Fits and Fury and First Tastes of Naugty Spots

For those of you who think Andrew and I were blessed with the most perfect, sweetest, most patient and kind baby boy ever, I encourage you to take a long look at these photos. I know I know, Andrew and I thought he was perfect, and raising him would be a cinch. Sure, it was hard to get him to start nursing, sure, he spits his food out when he is no longer interested in it, sure, he insists on wearing snowboots when there is NO SNOW, but tell him "No Milkies," and this is what you get. Let me give you a quick synopsis of the morning that led to the photos:

Mom didn't wake up when toddler wanted her to so he started freaking out in his bed. Mom went to get toddler, changed his diaper, asked if he wanted toast and grapes or waffles and a banana for breakfast. Toddler made the sign for "milk" (meaning to nurse). Mom said "no baby, toast and grapes? Sippy?" Toddler started throwing a fit. Mom gave toddler a sippy cup with milk from the fridge. Toddler threw cup at dog. Toddler ended up in time out on the couch for two minutes (and he stayed there!).

A Use for Lady Beetles

Tis the season for the ladybeetle invasion. In my new quest to become more cogniscent of how I treat others by learning the way of Zen Buddhism (No, I'm not becoming a Buddhist) the image of a white muslin draped monk who gently scoops up a spider from his meditation mat and moves it outside where it belongs. I see these little lady beetles, and immediately I have the impulse to suck them up in the vaccuum, but the monk comes to mind, and I grit my teeth. But today, I noticed something rather odd. I was able to eat my breakfast, drink my coffee and watch an interview of Hillary Clinton on ABC in Des Moines with Robin Roberts...that's strange...no little snotty boy climbing on my lap, no watery eyes from a wooden "toot toot" smacking me straight in the nose, no "mom mom mom mom mom mom mom mom mom mom mom mom mom mom mom mom mom ..." (you get the idea). An actual 15 minutes of peace and quiet. Then I saw it. Brighton playing on the floor following a lady beetle around with his index finger as if nudging the little thing along. Could it be that last year's flight of the ladybug suckerupper has turned into this year's "baby whisperer?" We'll see.

Until Next Time. Caio!

Bikes and Dentists and Kisses, OH MY!

So it's been a while since I've blogged. Sorry about that. We've been REALLY busy around here and this literally is the first time I'm able to stop and take a breath and blog. Lots of new things to share, so hop on board and get ready for a wild blog. Well, a long blog anyway...

So first, Brighton, Daddy and I decided that we needed a hobby for us to do as a family. We are trying to get more exercise in, trying to spend more quality time as a family and trying to get out of the rut we've become so comfortable in. Not to mention, we want a healthy "hobby" for lack of a better word, for Brighton to remember doing with his mom and dad. So a couple of weeks ago, we all went out and got bikes. Well, Brighton got a trailer, but it's pulled behind the bikes. Bright would much rather have a bicycle, but his little legs can't reach the pedals to drive it yet, so we opted for a much more expensive Burley Encore trailer. Not the cheapest trailer, but not the most expensive either. But one of the safest, durable, and resellable. I don't have a photo with him in it yet but will soon. We also had to purchase helmets of course, and we all look pretty silly in them. Just a little plug for a great bike shop. Locally and family owned Northtowne Fitness and Cycling. They gave us hours of their time (literally) and made sure that we got the perfect bikes for us and how we planned to ride. Dad got a Schwinn Road Bike (not sure of the model...) and I got an Electra Townie. Perfect for a retro mom who is all about comfort and glam (but not bling & flash...) and who has a little bit of, ah let's just call it...bulk. My next purchase will be chrome fenders. HAHA! (I'm actually serious about that! I had a big stripe down my back after the first few minutes.)

We went for our first bike ride to the trail on C Street the day after we make the big plunge. It was a GLORIOUS day! The weather was PERFECT! Not too hot, not too cold, not too windy, but just enough so that we weren't sweating like crazy, but the activity was keeping us warm. We rode from C Street Tait Cummings Park to the Library downtown. Now, keep in mind, I haven't ridden a bike in at least 15 years, so needless to say, Dad pulled the trailer the first day and after much rocking and rolling and swerving Mom FINALLY got the hang of it again and zoomed past Dad on several occasions. We plan to do a lot more riding once the weather clears up and once Mom can get her chain back on the bike ;)

Next is Brighton's first trip to the dentist! Yep, he's almost two and has never been to the dentist. They tell new parents that they should go either when they get their first tooth or by 1 year. Oops. Brighton has 9 teeth now (one we discovered while at the dentist!) and had a little bit of tartar, but according to everything Dr. Balster told me to do, I am doing everything properly so far. Limit juice, especially at night (brighton doesn't drink juice), if he walks around with a sippy, make sure it's full of water. He gets a sippy at night, but it's just water. We *try* to brush his teeth at least twice a day but we need to get better at that. We at least brush them in the morning (it's that darn night time brushing! Sorry Dr. Balster!) We're getting better though. Anyway, Brighton did great and the office was very family and kid friendly. Not a lot of junk sitting around, it was a nice open waiting area and the staff and Dr. B were very friendly and nice and accommodating. Kudos!

I can't forget his favorite toy! TOOT TOOTS! He LOVES trains! His Grandpa Reilly would be so proud. Everywhere he goes it's "toot toot!" We have been buying him the Thomas the Tank Engine wooden railway trains and he loves them. He desperately needs a table. Or even just a table and chair set. He has no where but the kitchen floor, living room floor and arm of the rocker to "roll" them. We're going out again today to see if we can't find something temporary until Dad can get one made...

And the best way to end this post is with a kiss! Brighton is into giving big lip puckering kisses. It's VERY cute. He had Roxanne and Anita rolling yesterday afternoon when I picked him up from Daycare. Ahhh...my little prince!

Sleep Battles

I don't mean for all of my posts lately to be a bummer...but all of a sudden, our routine is messed up, Brighton is challenging us, our nice, quiet, peaceful house is turned upside down by illness, weather and changing plans.

We're finding out just how difficult parenting is. Not only do you have to provide love, nourishment, worry, shelter, patience, you also have to learn to be smarter than a toddler, which isn't proving very easy for us. Andrew and I are both very stubborn people. Though Andrew has patience, I do not. I have more patience for my son than I have for most people...OK for pretty much anyone else on the planet. And learning patience takes...well...patience. And a level head, which I don't have half the time either. Most especially at midnight when I'm tired and I'm trying to convince a 21 month old that he is tired too.

Lastnight had to be by far one of the worst nights yet. Brighton wouldn't nap all day long (except for in the car and at Wal-Mart) then when he finally went down for a nap at home it wasn't until 4:00!! Of course, he slept until 7 PM and we were finally able to eat supper. At about 9:15ish, it was time for bed. At least it was for Mom and Dad. Brighton decided he didn't need to go to bed. So being the big stupid that I am, I decided to let him lay in bed with me and nurse to sleep because I knew he was tired. Where of course, he promptly began nursing and started falling asleep. Then about 10:30 as if a lightning bolt him him in the rear, he was wide awake. He looked at me and gave me the sign for "food". "Are you hungry?" His eyes big, he shook his head "YES." So I went out and got him some crackers and peanut butter and we munched until it was time to go sleepy again. By now it was almost 11:00. We laid down and he farted around and farted around until mom had enough. Dad's dad starts at 5:00 AM or earlier, and so it's imperative for Dad to get his sleep. At about 11:30 I finally put Brighton in his bed. He fought and fought until about 1:30 and mom gave up. Then he was awake again at 3 and 5:30. It felt like it lasted for days. And as the sky grows darker at night, mom gets more and more frustrated and grumpy and dare I say, impatient?

We woke up at about 9:30, to him crying of course, and had breakfast. I attempted to get back to our routines. I finally got him down for a nap at around 12:30 this afternoon, which is almost normal - he's switching from 2 naps to one long nap. The telephone company came and fixed our phone and of course knocked on the door (to see if it was working) which made the dogs bark which woke him up again. Another reason for me to HATE the telephone company here in mickeyville. I've just spent the last 1/2 hour rocking, nursing, consoling and trying to convince my 21 month old son that he needs his rest. As I type he's screaming in his room because I left.

So who is the adult here? Who should know best? Who has no problem convincing dogs that they indeed need their toenails clipped against their thrashing and protesting? Yeah, that's right. I can convince a dog to clip his nails and I can convince a cat that she needs a bath, but I can't convince a rational (OK that's pushing it I suppose), intelligent, toddler that he needs to rest. Score 1 for toddler, and 0 for mom.

In Like A Lion

Spring is surely in like a lion! It's been a wild week here in the midwest. And all around it sounds like. Mother Nature hasn't spared anyone. As you know, last week we lost power and this week we had power thankfully, but we were stuck inside. I was able to make it to work on Thursday and Friday Andrew stayed home becasue we couldn't get out of our driveway as it had blown shut. Which turned out OK anyway because Brighton had an awful cold. He had been starting to get sick last week around monday or tuesday but it really hit him hard on wednesday. He looked like he hadn't slept for weeks but he had a fever of 101 and slept most of the day and all of the night. He's better now, but I think it left him with an ear infection so we're doping him with Tylenol until we can get to the doctor on Monday. I've attached a link to the March 07 album where you can see all of our fun photos. I'm headed off to my Sister-in-Law's baby shower.

Here's hoping you have a boutiful supply of Hot Cocoa and Peppermint Schnapps!

Today I'm drinking my favorite coffee drink, a Nutella Latte. It's one half ounce of mocha syrup and 1.5 oz of hazelnut syrup with steamed milk and two espresso shots. Yum...Thanks Anna for that recipe!

From 2007 March