Mr C

In just a couple months Mr C will be starting Kindergarten and I am blown away one minute by his maturity, another by his kindness and then the next minute he is the opposite of these! He truly has come so far despite his SPD, but every day is still a work in progress. Our biggest hurdle now is learning not to always repeat the actions of others at daycare.

I suppose one solution would be to have him stay home with the nanny we have, but I think it provides us the opportunity to teach him what he should and shouldn't do. If he never made mistakes he wouldn't learn and if he went on to college and started making them there the price would be far greater.

The other day he asked me if affhole was a bad word. Thats how he really said it thank goodness. Learned it from a big kid at daycare of course. I said it sounded like a bad word and so he shouldn't say it.

My favorite has been the things he does when he is upset about not getting his way. We have heard, "You're breaking my heart and ruining my life." " I am going to make it VERY cold in here and then leave!" as he proceeds to turn the overhead fan on high and go outside. He has also drawn a picture of me then put a circle around it with a line across it and handed it to me indignantly.

Each time we have a talk about respect etc and most things only happen once, but not without a good laugh from his father and I. Now he typically says, " You are making me angry, but I still love you!" I think I can live with that one :)

Little A

It's hard to believe Little A is already 18 months. Where is the time going? It's been so fun getting to know his personality and already seeing how unique and different he is from his older brother. At this age Mr C would hardly sit still, but Little A is more than content just sitting and hanging out with momma. I think God knew I needed a rest, especially with the addition of their younger sister.
Little A certainly has his days, but for the most part he is a great joy. I'm not looking forward to the terrible twos, but at least I have some hard core experience now. They have already started somewhat, but I'm more hopeful this time around.
The best is to watch how much he already loves his little sis. He can be a bit rough at times, but responds well to redirection.
Mr C and he can play well too, although Mr C tends to smother him a bit which he is not a huge fan of at this time. I can't wait to see even more of his personality as time goes on.

Catch Up!

Honestly, I can't believe it has been 6 months since my last blog post. I am a terrible blogger! For 2012, I will try to do better. We had our precious little girl, whom we are nick naming Mattie on February 17. It has been a crazy life with three kids, but I am finally finding some free time to get things done.

While I have also neglected my website Child Behavior Guide over the past few months, I am hoping to get back into the swing of things very soon. Mr C and Little A are adjusting well to having a new sister. Mr C just loves playing with her and getting her to smile. Little A has a bit of a different reaction, not understanding the importance of being 'gentle' with her. I think he thinks she is my play toy or something.

Recently, I came across an article that describes another mom's typical day at home and found myself laughing so hard I had to share it....http://shine.yahoo.com/parenting/this-is-what-a-stay-at-home-mom-does-all-day-2522745.html

I especially, found it funny that a lot of her day was exactly like mine. Get up, change two diapers, wrestle with diaper genie, dress two kids, try to get breakfast made, clean up blowout on baby, change clothes, clean up blowout on toddler, change clothes and by the time I am done it's lunch and I do it all over again! Luckily, Mattie has been such a champion sleeper that I have been able to get both her and Little A to nap while Mr C is at preschool.

Of course that time is needed to put away clean dishes, change/fold laundry and clean up the kitchen. I'm really not complaining because I almost find myself bored without this constant busyness. It's also been great for helping me to lose all this baby weight, but you can see why it's been 6 months since my last post. Anyways, I vow to do better... hopefully :)

It's a girl!!

I guess I have failed to mention that we will soon have a new bundle of joy. As exciting as it has been to have two very wonderful boys, I am happy to announce that we have a precious baby girl on the way!

I have to admit I have always dreamt of having a daughter one day, but as thankful as I am for her I know it doesn’t really matter whether it’s a boy or girl. You love them just the same!

So, sometime at the end of February we will have become a family of five and I am sure the adventures will only continue to get better and better.

Another Doctor Disaster

It was finally time to take Mr C to get his cast off and unfortunately I was the one that had to take him. It started off as though it wouldn’t be a problem, until they brought out the saw. I had brought a sucker and book to occupy him along with some head phones to hopefully help with the loud noise, but these were no consolation to a scared 4 year old.
The woman that initially tried was a bit of a softy and didn’t seem willing to do it without Mr C’s consent, but getting his consent was not going to happen. She said she would send the doctor in to take it off claiming he was “really good with children.” I suppose if just taking it off regardless of how he was acting is “really good with children” then he was exactly as she said.

Another doctor’s appointment red in the face with sweat on my brow was not what I was hoping for. Mr C began screaming and kicking the doctor so hard I was afraid he might accidentally get him right in the crown jewels. The worst part was that even after he finally got it off while I held his arms and legs best I could, he couldn’t stop screaming. Full fledge in a fight or flight reaction to the fear of the saw cutting his cast off. You would have thought he had actually cutting his arm off as well.

After he thought his arm was still broken and demanded the doctor put his cast back on. I said everything in the world to try and calm him and finally the only thing that worked was to say they might call the police if he doesn’t calm down. Miraculously this brought his ranting and raving down to a whimpered cry. Hey, sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do.

When the doctor came back he joked that Mr C had frightened all of his other patients away for fear of what he had done to him. Mr C continued to demand that his arm was still broken and wanted the cast put back on. ‘Please no,’ I thought to myself. ‘I can’t go through this again.’

He was finally satisfied with an ace bandage, which it took about a week after getting the cast off for him to finally take off for good. Whew! Now we are just trying to keep his rough play to a minimum to avoid another broken arm being that it can break more easily over the next few months.

Broken Arm

Mr C has experienced his first broken bone after an unfortunate event over the holiday. He and his cousin were goofing around on an air mattress and he ended up falling off and fracturing his left arm. Although it was heartbreaking to see him in so much pain he was actually kind of adorable the way he reacted.

He kept saying, "I'm not strong anymore, I've got a broken arm." most likely not understanding that it could be healed in a few weeks. Of course we told him otherwise, but based on his facial expressions and the way he was lying around you would have thought he was on his deathbed or something.

A couple days later he went to get a cast put on by a specialist and seemed to be in better spirits then. He asked for a green cast, usually his favorite color, but when the doctor was all done he said, "No, I think I want red instead." Typical four year old I tell you. Now he is back to his old self, adjusting to his new dependency on his right arm. Thank goodness it wasn't his right arm he broke or we'd really be in trouble!!

Patio Potty

The summer has gone by with the blink of an eye and I can hardly believe the beginning of school is already here. We didn't go many places this summer, but managed to get a trip in to visit my husband's family and a friend of mine that both live in the same city. Our friend has just recently moved into a new home and it was great to spend time with her and her two children that are similar in age to Mr C and Little A.

There was only one incident that left me feeling a bit mortified over the weekend. My friend and I took Mr C and her children to a local science museum, while my in-laws took care of Little A for the day. Upon returning, Mr C immediately ran into the backyard to play on the jungle gym set up in her neighbor's yard that it seems her neighbor has no problem sharing. I ran over to my in-laws to pick up Little A leaving Mr C in the care of my friend.

As she went inside to get the others situated she peeked out the back window to check on Mr C, but couldn't seem to locate his whereabouts at the time. Frantically, she ran outside calling his name. Shortly after she found him squatting on their neighbors patio behind a bush ready to take care of business. "What are you doing?" she exclaimed. "I have to go potty." he said. "You need to use the toilet inside, not the neighbor's patio." she said. "Oh, okay." he said.

As she told me the story when I returned, I couldn't help, but laugh. That was until I realized that her neighbors were likely home at the time with a car in the driveway and a light shining from the kitchen. Did they see?!? Not sure what I would do if I saw some stranger child crouching on my patio. I suppose I might go out and interrupt, but then again it could be an awkward situation. Luckily, a light hearted conversation with the neighbor mom later in the evening revealed they were unaware of what had taken place. Whew!!!

I guess we need to work on toilet training a little bit harder in unfamiliar territories. "Yes, honey. We use a toilet no matter where we are! If you don't know where it is, then ask!"

The Song Singers

It looks like Mr C finally has a friend! Of course he has made friends in school and daycare, but this friend is one he can finally really hangout with outside of school and daycare. This friend was on the T-Ball team with him this year, which recently ended and will be in his preschool class in the fall.

His parents had all of us over the other day for dinner and it was very nice to spend time with adults and for Mr C to have someone to play with during that time. Watching them interact is so fun! At one point his friend came running into the living room saying "Announcing the 'Song Singers'!"

Mr C proceeded to follow him into the living room and the two began singing a song that his friend had learned at Bible camp the week before. "Jump, Shout, Give a high five, Jesus is alive!" They continued singing this while dancing, jumping and giving eachother a high five. It was about the most adorable thing ever!

I only hope Mr C learns, remembers and shares similar songs when he goes to Vacation Bible School at the end of July!

Fourth of July!

Well, this year was probably one of the best fourth of July's we have had. I think because Mr C is getting big enough to really appreciate the fun. We spent the day at our local country club swimming in the pool, eating great food and jumping on the fun children's blowup toys.

This year Mr C had a friend to hang out with, which was great for us. We didn't feel as pressured with Little A to play with him every minute we were there. Although he enjoyed our front row seats for the fireworks, his sensory issues related to hearing seemed to really bother him. We had to get ear plugs for him to wear and he still covered his ears with his hands.

Recently, I have been doing a photo contest for kids on my website and I really had to smile when the most recent submission was a picture of a boy with his hands covering his ears at the fireworks. Just like Mr C.

Little A was another story. He fussed a bit at first and I attempted to cover his ears with my hands, but by the middle of the show he was sprawled out in my lap with his hands behind his head watching the fireworks in a very relaxed manner. Surprisingly too, since he had woken up from his nap around 3:15 and hadn't fallen back asleep yet at 10 p.m that night. Too much action going on! I did try, but how do you compete with all the fun things to look at.

Anyways, Hope everyone had a great fourth!!

Spring Highlights

Has it really been March since my last post? Where has the time gone? Life sure is busier with two. I can't believe Little A is about to be 6 months old already. CRAZY!?!? Well, we have been living in the fast lane over the past few months. Returning to work was a transition for me, but we have found a great sitter to watch Little A, so I feel better about the 1-2 days a week I have to spend away from him.

I love that part of my job involves working on my website the Child Behavior Guide because I can easily do so in my spare time while at home with the kiddos. Mr C has certainly been keeping us entertained lately. Some of my favorites...

"Mom, what is poop made of?"

Me - "What are you doing?" (He is staring into space while sitting at the dinner table in front of his food)
Mr C. - "I'm just pretending to watch a movie."
Me - "What movie?"
Mr C - "Um, it's just a movie about me."

Me - "You need to clean your room please."
Mr C - " But mom, I can't cause I'm a penguin and penguin's don't have hands." (as he waddles across the floor)

Little A is getting so big and I can hardly believe it. He just popped his first two bottom teeth and his been a bit fussy, but still pretty darn good despite his pain. Both still seem to be getting along well, but Little A isn't quite getting into his stuff yet, so we will see!

Taekwondo

We decided to sign Mr C up for a Taekwondo class and I have to say I am pretty pleased so far. It really helps teach him how to pay attention and focus on his body and how to move his body purposefully the way he wants. He also absolutely just loves all of the physical movement.

Our biggest distraction is the mirror at the front of the class, which he is constantly looking at himself and making funny faces. However, I think it is really good for him to learn how to tune out distractions and focus on the task at hand.

The first week they sat down and went over the rules of the class and then worked with the kids on learning their full names, parent names, address and phone number. I was almost mortified when Mr C was asked where he lives and he responded with, "In a barn." "We don't even live on a farm or near a barn!" I said. I had to laugh anyways. He has the best sense of humor, which I'm pretty sure he has learned from his father.

This week they were learning the meaning of 'Che Dee Yut' which means 'Attention' We had to practice with them saying it and then asking them what it means. We kept telling him it means 'Attention Mam,' but he when asked he just kept smiling and saying 'Attention boy!' the little stinkerpants. We'll have to keep working on that one at home!

Following Directions

Lately, Mr C's favorite phrases are, "Can you do me a favor?" and "Hold your horses Mom." I love it. Even though, he is usually saying hold your horses when I ask him to do something. I try to hide my amusement and make him follow through on the request. Then he usually says, "Can you do me a favor? Can you ...?" (whatever I just asked). I don't think so. So, I persist and finally he says, "Fine, Mom!" and does it.

We have been learning that the first 5 years of life should be entirely focused on getting children to follow directions. I think once a child can master this skill, the other desirable behaviors will fall into place. If you wait until they are older to focus on it, then you have a very difficult time getting them to follow through because they start to become bigger than you!

With the use of positive reinforcement and some logical consequences for not following directions, he has been getting better everyday. So, there is hope!

Pertussis??

Little A has gotten his first illness, which has been miserable for the both of us. Not only has he been fussy, but I've had to change my shirt at least three times from him throwing up on me after coughing. We took him to the doctor and ended up getting him tested for Pertussis, which I am a little freaked out about.

For some reason it seems like most babies at risk always seem to be right around 2 months of age, which he currently is right now. Although I was hesitant to put him on antibiotics because I know frequent use can cause resistance and other problems, I finally decided the benefits outweigh the risks.

Sure enough it must have been something bacterial because he started feeling better later that day after the first dose. The day after we went to the doctor the nurse that helped us called to tell me the test results wouldn't be ready until 3-4 days and to start the antibiotic anyways.

I happened to be in the back bedroom and didn't hear my phone ring. Mr C answered and asked her if she wanted to come over to play. Then when she asked to talk to me he told her no and hung up. When she called back a minute later he said, "Why do you keep ringing me?!? Stop Calling!" and then hung up on her.

I was practically in hysterics when she called back an hour later and told me this. The funny part was that right after she had called my husband called and he brought the phone to me this time. Except he didn't know who it was and before handing me the phone he kept saying, "What your name?" He must not have heard him say it was daddy cause he kept asking it over and over getting louder and louder sounding really irritated.

Here I am saying, "Give me the phone please." when finally he said, "Oh, it's daddy." and handed it over. Looks like we'll have to keep our phones out of reach from now on...

Better Sleep

For weeks now, Mr C has just had terrible sleep. We couldn't quite figure out why it had gone down hill so rapidly until speaking to our holistic nurse practitioner.

She said since we had stopped giving him the fish oil (he was refusing the applesauce we had to put it in), the lack of essential fatty acids can cause sleep disturbances.

So, we went to a local herb store and picked up a different type of fish oil that most kids love. It's flavored with mango peach and has a thick creamy texture - all natural of course.

After taking it yesterday for the first time and doing a little acupressure trick the woman at the store recommended, he actually slept through the night for the first time in weeks and slept in!!

Boy, was my husband happy. He has been the one getting up with him since I have been getting up to feed Little A, who by the way sleeps better than Mr C if you can believe it. Little A slept from 11:30 til 5:45 a.m the other night. The straight 6 hours made me feel like a new woman.

So, if your child has sleep problems and isn't taking any omega 3 fish oil supplements. I highly recommend trying it, but we will have to see if this continues...

Nightmares!

As if having a problem sleeping wasn't bad enough, now Mr C is having nightmares as well. They seem to involve some type of killer penguins?? I'm not sure if that is because they made little penguins at school recently or what.

Unfortunately, I made the mistake of trying to explain to him about dreams since he seemed to think they were real and was afraid they would come back. After trying to tell him that when we sleep we have dreams, he decided he didn't want to go to bed at all. Great! That's just what we need. Going to bed is usually not a problem it's more waking up too early that we have had to deal with.

After some coaxing, which involved saying a prayer while waving my hands over his head to remove all bad dreams, he decided it was okay to go to sleep. It must have worked because he asked me to do it again tonight, once again saying he didn't want those penguins coming back. Poor Guy!