Saturday, March 30, 2013
Mommy Win - Day 49
I had the Easter baskets all ready to go earlier this week. Ours are in storage, so I made some temporary ones. They turned out awesome! All I had to do was hide them this morning. It was nice to have that stress done with well before the holiday.
Friday, March 29, 2013
Mommy Win - Day 48
We played outside today as well as playing with play dough. We also played with Lincoln Logs and Mega Blocks.
I won't go into how miserable I felt all day, but we all managed to survive. I even got the quilt I'll be making for the new little lady started. I won't be finishing it before she arrives (I don't have access to my sewing machine, and I don't think my mom's could handle it..) but I plan to have everything cut and as much of it sewn as possible. I'd say I'm just about halfway done with the cutting.
I won't go into how miserable I felt all day, but we all managed to survive. I even got the quilt I'll be making for the new little lady started. I won't be finishing it before she arrives (I don't have access to my sewing machine, and I don't think my mom's could handle it..) but I plan to have everything cut and as much of it sewn as possible. I'd say I'm just about halfway done with the cutting.
Thursday, March 28, 2013
Mommy Win - Day 47
I was able to get nearly everything done in my "to do" list today. I even had myself and the little man dressed and ready for the day before breakfast!
Although I had scheduled out a different plan for how the day would go, the little guy really wanted to play outside for a while this morning. So we bounced and kicked his red ball around, ran around in circles, and colored with sidewalk chalk. And it was totally worth every minute it took me off my "schedule."
Although I had scheduled out a different plan for how the day would go, the little guy really wanted to play outside for a while this morning. So we bounced and kicked his red ball around, ran around in circles, and colored with sidewalk chalk. And it was totally worth every minute it took me off my "schedule."
Wednesday, March 27, 2013
Mommy Win - Day 46
A couple of things for today:
•• He counted to ten unprompted and completely on his own. I love seeing him learn so much. And it is especially nice because he is picking things up without us sitting and "practicing" over and over. I feel like our society is a little too obsessive about making sure our kids are "ready" for school, and that your child already has to know how to read before they're allowed to start school. It's too much... But that's a discussion for another time...
•• We were singing some songs today, and although he wasn't singing the words with me, he was humming along and he was really quite in tune. I was impressed. It made my music teacher self happy.
•• Who knew playing with packing peanuts could be so entertaining and fun? We played with a bunch of then tonight and had a grand old time throwing them at each other.
•• I've learned that we can avoid a lot of possible tantrums with the little dude by just preparing him for what is coming up next. If that means that we need to clean up to go somewhere, it goes much more smoothly if we are able to give him a specific time frame, like, "in 5 minutes we're putting toys away so we can go to the store." And generally speaking it is much less of an ordeal (and more often than not, no ordeal) than if we just spring it on him. Hopefully we'll be able to keep this up once our little lady joins the family...
•• He counted to ten unprompted and completely on his own. I love seeing him learn so much. And it is especially nice because he is picking things up without us sitting and "practicing" over and over. I feel like our society is a little too obsessive about making sure our kids are "ready" for school, and that your child already has to know how to read before they're allowed to start school. It's too much... But that's a discussion for another time...
•• We were singing some songs today, and although he wasn't singing the words with me, he was humming along and he was really quite in tune. I was impressed. It made my music teacher self happy.
•• Who knew playing with packing peanuts could be so entertaining and fun? We played with a bunch of then tonight and had a grand old time throwing them at each other.
•• I've learned that we can avoid a lot of possible tantrums with the little dude by just preparing him for what is coming up next. If that means that we need to clean up to go somewhere, it goes much more smoothly if we are able to give him a specific time frame, like, "in 5 minutes we're putting toys away so we can go to the store." And generally speaking it is much less of an ordeal (and more often than not, no ordeal) than if we just spring it on him. Hopefully we'll be able to keep this up once our little lady joins the family...
Tuesday, March 26, 2013
Mommy Win - Day 45
Today he was looking at a remote that had some letters on it, and before I even realized what he was saying he was saying the letters "R, G, Y, B" without any kind of prompting. I haven't gone over letters with him a whole lot, so it was a nice surprise to find that he knew those letters.
Monday, March 25, 2013
Mommy Win - Day 44
Today was a fun day with the little dude. He was in much better spirits which always makes it more fun. I don't remember getting too frustrated with him and even though we spent a long time driving around town today, he managed to stay awake and take a nap in his bed when we got home.
Tonight has been rough. He is using every possible delay tactic to avoid going to bed, and it is wearing me down. We started bedtime over an hour ago and he's still awake and trying to delay the inevitable. I just have to focus on the wins today so I don't get too frustrated. But honestly, I kind of want to pull my hair out right now.
Tonight has been rough. He is using every possible delay tactic to avoid going to bed, and it is wearing me down. We started bedtime over an hour ago and he's still awake and trying to delay the inevitable. I just have to focus on the wins today so I don't get too frustrated. But honestly, I kind of want to pull my hair out right now.
Sunday, March 24, 2013
Mommy Win - Day 43
A little rough day today at church. Even though we don't follow daylight saving here in Arizona, we are still affected by the change of season that makes the sun rising much earlier. He hasn't been sleeping in until his usual time, and has been waking up an hour to hour and a half earlier than usual. It's tough.
So, he got in trouble during nursery today and had to come sit with me in Primary. I had to singing time, but since he was in trouble he needed to just sit in time out, as it were. And I am actually kind of impressed that he sat, the entire time, in the chair I placed him in, without making any sort of noise or causing a distraction. A strange win, but I was proud of him.
After we got home he went down for his nap, but he woke up after only an hour and a half. I went in and sat with him for a few minutes, and helped him calm down. After just about a minute he fell asleep again in my arms. I do love having a little time when he'll sleep with me still. It doesn't happen really often, but I'm trying to cherish the time that it does happen.
So, he got in trouble during nursery today and had to come sit with me in Primary. I had to singing time, but since he was in trouble he needed to just sit in time out, as it were. And I am actually kind of impressed that he sat, the entire time, in the chair I placed him in, without making any sort of noise or causing a distraction. A strange win, but I was proud of him.
After we got home he went down for his nap, but he woke up after only an hour and a half. I went in and sat with him for a few minutes, and helped him calm down. After just about a minute he fell asleep again in my arms. I do love having a little time when he'll sleep with me still. It doesn't happen really often, but I'm trying to cherish the time that it does happen.
Saturday, March 23, 2013
Mommy Win - Days 39 - 42
So... My whole plan of posting every single day seems to have fallen short. Oh well, I am going to keep going! I really have noticed a difference in my days when I remember that I am looking for the good things to write about. It helps keep things in perspective.
We did have a run of really, really rough days though. Wednesday-Friday were tough. Although, on Wednesday I did take him to see the model train club that my dad participates in. The little man is obsessed with all things transportation, and particularly loves trains. So, I wanted to take him to see all the trains at the train club. Unfortunately he wasn't terribly well behaved and so we ended up leaving on a rather sour note. But, I was able to take him and that was something he had really wanted to do, so I will count that as a win.
I worked all day Thursday and Friday. When I work it means a few things for the little man. One, he gets to play with his cousins all day - which he really likes. Two, unfortunately it means he has to get up really early in order for me to be able to get him to my sister's house and then for me to get to work. Three, naps (if they even happen) are always in the car, on the way home, in the 4:00 hour. Four, naps are only about an hour long on these days, when he usually takes anywhere from 2-3 hours. So, he's been lacking in the sleep department the last few days. It makes the evenings really, really rough.
So, here's to kind of starting over... We'll be trying to be a little more positive. Today has been pretty good. He has been great so far and we've been having a lot of fun playing and goofing around.
We did have a run of really, really rough days though. Wednesday-Friday were tough. Although, on Wednesday I did take him to see the model train club that my dad participates in. The little man is obsessed with all things transportation, and particularly loves trains. So, I wanted to take him to see all the trains at the train club. Unfortunately he wasn't terribly well behaved and so we ended up leaving on a rather sour note. But, I was able to take him and that was something he had really wanted to do, so I will count that as a win.
I worked all day Thursday and Friday. When I work it means a few things for the little man. One, he gets to play with his cousins all day - which he really likes. Two, unfortunately it means he has to get up really early in order for me to be able to get him to my sister's house and then for me to get to work. Three, naps (if they even happen) are always in the car, on the way home, in the 4:00 hour. Four, naps are only about an hour long on these days, when he usually takes anywhere from 2-3 hours. So, he's been lacking in the sleep department the last few days. It makes the evenings really, really rough.
So, here's to kind of starting over... We'll be trying to be a little more positive. Today has been pretty good. He has been great so far and we've been having a lot of fun playing and goofing around.
Tuesday, March 19, 2013
Mommy Win - Day 38
I have worried about my little guy's speech for a while. I know, I know. He's a boy, he's only two and a half, yadda, yadda, yadda... The point is, I have just wanted him to be able to be understood by people besides me and my husband.
One of the things he does is speak in the third person, all the time. I know this is quite normal for children. But part of the problem with this is that he can't say his name clearly so to most people, they have no idea that he is saying his name all the time.
I know he understands the concept of "me" and "you." A few weeks ago he randomly asked me about it to see if he was right - which he was. However, he hasn't used it much since then. Yesterday, though, I noticed that, although he would start his sentence with his name (instead of "I"), he would then be using "me," "my" or "mine" quite consistently in the rest of his sentence. This really made me so happy. It also reminded me that I don't need to worry about things like this as much as I do. He's a smart kid, and he has smart parents who can help him figure it all out.
One of the things he does is speak in the third person, all the time. I know this is quite normal for children. But part of the problem with this is that he can't say his name clearly so to most people, they have no idea that he is saying his name all the time.
I know he understands the concept of "me" and "you." A few weeks ago he randomly asked me about it to see if he was right - which he was. However, he hasn't used it much since then. Yesterday, though, I noticed that, although he would start his sentence with his name (instead of "I"), he would then be using "me," "my" or "mine" quite consistently in the rest of his sentence. This really made me so happy. It also reminded me that I don't need to worry about things like this as much as I do. He's a smart kid, and he has smart parents who can help him figure it all out.
Monday, March 18, 2013
Mommy Win - Day 37
Mondays are particularly hard for the little man because he's had his dad as well as grandparents around all weekend, particularly when he wakes up in the morning. This morning he was especially sad that no one but me was home. However, we were still able to have a lot of fun this morning, just the two of us.
It helped that we got to meet up with daddy for lunch - always a nice treat. And today's lunch did not disappoint. Even though I felt a little sick after lunch (ate way too much, and there's not much room anymore) I was still able to make a stop at Walmart for some quick shopping that needed to be done. He even picked out a sweet dress for baby sister. He gave the dress a hug and a kiss and then set it on my belly and said, "here Baby da-da." Definitely a sweet moment.
It helped that we got to meet up with daddy for lunch - always a nice treat. And today's lunch did not disappoint. Even though I felt a little sick after lunch (ate way too much, and there's not much room anymore) I was still able to make a stop at Walmart for some quick shopping that needed to be done. He even picked out a sweet dress for baby sister. He gave the dress a hug and a kiss and then set it on my belly and said, "here Baby da-da." Definitely a sweet moment.
Sunday, March 17, 2013
Mommy Win - Day 36
He didn't eat much today. Well, ok, he ate a bowl of cereal for breakfast, but only about half a sandwich for lunch and some fruit for dinner. It is stressful and frustrating to me when he does this, but today I wasn't as bothered by it as I usually am. I am trying hard to not worry so much about things like how much he's eating because I know he will eat when he's hungry. Not to mention that he has really been trying a lot of new foods recently, and that also makes me really happy. So I definitely need to focus on the big picture rather than just one day...
Friday, March 15, 2013
Mommy Win - Day 35
Today I had gotten a little frustrated while changing the little monkey's diaper. I don't even remember why (other than the fact that diaper changes have become one of the most dramatic events in recorded history!) but he looked right at me and said - for the first time - "I love you so much mommy." It really made me so happy. And after I responded to him, he said, "mummy's happy now!" Yes, indeed little man. Yes, indeed.
Thursday, March 14, 2013
Mommy Win - Day 34
We've entered the phase where the little bug always wants at least a bite of whatever I'm eating. I wanted him to have something healthy for dinner tonight, but he asked for his leftover pizza from the other night. That was fine. I did want to use the leftovers, but I still wanted him to have something healthy with his dinner.
So, I made myself some dinner and included some strawberries, yogurt, and was drinking water. Of course he asked to share some of my food. He ate about half the strawberries and ate most of the yogurt as well as having some of my water. Success!
So, I made myself some dinner and included some strawberries, yogurt, and was drinking water. Of course he asked to share some of my food. He ate about half the strawberries and ate most of the yogurt as well as having some of my water. Success!
Wednesday, March 13, 2013
Mommy Win - Day 33
I wasn't feeling too good this morning. I was supposed to work, but just couldn't. However, even not feeling well, I was able to make the most of the day. I got to enjoy just playing/resting with my little guy. It was a good day.
Tuesday, March 12, 2013
Mommy Win - Day 32
Several meltdowns averted tonight.
He finally listened and responded to the choices I was giving him (i.e. Get in your pajamas and play for another few minutes, or fight getting the pajamas on and be done playing). It was so nice to have him listen to the choices and pick ones that made him (and us!) happy.
He finally listened and responded to the choices I was giving him (i.e. Get in your pajamas and play for another few minutes, or fight getting the pajamas on and be done playing). It was so nice to have him listen to the choices and pick ones that made him (and us!) happy.
Monday, March 11, 2013
Mommy Win - Day 31
Daylight Saving... Ugh. I am very glad AZ doesn't participate because it is already too bright in the early morning. And the little dude didn't appreciate the early morning sun today. He was up way too early, but when I went in his room to sit with him he fell asleep for another hour. It was nice to just sit and enjoy my time with him, and watch him dreaming. He smiled and laughed several times. Although it was earlier than I wanted to start my day, it was a good start to the day.
Sunday, March 10, 2013
Mommy Win - Day 30
Yesterday was tough. I was in a lot of pain which made me very cranky all. day. long. I was not a fun person to be around. In any case, I guess I will count the fact that I actually made dinner at home as a win. I definitely was not much in the mood to cook, but I still did. That says something, right?
As for today, it actually just happened. The little man had been in bed for a little while, but just woke up crying. When I went in to see what had happened he told me he was scared. I asked him if he wanted to say a prayer, and he agreed.
We said a prayer together and after a minute he said, "Mommy, Boston is happy now! Jesus helped Boston!" It was so sweet and such a wonderful example of child-like faith.
As for today, it actually just happened. The little man had been in bed for a little while, but just woke up crying. When I went in to see what had happened he told me he was scared. I asked him if he wanted to say a prayer, and he agreed.
We said a prayer together and after a minute he said, "Mommy, Boston is happy now! Jesus helped Boston!" It was so sweet and such a wonderful example of child-like faith.
Saturday, March 9, 2013
Mommy Win - Day 29
The day is over. Hallelujah. I will have to report tomorrow on what my win was for today because I can't honestly think of anything.
Friday, March 8, 2013
Mommy Win - Day 28
Last night was tough. It was nice that he was feeling much better, but yikes! We had a rough evening.
Tonight was muchly better. And, with the help of my awesome husband, we got him ready for bed and in bed with very few tears or complaints. Such a nice win after yesterday.
Tonight was muchly better. And, with the help of my awesome husband, we got him ready for bed and in bed with very few tears or complaints. Such a nice win after yesterday.
Thursday, March 7, 2013
Wednesday, March 6, 2013
Mommy Win - Day 26
Oh today did not turn out as I had planned... Rarely do my days go exactly as I hope, but today was WAY off.
Here were a few things on my to do list today:
• Make/write thank you notes
• Give B a bath (yes, I have to put it on my list or it doesn't always happen. Don't judge)
• Plan music for Sunday
• Do dishes/clean kitchen
• Sew the shepherd (my mom and I are working on a nativity. Yes, in March)
As you can see, I definitely had some things to get done. There were several other things I had planned as well. I'll say it now, the only thing I managed to accomplish was to give the little dude a bath.
The day started off a little different because little man decided not to wake up until 9:40. Definitely not the norm. He usually sleeps until anytime between 7:30-8:30. I wasn't too surprised he slept in because we've been a little wacky on the sleep schedule the last few days.
However, he woke up crying and complaining that his mouth hurt. His lips were very chapped, so I put some Chapstick on his lips. He then asked to cuddle with me in the chair in his room. Not totally strange as we do this very often in the mornings. But when I laid him down to change his diaper he started to kind of close his eyes as if he was going to fall asleep. Very odd.
Anyway, he was extremely tired all morning and basically sat and cuddled with me for over an hour and a half and also slept for about 40 minutes of that time. He didn't have a fever, but was extremely weak, too. I was getting quite scared. This was definitely not normal behavior, and made me quite nervous.
I made a doctor's appointment for him, and shortly after he threw up - hence managing to get him in the bath. He started to act a little more normal after that, and was asking to eat something.
Long story short, we went to the doctor, of course she didn't find anything. He has been acting fine all afternoon and has been eating more today than he usually eats. *sigh*
So what was my win for the day? I've learned that, as a mother, you have to kind of learn how to control your knee-jerk reactions to things like spills, accidents and puking. I haven't done very good at this so far, but today with the throwing up, I felt like I handled it great. I didn't make the little man more upset by my reaction (which has definitely happened in the past) and he wasn't really even very upset after the whole episode. We got it cleaned up and got him bathed with little to no tears. A definite win today.
Here were a few things on my to do list today:
• Make/write thank you notes
• Give B a bath (yes, I have to put it on my list or it doesn't always happen. Don't judge)
• Plan music for Sunday
• Do dishes/clean kitchen
• Sew the shepherd (my mom and I are working on a nativity. Yes, in March)
As you can see, I definitely had some things to get done. There were several other things I had planned as well. I'll say it now, the only thing I managed to accomplish was to give the little dude a bath.
The day started off a little different because little man decided not to wake up until 9:40. Definitely not the norm. He usually sleeps until anytime between 7:30-8:30. I wasn't too surprised he slept in because we've been a little wacky on the sleep schedule the last few days.
However, he woke up crying and complaining that his mouth hurt. His lips were very chapped, so I put some Chapstick on his lips. He then asked to cuddle with me in the chair in his room. Not totally strange as we do this very often in the mornings. But when I laid him down to change his diaper he started to kind of close his eyes as if he was going to fall asleep. Very odd.
Anyway, he was extremely tired all morning and basically sat and cuddled with me for over an hour and a half and also slept for about 40 minutes of that time. He didn't have a fever, but was extremely weak, too. I was getting quite scared. This was definitely not normal behavior, and made me quite nervous.
I made a doctor's appointment for him, and shortly after he threw up - hence managing to get him in the bath. He started to act a little more normal after that, and was asking to eat something.
Long story short, we went to the doctor, of course she didn't find anything. He has been acting fine all afternoon and has been eating more today than he usually eats. *sigh*
So what was my win for the day? I've learned that, as a mother, you have to kind of learn how to control your knee-jerk reactions to things like spills, accidents and puking. I haven't done very good at this so far, but today with the throwing up, I felt like I handled it great. I didn't make the little man more upset by my reaction (which has definitely happened in the past) and he wasn't really even very upset after the whole episode. We got it cleaned up and got him bathed with little to no tears. A definite win today.
Tuesday, March 5, 2013
Mommy Win - Days 24 & 25
Yesterday was a hard day for me. I was cranky, little man was cranky... So my win ended up just being able to slightly keep my cool. I did get some crafting time in during his nap, which was nice. I think I'll need to do it more often.
Today we got to enjoy our little guy's sense of humor. He was being absolutely hilarious, and I'm sad to say I missed some of it because it happened while he was at my sister's house, but he was being very funny tonight. He was dancing like crazy and making jokes. It was a fun night.
Today we got to enjoy our little guy's sense of humor. He was being absolutely hilarious, and I'm sad to say I missed some of it because it happened while he was at my sister's house, but he was being very funny tonight. He was dancing like crazy and making jokes. It was a fun night.
Sunday, March 3, 2013
Mommy Win - Day 24
Tonight we were able to have dinner with some friends who recently had a baby. I'll admit, I was a little nervous. My little guy has been very interested in babies recently (which is awesome), but his experience has been with babies between the ages of 4 and 8 months. Our friends had a baby 6 weeks ago...
I had nothing to worry about. The baby was asleep when we arrived, but little B wanted to see him and watch him sleep. He was completely fascinated. He kept talking about the baby sleeping, and anytime the baby made any kind of noise (as newborns are wont to do), he would run into the other room to check on him. It was so sweet.
After we had finished dinner, the baby woke up and was naturally hungry. Our friends were kind enough to let our little one sit by the baby and even bring his bottle to him, and hold it while he was eating. The look of pure joy and excitement on my little man's face made my heart melt. I was thrilled to see how he interacted with the baby, and he seemed to be in absolute heaven.
Of course it wasn't all perfect... We were getting his hands washed so he could hold the baby (which he had been SO excited to do), but he got distracted by something in the bathroom that he wanted to play with. It wasn't really a toy, and I didn't let him play with it, so he was really upset. We ended up having to leave shortly after because it was getting close to bedtime, and our little guy was not calming down. I'm sad he didn't get to hold the baby, since he had been so excited, but I was very pleased with how he was treating the baby otherwise. He even gave him some sweet kisses on the head (with parental permission, of course). It was an overall good night.
I had nothing to worry about. The baby was asleep when we arrived, but little B wanted to see him and watch him sleep. He was completely fascinated. He kept talking about the baby sleeping, and anytime the baby made any kind of noise (as newborns are wont to do), he would run into the other room to check on him. It was so sweet.
After we had finished dinner, the baby woke up and was naturally hungry. Our friends were kind enough to let our little one sit by the baby and even bring his bottle to him, and hold it while he was eating. The look of pure joy and excitement on my little man's face made my heart melt. I was thrilled to see how he interacted with the baby, and he seemed to be in absolute heaven.
Of course it wasn't all perfect... We were getting his hands washed so he could hold the baby (which he had been SO excited to do), but he got distracted by something in the bathroom that he wanted to play with. It wasn't really a toy, and I didn't let him play with it, so he was really upset. We ended up having to leave shortly after because it was getting close to bedtime, and our little guy was not calming down. I'm sad he didn't get to hold the baby, since he had been so excited, but I was very pleased with how he was treating the baby otherwise. He even gave him some sweet kisses on the head (with parental permission, of course). It was an overall good night.
Friday, March 1, 2013
Mommy Win - Day 23
Today I worked in the morning for a few hours and then babysat my niece and nephews for the rest of the afternoon. My little dude had a great time playing with his cousins, which was awesome.
He also managed to eat a huge amount of food today. I think I've learned something from this. He needs more little snacks throughout the day. Because today he ate: cereal for breakfast, a ham sandwich at lunch with Cheetos, another bowl of cereal about an hour after lunch, as well as another sandwich. When it came time for dinner, I was certain he wouldn't eat much at all. However, he surprised me completely by eating a good quarter of my food, some things that he's never tried before, and ate a ton without even batting an eye.
Hopefully I'll be able to keep up with this little man's appetite, and hopefully I'll be able to get a good snack schedule for him. You can really learn something new about your child every day, if you're paying attention.
He also managed to eat a huge amount of food today. I think I've learned something from this. He needs more little snacks throughout the day. Because today he ate: cereal for breakfast, a ham sandwich at lunch with Cheetos, another bowl of cereal about an hour after lunch, as well as another sandwich. When it came time for dinner, I was certain he wouldn't eat much at all. However, he surprised me completely by eating a good quarter of my food, some things that he's never tried before, and ate a ton without even batting an eye.
Hopefully I'll be able to keep up with this little man's appetite, and hopefully I'll be able to get a good snack schedule for him. You can really learn something new about your child every day, if you're paying attention.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)