One week down

Ah...sweet, sweet Friday. You come so slowly after a rough week. Both of my littles were Needy McNeedysters this week. No one has a fever, so I think we're suffering from a little "toddler" and a little teeth. Noah wasn't happy in one place for more than 5 minutes all week and cried VERY loudly to let everyone know it. Those teeth must be coming in all at once, because even Motrin did not make him happy. I'm thinking he doesn't have Fifth's Disease, since the rash went away, but I guess that could be it, too. John Michael's nose needed to be blown about a gazillion times and he decided not to nap two of five days rendering him on those days a major pain in the arse. Oh, and JM is also VERY.NEEDY right now. Like, he needs your full attention all day long. Even with 15-30 minutes of daily "special time" and undivided attention, he is always underfoot! Aye yi yi! There were two nights this week when Mike walked in the door and both boys were crying at the same time. (Sorry, honey, definitely not a soothing welcome after a rough day!) Last night, JM had a category 5 meltdown on the playground closest to our house and it took a half-hour for me to get him to leave then he cried all the way home. New rules are now in effect that the playground is closed until 5:30 for those not in the after-school program (read: us); a mean teacher informed us we weren't welcome upon our arrival. Explain that to a 2 year-old. I felt his pain. Screaming at the top of his lungs, on the ground at the playground ensued (punishing said mean teacher probably more than me). Yes, Mike coming home every night is my favorite part of the day, lately. I have heartfelt and extreme sympathy for single mothers and women whose husbands aren't around nor supportive. I don't know how you do it.

Anyway, this was meant to be a simple update to boast that JM is doing so so well on potty training. It's been 7 days! I've heard from a number of people that when they are ready to do it, something just clicks and it's looking like we've gotten there. During the day, he is going on the potty. Barring one accident at the playground (right when I was telling Karen about how well he was doing :), he's stayed dry all week! I'm kind of in disbelief. Now, to figure out how to wean him off of thinking he gets candy every time he goes. Hmmm...

This weekend has a lot of promise to be a good one. The J's are watching our boys so we can actually do a long run together tomorrow morning. (Last weekend, we both ran 8 miles alone. No fun, at all!). We are cashing in some rewards points and going to a cool hill country resort for an evening of smores and hopefully some outdoor swimming in the heated pool (and setting our alarm and leaving our huge bloodthirsty hound and very watchful neighbors, internet crazies) and Sunday, having an early Valentine's dinner date where I'll be feasting on a large and rare Flemings prime rib. The wine is also in hand as I write. Life is good!

sit

It's hard (okay, impossible) to tell from this picture, but Noah has a tooth coming in on the bottom! I felt it Saturday for the first time (a little over 7 months and a week).

He has been a BEAR the past few days. Not a happy little guy, at all. We had a weight check at the doctor on Friday and the ped says his top gums are thinning, so we're guessing he's working on a couple of them. Poor little thing!

Another reason for his crankiness, is that he may he may have Fifth's Disease. After I fed him lunch today, I noticed a weird rash on his belly. It's apparently not a big deal, but makes babies really cranky and gives them a "lace-like" rash for a few weeks. It started a few days ago with rosy cheeks (it is winter, so it could be that, too). This child is definitely going to give me grey hair. And, yes, it's not a Monday unless I'm calling the pediatrician nurseline with an odd pediatric problem!

The ped. is happy with his weight gain, for the record! He's chunked up a pound and a half the past month!

Optimistic

I'm surely cursing myself by typing this, but we are on a really good pattern with the potty training. Apparently, all it took was me typing out my frustrations for the light to come on and for JM to "get it" a little more. After my post, I put him in some real underwear and asked him if he could try keeping them dry. He said yes and barring a few accidents, he's been keeping himself dry during the day (night we still need to work on). We were at the lake this weekend and went through two days only using one pull-up. Not bad! I'm optimistic.

Pooping on Demand

Potty Training Update.
Our son can poop on demand.
In our house, you get an M&M for a pee and a sucker for a poo, which made sense to me, since poo is the much more nast to change. Now, highly motivated by the idea of getting something from the #2 treat jar John Michael will loudly announce "I've got to go POO POO!" at least three or four times a day and sure enough can make himself go the tiniest little rabbit poos for multiple, yes, multiple! suckers a day or the littlest drop of tee tee you ever saw for an M&M. He is such a smart little stinker, manipulating the system this way. Motivating= yes!
Which would be fine....
HOWEVER, when he *really* has to go, he goes in the pull-up about 75% of the time.
He doesn't yet understand the concept of *telling* us he has to go.
Which means that I have to remember to put him on the potty every 90 minutes or so.
Which is hard with a needy 7 month old.
But, we are making progress!

I am at a quandary. Since he doesn't "get it" yet with the potty training, do I continue wasting pull-ups and keep putting him on the potty, just call it quits and go full on back to diapers, invest in some training pants which I'll have to clean (since I'm still on hiatus from cloth diapering) or just let him run around naked and hope that feeling that wet feeling will get him to get it more? Do any of you have any advice so I don't go broke buying lollipops and pull-ups? (not to mention the tooth decay that comes about from having a lollipop at 7:30am every morning)

Anyway, all I know is that so far potty training is my least favorite part of parenting. Give me the sleepless nights of infancy, anyday, over this painstaking process!

7 months!

Dear Noah,
Just last night Daddy and I were watching the video from your birth and we can't believe it's been 7 months since you were born, as it seems like you've been in our lives forever. From the minute you came into this world, you have been such a blessing to us and to your brother.

These days you are changing and learning new things at rapid speed. It was only a few weeks ago that you could simply roll from back to front. Now, you can roll across the whole floor. Suddenly, you can sit on your own, too! You like your toys all right, but what you really like is your brother's toys. You don't use his toys in the traditional way, but rather gnaw on a one of his screwdrivers or taste the delight which is a wheel on his garbage truck for example. We have to be careful with you to make sure you are eating good things!

Your personality remains quite easygoing and mild. However, you are somewhat sensitive and if something is bothering you, you definitely let us know! You hate having a bib put on, being put into your carseat and worst of all, if JM takes a toy away from you!

When you were first born, we were worried that your brother would have a tough time sharing the spotlight with you, but now our hearts are filled with love seeing how happy you make each other. JM is possibly your favorite person. Your eyes light up when you see him. And, he likes you a lot, too. He gets really excited when we get to wake you up from your nap and loves it now that you are in the real bathtub with him, instead of your baby bath. He is always teaching you the ways of the world, saying things like "You don't eat the screwdriver, Noah! You play with it!" or when you cry says, "It's okay, Noah."

You are on a pretty good schedule in regard to sleep. During the day, you nap around 9:30 and again at 1:30 for about 2 hours each. You have been taking a third nap around 4 or 5, but the past few days seem ready to drop it and get a little cranky towards 7:30, which is your bedtime. You seem to still need to go down about 2 hours after waking for naps. At night, you sleep from 7:30 to 4:30 or 5:30, eat and then go back to bed until about 7:30. Mama isn't sure if you need to eat at 4:30, so is going to ask about this at your 7 month weigh in.

We have been trying to curb the pacifier use this week. Mama has bad memories of being three when her parents told her that all her nuks went to Nuki Nuki land, so we're trying to rid you of the habit now and you seem to be okay with it. You cry now a little when you go down for bed, but only for a few seconds. Believe us, little one; it's better now than Nuki Nuki land. When we go to get you in your crib, you are always wrapped up and rosy cheeked with your soft blanket and giraffe by your face, so you seem like you're doing okay with it.

You like to eat. So far you've tried all sorts of fruits and vegetables. We've moved up to Stage 2 stuff. Mama has started putting our dinners in the food processor. You ate some homemade chicken noodle soup the other night and liked it a lot. Your favorite so far is probably peach yogurt and cereal mixed together. You like to eat MumMums and also like to throw them on the floor. You are still breastfeeding after naps and nighttime. Lately you've also decided you don't like a bottle with babysitters. :( It could be a long 5 months if you only want to drink from mama.

No teeth so far! You drool a lot and seem a bit irritable sometimes, lately, but no chompers, yet.

You are zooming so fast towards one. The next few months are going to fly by; we know it. We want to snuggle you and smell all your sweet baby smells for as long as possible. You are SO very precious, little one! We love you!

Work goggles

Taking a brief hiatus from the drama and backstabbing on the Bachelor...

This is what I saw when Mike called me into the family room tonight:

AKA what happens when you have an older brother who is obsessed with working on his "construction site."


Aren't they cute? Poor Noah.
P.S. It totally blows my mind that it wasn't until I was downloading these pictures just now that I noticed JM's snotty nose. I've become completely oblivious! Damn cedar fever. I think we've gone through 8 boxes of tissues the past two weeks.

Our cool new sitter

Noah! I think he's got it, little bugger. Between the rolling and the sitting, this big boy thing is all happening a little fast, methinks. He's even started putting his hiney in the air and sort of rocking. Now, don't even think about crawling, little one! I mean it!


Sorry for the lack of posts lately. I have a lot of drafts that I've started about such subjects as being a birthmother, trying to save money in the new year, how the Ergo that I bought on Craigslist might be my very favorite baby item of all time, or how I never knew with JM that a Pack and Play could actually be used as a playpen and it's nice to use it as one when you are cooking dinner, or recipes and other sage wisdom from the mind of MB, but lack of motivation and clarity are keeping me down. I get these moments of inspiration, but then sit down to the computer and, nothing comes out. I feel like I have a lot to say, but it's currently bottled up and hopefully aging like a good wine until the perfect time. Hopefully this sweet baby will keep my audience (of three or so) for the meantime!