How to outsmart "2"

In our newly renovated kitchen, we hung a towel bar on the side of the cabinet (nearest the sink) but were finding that Sydney had taken a liking to hanging on the bar. We had asked him COUNTLESS TIMES to NOT hang on it, but despite our multiple requests, he continued almost every chance he could get. It got to the point that the kitchen babygate was our only saving grace.

Eventually, we took it down, leaving only the side brackets so that we could attempt to drape our hand towel on those, which was better than nothing at all. Soon, Sydney tried to hold onto those.

Mike's next idea to outsmart Sydney was to use flimsy dowel rod. His theory was that if Sydney hung on that, it would break, he would feel badly (or get hurt) and not do it again. SO, Mike inserted a piece of dowel rod in place of the real rod. "We'll see how this works." he announced.

The new dowel rod was "el matador" and Sydney was a bull being drawn - almost instantly - to the red hand towel.

Sydney ran into the kitchen, whipped the hand towel onto the floor and reached out to touch the newly inserted dowel rod. Immediately, it bowed and flexed as he applied pressure. Naturally, as he seems to be QUITE SMART for having JUST TURNED TWO, he hung onto the mounting brackets instead of the flimsy dowel rod, realizing that it wouldn't support his weight.

Back to the drawing board... searching for PLAN B. How do we outsmart our two year old next?

NOTE: He has since realized that he can also hang on the handle of the freezer door as well. (It has the fridge on top and a freezer drawer below.) Grrrr! Hopefully, he will NOT attempt to EVER hang on the handle of the oven door as THAT will NOT hold him. Door knobs and our dining table are also favorite places to hang from. I swear, he MUST be part-monkey! (You'd think he'd like bananas then, wouldn't you?)

Trials with a Toddler

Monkey See, Money Do: Grandpa Lowell was using a knife to cut fresh fruit for he and Sydney the one day. Then, Grandpa ate a piece off of the end of the knife. I quickly motioned to Grandpa that THAT wasn't the best idea for Sydney to witness. Of course, a few days later, Sydney insisted "NO ME..." when we were slicing a banana with a butter knife and he tried to eat the banana slice off of the knife. I simply reminded Sydney "We don't do that."

Instead of NO, showing him a YES instead: While reading the book "How to talk so your kids will listen and how to listen so your kids will talk", I learned A LOT about parenting. Instead of beating myself up - sounding like a broken record (NO, NO, NO!) I learned to re-direct Sydney's attention. For example, the more we told him NO, DON'T TOUCH the knobs on the washer and dryer, the more he spitefully tried to disobey our wishes. Instead, thanks to this book, when I see that he is considering being naughty with the washer knobs, I tell him "If you want to turn knobs, you can turn THESE KNOBS on your kitchen."

I also use it with throwing objects. I remind him that if he wants to throw something, he will have to go find a ball because we don't throw toys or books.

Apples landed not far from tree: Mike and I are constantly pointing fingers at each other for Sydney's behavior. Mike likes to simply state "Apple Tree". I reminded him that I grew up with a CHERRY TREE in my yard and that HE was the one with APPLE TREES.

On Friday, Sydney got a naughty spell in him. He was a little stinker - purposely doing naughty things for MUCH of the day. He started drawing on the table (instead of on his paper) and I reminded him "We draw ONLY ON PAPER." As he continued to taunt me, I started picking up his crayons and taking them away. He quickly grabbed his entire cigar box of crayons and threw it across the table and onto the floor, calmly stating "Uh-Oh!" as if it was an accident. I got him down to help pick up crayons from the floor, but he motioned that he was going to color on the carpet. "We draw ONLY ON PAPER, not on the carpet." I reminded him. He grinned and started to scribble on the dining room rug until I managed to wrestle the crayon from his hand. (He knew I was upset with him. I locked him in his booster seat and made him watch me get the carpet cleaner out to scrub the blue crayon off of the beige part of the area rug.)

Later in the evening, he taunted that he was going to turn the knobs on the washer. I reminded him that he has KNOBS in his own kitchen to turn. The little stinker went out into the living room and grabbed a stuffed animal dog, bringing it back into the kitchen. Surely, I wouldn't get mad at THE DOG for turning the knob as Sydney directed it's paw to turn the knob. I shook my head NO and told him that THE DOG can go turn knobs in Sydney's kitchen too. Seconds later, he came into the laundry area with a set of toy measuring spoons. Clearly, it MUST BE OK to use the measuring spoons to tap at and turn the knob settings on the washing machine. He OBVIOUSLY likes to test his boundaries. Toddler Testing 1-2-3. Perhaps, he will someday be a lawyer since he likes to find the loopholes in "the rules."

Sydney also learned a valuable LIFE LESSON this past week: it is NOT a good idea to attempt standing ON A BALL. He tried standing on his rubber Winnie the Pooh ball and quickly discovered that they move. He fell down, banged into the storage bench and immediately needed a hug/kiss. (His pride was hurt more than anything.) I think he will think twice before doing that again anytime soon.

Newspaper - just like Daddy

Yesterday was our first day back to getting a weekend newspaper. (Saturday's seem rather pointless, but they don't have a Sunday only rate so, we're stuck.) Mike sat at the table and looked at the paper for a few brief minutes.

Standing in the kitchen, I whispered into Sydney's ear "Do you want to go read the newspaper with Daddy?"

He nodded and hopped down, running as fast as he could over to Mike. He took one look at him and then ran immediately back to the kitchen. 

He stood in front of our junk drawer said a gibberish toddler word with a G-sound in the middle of it. I repeated the strange gibberish word and he nodded his head in agreement.

"What's that?" I asked.

He pointed to his face, opened the drawer up and started to feel around inside. He was searching (blindly) for a pair of Mike's reading glasses. I grabbed the extra pair of glasses and held them out for Sydney.

"Glasses?" I asked.

He smiled and nodded. Then, he ran off with his glasses so that he could be JUST LIKE DADDY and read the newspaper - wearing glasses.

I was pretty amazed that he KNEW that Mike keeps them in this drawer. What an observant kid!

Eat your (lima) beans...

It was a BIG DECISION whether or not Sydney wanted HAM or HOT DOG for lunch today. At first, he said HAM, but immediately changed his mind - back and forth - back and forth... this kid can't decide between 2 items AT ALL! (He does the same thing with juice and jammies... he likes both choices presented to him at all times.)

Once we settled on HOT DOG (ow-oh-oh, as he calls it) he enjoyed some mandarin oranges, some walnut halves, his hot dog and some lima beans. Immediately, the oranges vanished from his plate and he begged for more; complete devastation to learn that "they are all gone". After the hot dogs were gone, he begged for MORE.

I told him "Eat your beans and then, you can have more hot dog."

Little stinker - after protest - grabbed a bean and placed it into his mouth. Within seconds, he spit it out. "Sydney," I reminded him "you have to EAT THE BEAN."

He took another. Then, he discreetly lowered his chin to his chest and spit the bean in the crevice between his shirt and his quilted vest. And then... another bean... and another... and another. (He OBVIOUSLY thought I was born yesterday; I was AMAZED by his subtle mischievousness.) Soon, he had SEVEN of them inside his vest.

Soon, his tiny hand reached towards the plate and he gently knocked a few beans into his lap a few at a time.

"No hot dog; we're all done with lunch. You needed to eat your beans." With that, he quickly grabbed a handful of beans and threw them on the floor.

"Ow-oh-oh?" he asked sweetly (as if nothing had happened).

"We don't throw food on the floor." I reminded. "No hot dog. All done." He didn't protest, fuss or fight. Deep down, I think he already knew that lunch was over. (Little stinker.) 

Wondering what I am doing wrong?

Sydney has been a little stinker. A few nights ago, he was being naughty and cranking on the dials to the washing machine. (Lucy showed him that trick last week; thank you Lucy, my sweet!) Immediately, I told him "NO, we don't do that!", removed his hand and tried to re-direct his attention to something else. 

Instantly, he grinned and ran to do it again. "Stop!" I scolded. (He laughed at me; ironically, I was not wearing a game face or using a wishy-washy tone... I was serious!) I grabbed his arm to remove him from wrecking one of our most-commonly-used appliances. Again, redirecting attention to something else.

Watching me out of the corner of his eye, taunting me, he approached the washer again. "Sydney..." I warned.

I took him to "The Naughty Corner" and he had a time-out. Granted, I had to HOLD HIM THERE because he kept trying to run back into the kitchen. I reminded him "We don't touch that! We don't want to break it." After that (30-seconds or so) was up, I said "Leave it alone. Do you understand?" (He nodded YES!)

The little stinker, when released, ran STRAIGHT TO IT and did it again - with a HUGE SMILE on his face! Immediately, I scooped him up and took him back to "Time-Out". (How did this become such a game? I wondered.)

"NO!" I scolded. I grabbed his arm and set him into the dining room. He landed on his butt and looked at me with a "what did you do that for"-kind of face. He hopped up and tried it again so, I corralled him back into the dining room and put up the baby gate. Naughtily, he grabbed ahold of the baby gate and pushed and pulled on it - stretching it to it's limits in either direction - and yelled in protest.

We moved on. Thankfully, he did, too. HOWEVER, yesterday, after he woke from his nap, he was acting especially naughty. During his slumber, he had found a new desire to hit things. Using a spatula from our kitchen, he started whacking Eddy (sleeping on the seat of the recliner) with the kitchen tool and newly discovered weapon of choice. Eddy was freaked out! I quickly grabbed it from him and scolded "No!" Immediately, he grabbed one of the extension tubes for the vacuum cleaner and used that to chase after Eddy - trying to hit him with it. "Sydney, NO! We don't hit our cats!" I rescued Eddy to higher ground. "Why are you being SO NAUGHTY?" I asked.

Immediately, he looked me squarely in the eye - smiled - and ran to the washing machine to crank the dial.

Grrrr, WHAT AM I DOING WRONG?!?! (I'm claiming that this extra dose of SASSY is from his father's genes.)

Boiling eggs forgotten on stove, Green Eggs and Ham

One of Mike's FAVORITE Children's books is the Dr. Seuss classic "Green Eggs and Ham". He spotted it one day when we were shopping at Sam's Club and he had to have it to read to Sydney. Sydney LOVES when Mike reads it to him because Mike does VOICES for Sam and "the other guy".

He reads it SO WELL that sometimes, Sydney makes him read it a couple times in the same sitting.

On more than one occasion, I have found Sydney quietly sitting and looking at this book. The day that these jammie pics were taken, we had been cooking in the kitchen together and when we were adding HAM into our recipe, Sydney soon disappeared. I found him in the recliner (a.k.a. Daddy's chair) announcing "ham, ham, ham, ham, ham...." as he flipped through the book on his own.

This morning, Sydney and I were in the kitchen - making the recipe I found online for Carrabba's Spicy Sausage Lentil Soup (Mike's FAVORITE restaurant in the whole wide world and one of his favorite dishes from there). Per instructions, we added HAM. I had saved some aside for Sydney's lunch. I also peeled him a hard-boiled egg. (I had forgotten that those were on the stove and they boiled gently for close to an hour so, I feared that WE would have green eggs; thankfully, the one I gave Sydney looked PERFECT - not green at all!)

I had announced "What a good lunch! Sydney has apples, eggs and ham."

All of a sudden, he felt the need to hop down and run (as fast as he could) to the living room. When I didn't follow, he came charging back to grab me by the hand, encouraging me to follow him quickly. 

He patted the floor and pointed to the ground, encouraging me to sit. (I sat.) 

He quickly rummaged through one of the baskets of books and tossed the orange-covered one onto the floor in front of me and hopped onto my lap. (Of course, I knew what he was up to.)

"Ham." he boasted; Then, he pointed to the EGGS.

"You're right!" I replied excitedly. "Sydney was eating EGGS and HAM!"

He shook his head in agreement. You could tell that he was QUITE PROUD of his AH-HA moment. 

YEP, just like Daddy... Sydney LOVES "Green Eggs and Ham". (He made me read it TWICE before we could go back to finish his lunch.)

Number 2 remains nameless, Number 1 is 19 months

Sadly, despite online searches and a borrowed baby name book, Baby 2 remains nameless. (Mike has recently started referring to him as Number Two.) There are A LOT of names that I like; although, A LOT of other people like those same names, too - because I keep finding them on the most popular list. (Grrrr!) There are a few names that are more unique, but then we wonder (and possibly worry) that they are too unique. We've had a few names that have remained on the list, but Mike assures me that he's "not sold on one yet" and that nothing really "trips his trigger". (Sigh, hence the continued search....)

Number 2 has been busy entertaining us lately. He likes to move around when Mommy sits down to eat, lays down for bed or in the morning hours when he decides that it is time to jump on my bladder a bit, forcing me awake in a hurry. He also seems to like bedtime when we read stories and snuggle with Sydney. (Or perhaps, he really likes Sydney's loving ZERBERTS on my belly and the gentle caressing of the tiny hands patting my belly and playing with my belly button.)

If only Number 2 knew how many hugs and kisses he's already received....

Number 1 is now 19 months old and often gives us a run for our money. He challenges us quite a bit. He's VERY SMART and likes to manipulate the situation to test his boundaries. When we tell him NO, he finds a way to see what he can get away with. 

For example, when told not to eat crayons, he will slyly place one in his mouth and hold it with his lips, as if taunting the adult figure by saying "HaHa, I'm not really eating it!" 

Sometimes, he purposely does naughty things. When asked "Do you need to sit in the naughty corner?" he proudly nods his head YES and runs over to the corner to sit down, grinning all the while; this, he likes to turn into a game. 

He has just started liking to kick his feet in protest of diaper changing. We remind him that we kick balls, but NOT PEOPLE, but he continues to kick. (He likes when Mike attempts to restrain his legs from kicking and thinks that it, too, is a game.) Lately, I have just started pivoting his body on the changing pad so that his feet are away from me and he quickly loses interest in kicking when he has no one to kick.

Sydney LOVES to help unload the dishwasher! When he hears the clinking and clanking of plates, he comes running to the kitchen. Often, we ask him "Where does this go?" Surprisingly, he almost always knows EXACTLY which cupboard, cabinet or drawer that we keep things. I was recently AMAZED that he knew where we keep our yellow colander (because we almost NEVER use it, but he knew right where it goes... in the corner cabinet on the very top shelf... by the stacked metal ones that we DO use often).

Sydney's favorite thing is to watch Sesame Street on TV. He becomes oblivious to the world going on around him; although, sometimes, he will run to find us, dragging us by the finger, to show us something exciting (funny or scary) on the tv. (Yesterday, he was QUITE CONCERNED when Mrs. Sparklenose was sucked into the Genie's vacant bottle and couldn't get out; he dragged me to the tv and pointed with a look of concern on his face. He is a very compassionate kid.) This morning, when Mike was leaving for work, I told Sydney to say "Bye-bye" to Daddy. Without breaking eye contact from the tv, he lifted his hand in the air and waved towards the door.

Last night, I had started chopping an onion for a new recipe while Sydney played with toys and watched a partial episode of Sesame Street. I had already dragged a chair from the dining room into the kitchen for Sydney to assume his position as LITTLE HELPER. All of a sudden, he came flying into the kitchen and hopped up onto the chair. "I was wondering when you would be ready to help cook." I announced. (He smiled.) Pointing to the can on the counter, I informed him that we needed to open this can of tomato sauce and asked him how we should open the can. Without hesitation, he pulled open the silverware drawer and grabbed the can opener. (I was impressed.)

We measured out our dry ingredients and put them into the crockpot. (I purposely use a 1/2 tsp. measuring spoon to measure full teaspoons so that we have more opportunity to scoop and dump, which Sydney LOVES to do!) A few minutes later, I laughed out loud when he crouched down on his chair so that he could point to the line of the measuring cup and view the meniscus of the BBQ sauce from eye-level. (Somehow, I doubt that most 19-month old kids are this interested in cooking and this kind of precision. I guess his love of watching the Food Network with his daddy is shining through.)

STATS

Fully clothed - wearing a diaper, onesie, shirt, pants, socks, shoes and winter jacket - he weighed just over 24 pounds on the OB's hallway scale on Thursday morning.

He stands approximately 33" tall (as he is starting to have a harder time walking under mommy's long legs.)

He has 15 teeth: 4 uppers, 4 lowers, 4 molars, and 3 eye teeth. (The last eye tooth is just now starting to poke its way through the surface of his gums.)

He wakes between 7:15 and 8:30am, depending upon how quiet the house is.

He naps just once daily now, normally right after lunch. (Unfortunately, a 75 or 90 minute nap are NOT a lot of time to get a lot done around the house, especially if I am trying to be quiet.)

We normally start bedtime routine between 7:30 and 8:15. He unwinds with a few bedtime stories and then, we turn out the lamp. Sometimes, he likes to lay on the mattress on the floor in his room while other times, he likes to snuggle in the recliner with mommy. After a few minutes, I announce that it is time for him to go in his bed now. He's starting to fight less with bedtime, making it easier on me. {EDITED 1/1/01: Bedtime struggles are back into full-swing again; teething doesn't help, I'm sure... or the fact that when Daddy is home, they snuggle in the recliner together for the entire duration of the nap. Someone is SPOILED.}

His favorite word is UP! (Other favorites are Mama and Dadda.) We go through a routine with him: what does a dog say? (woof, woof) what does a cat say? (eee-Oww) what does Santa say?(HoHoHo) what does "The Count" say? (Ah, ah, ah)

He's starting to say more words: OP has to be determined by context... it can be STOP, MOP or HOP. SSSSSSsssss is by context as well... it is either the sound a snake makes, nuts or raisins.

While folding laundry, I was AMAZED when Sydney pointed to Mike's t-shirt and proudly announced "A". Surprised, I asked him "Which one is an A?" and he pointed his tiny finger directly to it.

He is QUITE a kid and I'm sure will someday be a GREAT teacher to his little brother!

Little stinker is gutsy

What a fun day we had today (while Mike was at work). We had LOTS of new things to play with, books to read and movies to watch.

Sydney got a Tigger stuffed animal from one of our old co-workers from Burlington. He insisted on taking him to bed with him last night, which he has never done before. We also had to make sure that Tigger was in our lap last night for bedtime stories. Today, when we were getting ready for NAPTIME, Sydney was busy pointing our Tigger's eyes, nose, mouth, etc. when I quizzed him. When I asked him where Tigger's belly was, he leaned over and attempted to give him a ZERBERT. (It didn't work well for him so, he ended up blowing a zerbert on my belly instead.)

While he napped, I cleaned up our house. It looked completely trashed with all of the toys thrown all over the place. I tucked away most of his old toys and organized the new ones so that they were tucked out of sight. When Sydney woke from his nap, he was COMPLETELY BAFFLED - scanning the living room with his hands thrown up in the air (as if asking "What the heck... where did everything go?") Soon enough, he spotted some toys in the basket and discovered the neat stash behind the recliner and it was ALL brought out again.

I played with the new camera some today. While Sydney watched a Sesame Street Christmas video, I sat near him and read the instruction booklet for the camera. (Holy cow, I have A LOT to learn!) Once he noticed me though, I had to stop reading that so that we could read HIS BOOKS instead.

Sydney insisted that I sit and play with him on the floor for most of the day; someday, I wont have the time to do that so, I am enjoying it now. We pretended to make cut-out cookies in his new kitchen; I even got out MY rolling pin while he was using his rolling pin. When I was getting our dinner ready, I noticed that SOMEONE had hung a toy cookie cutter on the christmas tree as if it was an ornament. (I grabbed the camera when he was trying to add more.)

I also found humor in watching him play. At one point, I saw him examine his toy shopping cart. He pulled Elmo out of it and you could tell he was trying to figure out how HE could ride in it. (He often attempted to ride in his plastic toy wagon; sometimes falling out when it tipped over.) Soon, I watched him raise his leg into the air and try to hook his foot onto the top of the shopping cart. He paused and tried again. I didn't say anything, wondering how far he would go with this. When he realized that his leg was not long enough, I watched him tip it onto its side instead. Then, he carefully analyzed where he could stick his legs in so that he could sit on it. Soon, you could tell his wheels were spinning again and he tried to get his toes into the basket part.

"Uh-oh." he said. "Ow. (pause) Ow. (pause) Ow."

(I watched as his foot was stuck into part of the toy and was at an odd angle.)

"You got it in there so, you'd better figure out how to get it out." I announced. "Maybe that isn't a good idea, don't you think?"

Sydney carefully backed his foot back out.

A minute or so later, he picked up the entire shopping cart and carried it into the dining room. (I could GUESS where this was going...) There, I had left a chair pulled out - away from the table. Sydney set the shopping cart down next to the chair and climbed up onto the seat. (You know darned well that he was going to climb into the shopping cart - off of the chair, but THANKFULLY he was distracted by something else. Phew! This was all the proof I needed to believe the statement from his 18-month well child appointment where they warned that KIDS NEED CONSTANT SUPERVISION AT THIS AGE.)

Sydney had started getting fussy so, I changed his diaper and grabbed his pajamas. He had been using my leg to stand on so that he could climb faster onto the couch. I had moved my leg out of the way, but Sydney decided that he wanted to climb on me so, he physically grabbed my foot and started to move it. Somehow, he ended up (accidently) head-butting me in the nose.

I grabbed my nose - in pain - and held it, with my eyes closed. "Sydney, you hurt mama's nose!" My eyes had started to instantly tear up with that hit.

Sydney moved my hand away from my face and wrapped his arms around me - giving me a GREAT BIG HUG and patted my shoulders to comfort me. (He is SUCH a sweet boy!)

Shortly thereafter, we battled it out at bedtime. He has been having some major separation anxiety lately, mostly at bedtime. He's in bed now, but I hope to keep the house quiet.

Hats, Baking and tricks up his sleeve

On December 11th, Sydney woke from his nap and discovered lots and lots of SNOW! (He thought it was pretty funny that our car was completely covered.)

On the way upstairs, Sydney grabbed Mike's hat. We left it on the stairs and I told him that he could wear it when he woke up from his nap. (This kid doesn't forget a thing... he grabbed that silly hat right away and plopped it on his head.)

As I was putting him down for his nap, I told him that I needed his help in the kitchen to make cookies after his nap. He was pretty excited for that! I guess he had "a thing" for hats that day... as he wore the strainer on his head.

He wasn't quite sure WHAT we were going to do with all of these "things." After he helped me measure out all of the ingredients, we used the big mixer. Then, we rolled out our dough. (He kept reaching over and tearing off pieces of raw dough to eat.) He thought it was pretty fun, but didn't understand WHERE the cookies come into play. Then, as we started cutting out our cookies, he got REALLY, REALLY MAD that we couldn't eat them RIGHT NOW!!! He didn't want to wait for them to bake.

So, we had to take a break and color while they were in the oven. (I am LOVING how he is starting to purse his lips when he colors; he says "Oooooh!" as he tries the different colors on the paper. It is SO CUTE!)

I think that the cookies were WELL WORTH THE WAIT!

He likes them!!!

Someone has TRICKS up his sleeve!!!

Putting the tree up, as well as even higher

We put up our Christmas tree. The branches were fluffed and the lights were strung while Sydney napped. (I had prepped him by telling him that we were going to put a tree in the corner of our dining room earlier in the week and earlier in the day.) 

I was just finishing up the beaded garland strings when he woke from his nap. (To him, those looked a lot like Grandma Olson's necklaces, which are always fair game to play with... until he puts them into his mouth.)

We went on to add some ornaments to the tree. Sydney, however, had other goals in mind. To him, any ornament that resembled a ball - to him WAS a ball. He kept taking them off of the tree as fast as Mike was putting them up. Then, he would set them on the floor and kick them with his feet. We kept explaining that these are NOT BALLS, but he didn't believe us at all. We broke one ornament, as he crushed it in his hand - trying to keep it from us. (He was NOT hurt; although, I think he felt badly that we said it was broken and had to sweep up the pieces.)

We tried putting the pet yard around the tree, but Sydney kept moving it to get at the tree. He was determined to get at all of those balls.

We contemplated taking down the tree. We contemplated leaving the tree and removing all of the ornaments. 

We assured ourselves that next year, Sydney will be older (hopefully, leaving it alone) and the new baby will be too little to be bothered by the tree; the year following that, however, we will be in the same boat all over again. 

Mike suggested that we put the tree out of reach. We took our "table" from the sunporch, covered it with a white shower curtain and set the tree on top of it. The pet yard went around the base for a little added protection. Any of the ornaments that were at the bottom of the tree were moved UP and out of reach. Thankfully, we have high ceilings in our dining room. We made it work so that we can all enjoy the beauty that the season brings.

We did tell Sydney that Santa says "Ho! Ho! Ho!" (Sydney tried saying it, too... which was SUPER CUTE, but he has to be in the right mood to cooperate.)

So, this year - we put the tree up... and then, we put it up again!

Belt confirms belly is a little bigger (x+9)

I have a belt that my dad punched extra holes in it to make it SMALLER for me over the summer. I had been wearing that belt on a particular set of holes, but have since EXPANDED to the next larger set for my lower abdomen. That, to me, is proof that my baby belly is getting a tiny bit bigger. It'll be interesting to see where my belt ends up this time around, come April or May...

Last pregnancy, I regretted that I didn't take waist measurements until the very end. You'd think that I would have recalled that piece of information so that I could take a BEFORE measurement. Although, since I didn't really know I was pregnant at first, and with the worry of the repeat ultrasounds, etc it kind of slipped my mind to do just that. I'll try to do that more often, for my own peace of mind, but like daily flossing - can't guarantee anything.

As we walked from our car to the building, Sydney waved and smiled at anyone approaching him. A few old ladies were inside waiting for a ride and he did the same for all of them, too. Sydney charmed the receptionists, all of the patients in the waiting room, as well as all of the clinic staff that we encountered.  We were told that we have THE CUTEST KID EVER and how friendly he was. He gave out a few HIGH-FIVES to random women in the waiting room, as well as played peek-a-boo with one woman. He also showed a magazine cover of an owl to a few women.

When they called us back, we stopped in the hallway to have me weighed. The nurse announced "Go ahead and hop on up there so we can check your weight." Sydney assumed that she was talking to him so, he hopped up there onto the scale. (He weighed 22.6 pounds.) She laughed how he knew just what to do. We explained that we had him stand there a month ago so that we could see how much he weighed. She couldn't believe he remembered. (Ah, yes... this kid doesn't forget much, it seems!)

Today, at our 16-week appointment, I weighed in 3 pounds heavier than one month ago. That means, I am currently up 9 pounds from my pre-pregnancy weight. (I am currently 11.1 pounds LIGHTER than my starting weight when I got pregnant with Sydney so, that makes me feel pretty good.)

There were no traces of sugar or protein in my urine. Baby's heart tones were 146 - which the nurse said was PERFECT. My blood pressure was nice and low. (I did forget to ask the doctor about that... since I have had dizzy spells when I stand up sometimes; I read somewhere that THAT can be normal for pregnancy though.) We declined the (optional) Quad Screen blood tests that test for 4 different birth defects; we're told that the 20-week ultrasound can detect all of them, except Down Syndrome and that we have until 22 weeks to have the test done if we change our minds. (I believe it was a routine test in MN. It is optional here and we're told that most people pass on it.)

Our nurse and the doctor both commented on how inquisitive and curious Sydney was. (As for the inquisitiveness, we did have to stop him from helping himself to the drawer full of vaginal speculums. His eyes lit up when he opened the drawer on the end of the exam table; to him, I'm sure that it looked a lot like Grandpa Olson's tool chest where anything was fair game to play with. The nurse laughed.) He also checked out the doctor's pretty necklace and her wedding ring. If only she would have let him play with her laptop...

On the way out, he stopped to charm a nurse in the hallway. She dug in her desk drawer and found him some animal stickers. (We warned her that he may stop by next time to help himself since he doesn't seem to forget much. She laughed.) She offered to give him more, but we politely declined because he tends to just eat them; someday, he will appreciate them for more than just flavor. While I stopped to get my glasses adjusted, Sydney decided to try on sunglasses. He's a funny kid and sure did look cute! 

I am told that I am no longer able to lay flat on my back from here-on-out. I suggested that I'm not giving up stomach sleeping yet though because it is nice to have more options than left-side or right-side. (Doctor tells me that I'll know when it is time to give up stomach sleeping because it will no longer be comfortable to lay on my growing belly.) 

Doctor wasn't surprised that I feel the need to see a chiropractor more often to keep my hips and low back comfortable - since the pregnancy hormones do a number on relaxing the body. (I've already made a mental note to ask for sleeping suggestions  from the chiropractor so that I can try to keep myself comfortable for longer stretches of time.) All in all, it was a silly (rather pointless) appointment without much to do or talk about. Next time, will be the SUPER FUN ONE... ultrasound! (I'm rather anxious for that one!)

31 days until the ultrasound! 169 days until our due date! It's getting pretty exciting...

Thank goodness, a sigh of relief

Yesterday, before putting Sydney down for a nap, I diapered him and put him into one of the new onesies that I recently bought and laundered. Then, I put his Polartec fleece jacket back on him (because the onesies are - unfortunately - short-sleeved).

For a fact, I KNOW that Sydney was wearing his fleece when he went down for a nap. When he woke up, his fleece was OFF and thrown out of his bed. As I approached him, he wrinkled up his nose and started making SNIFFING sounds. I asked him "Do you have a stuffy nose or are you smelling something?"

He nodded his head and pointed to his diaper.

"Is there poop in there?" I questioned.

He nodded his head YES.

Yep, I was thanking my lucky stars that I had put him into that onesie right before nap. Otherwise, the little stripper may have pulled off all of his clothes and poopy diaper again - if presented with the opportunity.

Big Boy protests, Booster seat brings smiles

Last night, Sydney had been signing that he was hungry and wanted to EAT. I told him that we were going to eat when Daddy gets home from work, which wasn't the most satisfactory of answers for a hungry 17-month-old. (As you guessed, I eventually had to get a plate of food ready for the little man to eat and sat him in his high chair.)

Sydney SCREAMED!

I couldn't figure out WHAT was the matter. I thought that he was upset with his dinner selection so, I grabbed a box of Ritz Bitz peanut butter crackers and offered him a few of those. He continued to SCREAM and scream!

Eventually, I told Auntie Karin (on the phone) "I've got to let you go. I have NO IDEA what is wrong with him."

I took Sydney out of his high chair and tried to comfort him. I asked him what he wanted and he pointed to Eddy. (Personally, I thought A NAP was what he wanted since he's OBVIOUSLY NOT normally this crabby.)

"You want Eddy?" I asked to which Sydney nodded YES. So, I sat on the couch with Sydney and we coaxed Eddy over. Through the snuffling and sniffling and the real tears that had rolled down his cheeks, Sydney managed a partial smile as he stuffed a mini-Ritz into his mouth. Then, I questioned "I thought you wanted to EAT?"

Sydney nodded YES. So, I took him back into the dining room to his plate of food.

As soon as I brought him near his high chair, he started to scream and scream again. "Sydney, what is the matter?"

He pointed to Mike's chair.

Puzzled, I asked "You want to wait for Daddy?"

W-A-I-L-I-N-G (and more pointing) shaking his head NO!

"You want to sit in Daddy's chair?" (Big head nod YES!!!!)

So, that night, Sydney sat on top of an inverted Tupperware Lettuce Keeper so that he was high enough (on Daddy's big boy chair) to reach his plate to eat.

We are NOW the proud owners of a (Fisher Price Healthy Care Deluxe) booster seat and we give Sydney a choice of which seat he wants to sit at to eat. We had friend Lucy over for lunch today and it worked out VERY WELL that the guest baby sat in the high chair while Sydney sat in his new booster seat. 

He also likes to sit at the table and draw pictures now, too. (Note: we aren't using the tray part - which seems to be working GREAT!)

Our little boy, I'm afraid, is growing up!

(Thankfully, I had recently gotten a developmental email update along the line that predicted that he would eventually protest the high chair so, I was saddened, but not horribly surprised.)

There was an incident with some POOP!

Sydney protested his afternoon nap AGAIN - similar to the rest of the week - where he hung out talking and singing to himself. Like a handful of other days this week, he did this for an hour. (You'd think he would have had enough incentive to sleep since I told him that Grandpa would be here when he wakes up from his nap. Perhaps, he thought it was better to wait UP for Grandpa.)

Around this time same time that an hour had elapsed, Grandpa Lowell showed up for his weekly Sunday with Sydney visit, but I insisted that he MUST get some sort of a nap in this afternoon because there is NO WAY he can make it from his morning nap until bedtime. We left him in his bedroom and after a few more minutes, he eventually settled down.

A short while later, Sydney started SCREAMING. It wasn't a "Mom, I'm up!" kind of cry. It wasn't an "I'm hungry" kind of cry. To the best of my better judgement, to me, it sounded like it was a "HELP! I am REALLY UPSET" kind of cry. I offered to bring him down, but Grandpa said "I'll get him."

Grandpa went up the stairway announcing "Who's making all the noise? WHO is crying?"

Soon, I heard "Oh, what's with all the poop?" (The voice in my head was saying "that's not a very funny joke, Grandpa.") Next, I heard, "I think you're best to go straight into the tub."

At some point during Sydney's nap, he managed to remove his athletic pants. At another point during Sydney's nap, he managed to remove HALF of his (poopy) diaper. (Grandpa reports that it was half-hanging on.) Sydney had poop all over his hands and smeared all over his butt cheeks. We set him, screaming, into the tub. I'm not sure if he thought he was in trouble - or what - since the screaming is not really his nature. 

We cleaned him up and got him dressed in fresh clothes. Then, he went for a stroller ride with Grandpa while I sprayed some Lysol into the air - in hopes of neutralizing the strong stench of POOH. Then, I stripped his bed and made a wipe-down concoction to thoroughly clean his crib. I did not find visible poop in his room, but it sure smelled HORRIBLE in there. It seems that the poop was (thankfully) mostly all over Sydney instead of his room. I have heard HORROR STORIES of people who had poop incidents where it was used as finger paint. (Shiver.)

Of course, Mike (and my mom) laughed when I told them the story. Sadly, I did NOT find the humor in it one bit. I had planned on running to the grocery store so I could finish up on our dinner plans. I wondered how I am ALWAYS the lucky one who gets to clean up poop. (Mike reminds me that it is because I am lucky enough to stay home with him every day.)

MENTAL NOTE: Purchase some tshirt onesies in his current size so that it becomes more difficult from him to EVER do this again.  Also, make a point of checking on him while he is protesting his nap to make sure that he is NOT getting into trouble. Little stinker.

• • • • • 

Happy Birthday "Auntie" Terri!

Little stinker learns to climb dining chairs

Tonight, near bedtime, Sydney threw a leg up onto the seat of a dining chair and pulled himself up onto the chair. We looked at each other - in horror - and I spelled out "Oh, S - H - I - T!" It seems that once he scaled the chair, he started to pull himself up onto the dining room table, too.

I put him down onto the floor. Proudly, he demonstrated his new skill and climbed the chair again without much hesitation.

"I guess we'll have to keep the chairs pushed in under the table and all of the extra chairs will have to go hide in the bonus room." Mike announced.

Makes me wonder how long we'll be able to keep him in his crib....

Sydney hit his head doing adult things

Sydney started to cry - a cry of HURT. He came to mommy, rubbing his head with his hand and a pouty lower lip.

"What happened? Did you BONK your head? How did that happen?"

Sydney took me near the end table that sits next to Mike's living room recliner. He grabbed the white plastic boxed outlet cover housing from the floor and showed it to me. Then, he climbed under the table to attempt to stick the plug cover to the wall.

"Did you BONK your head when you tried to put this on the wall?"

Sydney nodded his head YES and handed me the box housing, as if he was asking for help.

Funny that the 15-month old is observant enough to KNOW what it is and where it goes. He felt MUCH BETTER after Mike had put the boxed outlet cover back where it belongs. What a smart kid!

He IS his father's son

Tonight, our neighbors were burning in their backyard and Mike had shown Sydney the flames from the office window. After Mike headed to bed, I took Sydney outside to see the fire.

Sydney blew at the fire and smoke.... you know, because we blow at things when they are HOT. (What a smart kid!)

After playing with their dog briefly, we ventured into the front yard. 

A neighbor across the street had a dog visiting in their yard so, we went over to see LOLA - the dog. We attempted to play fetch, but Sydney isn't a good left-handed pitcher. (Honestly, he isn't a very good right-handed pitcher either.) Then, Sydney thought he would play keep-away from the dog. (The dog didn't find the humor in that game.)

I thought it was VERY FUNNY when Sydney started running down the short, steep hill in the neighbor's front yard. I envisioned him tumbling and falling onto his face. I scurried to catch him mid-way before he could meet the sidewalk at the bottom. (The neighbor was QUITE IMPRESSED with the quick reflexes of this mom.)

I thought Sydney would have been scared by almost falling face-first down the hill. Of course, he thought THE OPPOSITE! (He thought it was GREAT FUN!)

He IS his father's son... he is an adrenaline junkie, just like his dad!

While we were over there, at neighbor Jim's house, Sydney also admired OUR neighbors revving up their motorcycles, getting ready to go for a ride. He stood, in awe, watching them. Don't EVEN think about it, little man! (Mommy doesn't want to have a heart attack worrying about you riding on motorcycles; I think you'll give me plenty of gray hairs without the threat of that.)

Backyard fun and blowing on grass

This afternoon, we went for a walk with the stroller, meeting up with our friends Kate and Lucy and their stroller. (Sadly, Lucy is out of daycare until further notice for a MRSA infection on her leg.) After our playdate/walk, we were playing in our yard and Sydney was busy smelling the purple hosta flowers, as well as searching for bumble bees.

Sydney stopped moving with a perplexed look upon his face. 

I asked him "What's the matter?"

He pointed to the front of his diaper.

"Did you just go potty?" I asked him.

Sydney nodded his head YES; then, took off moving again. 

Then, given the fact that he went into the corner of the yard to stand by himself, led me to believe he had unfinished business to attend to.

I went over by Sydney and crouched down by the back fence as we peered down the hillside into our neighbors yards. I picked up a wide blade of grass, strategically placed it between my thumbs and started to use it as a whistle.

Sydney was TOTALLY IMPRESSED!

I scan the yard for another good piece and I did it again. Big smiles resulted on his end. 

:)

Pretty soon, Sydney reaches down and plucks a wide blade of grass from the yard. He puts the end of it into his mouth and attempts to blow it (just like he blows bubbles). It was SO CUTE that he tried to imitate it; he is SO MUCH like a sponge, taking EVERYTHING in that we can throw his way. 

(And, yes... for the record, it was a multiple-wipe diaper shortly thereafter.)

Bumble Bees, Clover and some added Drama

This morning, while Daddy was busy playing electrician in the kitchen, Mommy and Sydney went outside to explore. On our adventure, we discovered clover, which Sydney sometimes mistakes for fluffy dandelion heads. (He thinks he needs to blow at them both.) On that clover, we saw Bumble Bees on a mission of pollination. Sydney was SO EXCITED to see each bee and it was difficult to keep him from leaning in closer to touch one.

We also discovered that they REALLY LIKE the sedum planted at the end of (neighbor) Will & Kate's driveway. There, we saw LOTS of bugs... ants, flies AND more bumble bees! It was pretty exciting for Sydney, who is normally THRILLED to see an ordinary ant crawling across the sidewalk.

Later in the day, Sydney was running from the dining room into the living room and slipped on the floor - landing on the floor. Mommy and Daddy both questioned "What happened?" To our surprise, Sydney held his head (to signify that he BONKED it), pointed to the (slippery) spot on the floor and he re-enacted the fall and the landing, almost perfectly. Naturally, we laughed at him.

Liking the attention, he started walking around rather silly and somehow managed to fall down onto the dining room rug, landing on his back with both legs up in the air. It seemed as if it had caught him by surprise, but he immediately got up and re-enacted it all again.... and again.... and again... and again. It seems, he now likes to throw his body onto the floor (for fun) and throw both feet into the air. (Man, you'd think that it would give him a headache.)

He, obviously, feels the need to burn off EVERY SINGLE CALORIE that he consumes. He has a new dance that resembles the old movie FLASHDANCE where he runs in place very, very quickly. He is running or dancing almost all day long; he almost never sits still. (Again, I'm not sure WHY he isn't gaining weight?!?! JUST KIDDING!)

Mommy fears the end of our breastfeeding journey. It was the only time(s) in the day that she could guarantee being able to sit down and take a break from watching the "pinball machine" in action. AND it was so nice to sit, relax and snuggle with Sydney. Today, he nursed at 6:20am, 10:30am and 8:30pm; thankfully, Daddy was home to distract him with snacks and juice. We keep trying the milk, but Sydney recognizes the fact that it is white liquid in the cup and remembers that he did NOT like it when he tried it for the first time earlier in the weekend. Perhaps, calcium added/iron fortified orange juice is our only option. I fear the healing of his broken arm if we can't get him to drink milk. (I feel badly that I have TONS of milk that I would LOVE to offer him, but know that, sadly, as Mike often reminds me I "HAVE TO" give it up very, very soon and that it is no longer my choice.)

Mike commented that I am like a roller coaster of emotions; he thinks I am best when I stay busy and keep my mind off of my troubles. Truth is, I am emotionally EXHAUSTED and have declared that I am "not having much fun anymore." Speaking of exhausted, I am struggling to keep my tired eyes open. Off to bed... good night!

BF Support Group walk and shopping

This morning, we attended the 9th annual Breastfeeding Support Group walk at Murphy Park. We didn't last long walking; the motion was making me dizzy.

This afternoon, Mike hauled Sydney and I around town. We toured the pet store where Sydney got to see kittens, mice, turtles, and fish. (I think the fish were his favorite.) We bought food for our cats. Then, we ventured to Sam's Club before making our way to buy a bunch more groceries from the store. 

In a magazine, I found a shopping list and recipes for an entire week's worth of dinners. So, we're giving it a try. Since I can't drive - we have to plan ahead a little more. Also, it was nice to get out of the house and enjoy the day with Mike.

Nursed Sydney only 4 times today, which is WAY LESS than normal. Feeling a little "full" now that he's in bed, but trying my best to wean in a hurry.

We're struggling to get him to drink cow's milk. Last night, he took a sip, made a horrible face, gagged, shook his head NO and pushed the cup away. Now, the little stinker pushes the cup away for any white liquids. We tried chocolate milk. No luck. Even tried it with a straw... fun, fun! Nope, took two sips at most.

Diapers have NOT been very wet today. Hope we don't dehydrate the little man. (At least he likes juice and water.)

Making due, one day at a time and TRYING to keep my chin up. Having a hard time sleeping despite feeling tired. (Slept no more than 5 hours last night and struggled to nap today.)

Hoping each day gets a little easier than the last.

Grandma Olson and the girls stopped by for a visit tonight; it was nice to see them while they were visiting the area. We all enjoyed the summer night out on the deck. (I even had a little cocktail, hoping it will help me fall asleep easier.) Sydney was showing off a little; He kept eating rocks. He shakes his head NO, knowing good and well that we don't eat rocks. He also announces "ACK!" but proceeds to put the rock(s) into his mouth. He thinks it is funny when we have to fish the rocks out of his mouth. The little stinker even had the gumption to grab ahold of my hand and bring it up to his mouth to retrieve the rock that he had purposely put inside, knowing that he shouldn't. He's mischievous; must get that from his daddy.    :)