Wednesday, November 19, 2008

Christmas is coming!

I am excited for Christmas this year. Emmett is now 2 1/2 and I think it will be the first Christmas he will really start to enjoy what it is all about. As opposed to last year when the most fun was ripping up the paper. We will have several firsts this year. 



Since we got married, we will have our first real Christmas tree. We never saw the point of getting one the past, we just put up our $10 Target mini fake tree, because we usually were not at home for Christmas and/or Emmett was too little to really appreciate it anyway and/or not destroy it. So it will be fun for us as a family to go pick out a real tree. 

It will be our first Christmas in the new house!

It will be the first time we try and take Emmett to see Santa. Try is the key word in that sentance. I have a feeling that Santa may freak him out. But, I am willing to give it a try. I have recently purchased a toddler version of the Night Before Christmas and hope that we can "learn him up" on the whole Santa thing. I tried to get him to watch the Grinch with me when it came on TV the other night, but I think he was not keen on how the Grinch was treating his dog and he asked me to turn it off. 

It's the first time I have to be sneaky about buying his Christmas presents. I already have a couple of things stashed on the high shelves of the closet. 

And it's the first time that we've actually had a fireplace and mantel to hang stockings on! 

But I don't think its going to be the first or the last time that I plan to get all my shopping done early but find myself out on Dec 24th with a few more things to get. 

Tuesday, November 18, 2008

I'm Back!!!

Wow, its been a month since I've been on the blog. And a crazy month it has been. I am finally feeling more settled in the house. There is still more to do... hang art, do some more organization.... but all in all we are moved in. 

And amazingly, Emmett did great with the move. I think because we had been here so much before we actually moved in, he was really used to the house and it made the transition really easy. Also, we moved him to the big boy bed when we moved in here and he has done great! Yes, we still have to kind of be there when he falls asleep, but we are working on that. 


Having a big yard has been great, too. Emmett loves watching Daddy on the "tractor" mowing the lawn and recently he has loved jumping in our raked leaves piles. We really look forward to putting in a veggie garden in the spring and having him help us with that. 

Lots of stuff to chat about on here soon.... holidays...toddler tribulations.... etc. 

Look for me to be on here more often!


Wednesday, October 15, 2008

short hiatus

Check back again soon! I am all consumed with moving right now!

Tuesday, October 7, 2008

Painting with a toddler

Have you ever tried to paint walls with a toddler? I don't recommend it. First, even if you try to make it a "educational experience" and let them try to paint, it is certain that they will only stay in the correct area of the wall for about 30 seconds. The trim or the floor is much more exciting to paint on. 

I would estimate that painting with a 2 year adds about 3x the time it would take doing alone. 

Friday, October 3, 2008

Day off work to have a day to work

I took the day off today. But I still worked! 

I stripped all the wallpaper in the new kitchen and started painting one of the bedrooms. 

I got the Freshaire Paint they are selling at the Home Depot now. No VOC paint. Love it so far! Very little odor from it at all, and the paint seems to go on really well. I like the fact that I can paint and not worry about the fumes for me or my kiddo. Also, it is better for the environment. They also use recyclable cans and paint chips. Nice. 

Tomorrow: more painting!

Wednesday, October 1, 2008

So we have a new house

So we have a new house! I am excited about getting Emmett's room together. I have just bought him a new quilt with choo choos on it. And he has just inherited a nice bunk big boy bed set. I figure I have to do all I can to make it appealing to him with cool bedding! I will also be getting new stuff for his playroom. I hope that he is excited about his new house and that the transition goes well.

Monday, September 29, 2008

Closing tomorrow!

We close on our new house tomorrow! Yea! It is exciting that we are finally getting our house after having our townhouse on the market for 9 months, and then living in an apt for 2 months. It will be great to get our stuff out of the Pods and get all settled in! 

Sunday, September 28, 2008

New house walk through

We went to the new house this morning for our final walk through. Since another little boy had been living in the house who owned thomas trains, the first thing Emmett said when he walked in, was "Where the choo choos go?" 

Seeing the house empty made me realize that I really need to paint almost every room. I hate painting. But, it will be so much easier than doing it when the furniture is in and a toddler is running around. I also need to strip the wallpaper in the kitchen and paint. A task I would love to put off, but, again, much easier to do before the appliances and all our junk get in there. 


Thursday, September 25, 2008

Destruction

Make a beautiful thomas track with bridges, etc..... approx. 5 min before totally destroyed.  Put all the cars together in the same place....approx 3 min before flung all over the room. Gather all the vegetables and fruits and put in the grocery cart.... approx 2 min before cart turned over and all produce all over the floor. 

Done. Undone. Done. Undone. Done. Undone.  And we are where we started this morning.  

Tuesday, September 23, 2008

Fall

I love the fall. I think it stems from when it was going back to school time.... getting new clothes and school supplies.  

Now, I look forward to many things about it.... the state fair, Halloween, leaves changing color, Seagrove festival, Thanksgiving, sweater weather. And I think we'll be taking Emmett trick or treating for the first time. We'll get to meet our neighbors in our new neighborhood.

The only thing I don't love about fall is raking leaves. I haven't been a in place where I have had to do that for a long time. This year, though, we'll be moving into our new house just in time for raking.  Yippee!

Sunday, September 21, 2008

Fun weekend



Yesterday we all went to Pullen Park and had a great time. Emmett loved taking the Choo Choo around the park, and said "All Aboard" when we got on. He played "get you" with Daddy and Daddy chased him around the park. And he also got to ride on the Carousel and the boats. The weather was perfect and there were lots of families out. 

I just love the fall. The air smells cleaner and it just has a happiness about it. 




Saturday, September 20, 2008

Modern customer service!

So how crazy is this? Not long after I wrote my last blog about my difficulties shopping with my 2 year old, I get this email from Lowes Foods:

"Good morning,

We saw the blog you posted about the frustration of shopping with a 2 year old Houdini. We may have the perfect solution for you.

Lowes Foods has a service in many areas called Lowes Foods to Go. The customer places the order on-line (or by calling the number below), a trained personal shopper shops the grocery order, and then the customer simply drives up and we load the groceries. We have many Moms who use the service regularly.

Because we think this is the perfect solution for your situation, we would like to offer a free 30-day certificate. You can shop as often as you'd like with no shopping fee."


Can you believe it? It's amazing that they can find my little blog so quickly. I do think that is a pretty neat way to provide customer service!

Thursday, September 18, 2008

Need some zen.

Never has anyone brought out the level of frustration as my 2 year old has. Why does it drive me to madness that he absolutely refuses to sit in a shopping cart for more than 2 minutes? Even if he is very securely buckled in, he finds a way to Houdini his way out of the seatbelt. But, if I let him down, he will only hold my hand for about 20 seconds... then chaos begins. 

I have had to abandon a cart in the middle of Target and the middle of Lowes Foods because he refuses to cooperate with  me. I don't even want to take him to the store anymore. 

I have to try to find a way to not let his stubborness get to me. I have to find a zen moment in the middle of Target that allows me to not get pissed off. This is my challenge.

Wednesday, September 17, 2008

New house, big boy bed

We are going to be moving to a new house soon. And my little guy will have a new room. I am hoping that the transition will go well. When we sold out last house, the buyers wanted a quick closing. So we are currently in an apartment until we close on our house. He did pretty well when we moved in here -- just a bit clingy with his toys and things.

I want to do what I can to get him excited about the new house. Also, we are transitioning his bed at the same time. I hope that this is not a bad idea. When we went from our last house to the apt, he moved from crib to a mattress on the floor. When we move again, we are hoping to go to the big boy bed! 

So, I want to buy cool sheets for his bed. And a new quilt. Probably something with cars or trains on them. Pottery Barn Kids has some cute stuff, but do I want to pay that much? Not sure what I'll get yet.

And we also want to get a play kitchen for his play area so he'll have something new to play with. This is the one we are thinking about...



He'll have "stainless steel" appliances and "granite" countertops. Is it bad that his kitchen will be fancier than ours?

Tuesday, September 16, 2008

Need ideas.

Running out of ideas. Ideas of new and exciting things to keep my toddler busy. I have been to almost every park in the Triangle area. We have been the place with the jumpy inflatable things. We've been to the museum. We've been to about every child entertainment place. I have playdoh, I have paper and crayons, I have stickers.  I need some new ideas!! 

If anyone has some neat things they do with their toddler that they enjoy, please share!

Sunday, September 14, 2008

We can't do it all, but we can do better.

I have recently finished reading a few books of mother's memoirs. I really wanted to like them. I think its great that we are finally seeing some books about the true experience of motherhood. 

But, I sort of have a gripe about them. It seems that there is a pendulum swing from the "Super Mommy" era of women feeling they have do it all and not being able to complain about it. And I think the pendulum has swung just a bit too far. 

I am all for admitting that we can't do it all. But, I also believe we have to do the best we can. And honestly do the best we can. However, the author of these books, and some other writings I have seen lately are saying more of "I can't be a perfect mom, but because a lot of the right things to do for my kids is too hard, I am just going to take the easy way out and say it's ok."

It's not ok. It's not ok to let a 2 month old baby cry it out, just because you want more sleep. It's not ok to let a baby hang out in a bouncy chair all day because you want to paint the walls. It's not ok to give up on breastfeeding because you want to go away for a weekend and not pump. 

So many claim that they want the best for their child. But, what they really want is the best for their child, as long as it doesn't inconvenience them too much. 

Friday, September 12, 2008

New tactic

Up until just recently, whenever my husband dropped off the little guy at day care, he would fuss and cry. He would quickly get over it after Daddy left, but none the less, he had to register his protest about being left at daycare. Never mind the fact that he has tons of fun when he is there.

But, he has figured out a new way to deal the with the situation. Instead of crying, he just get this pitiful look on his face and says "Bye, bye, daddy. Bye, bye." With just enough bottom lip hanging out. Even today, he pushed Daddy away and said "Bye, bye." And actually, my husband said it was easier to deal with when he cried!

I suppose he knows that crying doesn't work and instead he'll just do his best to induce parental guilt. How could we possibly leave him in a place where he gets to ride bikes, do crafts, play with his friends, and have good food? What kind of parents are we?

Wednesday, September 10, 2008

2 year old speech

You just got to love how a 2 year old speaks. 

Here are some of my favorite examples:
Pizza= cheetcha
popcorn= popporn (yikes!)
Poptart=Tart Tart

And how can you resist when they say things like:
"Wanna play?" (eyelashes-- bat, bat)
"I looooovvvveeeee Mommy"
"I got an Ouchie"
"Park and play?"
"Car ride?"

It's a good thing that 2 year olds have such a high cute factor, it helps to balance out all that other 2 year old stuff. You know what I am talking about.

Tuesday, September 9, 2008

Cookies

Why do I have to say NO 15 hundred times? And what's with the selective hearing?

For example: 
"More cookies?" 
"No."
"More cookies!"
"No. Do you want an apple?"
"MORE COOKIES!!!" (reaching for cookies)
"No."
"MOOOORE COOOOOKIEEEEES!!!" (still reaching for cookies)
"No."
(Crying ensues....)

Why do I have to say no 15 billion times before he accepts that the answer is No? And why does he act like he doesn't hear what I am saying and continues to reach for the cookies?

All rhetorical questions, of course. For the answer, we all know, and my husband reminds me of often, is "Because he is 2."


Monday, September 8, 2008

Little toes and fingers

It is late. I need to go to sleep. This will be a short post.

My little guy won't have anything to do with me trimming toenails and fingernails. I have to do it in the dark of night when he is asleep. It seems so sneaky. I have to gently get to all his fingers and toes without stirring him too much.

How long I am going to have to do this? When will he big enough to handle this when he is awake? Just wondering.

Sunday, September 7, 2008

Phd in Cars the Movie


I have seen Cars the movie a few times. Ok, more like 5 bazillion times. And I don't think that is an exaggeration. My husband and I could out quote anyone, anyday. Needless to say, my little guy loves this movie. 

The more I see the movie, the more I notice about it. It was after several viewings that I noticed the gas station was in the shape of an engine. But, now I am noticing all the detail -- like how the shadow is always in the right size and direction. How do they do this? And the reflections in the metallic cars and in water. Really, how do they do this? I find it amazing. 

Then it is all the things that you can tell they spent an enormous amount of time thinking through. Have you noticed when Mater gets excited that he wags his tow cable like a dog? The ways they decided to show emotion is so well thought out. 

So what does this mean? It means that having a toddler only leaves you time to ponder the depth of a Pixar film. 

Has anyone written a dissertation on Cars? Maybe I will.

Saturday, September 6, 2008

Beach


We went to the beach this summer. Well, let's say we were at a house at the beach this summer. Don't get me wrong, we had a lot of fun, but we didn't as much time on the sand as we thought we would. My little guy decided he did NOT like the beach this year. I am not sure what it was exactly. 

We think the ocean was a bit scary to him. And I don't think he enjoyed being out in the hot sun. There were a few times late in the day when it had cooled off that he didn't mind playing in the sand. 

But, most of the week, as many different ways as we tried to tell him about all the fun things he could be doing down at the beach, he response was always, "No beach! No beach!" Even when we did get him down there, he promptly turned around and headed back toward the house. 

We rented bikes, too. You know the one with the kiddie trailer that is attached? Yeah, we rented that. Would he even get in the trailer? Um, no. Not a chance.  No way, Jose. My husband was able to utilize the trailer to pick up some bags of ice, though. So not a complete waste. 

Oh well. We presume that next year he won't ever want to leave the beach and he'll fuss when we have to go back inside.

Friday, September 5, 2008

Hola! Soy Dora!


My son has learned a good bit of Spanish from watching Dora the Explorer. While I find this show annoying sometimes, I have to say it's pretty cool what he has learned. And, of course, because he is learning Spanish, so am I!

It took a few times of him saying it for me to recognize it, but he needed help with something, and he said "Ayudeme! Ayudeme!" Help me! Then the other day when he was playing with his toys, he said "Sube, sube, sube" (Climb, climb, climb). Also, when he wanted me to open the door he said "Abra!" I do wonder if the spanish will stick with him, or whether it will go when Dora is no longer his favorite show. 

I am sure that many moms have become more well versed in Dora than they ever knew possible. Do you know all the characters? Tiko, the squirrel with the cool car. Swiper, that sneaky fox. Bennie the bull. Its probably fairly pitiful all the toddler entertainment that I have become acquainted with. If Jeopardy only had categories of Dora, Diego, and Lightning McQueen, I would be the champion! 

No, I don't think parking my kid in front of the television is the best thing ever. But I can tell he really is learning alot. And he does LOTS of other things during his day. And, guilty confession here, sometimes it is really nice for him to just sit quietly for a little while. Thank you, TV, for providing so many moms with a with few minutes of quiet to put our sanity meter back in the black. 

Adios, amigos! 

Thursday, September 4, 2008

Where does he sleep?

Took my little guy to the pediatrician this morning. Good times. As soon as we pulled the car into the doctor's office parking lot, he said "I don't like it!!" He is 95% for height (I think, because he was squirming so much, I am not sure how accurate) and 45% for weight, and doing great developmentally. 

But, every visit since he was born, they always ask "And where does he sleep?" This has always bothered me. Why do they ask this? We all know what the "right" answer is. As a newborn the expected answer is "Of course, he sleeps in his co-sleeper/bassinet/crib!" As an infant, you say "He sleeps in his crib." By age 2, the right answer is "Of course he is not in a crib, he could climb out, he is in his big boy bed." So, of course, that is basically what I replied. If I told them that he slept in our bed until about 8 months ago, and still gets in bed with us in the mornings, then what? Do you then get a lecture in SIDS and child safety? Or do they just document it in your chart, so that if your baby ever dies of SIDS that they can say "Well, we told her that baby should be in a crib, so it must be because they co-slept." Clearly, they are not asking because they want to reward you for bringing your child to bed with you.

I wonder how many people lie about where their baby sleeps to their doctor, friends and family. 

So today I asked the nurse, "Why do you always ask where they sleep?" Basically, she said they are just concerned with safety and they didn't want a parent to roll over on a baby. Do you know how rare this is? And did you know that many times it is due to a parent with drugs/alcohol in their system? Why is it that they choose to ignore all the benefits that come from co-sleeping? Such as:
  • Babies who cosleep are less susceptible to stress disorders
  • Babies get greater immunilogical benefits because they nurse twice as frequently as those babies that sleep alone.
  • Babies imitate mom's breathing patterns helping to protect against SIDS.
  • Studies show that babies that cosleep become more independent, healthier and more successful in school than babies that don't cosleep.
  • Babies sleep and stay asleep better. 
  • Mothers sleep better.
Just google it for tons of studies and experiences.  You think my local pediatrician could google it too.


Wednesday, September 3, 2008

Why not try breastfeeding?


So this is a question I have thought often, but really had no one in particular to voice it to. Here it is: Why are there so many people that don't even try to breastfeed?

Now, I know what you are thinking.... well, some people can't breastfeed because.... they are taking a medication that prevents it, or some other legitimate reason. I agree, there are some people that can't breastfeed for whatever reason. That is not who I am talking about. I am talking about the people that before their baby is born they simply decide they will bottle feed. And I am not talking about our mothers who were taught that only the underprivileged breastfed and that any women with means should bottle feed.

All the literature, and even the formula companies, tell us that breast is best. And every mother and mother to be will claim that all they want is the best for their child. So why is it that so many women choose to formula feed without giving breastfeeding a try? (Remember Green Eggs and Ham?)

Do they believe that it will be easier? Because I don't know how buying formula, preparing, washing, warming bottles, is easier. Do they think it is easier because someone else can help feed the baby? I know that I felt like a dairy cow in the early days, but really, there are other things people can help with like diapers, baths, housekeeping, thus leaving mom to breastfeed and provide that perfect food and bonding. And certainly it is easier that the milk is always available, always free, and always the perfect temperature no matter where you are.

Are people too uncomfortable with their bodies, and breastfeeding just "weirds them out"? If so, how is that a good enough reason? Isn't it worth it to "get over it" or find a way of getting comfortable? And if you don't even try breastfeeding, then how will you know how you really feel about it?

Are they career women who plan to go back to work after leave and think why bother? Well, all I can say is: Isn't 3 months better than none? And they have these things called breastpumps now.

I know that many people start breastfeeding, and then stop for various reasons. There are a myriad of reasons why people stop, but right now, I am not talking about them. I can't say I didn't comtemplate stopping early on. Breastfeeding for the first month was very painful and I cringed every time he latched on. They even suspected that my little guy had a milk allergy at 3 months and said I would have to switch to formula or cut out all dairy. I cut out the dairy.... you wouldn't believe how many products have dairy in them!

I just don't get while breastfeeding isn't given a chance at all by some women. Do they really know what they are giving up? Do they know that when baby wakes at night, they don't have to fully wake up because you are there to offer the breast much sooner than a bottle would be available? Do they also know that you'll get better sleep because you can fall back asleep while nursing, something hard to do while holding a bottle. Do they know just how much money they'll save? Do they know that breastmilk content changes as the babies nutritional needs change? Something formula could never do. Do they know that the hormones released during nursing help mom to relax and feel love for baby? Do they really know what they are choosing when they choose not to try breastfeeding?

I would love to know the reasons, because I can't fathom what they are. I know I going to piss off some bottle feeding mothers, but that's not my intent. I just really want to understand.

Tuesday, September 2, 2008

Potty

It is naptime! But, I think my time is running out.... I hear him stirring, so we'll see how far I get. My little guy turned 2 in June. On one hand, it is hard to remember before him, on the other hand, the time has just flown by. He is getting to be such a little person!  

I never knew before I was a mom how exciting it would be the first time you see your child pee on the potty. We were at the mall today and went to one of those Family Bathrooms. You know, the one with the adult potty and the kiddie potty, and the adult sink, and kiddie sink. I had just finished changing his diaper and he spied the kiddie potty and said, "Mommy, I need to pee." Thinking he had just seen the older kids at his day care, I indulged the idea, and said "OK". I propped him up on the potty, and what did he do? He actually peed! Who knew? I, of course, said "Yea! Look at you! You peed just like a big boy! What a great job!" He was very proud of himself. Now, I know it might be a fluke, but at least we are headed in the direction of diaperless land, and it is very exciting. I see some shopping for a kiddy potty and potty training books coming up soon.

I really have some more things I want to talk about soon... breastfeeding, patience, and circumcision are chief among them. 

Monday, September 1, 2008

The first blog

Alright, so this is my first blog entry and this will be a bit of an experiment. I thought it would be good writing exercise as well as to get my rants and raves out. We'll just have to see how it goes.  

Right now Sarah Palin is on my mind, and here is what I think. I think it is a move to try and recruit those who would have voted for Hillary because she is a woman. Well, I hope that the women voters will realize that it is more important to put the right person in office and not just put somebody in because they are female and will "make history." What good will it do to put a woman in office if that administration goes down in history as crap, or mediocre at best (which would be my prediction). And... lets talk about the fact that Ms. Palin gave birth to her child and returned to work after 3 days. This doesn't sound like someone who really has "family values" at the front of her agenda. I value balance in career and family. And if she really is so career-driven as to seek the VP office, what is she doing having 5 children? Just a thought. 

Ok, that's all I will say about that right now. Mostly I intend to blog about being a mom and all the issues around that.  Stay tuned.