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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Where Did Bean Go?

24 Sep

It seems like she was just here and now I only get a glimpse of her every so often.  Our precious Bean is growing up so quickly and it wasn’t until I looked at her baby pictures and videos that I truly realized how much she’s becoming a little person.

She’s so funny.  I can’t believe how goofy she is sometimes.  She cracks me up with the crazy faces she makes.  I’m so thankful for a goofball daughter.  I can be so exhausted at the end of the day – just going through the motions – when all of sudden she starts doing a silly little dance.  It makes both of us laugh out loud.  It is the best thing.

She’s so sweet and caring.  If you look sad or mad she will ask you why are feeling that way.  If Nate is crying she will make her voice high pitched and say, “It’s okay Nathan.  Nathan, you’re all right.”  If I’m in a bad mood she will tell me, “I love you Momma.  I think you are the best Momma – even when you are mad.”  She also always thinks of Nate.  If we go shopping without Nate or Andrew, she will pick out a toy/book for Nate or if she sees something he will like she will tell me we need to get it for him.

She’s so smart.  She amazes me every day.  She can write really well and I can’t believe how good she can color.  She stays in the lines and for the most part keeps her crayon moving the same way so her pictures are always so neat and perfect!  She’s also starting to figure out math.  She will hold her fingers up and say things like 2 and 2 makes 4 and she also can subtract too!  I’m not sure what a typical 4-year-old is supposed to know or anything but it just seems like she’s a brainiac to me!  (And I’m not just saying it because she’s my kid – I already know I won’t be saying this about Nate when he’s 4!  I hope he proves me wrong though!)

She is such a jabber-jaws.  She talks ALL the time.  One day I asked if she talked like that while she was at school.  She said yes but that she wasn’t the only one who did.  She said her teacher sometimes has to turn out the lights to get them all to be quiet.  Her teacher told me, “they’re 4 – that’s the way it is when they’re 4.”  For some reason though, I don’t think Nia – the non-stop talker – will just be silenced when she turns 5 or 6 or 7 or 8…  I mean, look at who her mother is!

She’s already watching “big kid” movies.  Andrew was watching the “Lord of the Rings” a few weeks ago and she started watching it with him!  I objected but she begged to watch it. Andrew said he would watch the trilogy with her and she LOVED it.  I cannot believe it didn’t scare her!  (I know it did me!) We kept telling her it was all pretend and that the good guys win but I was still worried it would traumatize her.  If anything, it hypnotized her.  She says she liked “the guy with the curly hair” (Aragon) and “the elf with the arrows” (Legolas) the best because they were nice.  She keeps asking to watch more “Lord of the Rings” and doesn’t believe us when we tell her it’s all over.  It’s just so neat to think of all the cool movies I’ll be able to watch with her now.  So far, we’ve watched, “The Wizard of Oz,” “Charlotte’s Web” and “The Neverending Story.”  “Lord of the Rings” is her favorite though. I’m hoping she’ll like my main wizard “Harry” too.  We’ll see as the story of Nia growing up continues..

 

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The GPS made me do it…

18 Sep

The other day Andrew let me borrow his GPS thinger-ma-jig so it could “guide” me to a doctor’s office in Athens.  I had used it once before – to take my mom to the Atlanta airport – but I am no where near comfortable with aimlessly following it’s directions.  (That airport trip was especially nerve-wracking but more because of all the traffic!)

I’ve witnessed how it can lead you astray from time to time but Andrew will defend it until the end.  One time we asked it to find us a Kroger.  We obeyed its commands until it said “Arriving at Kroger on right.”  Um.  No.  Nope.  No Kroger there. “That’s just because I need to update its mapping software,” he argued, “It probably was here at one time.”

Besides an occasional “software” issue, it’s really just the idea of putting all my trust in a little box with a voice that sometimes sounds condescending and irritated if we accidentally go off the course.  “Recalculating.”  “Continue .5 miles then make a u-turn.”  “Make a u-turn.” “Recalculating.”

She had to “recalculate” several times with me on the day I took her along to the doctor’s.  For the most part, I did ok because I had a general idea of where I was going. It was on the way home that I had to turn around after misunderstanding her instructions.  Fortunately for me, she really didn’t let me down.  Turns out, the place were I had to turn around just happened to be where Starbucks is.

I called Andrew from the drive-thru and told him – “The GPS made me do it.”  I mean, come on – she led me right to my drinky!  After that, I didn’t care if she got me lost or scolded me – I will never doubt her again!
 

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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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It’s Just Sad to Me

17 Sep

Let me start by saying, I really do not like to judge/question other parents.  I mean, who am I to say someone is a bad parent?   For the most part, as long as you love your child, do the best you can to provide for them and genuinely care about their well-being than who am I to criticize you for not washing their crib sheets enough or for letting them drink a soda?  I do things wrong all the time when it comes to this parenting thing but I want to believe that as long as I keep trying to do my best to keep them secure, happy and healthy that I’m doing ok.

That being said – here’s what’s “just sad to me.”  Last week, I went to the urgent care because I thought I caught what the kids had.  As I was waiting, two women came in and they had four children with them.  One was around Nate’s age and was dressed in her nightgown (she was the sicky one), another two little girls seemed to be around 3 or 4 years old and they each were wearing a t-shirt and their britches.  Nothing else.  No pants, no shoes, no socks.  Just their shirts and their underwear.

I try to think why the women would bring them in like that.  Maybe they spilled their juice in the car on the way here and it soaked their pants, socks and shoes.  Maybe they can’t afford pants, socks, shoes.  (But the other child – an older boy – has pants, socks and shoes on – why don’t they?)  I try to think of all the practical reasons I could as to what would ever make me take Nia out in public like that.  I really couldn’t.  Because if I was in the exact situation, I would have one of the women stay in the car with the girls.

Ok fine – so I questioned them on that but that actually wasn’t the worst of it.  As I was going to leave, the little girls were running willy-nilly across the busy parking lot.  Oh yeah – did I mention it was raining too?  No shoes, no pants, rain and cars.  How could I ever find a reason this would be acceptable/understandable?  I know kids will be kids but it wasn’t like the woman with them was even trying to keep them safe.

I did say to myself – at least they brought the sick little girl to the doctor.  That shows they care, right?

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Farewell French Braids (for now anyway)

16 Sep

Today, Nia and I had an afternoon at the beauty salon.  It was so sweet.  She was such a big girl and sat so very still during her haircut and waited very patiently during mine.  Here’s how her super cute cut came out –

Loves Her Hair

Some of the people in there made me nervous because they asked me, “what made you cut it all off?” It was like I had done something wrong by having my little girl’s hair cut.  I liked her long hair too (especially when she had French Braids in) but it desperately needed some scissors and a trim wouldn’t have been enough.  I love her new ‘do and I can’t wait to watch it grow.  She’ll get to sport so many different looks!  So grown up!

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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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Nate: The Dancing Fool

13 Sep

I don’t know what it is about certain Justin Timberlake songs – but whenever Nate hears them, he freezes and then runs to where the music is coming from and breaks it down.  As you can see, he really gets into it. (Sometimes a little too much.)

 

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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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