Wednesday, June 30, 2010

"When you close your eyes and go to sleep"

TG is having some weird dream nowadays. For the past three days, she wakes up screaming and asking for specific objects. Today it was her giraffe but not her regular giraffe but her Sophie giraffe.
Of course in the dead of night, I'm scrambling like a madwomen searching through her pile of pals that act as her headboard and by the time I found her Sophie giraffe, which was wrapped in a diaper three times too big, she was fast asleep again.
I think she's talking in her sleep but she's having actual conversations with me.
I shouldn't be surprised as I do that as well but I've never been on the other end of this.
"iPad!"
"Time for bed, TG."
"iPhone!"
"You can hold the phone but go to bed."
"Ok."
What is nuts though is how she does this even for diaper changes.
"diaper change?"
"Ok."
She pulls the blanket off of her.
She flips over so I can pull up her new diaper.
She flips back to her back.
"Blanket?"
"Ok."
"Milk?"
"Ok."
Snooze.

Tuesday, June 29, 2010

Kid Gear just keeps accumulating.

We've hit a point where I think I'm ready for a lightweight stroller.
When we were first researching strollers, we ruled out the behometh ones because of price and logistics. We live in an apartment. Do we really need a bugaboo?
We thought carefully. Ok, I thought carefully and after ingesting large quantities of reviews and guides, I decided on a simple and affordable snap and go for the infant stroller.
When she was old enough and graduated from her infant car seat, we moved up to a mid-sized stroller. We have the Peg Perego P3. I love this baby. It is powerful. We made it through snow storms, up steep stairs, the NYC transit system, etc.
She loves her stroller but it's getting heavier and heavier these days. The stroller is 17 lbs without baby or gear. Tack on a 25 lb kid and maybe a 1-2 lbs of other gear and trying to make your way down narrow stairs on the train is brutal. The death stares from your fellow commuters are as sharp as daggers.
I decided a long time ago that I would no longer use a stroller on the trains. The simple fact is I'm 5'2" tall and I'd probably injure myself trying to carry all this up and down the transit system.
This has worked fine for me as I have always swayed towards the crunchier side of parenting and wear my baby.
DH though has now moved away from wearing TG and uses the stroller. Don't get me wrong, it is brutally hot out there and adding a 25 lb space heater to your front or back is not fun.
DH says he doesn't need another stroller. I know we don't need it but wouldn't an 8 lbs stroller help alleviate the heft?
I figure we'll go to the shops and check out lightweight strollers.
I'm not a big Maclaren fan. The recalls wig me out and the actual seat looks uncomfortable to me. I'm leaning towards the UppaBaby G-Lite but we'll see if TG likes the feel as well.
Who knows. We may just stick with two strollers and skip the third.

Monday, June 28, 2010

I don't have elves in my house

So DH keeps telling me that he wants me to relax and take a nap but how can I when the brief moments I have where a toddler isn't latched onto an appendage are spent doing the necessaries such as cleaning, cooking, working, etc?

"Stuff will get done."
"Because I do it."
"Go, sit watch an episode of the Beekman Boys."
"Ok."
"And don't try to work on restoring and reformatting the phone."
"Darn."

Sunday, June 27, 2010

Snoozing on the bicycle

My daughter loves the bicycle now. She loves it. She grabs her helmet and is out the door before we can even get our gear together.
Problem is the sun is roasting us. Roasting us. We wind up slathering our daughter in so much sunblock she looks like a streaky mess. Plus, it's so hot under the helmet and sun and I'm guessing the fast pace motion of the ride makes her pass out. So she's just this crumpled up mess 20 minutes into a bike ride.
Hysterical yes but totally upsets our naps.
Sure my husband could attempt to bike ride around the city for 2 hours in this blazing heat but then they'd both be red lobsters.

Saturday, June 26, 2010

Words To Live By

There are no foolish questions and no man becomes a fool until he has stopped asking questions -- Charles Proteus Steinmetz

Friday, June 25, 2010

Did you put on the sunscreen?

I'm one of those folks who is concerned with the toxic levels of chemicals that our body accumulates over time.
That's why I try to lean towards natural ingredients in everything from clothes, food and products we use at home.
Because of this, I'm a bit bullish with my husband. I always ask him to take the stuff I purchase for TG with him instead of using others.
Since my husband is a male, he'd prefer to pack light. This doesn't always jive.
Still, I'm pretty sure my husband understands where I come from. He has been trying to be better about bringing her sunscreen and bug block with him.
The next thing he's going to hate is the cuts and scrape wash. I like to have it around now because in this heat and humidity, TG is running around in shorts lately and since she's into climbing and exploring, she gets a few scrapes here and there and I like to rinse them out as soon as possible. I like rinsing with water for most cuts but the bigger ones, I like to use a mixture of water and a little benzalkonium chloride, aka antiseptic wash. (I'm a geek that works with scientists.)
I'm not too strong about the wash but I am about the sunscreen so I'm probably going to deal with 2 out of three. Bug Balm and Sunscreen.
Oh and if anyone was wondering, yes, I generally lean towards olive oil on her little bruises. I put it on at night before she goes to bed. You can now call me a crunchy city girl.

Thursday, June 24, 2010

Leading by example and making a fashion statement too

Ever since the first bike ride, TG is now excited about wearing her helmet.
That was one of DH's goals regarding bike riding, to build up excitement and enthusiasm for the helmet.
Before we had to fight her tooth and nail just to wear her helmet for her scooter rides. It was weeks of "Look TG, she's wearing a helmet and he's wearing a helmet. Everyone wears a helmet." Then it was more weeks of "See TG. Mommy wears a helmet and Daddy wears a helmet."
Now whenever a see a parent with a helmet on for no reason whatsoever, I totally get it.

Wednesday, June 23, 2010

Feeling all kinds of love right now.

I'm such a dork. I'm at work where I can listen to adult music. What do I choose instead? My daughter's Songs inspired by the Old Testament and New Testament albums. They are my favorite and when I'm having a stressful day, which is always, they really make me smile and gain perspective. And they aren't preachy. They are Justin Roberts songs and he is such a great writer.

Tuesday, June 22, 2010

It's not even a cute looking ponytail either.

I've decided to grow out my hair again at least until it gets to my brother's wedding and i decide if i should cut it again.
Why?
I'm lazy and a ponytail cannot be sported on the short hair that i usually have worn in the past year.
Sad, I know.

Monday, June 21, 2010

I'm just saying.

I'm not going all fanatical but I must say when I think of God, I'm very grateful and happy to know Him and to want to know Him.
I brings a smile to my face.
I know everyone has their own spiritual beliefs and some don't believe in God.
For me, knowing He is there and He loves me makes the craziness here on earth more manageable.

Sunday, June 20, 2010

Father's Day

I'm not a big fan of Hallmark holidays but I still celebrate Mother's Day and Father's Day. Unfortunately we need to be reminded yearly to honor our parents.
A group of the neighborhood parents got together today and we shared Father's Day now with a nearly 2 year old and it's kind of like the kids are old enough to really give their own brand of present to their dads.
One dad said that his day was topped by his son sitting on the floor and rolling a ball towards him, an early sign of catch with pop. His eyes beamed with pride.
What did TG do? She went for a ride on Daddy's bicycle with him. Sure there were tears shed and pleas to be released from the crazy contraption but after two circular rides around the playground, the terror actually left her face and she seemed to enjoy it. Either that or she was catatonic. Only her shrink will know for sure.

Saturday, June 19, 2010

I noticed my child doesn't really stop anyone if they try to take her toy. She sort of just stands there trying to figure out why this person isn't asking to play with her toy.
She's also one of the few kids that will sit and wait her turn for a toy.
I don't know if this is a product of play dates with boys exclusively or not.
When she plays with her team of boys, they are always running about and throwing things and taking things and fighting for things. She kind of stands back and says something once but then stops.
At the same time, if she says something, the boys seem to listen to her. If she says to sit, they sit. If she asks for help, they help. Yet she still doesn't say no when they try to take her toy.
Oh and if she's playing with a toy and it is her turn to play with it, if the boys complain and whine and cry that they want to play, she'll cut short her play time so they can play.
It's really bizarre. Isn't a 2 year old supposed to want to play with something and have no concept of empathy?

Friday, June 18, 2010

Confidence

TG loves a kind of mother may I game. She enjoys follow the leader type games and enjoys leading DH and I in a round of do this and do that.
Her newest game is going on the swing and having us sing if you're happy and you know it.
I started this to teach her to kick her feet when she swings up and to get her to gain confidence by letting go of her arms when she swing up and back to feel that rush you get on a roller coaster.
Now, she loves it and asks for it whenever we swing.

Thursday, June 17, 2010

Encyclopedia Brown

TG is hanging out with another girl now. She's younger but it's still another girl. I actually think the girl thinks TG is like a sister. They walk the same way. One follows the other. They laugh together and do silly things together.
They even have the same hair color.
My child of course is the loud mouth though and happily talks up a storm.
Someone told me that when they turn 3, they begin to ask why? I better have google and reference books ready soon. Right now, I'm having a time already with some of the what? questions. Actually TG says, "This?" Instead of "What?" It's her short hand of "What is this?"

Wednesday, June 16, 2010

At least I can admit that I'm irrational now.

I am on fire the last few days. I'm fairly certain this means that I'm ovulating.
You'd think this would make me all lovey dovey with my husband but nope.
I think it's a survival of the fittest thing for me right now.
Yesterday this was going through my head:
On the subject of my husband giving me a list of what our toddler ate all day.
"This man thinks half a kashi bar, some whole wheat bunny crackers, a stick of cheese and half a scrambled egg is acceptable eats in an 8 hour period for a nearly 2 year old?"
I blurted out that I don't have to wake up at 3am to make homemade healthy lunches for your guys but I do so for a reason. He had no response and left me alone for the rest of the night.
Tonight I woke up with the hunger of a thousand soldiers. I told DH as I made homemade hash at midnight, "I must be ovulating because I feel like I need to eat like a penguin trekking to some far reaching corner of the world to lay my freaking egg. Oh and you are really ticking me off."
DH: Why?
PG: When AF is here do you need to have a reason? Ok, honey, before I went to bed, I packed the dishwasher, started it and cleaned the kitchen. That was 3 hours ago. How can one man in three hours amass 3 dirty bowls, 2 spoons, 1 knife, 1 fork and 2 cups when I made you dinner? Oh and did you eat TG's lunch that I left on the counter to cool?
DH: Oh, I thought that was leftovers.
PG: Argh! I'm so hungry. Go away until I have eaten.
Of course, I literally sat down after serving DH and myself the homemade hash when TG toddles into the living room peeved that I had left her in the bedroom to sleep alone.

Tuesday, June 15, 2010

This American Family has talent

We made the mistake of allowing our daughter to play with our phone and iPad during our vacation. In the past we used to occasionally allow her to touch our phone but now it's ridiculous.
This kid asks by name for our phone or iPad. She will sit there and access her home movies and music without blinking.
Oh she's into dancing now. She's into songs with alot of choreographed movements. If you peek into our windows, you will probably see DH, TG and I in a game of Mother May I. Sit. Stand. Kick. Wiggle. Up. Down. Spin Like A Top.
Maybe we should charge admission.

Monday, June 14, 2010

Parenthood

DH seems to be annoyed that our daughter wakes up when I wake up.
Sure it would be nice to have a quiet moment to myself and yes on occasion she does continue to sleep 30-40 minutes after I've woken up but for the most time she wakes up when I wake up or I wake up when she wakes up.
I know he's annoyed but I don't think I'm unlike other moms, especially moms that work outside of home. Two other moms I know who work outside of home have told me that their child wakes up when they wake up even if it's at an insane hour.
I think it's natural for a toddler.
This issue though ranks up there with the breastfeeding issue. DH thinks it's time to wean. I think that we're slowly and naturally weaning. She has started to not request a nursing session in public now and she is moving towards nursing only at bedtime.
With some parents in our circle, it's a bit different and I think DH is looking at that side of the fence. One child goes to bed in a crib at the same time every day and does not wake up once at night. One child stopped nursing at 4 months.
I think all parenting styles are different and that the most important thing is that the parents of a child can work through their differences and find a support in each other and we need to stop taking the experience of another parent or another child in the same family for that matter as the standard.
A friend told me that her twins have opposite personalities for everything. Food, play, etc. It's making life with 2 2 year olds insane. God bless women who have multiple kids less than 2 years apart from each other. That's intense.

Sunday, June 13, 2010

Mr. Manners on Toddler Dining Manners

DH and I are encountering another dispute regarding parenting styles.
I think TG is old enough to start practicing drinking from a cup. DH dislikes this as he feels that all she does is blow bubbles, stick her hand in it or pours the water into her food.
She does this sometimes but I'm trying to teach her not to.
DH feels that her table manners are atrocious. He dislikes how I allow her to eat from my plate even if her plate has the same exact thing, which it always does.
I figure the grass is always greener and as long as she's eating, I have not problems.
DH wants to teach her to not pick from other people's plates.
I get his point.
I've bought smaller versions of the exact same dishes and cups we eat off of and now I'm trying to have meals with the family using the same plates. I'm hoping this may help.
I don't expect her to be not messy. She's still mastering how to scoop food and stab her food but maybe this will lessen the eat off of mom's plate that DH dislikes.

Saturday, June 12, 2010

Apparently it's lighter atmospherically when it's humid.

This humidity is driving me nuts. It's making me feel blue and blah and it's not conducive for anything.
Still I am a mom and my child needs to learn and grow and I need to be a good example.
Park time isn't so bad with the breeze and aside from the sticky feeling of the sunblock, we're not doing bad.
Now if I can only get my kid to wear her helmet, she can scoot beside me and it wouldn't take us 45 minutes in this humidity to walk two blocks.

Friday, June 11, 2010

Who knew playing would be so exhausting

Busy day today.
2 separate play dates, 5 friends.
1 tired mom.
Her appetite is fluctating again. Now she's only had a piece of cheese and 2 ounces of squash and carrots. I'm just going with the flow. I'm not going to sweat it.
On a good note, the other day, she grabbed a chicken tender from my plate and ate 1/4 of it.

Thursday, June 10, 2010

Wednesday, June 09, 2010

She knows what she likes

I was thinking about her independence today and realized the first outfit I ever bought her was a shirt and skirt set. On the front it said, Miss Independence. I guess I knew then or she could read. I bought it as she was due on July 4th and I thought it would be appropriate.
Apparently a mother's intuition knew even then.

Tuesday, June 08, 2010

American Idol Potential I'm not

With toddlerhood comes the exploration of independence and development of opinion. I get that. I've read enough parenting books to have this engrained in me.
Be patient. Create an environment where her choices are safe choices and allow her to express and develop her self confidence.
It's just very hard when your daughter becomes Simon Cowell and puts her hand out to silence your rendition of "Old MacDonald Had a Farm".

Monday, June 07, 2010

Big Girls

TG had another play date with two older girls in our building. The sisters, 4 and 7, have introduced TG to a play style that my husband was unaware of. "Girls play quietly and intently. Boys are loud and very physical." DH apparently was their model and the girls proceeded to dress DH up.
TG now is trying to put necklaces on our dog. Poor dog. She's 14 years old in dog years and has to deal with a nearly 2 year old putting jewelry on her.

Sunday, June 06, 2010

Helmet

My mom came over today. We took it easy as I know my mom isn't into too much physical activity.
We took her to a concert in the park and she enjoyed watching TG play with her only toddler gal pal.
Mom bought her the scooter I've been hoping to get her. Although we are working on the helmet, she's loving the scooter.
I told her that she cannot scoot outside without a helmet. She's not too happy about this and has resorted to scooting in the house or inside our building.
DH and I even put our motorcycle helmets on and we now actively point out everyone who has a helmet on. Apparently though, imitation is not the key for this child.

Saturday, June 05, 2010

12.5 hours

She slept for 12.5 hours folks. 8pm-8:30am. No joke.
I was so exhausted, I joined her for most of it.
I won't rejoice just yet as I know this could just be one day.
Usually she sleeps for an average of 10.5 hours at night and 2.5 during the day so we'll see.

Friday, June 04, 2010

Another approach

Since naps and bedtime are so peculiar, I tried something else today.
We did a combination of tiring her out by strolling and going to the playground, etc.
Since she didn't show signs of sleepiness and didn't express her desire to go to bed and literally have another slumber party with Mommy, we opted to see if following her cue to not nap would reset her.
She is hollering for bed now. Keep your fingers crossed.

Thursday, June 03, 2010

Sleep. Sleep. Sleep.

The other issue is since she goes to bed later, she wakes up later and less restful because she's so darn exhausted.
I'm getting desperate now as it's the only thing I talk about these days.
Someone said try waking her up earlier instead of having her naturally wake up as that's what started this anyway. I had to wake her up at 4am to catch our flight.
I feel awful as she's not getting enough sleep as it is but I'm getting desperate. Should I try it?

Wednesday, June 02, 2010

Tactic #2

DH is trying the tire her out approach.
Problem is she's still napping later which means later bedtime. Today she napped from 4-6:30pm.
It's brutal. On one hand it's nice as I come home and can cook and clean a little before she wakes up but on the other, she's up at 9pm when I'm ready to keel over.
A friend said to try strolls in the PM to help her nap earlier. DH strolled over 30 blocks and the kid is as up as the sun.

Tuesday, June 01, 2010

I've given up on sleep

Since the vacation, her sleep is all out of whack. She's going to the bedroom around 9pm but only falling asleep around 11:30pm.
It's driving me insane.
She's clearly loopy from tiredness but she just can't settle. I've tried lullabies, stories, nursing, you name it.
At least she's not grumpy but boy howdy in the AM, she is not a happy camper.