Bottles: 0; Sippy Cups: 4
I've packed all the bottles & nipples up and he hasn't even asked or looked for them ONCE.
I say Operation: Get Rid of that Bottle is a major success.
Thursday, January 31, 2008
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
18 Month Check-in
We had our 18 Month Check-in today & here are the little Liam Fellow's stats:
Height: 34" - 3/4" growth
Weight: 24.3 - less than a pound gain
Head Circumference: 19 1/4" - 1/4" growth
There is no concern about his weight since he is tall & healthy. There is concern about getting him off the bottle, which he has now become attached to - my new plan will be to fill all his cups up in the morning & put them back in the fridge, when it's drink time, he will choose his own from the already filled cups. This came to me this morning after putting a toddler cup with milk in the fridge last night that I knew he wasn't going to drink...this morning we opened the fridge for milk & he grabbed the cup out & drank it no problems. This way he can make his own decision without a bottle being in sight. I will also take his bottles out of his drawer so that he simply does not see them anymore.
I got asked the ominous question of "can he stack 3-4 blocks" and was able to answer a secure, resounding YES to that one! Score One for Mama! The whole "body parts" question was approved since he can point out MY body parts but only his own belly & man parts - there's no concern that he has zero awareness of his own nose at this point.
There was a long wait between seeing the doctor & getting our shots and during that time we had one of biggest little melt-downs to date. He just wanted to go to the car and put some clothes on and he cried big crocodile tears about it & wailed away about it - all of which I let him do (no amount of calming helped him) so that maybe they would hear him & hurry their asses up. He got a TB test since we traveled to Argentina & couldn't receive his chicken pox vaccine because those two conflict so when we go back on Friday (oh yay!) he will get his TB checked & his chicken pox. Fun times. Thankfully, Dada has volunteered to come with this time. He was a clingy little koala bear to me though throughout the whole immunization process which was endearing but made it wholly impossible to get out of there and to the CAR with any ease.
He's got a touch of eczema (that's what the rough patch was during his infection) so we have been advised to switch soaps & go with the Dove non-scented/non-perfumed liquid variety and move on up to the Adult Washing Supplies and further away from my little Wee Nino Johnson & Johnson Lavender Scented Goodness we have been using.
That's about all, I think, I have to report back on that :) I did successfully give him another toddler (elmo!) cup when we got home though so at the moment the score is:
Bottles: 0; Sippy Cups: 2 for the day!
Height: 34" - 3/4" growth
Weight: 24.3 - less than a pound gain
Head Circumference: 19 1/4" - 1/4" growth
There is no concern about his weight since he is tall & healthy. There is concern about getting him off the bottle, which he has now become attached to - my new plan will be to fill all his cups up in the morning & put them back in the fridge, when it's drink time, he will choose his own from the already filled cups. This came to me this morning after putting a toddler cup with milk in the fridge last night that I knew he wasn't going to drink...this morning we opened the fridge for milk & he grabbed the cup out & drank it no problems. This way he can make his own decision without a bottle being in sight. I will also take his bottles out of his drawer so that he simply does not see them anymore.
I got asked the ominous question of "can he stack 3-4 blocks" and was able to answer a secure, resounding YES to that one! Score One for Mama! The whole "body parts" question was approved since he can point out MY body parts but only his own belly & man parts - there's no concern that he has zero awareness of his own nose at this point.
There was a long wait between seeing the doctor & getting our shots and during that time we had one of biggest little melt-downs to date. He just wanted to go to the car and put some clothes on and he cried big crocodile tears about it & wailed away about it - all of which I let him do (no amount of calming helped him) so that maybe they would hear him & hurry their asses up. He got a TB test since we traveled to Argentina & couldn't receive his chicken pox vaccine because those two conflict so when we go back on Friday (oh yay!) he will get his TB checked & his chicken pox. Fun times. Thankfully, Dada has volunteered to come with this time. He was a clingy little koala bear to me though throughout the whole immunization process which was endearing but made it wholly impossible to get out of there and to the CAR with any ease.
He's got a touch of eczema (that's what the rough patch was during his infection) so we have been advised to switch soaps & go with the Dove non-scented/non-perfumed liquid variety and move on up to the Adult Washing Supplies and further away from my little Wee Nino Johnson & Johnson Lavender Scented Goodness we have been using.
That's about all, I think, I have to report back on that :) I did successfully give him another toddler (elmo!) cup when we got home though so at the moment the score is:
Bottles: 0; Sippy Cups: 2 for the day!
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
Monday, January 28, 2008
Look! The Moon is chasing me...
Liam discovered the moon last week during the full moon cycle & he gets so giddy pointing it out to us in the sky at night, I love it...
In his ABC album I made him, I used a moon picture for M & now he sits & calls it "moon" every time he flips to that page. He's even started to call his Earth picture a moon :)
His vocabulary is coming along nicely, I think he is a little on the shy side so he's a boy of few words but his gibberish is expanding too! Liam is one to choose context over content any day - meaning he will use his words properly and not just repeat a random word out of context. He calls a cat a cat & a banana a banana, you know? He has also really grasped the concept of Water & will sign it whenever he spots any source of water - if he sees rain on a video, a pond, a pool, if you have the faucet running, etc.
In his ABC album I made him, I used a moon picture for M & now he sits & calls it "moon" every time he flips to that page. He's even started to call his Earth picture a moon :)
His vocabulary is coming along nicely, I think he is a little on the shy side so he's a boy of few words but his gibberish is expanding too! Liam is one to choose context over content any day - meaning he will use his words properly and not just repeat a random word out of context. He calls a cat a cat & a banana a banana, you know? He has also really grasped the concept of Water & will sign it whenever he spots any source of water - if he sees rain on a video, a pond, a pool, if you have the faucet running, etc.
Thursday, January 24, 2008
Playing With Himself
My Little Big Boy has really started to get the hang of this Self Play business every one talks about. He's reading out loud to himself here but that Path of Destruction that is beyond him is just the calm before the storm - this Hurricane Season is not over yet, folks.
Mr. Destructo strikes again.
admit it, Mom, you thought I was going somewhere else with that subject title.
Too Smart for His Own Good; The Grocery Store Edition
Liam's a Watcher, an Observer, a Studier. Then he's a Doer & a Helper, no doubt about it.
Lately, he's been catching on to Things You Do in Steps; his favorite being the Grocery Store Check-Out.
He will now help load things onto the belt, calling the item by name, if he knows it & it's all very helpful until he tries to load something like the milk & then we all get a little nervous. I let him try & offer my help with the larger or more delicate things (think eggs) but he's very determined to do it all on his own, which I do let him do with as much hovering as he will tolerate.
Now he has to hand the discount card to the cashier & shows his disapproval if you happen to forget this step & usually it's me forgetting since Dada was the one who taught him how to do it so I have to apologize & hand it over so he can hand it back to the cashier who always, very nicely, re-swipes it for his pleasure.
Beyond having to be in charge of the discount card, he now has to swipe the credit card through the machine all on his own or else the wrath you will face is much stronger than when you simply forgot to let him swipe the discount card. It's not pretty, folks. And you pretty much know you're up a river since you cannot very well swipe it again without messing with your transaction. Typically, when Mama has forgotten this Cardinal Rule the cashier is nice enough (we have some regulars who are very friendly with Liam and accommodate his cuteness) to pretend to swipe the card for him themselves.
And again, it was Dada who taught & encouraged this new behavior but Mama who always forgets cause she's too busy arranging everything else occuring at the same time so often times I simply forget to let someone else be in charge. I'm trying to be better about letting him participate outside the house - he's involved in everything we do around here (save sweeping & litter box changing [but that's another story actually]) so it's only natural that it begin to extend outside the home, I'm just [once again] slow on the uptake; whereas my son is light years ahead of me & will probably figure out my forgotten ATM PIN long before I do.
Lately, he's been catching on to Things You Do in Steps; his favorite being the Grocery Store Check-Out.
He will now help load things onto the belt, calling the item by name, if he knows it & it's all very helpful until he tries to load something like the milk & then we all get a little nervous. I let him try & offer my help with the larger or more delicate things (think eggs) but he's very determined to do it all on his own, which I do let him do with as much hovering as he will tolerate.
Now he has to hand the discount card to the cashier & shows his disapproval if you happen to forget this step & usually it's me forgetting since Dada was the one who taught him how to do it so I have to apologize & hand it over so he can hand it back to the cashier who always, very nicely, re-swipes it for his pleasure.
Beyond having to be in charge of the discount card, he now has to swipe the credit card through the machine all on his own or else the wrath you will face is much stronger than when you simply forgot to let him swipe the discount card. It's not pretty, folks. And you pretty much know you're up a river since you cannot very well swipe it again without messing with your transaction. Typically, when Mama has forgotten this Cardinal Rule the cashier is nice enough (we have some regulars who are very friendly with Liam and accommodate his cuteness) to pretend to swipe the card for him themselves.
And again, it was Dada who taught & encouraged this new behavior but Mama who always forgets cause she's too busy arranging everything else occuring at the same time so often times I simply forget to let someone else be in charge. I'm trying to be better about letting him participate outside the house - he's involved in everything we do around here (save sweeping & litter box changing [but that's another story actually]) so it's only natural that it begin to extend outside the home, I'm just [once again] slow on the uptake; whereas my son is light years ahead of me & will probably figure out my forgotten ATM PIN long before I do.
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
A New Developement I'm Not So Thrilled With
In recent weeks, Liam has taken to throwing things at Mystic & I am not too pleased about this, for many reasons.
1) She's my cat
2) She's old - 15 1/2
3) She's sick - diabetic
4) She's not too thrilled about this
He usually throws his Leap Frog Fridge animals at her while she's eating on the other side of the baby/cat-be-safe gate & his aim is unusually good; hitting her about 1/2 the time and usually right about the head. Not good! When he's downstairs with her he tends to throw discs at her; granted those probably hurt a lot less but with some good trajectory he has been able to smack her square in the face, at short range, with good speed.
I fail to be able to 'punish' him accordingly because it really upsets me so I have passed this task onto Dada to handle without being as emotional about it as I appear to be. We've taken away his magnet set & have limited his access to discs but he enjoys putting them in the disc drive so there's that to contend with also. Monkey seems to have escaped this attention simply by becoming a recluse & not leaving the confines of a safe compound found upstairs far behind the baby/cat-be-safe gate; thus making him a somewhat lonely & Needy (yes, a capital N) Monkers when naptime & nightnight times roll around.
Beyond the obvious "take the offending items away" & telling him "no throw at Mystic" does anyone have any suggestions for our little Fellow?
1) She's my cat
2) She's old - 15 1/2
3) She's sick - diabetic
4) She's not too thrilled about this
He usually throws his Leap Frog Fridge animals at her while she's eating on the other side of the baby/cat-be-safe gate & his aim is unusually good; hitting her about 1/2 the time and usually right about the head. Not good! When he's downstairs with her he tends to throw discs at her; granted those probably hurt a lot less but with some good trajectory he has been able to smack her square in the face, at short range, with good speed.
I fail to be able to 'punish' him accordingly because it really upsets me so I have passed this task onto Dada to handle without being as emotional about it as I appear to be. We've taken away his magnet set & have limited his access to discs but he enjoys putting them in the disc drive so there's that to contend with also. Monkey seems to have escaped this attention simply by becoming a recluse & not leaving the confines of a safe compound found upstairs far behind the baby/cat-be-safe gate; thus making him a somewhat lonely & Needy (yes, a capital N) Monkers when naptime & nightnight times roll around.
Beyond the obvious "take the offending items away" & telling him "no throw at Mystic" does anyone have any suggestions for our little Fellow?
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
Lost: One Monorail Train
One little boy searches for his lost monorail train -
Don't fret - Mama moved the ottoman & retrieved it for him!
Don't fret - Mama moved the ottoman & retrieved it for him!
Praise
Liam received the Light & Sound Town from Constructive Play for Christmas & he LOVES the snot out of this toy. His favorite part of this is the monorail train that is magnetic & pulls itself up the other side of the mountain (unseen) to shoot through the tunnel, repeat...
Sometime last week the train stop pulling itself up the mountain but was still sticking to it & then earlier today the car stopped going around the track. Total bummer. And the Fellow was bummed about the situation - constantly, nicely, asking me to make the train go when it wouldn't preform for him after pushing the little orange lever. Sadness abounded!
I looked on the website & found a 'orders inquiry' email & an 'all other inquiries' email so I emailed the 'all others' last week and didn't hear anything back from them. I emailed Nana! & Grandpa last night to see if Santa left a manual or product information card with the toy over Christmas and he hadn't but they also didn't have any fix it suggestions for me so I decided to email the 'orders inquiry' email and see where that got me. If they told me to email the 'all others' I could safely proclaim 'no response in a week' & then see if that got me anywhere.
Turns out I didn't need to take it any further! Within five minutes I had received an email from them stating all they needed was a zip code & last name where the product was delivered & they would send me a REPLACEMENT along with a paid return shipping label for the defective product! HURRAY!!
All of this happened within 10 minutes as I emailed them back with the needed information & a new toy is on its way today! I'm really happy & appreciative that they took such quick action with barely any information needed & I will gladly order from them again & highly suggest this toy, especially, to anyone out there with a little busy body who loves trains & cars and little things to make them go. The price is really good for all the happiness this has brought Liam & I'm even more thankful that it's all being taken care of so easily!
Go forth & purchase from Constructive Play!
Sometime last week the train stop pulling itself up the mountain but was still sticking to it & then earlier today the car stopped going around the track. Total bummer. And the Fellow was bummed about the situation - constantly, nicely, asking me to make the train go when it wouldn't preform for him after pushing the little orange lever. Sadness abounded!I looked on the website & found a 'orders inquiry' email & an 'all other inquiries' email so I emailed the 'all others' last week and didn't hear anything back from them. I emailed Nana! & Grandpa last night to see if Santa left a manual or product information card with the toy over Christmas and he hadn't but they also didn't have any fix it suggestions for me so I decided to email the 'orders inquiry' email and see where that got me. If they told me to email the 'all others' I could safely proclaim 'no response in a week' & then see if that got me anywhere.
Turns out I didn't need to take it any further! Within five minutes I had received an email from them stating all they needed was a zip code & last name where the product was delivered & they would send me a REPLACEMENT along with a paid return shipping label for the defective product! HURRAY!!
All of this happened within 10 minutes as I emailed them back with the needed information & a new toy is on its way today! I'm really happy & appreciative that they took such quick action with barely any information needed & I will gladly order from them again & highly suggest this toy, especially, to anyone out there with a little busy body who loves trains & cars and little things to make them go. The price is really good for all the happiness this has brought Liam & I'm even more thankful that it's all being taken care of so easily!
Go forth & purchase from Constructive Play!
Monday, January 21, 2008
Too Smart for His Own Good; the Chupie Edition
Liam has 4 chupies that [are supposed to] stay in his crib after we get him out. We just throw them down after he's been picked up & there they stay until another sleep. Pretty simple, right?
He's got a blankie that he sleeps with & a thick blanket that I line the crib with to stave off the coldness from the cotton sheets - so usually his chupies are on the blanket.
When we play in his room & upstairs, he goes into his crib through the rails & grabs for his chupies - the new Too Smart for His Own Good twist on this is that now when the chupies are out of reach & on his blanket he just pulls the blanket through the rails until the blanket brings the chupies within reach!
In my mind this shows a lot of thought & action/reaction thinking on his part ~ first he knows he cannot reach it & without asking us for help he deduced how to get it on his own. He knew that by pulling the blanket, it would bring his chupie closer & that he would reach his goal. Gone are the days were he has to ask for big help with these things & can now sit & figure out for himself how to obtain his goal.
Of course, like every Mother, I just think he's brilliant but it is really exciting to watch it happen right before your eyes & I'm always thinking that he's doing these things way ahead of schedule but I fear it's just way ahead of my schedule!
He's got a blankie that he sleeps with & a thick blanket that I line the crib with to stave off the coldness from the cotton sheets - so usually his chupies are on the blanket.
When we play in his room & upstairs, he goes into his crib through the rails & grabs for his chupies - the new Too Smart for His Own Good twist on this is that now when the chupies are out of reach & on his blanket he just pulls the blanket through the rails until the blanket brings the chupies within reach!
In my mind this shows a lot of thought & action/reaction thinking on his part ~ first he knows he cannot reach it & without asking us for help he deduced how to get it on his own. He knew that by pulling the blanket, it would bring his chupie closer & that he would reach his goal. Gone are the days were he has to ask for big help with these things & can now sit & figure out for himself how to obtain his goal.
Of course, like every Mother, I just think he's brilliant but it is really exciting to watch it happen right before your eyes & I'm always thinking that he's doing these things way ahead of schedule but I fear it's just way ahead of my schedule!
Saturday, January 19, 2008
Thursday, January 17, 2008
Now with More Whine!
The whining today is really, seriously about to push me over the edge. Just about 11 hours of straight whining every single time he opens his mouth. And there's nothing wrong, well minus the whole issue that he cannot go outside any single time he pleases not ONLY because it's snowing but also BELOW freezing & you just got over a infection that included a 103 temp.
Driving me nuts. My jaw is killing me from clenching my teeth & now I have a headache because of it. He finally calmed down but would only 'allow' me to sit on the couch or else the whine would return for me to do something else that we were not going to do.
Like watch another video. Or throw puzzle pieces at Mystic. Or play in the pantry. Or the fridge.
New Rule: No videos on the TV or computer before 9am and after 6pm.
He's got plenty of awesome toys & he needs to play with them.
(can you hear me saying that to him fifty million times with my jaw clenched shut?)
Driving me nuts. My jaw is killing me from clenching my teeth & now I have a headache because of it. He finally calmed down but would only 'allow' me to sit on the couch or else the whine would return for me to do something else that we were not going to do.
Like watch another video. Or throw puzzle pieces at Mystic. Or play in the pantry. Or the fridge.
New Rule: No videos on the TV or computer before 9am and after 6pm.
He's got plenty of awesome toys & he needs to play with them.
(can you hear me saying that to him fifty million times with my jaw clenched shut?)
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
Now with More Snot
Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing - Photo Books
Mystic snuggled right up with him (yes, that's considered snuggling for Mystic) and insisted on a blankie for herself (I'm so not even kidding here) and sat with the Fellow for a morning cat nap! His hair is a mess because it is encrusted with snot. But he's happy & charming, as usual so I'll take it!
And plus, don't we all need a snuggle with a kitty cat when feeling particularly snotty?
And plus, don't we all need a snuggle with a kitty cat when feeling particularly snotty?
Stuck in the Moment with You
While in Argentina we discovered a line of popular music converted into "baby music" & had to have the U2 for Babies - I've had it in the CD player since we got home but we rarely make it through the 3 Liam CDs that currently reside in there so I haven't played it in a while...
It came on this morning & Liam is ENTHRALLED. Even to the point of going to his music set & pulling everything out to play along! And I could just get all weepy over it, you know?
It came on this morning & Liam is ENTHRALLED. Even to the point of going to his music set & pulling everything out to play along! And I could just get all weepy over it, you know?
What Day is it?
Thankfully, Liam slept through the night last night in his own room!! I think this is our road back to normal. I honestly don't know what day it is & the whole house has been running off of very little sleep since Friday but I think we are on the mend!
He's got some funky hair - we are guessing it's loaded & stiff with snot. Lovely. His PJ top had a ton of snot on it this morning as reported by Dada. He's doing a little mouth-breathing but I cleaned his passage ways out pretty good with a nice warm facecloth so I hope he's all clear to breathe a little better today.
I feel much better myself - getting an uninterrupted nights' sleep really does do wonders for your own mental health & your ability to deal with a toddler who also isn't napping well. He really wanted to go full force yesterday but I knew he wasn't ready so he would go 100% for about 5 minutes going bat-shit crazy then crash out for the next 1/2 hour or so. I am hoping he gets his appetite back today too!
P.S. The quarter sized rash on his belly is winter eczema not Roseloa! That's pretty much cleared up also, thankfully.
He's got some funky hair - we are guessing it's loaded & stiff with snot. Lovely. His PJ top had a ton of snot on it this morning as reported by Dada. He's doing a little mouth-breathing but I cleaned his passage ways out pretty good with a nice warm facecloth so I hope he's all clear to breathe a little better today.
I feel much better myself - getting an uninterrupted nights' sleep really does do wonders for your own mental health & your ability to deal with a toddler who also isn't napping well. He really wanted to go full force yesterday but I knew he wasn't ready so he would go 100% for about 5 minutes going bat-shit crazy then crash out for the next 1/2 hour or so. I am hoping he gets his appetite back today too!
P.S. The quarter sized rash on his belly is winter eczema not Roseloa! That's pretty much cleared up also, thankfully.
Monday, January 14, 2008
Extended Hours
Thankfully our doctor does extended hours tonight for Liam's fever, which had abated all the way down to 98.8 has risen this evening to 103.1!
He was doing fine today - took his regular sized nap - but then got lethargic around 5pm. Lethargic to the point of falling asleep in my arms. When he woke up he was warm but we couldn't tell if it was body heat from sleeping tuckled up against me. Matias took his temp while changing him 20 minutes later to discover his temp had risen the highest yet over the last 3 days.
We are going to the doctor in about 30 minutes - I will keep y'all posted.
I wish they had something earlier but am SO SO SO thankful that they have anything at all tonight & we aren't faced with the emergency room.
EDITED: He doesn't have strept but it is a viral infection. Nothing they can do for him except let it run its course & Motrin. His cough is horrible though makes me cringe every time I hear it.
He was doing fine today - took his regular sized nap - but then got lethargic around 5pm. Lethargic to the point of falling asleep in my arms. When he woke up he was warm but we couldn't tell if it was body heat from sleeping tuckled up against me. Matias took his temp while changing him 20 minutes later to discover his temp had risen the highest yet over the last 3 days.
We are going to the doctor in about 30 minutes - I will keep y'all posted.
I wish they had something earlier but am SO SO SO thankful that they have anything at all tonight & we aren't faced with the emergency room.
EDITED: He doesn't have strept but it is a viral infection. Nothing they can do for him except let it run its course & Motrin. His cough is horrible though makes me cringe every time I hear it.
Sunday, January 13, 2008
This Weekend We Bring You - No Sleep! All the Time!!
So. Tired.
Liam's fever abated on Friday afternoon but was back up to 102.2 on Friday night so he went to bed with some Tylenol in his system.
Then he woke up in the middle of the night & wanted to cuddle with me, so I let him come back to bed with me (Matias was working on our server upgrade so was pulling an all-nighter). He slept peacefully until morning and woke up with a 98.8 temp so we thought we had cleared the storm.
Did I mention that on Friday he only napped for 20 minutes? And it took nearly 1 1/2 hours to get those 20 minutes out of the way?
I should mention that Saturday he slept for even less - he was awake before I was done with my shower & I take 10 minute showers. I could hear him crying in the shower. Then he didn't sleep anymore until bedtime.
Then night time was a joke. I had gone to Kym's to crop & came home before midnight to find Matias up with Liam. He came down about 15 minutes later with Liam upstairs crying for me - I go up & he's asleep before I can sit down with him. I rock him for 30-40 minutes for good measure since Matias had told me that he would nod off, stir & wake - lather, rinse, repeat - for the entire time that I was gone. I think he stayed asleep for a couple of hours until he didn't (yeah the brain ain't working) & Matias brought him into bed. Where he promptly stayed awake, crying (a really sad cry) with a slam-dunk-break-your-heart-ending of "Mama" after every crying jag.
Finally at 7:30ish I got him his bottle & brewed some sweet, sweet, Tim's and now, I am hoping that he has fallen asleep because I just had to go back up there & rock him before he threw himself back into his crib begging for sleep.
And to top it all off, we now have snot. Snotty sneezes have descended. Seriously, I think I would give my right arm (I'm left handed!) to be able to come home from CT without a cold. It's hard enough sometimes to come home from traveling & readjust to 'home-life' with a toddler but it's even worse when that toddler is sick & down for the count for the next week or so THEN add in, a possible, sick Mama & Dada & you begin to wish that the NJ Turnpike would someone collapse into the sound.
Liam's fever abated on Friday afternoon but was back up to 102.2 on Friday night so he went to bed with some Tylenol in his system.
Then he woke up in the middle of the night & wanted to cuddle with me, so I let him come back to bed with me (Matias was working on our server upgrade so was pulling an all-nighter). He slept peacefully until morning and woke up with a 98.8 temp so we thought we had cleared the storm.
Did I mention that on Friday he only napped for 20 minutes? And it took nearly 1 1/2 hours to get those 20 minutes out of the way?
I should mention that Saturday he slept for even less - he was awake before I was done with my shower & I take 10 minute showers. I could hear him crying in the shower. Then he didn't sleep anymore until bedtime.
Then night time was a joke. I had gone to Kym's to crop & came home before midnight to find Matias up with Liam. He came down about 15 minutes later with Liam upstairs crying for me - I go up & he's asleep before I can sit down with him. I rock him for 30-40 minutes for good measure since Matias had told me that he would nod off, stir & wake - lather, rinse, repeat - for the entire time that I was gone. I think he stayed asleep for a couple of hours until he didn't (yeah the brain ain't working) & Matias brought him into bed. Where he promptly stayed awake, crying (a really sad cry) with a slam-dunk-break-your-heart-ending of "Mama" after every crying jag.
Finally at 7:30ish I got him his bottle & brewed some sweet, sweet, Tim's and now, I am hoping that he has fallen asleep because I just had to go back up there & rock him before he threw himself back into his crib begging for sleep.
And to top it all off, we now have snot. Snotty sneezes have descended. Seriously, I think I would give my right arm (I'm left handed!) to be able to come home from CT without a cold. It's hard enough sometimes to come home from traveling & readjust to 'home-life' with a toddler but it's even worse when that toddler is sick & down for the count for the next week or so THEN add in, a possible, sick Mama & Dada & you begin to wish that the NJ Turnpike would someone collapse into the sound.
Friday, January 11, 2008
Today is a Sick Day
Liam has a little round rash between his belly button & top of his diaper which is not going away with any treatment of any lotion we have on hand & this morning he woke up with a fever of 100.7 OR 101.3 (done in the bum but the darn thermometer is never, ever consistent) plus he's extra cuddly & zero appetite minus drinking (HI! Run-on Sentence!) double bottles of milk.
I went to babycenter & looked at the fever symptoms & discovered that he might have Roseola - and there's nothing to be done about it. I'm going to call the doctor if his fever get worse & lukewarm baths don't help him. Basically all you can do is let it run its course as it is a viral infection that usually incubates for 7-10 days after contact. Once again, I think Liam got sick from being in CT. This would be the 3rd instance in a row of him or all of us getting sick after visiting Matias' family. I asked Matias to contact his sister to check on Luccia's status to see if she has it or alert her that she might be getting it.
Liam's only had one previous fever & you can just tell he's not himself even before taking his temp - right now he's wrapped up in his Toy Story blanket with Dada downstairs & I am not hearing a boo from him. He was in my lap constantly this morning (something I don't complain about) but coupled with him feeling hot, I knew something wasn't right.
I hate, hate, hate when he's sick like this - I just want to make it go away.
I went to babycenter & looked at the fever symptoms & discovered that he might have Roseola - and there's nothing to be done about it. I'm going to call the doctor if his fever get worse & lukewarm baths don't help him. Basically all you can do is let it run its course as it is a viral infection that usually incubates for 7-10 days after contact. Once again, I think Liam got sick from being in CT. This would be the 3rd instance in a row of him or all of us getting sick after visiting Matias' family. I asked Matias to contact his sister to check on Luccia's status to see if she has it or alert her that she might be getting it.
Liam's only had one previous fever & you can just tell he's not himself even before taking his temp - right now he's wrapped up in his Toy Story blanket with Dada downstairs & I am not hearing a boo from him. He was in my lap constantly this morning (something I don't complain about) but coupled with him feeling hot, I knew something wasn't right.
I hate, hate, hate when he's sick like this - I just want to make it go away.
Thursday, January 10, 2008
Remember it like yesterday
This was taken a year ago. And I do remember this day like it was yesterday. It was a great afternoon - weather not unlike we've had the past couple days - warm, sunny & just right to go watch Matias play soccer. We spent a fantastic afternoon on the blanket, bundled up together, playing with a soccer ball of our own, smiling at each other & playing with my hair as I let it dangle into his face ~ still a favored thing of his to do. He still gives you that smile with that little glimmer of mischief in his eyes, a little crooked, making you work for it always knowing that he's enjoying the special time spent with you. I often wonder where did my baby go but the answer is in my little boy's eyes all along - I'm right here, Mama, looking to you for more smiles & more hair dangling time, please and my heart stops aching for the past when he was just a Bebe and stops to refresh in the moment of now.
Yesterday was a Smart Day
Liam had a really, really, good Smart Day yesterday & not to say that I don't think every day is Smart Day around Casa Nino but there was something about him that was just on fire!
Here's a quick list of the Smart Day Things he did yesterday alone:
I think he's sprouted up in height too, simply because some pants are fitting better in the length these days. We weighed him at Camp Carolina & he's just over 25 lbs. as of Christmas! I let his hair stay long for Christmas cause I know Nana! prefers it to be Little Boy Long but it's time to get the Big Boy Short Cut again cause his swirl is getting out of control & its hanging over his brow & ears.
I have no pictures to show from our Epiphany Celebration in CT because the camera never left the car. He did receive the sorting bags I wanted for him though from Cecilia & Butch and we are slowly working up our interest in them - it was a big plus that the circle bag included a clock!
I've switched from making his pureed foods while still keeping a few options in the freezer, I have officially switched him over to mostly store bought jarred toddler foods. We are continuing to have Major Dinner Struggles with him - not real sure what sets them beyond introducing new foods & new forms of previously enjoyed foods - but a struggle it is. I feel like I've copped out on this one to an extent though because my argument for the change was basically "I'm too tired & do not feel like making his food simply to endure this nightly struggle with him and remain happy about it". Although, I do not feel as if I will ever get over throwing perfectly good food out simply because of some issues with it - so that totally sucks. [another] Although, once you finally get him to eat the food, he DOES eat it all. Weirdo. It also helps to have an Elmo sippy of seltzer water for him - we play the "take two bites & you get some water" game with him & I think that's a fair trade-off for eating your dinner! Funny thing is breakfast & lunch as non-struggle meals AND he self-feeds himself breakfast! Dinner is my Newman. And after a long day of Toddler Wrangling, I cannot summon the energy that I sometimes feel it takes to be the Homemade Baby Food Queen of yesteryear. And I am OK with that!
Also, I think I've figured out that he doesn't like crunchy foods - nothing to heavily breaded or dry - like Cheerios or nuggets. But basically, like every Feeder before me, I know that we all figure it out in the end & make amends with the quirks each toddler has. Some days, I wish he ate every thing I put in front of him & other days I'm thankful that he's getting the proper nutrition & food choices that come along with planning things out & knowing what I'm putting in him. Sure it's neat & fantastic that some toddlers eat Chinese food & pizza but at what cost?
Here's a quick list of the Smart Day Things he did yesterday alone:
- put his puzzle together multiple times + using sounds for the animals
- stacked blocks (3-5 blocks) consistently multiple times a day by himself
- goes to the fridge to ask for milk, goes to his drawer to ask for a bowl for food & goes to snacks to ask for snacks
- signed an entire sentence to me - it consisted of 'water, no milk then car' in my statement to him of "finish your milk then we can go in the car"
- signed 'fish' while checking out the bottle of white wine with a fish on the label in the fridge while getting his milk
- colored successfully without eating much of any crayons - only one bite
- tells me when he has a 'dodo' (dirty diaper)
- signed Mommy for the first time (!)
- helped me pick up his toys
- signed 'dog' for the first time
- starting to 'count' - especially before jumping/throwing himself backwards - usually he 'counts' to five before doing anything
I think he's sprouted up in height too, simply because some pants are fitting better in the length these days. We weighed him at Camp Carolina & he's just over 25 lbs. as of Christmas! I let his hair stay long for Christmas cause I know Nana! prefers it to be Little Boy Long but it's time to get the Big Boy Short Cut again cause his swirl is getting out of control & its hanging over his brow & ears.
I have no pictures to show from our Epiphany Celebration in CT because the camera never left the car. He did receive the sorting bags I wanted for him though from Cecilia & Butch and we are slowly working up our interest in them - it was a big plus that the circle bag included a clock!
I've switched from making his pureed foods while still keeping a few options in the freezer, I have officially switched him over to mostly store bought jarred toddler foods. We are continuing to have Major Dinner Struggles with him - not real sure what sets them beyond introducing new foods & new forms of previously enjoyed foods - but a struggle it is. I feel like I've copped out on this one to an extent though because my argument for the change was basically "I'm too tired & do not feel like making his food simply to endure this nightly struggle with him and remain happy about it". Although, I do not feel as if I will ever get over throwing perfectly good food out simply because of some issues with it - so that totally sucks. [another] Although, once you finally get him to eat the food, he DOES eat it all. Weirdo. It also helps to have an Elmo sippy of seltzer water for him - we play the "take two bites & you get some water" game with him & I think that's a fair trade-off for eating your dinner! Funny thing is breakfast & lunch as non-struggle meals AND he self-feeds himself breakfast! Dinner is my Newman. And after a long day of Toddler Wrangling, I cannot summon the energy that I sometimes feel it takes to be the Homemade Baby Food Queen of yesteryear. And I am OK with that!
Also, I think I've figured out that he doesn't like crunchy foods - nothing to heavily breaded or dry - like Cheerios or nuggets. But basically, like every Feeder before me, I know that we all figure it out in the end & make amends with the quirks each toddler has. Some days, I wish he ate every thing I put in front of him & other days I'm thankful that he's getting the proper nutrition & food choices that come along with planning things out & knowing what I'm putting in him. Sure it's neat & fantastic that some toddlers eat Chinese food & pizza but at what cost?
Friday, January 04, 2008
Brrrr, it's cold!
Liam got his new winter jacket today & we just had too much fun laughing at with him over how cute he was waddling around! Here he is pointing out an airplane to us...
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