Friday, April 30, 2010

Tantrums and Traits

TG did a humorous yet scary thing today. She has started to show her displeasure in me. In other words when she is not happy with me, she reacts. She turns away from me and refuses to look at me. It's brilliant as it's as if I'm looking into a mirror but it's horrendously scary as she's not even 2 and out of all the traits to pick up, she's got to pick up my stubbornness.
This can't be good, can it?
She started to have real tantrums too. Twice she has thrown whatever object was in her hand in displeasure. Once, she even threw her beloved lovey. My response didn't help the situation I suppose. "Go ahead and throw your lovey but it only hurts your lovey. Sorry, Jay Raffe. Are you ok?" She quickly scrambled to pick up her love and continued to cry and sit on the floor.
I'm trying to tell her it's ok to be upset but it is not ok to throw things but it's hard to rationalize with a tantrum. I say tantrum because during a tantrum, your kid isn't her/his usual self. It's like the id version of your kid comes out.
I will admit though, sometimes I could be like a kid and let the id out sometimes. I'm sure I'd probably feel better. Sure at the end of it, I'd still have to do the grown up thing but I bet it's cathartic.

Thursday, April 29, 2010

Do adults have long strangly boogies too?

TG caught a cold. She's got these lovely long strands of boogie that appear at the most inopportune moments.
I've been on chicken soup duty. I find that if I make chicken soup and pour the stock in a glass with a straw, she'll drink it. Usually we'll do this right before bed and she sleeps more soundly.
She's pinkish and lethargic.
I'm not a huge fan of medicating a child and have only administered tylenol for illness twice maybe three times.
I may have to crack it open though as she really is starting to get warm. The bottoms of her feet rest on my leg while we sleep and I feel like I'm being slowly toasted.

Wednesday, April 28, 2010

Lick a Snozberry. It's tastes like a Snozberry.

When it comes to eats, I take what I can get. Right now, TG is loving shrimp and chicken. So we've been eating shrimp or chicken nightly for a few weeks now. She's especially fond of roasted chicken and Thai shrimp. Whatever gets my child to eat protein.
I should be happy my toddler is as selective as she is. She does this look when checking out food, new and old. It's a look I'm accustomed to. It's the look my husband makes when he's inspecting food. It's a mixture of mistrust and association.
Toddler seems to like certain foods and sticks to them. She doesn't like anything out of the ordinary. She's still not too keen on spinach pasta but loves her whole wheat pasta.
The one good thing about this is that she doesn't take food from strangers, yet.
A few times folks, meaning no ill will, gave my daughter food and she adamantly shakes her head, pushes the food away and turns her head and says, "No."
Some of her friends eat like a hungry stray cat. It makes me jealous to see them noshing on blueberries or pepper sticks while my daughter eats a cheese stick or mashed peaches but I know she'll get to like berries in time.
I'm eating oranges, mandarins, clementines or tangerines daily now. Partly as it is a seasonal craving. Partly so she can see fruit and what they look like whole. She still mistakes them sometimes for grapefruits which she loves to watch us eat but now she understands that we peel oranges and inside their are segments she happily peels and gives to us. She even smells them.
I spend time at the grocery stores with her pointing at fruits and veggies. She seems to enjoy it. Sometimes much to my chagrin, she'll try to lick an item. I think it's because she's smelling the items and it seems natural to lick it. Man, I hope she doesn't get some weird pesticide issue.

Tuesday, April 27, 2010

Naps

So TG has moved her naps to 1-2pm. On some days it's at 3pm. This shifts everything which is nuts but as a parent to a toddler I've realized you just have to go with the flow.
Her naps are usually at home and in bed as she's one kid who loves her bed. She's sleep in the car seat if she must but not in her stroller or anywhere else. This can lead to major cranky episodes so we try to stay close to home around the napping hours.
Today, DH text messages me, "Getting ready for nap. TG said, "Shirt off." as I gave her her milk." See TG nurses with me for naps and bed and since I no longer wear nursing tops, I just take my shirt off or put it over my head. Guess she expected DH to do the same even if she wasn't nursing.

Monday, April 26, 2010

Bedtime

Bedtime has now moved from 7:30pm to around 8pm naturally as her naps have now moved to around 2ish. I'll get to the naps in another post but for now, bedtime.
Now, 8pm means that's the time she decides to start cleaning up and then grabbing her Jay Raffe and heading to the bathroom to brush her teeth. She's fully in bed around 8:45pm. That means, pjs are on, new diaper on, animal brigade all tucked in, story told, bedtime cd playing and her lip balm (burt bee's) and cell phone in hand (aka iPod nano she uses as a flashlight at night).
Lately though we've been hitting this point where she wants me to hold her and sing to her again. It's not so bad because it's now down to 3 songs and she sings along with me but it also means that she's not fully asleep until 9-something.
Still I'm trying not to stress as 1) we're not trying to put her in a routine but follow hers for now and 2) she's getting on average 11-12 hours of sleep at night and 1-3 hours of sleep during naps.
I've also started implementing a recommendation that Dr. Sear's wife mentions in one of their books. If she still doesn't want to sleep, she can play in the bedroom in the dark but quietly. I leave a few boxes of miscellaneous bric a brac for this. She opens a box up and unpacks it. She plays with one or two items and then crawls into bed beside me and goes to bed. I don't get aggravated and it seems to let out whatever energy she has left before bed without protest. Plus the box play lasts no more than 5 minutes usually. Maybe that's it. She has a little bit of energy left and wants to release it before going to bed. After unraveling the mystery box, her curiosity is satisfied and she can go to bed without feeling as if there was something more to do with the day.

Sunday, April 25, 2010

Mother, I demand milk.

TG is starting to use more sentences or verb & noun phrases.
She says things like, "Give me milk!" when she wants to nurse now. What's even funnier is when I give her the sign for milk and she verbally answers, "Ok!"
One of my favorites is when she's looking for her friends or stuffies. "Jay Raffe! Where are you?" She hunts around searching and searching and listening in the hopes that her Jay Raffe will respond.
She does this with her human buddies too. "Tuna! Where are you?" Come here, Tuna!" It's hysterical.
The best phrase (or set of phrases) though has to be at night when we get ready for bed. After DH tucks her in, she says, "Good night, Daddy. Thank you, Daddy. Close Door. I love you, Daddy."

Saturday, April 24, 2010

10 mins after she has this, am I going to regret the noise machine?

So, I'm thinking of getting a keyboard for our less than 2 year old.
I wanted to get a toy piano but DH thinks that's a waste of money.
He wants to get something more substantial and what he thinks may last longer.
keyboard with software for the computer that allows a kid to play a game that essentially teaches them basic sounds and notes.
Of course this extremely advanced for TG.
Today though I had an epiphany. My daughter isn't even 2 and just because she loves her piano book and her xylophone doesn't mean she's going to be playing Carnegie Hall in 5 years.
I just want her to have fun and expand her interest in music.
She loves her bongos. She loves her xylophone, piano and maracas. She loves her stylophone. She loves to attend concerts and stops and hunts for music wherever she goes.
I just want to continue the love not put her on some advanced regimen.
So I found this, a toy keyboard with mixer. It's a toy and cheaper than the advanced learning software doodad. It's got lots of buttons which she'll love. It has a microphone which she would love. Currently she's been using her Thomas the Engine microphone book for everything. It plays kids songs in different genres so she can hear Old MacDonald in Jazz or other types of music genres. She can also record.
My brother wants to get her something frivolous and this may be it.

Friday, April 23, 2010

She's eating healthy and that's what's important.

TG started feeding 'Brown Bear' today. In between her meal, she sat Brown Bear in Brown Bear's mini Tripp Trapp, buckled her in and fed her. Then she took out the tea kettle and cup, poured some tea for him and gave him some drink.
Afterwards she instinctively took him off his chair and 'changed his diaper'.
Tater tot is a little mommy. It's very cute.
It reminds me of how she fed me my dessert at the restaurant two weeks earlier.
She also fed me the fresh strawberries I prepared for her that she still will not eat.
The kid does not like fresh cut berries or oranges or apples. She loves bananas though. The only way she wants to eat the fruit is cooked or mixed in as a puree with her plain yogurt.
I know I shouldn't complain as some kids are fruit addicts but sometimes I wonder if my kid will ever be like the other kids at the playground who happily snack on blueberries, walnuts and orange slices. For us snacks are: veggie pancakes, cheese sticks, graham crackers, cereal or pureed fruit.
She won't eat veggies raw either. Unless they are cooked, she's not touching them. Oh and if it's not a carrot, squash, spinach, zucchini, eggplant or some other veggie that can resemble spaghetti (thin strands) forget it. Salad, no. Raw spinach, no. She'll tell you what the veggie is but eat it raw? No thanks. Oh and she even has fun cooking and helping me mix the raw ingredients. Eat it though, no thanks.
One day, I suppose.
I shouldn't complain I know. At least my kid loves some veggies and isn't into a lot of sweets.
She has taken to chicken again and she ate 6 whole shrimps last night. That's something. Some kids don't eat protein.
Oh and she loves her plain yogurt with fruit and her hummmus.
She's growing and she's healthy and she's eating healthy foods. In time she'll eat blueberries raw and apple slices. Until then, this Mommy continues to poach and bake fruits and shred veggies for her Tot.

Thursday, April 22, 2010

I'm buying my mom a new toy.

I'm contemplating selling my MacBook Pro and buying an iPad for my mom. Her very ancient Windows PC is nearly dead.
Here are the thoughts in my head:
I don't want her to be tethered to a desktop. Currently she has it in a room in her house that is freezing, even in the summer. With her health, I don't think it's a good idea especially when I know she surfs the web in the wee hours of the night when the house is even colder.
I don't want to get her a Windows machines because she's just had too many issues in the past. We finally had to parental restrict her PC to avoid the thirteenth wipe clean/recreate due to viruses and what not.
I could give her the MacBook Pro but it would lead to additional tech support questions and concerns. Although they may not be as intensive as the Windows based tech support I've had to do in the past, there is a degree of learning and switching Windows gears to Mac gears she would need to adjust to. With a toddler underfoot, I just don't have the time nor patience to do this.
All she really needs is email, web and printing. All three can be done via the iPad which is fairly intuitive.
Pros:
It's not multi-taskable which reduces the amount of "Where are you? Minimize this window." instructions that take up 50% of my tech support calls with my mother-in-law (we bought her a Mac) and 90% of the calls with my mom (Windows PC).
It's literally touch to access application.
Once I set up her mail, she's good to go.
Once I set up some bookmarks, she's good to go.
She can save photos easily from mail or websites.
It's less than 2 lbs and her health restricts her from carrying anything over 10 lbs.
Cons:
No flash may throw her off. My husband doesn't think so but trust me, I fully expect 1) several calls saying the website says I need to install something and 2) complaints that her new computer doesn't work 'right'.
iPad is not a standalone and requires updates via PC/Mac syncs. This isn't really a con in my opinion as it's so light, we can tell her to bring it with her when she comes over for dinners and we'll do software updates on my Mac.
I'm fairly certain I know my decision but it's still a night's worth of pro/con lists for me.
With my mom, I want something easy for her to use, easy for me to maintain for her, low tech support calls and low complaints. The last one is going to be hard as sometimes the grass is always greener for some folks.
Guess, I'm going to see how much I can sell my laptop for.
Even if I can sell it tomorrow, until Otterbox comes out with the defender for the iPad, I plan to hold out. I love my mom but she's pretty tough on her electronics. For the cost of an iPad, I'm wrapping that in bubble wrap.

Wednesday, April 21, 2010

Irrational mommy alert

With DH's 5'7" height and my lumbering 5'2" height we really do not expect our daughter to reach Amazonian heights.  Still when I see TG next to her buddies of late I wonder where is her growth spurt.  I feel as if I see them in the morning and after their pm nap they've grown.  
Sure they are boys and they spurt differently.  Sure their parents are all rather tall.  You'd think I would be rational about this.  Ha. 
Where is TG's weird one minute her head looks larger than her body?  Where's TG's leg growth spurt?   
Sure I love her Buddha belly that all babies get when they first learn to stand and walk.  Sure my back is thankful she is under 30 lbs.  
I guess it's only normal for parents to aspire for their children.   Sure I destine for her to be the best and to be happy.  Right now I really destine for her not to be he kid stuck kneeling on the floor holding the class identity plaque for school pictures.  Yes this is clearly some deep psychological stigmatism from my youth. 

Tuesday, April 20, 2010

Why men don't get pregnant

TG still nurses but mainly at naptimes and bedtime.  We've naturally fallen into this routine.  Sometimes we still have a nip during the day but nowadays she doesn't request it unless we are home.  I never really restricted her to home nursing but it has just fallen into place.  
I was worried for a moment about transitioning to this.  How would I feel denying her or telling her no milk?   I didn't have to really.  I have said,"When we get home, honey." a handful of times but usually I did because I knew she really just wanted comfort which I could give her in other ways and/or we were someplace where I couldn't freely nurse without disrobing or unpackig the Sherpa accoutrements.
What has changed in the past week is a reduction in pumping.  Either I was too busy or the output is low.  
So far it seems to be ok as she's fallen asleep in the car most days these past few weeks.  
I think the low production is due to stress and a reduction in caloric intake.  
It's kind of bittersweet for me right now.  A month ago my breastpump died on me.  I now use a hospital grade pump available a my office.  I thought I'd freak but I didn't.  It seemed natural and I knew Hans and Franz would need to move onto better pastures at some point. 
Now I've only brought home 2.5 ounces this week and I'm sort of ok with it.  
I know at this point it's not nutrients but comfort and immunities she's getting from my milk.  I think that's a big reason why I'm not totally panicking. 
More importantly I think I'm ready to take control of my body again.  What I mean is although I'm no ready to give up nursing 100% I'm at a point where I'm feeling as if my body is not a shell or a functional item.  
I'm ready to show it off a bit.  It's as if Spring has brought a rebirth of sorts for me physically.  I'm not talking about dressing scantily but wearing occasional heels or showing a little skin.  
I'm wearing skirts now.  I haven't worn skirts regularly since I gave birth.  
I guess this is he next step in my physical and emotional recovery and preparation.  I know it sounds absurdly late but some other moms I spoke to said they felt the same.  
Not all of us can be a Hollywood mom and seem to be back to pre-baby confidence of her body 3 months post partum. 
More importantly this is a sign from my mind and body that I may be moving towards being ready for next steps.  
This in way means I'm ready to give my body back up for incubation right away but I am one step closer.  

Monday, April 19, 2010

Does a toy stroller fit in a yoga mat bag?

We stopped using the Ergo. It's officially been a month since we've used it. It's not that she's too heavy to be worn but that she's too inquisitive and likes her freedom to move about.
We occasionally use the stroller mainly for long jaunts. For the most part, we carry her or she walks.
We're packing lighter these days as well. The diaper bag is pretty much out of commission. I bring perhaps 1 or 2 diapers and a small package of wipes and kleenex. These days, her bag is a small canvas tote filled with snacks (plenty of them), water and toys (mostly crayons, paper, stickers, chalk, bubbles, a book etc). Gone is the extra set of clothing I used to carry. The only clothing I may carry is a sweater or jacket and her sunglasses.
She's into pockets now though so sometimes she puts her sunglasses in her pockets.
If we go on long excursions that may cause her to nap outside of home, I bring, Raffe, her lovey. Other than that, it's light packing these days. Why then do I still feel like Sherpa. Could be the toy stroller that TG usually desires wherever we go.

Sunday, April 18, 2010

I'm up God. Thanks for the wake up call.

I've been up since 5am with my daughter. She decided to start the day at 5am. If she does an early morning wake up, usually I'm able to take her to her play area for an hour after which she promptly goes back to bed.
Today, she wasn't having it. Nor was she going to eat. Or was she going to allow me to rest my head on a pillow next to her as she played.
So at 8:45am, I hastily brought her to my groggy husband, got dressed and ran to 9am mass. I was lectoring today.
I arrived just in time and noticed out of the corner of my eye how bloodshot my eyes looked. Everything was going as usual until during the Act of Confession I noticed smoke shooting out of the lectern. The lighter used to light the candles was somehow still lit and when I put the Prayers of the Faithful down, they ignited. The intentions literally went up to the heavens.
I quietly grabbed the lighter and the flaming prayers, ran to the sacristy and extinguished what was left of the papers.
The cantor and I spent the rest of the mass quietly using damp napkins to wipe the lectern to ensure nothing else was smoldering.
I'm fairly certain that was God talking to me. I'm not quite sure if that was a wake up call or just a friendly reminder to be on my toes or simply a reminder that sometimes you just have smile, laugh and go with the punches.
I'd like to think it was the later.

Saturday, April 17, 2010

Maybe my child should be an investigator.

My daughter has now become the inquisitor. "This?" "This?" She points and asks what everything is. She's also becoming a parrot and DH is taking advantage of this and teaching her lovely words and phrases such as, 'buttface' and 'loco' which she says with an inflection.
She's becoming a sponge and this morning I said, "Good morning. Glad you didn't wake up funky today." She responded, "Funky!"
I love how my daughter is so talkative and does a fairly good job in expressing herself. She is though starting to display the tantrums of not being able to fully express herself and/or not getting her way that are associated with her impending 2nd birthday.
Everything I read says that it's actually the toddler years and not a single year that this lovely period comprises. It begins on average around 18 months and carries over to around 3-4 years of age. Lovely.
We used to be able to tell her to count to ten to learn to be patient and control her tantrum do to inability to express her needs. Nowadays depending on my tone, she'll play along or she'll ignore me.
Fun.

Friday, April 16, 2010

Breeding...

Spent the afternoon with a Mommy friend and her son. She's one of the Mommy friends I have who I feel I can lean on for venting and/or advice on breastfeeding or co-sleeping or generally anything attachment oriented.
Her son is turning 2 next month and I'm blown away by how far we've come along as parents.
We seem to be a bit seasoned. In no means are we veterans but gone are the days where we're just winging every moment. Now there are quiet moments in between.
We are both waiting to hear about the impending birth of our other Mommy friend's number two.
She's way overdue so any moment she's ready to pop.
6 months ago, when we found out she was pregnant with number two, I recall how I felt like I still didn't feel back to my old self. The idea of giving my body over to incubate another human being again seemed out of reach. Mentally, I also didn't feel ready. I mean two kids with different personalities and schedules and needs all under 2? Holy moly.
All around us parents are having their number two and I will admit I think both DH and I have in our own time asked fellow parents how it's like. I think it's fairly scary and I don't think emotionally we are ready but I'm starting to feel physically I may feeling more like myself.

Thursday, April 15, 2010

The Old Couple

DH and I have been savoring the maturation of our relationship. That's the best I can describe it. In the past few weeks, even though we've been stressed and snapping at each other, there have been these strange and warming glimpses of humor and acknowledgment of our relationship which only shows me the strength and foundation we have built together.
I can't really place it but it's the small things within a conversation or sometimes the unsaid saids.
For example, I'm not mad or upset when shiny objects throw my train of thought out the car window. One moment I'm talking a mile a minute passionately about something and the next I become distracted and instead of getting angry at each other, we both laugh for a good ten minutes only to remember 30 minutes later my passionate conversation (which really was a one sided speech) was merely about how I think our dishwasher is having a rinsing problem.
Does this mean were hitting the official old couple zone?

Wednesday, April 14, 2010

Toddler cuteness

TG loves music and sings and dances often. She's most endearing when she sings her lullaby CD, a VeggieTales compilation.
She sings 'God is So Good' and the 'Thankfulness Song' which she says is the 'Family Song' based on the line, 'for my friends and family.'
TG is also saying, "Thank You Mommy" and "Thank You Daddy." My heart grows 8 times when she says it. It could be for a simple thing such as giving her some chicken to eat. When she says those three words, a smile warms my face.
She hasn't said, "I love you." completely yet. She has said it but as a repeat not as a statement. She also doesn't kiss but allows a kiss when you ask for a kiss.
Her hugs are more like pats on the bat but they are adorable and she hugs most of her stuffed buddies and has names for many of them that she has started to name.
At night if she wakes up and we don't hear her calling for us, she walks out with her Jay Raffe, her cell phone (an old iPod) and either her Whale, Dolly or Little Raffe. It's so cute seeing her hands full, bed hair and groggy.

Tuesday, April 13, 2010

Easy ups, Jewelry and Shoes

TG woke up at 5:15am again. This time though she woke up looking for her Daddy. She went to bed the night before without saying good night. DH was in class. I quieted her down and helped her get back to sleep at 6:30am. DH was in the living room doing homework and preparing for a paper.
I received a large box of Pampers Easy Ups as a hand me down. We've been using them not to train TG. She doesn't rip them off and they seem to be a little more absorbent and less bulky.
It's also reminding me how she's growing up.
She found one of my pearl necklaces a few days ago and DH put it on her and she wore it all day under her clothes. It was adorable but also frightening how girly stuff just happens. I don't wear much makeup or jewelry anymore yet she knows somehow that stuff goes on your neck and wrists.
She also looks at my wedding ring and says, "Mommy's ring."
Oh did I also mention her obsession of shoes?

Monday, April 12, 2010

airplanes, helicopters and falling asleep

Today, TG spent at least 90 minutes walking with her toy stroller and looking for airplanes and helicopters. Thankfully, we are sandwiched between 4 major airports and 2 smaller airports leaving us with plenty of aircraft spotting.
Afterwards, we went home and she went to bed and for the first time she decided she didn't want to listen to her 'God is So Good' cd and fell asleep next to me not on me nursing.
Baby steps.

Sunday, April 11, 2010

Music, music and more music

Today was another concert day for TG. We went to see a Beatles cover band. She's seen them before and really bops to the music.
Of course the events of Friday and Saturday had a lasting effect and I suppose I should have been a bit more mellow and followed her cues more. Thankfully she enjoyed the concert, danced alot and had a fairly small meltdown on the way home. She was just a bit clingy but was ok afterwards.
It was a crazy weekend but the weather was perfect and I'm certain that TG has lasting memories of the last few days.

Saturday, April 10, 2010

Family date: Concert and a Lunch

The missed nap yesterday caused TG to wake up at 6am today. I was afraid this would completely screw us and cause a meltdown at the 11am concert we had tickets for but her body somehow knew and she took a quick nap at 8am-9am.
We went to a Justin Roberts concert. He's one of our daughter's favorite musicians. She was in awe. It wasn't so much her being star struck but it seemed more of a disbelief that what she usually hears on the laptop and phone and car radio is live with real instruments and dance moves.
She didn't want to leave my lap or my arms but didn't stop staring at the stage. She's seen other concerts before and she usually has the same fixated look on her face but this time it was different. She seemed completely aware that this was a man who sang the songs she likes but in person.
DH took her to the wings for a bit and according to him, she started opening up and chatting and pointing. He wasn't quite sure what she was saying but it was a clear and definite conversation about what she saw.
Afterwards we went out to eat lunch. We rarely go out to eat a restaurant so it was a nice treat and it's also nice to know TG is generally good about sitting at the table and eating with us. I think part of it is how we make an effort to eat a meal together at the table at least once a day.
Of course the meal didn't have it's share of memories. She fell under the table head first at one point. She slipped under the bench seat and her feat were dangling in the air for a bit before she fell completely. I chuckled and looked under the table to find her annoyed but not hurt or crying.
I also ordered a treat for myself, orange sorbet. I don't usually offer sweets to her but I thought it was a special day. She disliked it. She did however decide that she would feed Mommy and a few patrons chuckled watching her feed me my entire, and I mean my entire bowl of orange sorbet.

Friday, April 09, 2010

No longer babies.

TG and I met up with our old walking group of new mommies. One of the mommies moved to MA so it was really nice to catch up with her and her daughter. We were in awe at how this time last year, we were still essentially dealing with doughs of clay that were just starting to sit up and crawl.
We've had a great time and time flew by. All babies missed their naps but they seemed to be all doing well. Two, mine included, are still breastfeeding and both took a quick nip in the afternoon. We both try night to nurse in public as much these days but we both knew our kids needed a reboot or recharge since they missed their nap.
Tomorrow is a big day, concert day for TG.

Thursday, April 08, 2010

TG talks in her sleep. It's actually cute.

I worked nearly 12 hours today. I'm so exhausted.
Coming home late threw TG off too. She napped at 12 noon but didn't go to bed until 9pm.
I'm not sweating it anymore. As long as she somehow gets 12-13 hours sleep total (which she somehow does) I'm fine with it. Sure it would be great for her to nap during around 5 hours after she wakes up and to go to bed around 8pm but it is what it is.
I've noticed a little more meltdowns if we don't try to follow this but it's difficult to maintain this especially as DH and I have more to dos and TG is getting older.
I try to keep this schedule as much as possible but if I can't I try to stay tuned in to her as much as possible. I suppose that's why folks call this time period the terrible twos.

Wednesday, April 07, 2010

I love my brother

I met my brother for eats today. I miss my brother. I wish we could get together more often but I know life is super busy.
I just love him and love hearing what he's up to and just being with someone who is me and I him and we still love each other. I mean, who else has as much shared experiences and familial understanding than your own sibling?

Tuesday, April 06, 2010

Parent-led, Child-led

I'm having a hard time lately with family not understanding how a 21 month old's naps and general routine are the priority. Granted if we had another child, we won't have this luxury but all I know now is if the routine is good, her naps are good and she's a happy grumpy free child.
Routines go awry and she needs extra help settling.
I know the older generation came from a school of kids follow parent's schedules but DH and I lean towards attachment parenting and listening to our child's cues.
I need to remind myself that it's fine and we are doing what we feel is right and our daughter shows it.

Monday, April 05, 2010

Ellie-copters

Tater Tot loves airplanes and helicopters. She actually pronounces helicopter, 'ellie copter'.
If she hears them fly overhead, she says, "Look!" and either runs to a window indoors or stares up into the sky to find the aircraft outdoors.
This is all very cute until it's 8pm and you live in NYC surrounded by 3 major airports and the Hudson River.
Tonight, she would just about fall asleep and then hear an aircraft. She'd jump up and stand by the window, holding the shade open and proceed to say goodnight to the airplanes, ellie-copters and a star. She also serenaded the star with a rendition of Twinkle, Twinkle.
After 15 minutes or so, she's let go of the shade and then lay in bed again.
By the way, I have no idea what parents did before YouTube. I was able to find a video of airplanes and helicopters landing and taking off to show TG the difference. Now she gets it 70% correct when she hears the aircraft nearby.
DH wants to take her to the heliport but I don't know if the super loud sounds being so close to them would frighten her or what not.

Sunday, April 04, 2010

Sleep, Poop and Eats. Today, the topic is Sleep

Today is Easter. It's also my brother's birthday. I heart my brother so much. I'm so proud of him.
Today we went to the Easter Parade on Fifth Avenue. I decided today was going to be a quiet day for us. No big family meals. No rsvps. Just recoup time. I've been feeling tired and slightly blue this past week and needed to slow things down. I think it was just what the doctor ordered.
On the TG front, she loves her Veggietales lullaby mixtape. She won't go to bed without it now. She says, "God is so good." and then runs to the mp3 player by the bed. I have it on endless play.
She's also delatching on her own and requests back rubs to bed. I think it's a big step. She's fallen asleep with just backrubs the last few nights. She's awoken 2-3 times but fallen back asleep within 5 minutes with the help of backrubs and a quick nip.
She does move around alot more nowadays and prefers to go to bed on our bed before sleep creeping back to her bed.
I know this is probably slower than DH anticipated. It's another bone of contention with us, independent sleeping. However, studies show kids with a healthy attitude towards sleep and has a comforting routine also grow up just as self confident and independent if not more than those who have CIO'd.
Anyway, I'm pretty proud of TG transitioning into this sleep. Yes, I'm still in the room with her but I think that's a good thing for me more than anything else. Lord knows I wouldn't be receiving the sleep I need to function properly if I didn't.

Saturday, April 03, 2010

Potty Potty Potty Mouth

TG peed in the potty this morning! Ok, she's done this before but I've been extremely lax with it.
It's not like I'm actually trying to potty train. It's more like if I can get my butt up to take her to the potty and she pees in the potty in the am, I'm happy. I'm not at the point where I have her run around sans diaper for three days.
I think she knows that the potty is for pee pee. Ok, that and hair bows. She puts them in a clean potty for some reason.
I figure I need to be a bit more diligent but I'm not at the point of no diapers yet. I will try to remember to not meander in the am and ask her to go to the potty with me first thing in the am. I'll also ask her if she needs to potty 30 minutes after breakfast and dinner as that's usually when she poops. I know she knows she needs to poop because she will stop what she's doing and go to a quiet, secluded place to poop. Oh, she also knows when she toots and will inform me of such nonchalantly.
If I'm doing well with that, I may add asking her if she needs to potty before and after naps and bedtime.
I know it's not textbook but we're not in any rush now and I'm still finding it hard to get motivated.

Friday, April 02, 2010

Yes, we are the three mommies but I'm your Mommy.

Spent some time at the playground with TG and DH today. It was fun although it took some time for me to find my groove and relax. The week full of work related tasks was still heavy on my mind. That and wondering if I'm missing out on something with my daughter working late hours. Logically I know this is wrong. There was even a recent article that said that today's parents spend more time with their children than previous parents.
Of course, today at the playground my daughter took the hand of her playmate's mom and took her to the slide to slide with her. DH says she did it to persuade her friend to follow her but are 21 month olds that keen on emotional manipulation?
Push push push the negative out.

Thursday, April 01, 2010

Spring break yet I feel overscheduled

Another late night at the office.
Don't get me wrong, at least I feel like they are productive times but there is still so much to do.
I also figure with spring break and the holidays, I see more folks milling about with their kids and it makes me wish I was out with TG.
Sadly, I'm so tired and still battling that yucky cough that I'm really not as much fun at the playgrounds. I'll make up for it tomorrow, I hope.