Pretty Much There?

April 12, 2010 By 2 Comments

I can’t remember the last time I changed a dirty diaper.  That’s significant and AWESOME.  I think that means we’re doing very well with the potty learning over in Casa d’Ewok.  Jack is consistently using the potty and can switch between the small one and the large one with ease (at least, with peeing).  We haven’t had any accidents in a couple weeks at home.  *knocks on wood*

I almost considered him potty trained as of this weekend but am not quite sure when we can consider that milestone “met.”  Is it when he stops dirtying his pull up even when away from my house (seems he is saving his dad’s house for last)?  When he starts wearing underwear?  When I don’t need to remind him to go a million times a day?  He hasn’t wet himself at night in…gosh, I don’t even know – probably over a month.  He totally has the abilities mastered – it’s all a matter of his mood and will and level of distraction.

I’m in awe, especially after all the difficulties we had for so long.  Whew.

Filed Under: Growing Up, Milestones, potty training Tagged With: , , , , ,

Excuse me while I channel Cher

November 18, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Jack is in the middle of something…I don’t know if it’s a growth spurt or a developmental spurt or both but it is pretty aggravating. The last three or four (really I’ve lost count) nights we’ve been awoken by him wailing in his sleep. My guess is that he is having nightmares. He doesn’t wake up from them and although I try to calm him by patting his back it doesn’t really help. It’s frustrating to not be able to do anything except lay there awake and listen to him moan…I have trouble falling back asleep even after he’s quieted because I hear him in my head anyway. My brain isn’t working so well during the day now.

He’s also been eating a TON. Last night for dinner he had two tubes of yogurt, 8 pieces of salami, two rounds of cheese, half of a clementine, a cookie…I think that’s it. That is a lot though! This morning before we even left the house he had one and a half fruit/grain bars and half of a banana. I swear the kid looks taller already.

Jack has also been increasingly stubborn and bossy. He wants to do things by himself and throws a fit if we interfere without being asked/told. Last night David split Jack’s orange in half and Jack flipped out and cried for 45 minutes demanding that I put it back together. Sheesh! If I could turn back time…

I can’t even imagine what things will be like two or three months from now. The leaps he makes now are so startling and I’ve barely wrapped my head around one before another one comes into play. For his dad’s birthday, I was able to get Jack to draw a J and an A on the birthday card before he refused to draw the rest of his name. Ever since then, he’s started drawing random letters (and things that look like letters) on his artwork at daycare. I can’t believe I have a child old enough to be writing! That’s just nuts!

Filed Under: Growing Up, Sleep Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Ah, to be three

October 6, 2009 By Leave a Comment

I found some Buzz Lightyear pajamas on sale at JCP last week and promptly placed my order.  When Jack came home from his dad’s yesterday and saw them, he immediately decided he MUST wear them (along with David’s bike helmet).  Then of course he had to watch Toy Story…

Today he demanded to wear a robot shirt.  The problem is that he has no robot shirt (I know – awful, huh?).  We compromised and I let him wear his Buzz Lightyear PJ shirt, but insisted that he wear non-pajama pants.  I also managed to switch the bike helmet for a pea pod (made by Mrs. Gonzo!) hat by telling him it matches his shirt so well…I admit it cracks me up to take him out of the house this way!

Come in, Star Command!

Come in, Star Command!

Filed Under: Adventures, Photos Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

He may not be crying, but I am

August 24, 2009 By 6 Comments

I’m completely at a loss with the potty training.  Jack uses the toilet (both the regular one and the mini) at daycare with very few issues (probably due to the herd mentality), but still will not use the potty at home.  We’ve tried various types of training pants, including the pull-ups that turn cold when the kid pees.  I did not get a second pack of those because they seem like torture.  I thought maybe a couple times of peeing in them would encourage him to use the potty but nope – he just complains about the pull-ups.

I’ve maintained a pressure-free stance on potty-training.  I’ve tried to let him know ahead of time that I’ll be taking him to use the potty “in a while.”  I’ve put him in big boy underwear and said that Buzz Lightyear would not want to be peed on, and asked that he let me know when he needs to go.  Unfortunately what follows is a BIG MESS.  The kid will sit in wet underwear without an issue!

I finally picked up No Cry Potty Training Solution and read the suggestion that I take away the idea that using the potty is an option rather than a fact.  So then I tried to matter-of-factly announce that it was time to use the potty.  He absolutely did not go for that.  He threw a fit.  I pulled down his pants and he ran.

So, I quit.  I’m not sure if there is anything left to try.  I may take a weekend and let him run naked but I’m pretty sure that will result in me cleaning up messes all day long.

Filed Under: Daycare, Growing Up Tagged With: , , , , ,

Preparation

August 2, 2009 By 2 Comments

I’ve never much liked surprises.  I am a planner and I like to know what is going to happen next.  Maybe that is why I feel so in sync with this stage of Jack’s development.  Every night around 8:30 I tell Jack “soon we will go read books.”  He brushes his teeth and does whatever he feels like he needs to do and then announces that he is ready to read books.  We usually read three.  I can switch out one or two but it’s good to keep a standard book in there (right now it is “Underwear Do’s and Don’ts” by Todd Parr).

After reading through two of the books, I announce, “Okay, Jack, this is the last book.  Then we will turn out the light and go to sleep.”  The last book is read and Jack lays down while I turn off his light.

“You’ve gotta lay with me and snuggle, Mama,” Jack tells me.

“Okay, I will lay down with you for a little bit, but then you have to go to sleep and Mama goes to her bed.”

I tuck him in and lay down beside him.  We snuggle and hold hands for a bit, and then I tell him goodnight and walk out.  He usually tosses and turns for 20 minutes or so and then falls asleep.  Occasionally he calls out for me and I go back in to reassure him that everything is okay and he can go to sleep.

I’m continually amazed that this process works.  I think preparation is the key.  I let him know, sometimes several times before actually doing anything, that we are going to do XYZ “soon.”  Most of the time I do not even have to tell him when it’s time to do these things…he tells me HE is ready.  (Lest you think he is always this easy going, a random ”okay, time to go!” will elicit tears at the drop of a hat.)

I actually feel like I know what I’m doing these days as a mom.  I have my moments, of course, and I still struggle with guilt over various things, but I have Jack right there to show me that I’m doing a pretty good job.  He is happy and healthy and smart and sweet and everything that I could hope to have in a kid.  Bizarrely, I never prepared myself for that, and I’m totally enjoying this surprise.

Filed Under: Babyman, Getting my groove back, Parenting 101, Sleep Tagged With: , , , , ,

Leaving toddlerhood behind

June 17, 2009 By 2 Comments

My baby turns 3 in less than a month. Can I even call him my baby anymore? He is so far from being a baby, I know, but he is the only one I’ve got!

Jack is the same kid he has always been – bright and shiny and creative. Funny and sweet and stubborn. As he gets older he just developes these traits more and more. I never realized before he came into my life that parenthood is its own kind of love story. I loved that little guy immediately but that love deepened, evolved, and continues to surprise me with how profoundly it affects my life. My existence is intricately tied to Jack and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Jack is rapidly leaving toddlerhood behind. While this is great, it is also a little sad. His carefree attitude is starting to fade a bit. He now has nightmares about the things he used to love (spiders, monsters, dragons) and has developed a fear of the dark. He is more aware of illness and aches now; although he skinned his hand a few weeks ago, he still insists on wearing a bandaid. He is now less adventurous about trying new foods, as well. He was never especially good about it but we could get around it by placing a bit of food on his lips where he had to lick it off. Now he runs off yelling if we try to do that!

The boy has a pretty good sense of order now. He stayed the night with his dad this past weekend because I knew he wouldn’t be okay with Aunt Holly and Cousin Sabrina sleeping in HIS bed. And no way would he consent to sleeping in our bedroom! His dinner must be eaten in a particular place, his “sleeping blanket” (which he also calls his sheep – aka sheet) is the only thing he will sleep with, and if he holds the rail while going up the stairs everyone else has to! He declares that I am HIS mom when I pick him up from daycare and he doesn’t like it when I hold other kids. It’s a good thing I don’t have a second right now!

Although he is possessive of me and his things, he is also much happier these days to go between his two homes. It helps a lot that we have a steadier schedule and instead of four trips back and forth a week, it is only 2. As everyone knows, toddlers like consistency and routine.

I am working on planning Jack’s third birthday party. I am thinking of doing a rocket theme seeing as that is what his main focus is these days. He still LOVES George but we did that last year. I can just see the look on his face when he sees a big rocket on his cake. So much fun!

Filed Under: Babyman, Sleep Tagged With: , , ,