The train obsession is getting to be too much. There's four of them now, two of them added after a grumpy shopping experience on Saturday. And to cap it off, our big present to him was the little train station that goes with it, with four little garages (one for purple shoo shoo, blue shoo shoo, black shoo shoo and red shoo shoo) and an oval track. Each night we put it together and he alternates between getting angry that the track comes undone, and becoming angry that the garage doors are hard to open. Also, black shoo shoo only fits in two of the compartments, being a bigger engine than the rest of his followers. Much craziness ensues from this alone.
Last night he fell asleep (finally!) and all four trains were piled in his bed as usual. I decided to be smart and try to grab them now instead of searching for them in the morning. As careful as I was, two of them clinked together. He went from snoring to sitting up before I could blink. His eyes half-aware, he stared at me. Now, I was attempting an experiment, and had purple curlers sticking out of my head everywhere. This was not good. I could see in his eyes that he didn't recognize me, or was appalled at the sight, one of the two. I handed him all four trains and told him it was just me, and he fell down and curled around them, instantly snoring again. I was bested once again. The power of the choo choo - it is a force to be reckoned with.
I wonder if his train dreams were tinted with the vision of mom with her purple horns?
12.14.2006
"Obsession" Scene 1, Act 2
The other day I decide titi needs washed. Titi is starting to smell.
Rule #1: There is no safe time to wash titi.
Brent is occupied with Daddy in the living room. I sneak into his room and snatch the offending blanket. I ball it up under my shirt and sneak to the washer, unseen.
Success!
Rule #2: If there is a safe time to wash titi, it will somehow become unsafe.
Brent looks around the living room, his nose in the air like a hunting dog. He senses something is amiss.
Immediately, he runs to the bedroom and looks in the crib.
I go about my business, trying not to look guilty.
"Teeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee Teeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
Crap. He knows. Somehow he knows. I think of all the money we can make on Jerry Springer showing the world our son's psychic connection with his blanket. But my thoughts are interupted by more screams. And I was just picking out my new car....
Me: "Titi is getting a bath honey"
Him: (sobbing) "Teeeeeeee Teeeeeeeeee.........."
Me: (cheerfully)"Titi will smell so much better for bedtime tonight!"
Him: "No Teeeteee batttttt tub....."
Me: "It will be fine, you'll have titi back before you know it"
Him: "Mooommmmmmmaaaa......teeee teeee"
This goes on for awhile. Somehow, we survive to fight another day. And titi gets clean.
The end.
Rule #1: There is no safe time to wash titi.
Brent is occupied with Daddy in the living room. I sneak into his room and snatch the offending blanket. I ball it up under my shirt and sneak to the washer, unseen.
Success!
Rule #2: If there is a safe time to wash titi, it will somehow become unsafe.
Brent looks around the living room, his nose in the air like a hunting dog. He senses something is amiss.
Immediately, he runs to the bedroom and looks in the crib.
I go about my business, trying not to look guilty.
"Teeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee Teeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
Crap. He knows. Somehow he knows. I think of all the money we can make on Jerry Springer showing the world our son's psychic connection with his blanket. But my thoughts are interupted by more screams. And I was just picking out my new car....
Me: "Titi is getting a bath honey"
Him: (sobbing) "Teeeeeeee Teeeeeeeeee.........."
Me: (cheerfully)"Titi will smell so much better for bedtime tonight!"
Him: "No Teeeteee batttttt tub....."
Me: "It will be fine, you'll have titi back before you know it"
Him: "Mooommmmmmmaaaa......teeee teeee"
This goes on for awhile. Somehow, we survive to fight another day. And titi gets clean.
The end.
"Obsession" Scene 1, Act 1
I go to wake Brent up this morning. Half asleep, he mutters "Shoo shoo sheen!" (which is choo choo train in laymen's terms).
In the dark, I try to pick him up and find titi (his blanket). The 'suggestion' gets a little louder that I find his shoo shoo. I try to ignore it, hoping he'll go back to sleep.
While picking titi up, I hear shoo shoo sheen fall behind the crib. Not good. And I'm not the only one who hears it. Suddenly he senses that his beloved train is in peril. I tell him not to worry, I will get it for him.
I lay him back down. Snoring commences immediately. I get a flashlight and perform surgery on the items jammed under his crib to find the train. Once rescued, I wake him up again and give it to him. "Red shoo shoo" he says thankfully, and holds it tight as he sleeps on my shoulder.
So we get to the car and I buckle him in. He starts to stir, and then looks reassured at finding red choo choo in his hand. But wait.... Oh no... I follow his gaze as he looks at his other bare hand. Black choo choo is not there. I see this register on his face, and tell him "It's okay! Look! Red choo choo is all we need this morning".
I hurry into my seat and back the car up, thinking of what a wonderful idea it was yesterday to get an additional choo choo so that I had a backup in case one couldn't be found. Two is better than one, right? Only they're a SET now. One is nothing without the other.
I am almost out of the driveway, when I hear the sirens of a firetruck coming down the road. Oh wait, that noise is coming from the back seat. "Blaaaaaaaaaaaack shoooooooooo shoooooooooo". I can practically hear the half-asleep tears hitting the back of my seat. I gauge my options:
It's only 10 minutes - I can endure this for 10 minutes. This sounds good at first. It's not that long. I'm teaching him not to get everything he wants. So what if this starts the day out on the wrong foot - and that he'll probably cry when I'm trying to leave, and that will be the last vision I have going into my day. I can't think with that NOISE in the back seat!!!
I can go back in the house and try to find other choo choo. Yeah, it's going to have to be that.
So back down the driveway I go, promising to make things better. "Brent, I'm going to go get black choo choo. You need to wait here and I will bring it out, okay?" "O-tay, Momma," he sobs, barely able to breathe.
I park the car and go back in the house. Andy just looks at me. I say "Evidently red choo choo is no good without black choo choo". He accepts this and doesn't comment. I love that my husband is so smart.
I search for black choo choo in the crib, and find him tangled in one of the quilts. Success! Back to the car we go. Brent is calm, knowing that the world is about to become perfect once again. I place the toy in his hand, and he falls asleep. "Doo doo, momma," he mutters with his last breath.
"You're welcome, baby"
In the dark, I try to pick him up and find titi (his blanket). The 'suggestion' gets a little louder that I find his shoo shoo. I try to ignore it, hoping he'll go back to sleep.
While picking titi up, I hear shoo shoo sheen fall behind the crib. Not good. And I'm not the only one who hears it. Suddenly he senses that his beloved train is in peril. I tell him not to worry, I will get it for him.
I lay him back down. Snoring commences immediately. I get a flashlight and perform surgery on the items jammed under his crib to find the train. Once rescued, I wake him up again and give it to him. "Red shoo shoo" he says thankfully, and holds it tight as he sleeps on my shoulder.
So we get to the car and I buckle him in. He starts to stir, and then looks reassured at finding red choo choo in his hand. But wait.... Oh no... I follow his gaze as he looks at his other bare hand. Black choo choo is not there. I see this register on his face, and tell him "It's okay! Look! Red choo choo is all we need this morning".
I hurry into my seat and back the car up, thinking of what a wonderful idea it was yesterday to get an additional choo choo so that I had a backup in case one couldn't be found. Two is better than one, right? Only they're a SET now. One is nothing without the other.
I am almost out of the driveway, when I hear the sirens of a firetruck coming down the road. Oh wait, that noise is coming from the back seat. "Blaaaaaaaaaaaack shoooooooooo shoooooooooo". I can practically hear the half-asleep tears hitting the back of my seat. I gauge my options:
It's only 10 minutes - I can endure this for 10 minutes. This sounds good at first. It's not that long. I'm teaching him not to get everything he wants. So what if this starts the day out on the wrong foot - and that he'll probably cry when I'm trying to leave, and that will be the last vision I have going into my day. I can't think with that NOISE in the back seat!!!
I can go back in the house and try to find other choo choo. Yeah, it's going to have to be that.
So back down the driveway I go, promising to make things better. "Brent, I'm going to go get black choo choo. You need to wait here and I will bring it out, okay?" "O-tay, Momma," he sobs, barely able to breathe.
I park the car and go back in the house. Andy just looks at me. I say "Evidently red choo choo is no good without black choo choo". He accepts this and doesn't comment. I love that my husband is so smart.
I search for black choo choo in the crib, and find him tangled in one of the quilts. Success! Back to the car we go. Brent is calm, knowing that the world is about to become perfect once again. I place the toy in his hand, and he falls asleep. "Doo doo, momma," he mutters with his last breath.
"You're welcome, baby"
12.01.2006
It's the most wonderful time of the year...
I love Christmas! The shopping, the surprises, the traffic (okay, that one's a stretch)...
This season is going to be one of the best. I'm looking forward to decorating and making Brent's first memorable Christmas a wonderful one. I didn't really count the first two as he was still just a fussy little one. And it will be downhill from here, as next year he will have caught on enough to start requesting expensive toys before it even gets here. This year will just be a wonderful surprise for him!
I still haven't gotten him anything yet. I've bought myself some things, does that count?
Tomorrow we're going to get professional portraits done (how "professional" they will be for $10 at Walmart is yet to be seen). So we'll see if someone can get us to all look pretty at the same time. It should be interesting to say the least. I have a few good pictures locked up in my camera, but I lost the cord, so I haven't been able to download them recently. Hopefully soon I can do some catching up.
So this weekend: Pictures, more shopping, and decorating. I can't wait..... I will ask him if he's excited, and hopefully in his best Little Rascal's voice, he'll say my new-favorite Brent-ism: "Ohhh-tay, Momma".
This season is going to be one of the best. I'm looking forward to decorating and making Brent's first memorable Christmas a wonderful one. I didn't really count the first two as he was still just a fussy little one. And it will be downhill from here, as next year he will have caught on enough to start requesting expensive toys before it even gets here. This year will just be a wonderful surprise for him!
I still haven't gotten him anything yet. I've bought myself some things, does that count?
Tomorrow we're going to get professional portraits done (how "professional" they will be for $10 at Walmart is yet to be seen). So we'll see if someone can get us to all look pretty at the same time. It should be interesting to say the least. I have a few good pictures locked up in my camera, but I lost the cord, so I haven't been able to download them recently. Hopefully soon I can do some catching up.
So this weekend: Pictures, more shopping, and decorating. I can't wait..... I will ask him if he's excited, and hopefully in his best Little Rascal's voice, he'll say my new-favorite Brent-ism: "Ohhh-tay, Momma".
11.15.2006
Things to love about a two year old...
I keep getting asked if Brent is in the "terrible two's" stage, and depending on what day you ask me, the answer can vary between "Hell yes, for about a year now" and "What do you mean? This sweetheart?". So this is my list of things I love about my 'terrible' little guy.
1) The look he gives me as I'm trying to convince him to go "pee pee in the potty" from my much-worn seat on the edge of the tub, and when I'm making other varying noises when I suspect there's more than just pee-pee to be had. The one that says "Mom, I don't know WHAT you are going on and on about", even though he manages to do it just fine ALL DAY for the lady that watches him.
2) The way whenever I try to wash the dishes, he will mush himself between me and the sink and shout "UP! UP! Momma!" as if the world will end if I wash even just one more dish before picking him up.
3) The way he refuses to drink anything out of his sippy cups besides juice (and he carefully inspects the fluid for significant signs of fruit coloring before he will even take it out of your hand). Plus he will only drink when the cup is more than half full. "More Zuish, Momma!" he cries, flinging the cup from side to side so his poor idiot of a mom can see there there is simply not enough liquid sloshing around in there.
4) When he makes faces at me, alternating between my "trying to look stern" mom look with eyebrows as high and eyes as big as possible, to the angry "stop jumping on the couch" look, then breaking out in a huge grin. This also illustrates how well he takes me when put these looks in action. One day as the lady who watches him was telling me I need to be more serious during the potty training for him to do better for me. "I am serious!," I told her. "Yeah, I've seen your serious," she said.
5) The way he flops onto his belly in the bathtub, swishing around and saying "Swim, momma!" This normally occurs when I tell him it's time to go out. His favorite thing is to get as low into the tub as possible so that I have a hard time getting his slippery little butt out of there and into his pajamas. Twice this week I have put his pajamas on, only to discover I forgot to put the diaper on first.
6) The way he feels, all groggy and half asleep in the morning as I carry him to the car, with his hair still sweaty from being under the blanket, tucked tight against my shoulder, and his long legs hanging down to my thighs, lifelessly swinging around.
7) When he remarks each day on the way home about it being "Dark ow-side?" now that winter is here. And when we get home, he stretches his arms up to the sky. "Moon, momma! Up! Up!", as if I just need to lift him up a few more inches, and then he'd have it. No, baby...I can't lift you that high, but it's my job to make sure you never stop reaching for it.
1) The look he gives me as I'm trying to convince him to go "pee pee in the potty" from my much-worn seat on the edge of the tub, and when I'm making other varying noises when I suspect there's more than just pee-pee to be had. The one that says "Mom, I don't know WHAT you are going on and on about", even though he manages to do it just fine ALL DAY for the lady that watches him.
2) The way whenever I try to wash the dishes, he will mush himself between me and the sink and shout "UP! UP! Momma!" as if the world will end if I wash even just one more dish before picking him up.
3) The way he refuses to drink anything out of his sippy cups besides juice (and he carefully inspects the fluid for significant signs of fruit coloring before he will even take it out of your hand). Plus he will only drink when the cup is more than half full. "More Zuish, Momma!" he cries, flinging the cup from side to side so his poor idiot of a mom can see there there is simply not enough liquid sloshing around in there.
4) When he makes faces at me, alternating between my "trying to look stern" mom look with eyebrows as high and eyes as big as possible, to the angry "stop jumping on the couch" look, then breaking out in a huge grin. This also illustrates how well he takes me when put these looks in action. One day as the lady who watches him was telling me I need to be more serious during the potty training for him to do better for me. "I am serious!," I told her. "Yeah, I've seen your serious," she said.
5) The way he flops onto his belly in the bathtub, swishing around and saying "Swim, momma!" This normally occurs when I tell him it's time to go out. His favorite thing is to get as low into the tub as possible so that I have a hard time getting his slippery little butt out of there and into his pajamas. Twice this week I have put his pajamas on, only to discover I forgot to put the diaper on first.
6) The way he feels, all groggy and half asleep in the morning as I carry him to the car, with his hair still sweaty from being under the blanket, tucked tight against my shoulder, and his long legs hanging down to my thighs, lifelessly swinging around.
7) When he remarks each day on the way home about it being "Dark ow-side?" now that winter is here. And when we get home, he stretches his arms up to the sky. "Moon, momma! Up! Up!", as if I just need to lift him up a few more inches, and then he'd have it. No, baby...I can't lift you that high, but it's my job to make sure you never stop reaching for it.
11.01.2006
Chocolate and Bumble bees
I promise I have pictures forthcoming! We only went to one house (my grandad's) for trick or treating, but he had a great time. Of course, he didn't want to sleep later after all the chocolate, but that was my lesson to learn...and I learned it well! He was quite the grumpy little bumble bee later that night!
I am committed to updating this blog more. I have been swamped at work and time has just flown by. But things are finally settling down a bit and I can pop in a couple times a week with some tidbits, I hope.
Brent is doing really well these days! He is talking up a storm and getting close to sentences. His favorite things to say are still "No Night-Night Momma" or "I'm hun-ey [hungry], eat, momma" or "No ca-ca butt!" or "No pop!". The seatbelt is called pop for some reason, and he hates the constraint in the morning.
We have discovered playdough! And it is now my best friend and worst enemy. Countless hours are spent making "baby peas" of varying colors, or rings to put on our fingers, or spaghetti through the little strainer. And then for all the free time I gain while he plays with it, I spend twice that amount picking up bits of tiny colored rocks from everywhere. And I do mean EVERYWHERE. Playdough is magic that way, it seems.
Potty training has begun, and for now I'm getting off pretty easy. The lady who watches him is taking the brunt of it, but I hear things are going smoothly. So far he is pretty consistently going ca-ca (his choice of wording) in the potty, but doesn't like to do anything else there. She keeps telling me to have him sit for about 5 minutes when I try it, but I can't get him to stay on there for more than 15 seconds. So we're trying....we'll see how it goes.
Hope everyone had a great Halloween! Happy Birthday Dad!
I am committed to updating this blog more. I have been swamped at work and time has just flown by. But things are finally settling down a bit and I can pop in a couple times a week with some tidbits, I hope.
Brent is doing really well these days! He is talking up a storm and getting close to sentences. His favorite things to say are still "No Night-Night Momma" or "I'm hun-ey [hungry], eat, momma" or "No ca-ca butt!" or "No pop!". The seatbelt is called pop for some reason, and he hates the constraint in the morning.
We have discovered playdough! And it is now my best friend and worst enemy. Countless hours are spent making "baby peas" of varying colors, or rings to put on our fingers, or spaghetti through the little strainer. And then for all the free time I gain while he plays with it, I spend twice that amount picking up bits of tiny colored rocks from everywhere. And I do mean EVERYWHERE. Playdough is magic that way, it seems.
Potty training has begun, and for now I'm getting off pretty easy. The lady who watches him is taking the brunt of it, but I hear things are going smoothly. So far he is pretty consistently going ca-ca (his choice of wording) in the potty, but doesn't like to do anything else there. She keeps telling me to have him sit for about 5 minutes when I try it, but I can't get him to stay on there for more than 15 seconds. So we're trying....we'll see how it goes.
Hope everyone had a great Halloween! Happy Birthday Dad!
10.06.2006
I can't believe I'm two!!!
Well, according to his two-year appt this morning, I am the proud Mom of a still perfectly happy and healthy boy. He's 35 1/2 inches tall, and still 28 lbs (which he's been since he turned 1, actually).He's at or ahead of all the things they check on at this age. And in addition to all the words he knows, he also understands everything in Spanish and can speak a little here and there. The lady who watches him during the day speaks almost no english with him, and he follows all directions to a "T". He is also always perfectly behaved with her, too, which kinda infuriates me at times.
This morning Andy was riding with us to the doctor's and so the seat in front of Brent was back further than usual to accomodate a person. And I guess in our small car now it created a situation where Brent's foot actually TOUCHED the seat in front of him!!!!! I add the exclamation points to show how terrifically important that was for some reason. The tears and mess that this caused were completely real, even if I didn't understand why. I guess that's just part of being two. It can be pouring down tantrums one second, and sunny smiles the next. Never boring, I'll give it that.
But usually it's sunny these days. We have a good nighttime schedule, and he sleeps through 99% of the time (if he doesn't, there's always a good reason for it). As long as you don't attempt to undress or dress him in the morning, they always run smoothly also. So we go to daycare in his PJ's, but that's okay in my book. One less thing to worry with :)
We are fastly approaching potty training to, so stay tuned for some promising stories in the near future.
9.25.2006
I'm finally Mommy
Well after several months at the Momma stage in life, I have finally progressed to Mommy. It seems like such a small status change, but at least it's forward progress. Evidently it is hard for toddlers to start switching vowels mid-word, so this is quite an accomplishment for him. I think he said it by accident sometime on Saturday. So I got excited and said it a few times back, accenting the last syllable so he could really hear it. And all of a sudden, it just clicked with him. He loves saying it so much that I know I heard it no less than 1,000 times for the remainder of the weekend. Sometimes when his nose was a little stuffier than others, it would come out as Bobby, but it was close enough.
And it's that time of the year, for sure. The constantly running nose, the sneezing. My favorites are when the two combine to form an explosive burst of flourescent green goop that instantly flowers out in every direction. It's really horrible to watch. Poor Brent standing there all panicked trying to say "Mess, mess" without opening his mouth to let it in, as I'm searching for the nearest piece of anything to wipe him with. There's been a time or two I've been forced into using something that I was still wearing at the time, just to save him. We're both a mess in every form of the word some days.
But his slight cold hasn't slowed him down. He's all into "walking" lately. He (so far) is willing to behave in stores if I let him "walk" like a big boy. Holding hands is a requirement, though. Sometimes that's a dealbreaker for him - that's when he just plops himself down in the aisle and won't budge. But he's doing better than I expected. And he has gotten to the point where he'll just continuously stand up in the seat area of the cart and jump into my arms to avoid having to sit there. Not exactly the safest of maneuvers, for sure. We're still ironing out the kinks, but so far he's being pretty behaved when we go out these days. I'm just not sure where my baby went. But there's an adorable little boy that follows me around helping me look for him :)
We also have been going for walks through the cornfields (that finally have been harvested) and in the woods a little. He just loves being outside and seeing new things. We looked for birds and played with acorns (which are known as "baby trees") and threw sticks and examined bugs. And then he willingly puts his tiny hand in mine as we head back home. For those few minutes there are not tantrums, no crying, no frustrations, no background television noise or phones ringing. I'm not sure it gets any better than that.
And it's that time of the year, for sure. The constantly running nose, the sneezing. My favorites are when the two combine to form an explosive burst of flourescent green goop that instantly flowers out in every direction. It's really horrible to watch. Poor Brent standing there all panicked trying to say "Mess, mess" without opening his mouth to let it in, as I'm searching for the nearest piece of anything to wipe him with. There's been a time or two I've been forced into using something that I was still wearing at the time, just to save him. We're both a mess in every form of the word some days.
But his slight cold hasn't slowed him down. He's all into "walking" lately. He (so far) is willing to behave in stores if I let him "walk" like a big boy. Holding hands is a requirement, though. Sometimes that's a dealbreaker for him - that's when he just plops himself down in the aisle and won't budge. But he's doing better than I expected. And he has gotten to the point where he'll just continuously stand up in the seat area of the cart and jump into my arms to avoid having to sit there. Not exactly the safest of maneuvers, for sure. We're still ironing out the kinks, but so far he's being pretty behaved when we go out these days. I'm just not sure where my baby went. But there's an adorable little boy that follows me around helping me look for him :)
We also have been going for walks through the cornfields (that finally have been harvested) and in the woods a little. He just loves being outside and seeing new things. We looked for birds and played with acorns (which are known as "baby trees") and threw sticks and examined bugs. And then he willingly puts his tiny hand in mine as we head back home. For those few minutes there are not tantrums, no crying, no frustrations, no background television noise or phones ringing. I'm not sure it gets any better than that.
9.05.2006
The innocent daredevil
So cute, isn't he? Innocent? Not so much, but definitely cute.
I read an idea about making a "sandbox" out of flour for kids to play with. I actually got 10 lbs of cornmeal and dumped it into our slowly-dying wading pool. He absolutely loved it! But it wasn't a good idea to get too close, as you can see. And when you're in the middle of cooking dinner and watching him out the window, it really isn't a good idea to try to get in close for a picture. Not if you don't want to finish dinner with cornmeal all over you. And not if you don't want to take the time to clean your camera.
I'm not sure where he gets this from yet, but we have a regular thrill-seeker on our hands these days. Saturday he actually rode his big-wheel bike OFF THE BACK PORCH. I think my heart nearly stopped. I got there about 1/10 of a second too late. And there he was, lying on his face at the bottom of the steps, with the bike on top of him. I held him, trying not to go insane with all the possibilities of broken bones and internal bleeding. And after maybe 15 seconds, he just pointed at his bike and wanted back on, only slightly annoyed at the grass he had to pick out of his teeth. Fast forward 15 minutes later to when he was actually trying to carry his bike up the steps so he could do it again. Is something wrong with this picture, or is it just me? He would climb up the steps and just laugh, eyes gleaming with the memory of his near-disastrous, though obviously thrilling, experience.
How do you even parent a child like that? And why don't they have manuals for it? At the very least, isn't there a class of tax deduction for it? At least to pay for the all the early years I will be dying my gray on top of gray hairs?
On a similar note, Brent can now climb out of his crib. Now, that sentence might not mean much to some, but the weight of it (to me) is staggering. Now let me explain what a typical evening is these days. We get home around 6-ish. He is either instantly starving, or doesn't want to eat for 2 hours. Whichever one I'm prepared for, it's usually the opposite. But somehow we make it through, and then generally play/run/go out side until 7. Then, if I'm feeling up to getting splashed and saying "Sit Down!" 500 times, he gets a bath. Either I'll read him some books, or he'll put some puzzles together for a few minutes after that. Sometime in there I attempt to put clothes on him (to the saddened cries of "bye bye pee-pee", and it's off to the crib we go.
At this point, I jump through about 15 hoops to try to make things go as smoothly as possibly, depending on his mood. Sometimes he wants to keep reading, and I will leave the little lamp on for him for awhile. Sometimes I just let him watch a little relaxing TV. Other times I know he's tired and I will just send him to bed and let him fuss for 10 minutes.
But now....now I have to lay down with him while he goes to sleep! I haven't transitioned all the way to this now, so for now I've just been practicing on nap time. It hasn't gone too badly. Usually within 45 minutes (of me saying "lay down...lay down...lay down") he will drift off. But with the new fall shows beginning, and us not having Tivo...I have a problem with bedtimes. Last night he layed in our bed during Prison Break, and then I transferred him to the crib for the night. It worked! I may have created a monster though. In fact...I'm quite positive I have. But really...he was usually awake in his room until at least 9:00 each night anyways. So he's not getting any less sleep, and I don't have to keep running in there to see if he's fallen out of the crib.
Plus he was awake last night when his grandparents called, so he got on the speaker phone to say hi. And he actually talked! I can't believe it worked :) Every day he surprises me.
8.21.2006
I think we're getting somewhere!
I know it's been a long time since I've updated this. I've been swamped at work!
Basically, things are pretty much the same. Brent still has his rash for some reason. It comes and goes, and as long as I keep lotion on him and keep him from getting too hot and sweaty, it seems to not bother him too much. The doctor put him on prednisone for three days and that helped a lot. But it came back as soon as the three days were over. I'm not going to keep letting them experiment to see what the problem is, so if it continues too much longer, I will probably take him to an allergist or a pediatric dermatologist.
I'm amazed at how much he's talking now! All of a sudden instead of "car", it's "a reh car", or "a geen truck". I don't even know where it came from. If you hand him something, it's not uncommon to hear "tanka da-da". And he's even found his yes's again! He still loves to say no, but occasionally you will hear "uh huh" when he really wants something.
Yesterday during nap time, he just wouldn't get to sleep. Finally I gave in and went to see what was troubling him. I figured he needed his diaper changed, so I laid him down and got to work on that. And he's yelling at me...."Eeee, Eeee!". Oh! I know that one! "Do you want something to eat?", I asked. "uh-huh, Eeee!", he said while nodding his head. I was leery that maybe he was learning new and inventive ways to get out of the crib, but I took him out and fed him anyways. He really was hungry, it turned out. And when he had finished eating, he looked at me and said "all done. Night night". I took him back to his crib and he went to sleep without too much of a fuss.
So as you can see, we're getting dangerously close to having actual conversations. Sometimes in the car, we'll muse about where "dada" is. I'll ask if he's at work, or it he's at home, etc. For some reason, the answer is always no until you get to bathtub. Who knew that dada spent so much time in the bathtub, especially when he should be at work!
He's also getting much more refined in his tantrum throwing. We make the joke (bad though it is) similar to the South Park running joke of "Who killed Kenny?". If Brent wants to go outside, and we've locked the door (yes...he can open all the doors now...[sigh]), he will wail for about two seconds, then throw himself down onto his back on the floor and just stare blankly at the ceiling. We ask each other..."Daddy...did you kill Brent?". "No, must've been you this time", and so on. It truly is a bad joke, but the look on Brent's face is so funny as he watches us go back and forth with it. You just know he's wanting to laugh, but he tries so hard to remain stonefaced.
Of course, the downside to all this growing, is that every day I lose a little bit of my 'baby'. Sometimes you can hardly spot him at all under those mischevious expressions or those toned muscular legs that have magically eaten all of his adorable baby fat. I poke at his belly button and wonder where all his playful blubber went to. Where did this lean torso come from, which allows me free access to such a cute little belly button?
I use the word toddler in frantic hopes that it will add some more baby time onto all this. But soon...I may have to bring out the big guns. I'm afraid every day that he's getting closer to being a ... boy. Watch out, world :)
Basically, things are pretty much the same. Brent still has his rash for some reason. It comes and goes, and as long as I keep lotion on him and keep him from getting too hot and sweaty, it seems to not bother him too much. The doctor put him on prednisone for three days and that helped a lot. But it came back as soon as the three days were over. I'm not going to keep letting them experiment to see what the problem is, so if it continues too much longer, I will probably take him to an allergist or a pediatric dermatologist.
I'm amazed at how much he's talking now! All of a sudden instead of "car", it's "a reh car", or "a geen truck". I don't even know where it came from. If you hand him something, it's not uncommon to hear "tanka da-da". And he's even found his yes's again! He still loves to say no, but occasionally you will hear "uh huh" when he really wants something.
Yesterday during nap time, he just wouldn't get to sleep. Finally I gave in and went to see what was troubling him. I figured he needed his diaper changed, so I laid him down and got to work on that. And he's yelling at me...."Eeee, Eeee!". Oh! I know that one! "Do you want something to eat?", I asked. "uh-huh, Eeee!", he said while nodding his head. I was leery that maybe he was learning new and inventive ways to get out of the crib, but I took him out and fed him anyways. He really was hungry, it turned out. And when he had finished eating, he looked at me and said "all done. Night night". I took him back to his crib and he went to sleep without too much of a fuss.
So as you can see, we're getting dangerously close to having actual conversations. Sometimes in the car, we'll muse about where "dada" is. I'll ask if he's at work, or it he's at home, etc. For some reason, the answer is always no until you get to bathtub. Who knew that dada spent so much time in the bathtub, especially when he should be at work!
He's also getting much more refined in his tantrum throwing. We make the joke (bad though it is) similar to the South Park running joke of "Who killed Kenny?". If Brent wants to go outside, and we've locked the door (yes...he can open all the doors now...[sigh]), he will wail for about two seconds, then throw himself down onto his back on the floor and just stare blankly at the ceiling. We ask each other..."Daddy...did you kill Brent?". "No, must've been you this time", and so on. It truly is a bad joke, but the look on Brent's face is so funny as he watches us go back and forth with it. You just know he's wanting to laugh, but he tries so hard to remain stonefaced.
Of course, the downside to all this growing, is that every day I lose a little bit of my 'baby'. Sometimes you can hardly spot him at all under those mischevious expressions or those toned muscular legs that have magically eaten all of his adorable baby fat. I poke at his belly button and wonder where all his playful blubber went to. Where did this lean torso come from, which allows me free access to such a cute little belly button?
I use the word toddler in frantic hopes that it will add some more baby time onto all this. But soon...I may have to bring out the big guns. I'm afraid every day that he's getting closer to being a ... boy. Watch out, world :)
7.26.2006
Beware, Baby on Benadryl
I didn't realize how drugged up he looked until I downloaded these pictures. They almost look like a bad drunk-driving advertisement. But at least he wasn't scratching his poor rash.
7.24.2006
And I get Scarlet Fever....
Scarlet Fever...it sounds so ominous! It is also my favorite Kenny Rogers song, even if it is about a seductive dancer. I just like the tune.
So that is what Brent was diagnosed with on Friday. And I instantly panicked in my mind. Isn't that life threatening? Well, as it turns out, it is simply strep throat accompanied by a body rash and temporary fever spikes. But as of yet, he's had no fever. So I'm dubbing this little incident, Scarlet Rash. And I'm not sure it even needs a name, because it hasn't slowed him down one little bit. He's been absolutely fine. In a good mood, even! Occasionally he'll try to scratch at his legs in the bad spots, but he's been a dream. I love that he's so tough and able to handle things in stride. Even the strep throat doesn't seem to bother him. Hopefully the rash will subside here in the next day or two, and he will be feeling even better.
In other news, we got him a little three wheeled bike, or more like a big-wheel contraption, to ride around the house. He loves it! He can't reach the pedals, but he does as good with his feet on the floor. I have dubbed it the Flinstone Bike, since he moves his little feet so fast making it go. I will have to remember to keep it out of sight though in the mornings, so I don't have a repeat of today's performance. It wasn't pretty...I will leave it at that. I have some pictures of him on it that I will try to remember to post tomorrow. They were taken while his Benadryl was kicking in, though, so he kinda looks spacey. But they're cute anyhow.
So that is what Brent was diagnosed with on Friday. And I instantly panicked in my mind. Isn't that life threatening? Well, as it turns out, it is simply strep throat accompanied by a body rash and temporary fever spikes. But as of yet, he's had no fever. So I'm dubbing this little incident, Scarlet Rash. And I'm not sure it even needs a name, because it hasn't slowed him down one little bit. He's been absolutely fine. In a good mood, even! Occasionally he'll try to scratch at his legs in the bad spots, but he's been a dream. I love that he's so tough and able to handle things in stride. Even the strep throat doesn't seem to bother him. Hopefully the rash will subside here in the next day or two, and he will be feeling even better.
In other news, we got him a little three wheeled bike, or more like a big-wheel contraption, to ride around the house. He loves it! He can't reach the pedals, but he does as good with his feet on the floor. I have dubbed it the Flinstone Bike, since he moves his little feet so fast making it go. I will have to remember to keep it out of sight though in the mornings, so I don't have a repeat of today's performance. It wasn't pretty...I will leave it at that. I have some pictures of him on it that I will try to remember to post tomorrow. They were taken while his Benadryl was kicking in, though, so he kinda looks spacey. But they're cute anyhow.
7.19.2006
Lazy days...
Brent is forever asking me to go outside in the evenings. You know, when you're tired from a long day, and it's still almost 90 degrees out, and you have to fix everyone something to eat. And now he's even resourceful enough to open the french doors that lead out onto the porch. So now, unless we remember to lock them, he has his own access to things. What usually happens, though, is that he opens the door, smells the wonderful breezes of freedom, takes two steps, and then is hauled back inside by his cruel and unusual mother. And hell hath no fury like a toddler scorned. Andy and I put our hands over our ears and brace ourselves. Well, at least I do, he usually just goes into another room and leaves me to handle things. And I really can't blame him, there.
So I try, before bedtime, but late enough that the sun's angry stares have dissipated somewhat,
So I try, before bedtime, but late enough that the sun's angry stares have dissipated somewhat,
to take him out and let him run around for a few minutes. The only place he wants to go, for some reason, is this little area out by the woodshed. I guess it's because the ground is sandy there and he can draw in it with sticks. But to me it just represents the area where the mosquitos and horseflies wait in silence to strike, and where the wood looks at any moment to come crashing down on some innocent boy walking by. I'm sure it isn't, but I still don't let him near it. And then he sits and plays in the dirt, and Andy and I stand and watch for as long as we can stand, fighting away all the vicious insects. I usually love going outside with Brent, but when he's over there, he retreats into his own little world. And he leaves me at the gate, in a sense. I watch in awe as he puts the world aside and just plays in the moment, without a care in the world. It certainly wouldn't hurt any of us to do that for a few minutes each day, and it certainly seems to recharge him.
Every day, I'm still amazed at the lessons I'm taught, and so many of the bigger ones come from such a small little guy.
7.14.2006
The Mighty Mouse
I know this is Brent's blog, but I have another story to share today. When we got home from our trip to Pittsburgh, it was about 1:00 pm. And it was H-O-T. And it was sticky and sweaty, and we were all exhausted. But there was still lots to be done. We had to unload the car that we towed back, we had to bring the luggage inside, Brent was due for a nap, etc. And I was grumpy, to say the least.
So I'm waiting for the truck to back up so we can unload the car, and I'm looking around, not paying attention to the things that I'm supposed to, as always. But then I look at the ground a little closer, and there's a small grey furry thing just laying in the grass. It was a tiny baby mouse, with his eyes still shut, and new fur all over him. He was just the most precious thing. I felt so bad, he was obviously abandoned, and with the heat he wouldn't last long. So I did what I hope anyone would do, and I scooped him up and took him inside. What I was going to do with him, I didn't know. But I couldn't just leave him there. And what bad timing, with all that we had to do. So I rigged him up a little house out of a can and some cut up cloth. He seemed to like it, and nestled down in to keep warm.
I didn't have anything else to feed him, so I decided to try feeding him watered down milk until I could get something better. I got one of my mom's nursing syringes (without the needle) and cut off a 1/4" piece of tubing from a WD-40 can, which I washed really well (wouldn't Jeff Foxworthy love that one), and made him a little "bottle". He wouldn't really drink from it, but at least I could get some liquids in him. I would try a drop on his nose, and he would wash it away with his paws and lick it off. So...it wasn't a great system...but it worked. I got up a couple times in the night to feed him, and each time he seemed to be doing good. And now came the hard part. I had to go to work the next day. And I knew he couldn't go without food for that long. So I got a little tupperware container and drilled some holes in the top. And...I took him to work.
My boss was kind enough to let me keep him in my desk, as long as I didn't take the lid off. And a couple times per day I would sneak him out to my car and feed him. I also went to the pet store and got some kitten formula and little bottles for him, but they were much too big still. I had searched the internet for similar cases, and supposedly the kitten formula was a good way to go. He was doing good. He was eating a little, he was going to the bathroom (I think he really loved peeing on me, for some reason). I just knew he was going to make it.
Brent would cuddle up to me while I was feeding him. "Mou? Mou?" he'd ask. "Yes, it's a baby mouse!" I told him. He wanted so bad to touch it, but it was just too tiny. One time I let him try, and he did okay, but I didn't want to chance it too often.
Unfortunately, my little Mighty Mouse (that was his name) wasn't destined to stay with us, and he passed away Friday night, after four days. But I tell this story, because it taught me a lot about life and about the little things. I stumbled on him by chance, but many people may have looked the other way and just left him there. I was told I was crazy for even trying to help him. What did I know about mice, anyways? Well, I didn't know anything on Tuesday, but by Friday I knew a lot. And even though he didn't make it, he left an impression on quite a few people. There's a lot of beings out there that need our help every day. Some are people, some are animals, and maybe some don't fit in any category. But if we pay attention to the little things around us, we can make a difference, one small step at a time.
Rest in peace, little Mighty One....
So I'm waiting for the truck to back up so we can unload the car, and I'm looking around, not paying attention to the things that I'm supposed to, as always. But then I look at the ground a little closer, and there's a small grey furry thing just laying in the grass. It was a tiny baby mouse, with his eyes still shut, and new fur all over him. He was just the most precious thing. I felt so bad, he was obviously abandoned, and with the heat he wouldn't last long. So I did what I hope anyone would do, and I scooped him up and took him inside. What I was going to do with him, I didn't know. But I couldn't just leave him there. And what bad timing, with all that we had to do. So I rigged him up a little house out of a can and some cut up cloth. He seemed to like it, and nestled down in to keep warm.
I didn't have anything else to feed him, so I decided to try feeding him watered down milk until I could get something better. I got one of my mom's nursing syringes (without the needle) and cut off a 1/4" piece of tubing from a WD-40 can, which I washed really well (wouldn't Jeff Foxworthy love that one), and made him a little "bottle". He wouldn't really drink from it, but at least I could get some liquids in him. I would try a drop on his nose, and he would wash it away with his paws and lick it off. So...it wasn't a great system...but it worked. I got up a couple times in the night to feed him, and each time he seemed to be doing good. And now came the hard part. I had to go to work the next day. And I knew he couldn't go without food for that long. So I got a little tupperware container and drilled some holes in the top. And...I took him to work.
My boss was kind enough to let me keep him in my desk, as long as I didn't take the lid off. And a couple times per day I would sneak him out to my car and feed him. I also went to the pet store and got some kitten formula and little bottles for him, but they were much too big still. I had searched the internet for similar cases, and supposedly the kitten formula was a good way to go. He was doing good. He was eating a little, he was going to the bathroom (I think he really loved peeing on me, for some reason). I just knew he was going to make it.
Brent would cuddle up to me while I was feeding him. "Mou? Mou?" he'd ask. "Yes, it's a baby mouse!" I told him. He wanted so bad to touch it, but it was just too tiny. One time I let him try, and he did okay, but I didn't want to chance it too often.
Unfortunately, my little Mighty Mouse (that was his name) wasn't destined to stay with us, and he passed away Friday night, after four days. But I tell this story, because it taught me a lot about life and about the little things. I stumbled on him by chance, but many people may have looked the other way and just left him there. I was told I was crazy for even trying to help him. What did I know about mice, anyways? Well, I didn't know anything on Tuesday, but by Friday I knew a lot. And even though he didn't make it, he left an impression on quite a few people. There's a lot of beings out there that need our help every day. Some are people, some are animals, and maybe some don't fit in any category. But if we pay attention to the little things around us, we can make a difference, one small step at a time.
Rest in peace, little Mighty One....
7.07.2006
Our Mini-Vacation
Well, Brent got to visit his grandparents in Pennsylvania last weekend for 4th of July. He actually did better on the travelling part of it than I thought he would. We left on Saturday morning around 6, and got in around 12:15. He didn't take a nap, but he wasn't fussy, so I was happy! We ate cookies and looked at the trees and cars...and more cars. Sometimes he would get on a roll, and start pointing - "Car! (pause) Car! (pause) Car! (pause) Truck!" until you thought your head might explode. But...we arrived safely, without any explosions. That was one of my main goals! Success!
It took him a few minutes to remember everyone, but soon he was right at home. They got him a little wading pool and some toys that he liked playing in (when it wasn't raining, which wasn't often). We got to see aunts and great-grandmothers and great-grandfathers. It was a busy but great visit.
And I'm intentionally going to leave out the part where the transmission on our truck decided to take it's own vacation...from working right anyways. But we made it home safe and sound, and that's all the matters. Brent was a bit fussier on the way back, but nothing horrible.
We even found time to go out with some of our friends a couple nights and hang out. That was pretty exciting! I can't remember the last time we actually got to leave the house after dark to have fun. Of course, I felt tremendously guilty, and talked about Brent most of the time anyways. But it was still fun.
Oh! And the best part of that night was me and my big mouth (not that I regret it). We were all hanging out in the back of a little club/bar downtown, and I went up to grab a beer, and there was a small baby that some guy was carrying around showing everyone. She couldn't have been more than 3 months old. And it was so smokey in there that even I was having troubles with it. It was horrible. And when I got back to our table, I loudly asked if anyone could believe someone let their baby come into a bar. Of course, the baby's mother was sitting across from me, and I had been talking to her half the night. She mumbled something about how she works there and only brings her in for a few minutes, but I later found out that it wasn't uncommon at all to see her in there. I just find that absolutely insane. I don't like to judge people...but c'mon!
But at least I didn't feel as guilty about going out anymore :) I felt like mother of the year!
It took him a few minutes to remember everyone, but soon he was right at home. They got him a little wading pool and some toys that he liked playing in (when it wasn't raining, which wasn't often). We got to see aunts and great-grandmothers and great-grandfathers. It was a busy but great visit.
And I'm intentionally going to leave out the part where the transmission on our truck decided to take it's own vacation...from working right anyways. But we made it home safe and sound, and that's all the matters. Brent was a bit fussier on the way back, but nothing horrible.
We even found time to go out with some of our friends a couple nights and hang out. That was pretty exciting! I can't remember the last time we actually got to leave the house after dark to have fun. Of course, I felt tremendously guilty, and talked about Brent most of the time anyways. But it was still fun.
Oh! And the best part of that night was me and my big mouth (not that I regret it). We were all hanging out in the back of a little club/bar downtown, and I went up to grab a beer, and there was a small baby that some guy was carrying around showing everyone. She couldn't have been more than 3 months old. And it was so smokey in there that even I was having troubles with it. It was horrible. And when I got back to our table, I loudly asked if anyone could believe someone let their baby come into a bar. Of course, the baby's mother was sitting across from me, and I had been talking to her half the night. She mumbled something about how she works there and only brings her in for a few minutes, but I later found out that it wasn't uncommon at all to see her in there. I just find that absolutely insane. I don't like to judge people...but c'mon!
But at least I didn't feel as guilty about going out anymore :) I felt like mother of the year!
6.26.2006
Toddler vs. Technology
Picture it: A lazy summer weekend, too hot to play outside, and not enough things to keep busy inside. By Sunday afternoon we are looking for just about anything to keep this little tyke occupied. So I'm in the kitchen trying to come up with something nutritious and yet still tempting for Brent to eat (it's much harder than it sounds...) and in he strolls with my Mom's cell phone in hand. He's always coveted our phones, and no matter how life-like his toy ones are, he can always tell the difference. So either he found it laying somewhere or Mom gave it to him - either scenario is plausible by this late in the weekend.
I listened with a half-smile as he "babbled" to the person on the other end - no doubt complaining about the lack of new Wiggles material, or maybe the fact that it had been days since his last Oreo. I really hardly know what he's saying anymore. I think he's verbally backsliding into some sort of toddler jibberish language. Or maybe I can only understand him when it's in context. For instance, "tee-tee" can mean "blanket", when accompanied by pointing to the crib. It can also function as "monkey", "tree" or other similar words. Without something to build on, you're really just shooting in the dark these days.
Unfortunately, my Mom's cell phone is like something out of a bad science fiction movie. It has a built in "driving mode" that recognizes verbal commands. Only it NEVER gets them right, and is extremely dangerous to use. So we avoid it at all costs (which is always, unless it just turns on by itself, which it has been known to do).
Here is a rundown of the conversation:
Cell Phone: "Please say a command"
Brent: "Wheeeeeeee"
Cell Phone: "Command not recognized. Please try again"
Brent: "Ow-sigh?"
(editor's note: I thought it was funny that he was pleading to the cell phone to take him "outside" since most of his requests were denied this weekend due to the thunderstorms)
Cell Phone: "Thank you. Announcement mode now turned on"
And for hours after that, every time that phone would ring, it would loudly shout "You have a call from - Unknown Caller" over and over in its deafening robotic dull voice. Or it would try to pronounce the name from its spelling on your contact list, which was slightly worse. I did manage to figure out eventually how to get it back into normal mode. But we'll probably be a little more careful next time we let Brent talk with his imaginary friends.
I listened with a half-smile as he "babbled" to the person on the other end - no doubt complaining about the lack of new Wiggles material, or maybe the fact that it had been days since his last Oreo. I really hardly know what he's saying anymore. I think he's verbally backsliding into some sort of toddler jibberish language. Or maybe I can only understand him when it's in context. For instance, "tee-tee" can mean "blanket", when accompanied by pointing to the crib. It can also function as "monkey", "tree" or other similar words. Without something to build on, you're really just shooting in the dark these days.
Unfortunately, my Mom's cell phone is like something out of a bad science fiction movie. It has a built in "driving mode" that recognizes verbal commands. Only it NEVER gets them right, and is extremely dangerous to use. So we avoid it at all costs (which is always, unless it just turns on by itself, which it has been known to do).
Here is a rundown of the conversation:
Cell Phone: "Please say a command"
Brent: "Wheeeeeeee"
Cell Phone: "Command not recognized. Please try again"
Brent: "Ow-sigh?"
(editor's note: I thought it was funny that he was pleading to the cell phone to take him "outside" since most of his requests were denied this weekend due to the thunderstorms)
Cell Phone: "Thank you. Announcement mode now turned on"
And for hours after that, every time that phone would ring, it would loudly shout "You have a call from - Unknown Caller" over and over in its deafening robotic dull voice. Or it would try to pronounce the name from its spelling on your contact list, which was slightly worse. I did manage to figure out eventually how to get it back into normal mode. But we'll probably be a little more careful next time we let Brent talk with his imaginary friends.
6.12.2006
The Ten Dollar Triceratops
I have some new pictures, and I'll post them soon. Maybe even after I finish writing about this weekend.
I'll start by saying the last few weeks have been a little hectic. My mom moved back in with us while they are building her addition, and we've all been busy with moving boxes, cleaning rooms that should have been done long before, and trying to make sure we still spend enough time with Brent. And though we're doing our best, there were still some times he felt he wasn't getting enough attention, I'm sure. Now we're back to (mostly) normal, and so is he.
Wonderful things go along with having Gramma in the house, too! One Saturday morning she got up when Brent did and let me sleep in for a couple more hours. And let me point out that if you don't have kids, you can't fully understand the impact such a gesture can have. Even though I couldn't really sleep, and just rested while listening to them play in the other room. And crazy as it sounds, I felt a tiny bit of guilt and jealousy all at once. I guess the grass is always a little greener...
We took him out to Walmart on Saturday morning, and as usual since we don't get down that way often, it turned out to be a Walmart/Lowe's/Grocery store adventure. It was also one that started a bit later than I would have liked, and ran well into nap time. When the man at Lowe's tried to tell me it was going to be a few more mintues before he could get our item from the top shelf with the forklift (you know...that item that I asked him to retrieve 30 minutes ago so that it would be there when we were done with our other shopping at that store), I almost threw a fit along with Brent, who was already getting cranky. I guess they don't understand what a narrow string holds my sanity in place on these shopping adventures, and how any small shift in the momentum has dire consequences. Because the cart isn't allowed to stop for very long, didn't you know? That is rule #1 of "Shopping With Brent" - that wacky game show where the only contestant is your truly, and the odds are stacked against me at approximately 1,237,362 to 1 (on a good day). Even the cool race-car carts that are almost impossible to navigate, but do manage to extend my window shopping a few precious minutes here and there. I hate to be that kind of customer that snits passive-aggressively "yes, I'll wait a few more minutes". And part of me wants to just let Brent start his tantrum so they can see what they caused. But I chose to try to entertain him some other way, digging through my purse for some treasure, letting him play with my cell phone - anything to pass the time peacefully.
So I buy some time, but we decide to pass up Walmart and head right to the grocery store. Mom and I try to focus on getting food for the week, but neither one of us can think clearly with Brent starting to get more and more fussy. I hand something unbreakable out of the cart, and he'll roll it over in his hands a few times before figuring out that it a) isn't a fun toy, and b) isn't dangerous or breakable. So he throws it over the side. And no matter that I know it's going to happen, I still never catch it in time.
So fast-forward about 20 minutes, and we get to the checkouts to find that, on a busy saturday morning, that there are only two lines open. And each of them is about 4 or 5 deep with full-cart shoppers. Wonderful! I buy a little time by taking him out to the car with me to get my checkbook, and I get back to find that Mom has let someone in front of her! Has she forgotten what is at stake here? But the lady was older and only had a few things. I tried to dig down in my heart, currently crusted over with anti-tantrum selfishness, and decided that I could live with it. But how do you think that lady thanked us? She watched Brent for a few minutes as I held him (by this point he was easily 50 - 75 lbs, I'm sure of it). And in a gesture that I'm sure she meant in a good way, she pointed to a large stuffed dinosaur on top of the candy shelves. The dinosaur was facing the other direction, as I had been silently thankful for mere moments earlier, so that Brent couldn't really see it. So the lady now TURNS IT AROUND and shows it to Brent. And here comes the waterworks now. Nothing in the world matters to him besides getting that stuffed dinosaur. My brain registered all the components of the situation - we were 1/2 hour past nap time - we still had at least 15 minutes left in this checkout line - you shouldn't give in to tantrums - he doesn't need any more stuffed animals. And before I even finished my thoughts, my hand had already reached up and handed him the dinosaur. Becaused I aced "Horrible Parenting Decisions 101", and also because I can't think straight when he's screaming in public.
His tears dried up as he hugged his new friend. He smiled weakly, with glassy tired eyes. "Da-da", he kept saying through his tiny smiles. Yes, it did look like a doggie, I suppose. I didn't correct him. It didn't matter what it was, so long as he was happy. And though I had already caught sight of the $9.99 price tag, I smiled at them both. Even the lady who SHOULD have paid for half of it, technically.
And all weekend, I tried to get my money's worth. I forced that $10 stuffed animal on him every chance I got. It WILL be your favorite toy, I demanded! I laid it beside him in the crib - this dinosaur that took up half the crib. I put it beside him when he watched the Wiggles. I tackled him with it when we were wrestling. And at the end of the day, it was no more loved than his other toys, but I still felt a little better.
6/26/2006 Post-comment note:
Several weeks later I found myself in that same grocery store which now has a bin of EXTREMELY large stuffed animals that were a steal at $29.99. Literally, they were about 5 feet long. And I must have a price tag on my love for Brent, because no tantrum in the world would have gotten one of those in the car. (I did secretly want one for myself though!). Luckily I diverted it by making sure my cart didn't get within two hundred feet of them. Seriously, what are these stores thinking??? It's enough to get them out of the store without succumbing to the candy aisles, and now this??
I'll start by saying the last few weeks have been a little hectic. My mom moved back in with us while they are building her addition, and we've all been busy with moving boxes, cleaning rooms that should have been done long before, and trying to make sure we still spend enough time with Brent. And though we're doing our best, there were still some times he felt he wasn't getting enough attention, I'm sure. Now we're back to (mostly) normal, and so is he.
Wonderful things go along with having Gramma in the house, too! One Saturday morning she got up when Brent did and let me sleep in for a couple more hours. And let me point out that if you don't have kids, you can't fully understand the impact such a gesture can have. Even though I couldn't really sleep, and just rested while listening to them play in the other room. And crazy as it sounds, I felt a tiny bit of guilt and jealousy all at once. I guess the grass is always a little greener...
We took him out to Walmart on Saturday morning, and as usual since we don't get down that way often, it turned out to be a Walmart/Lowe's/Grocery store adventure. It was also one that started a bit later than I would have liked, and ran well into nap time. When the man at Lowe's tried to tell me it was going to be a few more mintues before he could get our item from the top shelf with the forklift (you know...that item that I asked him to retrieve 30 minutes ago so that it would be there when we were done with our other shopping at that store), I almost threw a fit along with Brent, who was already getting cranky. I guess they don't understand what a narrow string holds my sanity in place on these shopping adventures, and how any small shift in the momentum has dire consequences. Because the cart isn't allowed to stop for very long, didn't you know? That is rule #1 of "Shopping With Brent" - that wacky game show where the only contestant is your truly, and the odds are stacked against me at approximately 1,237,362 to 1 (on a good day). Even the cool race-car carts that are almost impossible to navigate, but do manage to extend my window shopping a few precious minutes here and there. I hate to be that kind of customer that snits passive-aggressively "yes, I'll wait a few more minutes". And part of me wants to just let Brent start his tantrum so they can see what they caused. But I chose to try to entertain him some other way, digging through my purse for some treasure, letting him play with my cell phone - anything to pass the time peacefully.
So I buy some time, but we decide to pass up Walmart and head right to the grocery store. Mom and I try to focus on getting food for the week, but neither one of us can think clearly with Brent starting to get more and more fussy. I hand something unbreakable out of the cart, and he'll roll it over in his hands a few times before figuring out that it a) isn't a fun toy, and b) isn't dangerous or breakable. So he throws it over the side. And no matter that I know it's going to happen, I still never catch it in time.
So fast-forward about 20 minutes, and we get to the checkouts to find that, on a busy saturday morning, that there are only two lines open. And each of them is about 4 or 5 deep with full-cart shoppers. Wonderful! I buy a little time by taking him out to the car with me to get my checkbook, and I get back to find that Mom has let someone in front of her! Has she forgotten what is at stake here? But the lady was older and only had a few things. I tried to dig down in my heart, currently crusted over with anti-tantrum selfishness, and decided that I could live with it. But how do you think that lady thanked us? She watched Brent for a few minutes as I held him (by this point he was easily 50 - 75 lbs, I'm sure of it). And in a gesture that I'm sure she meant in a good way, she pointed to a large stuffed dinosaur on top of the candy shelves. The dinosaur was facing the other direction, as I had been silently thankful for mere moments earlier, so that Brent couldn't really see it. So the lady now TURNS IT AROUND and shows it to Brent. And here comes the waterworks now. Nothing in the world matters to him besides getting that stuffed dinosaur. My brain registered all the components of the situation - we were 1/2 hour past nap time - we still had at least 15 minutes left in this checkout line - you shouldn't give in to tantrums - he doesn't need any more stuffed animals. And before I even finished my thoughts, my hand had already reached up and handed him the dinosaur. Becaused I aced "Horrible Parenting Decisions 101", and also because I can't think straight when he's screaming in public.
His tears dried up as he hugged his new friend. He smiled weakly, with glassy tired eyes. "Da-da", he kept saying through his tiny smiles. Yes, it did look like a doggie, I suppose. I didn't correct him. It didn't matter what it was, so long as he was happy. And though I had already caught sight of the $9.99 price tag, I smiled at them both. Even the lady who SHOULD have paid for half of it, technically.
And all weekend, I tried to get my money's worth. I forced that $10 stuffed animal on him every chance I got. It WILL be your favorite toy, I demanded! I laid it beside him in the crib - this dinosaur that took up half the crib. I put it beside him when he watched the Wiggles. I tackled him with it when we were wrestling. And at the end of the day, it was no more loved than his other toys, but I still felt a little better.
6/26/2006 Post-comment note:
Several weeks later I found myself in that same grocery store which now has a bin of EXTREMELY large stuffed animals that were a steal at $29.99. Literally, they were about 5 feet long. And I must have a price tag on my love for Brent, because no tantrum in the world would have gotten one of those in the car. (I did secretly want one for myself though!). Luckily I diverted it by making sure my cart didn't get within two hundred feet of them. Seriously, what are these stores thinking??? It's enough to get them out of the store without succumbing to the candy aisles, and now this??
5.31.2006
Hat o' Cheese
And yes, there could only be some great pictures to go along with that title, right? Of course! And then we can write a book, and call it "Everything can be a Hat".
5.18.2006
Sunshine
I swear this boy gets more lovable by the day. Slowly but surely, he's trading in tantrums and frustrations for other wonderful things, like coloring or reading or chasing me around the house. Last night he just wanted me to lie on the floor so he could fall on me and "mush" me. He'd grind his head against my cheek and laugh. I'd try to get away, which would only make him laugh harder. Then I'd sit up to try to escape, and he'd try to throw me on the floor again to play more. Then we'd take turns chasing each other around the house.
He has this crazy run these days. He giggles like a madman while racing down the hallway, legs twirling in every direction imaginable, hands waving, head bobbing. I can't stop laughing long enough to get it on tape. It's just too funny! I have to force myself to calm him down so that he can go to sleep instead of staying wired. But it's hard. I never know when these phases will begin or end. And I'm having so much fun that I hate to miss out on even one minute.
I guess there's not really much big news these days, though. He's doing wonderful and enjoying life. I'm learning to share mine with at least 30 minutes of Wiggles per day (though I think it is driving Daddy a bit crazy). My mom has a crush on Anthony (the blue Wiggle) and is always complaining about him being happily married. I've got a special place in my heart for Anthony, too...but who doesn't, right? Now Dorothy the Dinosaur I could live without. She and her "rosy tea" obsession gets on my nerves a little bit more each day.
And until I perfect my brittish accent a little, I'm forbidden to sing Wiggles songs in the car. Brent gets very angry about that. I can't help it...sometimes they just get stuck in my head!
I'm nursing one of my kittens (can you still call them kittens when they are 8 yrs old?) back to health also, but she should be better in no time, I hope. So things are busy. But in a good way. Life is good. Better than good, it's PA-good!
He has this crazy run these days. He giggles like a madman while racing down the hallway, legs twirling in every direction imaginable, hands waving, head bobbing. I can't stop laughing long enough to get it on tape. It's just too funny! I have to force myself to calm him down so that he can go to sleep instead of staying wired. But it's hard. I never know when these phases will begin or end. And I'm having so much fun that I hate to miss out on even one minute.
I guess there's not really much big news these days, though. He's doing wonderful and enjoying life. I'm learning to share mine with at least 30 minutes of Wiggles per day (though I think it is driving Daddy a bit crazy). My mom has a crush on Anthony (the blue Wiggle) and is always complaining about him being happily married. I've got a special place in my heart for Anthony, too...but who doesn't, right? Now Dorothy the Dinosaur I could live without. She and her "rosy tea" obsession gets on my nerves a little bit more each day.
And until I perfect my brittish accent a little, I'm forbidden to sing Wiggles songs in the car. Brent gets very angry about that. I can't help it...sometimes they just get stuck in my head!
I'm nursing one of my kittens (can you still call them kittens when they are 8 yrs old?) back to health also, but she should be better in no time, I hope. So things are busy. But in a good way. Life is good. Better than good, it's PA-good!
5.08.2006
Good times
I don't have much big news to share these days. Lately our lives have all been made up of little things. Even sleeping through the night (and I feel I can write it without being jinxed, since it's been three or four weeks now) seems like a little thing. I go to bed at night KNOWING that I will sleep through the night. I never thought the day would come, and now that it is here it seems like no big news at all. I can see how crazy that sounds, but that's how it seems.
In other little news: Brent can match so many puzzle pieces now. Frogs, alligators, elephants in addition to the well-known doggies and kitty-cats and bears. I feel like I'm sitting there with the next Einstein, watching as the world's newest genius learns new names and shapes...watching as he tries out the different crayon colors. He painstakingly tries to color the shapes that I draw on the paper, with his poor little hand gripping the crayon so tight I think it may break at any second. He works so hard to keep it between the lines, and for a few seconds he can manage. But eventually his tight grip on the crayon causes it to shift in some direction too fast for him to control it, and all is lost. And he immediately loses interest and goes onto the next project, mad at himself for being so clumsy. Sometimes he'll throw the crayon or slam it down. Sometimes he'll stand up and grunt (which is usually accompanied by a strange and fast foot stomping procedure). It kills me to watch it. I want to take his hand and guide his coloring until it's perfect, or at least perfect to him. But of course I can't - and he wouldn't let me anyways. I urge him gently to try again, and on rare occasions he will.
Is he a perfectionist in the making? Is this normal toddler behavior? Who knows :) All I know is each day I get to see more and more of a person instead of a child. The way he babbles quietly in the bathtub, having conversations with his favorite plastic fishpole. The way he points to the window in the morning saying "sunshine". The way he understands concepts like the remote control. The way he tries so hard to put his socks on, holding it just like he sees me do, and yet unable to make it work yet.
The other day he was walking through the yard, and turned the corner from the shade into the sun. The wind caught his hair and fluffed it for few seconds. The sun shone on his face with just the right tone. His eyes squinted slightly and he had the slightest smile on his face. That one tiny moment felt so perfect to me that I almost broke into tears. Sometimes I get so busy planning dinners and bedtimes and going to work, that I forget just how blessed I am every day. And what a wonderful gift I've been given in raising such a crazy little boy. Perfectly crazy :)
In other little news: Brent can match so many puzzle pieces now. Frogs, alligators, elephants in addition to the well-known doggies and kitty-cats and bears. I feel like I'm sitting there with the next Einstein, watching as the world's newest genius learns new names and shapes...watching as he tries out the different crayon colors. He painstakingly tries to color the shapes that I draw on the paper, with his poor little hand gripping the crayon so tight I think it may break at any second. He works so hard to keep it between the lines, and for a few seconds he can manage. But eventually his tight grip on the crayon causes it to shift in some direction too fast for him to control it, and all is lost. And he immediately loses interest and goes onto the next project, mad at himself for being so clumsy. Sometimes he'll throw the crayon or slam it down. Sometimes he'll stand up and grunt (which is usually accompanied by a strange and fast foot stomping procedure). It kills me to watch it. I want to take his hand and guide his coloring until it's perfect, or at least perfect to him. But of course I can't - and he wouldn't let me anyways. I urge him gently to try again, and on rare occasions he will.
Is he a perfectionist in the making? Is this normal toddler behavior? Who knows :) All I know is each day I get to see more and more of a person instead of a child. The way he babbles quietly in the bathtub, having conversations with his favorite plastic fishpole. The way he points to the window in the morning saying "sunshine". The way he understands concepts like the remote control. The way he tries so hard to put his socks on, holding it just like he sees me do, and yet unable to make it work yet.
The other day he was walking through the yard, and turned the corner from the shade into the sun. The wind caught his hair and fluffed it for few seconds. The sun shone on his face with just the right tone. His eyes squinted slightly and he had the slightest smile on his face. That one tiny moment felt so perfect to me that I almost broke into tears. Sometimes I get so busy planning dinners and bedtimes and going to work, that I forget just how blessed I am every day. And what a wonderful gift I've been given in raising such a crazy little boy. Perfectly crazy :)
4.25.2006
My little jokester
Hahahahahahahahahahahahahaha
That's what I have to do a lot these days. Laugh as hard as I can. Because there's a silly man in the house these days, and he likes to be encouraged. "Hey, Mom" he says with his grunts "Look at me with my sippy cup on my head! I'm wearing it like a hat!".
Okay - maybe he only says "Hat", but the rest is implied. Or sometimes instead of a sippy cup, it is a book. "Silly Brent," I tell him. "That's a BOOK, not a HAT!". And he giggles and laughs at his wonderful new sense of humor, with his nose stuck up in the air all squinty.
Then he usually does something bad and I have to put him in time-out. But we're getting there! There are moments of sanity and hints of the depth of his personality, in between the tantrums and fussing of course.
And I almost forgot to mention that we half-started potty training! Right now he likes to carry his "potty" around and use it as a step stool to try to reach dangerous objects. But he does understand part of it. I sit him on it and tell him to pee-pee. "Pee-pee?!" he repeats half a dozen times, pointing to the appropriate part of his body. And every so often he will go to it and repeat it. Right now we are just learning about it, so I'm not going through all the nakedness of the whole ordeal. Oh I tried, but then he just runs away, darting in and out of rooms at top speed in all his glory. The boy loves being naked, I guess.
So I thought I was doing pretty well. Later on, I watched unseen as he went to the potty and lifted the little plastic lid. I was so proud! Way to go, Brent!
Until I realized he was storing his sippy cup in it. He took it out, drank, and put it neatly back and shut the lid. Well, I guess it's a good thing it hasn't really been used yet. (sigh...)
That's what I have to do a lot these days. Laugh as hard as I can. Because there's a silly man in the house these days, and he likes to be encouraged. "Hey, Mom" he says with his grunts "Look at me with my sippy cup on my head! I'm wearing it like a hat!".
Okay - maybe he only says "Hat", but the rest is implied. Or sometimes instead of a sippy cup, it is a book. "Silly Brent," I tell him. "That's a BOOK, not a HAT!". And he giggles and laughs at his wonderful new sense of humor, with his nose stuck up in the air all squinty.
Then he usually does something bad and I have to put him in time-out. But we're getting there! There are moments of sanity and hints of the depth of his personality, in between the tantrums and fussing of course.
And I almost forgot to mention that we half-started potty training! Right now he likes to carry his "potty" around and use it as a step stool to try to reach dangerous objects. But he does understand part of it. I sit him on it and tell him to pee-pee. "Pee-pee?!" he repeats half a dozen times, pointing to the appropriate part of his body. And every so often he will go to it and repeat it. Right now we are just learning about it, so I'm not going through all the nakedness of the whole ordeal. Oh I tried, but then he just runs away, darting in and out of rooms at top speed in all his glory. The boy loves being naked, I guess.
So I thought I was doing pretty well. Later on, I watched unseen as he went to the potty and lifted the little plastic lid. I was so proud! Way to go, Brent!
Until I realized he was storing his sippy cup in it. He took it out, drank, and put it neatly back and shut the lid. Well, I guess it's a good thing it hasn't really been used yet. (sigh...)
4.24.2006
Giggles
Brent had a great first week at his new "daycare". He seems to love the lady that is watching him, and I think he gets along okay with the other little girl. She's not quite used to him, yet, but I'm sure in time they will be best buddies :)
Every morning when I drop him off, she has his special blanket waiting in the living room in front of the big screen tv, which has seemingly life-size Wiggles dancing and singing and showing kids everywhere how to make fruit salad. He's in heaven! But I think he may be getting addicted, and I'm getting a little worried. A few times over the weekend he crawled up on the chair in front of the tv and angrily pointed at the blank screen. "Guh-gels", he says loudly, although it's not even really pronounced that well. But I know what he means, and in case I didn't, he will glady say it OVER and OVER and OVER again until I hop on his demands.
"Go get a book," I plead. "Let's read a book together." What a good mom I am! I'm so proud as he goes and gets a couple books, lays them in front of me, stomps on them with a dirty look as he heads to the chair and yells "Guh-gels" again. I just sigh...at least he knows what he wants!
But I actually do eventually convince him to sit with me, and I notice every day he gets better at recognizing things and trying new words. It's all in the details now - the way he will actually turn a puzzle piece to try a different angle before throwing it across the room. Or the way he gets what flowers or doggies or choo-choo's are, even though they don't look remotely the same in any of the book's drawings. He has a great memory, and he's really trying hard to say the things I am telling him. It may not sound like anything to someone else. But I know how hard he's trying, and soon he'll be enlightening me with his frustrations, his made up stories, his manipulations before bedtime. I can't wait to hear everything that is going on in that crazy head of his. And I'll be hanging on every word, even if it is "Guh-gels".
Every morning when I drop him off, she has his special blanket waiting in the living room in front of the big screen tv, which has seemingly life-size Wiggles dancing and singing and showing kids everywhere how to make fruit salad. He's in heaven! But I think he may be getting addicted, and I'm getting a little worried. A few times over the weekend he crawled up on the chair in front of the tv and angrily pointed at the blank screen. "Guh-gels", he says loudly, although it's not even really pronounced that well. But I know what he means, and in case I didn't, he will glady say it OVER and OVER and OVER again until I hop on his demands.
"Go get a book," I plead. "Let's read a book together." What a good mom I am! I'm so proud as he goes and gets a couple books, lays them in front of me, stomps on them with a dirty look as he heads to the chair and yells "Guh-gels" again. I just sigh...at least he knows what he wants!
But I actually do eventually convince him to sit with me, and I notice every day he gets better at recognizing things and trying new words. It's all in the details now - the way he will actually turn a puzzle piece to try a different angle before throwing it across the room. Or the way he gets what flowers or doggies or choo-choo's are, even though they don't look remotely the same in any of the book's drawings. He has a great memory, and he's really trying hard to say the things I am telling him. It may not sound like anything to someone else. But I know how hard he's trying, and soon he'll be enlightening me with his frustrations, his made up stories, his manipulations before bedtime. I can't wait to hear everything that is going on in that crazy head of his. And I'll be hanging on every word, even if it is "Guh-gels".
4.17.2006
Ch-ch-ch-ch Changes
I worried so much about this little munchkin for the last week. I made the decision to pull him out of the daycare he's been going to since he was 3 months old. Besides home, it's the only place he really understands and feels comfortable in. I've been filing complaints ever since they hired two new teacher for his room - neither of which are anywhere near friendly most days. He's been coming home with the worst diaper rashes I've seen on him. I would clear it up over the weekends, and by Tuesday it was just as bad. He screams every time you change his diaper. And I've actually brought him home to find actual poop still attached to him that appeared to be hours old. One day I found a bite mark on him, which no one bothered to inform me of. Anyhow...enough of that. Long story short, it wasn't getting any better. So when my manager (who I've known for years) told me her nanny was willing to watch him, I definitely looked into it. She already watched their 1 yr old daughter and has been doing a great job, evidently. Plus their daughter didn't really get to interact with other kids that much, so it helps them out too. And did I mention it is $50 less per week than I was paying. Didn't sound too bad!
So I took him over to meet everyone last week for an hour or so. He basically clung to my leg and whimpered most of the time. At the end, he started loosening up and playing with the toys a little. And this morning, we're trying a whole day to see how he does.
All my worrying...all my agonizing...and do you know that little bugger didn't even cry at all! I'm so grateful :) I pictured him pulling at my clothes...tears of horror wetting his lil red cheeks...yelling for his momma who was trying to leave him in this strange place. Instead, the nanny had turned on the Wiggles. I laid his special blanket on the floor and gave him his favorite sippy cup, sat for a few minutes on the couch while he watched the tv, and them kissed him and snuck out. And that was it! When my manager called this morning to see how they were doing, evidently her daughter is taking it worse than Brent. He's been fine! What a brave little sweetheart. I'm so proud of him!
That's all the big news lately. We had a great weekend. He's been much, much better about the hitting and tantrums. He's broken down and resorted to saying "please" when I ask (most of the time). Bedtime without the bottles has gone from a 90 minute ordeal to less than 30 minutes - and last night he didn't cry one bit. So for all my worrying, he's accepting these changes in life quite well. I don't know where he gets his strength, but I'm grateful for it. I know I'm supposed to be teaching him - but I learn just as much from him in the process.
And I know I need to get some new pictures! Hopefully it will be soon.
So I took him over to meet everyone last week for an hour or so. He basically clung to my leg and whimpered most of the time. At the end, he started loosening up and playing with the toys a little. And this morning, we're trying a whole day to see how he does.
All my worrying...all my agonizing...and do you know that little bugger didn't even cry at all! I'm so grateful :) I pictured him pulling at my clothes...tears of horror wetting his lil red cheeks...yelling for his momma who was trying to leave him in this strange place. Instead, the nanny had turned on the Wiggles. I laid his special blanket on the floor and gave him his favorite sippy cup, sat for a few minutes on the couch while he watched the tv, and them kissed him and snuck out. And that was it! When my manager called this morning to see how they were doing, evidently her daughter is taking it worse than Brent. He's been fine! What a brave little sweetheart. I'm so proud of him!
That's all the big news lately. We had a great weekend. He's been much, much better about the hitting and tantrums. He's broken down and resorted to saying "please" when I ask (most of the time). Bedtime without the bottles has gone from a 90 minute ordeal to less than 30 minutes - and last night he didn't cry one bit. So for all my worrying, he's accepting these changes in life quite well. I don't know where he gets his strength, but I'm grateful for it. I know I'm supposed to be teaching him - but I learn just as much from him in the process.
And I know I need to get some new pictures! Hopefully it will be soon.
4.10.2006
Give me strength
Give me the strength:
- to stand strong as the "One Who Craves Bottles" gives me dirty looks instead of loving glances as I sing him to bed (none since Friday morning, hooray!)
- to listen to the wails of a certain little person as he complains loudly from his crib during a time-out, but who must be punished for whacking his mother with a plastic golf club after being told he couldn't play in the paint daddy was using to paint the shed
- to always use time-outs instead of neck-strangulation in examples such as the previous one
- to greet my little precious angel with a smile each morning, no matter how un-godly early he wants to wake up
- to enjoy each moment of each day with my family, no matter how strained I may feel at any given moment, because they also have to put up with me
- to stand strong as the "One Who Craves Bottles" gives me dirty looks instead of loving glances as I sing him to bed (none since Friday morning, hooray!)
- to listen to the wails of a certain little person as he complains loudly from his crib during a time-out, but who must be punished for whacking his mother with a plastic golf club after being told he couldn't play in the paint daddy was using to paint the shed
- to always use time-outs instead of neck-strangulation in examples such as the previous one
- to greet my little precious angel with a smile each morning, no matter how un-godly early he wants to wake up
- to enjoy each moment of each day with my family, no matter how strained I may feel at any given moment, because they also have to put up with me
4.05.2006
Flowers and Sunshine
I know it's been a little while since I've updated. I've been in the process of changing jobs and it's been a little busy.
It's wonderful now that it's getting warmer and you can really feel the springtime around the corner. And now that we have more daylight at night, we usually go outside and walk around after dinner these days. Brent just adores going outside still. He loves playing with sticks, still...and blowing the dandelion seeds (I hate to think of how the yard will look after he's done). It is great watching him run around like he owns the place. He's so much more steady on his feet now, so there's no containing him. I can't wait to see what the summer holds for us. Before you know it, he'll be swimming, too! Maybe a few more weeks, though...
Every day I fall more in love with him. I wonder if there will be a point where it just takes over and there won't be any me left. But you know what...I think I grow with it. Sometimes I think someone designed this whole thing really well. But other days, I still wish it came with an instruction book.
It's wonderful now that it's getting warmer and you can really feel the springtime around the corner. And now that we have more daylight at night, we usually go outside and walk around after dinner these days. Brent just adores going outside still. He loves playing with sticks, still...and blowing the dandelion seeds (I hate to think of how the yard will look after he's done). It is great watching him run around like he owns the place. He's so much more steady on his feet now, so there's no containing him. I can't wait to see what the summer holds for us. Before you know it, he'll be swimming, too! Maybe a few more weeks, though...
Every day I fall more in love with him. I wonder if there will be a point where it just takes over and there won't be any me left. But you know what...I think I grow with it. Sometimes I think someone designed this whole thing really well. But other days, I still wish it came with an instruction book.
3.20.2006
Family Ties
Brent had a great visit with his grandparents over the weekend, who came to visit. He's been so clingy lately that I thought he would be more standoff-ish, but after a little break-in period he had a wonderful time. It had been a while since we had seen them, so I was proud that he did so well. He even kept on schedule and didn't get too cranky, which really surprised me!
Plus he got to play with their dogs, which was so cute to watch. They were all pretty small, and just his size. He would run down the hallway, and turn around to see if they were chasing him. If not, he would run back and try again. He was a little rough on them a time or two, but the dogs were wonderful with him. It makes me wish that ours were small enough to bring inside to play with him. The two smaller ones would be perfect, but are scared to death of baths. I'm not sure they would even enjoy themselves indoors. We found them by the road one day and it seems they have never really been indoor dogs. At least he can play outside with them this summer!
All in all, it was a great and relaxing weekend. My boy is quite the character these days. I could spend hours just watching his expressions and mannerisms. Yesterday we learned how to blow dandelion seeds across the yard. He loves doing that! And he caught on so quick (though he did try blowing on the yellow ones until he got it straight). I'm just amazed at how much fun, and fun-loving, he is. I hope it helps him to have a wonderful life. I know I am lucky to be a part of it.
Plus he got to play with their dogs, which was so cute to watch. They were all pretty small, and just his size. He would run down the hallway, and turn around to see if they were chasing him. If not, he would run back and try again. He was a little rough on them a time or two, but the dogs were wonderful with him. It makes me wish that ours were small enough to bring inside to play with him. The two smaller ones would be perfect, but are scared to death of baths. I'm not sure they would even enjoy themselves indoors. We found them by the road one day and it seems they have never really been indoor dogs. At least he can play outside with them this summer!
All in all, it was a great and relaxing weekend. My boy is quite the character these days. I could spend hours just watching his expressions and mannerisms. Yesterday we learned how to blow dandelion seeds across the yard. He loves doing that! And he caught on so quick (though he did try blowing on the yellow ones until he got it straight). I'm just amazed at how much fun, and fun-loving, he is. I hope it helps him to have a wonderful life. I know I am lucky to be a part of it.
3.15.2006
Great weekend!
I can't get over how beautiful the weather has been the last few days. It has gone from highs in the 40's (last week) to highs in the 80's (weekend) to highs in the 50's (this week). There are flowers in bloom and fruit trees blossoming. Incredible for so early in the year!
And of course, Brent wanted to be outside ALL weekend long. I literally have bruises on my legs from where he would kick and scream every time I tried to coral him back into the house. I know, I know...I'm such a mean mom! I spent every spare second hunched over following him around the yard, but it was all forgotten the second "inside" was mentioned.
Some clips from the weekend:
"No, we can't play with Daddy's nail gun."
"Please don't hit the cat with your plastic golf club"
"No climbing ladders! Remember from the other 50 times I said it?"
"Yes, that's a stick! Good job!"
"Another stick! Way to go, Brent!"
"Okay...that's a stick too! Want to go play somewhere else now?"
"I'm sorry the cats don't like your hugs"
"No the stick has to stay outside"
"The golf club has to stay outside, too"
"Nope, we're going INSIDE, but nice try"
Really we had a lot of fun though. It was so warm and lovely and spring-like. And it showed me one really important thing. We probably need a fenced in yard! And I need about 2 more eyes. Another arm would be nice too.
And of course, Brent wanted to be outside ALL weekend long. I literally have bruises on my legs from where he would kick and scream every time I tried to coral him back into the house. I know, I know...I'm such a mean mom! I spent every spare second hunched over following him around the yard, but it was all forgotten the second "inside" was mentioned.
Some clips from the weekend:
"No, we can't play with Daddy's nail gun."
"Please don't hit the cat with your plastic golf club"
"No climbing ladders! Remember from the other 50 times I said it?"
"Yes, that's a stick! Good job!"
"Another stick! Way to go, Brent!"
"Okay...that's a stick too! Want to go play somewhere else now?"
"I'm sorry the cats don't like your hugs"
"No the stick has to stay outside"
"The golf club has to stay outside, too"
"Nope, we're going INSIDE, but nice try"
Really we had a lot of fun though. It was so warm and lovely and spring-like. And it showed me one really important thing. We probably need a fenced in yard! And I need about 2 more eyes. Another arm would be nice too.
3.09.2006
Word Count
Words he can say, to date:
Da-da
Ma-ma (rarely, though)
uh-oh (usually following some loud crash)
ball
more
bye-bye
night-night
doggie
cat
please
shoes
sheep
hat
stick
cracker
__________
15 words! Good job, Brent!
(updated 3/14)
Da-da
Ma-ma (rarely, though)
uh-oh (usually following some loud crash)
ball
more
bye-bye
night-night
doggie
cat
please
shoes
sheep
hat
stick
cracker
__________
15 words! Good job, Brent!
(updated 3/14)
3.08.2006
Morningtime
Some pictures I took this morning as he was chilling out watching the Wiggles. He wasn't exactly all smiles today, but I thought he still looked cute :)
3.07.2006
Politeness
I love how polite my little boy is these days! So polite, knowing how to say please/"eez" when he wants something.
Only he's quite certain that by this new found word must mean that he gets anything he wants. And he gets quite upset when you have to say no to his request. This usually results in a barrage of "eez"es that get louder and louder and more impatient. But it's really very cute, the way he scrunches up his nose and bares his teeth when he says it. Sometimes he's not even sure what he wants, he just "eez"es into the thin air hoping magical wonderful things will materialize before his eyes. And when he does get something that he is asking so nicely for, he wants to make sure he gets everything he can out of it. As soon as you hand it to him, he will shove it beside him and reach out and ask again. For what? I don't always know. But he tries to ride the "eez" boat as long as possible, as if it is a temporary potion of sorts.
His other new obsession is cheezy puff balls. Andy got a monstrous container of them at the store the other day, and they are both having a great time. For the first day I kept them on top of the fridge and only brought them out a couple times, but then he figured out where I keep them. So, I now have to face tantrums whenever he is stretching up the fridge "eez"ing for all the world to hear. I think he would eat them all day if I let him. Even notwithstanding the health aspect, I'm not too keen on having orange furniture and clothes.
Only he's quite certain that by this new found word must mean that he gets anything he wants. And he gets quite upset when you have to say no to his request. This usually results in a barrage of "eez"es that get louder and louder and more impatient. But it's really very cute, the way he scrunches up his nose and bares his teeth when he says it. Sometimes he's not even sure what he wants, he just "eez"es into the thin air hoping magical wonderful things will materialize before his eyes. And when he does get something that he is asking so nicely for, he wants to make sure he gets everything he can out of it. As soon as you hand it to him, he will shove it beside him and reach out and ask again. For what? I don't always know. But he tries to ride the "eez" boat as long as possible, as if it is a temporary potion of sorts.
His other new obsession is cheezy puff balls. Andy got a monstrous container of them at the store the other day, and they are both having a great time. For the first day I kept them on top of the fridge and only brought them out a couple times, but then he figured out where I keep them. So, I now have to face tantrums whenever he is stretching up the fridge "eez"ing for all the world to hear. I think he would eat them all day if I let him. Even notwithstanding the health aspect, I'm not too keen on having orange furniture and clothes.
2.28.2006
My third leg
Did you know I have three legs now? The newest addition doesn't quite match, with its brown hair and runny nose, but there it is, just the same. It follows me around in perfect time with the other two, attached by two stubby arms. Sometimes the leg thinks that it's in charge, and attempts to lead me around the house to do its bidding. But so far it is not strong enough, though I do oblige it at times.
If I go outside to feed the cats or get firewood, I sometimes have to detach it for a few minutes. That makes the leg very unhappy. I can usually hear it from quite a distance away, cussing at me in baby leg language, no doubt.
It does not like for me to be in the kitchen if it wants to be in the living room. And there is no compromising with it, I've found out. It will grab onto my pants and try its best to drag me around. Even if it wants to sit and read on its own, I am not allowed to be more than a few feet away. And if it wants to sit on my lap on the floor, it does not like for you to try to get up. It will refuse to stand on its own and keep quickly climbing back on top of me.
For three days now I have had this strange growth. Any day now I expect it to become more independent like it used to be. And as slighly claustrophobic as it makes me for a few seconds here and there, I will miss it. My sweet little third leg.
If I go outside to feed the cats or get firewood, I sometimes have to detach it for a few minutes. That makes the leg very unhappy. I can usually hear it from quite a distance away, cussing at me in baby leg language, no doubt.
It does not like for me to be in the kitchen if it wants to be in the living room. And there is no compromising with it, I've found out. It will grab onto my pants and try its best to drag me around. Even if it wants to sit and read on its own, I am not allowed to be more than a few feet away. And if it wants to sit on my lap on the floor, it does not like for you to try to get up. It will refuse to stand on its own and keep quickly climbing back on top of me.
For three days now I have had this strange growth. Any day now I expect it to become more independent like it used to be. And as slighly claustrophobic as it makes me for a few seconds here and there, I will miss it. My sweet little third leg.
2.27.2006
And in other news....
A talking update:
"Please" has been upgraded from "ee" to "chee" and sometimes "cheez"
"Kitty-cat" has only one syllable now. It sounds like "dah" He may think that kitty cats are just little doggies, I'm not sure.
And upon request, we can now point out our tummy, nose and tongue (the favorites) and sometimes head, ear, or eye.
In other news, I'm thinking of downsizing our morning "Wiggles" time, as he sits and stares like a zombie for the duration. Rarely, he'll be moved to get up and dance to a song, where he used to dance for almost the whole show. So I think I'll just let him watch a little bit of "Wiggles" and just listen to the music stations after that.
"Please" has been upgraded from "ee" to "chee" and sometimes "cheez"
"Kitty-cat" has only one syllable now. It sounds like "dah" He may think that kitty cats are just little doggies, I'm not sure.
And upon request, we can now point out our tummy, nose and tongue (the favorites) and sometimes head, ear, or eye.
In other news, I'm thinking of downsizing our morning "Wiggles" time, as he sits and stares like a zombie for the duration. Rarely, he'll be moved to get up and dance to a song, where he used to dance for almost the whole show. So I think I'll just let him watch a little bit of "Wiggles" and just listen to the music stations after that.
Eyelashes and Kisses
Brent's doctor's appointment went well today, as far as results. All is well with his ears, physically. Psychologically, it seems he has been a little traumatized by all of this, as was apparent today with his screams of murder as soon as he caught a glance of the doctor. And when I had to hold him down so they could look into his ears - well...I'm not keen on reliving that one. So, I'm glad that with this surgery he is able to hear better and have far less pain, but I can also add it to the list of traumatic events that will shadow over his life no matter how hard I try to avoid them. You trade the good for the bad sometimes, I know. But, as most parents would probably agree, I'd like to barter parts of my soul sometimes to add the bad parts to my own lists and leave him with only happy memories.
I'd also like to take away his memories of me having to raise my voice at him after 17 times of trying to keep him from climbing up the ladder to see daddy, or erase the feelings he had toward me when he wanted to go outside and play yesterday in super-windy cold weather even though we had spent most of the day before out enjoying the warmth and sunshine, and I had to deny him. Do they make just a little white-out for times like these? I promise I will use it sparingly.
And lately I've been compiling a mental list of all the little things to write here - the things that I take for granted - the things that will slowly filter out of my memories if I don't take the opportunity to list them:
- The length of his eyelashes. I've never seen any so beautiful on any person. And each one is completely perfect as it blends in length to meet the next. His eyebrows are also so nice, with just the right shape and color.
- In his world, a cow really says "booooooo" and sheep have strange gutteral jackhammer laughs. Pigs just make funny faces and scrunch their noses up (well that one may be true, I guess)
- The way he spends that last bottle of the day just staring at me from his crib, with his foot up in the air, and his body just wiggling softly with happiness as he cuddles against his blanket and drifts off to sleep. Once in awhile, his eyes will roll back in his head as he fights sleep. And I sing the same song to him every night, the one he loves from his children's songs cd.
- When he's really happy with me, and he'll shove his bottom lip out and tilt his head back, asking for a kiss. And no matter how runny his nose may be, I always oblige.
- The way he wants to feed me from his disgusting plate - holding out some miscellaceous soggy piece of food with his mouth as open as it will go, and his eyes big, and his eyebrows high and hopeful as his whole head shakes a little with anticipation.
- The way, like this morning, he can sometimes be flowing over with sweetness: cuddling on my lap, blowing kisses, putting his little hands on my cheeks and just smiling the most wonderful smile.
I'll try to add more 'little things' as they come up.
-
I'd also like to take away his memories of me having to raise my voice at him after 17 times of trying to keep him from climbing up the ladder to see daddy, or erase the feelings he had toward me when he wanted to go outside and play yesterday in super-windy cold weather even though we had spent most of the day before out enjoying the warmth and sunshine, and I had to deny him. Do they make just a little white-out for times like these? I promise I will use it sparingly.
And lately I've been compiling a mental list of all the little things to write here - the things that I take for granted - the things that will slowly filter out of my memories if I don't take the opportunity to list them:
- The length of his eyelashes. I've never seen any so beautiful on any person. And each one is completely perfect as it blends in length to meet the next. His eyebrows are also so nice, with just the right shape and color.
- In his world, a cow really says "booooooo" and sheep have strange gutteral jackhammer laughs. Pigs just make funny faces and scrunch their noses up (well that one may be true, I guess)
- The way he spends that last bottle of the day just staring at me from his crib, with his foot up in the air, and his body just wiggling softly with happiness as he cuddles against his blanket and drifts off to sleep. Once in awhile, his eyes will roll back in his head as he fights sleep. And I sing the same song to him every night, the one he loves from his children's songs cd.
- When he's really happy with me, and he'll shove his bottom lip out and tilt his head back, asking for a kiss. And no matter how runny his nose may be, I always oblige.
- The way he wants to feed me from his disgusting plate - holding out some miscellaceous soggy piece of food with his mouth as open as it will go, and his eyes big, and his eyebrows high and hopeful as his whole head shakes a little with anticipation.
- The way, like this morning, he can sometimes be flowing over with sweetness: cuddling on my lap, blowing kisses, putting his little hands on my cheeks and just smiling the most wonderful smile.
I'll try to add more 'little things' as they come up.
-
2.24.2006
I'm not sure if I should write today or not. I've been meaning to catch up on what he's been doing, but it was such a bad morning that I don't want that to overshadow all the neat things he's been doing lately. So I'll be quick on the bad part. Skunk sprayed again. Stunk all night. Toddler grumpy this morning. Ready to leave for daycare, clean happy and dressed nice. Spent next 1/2 hour cleaning up unexpected throw-up from all over the car/toddler/me. Chased aforementioned toddler across the yard several times. Leave again for daycare, semi-clean/not-so-happy/dressed in whatever I could find for us both.
Whew...got that out of the way.
Anyways, Brent has been talking up a storm lately. Here is a translation breakdown for those of you that may be speaking with him soon:
Doggie - "dob-wie"
Kitty-cat - "di-wa"
Please - "ee"
More/Give me that - "mo"
Night Night, Daddy - "ni ni da"
He says some other things pretty clearly, like bye-bye and uh-oh. And I'm sure he is trying other things that I just haven't caught on to yet. He spends quite a lot of time practicing with his voice with different sounds and syllables. I still don't know if it has something to do with his hearing being clearer with no infections, or if it is just time for him to start all this. But it's great! He has a voice like an angel. Now if I can only get him to behave like one more often, I'd have it made!
Actually, he's been pretty good lately. He's still waking up quite a bit at night. I agree with Andy on this one - I just might have to wait until he can tell me what's going on before I understand completely why he is still doing it. It's not really a big deal in the grand scheme of things anyhow (well, for anyone not named Mommy I suppose). I have so much fun playing with him in the evenings and on the weekends that it's worth it.
He is book-obsessed lately! I know we have to go through at least 20 per night. Pretty much by the time we finish eating and reading, it's bedtime. Partly because eating takes much longer than it ever has now that he's mastering utensils. He'll eat very quietly and neatly until he's full, and then he wants nothing but to practice with his plastic spoon and fork with the rest of it. If you threaten to take it away (sometimes it is too gross to watch), then he will eat a few bites to barter some more play time. He's no dummy...
We go back to the doctor on Monday morning for a post-op check, but I think everything is going fine. Hopefully the fact that I spilled most of his eardrops doesn't end up hurting anything. It's not like he really let me get much in his ear to begin with.
Whew...got that out of the way.
Anyways, Brent has been talking up a storm lately. Here is a translation breakdown for those of you that may be speaking with him soon:
Doggie - "dob-wie"
Kitty-cat - "di-wa"
Please - "ee"
More/Give me that - "mo"
Night Night, Daddy - "ni ni da"
He says some other things pretty clearly, like bye-bye and uh-oh. And I'm sure he is trying other things that I just haven't caught on to yet. He spends quite a lot of time practicing with his voice with different sounds and syllables. I still don't know if it has something to do with his hearing being clearer with no infections, or if it is just time for him to start all this. But it's great! He has a voice like an angel. Now if I can only get him to behave like one more often, I'd have it made!
Actually, he's been pretty good lately. He's still waking up quite a bit at night. I agree with Andy on this one - I just might have to wait until he can tell me what's going on before I understand completely why he is still doing it. It's not really a big deal in the grand scheme of things anyhow (well, for anyone not named Mommy I suppose). I have so much fun playing with him in the evenings and on the weekends that it's worth it.
He is book-obsessed lately! I know we have to go through at least 20 per night. Pretty much by the time we finish eating and reading, it's bedtime. Partly because eating takes much longer than it ever has now that he's mastering utensils. He'll eat very quietly and neatly until he's full, and then he wants nothing but to practice with his plastic spoon and fork with the rest of it. If you threaten to take it away (sometimes it is too gross to watch), then he will eat a few bites to barter some more play time. He's no dummy...
We go back to the doctor on Monday morning for a post-op check, but I think everything is going fine. Hopefully the fact that I spilled most of his eardrops doesn't end up hurting anything. It's not like he really let me get much in his ear to begin with.
2.16.2006
Thankfulness
Brent did great on his surgery Monday! Everything went more smoothly than I had even hoped. He had lots of fun toys to play with in the pediatric waiting room, and they let him stay with us up until the doctor was ready for him. All said and done, he was only away from us for about 20 minutes, and then they brought him back to me safe and sound. A little cranky and disoriented for a few minutes, but that's about all. Within an hour or two, he was 100% his old self, and has been fine ever since. I'm just so grateful that things worked out well.
I'll write this here, even if it's a little mushy. But it has just been weighing on me lately just how lucky we are. There are too many other children that are so less fortunate...too many parents waiting in rooms just like the one we were in, only they may not have had good news at the end, or may have been waiting for surgeries far more complicated and dangerous. I can't even imagine what they must go through. I knew in my heart that this was simple and that he would be just fine, and yet when the moment came for them to carry him away, my heart just sank to the floor in an instant. You live outside of yourself for those minutes, where time passes with heavy feet, and sounds move through you without any life. Until they are back safe with you, it seems like anything is possible. Scenarios run through your head, skipping around senselessly. And then it's over, and life returns to normal. But every time I see a poster with a missing child on it, or read headlines of horrible situations, that feeling creeps up my throat just a little. It's my reminder of how lucky I am, and how precious every single moment is with the people you love.
I'll write this here, even if it's a little mushy. But it has just been weighing on me lately just how lucky we are. There are too many other children that are so less fortunate...too many parents waiting in rooms just like the one we were in, only they may not have had good news at the end, or may have been waiting for surgeries far more complicated and dangerous. I can't even imagine what they must go through. I knew in my heart that this was simple and that he would be just fine, and yet when the moment came for them to carry him away, my heart just sank to the floor in an instant. You live outside of yourself for those minutes, where time passes with heavy feet, and sounds move through you without any life. Until they are back safe with you, it seems like anything is possible. Scenarios run through your head, skipping around senselessly. And then it's over, and life returns to normal. But every time I see a poster with a missing child on it, or read headlines of horrible situations, that feeling creeps up my throat just a little. It's my reminder of how lucky I am, and how precious every single moment is with the people you love.
2.10.2006
Getting ready for the big day...
No, not getting ready for the Superbowl, that has come and past. AND WE HAVE CONQUERED!!!!! And I'm just SURE it's because Brent was a fan this year. There's no other explanation for it! The #1 fan for the #1 team. What a great year!
No, we're getting ready for the big day on Monday, when he undergoes his first trip to the other side of reality and has tubes put in his ears. I'm sure everything will be just fine. He's such a tough little guy. And maybe he will feel a little better from here on out.
I don't have much to report lately. He's doing great with everything, and learning new words every day. He's not really saying those words yet, unless they all resemble "na-na". Na-na usually means "give me that thing I'm pointing at, NOW please", but can be used in a variety of ways: "Pick me up NOW please" or "Stop taking away these dangerous objects I keep finding NOW please". The most important thing to remember when someone says Na-na to you is that an immediate response is required. Each repeat Na-na will become exponentially more urgent and impatient. Usually if you make it to the third one, it is accompanied by shrill crying and looks that can kill. It's best to avoid getting to that level. Trust me on that. So I'm not sure that he'll ever learn to talk at this point. Because -really- why does he need to? When one word gets you just about everything you want and need, there's no real need to expand a vocabulary. Sometimes I think he's smarter than even I give him credit for, with all the power he commands with such limited words.
But seriously, he is doing great, and he is more of a joy every day. Yes he has his moments, I'm 100% sure that all toddlers have them. But most of the time, I'm either laughing or smiling with him. He's very interested in books lately, and on more than one occasion I've been forced to a sitting position in the middle of the kitchen (while trying to cook him the very dinner he's NOT willing to wait for) because it is demanded of me that we sit and look at one of his favorite books. And like everything else, it cannot possibly wait. But I'm determined not to be the kind of parent that lets housework/tv/etc become more important than spending time with him. Does it spoil him? Maybe a little. Does is show him that he's the most important thing to me? I guarantee it. And at this age, I think that's important. Sure there's times when I have to look at a dirty house (okay...maybe more times than there should be), and there's times when I do have to get some things done (like when the dishes start jumping out of the sink of their own force). But for the most part, we spend lots of time together. And I cherish every second.
And still I think Da-da is his favorite. But hey, he's a pretty likeable guy, so I can see that. As soon as we pull into the driveway, he starts yelling for him and searching for him. I'll put him on the ground and he runs over to help Andy with carrying firewood or feeding the dogs. It's great to see. Some days I think we actually function pretty well as a family. And the other days...well...they really aren't that important in the long run.
Some pictures I took this morning while we watched the Wiggles. Not great photos, but it was all I could do to tear him away from the strange and colorful dancing men long enough to take a picture.
1.31.2006
More ear trouble
Poor guy, he had another ear drum burst yesterday. He's a tough little dude, but for those few hours before it happens, he sure is miserable. But now that it has, he's feeling much better. And the surgery to have tubes put in his ears is set up for the 13th, so hopefully he won't have to put up with all of this too much longer.
I'm just so proud of him lately. Last night he ate almost his whole dinner by himself...with a spoon! I've tried a few times to let him practice, but up until yesterday the only thing it accomplished was giving him a fun and effective method of food flinging. But he was really trying yesterday, and he wouldn't eat a bite if I was the one holding it, so I let him be messy for awhile. By the end of it, he looked like an old pro. I was so proud! When he sets his mind to it, and with his determination, he can accomplish anything. I just know that will be his personality for a long time to come, and I hope it carries him far in life.
Over the weekend we went to visit my sister and her two girls, who are growing like weeds! Brent had a wonderful time playing with them and running around the house. And it was entertaining to watch everyone. It was almost like they had their own telepathic kids language. I know there are aspects of daycare that are good and bad, but it's times like that I really love that I can put him in just about any situation and socially he fits in well. He may have been like that no matter what, but I know it must help seeing so many people and getting to play with the other kids. And it certainly doesn't hurt that everyone loves and spoils him without shame, both at home and at daycare.
Other than the family visit, we spent most of the weekend outside playing in the beautiful weather. Or sometimes I pulled him around the yard in his red wagon, which he absolutely loves. Only you can't go to far away from the house, because sometimes he changes his mind and wants to help you pull it, and then the going gets very, very slow.
And...on this last note...I've got his Steelers jersey clean and ready to wear on Friday. There's no way they can lose with such a cute guy on their side.
I'm just so proud of him lately. Last night he ate almost his whole dinner by himself...with a spoon! I've tried a few times to let him practice, but up until yesterday the only thing it accomplished was giving him a fun and effective method of food flinging. But he was really trying yesterday, and he wouldn't eat a bite if I was the one holding it, so I let him be messy for awhile. By the end of it, he looked like an old pro. I was so proud! When he sets his mind to it, and with his determination, he can accomplish anything. I just know that will be his personality for a long time to come, and I hope it carries him far in life.
Over the weekend we went to visit my sister and her two girls, who are growing like weeds! Brent had a wonderful time playing with them and running around the house. And it was entertaining to watch everyone. It was almost like they had their own telepathic kids language. I know there are aspects of daycare that are good and bad, but it's times like that I really love that I can put him in just about any situation and socially he fits in well. He may have been like that no matter what, but I know it must help seeing so many people and getting to play with the other kids. And it certainly doesn't hurt that everyone loves and spoils him without shame, both at home and at daycare.
Other than the family visit, we spent most of the weekend outside playing in the beautiful weather. Or sometimes I pulled him around the yard in his red wagon, which he absolutely loves. Only you can't go to far away from the house, because sometimes he changes his mind and wants to help you pull it, and then the going gets very, very slow.
And...on this last note...I've got his Steelers jersey clean and ready to wear on Friday. There's no way they can lose with such a cute guy on their side.
1.25.2006
Good news!
Well, the EEG test results came back normal this morning. I'm pretty happy, though not surprised, with that. Everything is sun-shiney again in toddler-ville.
And after a few pretty miserable nights of waking up OFTEN, he slept peacefully all last night. I put some stuffed animals in there, with the thinking that 1) he was waking up and just needed something to play with for a minute or two before going back to sleep, or 2) he was getting a little scared of the dark and might want some "company". Either way, or even if they were both wrong, he seems to be doing better at last.
He had so much fun this weekend playing outside. Saturday was pretty warm, so we spent a lot of time walking around the yard, and watching Andy build his shed. It was all I could do to keep him off the cinderblocks and boards. He was so determined to "help" daddy. Sometimes he would content himself with carrying around tiny pieces of wood from one spot to another. But eventually he senses that he's not part of the real action and heads back to the dangerous areas. He tried his best to climb a ladder for awhile, but luckily he didn't make any headway.
Most of the time, we spent in arguments, though. He doesn't exactly like having boundaries set for him. And truthfully, I hate to set them. I really only draw the line when he's attempting to do things that would hurt him. I let him get as messy and silly as he likes, as long as it's relatively safe. I don't know if what he has is just typical toddler anger about this, or if he's got some issues already, but MAN can he throw a fit. Usually he knows when he's planning something that he's not supposed to be doing. He'll stare me down, just daring me to say the "NO" word again. And when I oblige, he will take out his anger on whatever is close. He'll grab a stick and slam it into the ground a few times, grunting with loud, obvious displeasure. It's really kind of comical, but the last thing you're allowed to do as a parent is laugh at inappropriate times, I'm learning. It only reinforces the bad behavior ten-fold. Sometimes though, it will cut through his temporary bad mood and he'll let a little smile leak out. And then we're off to the next wild adventure.
And so it goes until it's time to go inside. I can usually trick him into getting close to the house without catching on. But as soon as the lightbulb goes on, it's every man for himself. He'll turn and try to bowl me over getting away from the evil door. Luckily, I'm still stronger, and I'm forced to manhandle him and carry him over the threshold. Actually, most of the time it's all I can do to keep from dropping him. He'll twist and punch and kick and scream. It's crazy! Then once we're in and I take off his coat, he'll use 110% of his drama abilities and throw himself forcefully (and yet somehow gracefully) to the floor. Tears streak down his little cheeks by the gallon. After a few seconds though, he'll stand up and find something to do, or he'll come over for a hug before charging off to find his books.
Oh! And he's getting to be a real Einstein! He can already match his animals up on his sound puzzles on the first try. And when I ask him what a cow says (or if he sees a picture of one), he'll go "Ooooooooo" in his best moo-ing attempt. It's great :) I know I tell bad stories on him, but he really is a lot of fun lately. I'll get on the floor and crawl around the house chasing him, and spring out from behind doors, causing him to shriek with laughter and run stiff-legged down the hallway with his arms waving in the air. He never tires of that game, it seems. And he's getting good at learning some tasks. If I ask him to take something to Daddy, he'll go find him and deposit whatever thing he shouldn't have had in the first place (his favorite thing is to take the remote controls far far away from the rooms they should be in). And he loves to steal chairs. If he sees Andy get up from his seat, he bolts over and flops into it with a huge smile. It takes a small miracle to get it back after that.
But I guess that's all the news for now. Everyone root for the STEELERS in the superbowl, okay??!!!
And after a few pretty miserable nights of waking up OFTEN, he slept peacefully all last night. I put some stuffed animals in there, with the thinking that 1) he was waking up and just needed something to play with for a minute or two before going back to sleep, or 2) he was getting a little scared of the dark and might want some "company". Either way, or even if they were both wrong, he seems to be doing better at last.
He had so much fun this weekend playing outside. Saturday was pretty warm, so we spent a lot of time walking around the yard, and watching Andy build his shed. It was all I could do to keep him off the cinderblocks and boards. He was so determined to "help" daddy. Sometimes he would content himself with carrying around tiny pieces of wood from one spot to another. But eventually he senses that he's not part of the real action and heads back to the dangerous areas. He tried his best to climb a ladder for awhile, but luckily he didn't make any headway.
Most of the time, we spent in arguments, though. He doesn't exactly like having boundaries set for him. And truthfully, I hate to set them. I really only draw the line when he's attempting to do things that would hurt him. I let him get as messy and silly as he likes, as long as it's relatively safe. I don't know if what he has is just typical toddler anger about this, or if he's got some issues already, but MAN can he throw a fit. Usually he knows when he's planning something that he's not supposed to be doing. He'll stare me down, just daring me to say the "NO" word again. And when I oblige, he will take out his anger on whatever is close. He'll grab a stick and slam it into the ground a few times, grunting with loud, obvious displeasure. It's really kind of comical, but the last thing you're allowed to do as a parent is laugh at inappropriate times, I'm learning. It only reinforces the bad behavior ten-fold. Sometimes though, it will cut through his temporary bad mood and he'll let a little smile leak out. And then we're off to the next wild adventure.
And so it goes until it's time to go inside. I can usually trick him into getting close to the house without catching on. But as soon as the lightbulb goes on, it's every man for himself. He'll turn and try to bowl me over getting away from the evil door. Luckily, I'm still stronger, and I'm forced to manhandle him and carry him over the threshold. Actually, most of the time it's all I can do to keep from dropping him. He'll twist and punch and kick and scream. It's crazy! Then once we're in and I take off his coat, he'll use 110% of his drama abilities and throw himself forcefully (and yet somehow gracefully) to the floor. Tears streak down his little cheeks by the gallon. After a few seconds though, he'll stand up and find something to do, or he'll come over for a hug before charging off to find his books.
Oh! And he's getting to be a real Einstein! He can already match his animals up on his sound puzzles on the first try. And when I ask him what a cow says (or if he sees a picture of one), he'll go "Ooooooooo" in his best moo-ing attempt. It's great :) I know I tell bad stories on him, but he really is a lot of fun lately. I'll get on the floor and crawl around the house chasing him, and spring out from behind doors, causing him to shriek with laughter and run stiff-legged down the hallway with his arms waving in the air. He never tires of that game, it seems. And he's getting good at learning some tasks. If I ask him to take something to Daddy, he'll go find him and deposit whatever thing he shouldn't have had in the first place (his favorite thing is to take the remote controls far far away from the rooms they should be in). And he loves to steal chairs. If he sees Andy get up from his seat, he bolts over and flops into it with a huge smile. It takes a small miracle to get it back after that.
But I guess that's all the news for now. Everyone root for the STEELERS in the superbowl, okay??!!!
1.19.2006
Hospital "Fun"
Well, the EEG went better than I thought. He was pretty upset at having to be held still while they connected all the electrodes, but there was no pain involved at all. And eventually he went to sleep since he was so exhausted. It was smooth sailing after that. It took about 20 minutes to hook everything up, and they ran it for 25 or so. We won't have the results until next week at best, but I'm fairly sure everything was normal. Pictures of our exciting day:
1.11.2006
Lessons
This week has been busy so far for all of us. Monday, I got a call from day care (never good news) that his ear was draining and he was fussy. So I knew his ear infection was back. Luckily I could get him into the doctor that afternoon. Sure enough, both his ears were pretty bad off again, after just receiving a clean bill of health last Friday. So we went to the pharmacy and picked up some prescriptions. He was busy chatting and flirting with some ladies there and capturing everyone's attention, which at least distracted him from wanting to get down and run through the aisles.
So we went home and did the usual dinnertime/playtime/bedtime routine, and all was well. I gave him his antibiotic drop in his ear at dinner, and his oral antibiotics with his bottle before bed to make sure he got it all. He slept for a couple hours, and everything was normal. At 9:15, I heard the familiar crying start. I went to check on him and picked him up so I could give him some pain medicine. I knew he was pretty uncomfortable laying down with that one ear draining. I tried giving him the medicine, and he took it, but something seemed wrong. And his whole body was jerking strangely, not sharp movements but smooth, every few seconds. His eyes were a little bit open, but not focused on anything, and puffy. His crying started getting muffled and robotic. He wasn't really acknowledging me, and seemed so far away and confused. I tried giving him a bottle to calm him down, but he wouldn't even let it into his mouth, like he didn't know it was there.
Worried that he was having a reaction to the medicine, we headed to the ER. I sat in the back and held him. The jerking wasn't as pronounced by now, but he was screaming and acting so strangely. By the time we got there, he had stopped jerking as much, just small tremors now and then. The chaos in the ER intrigued him enough that he stopped crying, but he still seemed so out of it. The doctor didn't find anything wrong with him, even though to me he was still not acting like himself. The doc thought that he probably had a reaction to the medicine and told me not to give him anything until I talked to his pediatrition the next day.
Long story short (or not so short, it seems) she thinks he may have had a small seizure and wants to get some testing done on him to -hopefully- find out what caused it. So he goes in to have an EEG next Wednesday. But the good news is that he has been perfectly fine since then and doesn't seem any worse for the wear. Me, on the otherhand...I'm tired and worried. He's waking up a lot at night, probably just because of his ears, and every time I run in to make sure everything is okay with a sick feeling in my stomach. Besides some colds and viruses, he's always been so healthy. I've just taken that for granted, I think. Now all of a sudden I feel like he's so vulnerable, like danger is waiting around every corner to invade his tiny fragile body somehow.
It's like that feeling when you have a small fender bender, and for weeks afterward it feels like every car you pass will come into contact with you. And then after some time when everything has gone okay, you start to feel invincible again. You take a little more risks, you worry a little bit less, because those emotions aren't as fresh in your mind.
So hopefully in a few weeks, after all the tests confirm that he is as healthy as I know in my heart he is, I will feel like we're invincible again. And all these horrible worst-scenario thoughts that creep into my head unwillingly will fall to the earth and shatter. But for now, I let him stay up a few more minutes if he's not tired. For now, I mutter a little less under my breath when he wakes up too many times during the night. And for now, I cherish every smile a little more than usual, the way I should every day, when I'm too busy to stop and notice how lucky I am.
So we went home and did the usual dinnertime/playtime/bedtime routine, and all was well. I gave him his antibiotic drop in his ear at dinner, and his oral antibiotics with his bottle before bed to make sure he got it all. He slept for a couple hours, and everything was normal. At 9:15, I heard the familiar crying start. I went to check on him and picked him up so I could give him some pain medicine. I knew he was pretty uncomfortable laying down with that one ear draining. I tried giving him the medicine, and he took it, but something seemed wrong. And his whole body was jerking strangely, not sharp movements but smooth, every few seconds. His eyes were a little bit open, but not focused on anything, and puffy. His crying started getting muffled and robotic. He wasn't really acknowledging me, and seemed so far away and confused. I tried giving him a bottle to calm him down, but he wouldn't even let it into his mouth, like he didn't know it was there.
Worried that he was having a reaction to the medicine, we headed to the ER. I sat in the back and held him. The jerking wasn't as pronounced by now, but he was screaming and acting so strangely. By the time we got there, he had stopped jerking as much, just small tremors now and then. The chaos in the ER intrigued him enough that he stopped crying, but he still seemed so out of it. The doctor didn't find anything wrong with him, even though to me he was still not acting like himself. The doc thought that he probably had a reaction to the medicine and told me not to give him anything until I talked to his pediatrition the next day.
Long story short (or not so short, it seems) she thinks he may have had a small seizure and wants to get some testing done on him to -hopefully- find out what caused it. So he goes in to have an EEG next Wednesday. But the good news is that he has been perfectly fine since then and doesn't seem any worse for the wear. Me, on the otherhand...I'm tired and worried. He's waking up a lot at night, probably just because of his ears, and every time I run in to make sure everything is okay with a sick feeling in my stomach. Besides some colds and viruses, he's always been so healthy. I've just taken that for granted, I think. Now all of a sudden I feel like he's so vulnerable, like danger is waiting around every corner to invade his tiny fragile body somehow.
It's like that feeling when you have a small fender bender, and for weeks afterward it feels like every car you pass will come into contact with you. And then after some time when everything has gone okay, you start to feel invincible again. You take a little more risks, you worry a little bit less, because those emotions aren't as fresh in your mind.
So hopefully in a few weeks, after all the tests confirm that he is as healthy as I know in my heart he is, I will feel like we're invincible again. And all these horrible worst-scenario thoughts that creep into my head unwillingly will fall to the earth and shatter. But for now, I let him stay up a few more minutes if he's not tired. For now, I mutter a little less under my breath when he wakes up too many times during the night. And for now, I cherish every smile a little more than usual, the way I should every day, when I'm too busy to stop and notice how lucky I am.
1.09.2006
The Road to the Superbowl!
First, and most importantly, I have to send out a huge YEAH!!!! for the Steelers and their win yesterday. Brent was in his Big Ben jersey cheering alongside of us. He looked so cute! I didn't put any pants on him since it was so hot out by the woodstove, and the jersey goes down to his knees, so it was funny watching him prance around with his chubby little legs. Whenever we got excited about the game, he would join in, punching his fist into the air and trying his best to copy us. Good little man!
Of course, I made sure to wash his Steelers sweatshirt so he could wear it to daycare this morning (someone has to offset all those Redskin kids). But as soon as I got him buckled up in the car he promptly threw up all over it. That was a fun surprise :/ I think his tummy (which he can proudly point out when asked now) has been a little upset the last day or so. All he wanted to do is veg out in the recliner with me and watch tv. Normally I would have been thrilled to be lazy, but I actually wanted to get some work done around the house. Go figure. But as soon as the game started I passed him off (along with the recliner) to Andy and I got a little done in between plays.
All in all, it was a great weekend. And the doctors visit went well on Friday too. His ear infections are gone (for now), but he had a little runny nose that was causing fluid to build up in his ear and may lead to one. So I had to keep him on a decongestant all weekend, which I don't normally like to do. Not that I like wiping his nose every five minutes either, but I really feel like it's best to let the body fight its own battles as long as it isn't bothering him. So as a side effect, he took a lot of long naps, which wasn't so bad for me. Andy and I got some firewood cut during them (thank God for baby monitors) and I got some welcome fresh air. I tried taking him out for a while yesterday, but he was a little cranky about it, so that didn't last too long.
It's supposed to be in the high 50s/low 60s all week here, I'm so excited! I hope he gets to go outside and play at daycare, now that he can finally do something besides be pushed in the swing.
I'll get some pictures soon, I promise! I had fun with his hair, gelling and spiking it yesterday. It actually turned out pretty cute, depsite him trying to "help" (aka: flatten it) as I was doing it.
I spent some time trying to video tape him on this ancient camera we have. It was pretty funny - he watched me take the lens cap off when I started, so for the longest time he just kept trying to put it back on ("helpful" as he is of course). So the video just keeps showing him walking toward the camera and putting the cover on and off. But he had the cutest intent expression that I couldn't help taping it. He really is quite the helper these days. This morning he saw me putting on my shoes, so he kept wandering the house bringing me as many shoes as he could find. I made the mistake of being super thankful and praising him for the first couple, so I may have created a monster. But hey...he's my monster :)
Of course, I made sure to wash his Steelers sweatshirt so he could wear it to daycare this morning (someone has to offset all those Redskin kids). But as soon as I got him buckled up in the car he promptly threw up all over it. That was a fun surprise :/ I think his tummy (which he can proudly point out when asked now) has been a little upset the last day or so. All he wanted to do is veg out in the recliner with me and watch tv. Normally I would have been thrilled to be lazy, but I actually wanted to get some work done around the house. Go figure. But as soon as the game started I passed him off (along with the recliner) to Andy and I got a little done in between plays.
All in all, it was a great weekend. And the doctors visit went well on Friday too. His ear infections are gone (for now), but he had a little runny nose that was causing fluid to build up in his ear and may lead to one. So I had to keep him on a decongestant all weekend, which I don't normally like to do. Not that I like wiping his nose every five minutes either, but I really feel like it's best to let the body fight its own battles as long as it isn't bothering him. So as a side effect, he took a lot of long naps, which wasn't so bad for me. Andy and I got some firewood cut during them (thank God for baby monitors) and I got some welcome fresh air. I tried taking him out for a while yesterday, but he was a little cranky about it, so that didn't last too long.
It's supposed to be in the high 50s/low 60s all week here, I'm so excited! I hope he gets to go outside and play at daycare, now that he can finally do something besides be pushed in the swing.
I'll get some pictures soon, I promise! I had fun with his hair, gelling and spiking it yesterday. It actually turned out pretty cute, depsite him trying to "help" (aka: flatten it) as I was doing it.
I spent some time trying to video tape him on this ancient camera we have. It was pretty funny - he watched me take the lens cap off when I started, so for the longest time he just kept trying to put it back on ("helpful" as he is of course). So the video just keeps showing him walking toward the camera and putting the cover on and off. But he had the cutest intent expression that I couldn't help taping it. He really is quite the helper these days. This morning he saw me putting on my shoes, so he kept wandering the house bringing me as many shoes as he could find. I made the mistake of being super thankful and praising him for the first couple, so I may have created a monster. But hey...he's my monster :)
1.06.2006
Well, we're one week into the New Year already. One can only dream as to what lies ahead this year.
Brent is walking (and running) like a pro now! He walks himself into and out of daycare, and back and forth to the car when we go out (minus the steps, where he will stand and wait for me to lift him up or down them and kick his feet up in the air all the while). Of course all this walking had me thinking last weekend when we were shopping. Why couldn't I just let him walk instead of riding in the basket, and I would just hold his hand to keep him out of trouble. It was a beautiful plan, with wonderful visions of letting him explore the stores, bright eyed and curious. And then of course on the way home he would nap contentedly from all his adventures.
And as usual, I am always shocked to find out how much I still have to learn about parenting this child. The worst part wasn't the fact that he screamed every time I tried to get him to hold my hand, or that he would lay down in the middle of the aisle and cry if I wouldn't let him touch and destroy everything, or that he kept running away at every turn. I mean, all that happened in the first five minutes. And since my wonderful visions were hopelessly shattered, I knew I would have to go back to letting him ride in the cart. Only...and THIS is the worst part...there IS NO GOING BACK. Riding in the cart is not acceptable anymore, now that he's seen all the adventures that wait for him on the floor. So now I've lost one of my cherished items, the well-behaved shopping experience. He was such a joy to take out anywhere, and now I've ruined it. Well, hopefully it is repairable, but it will mean some public battles, which I'm not looking forward to.
But otherwise, I do love his curiosity and sense of adventure. And everyone that passed looked at him like he was the most darling thing, with his staggering heavy walk and wide eyed expression. And who could resist, anyways. He is adorable, even when he's being a little devil. Sometimes, though I hate to admit it, he is most adorable at those times, with his mischevious expression and sneaky eyes.
The toys he loves most these days are his wooden animal sound puzzles, which he plays with for at least an hour every night, and his VERY LOUD drum synthesizer machine, which my Mom (God love her) gave him for Christmas. The drumsticks are out in the living room, as they are best used for smacking people in the leg, or the television screen. And his favorite things to do is carry cans of food from the kitchen and put them in the dryer, one by one...or take the gloves we use for the woodstove and take them down the hallway to deposit them into the bathtub. I haven't figured that one out yet, but they are pretty dirty, so maybe he's onto something there. He's also teaching me to fold the clothes and put them away when they're done, as when they're left on the floor in a laundry basket, he will go over and just start throwing them in every direction.
It's a good thing he makes up for all these things though. When I pick him up first thing in the morning, he will lay his head on my shoulder for a few minutes and just let me hug him. And when I walk through the door at day care, he will drop whatever he's doing to run over to me, with his head leaned back, and his eyes squinted, and a cute little goofy beaver-kind of smile on his face. Those are the best times. They make up for a lot. In fact, he could probably be even be a little more devilish, but don't tell him that :)
Brent is walking (and running) like a pro now! He walks himself into and out of daycare, and back and forth to the car when we go out (minus the steps, where he will stand and wait for me to lift him up or down them and kick his feet up in the air all the while). Of course all this walking had me thinking last weekend when we were shopping. Why couldn't I just let him walk instead of riding in the basket, and I would just hold his hand to keep him out of trouble. It was a beautiful plan, with wonderful visions of letting him explore the stores, bright eyed and curious. And then of course on the way home he would nap contentedly from all his adventures.
And as usual, I am always shocked to find out how much I still have to learn about parenting this child. The worst part wasn't the fact that he screamed every time I tried to get him to hold my hand, or that he would lay down in the middle of the aisle and cry if I wouldn't let him touch and destroy everything, or that he kept running away at every turn. I mean, all that happened in the first five minutes. And since my wonderful visions were hopelessly shattered, I knew I would have to go back to letting him ride in the cart. Only...and THIS is the worst part...there IS NO GOING BACK. Riding in the cart is not acceptable anymore, now that he's seen all the adventures that wait for him on the floor. So now I've lost one of my cherished items, the well-behaved shopping experience. He was such a joy to take out anywhere, and now I've ruined it. Well, hopefully it is repairable, but it will mean some public battles, which I'm not looking forward to.
But otherwise, I do love his curiosity and sense of adventure. And everyone that passed looked at him like he was the most darling thing, with his staggering heavy walk and wide eyed expression. And who could resist, anyways. He is adorable, even when he's being a little devil. Sometimes, though I hate to admit it, he is most adorable at those times, with his mischevious expression and sneaky eyes.
The toys he loves most these days are his wooden animal sound puzzles, which he plays with for at least an hour every night, and his VERY LOUD drum synthesizer machine, which my Mom (God love her) gave him for Christmas. The drumsticks are out in the living room, as they are best used for smacking people in the leg, or the television screen. And his favorite things to do is carry cans of food from the kitchen and put them in the dryer, one by one...or take the gloves we use for the woodstove and take them down the hallway to deposit them into the bathtub. I haven't figured that one out yet, but they are pretty dirty, so maybe he's onto something there. He's also teaching me to fold the clothes and put them away when they're done, as when they're left on the floor in a laundry basket, he will go over and just start throwing them in every direction.
It's a good thing he makes up for all these things though. When I pick him up first thing in the morning, he will lay his head on my shoulder for a few minutes and just let me hug him. And when I walk through the door at day care, he will drop whatever he's doing to run over to me, with his head leaned back, and his eyes squinted, and a cute little goofy beaver-kind of smile on his face. Those are the best times. They make up for a lot. In fact, he could probably be even be a little more devilish, but don't tell him that :)
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