J vs. The Kid

Tonight J and I met my parents for dinner and then we walked to the play area at the mall. J was happily playing for a good 20 minutes or so when he had a run-in with The Kid.

The Kid looked to be about 3 and was a little bigger than J. J was just starting to climb up the steps of the big climber when The Kid showed up out of nowhere. He began to push J out of the way and off the steps. I started walking that direction, afraid that The Kid was going to push him completely off the steps, causing J to get hurt.

I had no need to fear. J held on tight and gave The Kid the death stare. The Kid didn't back down and started pushing more forcefully. Just as I was about to suggest to The Kid that he let J finish going up the steps, J had had enough.

J slugged The Kid. I stood there, stunned, for a moment. The Kid did too. Then, The Kid gave him another hard push, so I picked up J and placed him at the top of the steps.

I should mention that I have a little bit of an anger issue when it comes to kids bullying other kids. So, I may or may not have purposely made surel one of J's feet landed on The Kids' hand when I put him down. I know, I know, I'm immature.

I am very proud of my little man. He gave The Kid several chances to back down and not be a jerk, but The Kid persisted. So, J gave him what was coming to him. I would also like to point out that The Kids' dad had a few words to say to his son. I like to think it was "You let that little 2 year old punk rough you up." But, it was probably more along the lines of "Be nice and don't push people."

I hope J always has the strength to stand up for himself - not necessarily with physical force, but with his actions. Whether it be The Kid, drugs, alcohol, sex, politics, or religion (among alot of other stuff), I hope J holds himself to a higher standard and sticks by his own beliefs. As long as he stands true to himself, he could never dissapoint me.

Giving Thanks

I can't believe Thanksgiving is here again already. I feel old saying it, but time really does go faster the older you get. I am thankful for so much this year:

1) My health. It sounds simple, but if you don't have your health, you don't have nuthin'. I am so thankful for my strong body and mind. Although, a body with a few less pounds would be appreciated too. There have been so many young people that I know of who have struggled with cancer and other diseases, and some who have even succumbed to their illness. Being able to get out of bed on my own accord and live and enjoy life is a blessing that I cherish.

2) My family. I am so thankful to have a loving, supportive family. There are so many people who do not have a close relationship with their parents and siblings. I am so lucky to have wonderful parents who love me and support me and the decisions I make. They may not like all the choices I make or things I do, but they love me despite, and in spite of, those choices. I talk to my mom almost every day and visit with my parents often. I am so grateful for the sister I have and the relationship we have. There is something magical about having someone else who grew up the same way you did and knows almost everything about you - past and present.

3) My husband. M is my best friend. Like I told him at his birthday party, there is no one else I would want to walk through this life with. He is my strength, my confidante and my balance. M and I are always 'opposite' in thinking when it counts. We will share our opposing viewpoints with each other, take time to ourselves, then reconvene. At that point, our viewpoints changed to the opposite. haha! We put ourselves into each others' shoes. Sometimes it makes for difficult decision making, but we definitely see each others' 'point'. I am so grateful to my husband for his support and love of me.

4) My job. Being a stay at home mom is the hardest, most frustrating best job ever. Even though the day to day housework and tasks are mind numbing at best, being able to see J grasp something I taught him and watching him learn and grow makes my heart burst with happiness. My heart hurts for the women who want to stay home, but can't because of financial issues. And because of that reason, it gives me the energy and the drive to volunteer in the community. As a stay at home mom, I have make the time to give to the community I live in, since many other adults cannot due to work schedules. Although I may not agree with Hillary Clinton on political issues, I will agree that "it takes a village to raise a child".

5) My husbands job. This may sound like a silly thing to be thankful for, but in the economy we are currently living in, I am very thankful. Not only am I thankful he has a job, but that he has a job he loves.

6) My son. Where do I even begin? I am so thankful to have a healthy, smart, active, willful, handsome boy that I love with all my being. Dealing with the terrible twos has had me in a tizzy lately. It can be so easy to forget how THANKFUL I am for him when I'm thinking about putting him in a box with FREE written in permanent ink and then placing said boy-in-box on the front porch for the first sucker taker.

Then I remember the kids who will never walk or talk. The kids whose parents would be DELIGHTED if their kids got paint everywhere while painting a picture or dumped their milk on the floor in a sign of defiance. The kids who may never walk out of the hospital. And I think of the parents who go to bed every night praying that their child will make it through the night to live another day. And the couples who can't get pregnant, and if/when they do, they lose the baby.

Remembering those things reminds me of how lucky I am to have the child I do.

J keeps me grounded. He doesn't care what kind of house we live in, what kind of car I drive, what my hair looks like, or where we go on vacation. He just wants to be loved and hugged and kissed and taken care of.

I love J's confidence. I know he's only 2, but he doesn't care if he's the only one running around in a diaper. He doesn't care if he's the only one not wearing a costume at the Halloween party. He's his own person.

I love our snuggle time. J has been been sporadically taking naps, so I have instituted 'snuggle time' as a way to get a few minutes of downtime. Snuggle time consists of me saying it is snuggle time, Jack running into the office to grab one of our soft, fleece blankets and he and I snuggling on the couch watching a short video. Sounds simple enough, but at the age of two, snuggle times are getting fewer. It allows me a few sweet, uninterrupted moments of holding him against me, smelling his hair and kissing his head. I know these moments won't last forever. I see them slipping away. And in a way, it makes me happy. He's more confident and independent - exactly what I want him to be. But it also makes me sad to think that a few years from now, snuggle time will be the very last thing J wants to do.

I am so thankful for the healthy, happy child that is mine. And that's what makes all the difference. I have been a nanny, a daycare provider and a babysitter. I have taken darn good care of other people's kids. But those kids weren't mine. Having J was such an eye opener to the responsibility and wonder that is MY CHILD. Whether he becomes a serial killer or a rocket scientist, it comes back on me. And seeing your child do things you do and have a temperment like you do, is scary and wonderful all at the same time.

I love having J in my life. Every morning with him is an invitation to fun, laughter, learning, patience and love. And every night is a hearty sigh, filled with the contentment that we did our best and had fun doing it.

I thank God for all the blessings He has given me this year, and throughout my life. I am thankful for the daily guidance of the Lord, because without Him, it would be a tough row to hoe.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Round II

Well, I guess we weren't as "over" our illness as I previously thought.

J woke up this morning around 6 a.m. and just wasn't himself. He seemed really tired and lethargic and just downright mean, not to mention the 102 fever. Not his usual self (that's usually me at 6 a.m.!) I put him down for a nap around 9:30 a.m. and he slept. And slept. And slept. And slept some more. I woke him up every so often and he'd smile and then go right back to sleep. At 2:30 I was getting worried. I called my husband, called the pediatrician, called my husband back and we were out of the house by a little after 3 pm, headed for Childrens Hospital.

We got there around 4 pm and they checked us in and did all the preliminary stuff. The doctor eventually came back and listened to his heart and lungs and said she didn't think it was pneumonia because there wasn't any crackling when he breathed. But they did X-rays anyways. Which J hated. And then after the X-rays was the blood oxygen check (which is basically just a bandaid wrapped around their finger), which he hated.

And then came the vampires blood lab girls to take blood and insert an IV in case he needed antibiotics intravenously. It took 3 of us to hold him down and one to take the blood. They got him all fixed up with his IV, bandaged it all up with all kinds of splints and plastic stuff that is indestructible to children. But apparently not to my kid. J ripped the whole thing off (IV and all) and threw it on the bed next to him as soon as they walked out the door. Blood was everywhere. Ugh! So, no more IVs for him.

Shortly after, the doctor came back and informed us that there were 'streaks' on the X-ray indicating pneumonia. An hour later, we were out the door with prescription in hand and J asleep in my arms.

Tonight was one of the hardest nights of being a mom yet. Fear that something is really wrong with your child. Anger that the damn nurse had to try TWICE to find the vein while my baby laid there screaming in fear and pain. Impatience at retelling why we were at the hospital 10 million times while we WERE AT THE HOSPITAL. And utter happiness in knowing your child will be okay with an antibiotic and some TLC.

Randomness

Well, J and I have survived what I can only assume to be the plague H1N1. We had all the symptoms except 'occasionally vomiting and diarrhea'(thank heavens). When they say fatigue is a symptom, they aren't kidding! I slept at least 22 out of 24 hours on Saturday. It took everything I had to get off the couch to pee and grab another bottle of water. And just doing that required another nap!

I would just like to thank the people of Pillsbury and Cinnabon for teaming together to make those yummy cinnamon rolls. They are heavenly! It's the only thing I had any desire to eat after not having an appetite for 2 days. And they didn't let me down!

So, with this H1N1 thing, it's a repiratory issue. Kind of like a cold. That really really sucks. Being the good mom that I am, I keep checking J to make sure he's 'still breathing'. Now, please go down this road of morbidity with me . . .

As long as I have been old enough to comprehend things parents do, I understand parents check on their kids to make sure they're still breathing. So if they're breathing - everythings A-ok. And if they're not? They're dead. What are you going to do? Other than call the coroner.

Okay, I just heard everyone gasp. But seriously . . .

Technically, you're checking to see if your children are alive. Or dead.

Of course, like any parent, I still check on J to make sure his head isn't stuck between the bed and the wall, or to ensure the blanket isn't over his face, or to make sure the dog isn't trying to snuff him out so he can be #1 again. You know, the stuff that would ensure he lives to see his 3rd birthday.

But, to be honest, it's the stuff the kid does when he's awake that scares the daylights out of me. By the time bedtime comes, I'm just glad he's in one spot and not doing somersaults off the freakin' kitchen table.

Well, that's all for today. I'm going to check on J and make sure he's still breathing.

Adults Live Here Too

I finally did it! I moved most of J's toys upstairs to his room. I had two bookcases, bins, books, big trucks and more 'stuff' all over my living room. So, I moved the two bookcases and all the miscellaneous trucks upstairs to J's bedroom and the playroom. Now my living room looks (almost) like it did before we had J.

I had been feeling smothered by all the kid stuff for a few months now. It seemed we were forever picking toys and books up. I spent alot of time picking out my decorating style/furniture/etc for my living room when we moved in almost 5 years ago, and the toys and such were overshadowing my hard work!

I think J actually likes not having all those toys downstairs. I kept his favorite books, a small lined basket full of his Tonka trucks, and a few other 'prized' toys he plays with alot in a corner of the living room. Now he can actually find the book he wants without ripping all the books off the shelves (we had over 150 books on the bookcase). I plan to circulate the toys every week or two so he always has 'new' toys to play with downstairs.

And now I'm going to go sit in my 'adult' living room and enjoy how neat and clean and kid-free it is. Well, other than the kid that lives here!

Paper Towels in My Sink

So, J loooves to brush his teeth. Usually he'll spend a good 5 minutes in there just brushing away. Great - can't complain about good dental hygiene! But he almost always manages to do something when he's in there, such as but not limited to:

a) Put his toothbrush down the sink (this one really, really makes me have to count to 10 to keep my head from exploding)
b) "Washing" things that aren't washable in a sink
c) And putting things (washcloths, paper towels, bath toys)above the drain that stop water from going down the drain, and thus causing water to nearly overflow.

Thankfully, J runs out to find me (if I'm not there) as soon as he realizes he's caused trouble.

Yesterday we went to Pittsburgh to see the Nina and the Pinta, recreations of Columbus' ships, which was really neat to see. By the time we went on the 2nd ship, J was pretty much done learning about history. So, he and I took a walk along the river towards the city while the rest of the group finished looking at the ships. Jack was leading and he kept pointing way ahead of us. At first I thought it was the bridge. Nope. Ducks? No. The boat? Nah.
Finally, I asked where exactly we were going. J points toward downtown (which is a good mile (or two) away.
"Um, you want to get something to eat?" I guessed (it was 12:30).
J nods profusely, "Yeah!".
"Where do you want to go?"
J points to the skyscrapers again.
"J, we can get there faster by driving."
J immediately does an about-face, points towards the direction we came from, nods and takes off speed walking. The boy was hungry!

Today J and I worked on colors (matching the lids of his Dot Art markers to the markers themselves and then he handed me the colors as I asked for them) and then we did his "I Can Spell" book (http://activitymom.blogspot.com/2009/10/spelling-mats.html), followed by our (abstract!)art activity (cotton balls, paper plate, glue and markers). We had a busy day today, but it was a succesful, fun day!

Busy Day and Binoculars

Today we had playgroup. J had alot of fun (as usual). The craft for today was binoculars (toilet paper tubes, covered in construction paper). He loves them! Usually he isn't interested in craft time at playgroup (too many toys to play with!), but today he loved it!

Also at playgroup today was an interesting discussion on the H1N1 vaccine. It was interesting to me who got the vaccine for their kids and who didn't and their reasons.

Tonight we went out to dinner with friends and Jack had a great time flirting with the hostess (we were sitting close to the front door). It was so funny because he had been smiling and batting his eyelashes at the hostess. Then our waitress came over and was talking to him. He literally brushed her off and then pointed to the hostess, like 'move out of the way waitress, you're ruining my mojo'. I think he's going to be a heartbreaker when he gets older!

Talk Already Would Ya!!

J doesn't talk. At all. By age 2, most kids are easily using at least 40-50 words. I have heard J say about, ohhh, 10. But he always lets you know what he wants/needs and answers your questions/requests, and can follow 3 and 4 step directives. The pediatrician isn't worried, and neither am I. I just figure he'll talk when he's ready, but I try nonetheless.

I have tried withholding things to get him to use his words. He just shrugs and walks off.

I have tried getting him to watch my lips and repeat what I say. He laughs.

But I think I have found his weakness: my 'stupidity'.

Yesterday we were looking at one of those Discovery Kids books that has all kinds of pictures in it. Usually J points to stuff and I name it and then I'll name stuff and he'll point to it. Yesterday this was what happened:

J points to a picture of a cat.
Me: Oh, that's a mouse.
J looks at me like I'm insane and shakes his head no.
Me: I'm sorry. Silly mommy. That's a horse.
J shakes his head no.
Me: Oh. Well, if it's not a horse, and it's not a mouse than what is that Jack?
J: Ca
Me: Oh, a cat! You're right!

We played the same 'game' again with the dog picture (he said daw). Then he caught on to what I was doing and reading time was over.


Today I built J a tent using the kitchen table. He thought that was really cool. So did I. I have been waiting for him to be old enough to appreciate the blanket tent and it's funness and goodness. I tried when he was closer to a year old, and I quickly became bored when, for the 10th time, J pulled the blankets off the table and rolled all over them.

Today we also practiced putting nuts onto screws (fine motor skills). J has a hard time getting the nut onto the bottom of the screw, but once it's started he does pretty well. He easily recognized which nut went with what screw (the screws were 3 different sizes).

Oh, and on another note, we met my cousins' baby for the first time tonight. N is almost 4 months old and I was holding him when we were getting ready to leave. I asked J if we should take baby N home with us. "Noo!" came the reply with alot of head shaking. When asked who should take the baby home, he pointed to the baby's mom and nodded. Guess he's not ready for that sibling yet.

Which is good, cause neither am I!! haha

Is that a sack of potatoes? Nope, just a kid sleeping in the shopping cart . . .

I was just reading another website I frequent, and someone was saying how their kids (preschoolers) go to sleep on their own, in their own beds. The mom had worked on this since they were born (putting them in their own bed, putting them down while they were still awake, etc). But, she says she wonders if the joke is on her because her kids won't sleep anywhere but in their own beds (not even in the car), meanwhile she sees other kids sleeping while their moms shop/eat out, etc.

I admit: I'm the mom with the sleeping toddler in the shopping cart.


Since before he was born, Mike and I had decided that we didn't want our kid to have a dyed-in-the-wool, can never be changed schedule. Our lifestyle isn't 'scheduled'. Although I'm a very organized, list-making maniac (I make lists of lists I have to make), overall our life is pretty much a crapshoot. haha We like to go out to a late dinner and go grocery shopping around 9 or 10 pm some nights. We like to sleep late and have lazy mornings. I like to pick up and go out to lunch/shopping/for a walk in the park on a whim.

We have always dragged J along with us. He can sleep through the dog barking, kids screaming, and the phone ringing while sleeping in the car, in his stroller, in his own bed, or even in a shopping cart. We rarely plan around naptimes or bedtimes. J just sleeps when he's tired. Some days we sleep in until 10a.m, other days we are up at 7a.m. Some days we have breakfast at 11a.m., sometimes it's at 8a.m. Sometimes we go to bed at 1 a.m., but most of the time it's 9ish.

J goes with the flow and is a happy, healthy child. It has worked for us, although I know other people think I'm crazy for not having a schedule (they've even said so!!). One mom I know who asked for advice on how to get a baby on a schedule. I told her I wasn't a good person to ask! lol However, she did become a scheduled mom and it works for her and her child wonderfully.

HOWEVER (here's the disclaimer), I would like J to put himself to sleep in his own bed without me laying with him. But someday he will. For now, I'll enjoy laying with him and snuggling while he dozes off into dreamland.

Time Warp

J is now 2, and with it comes the dreaded double edged sword question: To nap or not to nap?

We are smack dab in between nap=staying up until 11pm or 12am vs. no nap=cranky by dinnertime and in bed by 7 or 8pm. And the days he doesn't nap, he makes it up for the apparent lack of sleep by napping the next day.

I'm just not sure what the best course of action is. I guess we'll just feel it out as we go, but some days it's maddening trying to figure out which is the better course to take.


On another note, I hope everyone voted (or will vote) today, despite the fact that were no 'big' elections. Regardless of whether you're Democrat, Republican, Independent or a big purple dinosaur, your vote still counts and you are still voting for people that will represent you.

And don't forget to take your little ones with you. A pain in the butt to drag them to the polling place? Yes. Absolutely. But the educational aspect and process of voting is a simple 'teach by example' moment for even the youngest of babes.

Making a U-Turn

After catching up on some of my favorite blogs, I have decided to come back to my own blog and develop it into what it was destined for from conception - a quick, handy, (hopefully) daily 'journal' of being a mom. It's for my own enjoyment, but I hope others can get something out of it too.



So, here it is November and I feel like I'm finally getting back into my groove. J and I are back into our daily routine of having time set aside for a learning activity and a craft activity.



Our craft today was cutting colored paper (cardstock) into scraps and then gluing said paper onto white cardstock. We practiced our colors, cutting skills, and glue management. If you have kids, you know what glue management refers to.



Our learning activity was me showing J a flash card with a color (red, yellow, blue, green). He would find the corresponding colored clothespin and drop it into a glass jar. This was the first time we played this game (usually we clip the clothespins onto the cards themselves), and although the first round went slow, we 'raced' to see how fast we could fill up the jar the 2nd round.



My favorite Mom moment of the day: Jack and I were playing with Play-Doh. I was ready to clean up but he resisted, so I said he could play for another few minutes. We had lunch and then got busy doing other stuff and I totally forgot about the Play-Doh until close to dinner time. I go to the table expecting to find hardended Play-Doh rocks, but all the Play-Doh was put back in the containers. As I glance around to see if my husband came home early and cleaned it up, or hey, maybe the dog really is gifted, I realize that my little man cleaned it up and even matched the right color play-doh to the right color container!

It's the small things that make me smile - and make me proud!!