The Unfortunate Smashing of a Thumb

It all happened about 2 weeks ago, this new chaos in my life. Seth & I often pondered how we would get Wyatt to stop sucking his thumb one of these days. To be honest, it never really bothered either of us, and he's always been such a good self-soother we were going to let things stop on their own. Truth be told, I sucked my thumb until 4th grade people - I mean, not sitting in class at school, but definitely at night...with my blankie...that I still sleep with (another story in itself!)

Back to the story - we had been having some nap issues, but things were still going fairly smoothly. Then came the fateful night that Wyatt, his 'Pop' (grandpa) & Daddy were all in the basement looking at something. Daddy couldn't figure out why this one lever wouldn't close on this thing they were looking at, only to discover the reason being Wyatt's thumb - the precious thumb sucking thumb no doubt - was stuck in it!! Lots of tears & blood ensued, but after a Popsicle & a Band-Aid we were patched up & over it. That night, bath time was touch & go - Wyatt didn't want to get the thumb wet & cried when he tried to suck it, but we didn't think twice about it - it will heal in a day or two we said.

Fast forward two weeks later - the scab is gone, the thumb is healed. But, the thumb sucking is over - as in not. even. interested. at. all. That was easy, right? WRONG - Mommy is convinced that the lack of thumb sucking has ruined her daytime freedom. Nap time has now turned into rest time here, which is hardly quiet time (although we do stay in our bed).

How does a child go from napping up to 3 hours a day to suddenly not napping at all?? I am hoping it is a phase, but until proven wrong I stand by my theory that it is the thumb!

Wordless Wednesday: Long Hot Summer

Another First

This weekend I was feeling a bit nostalgic, so I flipped through some old photos & albums from when Wyatt was born. Since we only have about 4 weeks till #2 is here, I am trying to brush up on as many memories as I can from when W was a tiny baby.

For those that know me well, you know about my infamous feeding/sleeping schedule that I kept diligently for 54 weeks. I knew it would pay off, now that #2 is on the way I have been looking back at it as I remember what Wyatt's feeding & sleeping schedule was like - all I can say is I only PRAY that we get so lucky again...

On page 2 of the spreadsheet is a chart of "milestones" - basically my notes of what Wyatt was up to over the weeks & months that passed. It stopped at about 15 months when he began walking (running), and I was wishing that I had kept up with it more. As my friend Abby is always telling me though, this blog is sort of like a digital baby book, so I have reminders on here as well.

Today as I was looking through the milestones, I didn't realize that one was happening right behind me! Wyatt, who is NEVER interested in coloring or crafting, had taken to drawing with some crayons he found in my desk & a piece of paper from the printer. I turned around to see this, which he said was a picture of himself swimming underwater: (for the untrained eye, this is a stick man with 2 eyes & a smile & some "crazy" hair, as Wyatt described it)

His first real drawing - There is nothing that melts my heart more than a good kid's drawing - especially of people & faces. Who know's if he'll ever repeat it, but it is up on the fridge with name & date to mark the occasion!

Where the Wild Things Are

Three, I've decided, is where the trouble lies. And, I think there are a few moms out there that would agree with me. All things sweet seem to have turned sour when midnight rang in on July 12, 2010...

Our latest battle has been nap time. I realize I am one of the lucky ones whose child still takes a nap at 3, but this child NEEDS a nap every afternoon - trust me, I have seen what happens when he doesn't get one, and it ain't pretty. For some reason nap time has become the best time to pull out all the stops for postponing the inevitable:

"Sing two songs, no one more"

"I need to go pee pee"

"Let's read a book"

"I wanted to get in bed myself"

"I wanted to do a flip into bed"

"I want to put this toy on the shelf"

"My feet aren't covered up"

It's all enough to make this crazy, hormonally imbalanced pregnant mom a bit insane. In fact yesterday, after 1 1/2 hours of trying for a nap (my craziness is that I should have given up after 30 minutes) I opened the door to find that Wyatt had turned his blankie into some sort of tourniquet on his pointer finger, thus making it turn blue at the tip (good thing I checked on him) - he will stop at nothing to get me back in there to check on him. I finally gave up at 2:30 & decided I would lay on my own bed for 5 minutes to calm down, then go in & get him. Fast forward 50 minutes to when I woke on my bed at 3:20. I had the monitor on & was 1 door away, but somehow felt rattled with guilt like I was going to find Wyatt in there with one less finger & stuck under his bed.

I opened the door quietly only to find him haven broken every possible rule - the blinds open, all of the lights on, everything thrown out of the bed & him on the floor next to his bookshelf reading a book. I guess he had given up too. "Hi Mom! Wanna read this with me?" was his greeting - how could I be mad? After all, at least one of us got a nap.

Basket Case

So, in looking at my blog it appears I have done nothing but have a 2 month series of "Wordless Wednesdays." Yes, I have been lazy, but I'm pregnant dammit - pregnant & quite frankly it's too hot out for me to even think straight in my downtime.

There has been a whole lot to blog about, I have just yet to put "pen to paper." Most importantly, my son turned 3 & I am a wreck. There are very little parts of him that are like a baby anymore, with the exception of still changing the occasional Pull-Up. He is proudly sleeping like a champ in his "big boy" bed, he pees standing up by himself, he has graduated to a new car seat...the list continues. One would think I would be excited about all of this new found independence with #2 only 8 weeks away, but I can only find myself wishing time would stop.

Pulling out all of the old baby clothes, toys & books sure hasn't helped either. Every free moment doing so is like a trip down memory lane. I have enjoyed it, but with me being this hormonal it is a dangerous thing - the tears can often come very quickly.

All I can do at this point is look back & be so thankful for the time I have been able to spend with him as a mother & SAHM. I am so grateful for this wonderful little person in my life, and I truly am looking forward to seeing him as a nurturing big brother. Until then, a few videos to rekindle the memories...

Wordless Wednesday: Boys Will Be...

...in trouble when left alone with 3 girls at playgroup!

Wordless Wednesday: Wish We Were There (Again)

Got Cucumbers?

Wordless Wednesday: Like Father, Like Son

My Thumb Turns Green

I'll just start by saying this - I had NO idea how difficult gardening was for one person to tackle. I will be the first to admit that when we moved into our new house & I spotted the garden bed, I envisioned myself out there with the hose, cute garden clogs & adorable hand painted signs for all of my plants. Fast forward a few short months, and I sit here at my desk after 1 1/2 hours of weeding, dripping with sweat & covered in mud, dirt & the occasional bug...

Let me make it clear though - I have really enjoyed gardening. In fact, it was last night that I first realized it. We have been in & out of town for the past few weeks and that, coupled with the enormous amounts of rain we have had have all put a bit of a damper on my garden plans. I am thankful for the rain, but when plants grow, so do weeds (at am alarming rate I might add). It had been several days, if not a week, since I had been able to get in there & it was a mess!

I'll spare you my sob stories about being 26 weeks pregnant, in the hot sun, and at Home Depot trying to find ANYONE who could help a lady with child (and with toddler) get a few tomato cages free from their shelf...(as a side note, lately I feel chivalry is dead). Back to last night - my husband & I are sitting on the sofa & here's how the conversation goes:

Seth: "Have you looked at your garden today?"

Me: "Earlier, but not up close"

Seth: "It looks like some deer ate your cucumber plants down to the nub..."

Me: silence

Seth: "They seemed really short"

Me: (did I mention I am 26 weeks & hormonal?) "No..(tears)...really...(crying)...but...(full blown sobbing)

Seth: Silence, as he realizes just how attached I am to said garden, and maybe he should have used more sensitivity in bringing up it's destruction

We then took a flashlight down & checked things out. Turns out there was one plant that had gotten some nibbles, but the rest were okay. I am learning that there are certain odds that need to be taken into account with gardening as well - for instance, I planted 8 tomato plants. 2 died as soon as I transplanted them to my garden, and now 4 more look a little weak. Even if I only get one little green tomato out of all of this, I will be pleased. But, don't mess with Mama's garden - there are a lots of blood, sweat and yes, tears that have been put into it!

There are only a few veggies in there, as I am still very much a first timer at this - here are some updates on how my garden grows:

Tomato Plants

Pepper Plants

Carrots

Mint

Cucumbers

Go On, Get Out There!

This past weekend the family & I ventured out on our first camping trip. It was supposed to be Mother's Day weekend, but a stomach bug postponed the trip. My hubby & I had been anxiously awaiting this trip, and had talked for a few years now about when the right time would be to take a rising 3 year old - we could not have timed it better!For starters, we are huge fans of the NC State Parks system, and now that you are able to make reservations online & via telephone, instead of "first come, first served," it makes planning that much easier. We selected Hanging Rock State Park for it's proximity from our home (less than 2 hour drive west) & the activities. They have plenty of well appointed family campgrounds & very easy access to water, bath houses, hiking trails, etc. For those that are feeling a bit more inclined to stay closer to the indoors, they even have cabins to rent!

We have always been avid "outdoors people," with our most recent trip to the Canadian Rockies being a 5 day ultralight backpacking excursion. This trip was a serious change of pace, and a real luxury when it comes to camping - coolers, air mattresses, real food (not the dehydrated variety) - this preggo was in heaven ;)

All in all, the trip was a total success with just the right mix of downtime & adventure. After heading to bed fairly late Friday night, Wyatt slept until 8:15 on Saturday morning! Slept through all of the other kids at the campground riding around past the site on their scooters & bikes, and the early morning sounds & smells of campfires & breakfasts being made. A hike lasting a few short miles on Saturday to a waterfall kept us busy, as well as story time up at the Hanging Rock Visitor's Center. Of course there was plenty of time set aside for enjoying a campfire, as well as roasting first marshmallows.

No matter what your level of camping/outdoor experience is, I think anyone would enjoy a camping trip to one of the awesome State Parks in our system. Here are some tips I can share after going with a toddler:

1) Get them their own flashlight - we selected one that was both a lantern & a flashlight. This way, we had the ones we needed, then he had his own to play with all night. We also grabbed a few glow sticks from the dollar bin, which were both entertaining & can serve as a night light in the tent.

2) We purchased a family tent that divides into 2 rooms, which definitely made it easier for all parties to sleep through the night. Wyatt knew we were right next door, but we didn't have to feel like we were right on top of each other. The tent we selected has plenty of room for more than one child on each side, plus each side had it's own door making it easier for Mom & Dad to come to bed after everyone else was asleep without disturbing them.

3) The other purchase we loved for the trip was a kid's Aerobed. Wyatt is still not in a bed, but even so, this mattress has 4 inch sides to it, so throughout all the tossing & turning each night (and there was plenty of it) he never rolled out onto the ground. It came with a fleece sheet, so all he needed was a blanket over top, or even just some warm footed PJ's this time of year in NC. I am already looking forward to using the bed again on vacations & hotel trips.

4) Although being away from all the things we rely on everyday - cell phones, PDA's, Internet, TV, etc - it was such a nice break for us. Wyatt absolutely loved all the undivided & uninterrupted attention from Mom & Dad, as any child would. We were also able to put him to task on quite a few things that he seemed to find pretty rewarding - finding different sized sticks to help with the fire, holding the tent stakes for Dad, helping hammer in the tent stakes & most importantly how to roast a good marshmallow.

Here are some favorite pics from the trip - I hope it inspires you to get out & enjoy the great outdoors with your little one(s) this spring & summer!

This post was cross-posted at Triangle Mamas as well - stop by there for a few more pics!

The Luckiest Boy

Wordless Wednesday: So Proud

Garden Update

Things are moving along, although slowly, with the new garden. Wyatt & I started with the seeds that needed to begin life inside, and plan on putting the others in this weekend. This was going to be a mother/son project, but I broke down & had to enlist the help of my hubby for some of the grunt work & weed pulling. We have laid down our soil & manure & this morning I bought some paint for the garden signs we are going to craft - if nothing grows in there, which is highly likely, at least it will look cute, right? If the inside plants are any indication of how things will turn out, it appears I will need to open a tomato stand in front of the house, but should not count on eating any peppers this summer ;)

Things Are About to Get Uncomfortable

Why do I say this? Last night, hubby & I were discussing how it's about to be time to switch Monkey from the crib to a big boy bed, and from diapers to the potty. We have constant discussions about where we should start first, and with a baby coming in September it would be excellent to have both things worked out in plenty of time before #2 is here. Our problem? Things are very comfortable for us right now...don't hate me when I say this (please), but my kid sleeps in his crib from 7:30 PM until almost 8:00 AM every night, and naps from about 1:30 PM until typically about 4:00/4:30 most days - and has never tried to get out of said crib. Yes, you are thinking you wouldn't change anything either, right?

So, I have decided to tackle potty training first, at least for now. If things go south, I can move onto the bed situation. Wyatt has shown a definite interest in the toilet, and even selected some big boy underwear at the store this week. We have had a lot of talks about it, read about it, etc. So, now I am opening it up to some advice. If anyone has tips or tricks that have worked, or not, please share...we probably won't give it a go until the weekend.

He's ALL Boy

Homegrown

One of my favorite things about our new house was the garden in the front yard that was nicely laid out by the previous owners. My husband would tell you that after years of nagging him about helping me put together a garden, I finally gave up. So, imagine my delight when we looked at this house & I saw that a lot of the work had been done for me!

The garden has railroad ties around it, as well as a small fence (that I will probably have to raise, considering the wildlife around this place). There were even some herbs in there, sort of on their last leg, and asparagus, if you can believe it!

I decided that this would be a project Wyatt & I would take on together. Surprisingly for a 2 year old, he is really interested in it. For the past 2 afternoons we have shopped for the necessary supplies - letting him pick out some seeds & talking about what vegetables will begin to grow in there. Yesterday we even pulled the weeds & old existing plants, tilled the soil a bit & got ready to put down some new soil & manure - again, he was very intrigued.

I can only hope that this fascination will last (and I secretly wish he was strong enough to hold a larger rake & hoe). We'll begin planting in a few weeks, with a few of the plants beginning their life inside, like the peppers & tomatoes. I'll keep the blog updated with photos, and let you know when you can drop by for a salad!!

Have you started or maintained a vegetable garden? If so, I would love any tips or advice!

Routine Reminder

After almost 2 1/2 years of the same bedtime routine with Wyatt, there are evenings when my husband & I just go through the motions because we are all so used to what comes next. I remember hearing somewhere that whatever habits you begin for bedtime at 3 months will stick with your kid, so at 3 months we started giving a bath, putting on PJ's, reading a book, turning lights out, singing a song & going to bed. Of course with age, we have added in time now for brushing teeth & selecting books.

As Wyatt approaches the age of 3, bedtime seems to have gotten more & more fun (for us at least!). He knows his routine, and often reminds us of what will come next - "We're brushing our teeth, then getting our race car PJ's on Mama." Every now & then he makes us laugh with his book selection, throwing in comments like "I'll pick this one, it's not too long," when he knows it's a later bedtime than normal or "Are you sick of this one Mama?" when he senses I might be tired of reading one for the 25th time that week.

The best part though is how the routine changes with age. Now, we read Wyatt a book and he gets to have a turn "reading it back to us." Books are not simply just listened to, there is plenty of time allotted for questions & answers on any given page - "What's he saying?" "Where are they going?" We sing that same bedtime song that we have for 2 1/2 years - Baa, Baa Black Sheep & now Wyatt sings along.

Just in case you should forget part of the routine, don't worry about Wyatt reminding you. My father was here babysitting the other night without the help of my mother, which he would admit he often takes for granted. When we arrived home, he mentioned to us that in the midst of the bedtime routine, he had forgotten to brush Wyatt's teeth. I told him no worries, Wyatt probably didn't even notice. Fast forward to the next morning - I hear Wyatt get up, and after several minutes go into his room. The first thing he blurts out to me in a panic?

"Papa forgot to brush my teeth!!"

A New Outlook on Life

I had this long, droning post about how miserable it has been packing, unpacking, moving & dealing with a toddler who has been sick, but then I looked out my back window this morning & decided that things weren't so bad.

Hippity Hop

I must apologize for my lack of blogging - instead of yammering on & on about how we are trying to pack & move, etc, etc I just thought I would share an old photo that I came across tonight. Someone just said to me tonight at The Home Depot "They grow up so fast" - it really is true!

And, in about a week or so, I promise to be back in the blogging world with a few funny stories I have saved up & some great pics I have snapped with me new camera! Until then...

Wordless Wednesday: Young Love

Courtesy of http://pageuponpage.blogspot.com/

I Double Dog Dare Ya!

It seems that I've misplaced my sweet, mama's boy of a toddler these past two weeks - all I can find in his place is a stubborn, independent little boy, who insists on doing everything himself without help & wants to have a say in everything. Might I say that I am just a smidgen proud of him though? Although some of our days have been a bit more tiring (for Mom) with all of the time that it takes to "do things by one's self," or for Mom to simply trail behind & clean up the messes that are created in the process. However frustrating I find this on some days, I can't help but smile to myself when I walk into the kitchen to see 8 cups on the counter, teetering dangerously close to the edge & overflowing with water, and a grinning toddler at the fridge water spout greeting me with "Are you thirsty Mom?"

Which brings me to my next point...with all of this new found independence, surely my son can learn to drink from a cup or water bottle like a "big kid." We have been taking to it quite well, but when offered a sip of this water yesterday at lunch, I respectfully declined.

Today I Feel Blessed

Today I am thankful for so many things - the gift of life, my family, and for our health & happiness. We are truly blessed.

A reminder to take some time today amongst all the craziness to stop & enjoy all the things that you are thankful for...

What I am Thankful For

Upon picking Wyatt up from preschool, I am always interested to see what art projects & such make it into his tote bag to come home. Usually it is a picture with a scribble or two on it (Wyatt takes after his buddy Linus when it comes to all things crafty), or a finger painted masterpiece to hang in the playroom.

Imagine my surprise when I opened his tote bag to find a specially made Thanksgiving card, addressed to Mom & Dad. "Happy Thanksgiving" it read, with a turkey on the front made out of his hand print. I opened it to find the following text:

I am thankful for...my zooming motorcycle!**

Well, a mother could have only hoped that it would have said "My family, my parents or better yet - my mommy," but after all he is only 2. Maybe next year :)

**Said "zooming motorcycle" is not something we own. It is something that we rode once at Toys R Us & has made it's way to the top of the Christmas list. Little does he know, the scooter that we so desperately wanted just a few months back is what will be under the tree, not the "zooming motorcycle"...we'll see if he's still thankful!

Monday