9:00 am. Bella wakes up, begins yelling "Mama wake up! Mama, Bedda waked up! Mama get Bedda!" in a sing-songy tone.
9:15 am. Bella pops up in bed when Mama finally arrives to get her out of bed. She yells "Hey, Mama! Wan go pway?"
9:20 am. Bella has Mama sitting in the floor playing with a spinning turtle that sings "Can't Hurry Love." Bella angles her legs so the turtle's legs brush against her as it spins. Bella squeals "Dat turrel getted my wegs! Why you do dat turrel??!!" Then she realizes she has no milk. "Where my meeyelk, Mama? You get it Mama!"
9:30 am. Bella and Mama come downstairs for milk (and coffee and maybe Thomas will distract her until I can make some coffee). Mama turns on Thomas. Bella sings along to the Thomas theme song, "Go-way Thomas, Go-way Thomas, Go-way go-way pway Thomas!" and then turns the tv back off.
9:31 am. Mama turns the tv back on. Traps Bella in her portable seat and offers a handful of Apple Dapples. Bella demands, "No my seat, Mama! I no want dat cereal (seer-ree-ear-ree-uhl)! I no want it!" as she knocks the cereal off her tray.
9:35 am. Mama sits down with a bowl of ceral. Bella screams "Dat's mines, Mama!" as she climbs into Mama's lap. Bella then steals Mama's spoon and eats all of Mama's cereal.
9:40 am. Mama wipes off Bella's hands and face. Bella then demands, "Wipe-a my ahms! Wipe-a my wegs!" Therefore Bella gets a full-body wipe down.
9:45 am. Mama tries Thomas again. Bella firmly says, "No, Mama, no want dat Thomas." And turns the tv back off.
9:50 am. Mama wakes up Daddy. Mama gets big cup of coffee and hides from them both.
The End.
31.5.09
29.5.09
Sticky #2: Where, when, why?
As Bella continues picking up more words, she's begun using "adult" phrases and asking questions that surprise me with the amount of logic and problem solving required. I am astounded by her not only because she's amazing, but also because her brother was nowhere near as vocal or inquisitive at her age.
For instance, yesterday Daphne went to live with her new family. We really didn't prepare either child to lose the dog because it happened quickly. So, Javi gets home from school and notices nothing different until I tell him that Daphne went to her new family.
Bella gets home and immediately starts yelling, "Where pup pup?! Where pup pup go?" I told her that the puppy went bye-bye and she just rolled her eyes. Then she began her quest to find the dog. "Pup pup go night-night!" she squealed as she ran to the spot between the couch and love seat where Daphne loves to curl up in Bella's pink beanbag. But there was no pup pup.
And on it went. "Pup pup go outside?" "Pup pup in the house?" "Pup pup in the car?" "Pup pup go potty?" To each questions, I told her gently, "No, Bay. The puppy went bye bye."
But I was impressed by Bella's ability to consider all the options for where the dog might be hiding, and how she wouldn't give up the search until she'd exhausted all of those options. She also seemed to be considering clues. Just when she was on the verge of giving up, she'd spot the dog bowls with water and food in them or the chew toy in the middle of our bedroom floor and her enthusiasm for the search would pick up again.
But the question "Where?" isn't a new one in this house. She's been asking me where things are, when things will happen, and why not for a while now. When we tell her it's time to go to bed, she'll ask "Where my blanket?" When I'm cooking she'll ask, "When dinner team? When we eat eat?!" And the one that strikes fear in the heart of every parent: Why? "C'mon, monkey, let's go." "Why mama?"
Ah, yes. The eternal why. As impressed as I am by Bella's inquisitive little personality, I am really hopeful that we still have another year or so before the Why reaches epic proportions. I'm still recovering from the Great Why of 2003 when I began hiding from Javi to avoid having to answer Why for hours.
At the end of that phase, I had learned the key to Why. And I'll share it with you in the hopes it'll save you sanity. Just pretend to be the dumbest person on Earth. It goes like this:
In the meantime, I'll enjoy my Bella's little mind as it matures and she continues thinking and reasoning her way through the world.
For instance, yesterday Daphne went to live with her new family. We really didn't prepare either child to lose the dog because it happened quickly. So, Javi gets home from school and notices nothing different until I tell him that Daphne went to her new family.
Bella gets home and immediately starts yelling, "Where pup pup?! Where pup pup go?" I told her that the puppy went bye-bye and she just rolled her eyes. Then she began her quest to find the dog. "Pup pup go night-night!" she squealed as she ran to the spot between the couch and love seat where Daphne loves to curl up in Bella's pink beanbag. But there was no pup pup.
And on it went. "Pup pup go outside?" "Pup pup in the house?" "Pup pup in the car?" "Pup pup go potty?" To each questions, I told her gently, "No, Bay. The puppy went bye bye."
But I was impressed by Bella's ability to consider all the options for where the dog might be hiding, and how she wouldn't give up the search until she'd exhausted all of those options. She also seemed to be considering clues. Just when she was on the verge of giving up, she'd spot the dog bowls with water and food in them or the chew toy in the middle of our bedroom floor and her enthusiasm for the search would pick up again.
But the question "Where?" isn't a new one in this house. She's been asking me where things are, when things will happen, and why not for a while now. When we tell her it's time to go to bed, she'll ask "Where my blanket?" When I'm cooking she'll ask, "When dinner team? When we eat eat?!" And the one that strikes fear in the heart of every parent: Why? "C'mon, monkey, let's go." "Why mama?"
Ah, yes. The eternal why. As impressed as I am by Bella's inquisitive little personality, I am really hopeful that we still have another year or so before the Why reaches epic proportions. I'm still recovering from the Great Why of 2003 when I began hiding from Javi to avoid having to answer Why for hours.
At the end of that phase, I had learned the key to Why. And I'll share it with you in the hopes it'll save you sanity. Just pretend to be the dumbest person on Earth. It goes like this:
Child: Mama, why is it hot in the summer?And with that, the line of questioning is stopped until the next one pops up five minutes later. Try it - it's fun!
Mama: Because we're closer to the sun.
Child: How can we be closer to the sun?
Mama: We live on a planet and during the summer it's closer to the sun.
Child: Why is it closer?
Mama: I don't know, baby.
Child: What do you mean you don't know?
Mama: I just don't know. That's why you should go to college. So you can figure it out.
In the meantime, I'll enjoy my Bella's little mind as it matures and she continues thinking and reasoning her way through the world.
28.5.09
Lunch time battles
Javier's hypertalking is actually much better than it used to be because we recently switched his medication from 36 mg Concerta to 30 mg Vyvance.
Of course, with his calmer little self comes a whole new hurtle: lunch. He is a great eater at breakfast and dinner, but we're really battling over lunch. At the beginning of this school year, Javi asked if he could bring his lunch to school each day. I consented and began packing him a lunch. Then about midway through the year, after dealing with him sometimes eating all of it, sometimes eating none of it, he asked if he could buy his lunch. I consented to that, too. Really, I was prepared to do whatever it took to get him to eat. Especially since he was losing weight according to his doctor.
Well, I keep hearing from my mom and from him that he wasn't eating his lunch. For instance, last week he told me all he had for lunch was a juice. I asked him why he didn't eat and he said the food wasn't good. So I took control back over lunch and told him I would be making his lunch again and that if he didn't eat it every day, we'd consider him on red even if he was green at school (that's their behavioral system - red is poorly behaved, green is well behaved, yellow is in the middle).
Now he says he doesn't have time to eat his lunch. I pack this kid the most basic lunch that he'll eat. Every day he gets a juice box, a peanut butter sandwich, and some type of cheese crackers. That's it! Yesterday he ate the whole lunch but said that he didn't get enough time so he had to eat it on the way to the trash after lunch period was over.
What am I supposed to do? There are less than 2 weeks of school left. I'm so tapped on lunch time. The good news is his doctor said he gained 2 lbs since his last visit, so we're doing something right. But why is lunch time such a struggle? We're only on day 3 of him bringing his lunch again, and the fear of getting on red at home is definitely keeping him on track, but I'm almost at the point of throwing my hands up with all the excuses and negotiations.
I've tried everying, including making him neat lunches like peanut butter balls, tortilla wraps, and salads -- but the one we've whittled down to is the only one I know for sure he'll eat. Even a ham & cheese sandwich is subject to going uneaten. Last time I sent one he told me he didn't like ham. But then for dinner asked if he could eat his sandwich. WTF.
Anyone have lunch advice?
Of course, with his calmer little self comes a whole new hurtle: lunch. He is a great eater at breakfast and dinner, but we're really battling over lunch. At the beginning of this school year, Javi asked if he could bring his lunch to school each day. I consented and began packing him a lunch. Then about midway through the year, after dealing with him sometimes eating all of it, sometimes eating none of it, he asked if he could buy his lunch. I consented to that, too. Really, I was prepared to do whatever it took to get him to eat. Especially since he was losing weight according to his doctor.
Well, I keep hearing from my mom and from him that he wasn't eating his lunch. For instance, last week he told me all he had for lunch was a juice. I asked him why he didn't eat and he said the food wasn't good. So I took control back over lunch and told him I would be making his lunch again and that if he didn't eat it every day, we'd consider him on red even if he was green at school (that's their behavioral system - red is poorly behaved, green is well behaved, yellow is in the middle).
Now he says he doesn't have time to eat his lunch. I pack this kid the most basic lunch that he'll eat. Every day he gets a juice box, a peanut butter sandwich, and some type of cheese crackers. That's it! Yesterday he ate the whole lunch but said that he didn't get enough time so he had to eat it on the way to the trash after lunch period was over.
What am I supposed to do? There are less than 2 weeks of school left. I'm so tapped on lunch time. The good news is his doctor said he gained 2 lbs since his last visit, so we're doing something right. But why is lunch time such a struggle? We're only on day 3 of him bringing his lunch again, and the fear of getting on red at home is definitely keeping him on track, but I'm almost at the point of throwing my hands up with all the excuses and negotiations.
I've tried everying, including making him neat lunches like peanut butter balls, tortilla wraps, and salads -- but the one we've whittled down to is the only one I know for sure he'll eat. Even a ham & cheese sandwich is subject to going uneaten. Last time I sent one he told me he didn't like ham. But then for dinner asked if he could eat his sandwich. WTF.
Anyone have lunch advice?
Sticky #1: Shut up!
We've been all over the map the last few days, from Relay for Life to the lake to visiting with friends. Both of my cutie pies are growing up so fast!
Bella had picked up a mean little saying that goes like this: SHUDDUP! SHUDDUP MAMA! SHUDDUP JAVIER! SHUDDUP!
I take all the blame because I snapped on Javi at the dinner table a few weeks ago when he just wouldn't be quiet, kept talking over me, kept making loud noises, and other annoying stuff. My brain melted for a second and it just came out like a demon: SHUT UP! And he did. I think I shocked the pants off of him and he was quiet for a good 4.5 minutes before it all started back up again.
However, the lasting effect was Bella's new saying -- and say it she did. I don't think she knows what it means, but she likes to yell it when she wants our attention or when we're doing something she doesn't like. Therefore, it's quite effective.
But yesterday she started saying something else: BE QUITE! Yes, that's how she pronounces it.
I'm guessing she hears Be Quiet a lot at her school and I'm sure I say it a fair amount. I'm always trying to get Javi to stop talking, lower his voice, use his inside voice, pleast be quiet, can you stop talking for 5 minutes?, it's quiet time, hush!, we're not talking right now ... you get the picture.
So I actually don't mind hearing BE QUITE JAVIER! or BE QUITE MAMA! because it's so much nicer on the ears than SHUDDUP!
Still no pictures
My sister has had my camera since May 15 ... which means I can't remember anything that's happened in the past 13 days because there is no photo documentation of it. And I have no idea when I'll get my camera back!!!
I did want to make a few sweet baby sticky notes. I think the sticky notes will replace my letters to Bella since I've felt such a relief since I stopped writing them. But I don't want to forget a moment of the good stuff that is the toddler years.
So stay tuned for my stickies! And tell Ashley to bring back my camera!
I did want to make a few sweet baby sticky notes. I think the sticky notes will replace my letters to Bella since I've felt such a relief since I stopped writing them. But I don't want to forget a moment of the good stuff that is the toddler years.
So stay tuned for my stickies! And tell Ashley to bring back my camera!
27.5.09
Any ideas?
My husband refuses to take his shoes off in the house. Anyone have a suggestion for changing this nasty habit?
He used to keep them on because he was always tromping outside to smoke, but he's been smoke-free since February. So leaving his shoes on is now just a bad habit that I can't seem to break.
I've tried making a point of taking everyone's shoes off. I've tried asking him to take his off. I've left his flip flops by the door so he will see that he has shoes if he needs to the leave the house ... but none of it has changed him.
And he really doesn't leave home again once he's here. He got home at 4:30 pm today and it's currently after 7 pm and he's yet to leave the house ... even to run out to the car.
UGH!
He used to keep them on because he was always tromping outside to smoke, but he's been smoke-free since February. So leaving his shoes on is now just a bad habit that I can't seem to break.
I've tried making a point of taking everyone's shoes off. I've tried asking him to take his off. I've left his flip flops by the door so he will see that he has shoes if he needs to the leave the house ... but none of it has changed him.
And he really doesn't leave home again once he's here. He got home at 4:30 pm today and it's currently after 7 pm and he's yet to leave the house ... even to run out to the car.
UGH!
21.5.09
Home Ownership
Billy and I want to put our house on the market next spring ... which means we have less than a year to get it into selling shape.
On our list of things we must do:
-- Replace the floors. We still have the fugly linoleum and the wrinkly, loose carpet that the previous owners put down. Also, the lino in our bathrooms isn't level with the hallway floor. So we have to correct all of that. We're planning to use "floating floor" for the kitchen and bathrooms and either hardwood laminate in the living room or recarpet. However, we'd have to recarpet the whole house to match. Ugh!
-- Landscape the yard. When we moved in, the yard looked great but it slowly began falling apart ... and we realized that just because something looks good doesn't mean it was done well. Our yard was full of sawdust ... which left dead spots, and the front beds were a wreck. I can't even explain the weird humps they landscaped in the back. So we've already leveled out the back, now we just need to remove a rampant vole population and fix the front. But it has to be done!
-- Repaint the house interior. We chose a lot of vibrant, bold colors for the house, but I know not everyone will want them. We're planning to redo all the walls with the same khaki (or some variation thereof) color ... which means bye bye yellow kitchen, blue bedroom, taffy living room, and sage green baby room. Javi will be happy because he's always hated the landscape/sky pattern we painted on his walls!
-- Repaint the house exterior. We had big plans to put vinyl siding on the house, but I've decided I don't want to invest that kind of money when we have no idea if we'll make the investment back on the sell. With the market the way it is, we may barely break even! So, we're going to repaint the house the same charming yellow but change the shutters and doors to blue or maroon. Probably blue. I'm tired of the hunter green!
And presto-chango! We'll be ready. Just making this list made my head hurt, but it needs to be done. I'm happy that at least the attic's been cleaned out. That's one less thing to worry about!
On our list of things we must do:
-- Replace the floors. We still have the fugly linoleum and the wrinkly, loose carpet that the previous owners put down. Also, the lino in our bathrooms isn't level with the hallway floor. So we have to correct all of that. We're planning to use "floating floor" for the kitchen and bathrooms and either hardwood laminate in the living room or recarpet. However, we'd have to recarpet the whole house to match. Ugh!
-- Landscape the yard. When we moved in, the yard looked great but it slowly began falling apart ... and we realized that just because something looks good doesn't mean it was done well. Our yard was full of sawdust ... which left dead spots, and the front beds were a wreck. I can't even explain the weird humps they landscaped in the back. So we've already leveled out the back, now we just need to remove a rampant vole population and fix the front. But it has to be done!
-- Repaint the house interior. We chose a lot of vibrant, bold colors for the house, but I know not everyone will want them. We're planning to redo all the walls with the same khaki (or some variation thereof) color ... which means bye bye yellow kitchen, blue bedroom, taffy living room, and sage green baby room. Javi will be happy because he's always hated the landscape/sky pattern we painted on his walls!
-- Repaint the house exterior. We had big plans to put vinyl siding on the house, but I've decided I don't want to invest that kind of money when we have no idea if we'll make the investment back on the sell. With the market the way it is, we may barely break even! So, we're going to repaint the house the same charming yellow but change the shutters and doors to blue or maroon. Probably blue. I'm tired of the hunter green!
And presto-chango! We'll be ready. Just making this list made my head hurt, but it needs to be done. I'm happy that at least the attic's been cleaned out. That's one less thing to worry about!
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