Category: being a mom

the little guy said…

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This morning I am letting Ryan sleep in (he does the same for me A LOT).

the little guy on a Sunday morning

When I saw the little guy get out of bed on the video monitor I went upstairs to get him so he did not wake up his Poppa.  By the time I got up there he was already on the bed with Ryan.  So, I asked him to come to me so we could go downstairs.  Here is how our conversation went.

“Please come here so you can go downstairs with Mommy.”

He came to me and we started down the stairs.

As I carried him down the stairs he said, “Why?”

I was about to say, “So we can let Poppa sleep in, ” and…

"hot chocolate milk"

… the little guy said, “Because I am a lucky boy!  Because you love me so much!”

home is…spending an early Sunday morning with the little guy.

a pain in the…

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Shortly after waking up yesterday morning I was stretching in our bathroom while the little guy was snuggled up in our bed watching a show on TV.  All of the sudden I felt a shooting pain through my neck and back and could barely catch my breath. I also could not get out of the position I was in…standing, with one arm folded behind my head with the other pulling on the elbow…you know the stretch.  Once I caught my breath I felt nauseated, was in pretty bad pain, and went to lay down on my bed.

I called my husband, who is traveling for work, to tell him what had happened.  Really, I just wanted to vent, knowing there would be nothing he could do to help.  He offered to call our neighbor, but I said no.  We’ve lived in our house for almost 3 years and our neighbor watched the little guy when baby girl decided to come almost 3 weeks early, but I felt silly asking her to come over because I have a knot in my back!

All I really wanted to do was call my mom and have her come over to help out! The problem is, she lives in Colorado.  She did not move away, WE did…before we had kids.

I started to think about it this morning, though.  Would it really be any different if we lived in Colorado or New York?  My mom works 3 days a week.  And when she is not at her job she takes care of my sisters little girl, does her own errands and housework, and probably wants some time to herself.  So, yesterday was a Wednesday.  She was at work.  Just like my husband, she wouldn’t have been able to do anything to help.  Same goes for my mother-in-law in New York.  Although she is retired, it does not mean she has nothing to do!  She helps out with her daughters kids, takes weekly trips to Buffalo, and volunteers her time with other interests.

I’m not saying that either one of them wouldn’t be willing to help out if and when I needed them.  I’m just saying that life is busy for everybody and living near family does not guarantee that I would have help if I hurt my back. It really doesn’t matter where I live. As a stay at home mom my job has to get done. I can’t just call in a substitute, call in sick, or take a mental health day. I don’t get paid vacation…or even unpaid vacation.  Every day is a work day.  24/7.

Right about now, I would do anything for a day off…

baby steps

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Lately, it seems like things are very out of control in my life. A very busy 3 year old and a 1 year old who wants to keep up with her big brother keep this momma very busy.  My head is always spinning with what needs to get done, what I would like to get done, and what I have forgotten to get done.  Right when I feel like I have it all under control something happens (like a little guy getting sick, or a baby girl who is teething) and I just fall apart.

I have always been independent.

I am a control freak.

I don’t like to ask for help.

I hate the feeling of not being able to handle everything by myself.

Sometimes I feel all alone.

And, yet, I know I am not alone.

At any rate, i’m moving forward.  And, just like my baby girl who recently started walking, I am taking baby steps.

yawn

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After getting up six times overnight (three with each), our lovely children decided that 5:30 was a good time to wake up.

The little guy asked me what the birds were saying outside. I told him that they were telling him to go back to sleep. He didn’t buy it.

So, we are snuggled in mommy’s bed, watching a “show”, and listening to the song birds, roosters, blue herons, and trains of the early morning.

Baby girl went back to sleep after eating.

Where’s my coffee?!

Rollerskating

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Today we had one of our best mornings ever! 

I have wanted to try the Oak’s Park Skate & Play all winter.  I was a bit skeptical and scared about trying to get the little guy on rollerskates, with baby girl in tow, on my own.  Yesterday, I decided that today would be the day and sent out an e-mail to the Mommies of Friday Playgroup to let them know we would be going (this insured that there would be no backing out on my part if others are expecting us to be there).  So, I got the kids ready to go, loaded them up in the hybrid, stopped to get some mommy fuel at Starbucks and we were on our way!

Nobody was able to meet us, but we were going on our adventure anyway!  I put the kids (just in case we had to make a couple of laps around the rink without skates to warm the little guy up to the idea), the camera, the diaper bag, and the Ergo Carrier in the double BOB and we walked into the rink.  The little guy was not as enthusiastic once we got into the rink, but we got him some skates and scoped it all out.  Once he saw a couple of other preschoolers getting the skates on he warmed up to the idea. 

He  became interested in the “cubbies” and wanted to put his jacket in one, so I humored him…ends up we needed the “cubby” anyway! 

We practiced walking in the skates on the soft carpet, and then we took the BOB out onto the rink and I held the little guys hand as he skated.  I explained, as we saw other little kids fall, that it was OK to fall and all he had to do was get right back up and try again.  I decided that I should ditch the stroller and put baby girl in the carrier and walk with the little guy as he skated. 

This idea ended up being a winner!  We found a couple of balls that were painted like farm animals and this encouraged him to skate around the rink to find more!

The little guy caught on like a champ! 

After eating the snack that was provided in the rink snack bar, he was fueled up and ready to take a few more laps around the rink. 

Then Chipper, the Oaks Park mascot (who is a Squirrel), made an appearance and the little guy wanted to say hello!  A couple more laps around the rink and mommy was exhausted and ready to head home!  I finally convinced (with help from the loudspeaker that informed us that we had to get off the rink) the little guy it was time to go home. 

I am so proud of him trying something new and doing really well at it!  We’re already planning to go again next Tuesday!

The Mommies of Friday Playgroup

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Just about 2-1/2 years ago I walked into a large room in the corner of an office building for the first time.  I put a blanket on the floor, took off my shoes, filled out a name tent, and sat quietly waiting for the meeting to start.  Oh yeah, I also took my 6-week old baby boy out of his carseat and placed him on the blanket in front of me…like all of the other new moms in the room. 

For a little more than 4 months we met in this room once a week and discussed the realities of having a new baby.  At 6-months old, our babies graduated and we were on our own.  Little did I know that I would meet 14 very special women and their children through this group.  We had been split up into smaller playgroups to meet on our own schedule.  Our group decided that Friday Playgroup would work for us.  There are 15 of us.  Some of us stay home full-time, some of us work full-time, some of us do a little of both, but we meet every Friday.  We have been meeting every Friday for over 2 years.  We started out with 15 babies…now there are 15 2-1/2 year olds, 8 additional babies, and 3 more on the way…including our 1st set of twins!

The Mommies of Friday Playgroup

We weren’t able to celebrate our first pregnancies together, but we have celebrated all of our babies 1st and 2nd birthdays together and have had baby showers for the new babies that keep expanding this playgroup!  I love our Friday Playgroups, but I cherish the times that we have Mom’s Night Out to laugh and talk and not be mommies (although most of our conversations still revolve around the kiddos)!

I am so thankful for the Mommies of Friday Playgroup!

“That mom”…yep, that’s me.

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Right now, the little guy goes to “school”. I say this in quotations because he actually goes to “daycare” 2 mornings a week. I call it school because it sounds silly for a stay at home mom to send their child to daycare 2 mornings a week. That’s why I stay at home, right? So we don’t have to put him into daycare?! I’m not going to go into why he goes to “school” now, but instead where he will go to school in September.

Preschool.

Yup, preschool. And, it is crazy how serious this is! I am reading status updates on Facebook about other kids who are already registered for preschool. I am reading blogs about how to I need to get cracking on getting my child registered for preschool or else he won’t be going to preschool next fall. Every local parenting periodical has an Open House Guide in it…and I have read them all. I have them highlighted, dogeared, and am putting the dates for Open Houses on my calendar! Last week, I attended the Lake Oswego Preschool Forum to find out more about the preschool options in our area. It was a madhouse! I am not kidding. There were mobs of people talking to the teachers and directors like this was the biggest decision of their life! I actually heard one father say, “Oh yes, I went to Montessori, ” like he is now a better person because he attended a Montessori preschool. Am I a bad person because I did not go to Montessori?!

Here’s my problem. I am stressing out about this! I know, I didn’t think I would be “that mom” stressed about getting their kid into the right preschool. My mom is a preschool teacher for heaven’s sake…I always thought my kids would go to her preschool…she just happens to live in the wrong state (she would say we live in the wrong state)!

It’s not that I am afraid that there is not a good school out there for him. There are plenty of preschools to choose from. I am just afraid that the preschool we want will not have space for him. What if I needed to get on the waitlist before he was born?! What if I forget to call on the registration day? What if the one I want him to go to right now (because it is close and convenient) does not meet my criteria when I go to the open house or to visit? What if the #2 choice doesn’t work out, either? #3? #4?

All I know is that this IS serious stuff. And, I’m going to be stressed about it until he is signed up and guaranteed a spot in the RIGHT preschool! Yes, I am “that mom”. Whatever that means.

Everchanging Emotions and the Terrible Two

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When I was pregnant with the little guy I kept myself up to date on the stages of my pregnancy by receiving a weekly e-mail and reading the books that tell you exactly how the baby is growing, how you should be feeling, and what is next.  This time around, I have glanced at those books to double check things that I think are OK, or to check on things that I don’t remember experiencing the last time.  In addition to occasionally reading about the pregnancy, I have been reading A LOT about toddlers.  I think I have read about 4-5 different books in the last week!

This period that we are going through with the little guy is a an amazing and frustrating  period called toddlerhood.  And, it has me boggled most of the time.  For instance, this morning, the little guy and I started out just perfect.  He was happy when I went into his room this morning, we waved goodbye to Poppa as he left for work, we shared some scrambled eggs and ham together, he didn’t thrash around as I changed his diaper and got him dressed, we played with stickers, read books, and even colored in a coloring book (which is not something he used to be fond of). 

The morning was going so smoothly, I decided that we should venture out to the craft store to get some things to finish up some projects for the kids rooms.  I armed myself with jelly beans in my pocket should I need to bribe the little guy to sit in the cart, and we were off!  Yes, I had to give up a couple of jelly beans, but the outing was also a success.

Lunchtime came earlier than usual, but that was no big deal.  He ate a good lunch, and cooperated for the most part when I reminded him that sitting at his little table was a priviledge and he needed to stay in his seat.  He played nicely while I cleaned up the dishes and then all h-e-double-hockey-sticks broke loose!

He came running to me to tell me he had poop in his diaper and his head started spinning around, his arms started flailing, and his legs started kicking!  For the next hour, I fought with him (mind you, I am not as able bodied as I might be when I am not 1-month away from giving birth) to get his diaper changed.  He kicked, screamed, weasled, hit, ran away with the diaper, ran away with the wipes, knocked over furniture…I was in tears.  He would come to me like he was sorry and wanted to give me a hug and then he would hit me and turn away running and laughing!!!  I called Ryan, but what was he going to do 3 hours away in Seattle?!  All he could say was he was sorry and I was not happy with that answer.  Eventually, I was able to get his diaper changed, and he is now in his room for naptime/quiet-time.

A couple of the books I have read compare being a toddler to having PMS or being pregnant…all of which only a mother can understand.  So, here I am frustrated with a toddler who I cannot understand because he has no control over his everchanging emotions while I have no control over my own everchanging emotions.  While I sit here and feel sorry for myself, I should really be feeling sorry for my husband, who lives in a household with both of us!  Now wonder he “has” to be in Seattle every week for work…I would want to get out of the house, too!  Forget the “terrible-two’s”, he has to deal with the “Terrible Two”!

Not-so-terrible-two’s

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We have a 2-year old in the house now.  The little guy’s birthday was on July 5th.  Of course, we have heard of and witnessed some of the outbursts that come with the “terrible two” phase, but we have been more impressed by the incredible leaps and bounds he is making…literally and figuratively. 

He is ALL boy and shows it physically.  Jumping and climbing off of and onto anything and everything he can.  He is interested in potty training and using his potty multiple times a day.  He is trying new food, excited about going to “school” beginning in August, helpful when he wants to be, repeating new words instantly, and beginning to speak in short sentences.  More than that, he understands so much more than we give him credit for…the following story is an example from today.

After returning home from Safeway and Trader Joe’s this morning I let the dogs out into the backyard.  Since it was such a nice day, I decided to just let them hang out and went to open up the doors to their dog runs in case they wanted to go into their houses (which Oak and Odyssey like to do).  Since the little guy has figured out how to unlock the locks on the glass “storm” doors, I closed both doors to the backyard to keep him from following me outside (once he goes outside he does not want to head back indoors, and I still had some things to get done inside the house).  I opened the dog runs, walked back up to the house, opened the “storm” door, and then tried the main glass door…it was locked.  I thought to myself, no problem, this is whay we had the keypad installed on the garage after I got locked out last year around this time (with the little guy in the house that time, too).  So, I calmly walked around the the front of the house and tried the keypad…it didn’t work.  So, I tried again…no luck.  A little bit of panic set in. 

I had just locked up all of the windows knowing that it would be hot today and the AC would kick on to keep the house cool.  I walked to the front door to check to see if it might be unlocked…nope.  Side door to the garage…locked.  I tried the keypad again…NOTHING!  So, I walked around to the back door.  I knocked on it so the little guy would come back to it, and he did.  I tried to explain to him how to unlock the doorknob lock, which was how I got locked out last year.  He tried, but just couldn’t quite figure it out.  My panic grew just a bit. 

So, here I am thinking of how to get back into our house.  We gave our next door neighbors a key last year in case I got locked out again…unfortunately, they were gone for the day.  Our friends down the street also have a key…last year I was able to have our next door neighbor watch the little guy through the window while I ran down there to get a key.  This time, I did not feel comfortable leaving the little guy alone in the house for what would be at least a 10 minute time period, as I am in no shape to run down the street and back at 7-months pregnant.  Ryan, who I was also able to call last year, was out of town for the day…still in the state of Oregon, but at least 1-1/2 hours away.  I had no cell phone (locked in the house) and did not want to leave the house with the little guy by himself inside.  More panic, but told myself that it would all be OK, and I just needed to relax.

I thougt, my last resort is to break a window.  I walked around the house again to figure out which one would be best and decided the office would work since the door was closed and the little guy would not be hurt by broken glass.  I walked around to the back one more time to try to find something to break it with…I have no idea how to break a window and this was not something I really wanted to do.  It was this time around the house that I noticed it was the DEADBOLT that had been locked, not the doorknob!

That little stinker figured out how to lock the deadbolt!  I was hoping that meant he could also figure how to unlock it.  I walked to the back door and knocked so he would come to it.  He came running, and I told him to go get his stool from the bathroom.  I had to repeat my request only two times, and he went running into the bathroom (thank goodness it was unlocked as we also keep doors to bathrooms locked to keep the little guy from playing in toilets) and came out carrying his step stool for washing his hands!  I told him to put the stool next to the door and to climb onto it.  He did.  Then, I asked him to turn the “thing” on the door.  I don’t know how many times I asked him to do this, but it was only a couple and the door was UNLOCKED!  I immediatley pushed it open enough to keep him from locking it again.  Now, I had to convince him to step off his stool so Mommy could come inside.  By this point he tought it was all a fun game, which was fine with me, but I also wanted to get inside and tell him what a wonderfully smart little 2-year old he was!  He let me back into the house and was not impressed by what he had just done, but I sure was!

So, we definitely have our share of “terrible two” behavior, but the amazing cognitive and physical ability that our little guy (and I am sure all other 2-year olds) has is amazing.  To think that at this time last year he was just beginning to take steps on his own and to know all that he is capable of now is truly amazing.  I’m going to make sure that I focus on all the positive aspects of our little guy being a 2-year old and believe in the not-so-terrible-two’s!

a very good day

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The headline of the Oregonian is not going to read this tomorrow morning, but my blog will:

THE LITTLE GUY WENT PEE ON HIS POTTY!!

This is what I get excited about now as a mom to an almost 2-year old!

I didn’t even ask him if he wanted to sit on the potty. I got him undressed for his bath and he pointed at the potty. So, I asked him, “Do you want to sit in your potty?”
He said, “Uh-huh.”
I sat him on his potty, and I sat on the big toilet (lid down) across from him and sang, “We’re going pee! We’re going pee!”
And, HE WAS!
He got off the potty, we flushed the pee in the big toilet, he ran into the hall, into his room, and jumped on his bed.  He was so proud of himself!
I reminded him that it was bathtime and we proceeded with our evening routine.
We had a VERY good day today and Ryan is coming home tonight!