When Ben finally started sleeping through the night most of the time, about 6 months ago, he still had some nights when he would wake up and cry briefly when the air conditioning turned on. So I started telling him every night when I put him in his crib, "If the air conditioning wakes you up, just go back to sleep! If you hear a loud truck and it wakes you up, what should you do? Go back to sleep! If an airplane or a dog barking or anything else wakes you up, go back to sleep! What should you do if you hear the toilet flushing and it wakes you up? Go back to sleep!" Then a few months ago, I said, "What should you do if a barking dog wakes you up?" And Ben said, "Pat, pat," and giggled.
Ben's other favorite thing is to call me "Brigitte Mama." For a long time I thought he was saying, "Big Duck Mama."
Ben loves Donald Duck, and he calls him "Hat Duck." He loves his "Hat Duck" socks.
Sam is convinced that Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer is going to go down in "mystery," not "history."
In the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse cartoons, Donald Duck says, "What's the big idea?" Sam has started calling me, and sometimes other people, Big Idea.
I asked Sam what he wants for Christmas: "I want milk! In my stocking! But closed. And donuts in my present! You can have coffee in your stocking. But closed! Dad can have juice in his stocking. But closed! Not open. Then it would make your stocking all wet!"
Matt has been randomly telling me, "You're a good horse!" So I've been telling him the same back. Who knows what we are even talking about.
Sunday, December 11, 2016
Wednesday, August 31, 2016
Toddler Ben
When someone is crying, Ben says, "Awww, pat pat," and makes a sad face and a hand gesture like he's going to pat the crying person to make him feel better. Sam appreciates this most of the time, but Matt does not like to be consoled.
Ben rubs his eyes when he hears the word "sleepy." He enjoys flopping down on my head anytime I'm lying on the floor. He is very excited when Jeff gets home from work, and he's eager to head out the door to take Matt to school or go pick him up. He likes to sit in the big chairs instead of his high chair at every opportunity.
Monday, May 2, 2016
Silly kid things
Here's what the kids have been doing, just some funny things from December through now. These are the types of things I'll miss and otherwise never remember. Kids are so funny.
Matt and Sam sometimes drive trucks around in the basement. When they drive from the couch to behind the wet bar, they say they're driving on "Poopways." When Jeff is around, they call it "Rumble Rumble Rumble" because they know he doesn't like the P word.
Sam plays the banjo. This consists entirely of him holding a baby teething ring and saying "Banjo, banjo, banjo!" a lot and occasionally banging the ring against things. He's never seen a banjo and probably never heard one.
Baseball parties: This is the term Matt and Sam use for dumping out all the toy bins into a huge pile. In fact, baseball parties are what prompted me to sell our toy-bin storage shelf. It was the worst. They were very enthusiastic about it, though.
"Shoes on hooks, shoes on hooks!" This is something that Sam sometimes shouts for no apparent reason. I think it's funny and sometimes say it myself. Matt doesn't know what it means.
A few months ago, Sam had been asking what different things were for. Many times, the answer was "for decoration." He started answering a lot of questions that way. For example, "Sam, why did you dump all that stuff out on the floor?" "For decoration." "Sam, did you spill that milk on purpose? Why did you?" "For decoration." "Sam, what do you think that truck is doing over there?" "It's for decoration."
Sam sometimes go up to Matt or Ben, grabs their ears, and says, "Ear diamond! Ear diamond!" We don't know what that means, but it's funny. He's also been saying "lugo" about everything. Who knows what that means, either.
Matt likes to tell me his dreams. One day, he was laughing so hard about this dream, like it was the silliest thing he'd ever imagined, that it was cracking me up. He explained that he dreamt of a flatbed pulling a trailer with a snowplow. It didn't have a delimber. But - and this was the hilarious part to him - the trees were gone! They were just gone! He kept saying, "They can't work that fast!" *giggle giggle* "There was no delimber, but even if there had been, they can't work that fast! They can't work THAT fast!" *giggle giggle*
One day, Ben was chewing on the trampoline. Sam said to him, "That's your food now," in a tone that was so fatalistic and matter-of-fact that it makes me laugh every time I think about it. I like to say, "That's your [whatever] now" in the same tone whenever the chance arises.
General notes:
Matt has been able to read for a couple of months now. He's very interested in nonfiction in general and animals in particular. He loves the National Geographic Little Kids' First Big Book of... series a lot.
Sam has started stuttering quite a bit. I asked him today if he was having trouble getting his words out. Matt interrupted and said, "Sam is NOT having any trouble getting his words out. He just needs to think about what he's going to say and then say the first letter of the word a bunch of times." He has been clingier than usual lately and wants to hold hands a lot. He is BFFs with both Matt and Ben.
Ben is a toddler now, not a baby. He's almost weaned - one night feeding remains but will be gone soon I'm sure. He loves to turn light switches off and on. He likes to walk around holding remotes or markers. He likes to scribble with crayons. He helps unload the dishwasher and can follow simple commands, like "get your shoes." He loves to hug everyone.
Matt and Sam sometimes drive trucks around in the basement. When they drive from the couch to behind the wet bar, they say they're driving on "Poopways." When Jeff is around, they call it "Rumble Rumble Rumble" because they know he doesn't like the P word.
Sam plays the banjo. This consists entirely of him holding a baby teething ring and saying "Banjo, banjo, banjo!" a lot and occasionally banging the ring against things. He's never seen a banjo and probably never heard one.
Baseball parties: This is the term Matt and Sam use for dumping out all the toy bins into a huge pile. In fact, baseball parties are what prompted me to sell our toy-bin storage shelf. It was the worst. They were very enthusiastic about it, though.
"Shoes on hooks, shoes on hooks!" This is something that Sam sometimes shouts for no apparent reason. I think it's funny and sometimes say it myself. Matt doesn't know what it means.
A few months ago, Sam had been asking what different things were for. Many times, the answer was "for decoration." He started answering a lot of questions that way. For example, "Sam, why did you dump all that stuff out on the floor?" "For decoration." "Sam, did you spill that milk on purpose? Why did you?" "For decoration." "Sam, what do you think that truck is doing over there?" "It's for decoration."
Sam sometimes go up to Matt or Ben, grabs their ears, and says, "Ear diamond! Ear diamond!" We don't know what that means, but it's funny. He's also been saying "lugo" about everything. Who knows what that means, either.
Matt likes to tell me his dreams. One day, he was laughing so hard about this dream, like it was the silliest thing he'd ever imagined, that it was cracking me up. He explained that he dreamt of a flatbed pulling a trailer with a snowplow. It didn't have a delimber. But - and this was the hilarious part to him - the trees were gone! They were just gone! He kept saying, "They can't work that fast!" *giggle giggle* "There was no delimber, but even if there had been, they can't work that fast! They can't work THAT fast!" *giggle giggle*
One day, Ben was chewing on the trampoline. Sam said to him, "That's your food now," in a tone that was so fatalistic and matter-of-fact that it makes me laugh every time I think about it. I like to say, "That's your [whatever] now" in the same tone whenever the chance arises.
General notes:
Matt has been able to read for a couple of months now. He's very interested in nonfiction in general and animals in particular. He loves the National Geographic Little Kids' First Big Book of... series a lot.
Sam has started stuttering quite a bit. I asked him today if he was having trouble getting his words out. Matt interrupted and said, "Sam is NOT having any trouble getting his words out. He just needs to think about what he's going to say and then say the first letter of the word a bunch of times." He has been clingier than usual lately and wants to hold hands a lot. He is BFFs with both Matt and Ben.
Ben is a toddler now, not a baby. He's almost weaned - one night feeding remains but will be gone soon I'm sure. He loves to turn light switches off and on. He likes to walk around holding remotes or markers. He likes to scribble with crayons. He helps unload the dishwasher and can follow simple commands, like "get your shoes." He loves to hug everyone.
Friday, February 5, 2016
Questions for kids
Here are the answers Matt and Sam came up with for some questions floating around Facebook.
Without any answer-prompting, ask your child these questions. Post with age and name of child.
Sam, 2.5 years
About Brigitte
1. What is something I always say to you? "Go out for exercise."
2. What makes me happy? "I. Coffee."
3. What makes me sad? "Yourself."
4. How do I make you laugh? "Playing. When you say Ben is staying home and Sam is going to preschool and Matt is going to kindergarten."
5. What is my favorite color? "Something on your shirt."
6. How old am I? "Too much."
7. How tall am I? "Too much." (Lots of giggles.)
8. What is my favorite thing to do? "Something at Matt's school."
9. What do I do when you're not around? "Play. Play garbage truck."
10. What am I really good at? "Puzzles."
11. What is something I'm not good at? "That. That's on wall." (He was pointing to the calendar. ??)
12. What do I do for a job? "Chores and stuff."
13. What is my favorite food? "Not peanut butter crackers. You like soup."
14. What do you enjoy doing with me? "Playing. Have fun 'Mom & Sam & Ben time.'" (Aka, when Matt's at preschool.)
About Jeff
1. What is something I always say to you? "Mom."
2. What makes me happy? "I."
3. What makes me sad? "I."
4. How do I make you laugh? "Like Dad. Everybody go poop."
5. What is my favorite color? "Red."
6. How old am I? "Two and much."
7. How tall am I? "Too much."
8. What is my favorite thing to do? "Chores."
9. What do I do when you're not around? "Sleep."
10. What am I really good at? "Chores."
11. What is something I'm not good at? "I? My?"
12. What do I do for a job? "I'll move these things at church."
13. What is my favorite food? "Total and raisins."
14. What do you enjoy doing with me? "Chores."
Matt, age 4.5
About Brigitte
1. What is something I always say to you? "I can't think of anything for that. Matt."
2. What makes me happy? "Hugs and cuddles."
3. What makes me sad? "Dad."
4. How do I make you laugh? "Fuzzy puzzles."
5. What is my favorite color? "What? I don't know."
6. How old am I? "I think thirty or twentysomething."
7. How tall am I? "I don't know. I think if you're standing next to the couch and I'm standing on the edge, that's how tall."
8. What is my favorite thing to do? "Feeding Ben."
9. What do I do when you're not around? "Do puzzles. Play with Ben."
10. What am I really good at? "Feeding Ben food that's not milk."
11. What is something I'm not good at? "Messes."
12. What do I do for a job? "Kids."
13. What is my favorite food? "Green beans."
14. What do you enjoy doing with me? "LEGOs and reading."
About Jeff
1. What is something I always say to you? "I love you."
2. What makes me happy? "Cuddling."
3. What makes me sad? "Messes."
4. How do I make you laugh? "Saying 'Sam'."
5. What is my favorite color? "Green."
6. How old am I? "I think 32."
7. How tall am I? "Probably from the floor to here." (He was holding his hand about 4 feet off the ground.)
8. What is my favorite thing to do? "Watching football."
9. What do I do when you're not around? "Watching football."
10. What am I really good at? "Turning on tv."
11. What is something I'm not good at? "Messes."
12. What do I do for a job? "I think design buildings."
13. What is my favorite food? "Corn and okra."
14. What do you enjoy doing with me? "Watching football & Mighty Machines and LEGOs and reading and Magnatiles."
Without any answer-prompting, ask your child these questions. Post with age and name of child.
Sam, 2.5 years
About Brigitte
1. What is something I always say to you? "Go out for exercise."
2. What makes me happy? "I. Coffee."
3. What makes me sad? "Yourself."
4. How do I make you laugh? "Playing. When you say Ben is staying home and Sam is going to preschool and Matt is going to kindergarten."
5. What is my favorite color? "Something on your shirt."
6. How old am I? "Too much."
7. How tall am I? "Too much." (Lots of giggles.)
8. What is my favorite thing to do? "Something at Matt's school."
9. What do I do when you're not around? "Play. Play garbage truck."
10. What am I really good at? "Puzzles."
11. What is something I'm not good at? "That. That's on wall." (He was pointing to the calendar. ??)
12. What do I do for a job? "Chores and stuff."
13. What is my favorite food? "Not peanut butter crackers. You like soup."
14. What do you enjoy doing with me? "Playing. Have fun 'Mom & Sam & Ben time.'" (Aka, when Matt's at preschool.)
About Jeff
1. What is something I always say to you? "Mom."
2. What makes me happy? "I."
3. What makes me sad? "I."
4. How do I make you laugh? "Like Dad. Everybody go poop."
5. What is my favorite color? "Red."
6. How old am I? "Two and much."
7. How tall am I? "Too much."
8. What is my favorite thing to do? "Chores."
9. What do I do when you're not around? "Sleep."
10. What am I really good at? "Chores."
11. What is something I'm not good at? "I? My?"
12. What do I do for a job? "I'll move these things at church."
13. What is my favorite food? "Total and raisins."
14. What do you enjoy doing with me? "Chores."
Matt, age 4.5
About Brigitte
1. What is something I always say to you? "I can't think of anything for that. Matt."
2. What makes me happy? "Hugs and cuddles."
3. What makes me sad? "Dad."
4. How do I make you laugh? "Fuzzy puzzles."
5. What is my favorite color? "What? I don't know."
6. How old am I? "I think thirty or twentysomething."
7. How tall am I? "I don't know. I think if you're standing next to the couch and I'm standing on the edge, that's how tall."
8. What is my favorite thing to do? "Feeding Ben."
9. What do I do when you're not around? "Do puzzles. Play with Ben."
10. What am I really good at? "Feeding Ben food that's not milk."
11. What is something I'm not good at? "Messes."
12. What do I do for a job? "Kids."
13. What is my favorite food? "Green beans."
14. What do you enjoy doing with me? "LEGOs and reading."
About Jeff
1. What is something I always say to you? "I love you."
2. What makes me happy? "Cuddling."
3. What makes me sad? "Messes."
4. How do I make you laugh? "Saying 'Sam'."
5. What is my favorite color? "Green."
6. How old am I? "I think 32."
7. How tall am I? "Probably from the floor to here." (He was holding his hand about 4 feet off the ground.)
8. What is my favorite thing to do? "Watching football."
9. What do I do when you're not around? "Watching football."
10. What am I really good at? "Turning on tv."
11. What is something I'm not good at? "Messes."
12. What do I do for a job? "I think design buildings."
13. What is my favorite food? "Corn and okra."
14. What do you enjoy doing with me? "Watching football & Mighty Machines and LEGOs and reading and Magnatiles."
Thursday, December 17, 2015
What I'm going to do
We were leaving Matt's preschool after dropping him off, and I said, "Sammy, what am I going to do next year when Matt's at kindergarten and you're at preschool and it's just me and Ben at home?" Sam immediately replied, "Potty training! Potty training for Ben!"
Monday, December 14, 2015
Ben's nap notes
Well, the time has come for no more nursing or holding to sleep for Ben's naps. He's been taking the occasional decent nap but mostly naps only 5 to 25 minutes long. And that's not good for him.
Today:
7:00 a.m. - awake for day
9:22 a.m. - in crib, standing, cruising, making screechy noises
9:35 a.m. - asleep
10:48 a.m. - awake and happy
1:37 p.m. - in crib, standing, sitting, crawling, making happy noises
1:43 p.m. - standing and crying
1:48 p.m. - sitting and crying harder
1:50 p.m. - lying down and crying hard
1:53 p.m. - asleep
2:11 p.m. - awake
December 15
6:30 a.m. - awake for day
9:18 a.m. - in crib, crying
9:33 a.m. - asleep
10:18 a.m. - awake and crying
1:09 p.m. - in crib, standing, cruising, making happy noises
1:11 p.m. - lying down, making sleepy noises
1:13 p.m. - asleep
2:31 p.m. - awake and happy
December 16
7 a.m. - awake for day
9:13 a.m. - in crib, crying
9:20 a.m. - asleep
10:20 a.m. - awake and happy
1:13 p.m. - in crib, rolling, standing, fussing
1:19 p.m. - standing and crying hard
1:20 p.m. - lying down, sitting, lying down, sitting, fussing
1:24 p.m. - asleep
3:00 p.m. - had to wake him up!
December 17
9:19 a.m. - in crib, lying down, quiet
9:21 a.m. - standing and crying/fussing
9:23 a.m. - lying down and fussing
9:25 a.m. - asleep
10:28 a.m. - awake and happy
1:14 p.m. - in crib, lying down, quiet
1:22 p.m. - loud fussing
1:24 p.m. - asleep
Today:
7:00 a.m. - awake for day
9:22 a.m. - in crib, standing, cruising, making screechy noises
9:35 a.m. - asleep
10:48 a.m. - awake and happy
1:37 p.m. - in crib, standing, sitting, crawling, making happy noises
1:43 p.m. - standing and crying
1:48 p.m. - sitting and crying harder
1:50 p.m. - lying down and crying hard
1:53 p.m. - asleep
2:11 p.m. - awake
December 15
6:30 a.m. - awake for day
9:18 a.m. - in crib, crying
9:33 a.m. - asleep
10:18 a.m. - awake and crying
1:09 p.m. - in crib, standing, cruising, making happy noises
1:11 p.m. - lying down, making sleepy noises
1:13 p.m. - asleep
2:31 p.m. - awake and happy
December 16
7 a.m. - awake for day
9:13 a.m. - in crib, crying
9:20 a.m. - asleep
10:20 a.m. - awake and happy
1:13 p.m. - in crib, rolling, standing, fussing
1:19 p.m. - standing and crying hard
1:20 p.m. - lying down, sitting, lying down, sitting, fussing
1:24 p.m. - asleep
3:00 p.m. - had to wake him up!
December 17
9:19 a.m. - in crib, lying down, quiet
9:21 a.m. - standing and crying/fussing
9:23 a.m. - lying down and fussing
9:25 a.m. - asleep
10:28 a.m. - awake and happy
1:14 p.m. - in crib, lying down, quiet
1:22 p.m. - loud fussing
1:24 p.m. - asleep
Wednesday, December 9, 2015
Barns
Sam: "What barn for, Matt?"
Matt: "A barn is like a house, except there's nothing to do in it except lay around and sleep. The animals just walk in it and go to sleep, or if there's bad weather they can go in it. Also, farmers can keep their tools in there and just go in and get what they need. Sometimes tractors are in barns but not usually."
Matt: "A barn is like a house, except there's nothing to do in it except lay around and sleep. The animals just walk in it and go to sleep, or if there's bad weather they can go in it. Also, farmers can keep their tools in there and just go in and get what they need. Sometimes tractors are in barns but not usually."
Wednesday, December 2, 2015
What Sam's been saying
We were playing outside waiting for Jeff to get home. When we saw his car, Sam asked me, "Sam wipe Sam's face on Dad's car?" I said, "Ask Dad when he gets here." When Jeff got out of the car, Sam asked him, "Wipe Sam's face on your car?" Then Sam giggled uncontrollably for many minutes. That's the essence of a toddler.
This morning, Sam was turning pages in a very long book. Each page, he said, "Ding dong, ding dong." He explained, "All these pages ding dong. Not this page. All the pages ding dong but not this page right here." Who knows.
This morning, Sam was turning pages in a very long book. Each page, he said, "Ding dong, ding dong." He explained, "All these pages ding dong. Not this page. All the pages ding dong but not this page right here." Who knows.
Wednesday, November 18, 2015
Learning to sleep journal, attempt #2
Notes
Sunday, November 15
Fuss noises at 11:58. No waking.
Fed at 1:45.
Monday, November 16
Slight crying from 9:43-9:47 and at 11:25.
Fed at 12:25.
Fed at 4:10.
Fed at 6.
Tuesday, November 17
Fed at 12:30.
Fed at 6:10.
Wednesday, November 18
11:38 - light crying for 5 minutes
3:25 - fed
6:25 - fed and awake for day
Thursday, November 19
8:25 two minutes of crying
10:40 four to five minutes of fussing
2:35 fed
4:15 changed messy diaper and fed
Friday, November 20
10:18 light crying for a few minutes
10:40 hard crying for four minutes
Fed at 1 and 4:55
Sunday, November 15
9:41- crying; rocking on hands and knees
9:47- hard crying
9:51- crying
9:55- hard crying with 10-second gaps and some normal crying
10:01 quiet and in sleeping position
10:06 crying on and off
10:13 quiet and in sleeping position
10:18 outburst of crying and then quiet; still on stomach
10:19 sleepingFuss noises at 11:58. No waking.
Fed at 1:45.
Changed pee diaper at 3:40. Tried to feed but didn't.
Fed at 5:50.Monday, November 16
Slight crying from 9:43-9:47 and at 11:25.
Fed at 12:25.
Fed at 4:10.
Fed at 6.
Tuesday, November 17
8:28- light fussing
8:30- not-too-bad crying on and off
8:33- quiet
9:48- some fussing for one minute
10:19- crying
10:29- hard crying
10:39-10:44- Jeff went in and changed slightly wet diaper
10:51- quiet for 30 seconds a couple of times in past 30 minutes but mostly hard crying
10:53- sleepingFed at 12:30.
Fed at 6:10.
Wednesday, November 18
11:38 - light crying for 5 minutes
3:25 - fed
6:25 - fed and awake for day
Thursday, November 19
8:25 two minutes of crying
10:40 four to five minutes of fussing
2:35 fed
4:15 changed messy diaper and fed
Friday, November 20
10:18 light crying for a few minutes
10:40 hard crying for four minutes
Fed at 1 and 4:55
Saturday, November 14, 2015
Honesty is not the best policy
It was unusually quiet, so I asked, "Hey, what are you guys doing?" Matt said, "I'm just in the playroom driving trucks around." Sam said, "I'm just putting my finger in my nose."
Thursday, October 15, 2015
Learning to sleep journal
Here are our notes on Ben's process of learning to fall asleep on his own.
October 12
7:53 Jeff put hand on Ben's chest; Ben was silent the entire time
7:55 Jeff left room and Ben started crying and rolling
7:57 quiet, on stomach
1:25 a.m. - fed, seemed very hungry
5:10 a.m. - fed, seemed pretty hungry
October 13
7:51 crying
7:53 hard crying, then quiet; sleeping!
10:30 p.m. - cry for 6 minutes
11:55 p.m. - fed
2:30 a.m. - short cry then kept sleeping
4:15 a.m. - fed, messy diaper
October 14
7:45 in crib
7:50 crying
7:51 stopped crying
7:52 sleeping!
11:30 p.m. - fed (too early?). Seemed hungry.
3:10 p.m. - kicking legs and making noises, not crying. Fed, seemed hungry. I was in a sleep daze and should have waited to see if he'd fall back asleep. Hopefully that won't be bad for tomorrow.
October 15
Napped at odd times.
7:01 in crib
7:03 mild crying/fussing
7:07 fussing
7:10 sleeping!
8:25 p.m. - fed (wouldn't really eat before bed)
10:07-10:12 p.m. - very bad crying with abrupt silences. Back to sleep.
12 a.m. - fed
2 a.m. - messy diaper
2:40 a.m. - fed, seemed hungry
5:15 - fed, seemed hungry
October 16
7:10 in crib
7:14 asleep
9:40 p.m. - fed (wouldn't really eat before bed)
12:15 a.m. - fed, not really hungry, messy diaper
2:30 a.m. - fed, not really hungry
3:30 - mild crying for 1-2 minutes then back to sleep
5:20 - fed, hungry
October 12
7:40 in bed
7:45 hard crying
8:01 one 5-second fuss after noise in kitchen
8:02 short fuss
8:06 crying
8:08 stopped crying
8:12 crying
8:14 very hard crying
8:17 on stomach in sleeping position, ratcheted it down to normal crying/fussing
8:19 stopped crying completely, still in sleeping position on stomach
8:20 fusses
8:21 sleeping!1:25 a.m. - fed, seemed very hungry
5:10 a.m. - fed, seemed pretty hungry
October 13
7:48 in bed
7:50 fusses10:30 p.m. - cry for 6 minutes
11:55 p.m. - fed
2:30 a.m. - short cry then kept sleeping
4:15 a.m. - fed, messy diaper
October 14
7:45 in crib
7:50 crying
7:51 stopped crying
7:52 sleeping!
11:30 p.m. - fed (too early?). Seemed hungry.
3:10 p.m. - kicking legs and making noises, not crying. Fed, seemed hungry. I was in a sleep daze and should have waited to see if he'd fall back asleep. Hopefully that won't be bad for tomorrow.
October 15
Napped at odd times.
7:01 in crib
7:03 mild crying/fussing
7:07 fussing
7:10 sleeping!
8:25 p.m. - fed (wouldn't really eat before bed)
10:07-10:12 p.m. - very bad crying with abrupt silences. Back to sleep.
12 a.m. - fed
2 a.m. - messy diaper
2:40 a.m. - fed, seemed hungry
5:15 - fed, seemed hungry
October 16
7:10 in crib
7:14 asleep
9:40 p.m. - fed (wouldn't really eat before bed)
12:15 a.m. - fed, not really hungry, messy diaper
2:30 a.m. - fed, not really hungry
3:30 - mild crying for 1-2 minutes then back to sleep
5:20 - fed, hungry
Naming the colors of the rainbow
One of the stories in our nighttime devotion book mentions rainbows and asks, "Can you name the colors of the rainbow?" Sam takes that challenge literally. He's named some of the colors "graymo, nain, and mower." And then he and Matt giggle uncontrollably for ages.
I have a brick from college that Maria and I painted with our shared middle name (Irene) holding open our upstairs bathroom door. When Sam's using his potty right next to it every night, he points to each letter and names it: "Grandpa! Donna! Grandpa! Grandma! Matt!"
I have a brick from college that Maria and I painted with our shared middle name (Irene) holding open our upstairs bathroom door. When Sam's using his potty right next to it every night, he points to each letter and names it: "Grandpa! Donna! Grandpa! Grandma! Matt!"
Saturday, September 26, 2015
Ben's cool trick
Ben's been doing this cool trick where he has something in his hands and then puts it between his feet. He waves it around with his feet and looks at it for a while then transfers it back to his hands. Seems pretty coordinated for being a baby.
A note on plates (or: conforming to societal norms sucks)
So we have these plates, these middle-of-the-line plates that we registered for and received for our wedding. They are sturdy, they look okay, they have a weight to them that makes them seem expensive, and they make us seem like grownups since grownups have matching, pretty-decent-and-nice-looking plates.
And I kind of hate them.
The first problem is, we have them in different colors. We also have a couple wildlife-themed plates from Yellowstone and a couple of kid plates. And we have a kid who wants to choose his specific dishes and silverware for every single meal and snack, even if food has been put on another plate already. His preferences aren't the problem; the problem is talking about plates and cups and silverware and what his choice for the moment is - it takes up a lot of my time and it's a pointless, repetitive topic that just - doesn't - matter and oh my goodness just pick a plate already! Now! Right now! I've got stuff to do, kids to feed, babies to soothe, lots of things happening every time it's time to eat.
And the thing is - I don't even like these plates! I don't like them at all! I wanted a set of cheap Corelle in some cute pattern that would already be dated by the time we got them out of the box. I perused all the Corelle patterns endlessly while working on the wedding registry, but no. People said, "Oh, get the nicer dishes now. Get the ones you'd like to have but wouldn't like to pay for, that's what your registry is for." So I was like, "Okay, okay. That makes sense. The dishes I want aren't fancy anyway, and let's branch out a little bit here. We will probably be glad to have these heavier, 'nicer' dishes later." I know what I like, though, and that's not it.
It's just a minor irritation that doesn't matter, but it's been scratching at me for however long it is that Jeff and I have been married. Made worse by children and their particularities.
These plates and the fact that we have them is the kind of thing that is doubly annoying in that I know what I want, I know what I like, and sometimes when I just try to go along with others' suggestions even though it doesn't particularly matter if I do or not, it turns out to be a bad idea.
Like, why the heck did I wear makeup for my wedding day? Because that's what people do. I don't wear makeup. Ever. The last time I wore makeup was on my wedding, for sure. I didn't want to, really. I did because that's what's expected, and my friends mentioned it a lot, and it seemed like no big deal to just go with it.
...until mascara got in my eye. Which sucked. It hurt and then I just had to wash off all the makeup anyway. So why bother with it in the first place, when I already know it's not something I like? I don't know. Tiny irritations. I want a redo on the plates and the makeup.
Really, I just want to put stuff on the table and not have to talk about which plates, which cups, which forks, which spoons each person has and which ones they want...because it's all the same cheap Corelle pattern.
And I kind of hate them.
The first problem is, we have them in different colors. We also have a couple wildlife-themed plates from Yellowstone and a couple of kid plates. And we have a kid who wants to choose his specific dishes and silverware for every single meal and snack, even if food has been put on another plate already. His preferences aren't the problem; the problem is talking about plates and cups and silverware and what his choice for the moment is - it takes up a lot of my time and it's a pointless, repetitive topic that just - doesn't - matter and oh my goodness just pick a plate already! Now! Right now! I've got stuff to do, kids to feed, babies to soothe, lots of things happening every time it's time to eat.
And the thing is - I don't even like these plates! I don't like them at all! I wanted a set of cheap Corelle in some cute pattern that would already be dated by the time we got them out of the box. I perused all the Corelle patterns endlessly while working on the wedding registry, but no. People said, "Oh, get the nicer dishes now. Get the ones you'd like to have but wouldn't like to pay for, that's what your registry is for." So I was like, "Okay, okay. That makes sense. The dishes I want aren't fancy anyway, and let's branch out a little bit here. We will probably be glad to have these heavier, 'nicer' dishes later." I know what I like, though, and that's not it.
It's just a minor irritation that doesn't matter, but it's been scratching at me for however long it is that Jeff and I have been married. Made worse by children and their particularities.
These plates and the fact that we have them is the kind of thing that is doubly annoying in that I know what I want, I know what I like, and sometimes when I just try to go along with others' suggestions even though it doesn't particularly matter if I do or not, it turns out to be a bad idea.
Like, why the heck did I wear makeup for my wedding day? Because that's what people do. I don't wear makeup. Ever. The last time I wore makeup was on my wedding, for sure. I didn't want to, really. I did because that's what's expected, and my friends mentioned it a lot, and it seemed like no big deal to just go with it.
...until mascara got in my eye. Which sucked. It hurt and then I just had to wash off all the makeup anyway. So why bother with it in the first place, when I already know it's not something I like? I don't know. Tiny irritations. I want a redo on the plates and the makeup.
Really, I just want to put stuff on the table and not have to talk about which plates, which cups, which forks, which spoons each person has and which ones they want...because it's all the same cheap Corelle pattern.
Wednesday, September 2, 2015
"You're Gonna Miss This"
When Matt was a baby, I listened to Trace Adkins' song "You're Going to Miss This" quite a bit to cheer myself up and remember to enjoy the good moments and soak in all the cozy preciousness of having hours upon hours to luxuriate in the bliss that is a new baby. Because it was hard. It was really hard, being completely responsible for a whole new person's entire health, happiness, and well-being. I didn't love breastfeeding. I didn't love how I was so isolated, with no real friends, with nothing to DO, really, other than hang out with Matt when he was awake and obsess about his sleeping and eating patterns and try to get my editing work done when he was asleep. So I would let Trace Adkins tell me: "You're gonna miss this. You're gonna want this back. You're gonna wish these days hadn't gone by so fast. These are some good times, so take a good look around. You may not know it now,
but you're gonna miss this."
I was determined not to miss it. I have many fond memories of baby Matt, walking to Kroger with him in the stroller to do a little shopping, going to crafts at church and actually being able to talk to the other ladies, watching Matt learn to roll and then realize he could propel himself around the house, walking around outside near the trees and seeing how Matt was fascinated by looking at the leaves.
But it was hard. It was really hard. It was frustrating when Matt started sleeping poorly and we didn't know why (hello, 4-month regression!), and I was so sleep deprived all I could think about was abandoning Jeff and Matt so I could go somewhere and just SLEEP. It was boring. It was really, really boring a lot of the time. I've come to realize that I'm just not really a "baby person." It's not my forte. I like babies and I intentionally pause to appreciate aspects of babyhood, but I also just get bored with them. Trace was wrong; I already don't want those days back. I don't miss it. They didn't go by fast. It felt like Matt was a baby for years. (Now Sam's babyhood, that lasted about five minutes, I think.)
I've fiercely loved parts of every stage of Matt's, Sam's, and Ben's lives so far. But I'm getting pretty tired of being told how much I'll miss them being little. There will always be things I'll feel pleasantly nostalgic for, but it feels like there are double the things that I definitely will not miss at all, not even a little bit.
It's just like high school. People say how it's so exciting, it's going to be the best four years of your life, it's going to be so fun, there will be so many activities to do and friends to meet, and on and on. Sure, I liked high school. Now that I'm pretty far past it, it's easy to remember the good parts and forget all the negatives, unless I'm trying to call to mind specifics; then the not-so-good parts come flooding back. It's just like college. People say how it's so exciting, it's going to be the best four (or five! Ha ha!) years of your life...and on and on.
Then, of course, all the hoopla around getting married - the best day of your life! Um, no. It was nice. I love Jeff more than anyone, and I love being married, but I almost never think about our wedding day. It was just a day, a joyful, celebratory day on which I was excited to see so many of my friends, honestly, a day that marked only the very beginning of a lifetime of days that I get to spend with Jeff. But I don't want it back. I don't miss it. I want this lifetime of days to keep accumulating.
I guess this sentiment about how parents, moms especially, should enjoy every moment of their kids' childhoods feels like too much like "just wait." It's a positive spin on "just wait," but it feels silly and threatening just the same. You know, "Just wait! Just wait until you're married. Then you'll have all those newlywed fights." "Just wait until you have kids. Then you'll see why people let their kids watch tv all day (or eat junk food, or never sleep again)." "Just wait." Ugh.
Anyway. Back on track. I know I'll never be so loved and needed as I am now. I know I will miss very, very many things about these days: the way Matt and Sam are best friends almost every minute, the way Sammer Hammer is so cheerful and engaging, the way Matt knows so many facts and is so excited to learn more about everything, the obsession with construction vehicles, the way Ben is such a sweet and cuddly baby and content almost all the time, the opportunities to play out in our yard, the self-contained nature of staying home with the kids and not needing to be a bunch of different places, the random and uncontrollable outbursts of little kids giggling.
But it's still hard. It's hard to even get out of bed in the morning when I've gotten up 2-5 times in the night with Ben (and sometimes Sam). It's hard to appreciate these days in their entirety when I can't even sit down for some cereal in the morning without twenty requests for different things. It's too much to ask for me to appreciate how much these kids all need me at the exact same time some days, or when I'm too hot (which is the thing that makes me most short-tempered and miserable) and I have to carry both Sam and Ben up or down the stairs at the same time while Matt talks nonstop at me and wants me to actually come up with answers for something. The boredom is difficult. I don't need a lot of interaction with grownups, but I do need more silence and more solitude; that is very hard to come by. I'd like more time to go running or biking. Some days I just feel like I'm slogging through the hours, pacing the floor yet again to try to get Ben to nap instead of cry, sweeping the kitchen floor for the third time, washing the second load of laundry for the day, changing the tenth diaper, reading the hundredth book about trucks.
And then there are people blogging or Facebooking about how I (general "I" here - moms in general) should be enjoying every moment. Or how they are enjoying every moment. I find it too simplistic and not precise enough. I want to appreciate the good moments and forget the difficult ones. And then not ever tell someone to enjoy the stage of life they are in, because I don't know, I can never really know, what another person's life is like, and the admonition to just enjoy it is obnoxious.
For example, here is a post I saw one day, written by a person I don't know: "I cried because I'm going to miss this. I'm going to miss the asparagus, rice, and carrots that fell from [younger kid's] high chair and mixed into the toys on the floor. I'm going to miss constantly making sure [older kid] didn't leave any little toys around that [younger kid] could choke on. I'm going to miss the yogurt fingerprints all over the couch, and the Cheerios under every piece of furniture." That is crazy! Maybe she's actually going to miss those things - who am I to say? But I think probably not. I appreciate the sentiment, of course, but some of that is just plain crazy talk - missing food mixed with toys on the floor? I'd rather that not happen so I can spend time with my kids instead of time making sure the kitchen won't be overtaken by ants. Missing making sure your baby's not going to choke on tiny toys? Eek. Not fun. Missing yogurt and Cheerios all over the place? No! (See: rather be with kids than picking up junk.) Crazy! There are so many good things to miss, why miss all the small frustrations and the endless cleaning?
The other thing that really gets me is when a mom, particularly a new mom, asks for advice on how to, say, get her baby to sleep longer than an hour at a stretch in any place other than the new mom's exhausted arms. Instead of helpful tips, usually a bunch of moms chime in to say how fast the days go by, how soon the new mom will be wishing her toddler were still a baby who would allow her to rock him or her to sleep, how short this precious window of babyhood is. That is not helpful! That does not help a mom feel more rested or make productive changes to help her baby sleep better. Maybe sometimes it could help a mom appreciate the moment a little bit, but I would guess that instead it just makes her feel bad for wanting to put that baby down and rest or do something that makes her feel like a regular grownup for a little while, like eat a hot meal or take a long shower or go for a walk without a stroller. And on top of that, feel bad that she's not constantly basking in the perfectness of new motherhood and the exquisiteness of her perfect baby.
(If you are a mom who feels that way about babies and is unfazed by sleep deprivation, great! Or if you were a mom who just loved every single moment of pregnancy, great! But not everyone has that experience. It just doesn't translate for all of us.)
"You're gonna miss this." Yes, I will miss a lot of this. I will miss so many things about having babies, toddlers, and preschoolers.
"You're gonna want this back." No. No, I'm not. I like it, I like these days and these stages, but this breakneck speed of life, the marathon I complete every day having a baby, toddler, and preschooler in the house, it's too much to sustain. I'm barely living it this time around. I'm not going to want this back. For sure.
"You're gonna wish these days hadn't gone by so fast." Eh, up in the air. The weeks are fast. The days each seem a million hours long. And the nights usually just feel like another day. I'm still waiting for some good nights, like the kind where I can get some decent sleep and feel rested when it's over.
"These are some good times, so take a good look around." Yes. Okay. I'll do that. I try to do that very frequently.
"You may not know it now, but you're gonna miss this." No. Nope. I'm enjoying the good parts (obviously not the constant messes and the choking-hazard moments), but I'm looking forward to everything else coming up.
but you're gonna miss this."
I was determined not to miss it. I have many fond memories of baby Matt, walking to Kroger with him in the stroller to do a little shopping, going to crafts at church and actually being able to talk to the other ladies, watching Matt learn to roll and then realize he could propel himself around the house, walking around outside near the trees and seeing how Matt was fascinated by looking at the leaves.
But it was hard. It was really hard. It was frustrating when Matt started sleeping poorly and we didn't know why (hello, 4-month regression!), and I was so sleep deprived all I could think about was abandoning Jeff and Matt so I could go somewhere and just SLEEP. It was boring. It was really, really boring a lot of the time. I've come to realize that I'm just not really a "baby person." It's not my forte. I like babies and I intentionally pause to appreciate aspects of babyhood, but I also just get bored with them. Trace was wrong; I already don't want those days back. I don't miss it. They didn't go by fast. It felt like Matt was a baby for years. (Now Sam's babyhood, that lasted about five minutes, I think.)
I've fiercely loved parts of every stage of Matt's, Sam's, and Ben's lives so far. But I'm getting pretty tired of being told how much I'll miss them being little. There will always be things I'll feel pleasantly nostalgic for, but it feels like there are double the things that I definitely will not miss at all, not even a little bit.
It's just like high school. People say how it's so exciting, it's going to be the best four years of your life, it's going to be so fun, there will be so many activities to do and friends to meet, and on and on. Sure, I liked high school. Now that I'm pretty far past it, it's easy to remember the good parts and forget all the negatives, unless I'm trying to call to mind specifics; then the not-so-good parts come flooding back. It's just like college. People say how it's so exciting, it's going to be the best four (or five! Ha ha!) years of your life...and on and on.
Then, of course, all the hoopla around getting married - the best day of your life! Um, no. It was nice. I love Jeff more than anyone, and I love being married, but I almost never think about our wedding day. It was just a day, a joyful, celebratory day on which I was excited to see so many of my friends, honestly, a day that marked only the very beginning of a lifetime of days that I get to spend with Jeff. But I don't want it back. I don't miss it. I want this lifetime of days to keep accumulating.
I guess this sentiment about how parents, moms especially, should enjoy every moment of their kids' childhoods feels like too much like "just wait." It's a positive spin on "just wait," but it feels silly and threatening just the same. You know, "Just wait! Just wait until you're married. Then you'll have all those newlywed fights." "Just wait until you have kids. Then you'll see why people let their kids watch tv all day (or eat junk food, or never sleep again)." "Just wait." Ugh.
Anyway. Back on track. I know I'll never be so loved and needed as I am now. I know I will miss very, very many things about these days: the way Matt and Sam are best friends almost every minute, the way Sammer Hammer is so cheerful and engaging, the way Matt knows so many facts and is so excited to learn more about everything, the obsession with construction vehicles, the way Ben is such a sweet and cuddly baby and content almost all the time, the opportunities to play out in our yard, the self-contained nature of staying home with the kids and not needing to be a bunch of different places, the random and uncontrollable outbursts of little kids giggling.
But it's still hard. It's hard to even get out of bed in the morning when I've gotten up 2-5 times in the night with Ben (and sometimes Sam). It's hard to appreciate these days in their entirety when I can't even sit down for some cereal in the morning without twenty requests for different things. It's too much to ask for me to appreciate how much these kids all need me at the exact same time some days, or when I'm too hot (which is the thing that makes me most short-tempered and miserable) and I have to carry both Sam and Ben up or down the stairs at the same time while Matt talks nonstop at me and wants me to actually come up with answers for something. The boredom is difficult. I don't need a lot of interaction with grownups, but I do need more silence and more solitude; that is very hard to come by. I'd like more time to go running or biking. Some days I just feel like I'm slogging through the hours, pacing the floor yet again to try to get Ben to nap instead of cry, sweeping the kitchen floor for the third time, washing the second load of laundry for the day, changing the tenth diaper, reading the hundredth book about trucks.
And then there are people blogging or Facebooking about how I (general "I" here - moms in general) should be enjoying every moment. Or how they are enjoying every moment. I find it too simplistic and not precise enough. I want to appreciate the good moments and forget the difficult ones. And then not ever tell someone to enjoy the stage of life they are in, because I don't know, I can never really know, what another person's life is like, and the admonition to just enjoy it is obnoxious.
For example, here is a post I saw one day, written by a person I don't know: "I cried because I'm going to miss this. I'm going to miss the asparagus, rice, and carrots that fell from [younger kid's] high chair and mixed into the toys on the floor. I'm going to miss constantly making sure [older kid] didn't leave any little toys around that [younger kid] could choke on. I'm going to miss the yogurt fingerprints all over the couch, and the Cheerios under every piece of furniture." That is crazy! Maybe she's actually going to miss those things - who am I to say? But I think probably not. I appreciate the sentiment, of course, but some of that is just plain crazy talk - missing food mixed with toys on the floor? I'd rather that not happen so I can spend time with my kids instead of time making sure the kitchen won't be overtaken by ants. Missing making sure your baby's not going to choke on tiny toys? Eek. Not fun. Missing yogurt and Cheerios all over the place? No! (See: rather be with kids than picking up junk.) Crazy! There are so many good things to miss, why miss all the small frustrations and the endless cleaning?
The other thing that really gets me is when a mom, particularly a new mom, asks for advice on how to, say, get her baby to sleep longer than an hour at a stretch in any place other than the new mom's exhausted arms. Instead of helpful tips, usually a bunch of moms chime in to say how fast the days go by, how soon the new mom will be wishing her toddler were still a baby who would allow her to rock him or her to sleep, how short this precious window of babyhood is. That is not helpful! That does not help a mom feel more rested or make productive changes to help her baby sleep better. Maybe sometimes it could help a mom appreciate the moment a little bit, but I would guess that instead it just makes her feel bad for wanting to put that baby down and rest or do something that makes her feel like a regular grownup for a little while, like eat a hot meal or take a long shower or go for a walk without a stroller. And on top of that, feel bad that she's not constantly basking in the perfectness of new motherhood and the exquisiteness of her perfect baby.
(If you are a mom who feels that way about babies and is unfazed by sleep deprivation, great! Or if you were a mom who just loved every single moment of pregnancy, great! But not everyone has that experience. It just doesn't translate for all of us.)
"You're gonna miss this." Yes, I will miss a lot of this. I will miss so many things about having babies, toddlers, and preschoolers.
"You're gonna want this back." No. No, I'm not. I like it, I like these days and these stages, but this breakneck speed of life, the marathon I complete every day having a baby, toddler, and preschooler in the house, it's too much to sustain. I'm barely living it this time around. I'm not going to want this back. For sure.
"You're gonna wish these days hadn't gone by so fast." Eh, up in the air. The weeks are fast. The days each seem a million hours long. And the nights usually just feel like another day. I'm still waiting for some good nights, like the kind where I can get some decent sleep and feel rested when it's over.
"These are some good times, so take a good look around." Yes. Okay. I'll do that. I try to do that very frequently.
"You may not know it now, but you're gonna miss this." No. Nope. I'm enjoying the good parts (obviously not the constant messes and the choking-hazard moments), but I'm looking forward to everything else coming up.
Sunday, August 30, 2015
Funny Sammer Hammer
The scene: The other day, at 4 p.m.
Me: "Okay, Sam, time to change your diaper."
Sam: "Dad already changed Nam's diaper."
Me: "Oh yeah?"
Sam: "Dad changed Nam's diaper. Dad go to work!"
And Jeff had gone to work 8 hours earlier.
The scene: Jeff, Matt, and Sam were playing in the playroom.
Matt, looking for a toy: "Where's the hammer?"
Sam, pointing to himself: "Right here!"
Me: "Okay, Sam, time to change your diaper."
Sam: "Dad already changed Nam's diaper."
Me: "Oh yeah?"
Sam: "Dad changed Nam's diaper. Dad go to work!"
And Jeff had gone to work 8 hours earlier.
The scene: Jeff, Matt, and Sam were playing in the playroom.
Matt, looking for a toy: "Where's the hammer?"
Sam, pointing to himself: "Right here!"
Thursday, August 20, 2015
Little-kid games
Here are some of the things that go on in this house all the time.
Sam says, "Car coming down the road. Wait in the grass! Sam coming down the road. Wait in the grass! Kangaroo coming down the road. Wait in the grass!" Etc. This is from when we were in Vermont.
"Impact hammer! Impact hammer!" There's a series of YouTube videos called Twenty Trucks about trucks and machines that have catchy, informational songs. Impact hammer is a big hit around here. Sam especially likes to bang things on the floor or poke things hard with his finger and shout "Impact hammer!" He likes to switch it up and say "Impact Sammer!" or "Impact Dadder!" or "Impact Mommer!" Etc.
Sam likes to pretend to be a kangaroo. He doesn't jump around, though. He just walks around on his knees and says, "Kangaroo! Kangaroo!"
Foud time. This is when Matt's pretend cat goes to a restaurant by itself to try new foods. It's usually at 7:30 p.m. because his cat likes to spend time with its family during the day and just have foud time when everyone is going to sleep. No clue where he came up with this.
Matt has a pretend cat and mouse that do all kinds of things. They live in a nearby town. They watch Matt's babies when Matt is at his construction job. They help Matt with things. Matt plays with them when he is at his house (also in a nearby town). His cat is 14 years old.
Kratts buildings. Matt likes to build Kratts buildings. These are pet-supply stores. He's been building them all over the place for many months. Not sure where he got the name for them.
Ben loves when I say "fuzzy puzzles" to him. He laughs really hard. I've tried similar things, like "fizzy puzzles," "fuzzy pieces," "busy puzzles," etc, but only "fuzzy puzzles" is hilarious. He also likes when people say "bless you," when people make loud fake sneezing sounds, and when Sam puts his face very close to him (he thinks it's okay when Matt puts his face really close but definitely smiles bigger at Sam for some reason).
Sam says, "Car coming down the road. Wait in the grass! Sam coming down the road. Wait in the grass! Kangaroo coming down the road. Wait in the grass!" Etc. This is from when we were in Vermont.
"Impact hammer! Impact hammer!" There's a series of YouTube videos called Twenty Trucks about trucks and machines that have catchy, informational songs. Impact hammer is a big hit around here. Sam especially likes to bang things on the floor or poke things hard with his finger and shout "Impact hammer!" He likes to switch it up and say "Impact Sammer!" or "Impact Dadder!" or "Impact Mommer!" Etc.
Sam likes to pretend to be a kangaroo. He doesn't jump around, though. He just walks around on his knees and says, "Kangaroo! Kangaroo!"
Foud time. This is when Matt's pretend cat goes to a restaurant by itself to try new foods. It's usually at 7:30 p.m. because his cat likes to spend time with its family during the day and just have foud time when everyone is going to sleep. No clue where he came up with this.
Matt has a pretend cat and mouse that do all kinds of things. They live in a nearby town. They watch Matt's babies when Matt is at his construction job. They help Matt with things. Matt plays with them when he is at his house (also in a nearby town). His cat is 14 years old.
Kratts buildings. Matt likes to build Kratts buildings. These are pet-supply stores. He's been building them all over the place for many months. Not sure where he got the name for them.
Ben loves when I say "fuzzy puzzles" to him. He laughs really hard. I've tried similar things, like "fizzy puzzles," "fuzzy pieces," "busy puzzles," etc, but only "fuzzy puzzles" is hilarious. He also likes when people say "bless you," when people make loud fake sneezing sounds, and when Sam puts his face very close to him (he thinks it's okay when Matt puts his face really close but definitely smiles bigger at Sam for some reason).
Matt teaches Sam things
Matt and Sam were both in the bathroom, so Matt took the opportunity to teach him about toilets: "It goes down to bigger and bigger and bigger pipes and then it goes to a water retreatment. For your potty it's just done."
This morning Sam was working on counting, walking around talking to himself: "1, 2, 3, 7, 8."
Matt said, "That's not how counting goes, Sam. It's '1, 2, 3, 4, taquito, 5, 6, 7, 8.' Can you say 1, 2, 3, 4, taquito, 5, 6, 7, 8?" Oh, brothers.
This morning Sam was working on counting, walking around talking to himself: "1, 2, 3, 7, 8."
Matt said, "That's not how counting goes, Sam. It's '1, 2, 3, 4, taquito, 5, 6, 7, 8.' Can you say 1, 2, 3, 4, taquito, 5, 6, 7, 8?" Oh, brothers.
Tuesday, August 18, 2015
Reading plans
I'm SO tired of truck books. I asked Matt if he was just going to read about trucks for his whole life, or if he would sometime check out books about animals or princesses or rockets or something else. He said the whole time he's a kid, he'll check out truck books. I asked if he still would when he was an adult. He said no, he'll read scary stories then. He'll read "about ibexes and wolves and stuff like that."
Tuesday, August 11, 2015
Ben's sleep saga notes
(Hopefully this will be more accurately titled "Ben's sleep notes," not needing the "saga" part.)
Ben was a really good sleeper as a newborn. Then when we got back from Vermont he abruptly got all crazy with sleeping, waking up a lot at night and not napping well at all, completely rejecting the Rock N Play for a week.
The step we are taking this week to help him fall asleep on his own and hopefully not wake up so much at night is for me to not nurse him to sleep at night, with at least 20 minutes between milk and sleeping.
Last night there was a lot of crying. Jeff rocked him in the Rock N Play and held him, then I held him for a little bit. Then I rocked him to sleep in the RNP. He fell asleep around 8:05, woke up at 11:50, 3, and 6 to eat, then got up for the day around 8:30.
Tonight Jeff rocked him in the Rock N Play. Then he cried a little bit. Then I talked to him and held him, tried to put him in the RNP for a minute or two. Ben was really fighting his sleepsack, grabbing it and trying to chew on it, so I put him in the crib to distract him. He rolled onto his side, fought with his sleepsack a little, then went to sleep when I was out of the room, at 8:15. (Night wake-ups were at 11:20, 1:20, 4:30, and 7:15. Not great. Plus Sam woke up a couple times.)
August 12:
Fed at 7 p.m.
Put in crib at 7:20. Too much sleepsack chewing and fussing. Put in RNP at 7:30. Sleeping by 7:35. Woke up at 1 a.m.! YAY! Then at 4 and 6:20. A very good night. Awake for the day at 8:20.
August 13:
Fed at 7 p.m.
Put in RNP at 7:25. Too much sleepsack chewing and kicking. Put in crib at 7:40. Sleeping by 7:45. Woke up at 11 p.m., 3:45 a.m., and 6:45 a.m. Another good night!
August 14:
Rough day full of short naps. Fed at 6:20 p.m. Sleeping in RNP at around 7. Woke up at 8 and 10 p.m. to eat. I heard Ben snuffling around at 1 a.m. When I went in to check on him, he was asleep on his stomach. Around 2, I rolled him over because he was making weird noises. He woke up at 2:20 and 5:45 to eat. Slept until 7:15. Not bad, but not great. I'm glad he could keep himself asleep even though he rolled over.
August 15:
Another bad nap day. Fed at 7:40. Asleep in crib at 8:20. Woke up at 10:30, 1, and 4:45. Awake for the day at 7:30. Not so great.
August 16:
Fed at 7 p.m. Rocked to sleep in the RNP. Slept until 5 a.m.! I was very alarmed, and for good reason, it turned out. Ben was out of sorts all day today, doing a lot of crying and not wanting to eat.
August 17:
Fed at 7:30 p.m. Rocked in RNP, asleep by 7:30. Woke up at 10 p.m. and 4 a.m. Awake for the day at 7:15.
August 18:
Fed at 7 p.m. Rocked in RNP, asleep by 8. I woke Ben up to feed him at 10:45 since he hadn't been eating well at all for the past two days. Then he woke up at 3 a.m., so I tried to feed him. Instead, he cried loudly like he's been doing during the days and refused to eat. I put him back. He cried a little bit later, maybe 10 minutes later, so I tried to feed him again. He kind of ate for one or two minutes. Then he seemed to want to just smile at me, so I put him back in his crib. He went to sleep after rolling around for about 20 minutes and slept until 7...when he again refused to eat.
The nights have definitely improved now that we're putting Ben down at least 20 minutes after I feed him, but I am totally confused about his eating habits in general now. We'll see how this week goes.
August 19:
Kind of fed at 7. Asleep on own in crib at 7:45. Very hungry at 11:35 p.m. Kind of hungry at 4:30 a.m. but not really. Awake for the day at 7:35 but not hungry until 8:45 a.m.
August 20:
Fed at 7. Almost asleep on own at 7:40 in crib. Then lots of hard crying, and I ended up holding Ben until he was all the way asleep at 8. So frustrating. He woke up at 9:30, 12:15, and 6:35 to eat. Weird again.
Ben was a really good sleeper as a newborn. Then when we got back from Vermont he abruptly got all crazy with sleeping, waking up a lot at night and not napping well at all, completely rejecting the Rock N Play for a week.
The step we are taking this week to help him fall asleep on his own and hopefully not wake up so much at night is for me to not nurse him to sleep at night, with at least 20 minutes between milk and sleeping.
Last night there was a lot of crying. Jeff rocked him in the Rock N Play and held him, then I held him for a little bit. Then I rocked him to sleep in the RNP. He fell asleep around 8:05, woke up at 11:50, 3, and 6 to eat, then got up for the day around 8:30.
Tonight Jeff rocked him in the Rock N Play. Then he cried a little bit. Then I talked to him and held him, tried to put him in the RNP for a minute or two. Ben was really fighting his sleepsack, grabbing it and trying to chew on it, so I put him in the crib to distract him. He rolled onto his side, fought with his sleepsack a little, then went to sleep when I was out of the room, at 8:15. (Night wake-ups were at 11:20, 1:20, 4:30, and 7:15. Not great. Plus Sam woke up a couple times.)
August 12:
Fed at 7 p.m.
Put in crib at 7:20. Too much sleepsack chewing and fussing. Put in RNP at 7:30. Sleeping by 7:35. Woke up at 1 a.m.! YAY! Then at 4 and 6:20. A very good night. Awake for the day at 8:20.
August 13:
Fed at 7 p.m.
Put in RNP at 7:25. Too much sleepsack chewing and kicking. Put in crib at 7:40. Sleeping by 7:45. Woke up at 11 p.m., 3:45 a.m., and 6:45 a.m. Another good night!
August 14:
Rough day full of short naps. Fed at 6:20 p.m. Sleeping in RNP at around 7. Woke up at 8 and 10 p.m. to eat. I heard Ben snuffling around at 1 a.m. When I went in to check on him, he was asleep on his stomach. Around 2, I rolled him over because he was making weird noises. He woke up at 2:20 and 5:45 to eat. Slept until 7:15. Not bad, but not great. I'm glad he could keep himself asleep even though he rolled over.
August 15:
Another bad nap day. Fed at 7:40. Asleep in crib at 8:20. Woke up at 10:30, 1, and 4:45. Awake for the day at 7:30. Not so great.
August 16:
Fed at 7 p.m. Rocked to sleep in the RNP. Slept until 5 a.m.! I was very alarmed, and for good reason, it turned out. Ben was out of sorts all day today, doing a lot of crying and not wanting to eat.
August 17:
Fed at 7:30 p.m. Rocked in RNP, asleep by 7:30. Woke up at 10 p.m. and 4 a.m. Awake for the day at 7:15.
August 18:
Fed at 7 p.m. Rocked in RNP, asleep by 8. I woke Ben up to feed him at 10:45 since he hadn't been eating well at all for the past two days. Then he woke up at 3 a.m., so I tried to feed him. Instead, he cried loudly like he's been doing during the days and refused to eat. I put him back. He cried a little bit later, maybe 10 minutes later, so I tried to feed him again. He kind of ate for one or two minutes. Then he seemed to want to just smile at me, so I put him back in his crib. He went to sleep after rolling around for about 20 minutes and slept until 7...when he again refused to eat.
The nights have definitely improved now that we're putting Ben down at least 20 minutes after I feed him, but I am totally confused about his eating habits in general now. We'll see how this week goes.
August 19:
Kind of fed at 7. Asleep on own in crib at 7:45. Very hungry at 11:35 p.m. Kind of hungry at 4:30 a.m. but not really. Awake for the day at 7:35 but not hungry until 8:45 a.m.
August 20:
Fed at 7. Almost asleep on own at 7:40 in crib. Then lots of hard crying, and I ended up holding Ben until he was all the way asleep at 8. So frustrating. He woke up at 9:30, 12:15, and 6:35 to eat. Weird again.
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