It’s Fun Being a Mommy April 15, 2009

A story in which I play the role of humiliated mother pushing a cart of toddlers…

The week before Easter I took the boys into the 99 cent store and we saw a woman browsing the aisles that had a rather large derriere (pronounced dairy air.)  Anywho, when we were about five feet from this woman Caden points and shouts, “Mommy look!  That lady has a really big hiney!”

And just in case the award for the worst mom in the world is still available…

Apparently I suffer from a small case of road rage.  I don’t cuss or flip people off but I do say things like, “Stupid lady!” or “What an idiot!” and now… so does Caden… to people at church… twice.

Feet April 14, 2009

It’s not new news that I don’t enjoy feet.  I think it’s normal.  Who really wants someone’s nasty, yucky feet all up in their lap?  You know you don’t either!  

But I can say this, I love baby feet!  I absolutely LOVE my babies feets!  :)  I thought since becoming a mommy that maybe my own kid’s feet are the exception to my feet phobia.  I thought that I would just love their little feet forever and tickle the bottoms and eat their toes and all that good stuff.  

But then I looked at Caden’s feet the other day and I thought, his feet are not baby feet anymore.  They are more like boy feet.  And, sure, I’ll still tickle them, but I’m definitely not eating his toes anymore!  When did his cute little pudgy feet go from this

to this?

 

I don’t like this growing up thing.  It stinks.

What Have I DONE???? February 28, 2009

Jacob’s hair has been getting kinda funky for awhile now. The top was nice and long and cute, but the back… my word, the BACK!  It was frizzy and mullety and just all wrong.  So, I had this brilliant idea of using the clippers on the back to make it short and keeping the top long, because I like that look and I thought he could totally pull it off.  Well, that was a really bad idea. 

The clipper guard I used on the back made it way too short so leaving the top long just looked weird so I thought I HAD to trim the top, so I thought I’d use the largest clipper guard, which even though it is the largest one, makes one’s hair extremely short.  So, I totally gave my kid a terrible buzz cut.  It’s awful and makes my stomach hurt when I look at him because I remember the cute hair he had less than 24 hours ago.  I know, it’s just hair, it’ll grow back, but still…

So I went out and bought him a new pair of shoes.  That always makes me feel better.

Caden’s Sleep Update January 30, 2009

Not much has changed.  I’ve put a fan in his room for white noise to drown out any sounds he hears.  And we’ve made a “nest” in our room on the floor, which was such a fantastic idea.  Thanks Alyssa!  I’ve been giving him a warm mug of milk before bed and trying to stay really calm through his whole bedtime routine, so he doesn’t get all riled up.  Which is really hard for me becuase I’m a really funny person and I like to make his laugh.  J/K! And he hasn’t been taking naps, but that’s because we haven’t been home at naptime for the last few days. 

So last night before I put him to bed, I told him this really long elaborate story about how we had been keeping a secret from him and it was time for us to reveal it.  I told him that Jacob was born with a cape and he’s really a superhero.  I told him he’s friends with Spiderman and Batman and he has his own superpowers to defeat bad guys.  So he shouldn’t be scared because he’s sharing a room with a superhero.  Then he told me that he’s Fighter Man.  So I went along with it and said, “Yes, see?  You’re brave too.”  But he still wanted me to sit in his room.  Nice try.  So I sat in there with a flashlight reading a book until 9:00.  Yes, a full hour!  Every time I moved, he popped his little head up and asked what I was doing. 

The night before last we tried putting Jacob in our bed and just leaving Caden in his room, but he screamed until 10:30.  Yes, he’s stubborn.  Probably the most stubborn person I have ever met.  Geric ended up laying down with him and he fell asleep in a few minutes. 

Today I’m on the hunt for those homeopathic sleep aids Erin Graham told me about.  But I’m really just hoping a nd praying that this is a phase, a short phase and one day soon he’ll just pop out of it.

I’m at a loss January 27, 2009

I have no idea how to handle my lovely three year old and his sleep issues.  They’ve gotten worse.  Now, not only do I have to sit in his room until he falls asleep, but he wakes up around midnight every night to join Geric and I in our bed… which means one of us is moving out to the couch.  The kid insists on sleeping sideways.  I know Supernanny would walk him back to his bed a hundred trillion times until he gets the idea, but a) I’m tired and b) he’ll scream and wake up his brother, and I really don’t need two tired toddlers awake in the middle of the night.  So he stays with us.  I’m trying to embrace the family bed, but I think we need a bigger mattress.

A few days ago he has also decided that naps are not for him.  He’s over it.  So, I’ve tried inplementing “quiet time” alone in his room.  He’s not going for it.  He spends the whole time screaming.  Is this really a battle I want to fight?  When do kids stop napping anyway?  Honestly, I need that down time in the middle of the day if he wants me to keep my marbles. 

So, here’s my plan ( I just thought of it while I was writing.) I’m going to go to Target today after work and buy a bunch of cool (cheap) things that he would love to get his little paws on, but I’m going to keep them in a special “quiet time” box.  Genius, right?  So, he’ll have quiet time instead of nap time and maybe the lack of sleep will make him fall asleep easier at night, thus, shortening my “sitting in a rocker” time, which has actually turned into a nice prayer time.  Send me your prayer requests, I pray daily.   

I’m going to try the Supernanny approach to sitting in his room, too.  Move closer and closer to the door every night, until eventually I’m out.  I really don’t know how that is going to work, because he’s not stupid.  He going to know that I’m not in his room.  But it’ll be a fun little experiment. 

I’m trying to think on the bright side.  One day, he’s going to wretch at the thought of me going anywhere near his room.  And he’ll probably want to throw himself off a tall building before he shares a bed with his dad and I.   And that will be a sad, sad day for me.  I’ll think back to now and long for the “closeness” we have.  It’s  all about perspective, people.

Earthquakes are scary January 23, 2009

We had an Earthquake a couple of weeks ago and it really rocked us.  I don’t know if it’s because we live in a raised foundation or because we live closer to the epicenter than almost everyone else I know, but it felt like a big one.  Not THE big one, but definitely a big one.

During the earthquake Caden was watching Backyardigans with Geric, like he does every night while I put Jacob to bed.  Well, all the shaking scared the socks off him.  Geric jumped up and ran to the doorway I ran out of my room and I’m sure I looked scared and he screamed and looked really frightened.  WE calmed him down and after a lot of coaxing he was able to go to bed.

The last couple of weeks have been a completely different story.  He gets really scared of any strange sound he hears in his room, especially trucks that drive on the street outside.  He literally screams at the top of his lungs if we leave him in his bed before he goes to sleep.  Jacob is in there so it’s not like he’s completely alone, but he screams so loud that he’s going to wake him up.  We’ve gotten a night light, a flash light to sleep with, we pray a lot a lot a lot and make sure Jesus is standing guard is his angels are watching over him, he has his special toy (Woody) and his blanket.  I even made a new reward chart that if he fills up with stickers for going to bed quietly he gets to go to the movies with me.  NOTHING works.  Last night I sat in there until 9:30  and we put him to bed at 8.  I’ve tried sitting in there for a little bit and then telling him I had to go put on my jammies, I’ll be right back, and hoping he’ll fall asleep, but he climbs out of bed and finds me.  Oh, and to make matters worse, he won’t take Geric.  It has to be mommy.

Honestly, between this and Jacob waking up at 6:15 lately, I feel like I never get a break and I’m going crazy.  Any suggestions for getting a scared little boy to fall alseep?

I’m not enjoying this December 16, 2008

The last two days have been rough! I know it’s just a phase, I know that next week at this time it could be a completely different story, but for right now, I’m not enjoying motherhood. I think it was because it rained all day yesterday which means that we were stuck in the house, which means that my kids watched way too much TV, which made me feel guilty and made them antsy and whiny which made me wish that I was deaf. I think it could also be that I’ve been really busy finishing up work stuff, trying to make my “make it gift,” getting calendars together on the internet, blah, blah, blah… long story short, I haven’t showered since Sunday. That’s always depressing.

I hate the guilt I feel when I think about what life was life before I had kids, or wanting a vacation more than anything in the world (where the kids stay behind), or actually thinking and saying aloud (as my mom did to us) that I just want to pack my bags and run away. When she told us that I pictured her walking down the street with her suitcase. I know how she’s feels now.

Currently, Caden is in time out for the third time today. Mind you, it’s only 9:41am and Jacob is in the family room crying and whining, as he has been doing every waking moment for the past 24 hours. I’m almost ready to pull my ears off.

I know, I know I should be grateful. I have two beautiful, healthy, funny, smart children. I am so blessed. I love them so much that sometimes I feel like my heart is going to explode. But, just today, I’m not enjoying this.

Alright, enough whining. I’m gonna go take a shower now.

Things I say to Caden daily December 11, 2008

• It’s Caden-Mommy snuggle time!
• Please be kind to your brother.
• Caden, I love you toooooo much!!!
• Mommy ears can’t hear whiney voices.  Maybe you should try using a big boy voice.
• I love you, little Monkey Boy!
• Buckle up (calmly)… Buckle up (slightly aggitated)… Buckle up now(in a firm disciplinary voice)… If you don’t buckle up right this minute, I’m gonna pull you out of the car and spank your hiney very hard!!! (And usually he buckles up.)
• Who’s my best Big Boy?
• (Gasp!) You don’t say “no” to Mommy! (full of shock and disappointment)
• Holler when you’re done and I’ll come wipe your hiney!  (my personal favorite.)
• Stop picking your nose, please.
• Here are your choices… What do you choose?… That’s not a choice.
• Yes, you can touch my hair.  (He has a hair fetish, always has.)
• Good night, sleep tight, don’t let the bed bugs bite!

I cried today December 10, 2008

I was going through all my pictures for the last year to make calendars for the grandparents for Christmas, and I cried when I saw this.  It was only a year ago!  What happened to my baby?  He’s not a baby anymore.

Random kid thoughts for the virtual scrapbook November 14, 2008

When I grind my coffee beans in the morning I get two reactions.  Caden runs and hides because it’s “too loud.” Jacob runs up to me and starts sniffing the air until I put the bag of beans under his nose for him to smell.  Then he laughs and runs away.

Every morning when I get my cup of coffee (with the seasonal white chocolate peppermint creamer, so yummy!  I was thinking of buying it in bulk and freezing it for use all year long… but I digress.)  When I get my coffee, Jacob runs up whispering, “hot, hot” and puts his hand out to feel my mug.  He does this over and over and over and over and over and…

Both my children are seriously afraid of the garbage truck.  They scream and run and cling to me in shear terror.  Not sure how that started.

Jacob is going through a Dooblebop phase.  Caden went through it, too.  There is something extremely attractive about those colorful singing creatures to a one year old.  Whenever he gets near the TV (even if it’s not on) he starts dancing and singing, “Doo, doo, doo, doo.”

Caden’s new thing is to randomly say, “Mommy, I love you too!” 

Caden is living in a me-centered world.  We went to a birthday party the other day and even though I made it a point to tell him the whole ride there that this party is for Wyatt and not for him and there will be presents for Wyatt and not for him, I think he still thought it was his party.  See?

Here he is opening Wyatt’s presents for him.  When I got him to stop he shouted out, “It’s a monster truck and a sticker book!”  Way to ruin the surprise, kid.  After present time was over he asked where his present was.

And here he is blowing out Wyatt’s candles.

I know you’re all dying to invite him to your kid’s party, right? 

We’ve been really trying to help Caden with his aggressive behavior at church and playgroups.  He’s gotten so much better since he’s turned three.  Whenever we pull up to church he reminds me (and himself), “I no hit.  I no bite.  I no push. I no kick.  I no take toys.”  It’s his little mantra.

Jacob is taking over where Caden has left off.  When he gets mad, he hits.  I’ve been taking his hands and saying, “nice” and showing how to use them gently.  So now, he’ll hit me and then gently stroke my face and say, “nice.”  Baby steps.