Yesterday Sam said, "Mommy potty!" the proceeded to strip his lower half. Then he proceeded to play (for a half hour or so), eat dinner (for a half hour or so) and play some more, all without producing any potty. For the past few weeks Jason and I have been trying to motivate Sam to use the potty some (he hasn't wanted to use it at all) so I started with jelly beans and told Sam he'd get 2 jelly beans. He was not interested in jelly beans. So we said if he started using the potty he would get a car. Still nothing. But last night all of a sudden, after running around half naked for a good hour or two, he ran to the potty, produced some potty and said, "I get a new car!"
To make the event more momentous, Jason took him to Target to pick out a new car. I then made a chart so Sam could start earning stickers to work toward future cars. When the boys got back I told Sam about the system. He earns a sticker every time he uses the potty and when he reaches 5 he gets a new car. Jason had purchased a number of new cars so Sam knew there were some waiting for him. Sam then went to the potty and started straining and grunting to produce more to work toward a car. The poor kid. Jason and I were stifling laughs in the kitchen while Sam was straining and working at producing something, anything. We told him to try reading a book or magazine, but he preferred to strain and grunt. He eventually did pee and earned a sticker and we talked about how many stickers he had remaining. He seemed to understand that he had to get some more stickers for him to receive a new car.
Fast forward to this morning. Jason and Sam went downstairs for breakfast while Matthew and I got ready upstairs. I heard Jason leave and Sam was by himself downstairs. I couldn't hear anything, but figured he was probably eating breakfast or something like that. However, when Matthew and I made our way downstairs, Sam ran over to me and exclaimed, "I get new cars!" He had found the stickers for the potty chart and filled in two rows. I told him that was cheating, but he said it wasn't. Explaining cheating to a two year old is not easy, so I just told him that he had to earn those stickers and they didn't count toward a new car. For some reason, his actions really remind me of Jason...
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
The good and the bad
This morning Sam didn't come in to our room punctually at 6:40AM which he usually does, which is when his clock turns yellow. I thought maybe he was sleeping in as we had gotten to bed late last night. At around 7AM I heard his door open, but then he never emerged in our room. I waited a few minutes thinking he had maybe gone downstairs (which would be very unusual), but didn't hear him downstairs talking to Jason or anything like that. At 7:10AM I decided to check his room and found him reading by the sliver of light coming through his window shade and still in bed because the clock was blue. It hadn't turned yellow at 6:40 like it's supposed to. I went over to the clock and manually changed it to yellow at which point Sam excitedly got out of bed and exclaimed, "My clock is yellow!" Our color-changing clock has obviously worked.
That was the good. Now for the bad. Due to Matthew eagerness to climb up stairs, but inability to climb down them without serious injury, we now have gates at the top and bottom of our stairs. A few times a day Sam, Matthew and I all trek up the stairs, full of giggles and excitement. However, Sam likes to encourage Matthew to climb up the stairs more often. Sam sometimes stands on the stair-side of the gate at the bottom of the stairs and Matthew, of course, eagerly crawls over to him. Matthew then pulls himself up onto the gate and shakes it like a convicted felon while Sam laughs and encourages him. I usually rush over at this point to get Matthew down (the gate is up one stair) so he doesn't fall backward and hurt himself. Sam never played on the stairs like this before, just when we installed the gate. What's even worse is that Sam will hold the gate open for Matthew to climb through, which he of course, does eagerly. To Matthew it's a game. He gets to climb up the stairs and Mommy runs after him which he giggles about. After a few times of Sam holding the gate open, me retrieving Matthew and him giggling, Matthew realizes that it's not a game, but actually he's being restrained which results in crying and screaming. I have not figured out how to deter Sam from holding the gate open. Time outs don't work. Spanking doesn't work. Nothing works. He just keeps doing it. Any suggestions?
That was the good. Now for the bad. Due to Matthew eagerness to climb up stairs, but inability to climb down them without serious injury, we now have gates at the top and bottom of our stairs. A few times a day Sam, Matthew and I all trek up the stairs, full of giggles and excitement. However, Sam likes to encourage Matthew to climb up the stairs more often. Sam sometimes stands on the stair-side of the gate at the bottom of the stairs and Matthew, of course, eagerly crawls over to him. Matthew then pulls himself up onto the gate and shakes it like a convicted felon while Sam laughs and encourages him. I usually rush over at this point to get Matthew down (the gate is up one stair) so he doesn't fall backward and hurt himself. Sam never played on the stairs like this before, just when we installed the gate. What's even worse is that Sam will hold the gate open for Matthew to climb through, which he of course, does eagerly. To Matthew it's a game. He gets to climb up the stairs and Mommy runs after him which he giggles about. After a few times of Sam holding the gate open, me retrieving Matthew and him giggling, Matthew realizes that it's not a game, but actually he's being restrained which results in crying and screaming. I have not figured out how to deter Sam from holding the gate open. Time outs don't work. Spanking doesn't work. Nothing works. He just keeps doing it. Any suggestions?
Sunday, March 27, 2011
More night time woes
Well, Matthew has been sleeping like a champ lately. One night early last week Matthew was having a hard time and since he's no longer getting any food at night it's been somewhat of a hard transition. He was crying and crying and crying and although we tried a pacifier, he would not be pacified. Jason, of course, had no problem sleeping through his cries and screams, but I had to get out the ear plugs. Since then, he's slept without waking or without needing anything more than a quick pacifier help for 12 hours. Wow.
Sam, however, keeps on coming up with new strategies to disturb our sleep and his. Although he is mostly staying in his room until his clock turns yellow, he is not going to bed very well. His bedtime is between 7:30 and 8 and after the bedtime routine we shut off the lights and leave, but Sam has been getting out of bed turning on his light and reading. Or running around and jumping inside his room. On Thursday night I left for volleyball a little after 8 and noticed his light was on. Jason checked on him and shut his light off. On Friday night we didn't hear anything from his room, but when I went to bed at 9, I saw that his light was on and went in to shut it off and he had fallen asleep with is light on. Last night he was having a lot of fun. Jason and I checked on him three times and every time he got up afterward and turned on his lights. He was definitely tired but the freedom he enjoys being out of his crib and recently, being tall enough to turn on his lights, overcame any tiredness.
Part of me just wants to leave him alone because at least he is staying in his room. But the other part of me knows that a tired Sam is a very crabby Sam and not one I enjoy being around all day the next day. So we are going to prevent him from turning on his light. We thought of a few options, one of which we were sure was our ticket to riches and fame. Jason thought of a plate thing to cover the switch that was accessible to parents, but not to little ones. Unfortunately (or fortunately) you can buy one on Amazon (which we will), but tonight I went with Duct tape. I told Sam before bed that he was not going to turn on his light tonight because I was going to tape it. He was okay with that and even pointed to the tape I had waiting for the task. It's been over an hour and we haven't heard Sam yet. Maybe now our night time woes will be abated. Until the next thing comes along...
Sam, however, keeps on coming up with new strategies to disturb our sleep and his. Although he is mostly staying in his room until his clock turns yellow, he is not going to bed very well. His bedtime is between 7:30 and 8 and after the bedtime routine we shut off the lights and leave, but Sam has been getting out of bed turning on his light and reading. Or running around and jumping inside his room. On Thursday night I left for volleyball a little after 8 and noticed his light was on. Jason checked on him and shut his light off. On Friday night we didn't hear anything from his room, but when I went to bed at 9, I saw that his light was on and went in to shut it off and he had fallen asleep with is light on. Last night he was having a lot of fun. Jason and I checked on him three times and every time he got up afterward and turned on his lights. He was definitely tired but the freedom he enjoys being out of his crib and recently, being tall enough to turn on his lights, overcame any tiredness.
Part of me just wants to leave him alone because at least he is staying in his room. But the other part of me knows that a tired Sam is a very crabby Sam and not one I enjoy being around all day the next day. So we are going to prevent him from turning on his light. We thought of a few options, one of which we were sure was our ticket to riches and fame. Jason thought of a plate thing to cover the switch that was accessible to parents, but not to little ones. Unfortunately (or fortunately) you can buy one on Amazon (which we will), but tonight I went with Duct tape. I told Sam before bed that he was not going to turn on his light tonight because I was going to tape it. He was okay with that and even pointed to the tape I had waiting for the task. It's been over an hour and we haven't heard Sam yet. Maybe now our night time woes will be abated. Until the next thing comes along...
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Milestones
Sam's first kiss. We went to church last night for family dinner and movie night and the girl Sam's been inviting over grabbed him and kissed him. Multiple times. On the lips. Today I asked Sam what happened. "Bella kissed me. We ate popcorn together." That's the story. At church of all places.
Matthew's uttered his first noticeable "word" or "expression". He says "Ahh ahh ahh" and squeals a lot, but he recently started saying "Uh oh" when he (repeatedly) drops his drink during our meals and snacks. It often sounds more like "uh uh" but occasionally he gets the "oh" sound out pretty well. My little boy is growing up.
Baby Kirchhoff's heartbeat was heard strong and loud today. S/he is 10 weeks and was quite squirmy when the nurse was trying to find a heartbeat with the doppler thingy. Sam regularly looks for the baby in Mommy's tummy, but he has yet to find anything. "Where is it?" he asks. Matthew, for the time being, is unaware of anything, which is for the best. His world will be rocked soon enough.
Matthew's uttered his first noticeable "word" or "expression". He says "Ahh ahh ahh" and squeals a lot, but he recently started saying "Uh oh" when he (repeatedly) drops his drink during our meals and snacks. It often sounds more like "uh uh" but occasionally he gets the "oh" sound out pretty well. My little boy is growing up.
Baby Kirchhoff's heartbeat was heard strong and loud today. S/he is 10 weeks and was quite squirmy when the nurse was trying to find a heartbeat with the doppler thingy. Sam regularly looks for the baby in Mommy's tummy, but he has yet to find anything. "Where is it?" he asks. Matthew, for the time being, is unaware of anything, which is for the best. His world will be rocked soon enough.
Monday, March 21, 2011
New shoes and craft time
I also posted some pictures of our craft time yesterday. Sam was all about crafts yesterday and he usually could care less about crafts. But we did watercolor painting, and construction paper art. Sam would take the Elmer's glue or glue stick and dribble it on the paper, then exclaim, "I made a road!" and stick little bits of torn up construction paper on his road. Matthew contented himself with finger painting, which was a first for the little guy. Fortunately the stuff is non-toxic, because of course, it was going in the mouth. We had a lot of fun with our crafts and I think the kids are into abstract art these days.
Sunday, March 20, 2011
Dinner conversation
Tonight during our gourmet meal of fruit loops, chips and guacamole and chicken nuggets (for those who don't know, we are expecting Baby #3 and I'm not really feeling up to much cooking these days...) Sam commented that his butt hurt. It was a funny dialogue so I decided to include it here.
(Imagine all of Sam's words with a slightly painful whine)
Sam: Mommy, my butt hurts!
Me: What did you do to it?
Sam: I don't know...
Sam: Mommy, kiss it!
Me: Sam, I don't kiss butts
Sam: Mommy, rub it!
Me: Well, ok.
(Imagine all of Sam's words with a slightly painful whine)
Sam: Mommy, my butt hurts!
Me: What did you do to it?
Sam: I don't know...
Sam: Mommy, kiss it!
Me: Sam, I don't kiss butts
Sam: Mommy, rub it!
Me: Well, ok.
Friday, March 18, 2011
Sam's sick
I got a bug earlier in the week and now Sam has picked something up. After emptying the contents of his stomach after his nap around 3, he hasn't been able to keep anything down. Poor kid.
This is how it went down. After nap, I turned on a cartoon for Sam while I got Matthew some snack. Sam then came over to me crying and I picked him up at which time he released his stomach contents onto me and himself. I set him down, went to get some towels, took off my shirt and he added more to the floor. I had him sit down, then he got his jeans. Yuck. Yuck. Yuck. He then said, while crying extensively, "Mommy I burped!" and went through the litany of clothes that were dirty, "Mommy, my socks! Mommy, my pants, Mommy, my shirt!" Poor kid. I stripped him, wiped up the floor, and wiped him down with diaper wipes. During this time, Matthew ran out of his snack, but he was engrossed with all the action around him that he didn't start crying and fussing immediately as he usually does when he runs out of food.
Sam then said he felt better and wasn't sick. I wasn't so sure. I sat him down on the couch, covered him with a blanket and gave him a bucket, with the instructions to use the bucket if he had to burp again. We never really got that down, but every time he threw up after that he would start crying and asking for me so I was able to get to him quickly and hold the bucket for him. We tried some pedialyte, which didn't go over well, although Sam was eager to consume some. After a few bouts of not keeping the pedialyte down I decided he would not get anymore. Sam watched the Berenstein Bears cartoon for the next 3 hours.
When it was time for Matthew to go to bed around 6:30, Sam was downstairs watching cartoons. However, he managed to make him way up the stairs and inform me that he had to burp, at which time I quickly set Matthew down and ran Sam to the toilet. After doing his thing I returned to getting Matthew ready for bed, while Sam resumed his normal disruptive activities while I'm trying to get Matthew calmed down for bed, like slamming doors, screaming and the like. It was like he was not even sick. But he still was, unfortunately. He went to bed shortly after Matthew, and is sleeping soundly right now, we'll see how the morning goes.
This is how it went down. After nap, I turned on a cartoon for Sam while I got Matthew some snack. Sam then came over to me crying and I picked him up at which time he released his stomach contents onto me and himself. I set him down, went to get some towels, took off my shirt and he added more to the floor. I had him sit down, then he got his jeans. Yuck. Yuck. Yuck. He then said, while crying extensively, "Mommy I burped!" and went through the litany of clothes that were dirty, "Mommy, my socks! Mommy, my pants, Mommy, my shirt!" Poor kid. I stripped him, wiped up the floor, and wiped him down with diaper wipes. During this time, Matthew ran out of his snack, but he was engrossed with all the action around him that he didn't start crying and fussing immediately as he usually does when he runs out of food.
Sam then said he felt better and wasn't sick. I wasn't so sure. I sat him down on the couch, covered him with a blanket and gave him a bucket, with the instructions to use the bucket if he had to burp again. We never really got that down, but every time he threw up after that he would start crying and asking for me so I was able to get to him quickly and hold the bucket for him. We tried some pedialyte, which didn't go over well, although Sam was eager to consume some. After a few bouts of not keeping the pedialyte down I decided he would not get anymore. Sam watched the Berenstein Bears cartoon for the next 3 hours.
When it was time for Matthew to go to bed around 6:30, Sam was downstairs watching cartoons. However, he managed to make him way up the stairs and inform me that he had to burp, at which time I quickly set Matthew down and ran Sam to the toilet. After doing his thing I returned to getting Matthew ready for bed, while Sam resumed his normal disruptive activities while I'm trying to get Matthew calmed down for bed, like slamming doors, screaming and the like. It was like he was not even sick. But he still was, unfortunately. He went to bed shortly after Matthew, and is sleeping soundly right now, we'll see how the morning goes.
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Longing for summer
This morning when I heard the weather forecast was a high of 50 and saw a sunny morning two brief thoughts entered my mind: 1) can I wear capris? (answer: No, but I will wear some to the gym) and 2) can I wear sandals? (Answer: No). We are all longing for warmer weather around here, time outside in shorts and sandals. Sam keeps asking if we can play in the sandbox yet and I know Matthew will love being outside with his new mobility. Otherwise, we've been keeping ourselves somewhat active and entertained lately.
Matthew has started avidly climbing up the stairs. He did the entire stretch yesterday twice (with me following closely behind and Sam leading the way) with giggles and shrieks of excitement every other step or so. When he reaches the top, he is inevitably greeted with shouts of "Hooray, Matthew!" and "Good job Matthew!" with a bunch of claps from his proud big brother. In fact, Matthew has a hard time progressing if he can't see Sam in front of him (such as when Sam reaches the top and runs down the hallway). That's given Matthew some exercise and it's been a lot of fun too.
Sam's excitement has been a little more creative. Yesterday after a trek up the stairs we went to Matthew's room to play just for a change of scenery. Sam brought in the bathroom stool that Jason and I both used in the shower when had our multiple knee surgeries (5 between the two of us). He set it in the middle of the room and would climb on it and jump off and climb on and jump off and, well, you get the picture. I really think he is going stir crazy sometimes. When we go to wider open spaces he just runs around. With no particular destination, just running for the sake of running.
We did venture outside on Monday to enjoy some mid-30s temps and run around in the snow, which hadn't significantly melted yet (as an update , we probably have 10-12 inches on our deck now, rather than maybe 20?). Sam ran around and rolled around in the snow. He really loves playing outside and it's even better when he keeps his mittens on and doesn't freeze his little fingers. Matthew played on the porch and pulled himself up to our planters and enjoyed playing in the dirt. We may have a very messy summer in store for us. Oh well, it's worth being able to be outside for a significant portion of each day. Summer. Someday.
Matthew has started avidly climbing up the stairs. He did the entire stretch yesterday twice (with me following closely behind and Sam leading the way) with giggles and shrieks of excitement every other step or so. When he reaches the top, he is inevitably greeted with shouts of "Hooray, Matthew!" and "Good job Matthew!" with a bunch of claps from his proud big brother. In fact, Matthew has a hard time progressing if he can't see Sam in front of him (such as when Sam reaches the top and runs down the hallway). That's given Matthew some exercise and it's been a lot of fun too.
Sam's excitement has been a little more creative. Yesterday after a trek up the stairs we went to Matthew's room to play just for a change of scenery. Sam brought in the bathroom stool that Jason and I both used in the shower when had our multiple knee surgeries (5 between the two of us). He set it in the middle of the room and would climb on it and jump off and climb on and jump off and, well, you get the picture. I really think he is going stir crazy sometimes. When we go to wider open spaces he just runs around. With no particular destination, just running for the sake of running.
We did venture outside on Monday to enjoy some mid-30s temps and run around in the snow, which hadn't significantly melted yet (as an update , we probably have 10-12 inches on our deck now, rather than maybe 20?). Sam ran around and rolled around in the snow. He really loves playing outside and it's even better when he keeps his mittens on and doesn't freeze his little fingers. Matthew played on the porch and pulled himself up to our planters and enjoyed playing in the dirt. We may have a very messy summer in store for us. Oh well, it's worth being able to be outside for a significant portion of each day. Summer. Someday.
Monday, March 14, 2011
Small victories
Today I was cleaning up and putting things away during the kids' naps. I have a hanging shoe storage unit hanging on our coat closet door where I put hats and mittens. I was putting away the kids' hats when I noticed a pair of my gloves had been put away. They previously had been sitting on our front porch from an outdoor playtime last week and I'd forgotten to bring them in. So there they sat for a few days until someone brought them in a put them in the shoe storage unit.
Earlier in the morning Sam had commented that he wanted to see if we had any packages. We've had a slew of packages arrive at our house the past few days due to basement purchases, birthday purchases and other kids/household items (like another gate and a lambswool duster which Sam walked around with haphazardly dusting or "mopping" as he called it). He opened the front door and stepped out briefly then returned and I didn't notice anything out of the ordinary. Turns out he must have stepped out, grabbed the gloves and then put them away in the closet. All without me mentioning it or asking him to. I called Jason right away to confirm that he didn't do it, and that leaves only Matthew or Sam. Well, Matthew can't walk or open doors yet, so it must have been Sam. Shucks. It's enough to make a mother's heart melt and bring tears to the eyes. I guess you can say I relish small victories.
Earlier in the morning Sam had commented that he wanted to see if we had any packages. We've had a slew of packages arrive at our house the past few days due to basement purchases, birthday purchases and other kids/household items (like another gate and a lambswool duster which Sam walked around with haphazardly dusting or "mopping" as he called it). He opened the front door and stepped out briefly then returned and I didn't notice anything out of the ordinary. Turns out he must have stepped out, grabbed the gloves and then put them away in the closet. All without me mentioning it or asking him to. I called Jason right away to confirm that he didn't do it, and that leaves only Matthew or Sam. Well, Matthew can't walk or open doors yet, so it must have been Sam. Shucks. It's enough to make a mother's heart melt and bring tears to the eyes. I guess you can say I relish small victories.
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Today is my birthday
And my day started at 4:30 with Matthew crying...and crying...and crying. For some reason he was almost inconsolable for most of the early morning. Jason checked on him once or twice and he'd quiet down for a few minutes then start back up. That kid is a mystery to me sometimes. At 6 I finally picked him up and brought him into bed with me, hoping he'd fall asleep and remain so for 30 minutes to an hour (of course, he didn't). Sam came into our room around 5:30, so he didn't wait for his magical clock to change to yellow. Jason took him back to his room, and he came back maybe around 6 or so. Jason again sent him back and he finally waited for his clock to change to yellow and came to our room at 6:30, where Matthew was playing on the bed, Jason was showering and I was wishing for some more sleep.
We had a good day, though. We went to the Y and Matthew fell asleep on the ride home. The usual routine is for me to get Sam unbuckled, then Matthew, and take Matthew in the house while Sam shuts the van doors and makes his own way in the house. So I unbuckled Sam, then carried a very deeply sleeping Matthew into the house and to his room, took off his coat and hat without him waking and returned downstairs. I could hear Sam whining, "Mommy, Mommy!" He was trying to make his way up the two steps into our house dragging my very heavy gym bag behind him. Awww, what a nice kid. I helped him and gave him a big hug for being so kind to me on my birthday.
Later in the afternoon I was getting ready for my big date with Jason and Matthew was playing in the bathroom with me when Sam came in and started putting away some towels I had washed and folded, but were still in the clothes basket. He put them all away, then played on the bed. I was astounded. I hadn't said a thing about it, he just started putting them in their proper places in the bathroom linen cabinet.
To top the evening off Jason and I went out for dinner and had some nice adult conversation. We then went to the Tile Shop to look at some tile for the basement bathroom. All in all, it was a nice day, I just wish I could have slept in a little bit. Maybe in a few years.
We had a good day, though. We went to the Y and Matthew fell asleep on the ride home. The usual routine is for me to get Sam unbuckled, then Matthew, and take Matthew in the house while Sam shuts the van doors and makes his own way in the house. So I unbuckled Sam, then carried a very deeply sleeping Matthew into the house and to his room, took off his coat and hat without him waking and returned downstairs. I could hear Sam whining, "Mommy, Mommy!" He was trying to make his way up the two steps into our house dragging my very heavy gym bag behind him. Awww, what a nice kid. I helped him and gave him a big hug for being so kind to me on my birthday.
Later in the afternoon I was getting ready for my big date with Jason and Matthew was playing in the bathroom with me when Sam came in and started putting away some towels I had washed and folded, but were still in the clothes basket. He put them all away, then played on the bed. I was astounded. I hadn't said a thing about it, he just started putting them in their proper places in the bathroom linen cabinet.
To top the evening off Jason and I went out for dinner and had some nice adult conversation. We then went to the Tile Shop to look at some tile for the basement bathroom. All in all, it was a nice day, I just wish I could have slept in a little bit. Maybe in a few years.
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
The trail of Matthew
Matthew is getting around pretty well these days. I was making brownies this afternoon and had Matthew in the kitchen with me. He started off in the pantry where he pulled some potatoes off the bottom shelf along with the dust pan and our hand-held vac. When I saw him teetering on the bottom step of our stool which was in the pantry, I decided he'd had enough time in the pantry so I redirected him to the lazy susan in the corner of the kitchen where we keep our freezer containers and tupperware. He played there awhile, then moved onto to the slide-out cabinets in the island where I keep my baking ingredients and baking items such as measuring cups, mixing bowls and so on. On the way from the lazy susan, he left a trail of 3-4 tupperware lids. He then took out 1 mixing bowl, an assortment of baking items such as baking soda and salt and a number of measuring cups. He pretended to mix in a bowl for a while, before deciding to leave the kitchen and he left a trail of a few measuring cups behind him. He then headed to the John Deere riding toy, bypassing the wine cabinet for the time being where he has frequently been redirected and heard the word, "No". He left quite a trail behind him and it wouldn't take too much thought to recreate Matthew's kitchen adventures today.
We had some cheese and apples for an afternoon snack and when I cut off a chunk of cheese, I was greeted by what you see in the picture. Now, it's not the image of Jesus or the Virgin Mary, but it was still worthy of being recorded in the blog. It was not doctored in any way, whatsoever.
We had some cheese and apples for an afternoon snack and when I cut off a chunk of cheese, I was greeted by what you see in the picture. Now, it's not the image of Jesus or the Virgin Mary, but it was still worthy of being recorded in the blog. It was not doctored in any way, whatsoever.
Monday, March 7, 2011
Sam's new clock
I mentioned last week that we were having problems with Sam getting up early and coming into our room. Well, the idea of having him wait until we opened his door in the morning worked one morning. Yes, just once. Then he continued coming into our room at 6 or so and we'd take him back. He would, in typical toddler fashion, delay getting back into bed by saying, "Cover up, blanket!" indicating that he needed lots of help to get covered up properly so he could get back into bed and yesterday he even tried another delay tactic, the "Mommy, I'm poopy" tactic, although he was not poopy and I told him to go back to bed.
So on Friday I had enough and ordered a toddler clock. It's like a clock with a night light and at night there's a blue light and in the morning you can set it to a wake up time and then the color changes to yellow and plays a little wake up tune. It arrived today and this afternoon we practiced using it. Sam's first practice round was hilarious, so Jason had to get some video of our next practice and here it is...
Where does Sam get his boisterous energy upon getting out of bed from? Here's an indication...
So on Friday I had enough and ordered a toddler clock. It's like a clock with a night light and at night there's a blue light and in the morning you can set it to a wake up time and then the color changes to yellow and plays a little wake up tune. It arrived today and this afternoon we practiced using it. Sam's first practice round was hilarious, so Jason had to get some video of our next practice and here it is...
Where does Sam get his boisterous energy upon getting out of bed from? Here's an indication...
Saturday, March 5, 2011
Sam's antics
Sam had a good week. He fairly easily got into the car and out when we went places (which wasn't often due to Matthew's cold) and he really didn't have any tantrums. He was helpful in cleaning up, kind to Matthew (mostly), and listened when I asked him to do this or that. That ended yesterday. Friday morning we were getting ready to go to the Y for the first time in a few days when Sam decided he wanted a particular piece of his train set. It is missing, however, and despite some good looking it was nowhere to be found. Sam was quite upset and showed his emotion in the usual way--crying and screaming. While he was crying and screaming, I managed to get his coat and boots on so we could go to the Y. I probably should have just axed the trip, but I really needed it to get away from the child's craziness for awhile as you see, that wasn't the first tantrum of the morning.
Sam sat on the floor of the laundry room after getting dressed, crying and screaming still, while I got Matthew ready and put him in the van. Sam refused to budge while these other operations were going on, opting instead to continue crying and screaming. I finally grabbed him and put him in the van too. I'm not exactly sure what his crying was about, other than he wanted to read a book instead of go to the Y and play with some other toys. He's really into procrastinating these days, so he pulls anything out of his procrastination book when it's time to go anywhere. He calmed down when we got to the Y and the trip inside was uneventful. However, when we were leaving Sam wandered down one of the hallways of the Y to go look at the workout area. We've done this before so Sam can see all the bikes and other equipment. But this time he didn't want to leave. He told me to go ahead, that he'd follow and then he'd stay there or run the other way. After a few minutes of "Come here Sam, we're leaving," I finally grabbed him. So I had Matthew on one hip and a crying, writhing Sam on the other hip. It was not pretty or easy.
I could only carry him like that for a few paces when I had to set him down. We were walking to the parking lot when I set him down and he ran down the sidewalk toward some cars. What a naughty little boy! I caught up to him and again grabbed him, crying and writhing, and walked to the van. My arms were killing me. A 25 lb. baby on one hip, a 30 lb. toddler on the other. Sam wasn't really on my hip, though, I was carrying him under my arm and he was horizontal to the ground. I was sweating (not from my actual workout), embarrassed, frustrated. We made it to the car and I got Matthew into his seat and Sam ran around the inside of the van. Not giving him the usual warning, "Time to get into your seat, Sam," I stepped into the van, grabbed Sam and put him into his seat. He wasn't happy and neither was I. Matthew seemed oblivious to the antics and emotion around him and fell asleep quickly when I started driving. Sam calmed down on the car ride home and I remember we still had a pretty bad day yesterday, although I can't really remember what happened. I guess I blocked it from my memory. Another day in the life of a toddler.
Sam sat on the floor of the laundry room after getting dressed, crying and screaming still, while I got Matthew ready and put him in the van. Sam refused to budge while these other operations were going on, opting instead to continue crying and screaming. I finally grabbed him and put him in the van too. I'm not exactly sure what his crying was about, other than he wanted to read a book instead of go to the Y and play with some other toys. He's really into procrastinating these days, so he pulls anything out of his procrastination book when it's time to go anywhere. He calmed down when we got to the Y and the trip inside was uneventful. However, when we were leaving Sam wandered down one of the hallways of the Y to go look at the workout area. We've done this before so Sam can see all the bikes and other equipment. But this time he didn't want to leave. He told me to go ahead, that he'd follow and then he'd stay there or run the other way. After a few minutes of "Come here Sam, we're leaving," I finally grabbed him. So I had Matthew on one hip and a crying, writhing Sam on the other hip. It was not pretty or easy.
I could only carry him like that for a few paces when I had to set him down. We were walking to the parking lot when I set him down and he ran down the sidewalk toward some cars. What a naughty little boy! I caught up to him and again grabbed him, crying and writhing, and walked to the van. My arms were killing me. A 25 lb. baby on one hip, a 30 lb. toddler on the other. Sam wasn't really on my hip, though, I was carrying him under my arm and he was horizontal to the ground. I was sweating (not from my actual workout), embarrassed, frustrated. We made it to the car and I got Matthew into his seat and Sam ran around the inside of the van. Not giving him the usual warning, "Time to get into your seat, Sam," I stepped into the van, grabbed Sam and put him into his seat. He wasn't happy and neither was I. Matthew seemed oblivious to the antics and emotion around him and fell asleep quickly when I started driving. Sam calmed down on the car ride home and I remember we still had a pretty bad day yesterday, although I can't really remember what happened. I guess I blocked it from my memory. Another day in the life of a toddler.
Friday, March 4, 2011
My sweater is complete!
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Trip to the mall
This morning I decided we were going to the mall to go mall walking. Matthew is a little under the weather with a cold so I didn't want to go to the Y and spread around all his germs as that's where he picked up whatever's he got in the first place, but I wanted to exercise some and get out of the house. Since it was 1 degree this morning, walking outside was out of the question, so we decided on the mall.
While I was getting ready to go in our bathroom, Sam got out his tools and was working on our bed. He also put on a hat which he's never worn before but suddenly got the urge to try out. I snapped a picture of him as he was quite cute with his cock-eyed hat on and his tools.
He insisted on wearing his hat most of the day, including to the mall. There were plenty of walkers there at 8:30 when we arrived so I heard more than once, "Cute kids." And the kids were pretty good too being strapped into the double wide stroller. I avoided the play area as we walked our laps so as to avoid Sam's begging to go to the play area and walked quickly to try to keep their interest and my own. The mall has a motorized train that drives around giving kids rides but since the mall wasn't open yet (other than for walkers and Caribou Coffee) it wasn't driving around, but Sam was still excited every time we'd walk by it parked in the middle of the mall. Another store has a wooden bear outside of it so that was another exciting feature on our walk. We did four laps which took just over a half hour, then we made our way to the play area which was open, although it's not supposed to be during mall hours. Matthew had about enough of sitting in the stroller and was ready to stretch his legs a bit. Apparently looking for the train and bear was not enough to keep him happily occupied, although I bet Sam could have made it for a few more laps.
The play area was empty and Sam had fun running from one coin-operated car/vehicle to another and he still hasn't figured out that they actually do something more than just sit there and make some random noise. We'll see how long that lasts. But for now, he was having a great time sitting on the cars, pretending steering and getting super-excited with the video screens in the vehicles would do a little demo. Matthew also enjoyed sitting in the cars and after some snack he was in a much better mood. That's just the way that kid works. Keep him fed and he's happy. We strategically left the mall just before 10AM--that way I won't purchase any of the beautiful items I walked by in the store windows four times.
He insisted on wearing his hat most of the day, including to the mall. There were plenty of walkers there at 8:30 when we arrived so I heard more than once, "Cute kids." And the kids were pretty good too being strapped into the double wide stroller. I avoided the play area as we walked our laps so as to avoid Sam's begging to go to the play area and walked quickly to try to keep their interest and my own. The mall has a motorized train that drives around giving kids rides but since the mall wasn't open yet (other than for walkers and Caribou Coffee) it wasn't driving around, but Sam was still excited every time we'd walk by it parked in the middle of the mall. Another store has a wooden bear outside of it so that was another exciting feature on our walk. We did four laps which took just over a half hour, then we made our way to the play area which was open, although it's not supposed to be during mall hours. Matthew had about enough of sitting in the stroller and was ready to stretch his legs a bit. Apparently looking for the train and bear was not enough to keep him happily occupied, although I bet Sam could have made it for a few more laps.
The play area was empty and Sam had fun running from one coin-operated car/vehicle to another and he still hasn't figured out that they actually do something more than just sit there and make some random noise. We'll see how long that lasts. But for now, he was having a great time sitting on the cars, pretending steering and getting super-excited with the video screens in the vehicles would do a little demo. Matthew also enjoyed sitting in the cars and after some snack he was in a much better mood. That's just the way that kid works. Keep him fed and he's happy. We strategically left the mall just before 10AM--that way I won't purchase any of the beautiful items I walked by in the store windows four times.
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