Blame it on the Clock

I love the Tot Clock. This has to be one of the best inventions in the world - or at least my world that consists of diapers and formula and other motherhood stuff. Papa Bear and I always lamented over the fact that Little Man couldn't tell time so we couldn't tell him to stay in bed until 7 or 8 or 9. And then we found the Tot Clock. This singularly genius invention has changed things in this house. It is simple. When the clock is blue - it is bed time (or nap time) and when the clock is yellow it is awake time. Why he hasn't questioned this is beyond me, but Little Man is a rule follower and it works for him. At the end of nap time (which I have set the "blue time" to be a 2 hour duration) he yells "Mama the clock is yellow" and I say "Are you sure?" and he says, "Yes, it is really really yellow" and then I say "well come on down" and at night when he wakes up and comes running into our room screaming because of the chicken by the door or the blue and green mouse that is going to get him, I can give him a hug and then say "What color is your clock?" and he sleepily says "Blue" and then there is no fight in taking him back to his room because that's the rule. This wonderful clock has helped us get more sleep and instead of having to tell Little Man that Mama just wants a bed free of pint sized squirmers, I can just tell him that the clock is blue and so he must stay in his bed. I highly recommend the tot clock for any sleep deprived parents of a toddler. (And no-one is paying me to say that)

However, I will issue this one warning. Travel with it. If you don't you are left to the whim's of whatever clock happens to be in the room where you are staying. An example of this is when we were in Delaware visiting Mee-Mom and Little Man was sleeping on a mattress on the floor and by a cruel cruel trick of the world, Mee-Mom's clock is backlit yellow. So at 3 am, Little Man pops up and says, "The clock is yellow, time to wake up!" So yeah, travel with it and also a secret trick is that during the week you can have it turn yellow at a certain time, say 6:30 am, but on the weekend you can change it so that it doesn't turn yellow until, say 7:30 am, and your Little Man would never ever know :)

Wordless Wednesday

Chase - Little Man and Peanut style

The boys are starting to be able to play games together. Although Little Man does get frustrated that Peanut doesn't play by his rules - they are starting to have some moments that good play is happening. I am not sure that this video qualifies as one of them, but it was cute to see Little Man "slow" his running to try and give Peanut a fighting chance of getting away from him. (Please note that Peanut is in slow motion mode at this point because he was had been playing "chase" for about 30 minutes) ** This is a video Mommom, don't forget to click on play!**

10 Month Tantrums

Peanut turned 10 months yesterday and he marked his 10 month birthday with the start of tantrums. We were not prepared for that. I think it was well past his first year before we saw the start of a tantrum from Little Man and Little Man has never been the throw himself down on the ground kicking and screaming tantrum kind of kid. And yet we had 4 in just one day from Peanut. It is like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Peanut in this house. He is mild mannered for most of the day. Playing pleasantly and smiles and giggles a plenty but deny him that one toy that he wants or take away the book he is trying to eat and holy crazy tantrum! He cries this fake "arrarrraarrh" pirate type cry and kicks those chubby legs over and over and over. His eyes get all squinched up and he throws his head back. And it stops as quickly as it starts if he gets what he wanted (usually only if Little Man is the culprit behind his tantrum and I fix that) or if he gets distracted (which thankfully is still quite easily done). I think we may be in for some trouble with our Dr. Jekyll Mr. Peanut!

Other 10 month updates - Peanut is still as chubby as ever even though he is getting better at movin' and groovin'. He pulls up on virtually everything, even Little Man and has become a pro at getting himself back down. He just started to be able to climb up steps but he looks like he is trying to summit Mr. Everest when he does it. He is getting better at the rolling too. It seems like he doesn't always remember he can do it, but when he really tries he can get himself all the way over and loves it!

His napping has improved tremendously and takes up to an hour an a half in the mornings and another hour to two hours in the afternoon. He is still sleeping through the night but for 3 or 4 days he was waking up at 4 am or so. I think that he was just practicing standing up in his crib and now that he has figured that out he doesn't need to practice in the early morning hours anymore. Thank goodness!

I don't even know where to start with his eating because he eats EVERYTHING we put in front of him. His current favorites are avocados, peas, squash, chicken, carrots, bananas and yogurt. He isn't totally thrilled with applesauce and sweet potatoes but to be honest if push came to shove he would eat it!

I think the thing that is most striking for me and Papa Bear is how quickly these 10 months have gone. It feels like only yesterday that I held him in my arms at the hospital, my 9 pound 3 ounce premature Peanut. He is growing up so quickly and we are trying to be in the moment with him and Little Man as much as possible so that we don't miss anything.

I think he is playing me...

So this evening when I was putting Little Man to bed he pulled my arm around him and said "Mama, keep me safe". I melted a little at his level of cuteness and asked him what I was supposed to be keeping him safe from and he paused and then said "The two really bad chickens". I, of course, told him that we would never allow really bad chickens into the house and he said "ok" and snuggled into my arms. I think he is playing me. I think he knows I melt a bit when he asks me to keep him safe in his super sweet voice and I think he knows that it will keep me hugging him just a little bit longer before he has to go to sleep when he pretends to be scared. But you know what, I think I will keep pretending that I don't know he is playing me. I think that I will keep him safe from the big big giants and the really bad chickens and the two mouses (his word) in the corner and get a few more snuggles each night for as long as I can. I know that there will be a day where he will be too cool for hugs and snugs with his mama and I know there will be a day where he won't admit to being scared of anything so today I am going to let him work the bedtime system for as long as he wants and keep him safe from all of the scary bad chickens.

Big Rig Truck Trumps Trumpet - Trumpet to make a Comeback!

Extra! Extra! Read all about it! Big Rig Truck visits pre-school, Little Man gets to run around in Big Big Truck and drink lots of juice boxes. Truck driving papa currently gets Cool Papa of the Week award but the Trumpet Playing Papa Bear will trump Truck Driving Papa when he returns to the pre-school in March to show off his skills AND the spit valve!

Little Man had one of his many dreams come true this week. No, he didn't get a real giant and no he didn't get to ride on a chicken's back - those are two of his dreams that we haven't been able to fulfill. The wheels of the truck were taller than he was but he hoisted himself up the steps and pulled right up into the cab. He was in heaven and has asked everyday if he can see the big big truck again!

My Turtle Grew Legs!

If you remember from this post, I compared Peanut to a turtle. Well a leg-less turtle to be more specific. This is because Peanut, while crawling and pulling up, still could not manage to get his chunky self rolled over from his back to his tummy. Today, my turtle grew legs! On two different occasions he rolled himself over from his back to his tummy like it was no big deal. Like he had been doing it forever, except he hasn't. Only 4 days shy of his 10 month birthday he started rolling. This boy has not read the Pediatricians Guide to Baby's from Birth to 5 because he is doing everything so out of order and backwards! If he had read it he would know that he is supposed to roll before crawl and that if he weighs over 25 pounds he may not crawl until well past his 10 or 11 month mark instead of getting going at 9 months. He would know that he shouldn't be able to eat with a spoon yet but probably should start having his pincer grasp. But Papa Bear and I are taking it all in stride and are just happy to see our Turtle, I mean Peanut rolling over and gettin' where he needs to go.

Peanut's Rough Day

This morning started early. I mean really the early. Peanut was off schedule from some travel over the weekend and decided to get up and play in his crib from 4:30-5:30 and then throw everything out of his crib in protest of being ignored. After an early start he was woken up from his nap to go to the doctor. He had his follow up appointment at the doctor this morning to see how his ears are faring. The infections are all cleared, but there was still some fluid. The poor baby has had fluid in his ear for over a month now so I was disappointed to hear this. He took his shot like a man and turned his lip down and glared at the nurse but didn't even cry. The day just kind of got worse for my little Peanut. He is pulling up on everything these days, the refrigerator, the dishwasher, the coffee tables but he hasn't quite figured out how to get his legs into a good position or how to move his feet to help himself out. And the result is a lot of falls and some tears. We figured out that taking his socks off helped a little but that is sort of outweighed by the Little Man factor. This is what we call it when Little Man decides to "help" Peanut stand up, hold on or play with something that inevitable ends in a tangle of arms, legs and a diaper with Peanut on the bottom. He spent a lot of the day in tears or "yelling" his Peanut yell as he does the splits in the kitchen. He choked on turkey soup (we pureed it up, but there was a bone that slipped through) and had a very scary moment. Oh the mess, oh the drama, oh the tears. Tomorrow will be a better day, we get to go see a Big Rig and let Little Man explore the massively big truck with his friends at school and hopefully Peanut will have recovered from his doctor visiting, shot getting, turkey bone choking, split doing day.

Wordless Wednesday

Technology that Makes a Family Stronger

Yesterday morning the boys got a chance to skype with Mee-Mom (once we found a Peanut-Proof place to put the computer)

They got to spend time talking to her, watching Simba and even a quick chat with Mommom.

Mee-Mom even read Little Man a few books

We have no idea what he is doing with his shirt, but he liked the book a lot

Oh how I love technology!

Bee in My Bonnet

Back in November I was reading a magazine and there was an article about a designer mom who converted a room in her house in to a giant library for her kids with display bookshelves and a low table for playing games and reading. And much to Papa Bear's despair, I got a bee in my bonnet. We love reading in this house and how perfect would it be to have a room in the house dedicated just to reading where the boys could see all of their books instead of having to dig through book bins to find what they want. And since we didn't have a spare, empty room just waiting to be made into our new library - and since I am NOT a designer it was going to be a little tricky.

First I convinced Papa Bear that we didn't need a formal dining room. It didn't really take much convincing when we have actually only used it as a formal dining room 3 times in 3 years but it took a little convincing to get him to wrap and pack our expensive dining room table and find a place in our over packed storage space. But once that was accomplished I set out on Craigslist to find cheap yet comfortable furniture to fill the room. The bookshelves were the most difficult because I had a specific display that I wanted so that kids could see the books and not just have a spine out bookshelf. So Papa Bear got a carpenter friend of his to custom build them for us. Papa Bear proudly designed them on AUTO CAD with a section plan that I couldn't make heads or tails out of. Craigslist furniture purchased, custom bookshelves built, painted and secured to the walls and books displayed for the boys - the bee was no longer in my bonnet (although I still want to paint the room once we can agree on paint colors). We spent under $300 for everything now we have a whole extra room in our house that we use much more than we did the dining room. Oh and we eat in our large eat-in kitchen/sunroom so have no fear!

And here it is, our new reading room!

Reminded of Another Joke....

It seems that our house is reminiscent of many jokes these days. Have you ever seen the Burt and Ernie skit about the banana in Ernie's ear? If you have kids, you probably have. If you don't have kids, it goes like this:

Bert: "Hey, you've got a banana in your ear!"

Ernie: "What?"

Bert: "I said, YOU'VE GOT A BANANA IN YOUR EAR!"

Ernie: "What? I can't hear you; I've got a banana in my ear!"

Well at lunch today, Little Man started yelling "I have a noodle in my ear! Get it out, Mama. Get it out!" I turn around from shoveling avocado in Peanut's mouth to see a spiral noodle sticking out of Little Man's ear. He was trying to get it out, but was actually just pushing it further into his ear. So I said "Little Man, stop trying to get it out. Let me do it." He immediately shouted, "Mama, I can't hear you! I have a noodle in my ear!" I moved his hand away and started to extract the pieces of noodle that were jammed in his ear and was laughing the whole time. When I asked him why he put a noodle in his ear (not that there is really a good reason). He told me that he wanted to see if it tickled. I asked him if it tickled and he said "yeah, it did a little."

So Peanut on his back and Little Man with a noodle in his ear...never a boring day in his house!

Like a Joke I am Fond Of...

When I was younger, my brother and I were very fond of this joke about a legless turtle. It goes like this:

Question:"Where do you find a legless turtle?"

Answer: "Right where you left it!".

This joke reminds me so much of Peanut these days. He is crawling, pulling up and even using things around the house to push around while crawling on his knees...but put him on his back and he is just stuck. He lays there like a lump, not even trying to move or roll. He cries and wails until his brother or Papa or I take pity on him and nudge him to get him going, but he doesn't even try to roll on his own. I know I said in an earlier post that he thinks he is a rock star and too good for rolling, but I think my life would be a lot easier if he would roll on his own. Twice a day I knock him (gently) onto his back and give him a sippy cup. He finishes it, throws the cup to the side and then lays there. Not moving. Not struggling. Just lays. Until. He. Screams. And then someone helps him move his chubby little legs and he swings over and is so so happy to be back on his tummy or hands and knees.

So today if you ask me "Where can you find a Peanut on his back?" the answer still is "Right where you left him!" Sigh......

Anyone know any tricks to help him figure out how to get his cubby momentum rollin?

Seriously Adorable

Papa Bear has returned to work (and has actually gone out of town for a funeral too) so my time to blog has greatly diminished for the moment.

So all you get is this picture of Peanut. I know I am biased, but I think he gets cuter by the minute. He is just seriously adorable!

(And Mommom, if you are reading this - Happy Birthday! We love you!!!)

Babysitting - Papa Bear Style

We all know that Papa Bear doesn't always keep to Mama Bear approved activities when watching the boys. (Remember this post?) But since it isn't often that I get out on my own, when I do get out - I try not to complain too loudly at the Papa Bear Babysitting techniques. Or at least, I try not to ask too detailed of questions about what occurred while I was gone. You know, I cover the basics, did they eat, did they sleep, do they still have all of their teeth and appendages? If all of those questions are answered to my satisfaction, I just leave the rest alone. BUT it seems that Papa Bear likes to record his techniques with the camera so when I download the pictures for the day (yes, we do take enough pictures that I download daily) I find the incriminating evidence. This time I thought his techniques, while unorthodox and not the Mama Bear way, they should be shared. So for all other Papa Bears out there in the world who are babysitting the young while the Mama Bears are out of the house trying to find their sanity in retail therapy - if the kids get out of hand and you want to make it easier to keep your eye on them - just put them in a box. A large box that they can't get out of and make sure to take a video of it for evidence or posterity :)

Super Little Man to the Rescue!

Need I say more?

Badoinger

If you thought that my first post in 2010 would be prosaic, sentimental or even full of resolutions...you would be wrong. Badoinger Wrong!

What is a badoinger you ask? Everyone has seen one, you all have one in your house somewhere and in my house, well, they are a form of entertainment for my boys. Peanut has only recently discovered the badoinger but has already spent lots of time making it badoing! Ok, really I will stop now and let you in on what I am spewing about. (Mommom, these are videos, so make sure you hit play to watch them)

Little Man Badoinging in 2007

Peanut Badoinging in 2009