Will was in my room ready to play at 5:30 again this morning. I tried to get him to fall asleep in my bed by semi-pinning him down, resulting in a couple minutes fussing/crying (Will does not like to hold still), then an eventual poop-out with a minute of two of quiet. My hope of sneaking downstairs childless to catch up on my recorded American Idol and Lost episodes was soon disrupted when he started jabbering away and popped up, ready to go once more. A big kick in my face left me with a little bloody nose, watering eyes & the motivation I needed to rise & shine for the day.
Not a half hour later, Nate & Daisy (Nate's occasional bed-buddy-Doberman-dog-pal) came strolling down the stairs, blankies (3) in tow. The big bi-polar question of the morning? Happy or Mad? Mad. Dang. The featured breakfast this morning was English Muffins con Blueberry fruit spread. So good, I skipped my traditional Lucky Charms and went for a muffin myself. Nate decided to try to chuck his on the floor (saved by a quick grab from his mom) and was sent back up to his room to start the day over again.
So, here we are. Nate has readjusted his attitude & has brought a book down and we're snuggling, so life is good again (for the moment). Maybe we will be going to Disneyland after all today.
Friday, February 29, 2008
Thursday, February 28, 2008
Just a typical walk...
Nate's preschool "Rainbow Connection" monthly newsletter came out today. They included an article that recently appeared something called Exchange Every Day. The article details how play has changed in children, and basically, because they don't romp unsupervised outside, etc., kids are losing their "self-regulation" and all kinds of stuff that sounds important and keeps them from doing drugs, yada, yada. So, because I always want to be a good mom & believe I am sometimes, I let the boys loose out back. AKA I got some much-desired reading time in the sun while the kids did whatever the heck they wanted without me guiding them &/or breething down the back of their necks.
It went well, actually. They even listened to my warning of "no touching the poop" which can be a tough one.
I decided to step it up a notch. Out to the front of the house we went, barefoot & ready for a walk. What better way to let off some steam, soak up some rays, & possibly meet new neighbors in the process.
Nate took off running. Not a big deal on our quiet cul-de-sac. Will & I just lagged behind holding hands & a rock (Will brought one from our yard). I had even remembered to promise Nate a special treat if he practiced good listening and watched for cars backing out of driveways. Side note: I recently read bribing 2 year olds works great and won't mess them up as long as you offer the reward before an activity or whatever and not at the time of a breakdown, as in "shut up & I'll give you a candy bar!". So I'm trying it on occasion.
All went well until it was time to turn around. I got Nate to stop 50 yards ahead of us but he wouldn't come back so we could cross the street (an incentive) and head back home on the other side of the street. I mustered up what little patience and positivity I could find and came up with encouraging remarks to get him back to me, i.e. "you can hold Will's hand to help him cross", "if you're a really good listener, we can do this all the time". I wished I had a go-go-gadget arm to grab him by the neck and pull him back to us. Eventually, as Will & I turned to go, he caught up with us, we held hands and got across the street.
Just a minute after crossing the street, Will stopped to throw rocks in some bushes. Eventually I had to tell Nate to wait and run back to get Will who was quite set on his task. As I turned back to meet up with Nate, the little bugger ran across the road. Not a big deal in the "normal" world, but in a mom's world, it was a miracle he wasn't struck and drug to Nevada.
Needless to say, I ran up to Nate (Will bouncing on my hip) and assisted him in a brisk walk straight home with a handful of hoodie in my fist. "No more walks for one week!" - like he knows what a week is. I just felt saying something and at least no cuss words were involved. When I stand back and think why would something like this be a big enough deal for me to write about, I realize it wouldn't be such a big deal if these things didn't happen to me numerous times throughout the day. I'm like a Border Collie doing my best to maintain a flock of rabid sheep.
It went well, actually. They even listened to my warning of "no touching the poop" which can be a tough one.
I decided to step it up a notch. Out to the front of the house we went, barefoot & ready for a walk. What better way to let off some steam, soak up some rays, & possibly meet new neighbors in the process.
Nate took off running. Not a big deal on our quiet cul-de-sac. Will & I just lagged behind holding hands & a rock (Will brought one from our yard). I had even remembered to promise Nate a special treat if he practiced good listening and watched for cars backing out of driveways. Side note: I recently read bribing 2 year olds works great and won't mess them up as long as you offer the reward before an activity or whatever and not at the time of a breakdown, as in "shut up & I'll give you a candy bar!". So I'm trying it on occasion.
All went well until it was time to turn around. I got Nate to stop 50 yards ahead of us but he wouldn't come back so we could cross the street (an incentive) and head back home on the other side of the street. I mustered up what little patience and positivity I could find and came up with encouraging remarks to get him back to me, i.e. "you can hold Will's hand to help him cross", "if you're a really good listener, we can do this all the time". I wished I had a go-go-gadget arm to grab him by the neck and pull him back to us. Eventually, as Will & I turned to go, he caught up with us, we held hands and got across the street.
Just a minute after crossing the street, Will stopped to throw rocks in some bushes. Eventually I had to tell Nate to wait and run back to get Will who was quite set on his task. As I turned back to meet up with Nate, the little bugger ran across the road. Not a big deal in the "normal" world, but in a mom's world, it was a miracle he wasn't struck and drug to Nevada.
Needless to say, I ran up to Nate (Will bouncing on my hip) and assisted him in a brisk walk straight home with a handful of hoodie in my fist. "No more walks for one week!" - like he knows what a week is. I just felt saying something and at least no cuss words were involved. When I stand back and think why would something like this be a big enough deal for me to write about, I realize it wouldn't be such a big deal if these things didn't happen to me numerous times throughout the day. I'm like a Border Collie doing my best to maintain a flock of rabid sheep.
From the Crazy Mom of a One & Two Year Old...
Because at some point every day I think, "I can't believe this is my life," (good or bad) and because sharing our stories may make for interesting reading, commiseration for other families surviving with small children, and also as something for us to look back upon, to reflect, laugh, roll-our-eyes-at, or to thank goodness "that" phase has passed.
So, here it starts today at a quarter-to-seven in the morning. Rick left the house this morning a little after 4. Usually I've been up a time or two in the night with one of the boys or both, and often not long before Rick's alarm's gone off at 4am, so I'm able to converse with him to some extent, or at the least, to blow him a couple kisses for support from our cozy bed. I know his early hours are not something I can help Rick with, but I do feel guilty for "sleeping in" to 5:30 or 6am no matter how many times I've been up in the night.
Will was bright & shiny this morning at 5:30am. He fell asleep in the bike trailer last night while we were out for a family ride. We had a long "ride" back, as my tire had gone flat at nearly our furthest point and we had no pump. I walked and pushed my bike as my husband, who looks great on his bike by the way, slowly pedaled next to me, pulling the boys. We thought it a great opportunity to put Will to bed a couple hours early (a couple friends suggested an early bedtime might bring a later wake time, which worked for both their little guys). And as crazy as it sounds, 5:30's better than Will's 4:30's and back-to-sleeps he's been dealing out lately.
We're waiting for Nate to rise and shine so we can group shower (not as exciting as it sounds) and get the big kid (2) to early preschool. He goes Tuesday & Thursday mornings for fun, socialization and for me, a break. One kid's no sweat when you've got two and I can't imagine how easy it'd be for a mom with multiple other children. Nate's been battling a fever the last couple days. Particularly Tuesday, when it first showed up. He fell asleep in his teacher's lap at school. He was soundly sleeping, pink cheeks and sweaty hair, curled up on a cot in his classroom with classmates screaming and racing, playing all around him when I picked him up. His fever got up to atleast 103.5 then broke late that night, dropping to 97.4 in an hour or two. He's been sleeping a long time and I'm hoping he'll be all smiles when he wakes (that rarely happens... I used to think of myself as an optimist and I'm just trying to bring it back).
I have to get moving. Hannah's moaning and whining at the back door. My signal to get her breakfast. Will's been chucking the t-ball at the dogs, so I'm sure they're ready to escape the little bugger.
So, here it starts today at a quarter-to-seven in the morning. Rick left the house this morning a little after 4. Usually I've been up a time or two in the night with one of the boys or both, and often not long before Rick's alarm's gone off at 4am, so I'm able to converse with him to some extent, or at the least, to blow him a couple kisses for support from our cozy bed. I know his early hours are not something I can help Rick with, but I do feel guilty for "sleeping in" to 5:30 or 6am no matter how many times I've been up in the night.
Will was bright & shiny this morning at 5:30am. He fell asleep in the bike trailer last night while we were out for a family ride. We had a long "ride" back, as my tire had gone flat at nearly our furthest point and we had no pump. I walked and pushed my bike as my husband, who looks great on his bike by the way, slowly pedaled next to me, pulling the boys. We thought it a great opportunity to put Will to bed a couple hours early (a couple friends suggested an early bedtime might bring a later wake time, which worked for both their little guys). And as crazy as it sounds, 5:30's better than Will's 4:30's and back-to-sleeps he's been dealing out lately.
We're waiting for Nate to rise and shine so we can group shower (not as exciting as it sounds) and get the big kid (2) to early preschool. He goes Tuesday & Thursday mornings for fun, socialization and for me, a break. One kid's no sweat when you've got two and I can't imagine how easy it'd be for a mom with multiple other children. Nate's been battling a fever the last couple days. Particularly Tuesday, when it first showed up. He fell asleep in his teacher's lap at school. He was soundly sleeping, pink cheeks and sweaty hair, curled up on a cot in his classroom with classmates screaming and racing, playing all around him when I picked him up. His fever got up to atleast 103.5 then broke late that night, dropping to 97.4 in an hour or two. He's been sleeping a long time and I'm hoping he'll be all smiles when he wakes (that rarely happens... I used to think of myself as an optimist and I'm just trying to bring it back).
I have to get moving. Hannah's moaning and whining at the back door. My signal to get her breakfast. Will's been chucking the t-ball at the dogs, so I'm sure they're ready to escape the little bugger.
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