And he proceeded to 'read' me a story.

Stalling tactics

J likes to stall for bedtime. Lately, he's started telling Matt that he needs to use the potty right when he gets in bed. Matt's getting annoyed because 9 times out of 10, he doesn't actually need to use the bathroom.

The other night, in a moment of pure frustration, Matt told J he wasn't getting off the potty unless he went to the bathroom first. J pretends to try, then looks up at Matt and says: "Daddy, it's not actually working!"

Friends or Foes?

J has seemed to take an interest in O a lot lately. Today he said: I had so much fun playin' with you, baby Oliver! I love you so much.

But before you start saying how sweet that is, maybe I should tell you what "so much fun playin'" actually entails....

First, it's annoying poor baby brother with ill-fitting eyewear.



Then, it's driving cars right at his face (ok, you can't see the car, but I promise it's in his hand).


And finally, it involves moving in such a way that causes poor baby brother to be displaced.


I guess it's not all bad though...


And now you can say Awwww

Sunshine

Although J has been in a big boy bed for 6 months now, he's never actually gotten out of the bed. He still follows the crib rules and calls for us when he wakes up.

Recently, in what must have been a moment of pure baby-kept-me-up-all-night exhaustion, I must not have heard him when he called in the morning. Next thing I know, he's in my room wondering why I have ignored him all morning. Oops!

So now, every morning he gets himself out of bed. It's actually quite nice because it totally reinforces my laziness. Want another 30 minutes of sleeping? No problem, just ask J to grab the remote on his way into the room. Don't judge...we've all done it.

The best parts are his little comments when he comes in. Sometimes he'll say "SURPRISE!!! It's me!" Usually this one is followed by O screaming because he's been awakened by the very loud surprise. But it also makes me giggle. Who else would it be? If someone else is bustin' in my room at 7:30 in the morning, yelling 'surprise' then we might have a problem.

Sometimes he'll peek very quietly around the door, and when he sees me he'll say "Good mornin' sunshine. I love you, mommy!" That just melts my heart. Is there any better way to start the day?!

Sometimes he peeks into the room and can't see me for whatever reason. Maybe I've snuggled too deep into the covers. And then he says "hello? Is anyone here?"

Any of those comments is usually always followed by "Is daddy here today?" and "Can I watch one show?" Sure, just grab that remote and make sure not to talk to me again for 30 minutes.

Question Authority

There is a certain rite of passage that all children go through. One that strikes fear in the hearts of all parents, but is a great accomplishment for children. And that is independence. It starts from the time a baby first learns to use the word no, and basically never ends.

Obviously, toddlerhood is a huge time period of exerting independence. Every day is a constant exercise of "limit pushing" over big and little things. What to eat, what to wear, I want that, no I changed my mind and now I want that, and I changed my mind again and I want the first one, etc, etc, etc....all day long.

It takes a great deal of patience and a whole lot of learning to choose your battles.

But recently, I was faced with a milestone that I wasn't expecting for quite some time. It started out just like any other interaction we might have. J was about to use the potty and wanted his car to sit with him. I said: We can't take our cars on the potty. And then he paused, turned and looked at me, and said: Why not?

Wow. Well this one has an easy answer. Because they might fall in the toilet. But I was shocked and totally unprepared. What happens when the "why not" has a more complicated or abstract answer?

I was hit with it yet again when I told him he couldn't bring his toys to the train store. Why not? Well, because mommy's too tired to deal with keeping up with them. And because mommy doesn't want to deal with tantrums when another kid touches your toys. And mostly because I said no. I'm not so sure he was convinced that one was legit.

On the one hand, I'm not too happy to deal with the latest in independence. On the other hand, surely my child is a genius. What 2.5 year old knows how to correctly use why not? Doesn't why usually precede why not? And where exactly did he learn this anyway? I certainly didn't teach him.

I'm just about ready to call the newspapers and declare him a toddler-Einstein when I tell him to use his indoor voice. His response? Why not?

2 months old and "O" so big!

Our little O is 2 months old :( As I type this, he is taking a nap in his big boy crib. I cannot believe my youngest little guy is 2 months old! It has flown by.

I get weekly emails from babycenter detailing what my baby should be doing in the coming week. This morning, when I checked my in-box, instead of the "your baby is x weeks old" email, I was surprised to find "your baby is 2 MONTHS old"! I was shocked. Sure, I know he's 2 months old, but it just seems so grown up that they switched from counting weeks, to counting months.

I have always loved newborn babies, and I swore that this time I'd treasure every single second. But somehow I found myself wishing he'd get just a bit older. Poor little guy loves being held every second of the day and I keep thinking "if we can only get to 6 months old, this will be easier". And now, here we are a third of a way to that goal and I'm so sad. Where did the time go??

So, here's some information on my 2 month old. He loves daddy. Matt admitted to me that he was worried about that. He was afraid nursing would make the baby too attached to me, and not interested in him. But that's not the case. He loves daddy. His eyes light up when he sees daddy and he's full of smiles.

He loves big brother. Whenever he catches a glimpse of J his arms and legs start kicking wildly, he starts "talking" non-stop, and he's close to giggles.

He loves mommy. He will stop crying the second I hold him and will be calm and content as long as he's in my arms. Admittedly, I sometimes wonder if his love for me is solely based on his need for nursing. But either way, I'll take it :)

Basically, our little guy is just full of love.

He's sleeping 6-10 hour stretches at night (ok, ok...he only slept 10 hours once, but it still sounds impressive if I throw that number in there), still has his dark hair, sleeps in his swing (shh, don't tell our pediatrician), and is somehow napping like a pro! I've got my fingers crossed that this time we'll have a better sleeper.

Not sure on his height, but I am guessing 22ish inches. And our best weight guess is 14 pounds. We need to go stand on a scale an subtract our weight for more accurate results though.

So, Happy 2 month birthday, Oliver. Mommy, Daddy, and big brother are so blessed to have you in our lives.

Love is too big...

J is a very affectionate little guy, always giving kisses and hugs. But when he doesn't want affection, he really doesn't want it. This morning he was trying to play and I bent down to give him a hug and said I love you. He pushed me off and replied: No, mommy, don't love me!

Matt had a similar issue yesterday. J asked for a hug, and Matt gave him what we call a "smooshy hug". Basically a smooshy hug is a really big bear hug. J struggled against Matt and said: No, Daddy! That hug is too big! I only want a baby hug.

Some Oldies, but Goodies

One of the reasons I wanted to start a blog was so that I could document the crazy things J does or says. I know that it's so easy to forget the funny things they do when you get bogged down in day to day life. So I thought I'd take a moment to write down some of the funny things he says/used to say on a recurring basis. Here goes...

1. It's too fit! This one is used when something doesn't fit, is too big, too small, etc. Example: I can't sit on that bike....it's too fit!

2. It's darkin! This one's obvious, but still hysterical. Used to describe a dark room, dark outside, etc. I have a feeling it comes from Matt and I saying "it's dark in there" but he turned it into one word, used always to describe dark.

3. I got a sticky! The word sticky=hangnail in J's dictionary. It causes loads of confusion when a well meaning grandmother tries to wash his hands after he holds his hands up and proclaims "I got a sticky!"

4. I got a bloody nose! Bloody nose=runny nose. This one comes from a random time he had a bloody nose. Now he thinks any time it runs, it's a bloody nose.

5. I'm still poopin'! We laugh hysterically at this one. He uses it whenever he needs to poop. But it cracks Matt up because it makes it sound like he's never stopped pooping.

6. Do you hear any tinkies? Doesn't really need any explanation, but he says it any time he sits on the potty.

7. I not did! Apparently, I'm the only one who understands this one. Most everyone else thinks he's saying 'I not dead'. This one is used whenever you ask him a question and the answer should be no. Example: 'Did you knock this over?'.....'I not did'

I'm sure there are tons more of these, but these are the only ones I could think of right now.

Messy, messy!

I think this image says it all. But yes, it's that kind of a day.





I'm pretty sure at some point before bed last night, my kids had a secret meeting. I really, really wish I had been invited to this meeting because they decided that they'd both make me get up all.night.long. I'd have been the voice of reason, swiftly vetoing this decision. But no, it was a kids only meeting. *sigh*

So, I found myself up all night long. O has been sleeping anywhere from 6-10 hours at night. Usually around the realm of 8 hours. Somehow I must have had a subconscious premonition that last night would be different because I actually went to bed early. And it's a good thing I did. O was up all night fussing/whining/crying. I have no idea what that was about. And J was up for a lot of the night coughing. He still can't catch a break when it comes to his respiratory issues.

On the plus side, both kids have napped exceptionally well today. O is still sleeping and we're pushing close to 4 hours now.

Or maybe that's actually a minus and they're both planning on staying up again tonight.

Lots of wasted food...

I guess I'm used to wasting food by now. Toddlers are well-known for their pickiness. It's just par for the course. But lately, there's a new kind of wasting. J will not eat without first fixing a meal for Woofy, his stuffed dog. Woofy needs his own bowl, spoon/fork, and seat at the table. Luckily, Woofy has yet to ask for seconds.

Chores

Oddly enough, Matt and I both hate the same part of unloading the dishwasher. And that is the silverware. We will leave clean dishes in there forever, crossing our fingers that the other one will break first. We prefer washing by hand any dishes that pop up afterward, just so we don't have to unload it. And it's all because of the silverware. It takes forever to unload! And inevitably the prongs of forks will get tangled in the basket, causing a total traffic jam for spoons and knives as well.

This is why I decided to enlist some help. Afterall, what are kids for if not lifelong servitude?! And what do you know...he actually likes it!! He thinks he's getting to do something "off-limits" and meanwhile I can breeze through the remainder of the dishes.





Sure, some things go in there a bit wonky, but I'm willing to compromise ;)




And don't worry, we take the sharp knives out first.

Jokes

This morning J dropped some food on the floor.

J: We need to go get Layla (dog) back. She can get that food up.
Daddy: Why would Layla want to come back? You're so mean to her.
J: I need her to come back.
D: Layla told me she only wants to come back when O is big enough to play with her and be nice.

J gets a nasty look on his face and slams his fork on the table.

J: Are you kiddin' me?!?