11 posts tagged “27 months”

This may seem odd, but last night when I was rocking T I got to thinking about my work. Specifically that there are real people, professional and smart people, who look at it, use it, and maybe even think about it. It struck me as odd and grown up. I can be so odd sometimes.

I got my period today. I was expecting it, but still hopeful that maybe it wouldn’t come, that I could, despite a negative home preg test, despite not feeling anything that would indicate pregnancy, still possibly be pregnant. But, no, once again, no. I “got” to rock T a lot last night (at bedtime, at 9, at 1130, at 230, at 4…) and at least one of those times (bedtime I think, though I am not exactly clear headed today) I cried about us being a family of three and my coming to terms with that. As I write I am tearing up again, better stop…

Sunday (Saturday?) I was rocking T when he did something mean – either biting, hitting, or pulling my hair, and I put him in a 30-second time out in his crib. He cried and wanted to get out. He threw a leg up over the side of the crib, and as if he had been doing it for months hoisted himself to the top of the rail. He has not really tried to climb out of the crib before, not really, and not with anything like success, so this was new. There he was balancing at the top, one leg in the crib, one leg out, and crying to get out. I looked at him, and with an attempt at no emotion, I said, “oh my, you might fall and bump your head.” He could have easily, if clumsily, gotten to the floor and been free, but my comment stopped him in his tracks. “Help me mommy, help!” he pleaded. “You better put your leg back in your crib,” I said. “Help mommy” “You can do it T, put your leg back in your crib.” He did, tears running down his face. Poor little sweet potato, your mommy is not above using a little fear to keep you safe and more under our control for at least a little while longer.

For a real escape artist, see Get Free, done by one of the moms from new PALS.

Little less teary, so… the women who were trying to get pregnant when I was trying to get pregnant over a year ago now have children who are months or weeks old. The women who got pregnant when I was trying to get pregnant at the beginning of the year are a month to month and a half away from giving birth. The women was trying to get pregnant when I was trying this summer is not so far a way from the half way point of her pregnancy. … Another month… five months away from being really old to be trying… Fingers crossed for an August baby?

One of the things that was making me teary when I was rocking T was thinking about my church. You know how churches always ask if anyone has any prayer wishes. I silently offer up B’s and my wish for another healthy child, but have been contemplating how and if I could mention it for real – in the open to really get lots of people pulling for us. It is so personal however, and although this desire is very real, it seems so selfish, so out there.

During Sunday school this past Sunday, here were the prayer concerns… earlier in the morning one of the long time choir members had a lethal aneurism after a day of bike riding and fun with his family. A friend of a member is going through a particularly bitter divorce and has a two year old son. A neighbor was killed in a bike accident leaving a wife and young child. He had been hit while riding his bike numerous times, but this one got him. Three people were mentioned for cancer – breast cancer, lung cancer, and another. … After all this, asking for help in having another child, or coming to terms with not, seems so trivial.

T said again that he wants a sister (or did he say he has a sister?)

T is really interested in having some play dates. He wants one with his Kindermusik friend who is about to move, and one with a former classmate. He really wants this. It is quite cute. “Mommy make a play date with Easton, and Noah, mommy.”

“I want to go to Kentucky,” T said at dinner the other night. “You do?” “Yesth.” “Do you want to play with Noah and Christopher?” “Yesth, I wan a play with No-ah, and Christ-opher.” “Well you are in luck! We’re going to Kentucky in a few weeks. {oh my! So much to do before we go!!}” “I wan t to go to Kentucky,” T said again. “OK, we’ll go.” “Yay.  Where is Dylan?” “Dylan is in Oregon.” “I wan to go to Oregon.” “OK T, we’ll go.”

A new ‘era’, Sunday when I was picking out an outfit for church, T was in the living room. “Mommy I took off my diaper!” Hmm? I thought, that would be odd, but better investigate. I anticipated him standing butt naked, but instead he was lounging on the coach. “Mommy I took off my diaper!” he said again. I don’t remember what I said, but I saw a diaper on the floor by the coach. I thought it was one he had pulled from the diaper basket. I pulled on the elastic on his PJ bottoms, and sure enough no diaper! My little man had pulled down his pants, taken off his diaper, and put his pants back on! Truly amazing! “I have on underwear,” he next told me. “No sweetie you don’t. You won’t have underwear until you start using the potty consistently. Do you want to go sit on the potty?” “No.” “Well, lets go put a diaper on then, ‘cause you can’t stay on the coach like this…”

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Two days ago the first words in the morning out of T’s mouth: “I want an ice cream cone and a muffin!” B overheard this and for the rest of the morning sang an ice cream cone and muffin wanting song. BTW, T has only had ice cream a handful of times, and never as a cone. He is very fascinated by the ice cream cones pictured in his new version of the The Little Engine That Could however (T also has the classic version I grew up with.)

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Last night we tried Wednesday Fellowship Supper at the church again. We gave T the deciding vote and he said he wanted to go to “his” church for supper. B came with us which made T very happy. (T gets really happy when the three of us do something together, which is kind of a sad commentary on our life together I think.) This week was not as successful as last week, though T did pretty well for a child who had a cupcake before coming (B’s treat to him after school), and who downed three cups of lemonade in a short span of time. It was smothered chicken wings for the kids and pork chops for the adults. B cut the chicken off the wing for T, but I think he would have settled down a tad more if he could have gnawed on the wing a little. Anyway it was not a disaster so there is a future for the three of us going again, however we will bring milk next time.

T did a stream of conscience talking when he was trying to avoid going to sleep for nap: "...fire truck, friends, TV, radio, people, elephant, mommy and daddy and T, ..." it was quite fascinating and I wish I could remember it all or had been able to tape it. If I remember any more or he does it again I will add it here.

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T told me after I picked him up from Sunday Extended Care, "I went to big boy church and I didn't cry!" The parents who were helping out with EC, the Rollins whom I went through the Discover class with, told me that T and Walter were really funny. Apparently Walter and T would do something silly - some random thing - then would giggle hysterically for minutes. They are a month apart in age as I discovered this morning talking with Heather and Byran, Walter's parents. Heather was part of the Discover class as she is on the Evangelism Council, and she has been really helpful and welcoming in a way that is not off putting. I went to the Sunday School class she and her husband attend, a discover the bible class, and sat with them during the church service.

This past week T and I went to Wednesday night Supper where T got his first corn dog and delighted the table we sat with with random bits of information, "elephant poop and pee!" "Fire trucks have ladders." "I had a mouse in my room." (he didn't.) We were there for about a half hour -forty minutes, and while it was a little stressful trying to converse, make sure he was acting appropriately, and to eat, etc., it was nice. I had beef tips with mushrooms over rice, cabbage, sweet potato (T wouldn't try the cabbage but did have a few bites of sweet potato), and a really yummy slice of carrot cake which I actually ate at home. The meal wasn't anything I would ever cook at home, but it was good. We also talked breifly with both ministers so that was another check mark on the way to Baptism.

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T and I met up with Miss Lesli yesterday at a local arts and music festival. We had a nice time walking arond the small artists market and then through the children's activitiy area. They had some great activities for the kids but T was tired and only interested in the bulid your own snack bag (rasins, fruit loops, chex, etc.) put on by a children's cooking school, and frost your own cookie put on by the local cooperative preschool. Maybe next year we can paint your own pumpkin and make your own fall necklace or jump rope.

T also sat in the mini fire engine, looked at the big one but wouldn't get in this time, and tried out a bounce house for about a minute. I got a necklace that I really like from a booth of artists in a collective that also run classes.

Today I hope we will meet up with Miss Melanie and Mr Billy at another festival.

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Last night in the bath and today in the car T was using his hands to be different characters. B was with T for a bit as T took his bath last night. I went down to take care of laundry and when I came back I could hear T chattering away but B was silent. I poked my head in the bathroom and T was belly down in the bathwater, hands in front of him and moving them back and forth. “You may not do that fishy,” he said looking at one hand as it made a pincer move like a crab. “I swim after you. What is your name fishy?” the other hand said to the first.

Today in the car the hands were a “widdle baby” and a toddler boy or two. I wasn’t able to observe what was happening so well, but we talked about his baby and whether he was rocking it to sleep. I asked T what the baby was named and he said, “Coo-coo.” What is the boy’s name,” I then asked. “KchstT,” was the reply with a smile. T often makes up names that are odd guttural scraping sounds mixed with “st” sounds, unless of course they are some variation of coo-coo, coco, cookie, etc.

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Dr. Doolittle setting sail

T likes to play in boxes (what kid doesn’t?). Lucky him since I order his diapers and bubble bath he gets a new box every month (similar to Bis cat who regularly gets a new box when she chews through the old one. Diapers arrived on Thursday and the box has been a fixture in the area between our living and dining room. Friday the box was a digger and an excavator. At one point T was sitting in the box with Cloud (the striped cat) and he waved, “hi digger!” I think he was reliving the construction site on the way to school. They are clearing ground (used to be an old housing project) for a new mixed use development and the place is full of diggers, bulldozers, etc.

Sunday the box was a ship and T was sailing to the land of Chee-chee the monkey. T was Dr Doolittle (from the Dr. Seuss collection Dr Doolittle book.) I was doing stuff elsewhere in the house and I could hear B making trips back and forth between the living room and T’s bedroom, and the two of them talking about the animals. When I came out T was smashed in one corner of the box while the rest of the box was filled with all his stuffed animals. “I’m going to the land of Chee-chee!” said T. Throughout the day T would dive into the box and hold onto Cloud and escape into his land of play.

A tiger in the boat

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Cloud is becoming a real companion of T. While he will drop Cloud and run to go play outside, sometimes throw Cloud, and even used Cloud to hit me the other day (he knew he would get a time out if he hit me, so he had Cloud do it – ha!), T wants Cloud for sleep and book reading, and has been sharing various activities with him (like the Dr. Doolittle trip.) Last night while reading before bed T settled into B’s arms and settled Cloud next to him. “You comfortable Cloud? You OK?” he asked. T will often stroke Cloud, running a hand up and down a section absently, and acts like a chimp pulling fleas by pulling pills of fuzz off Cloud. “Here

Quote: "Anyone who thinks that they are too small to make a difference has never tried to fall asleep with a mosquito in the room."

My town has great bi-yearly consignment sales at many area churches and children's schools.  Today marked the end of the sales I attended this fall - five in all this time around.  While I didn't make any awesome scores like Liza did, I did get a couple of items for T that I am very happy with, including a pair of Zutono cords for $5, a beautiful mostly wool toggle coat for $11, a hobby horse for $4, and among other things T's favorite yellow stripe T-shirt in 3T for $.75.

Yesterday, after calling B and hemming and hawing about whether it would be a waste of money (at $10 in near perfect shape, when new it is $25) I picked up a Baby Bjorn potty chair. One of my concerns, we already have a potty trainer for T, and for the most part he could care less about it. Recently T has been mentioning he would like some big boy underwear, but last weekend when he was obviously having a poop, B asked if he wanted to sit on the potty. "I'll give you a cupcake if you put poop in the potty," B told T. No dice, T wanted the cupcake alright as he asked for it after he was done, but he decided to hide behind the rocking chair in his room rather than sit on the potty."Go away!" is his answer when he is having a poop.

I purchased the potty trainer in December or January after one of T's classmate became potty trained and T was showing interest. It was rather short lived, though we have gotten him to sit on it a number of times. I decided on the trainer 'cause it is smaller, less messy, and seemed closer to what T would be doing at school. At school they have little mini toilets. However, at home it is a big step up to the toilet and the heirloom stepstool chair we have (Thank you Uncle J!) slides a bit if you are not careful. I wasn't sure if this all made T a tad uncomfortable. Also, all the potty books (except Everybody Poops which T LOVES) have potty chiars.

So anyway, I got the chair last night and we showed it to T after his supper.  He sat in it, clothes on. This morning when I went to the bath, I sat on the toilet, he sat (clothed) beside me on the potty chair. We talked. We went back to the sale where I purchased the chair and we bought some 2T white training underwear (a whopping $.75 for four.) While T told me he didn't want them, we also did a lot of talking about getting some underwear like his classmate Kenton has. Before nap we read T's potty book. Before bath, T told his dad he wanted underwear. I asked if he wanted to sit on the potty, and he said no.

A successful potty night

However, getting out of the bath was another story. He told B he wanted to sit on the potty. B at first tried to dissuade him since it was late, but T insisted, "I go poop on the potty!" He sat, he strained, I got the potty book so we could read. We read, nothing happened. B told T sometimes pee and poop don't happen, and that is OK. T said "I go pee!" and low and behold he did!!

We clapped, we told him how proud of him we were, and T was thrilled; he stood up to marvel at his accomplishment (and yes we do have a photo, but B won't let me post it.) He sat again, "I go pee again!" He tried, he stood up to survey, he sat, "I pee standing up!" he stood up and attempted. "It doesn't happen every time," we said. T tried a couple more times, and then we flushed it down the toilet. He was excited, we were happy. "I want underwear like Kenton!" I showed him what we had purchased and told him we would get more when he did some more on his potty. He looked happy.

Our boy is growing up.

T:: I got another [yellow] stripy daddy! [we found T's favorite shirt at a consignment sale - $.75 this time]
B:: Are you going to wear that tomorrow?
M:: It's too big, it's for next summer!
T:: It's for poppy summer!
B:: Poopy summer? Is that when you poop on the potty? Mommy and daddy are looking forward to poopy summer.
T:: Yeah!

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A couple videos of T playing before bath.  The first is sideways again (why can't I remember not take it that way?!) and in both you can hear me sniffling a great deal. T is doing his puzzles really well, and grandparents - see how well he talks! You also get to hear some of T's fascination with things he should not do - pushing and hitting being the big ones at the moment.