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Confessions of a Crazy Mom

21 Oct

There are points during the day when I know I must look a lunatic.  I know I feel like one.

  • When I’m trying to hold Nate as he’s fighting to get away from me – sometimes he ends up pulling down my shirt so far that I give a show (it really happened at the Georgia Aquarium!), other times he tries to climb up my stomach – either way I feel like I’m so out of control and must look ridiculous.
  • When I’m trying to get Nia ready for school – I can’t even guess how many times I have to tell her to get moving in the morning – get on the potty – get dressed – start eating – I feel like I’m such a freak saying it over and over again.  We usually wake up with plenty of time for her dilly-dalliness but we’re usually rushing to leave the house because she just doesn’t do what she’s supposed to do when she’s supposed to do it.
  • When I’m trying to cook dinner – this is when Nate stands at my legs, screaming at me, pushing me around the kitchen.
  • When I’m trying to read a magazine/do bills/think for a second!  – Our little talker (Nia) will not give me a moment of silence!
  • When I’m trying to figure out directions in the car – same thing with the talker – she just keeps going and going and going.  She also constantly asks questions that she knows the answers to!  This drives me especially bonkers.  The other day she asked, “Momma, what does R start with?”  I know you might think that’s an innocent question by a little kid, but it came after several other questions like, “Why are we in the car?” and “What is Nate’s name?”
  • When I’m trying to break up a fight between Nia and Nate – Nia completely freaks out and is impossible to calm down.  I feel like a total crazy mom because I have to rip them apart and scream at them to stop it.
  • When I’m trying to keep Nate from climbing things or taking a dive off of things – he just will not stop – he keeps going back to whatever it is I’m trying to keep him from – it just gets so tiring and frustrating.
  • When I’m trying to get Nate to stop soaking the entire bathroom while splashing like a crazy man in the tub – more water ends up outside the tub and drenches me.
  • Anytime between 4:30 pm and 6:00 pm – I don’t know what it is about that time of the day – it’s like the kids are especially cranky or something and I’m exhausted so it’s just a bad combo.  This is when it’s White Russian time!

There are many other situations that make me feel like a looney but my brain hurts after thinking of all of those!  I’ve been wanting to write this out for a few days now but just didn’t want to put myself through it!

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Keeping Up with the Milestones

19 Oct

Sure, I see the good in Nate accomplishing something new.  I rejoice in it for a few seconds as I watch him tackle something he’s never done before – but then those seconds quickly pass and the smile of delight turns to a smile of fear as I think about what this new “thing” is going to mean for me.

How selfish right?  Well, I can’t help it.  When you’re already continually telling the little man to stop standing on the tall chairs, stop turning on the bathtub faucet while I’m trying to dry my hair, stop diving off the couch without any pillows on the floor, stop standing on the gate that’s keeping you from falling down the stairs…  I just had all of those constants kind of under control (I mean, as far as keeping my sanity while having to worry about the usual dangerous stuff he’s up to).  Now though, I have to add him climbing into the crib and flipping over the top of it and him opening doors to the list.

The door thing is pretty manageable because we have those baby proof door knob covers and locks on the doors – it’s just Nia can’t open them and one of the doors that has to be secured is for her bathroom.  Now, every time she has to make a quick run for the potty she needs to scream for me and I have to drop whatever it is I’m doing to get the little key and unlock the door.

What’s so sweet about the whole door opening thing is that he is still so tiny.  He has to stand on his tiptoes and kind of turn the knob back and forth until he finally turns it just enough so it opens.  The first time he did it Nia and I were in her room and all of a sudden – there’s Nate busting in!  He was laughing and we were screaming and scrambling to pick up all her little toys – it was a really fun moment but like I said – soon after it passed I began to think of a way to keep this new thing from being more stress for me.  We’ll see – if it’s not that it will be something else!  I mean, wait until he can open the gate to the stairs!  Then, I’ll really be running around!
 

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I’m Blaming Disney…

11 Oct

(Even though I know, ultimately, it’s my fault since I’m the one who pushed the princesses on her for these past few years.)

Nia has a crush at school.  His name is Colin and she says he has a nice haircut and is cute.

WHAT?!?!?

ALREADY?!?!

Part of me thinks it’s adorable but the other part of me wants to shelter her from knowing all the hurt that comes out of crushes and young love.  This shouldn’t be starting so soon!  I had at least waited until I was in the first grade before I smooched my crush on his ear after saying to him, “I have to tell you a secret.”  Pretty sly, huh?

It just seems that 4-years-old is too young to even be noticing that someone is cute!  What makes the whole thing even worse is that she told me Colin doesn’t really play with her.  She says it’s because he plays with other girls that he thinks are prettier.  !!!!!!!  She told me that he liked her long hair better.  !!!!!!!!!!   Now, I don’t know how much of this I can believe since she says he never actually told her those things.  She’s, like, just assuming them or something but still!  The fact that she even knows to say something like “the other girls are prettier” – how heartbreaking is that?

I guess it has begun and there’s nothing we can do about it.  I just don’t think I can handle my baby girl feeling bad because of some boy (or anything for that matter).  Not now or when it’s really going to hurt.  I know it’s all a part of growing up and we all went through it – it’s just different when it’s happening to the people you want to protect the most.

 

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Messy Milestone

27 Sep

You’d think I’d learn.  I’ve done much better in the past – why did I let this time get the best of me?  All I had to do was put him down or face him away from me – I almost made it to the sink – but no – I froze.

It’s so weird how parents can sense when their children are about to erupt from the mouth.  Nate had been fine all day.  Playing, eating and drinking like usual when all of a sudden he started to whine and kind of squirm in his seat (he had just finished lunch).  I immediately freed him from his booster, hugged him and began slowing walking over to the kitchen sink.  (The closest, non-carpeted place I could think of.)  I was only inches away when my brain said, “Don’t awkwardly hang him over the sink – this is the first time he’s ever thrown up (besides baby spit up) – you need to just hold him.  He’s scared.”  So I sacrificed my body for the sake of my baby’s feelings.  Well, the first time anyway!

I don’t know why I decided it was time to hold him over the sink for the second round – he and I were already covered in the yuck.  Oh well. I shouldn’t have strayed from my past responses of “get to the nearest sink/toilet/bathtub/thing that washes easily.”

Poor baby.  I don’t know why he got sick.  He doesn’t have a fever or anything.  After it seemed like we were in the clear and no more yuck was coming up, I gave him a bath and as the water was draining he laid on his belly with his one cheek pressed against the tub.  He looked exhausted.  I just hope he got it all out of him.  He’s napping now but I’m still worried I’ll hear him crying at any second.

It’s such a sad sight – to see a small child sick like that.  I mean, it’s awful for adults – I can’t even imagine what it’s like for the little sweeties. They don’t understand what’s happening and it’s just so nasty – all we can do is try to stay calm and help soothe them through it – even if it scares us (or gags us) too.

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Busted!

17 Sep

At first I thought it would just be our little secret.  Nia would never have to know that Nate and I entered her sanctuary while she was at school.  He just gets so happy when the door is left open so he can run in and look wide-eyed at everything he never gets to play with – then go to town with a huge smile on his face.  I thought, if I just put all the toys he’s enjoying back before we go to pick her up, she’ll never know that her precious princess room had been invaded. How could I forget that Nia is very special and has a genius brain and awesome memory?

We were only back in the house for like 5 minutes when she walked over to me holding a ball and had a look on her face like she knew something was fishy.

“Momma.  Why is this ball out of my room?”

BUSTED!  I smile at her not really knowing what to say.  Should I lie?  “I don’t know why that’s out of your room.  How would I know how it got out of your room?”  Should I fall on the floor and beg for forgiveness for allowing her little brother – the one she always slams the door on as she scurries off in her room – to touch all the toys that she freaks out when he has?  WHAT?  First of all, what kind of example would I be if I lied to my child?  (Plus, I can’t lie for my life.) Second, she’s 4!  Why in the world am I worried that a 4-year-old will be mad at me?  Who’s the adult here?  What’s my deal?

I look at her and smile and say, “Nate brought it out here.”

“How did Nate get it?”
“I let him in your room while I was putting your clean clothes away.”  (NOT A LIE – This is the true reason why we were in there in the first place – I just thought it would be a shame to kick him out after I was finished – he was having so much fun!)
“Mommmmmaaaaa” she says with her head to the side and a look of disappointment on her face.

Phew.  I got away with it this time!  I’ll have to be more careful next time!

 

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We have Communication!

15 Sep

Our little man is finally trying to speak!  It is so fun and sweet to hear him try to say words.  There are some words he says really well – “bubbles” and “no” are two that quickly come to mind.  With other words he still has a long way to go – his “thank you” is more a “de de” and his “Nia” is still a “ea” but still – it’s the fact that he’s trying!  In fact, just now he came up to me and said “Mommy. Nack? Nack?”  (He’s adorably asking for a snack.)  He just finished breakfast but how could I tell him no?!?!  He even walked to the pantry door as he was saying “nack” and tried to say “please” – “peas?”  What can I say?  I’m a sucker for baby speak.

I know other kids his age (around 20-21 months) are speaking much better and saying more words but I also know every child develops differently.  He might have been walking way earlier than they were.  (He was practically running by 12 months.)  Nia was singing her alphabet and knew her colors and shapes by now but she took a good 3 months longer to walk than him.  I was just getting worried that he would never grow out of his caveman grunts and his deafening shrieks. I’m so glad I don’t have to decipher (or brace myself for) those anymore!

Just to give you an example of some of the things he says now – I tried to get him to Nate-speak on video.  Here’s how it came out –

Oh yeah – in case you were wondering why I ask him to say “pee-pee” – well, let’s just say his daddy taught him that word and he was saying it more than he was saying “mommy” for awhile.  I see where I stand.

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Nia’s Advice to Mom

15 Sep

Sometimes, it is really difficult to get Nia moving.  She eats super slow.  She walks super slow.  She follows instructions super slow.  That’s all fine when we’re not in a hurry to get somewhere or we haven’t told her a gazillion times to do something.  That’s what was happening the other night.

It was almost time to start the bedtime routine so I told her to go potty and put on her pajamas.  She kept playing.  I told her it wasn’t play time now – it was night-night time and again told her to get pjs.  At that point, she got up from the toys and walked toward the bathroom but she stopped at every toy along the way and even took a few with her.  Again, I told her to get ready for bed.  (Of course, I wasn’t using the sweet mommy voice anymore – I was using the exhausted, haven’t I told you this like 3 times already mommy voice.)

Her response was so awesome.  She looked at me so funny and put her hands up and said, “It’s ok Momma, please don’t freak out – I’m just putting the toys in my room.”

What could I say to that?  All I could do is laugh. It’s funny too because I really didn’t care anymore that she wasn’t moving fast enough.  What was the hurry anyway?  I really do need to follow her advice more often.  Don’t freak out.
 

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Nia’s Concept of Age

13 Sep

Me – “What was your favorite thing to do at the beach?”

Nia – “Going in the big waves with daddy.”

Me – “You were so brave. I was scared because daddy took you out so far but you were very brave.”

Nia – “Yeah, that’s cause I’m 4T.  When you’re 1T or 2T or 3T* you aren’t brave but when you are 4T you are.”

*(In case you don’t know what 1T, 2T, 3T or 4T means – it’s the sizes of children’s clothes.  2 Toddler, 3 Toddler, 4 Toddler.  There’s no such thing as a 1T but Nia thinks there is since that’s the way her clothes have been labeled.)

Catchin' Some Waves

"I'm 4T!"

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Some of My Preschool Observations

28 Aug
  • The backpacks are bigger than the kids.  It’s just so comical to me.  (Just wait until you see a picture of Nia wearing hers!)
  • Door to door service.  All we have to do is wait in a bumper-to-bumper line for 20 minutes and our children will be walked from the school door to our car door.
  • In some cases, the teachers don’t even have to open the vehicle’s door.  I was behind 4 minivans that had those automatic opening/shutting doors – I laughed out loud at the sight of it.  I’m not making fun of the convenience – I know they’re awesome when it comes to that – it was just like something out of a funny movie – van after van pulling up – door after door sliding open – kid after kid climbing in – door after door sliding shut.  It just struck me funny.
  • Parents have homework.  Once a week, Nia has to bring something that starts with a certain short vowel sound.  Yes, I know it’s a great teaching exercise – trust me – it’s teaching me too!  I have to rack my brain trying to think about what we have in this house that starts with the short “i” sound.  Igloo – no.  Inchworm – no.  Insect – yes but no thank you.  I finally decided on an ‘inkpen’.  We’ll see – I’ve thought about her and I making an igloo with construction paper but I don’t know – the point is – I really have to think about this stuff and I know it’s just the beginning!  I feel so dumb!  At least her starting school will give me a chance to become re-educated!  How pathetic is that?!?!

 

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Our Little Student

28 Aug

First Day of School

I wish I had more pictures of Nia’s first day of school to share with you but we’re still not up and running with our own internet so we have to keep all of our online activity short and simple.  With that said – I just wanted to let you all know that Nia (and Mommy) did super.  Even Nate handled the whole thing well.

After he and I walked her to her classroom (which I plan to do for the first few weeks of school), we ran some errands together and then came back home where we read some books and snacked. (He had Goldfish crackers and juice while I had coffee – this was the earliest I had to be up in like 10 months or something!  Talk about spoiled!)

It was really nice getting to devote all my attention to Nate. He’s always had to share mommy and daddy so I’m really glad I’m able to give him some quality one-on-one time now.  This first day though I felt like it was more like I was watching the clock – I really couldn’t wait for us to get back in the car and pick up the big sis from school.

Nia told me she had a lot of fun and her teacher said she was wonderful (I’m sure she tells all the parents that during the first week but it was still nice to hear).  Nia said she did all the typical preschool stuff – heard stories, colored/drew pictures, ate snacks, played (and she “shared the toy doggy”)…  I’m just so excited for her and all the neat things she’s going to get to do.  She even got her first sticker from the teacher from being good in class – it says “100%”  Nate even got a sticker today – his said “I visited the Post Office.”

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