Not the Hair!

I promised myself that when I had kids I wouldn't be the mom that cut their hair. Hey, I know what a bad haircut looks like and while I have done my own share of cutting (or coloring) my own hair to save money in college, I wasn't going to do that to my kids. You know, the one that looks like a bowl was put on the kid's head and all the hair that stuck out was trimmed. Yikes! We can afford the trip to the hair salon to have it done right.

You all know how I felt when we cut off Little Buddy's curls. I was very sad and I missed the curls. Well, they're back and I am happy. However, his hair has gotten quite long again and his "bangs" were constantly in his eyes. Before the cut they'd stay if I just swept them out of the way. Not now. That cut messed up the "flow" of his hair. They don't stay to the side.

This brought me to the bright idea of taking it upon myself to lighten his load - of hair. I knew that if I brought him back to Monkey Dooz we'd take off a little more than I wanted and it's really hard to find time for things like that. It wasn't about saving money. I was saving hair and time!! So . . . on Friday . . . during his bath . . . I snipped. Just the bangs! But then when he woke up Saturday morning I thought, WHAT HAVE I DONE?! Because now he does have bangs when before he didn't and I didn't even do it straight.

I know, I know I just need to relax and it will all grow back and he's only 14 months old so what's the big deal.

Really, long hair suits my Little Buddy. I am okay with it a little shaggy until we find what works for him. He has gotten quite a bit of compliments on his shaggy do (pre mommy cut). Although, "Look at all that hair!" could simply just mean Look at all that hair!

And I am not posting a photo of my big mistake! No evidence, ha!

Embracing the Stages

*We were wrestlling after an ice cream cone. Note the chocolate all over his face!

My sweet natured boy has become quite the demanding little fellow. They do say that the terrible two's actually start during toddlerhood and, well, I think they are here. Mostly it is just screaming at me. I get it. He can't talk so how else can he communicate, right? But he looks at me and screams when he wants something. That's sign number one.

Sign two, is not being content in the stoller or on my lap anymore. Today we went out to lunch with Le Anne, Nathan, and Sarah to Chick-fil-A. He did fine during lunch. Of course he refused the milk - like always and threw his bib on the floor and pointed and grunted when he wanted more or did his sign language thing. He even did great in the play aparatus (something Nat would have had a heck of a time with). Then we got to Barnes and Noble. He was fine there as well. But, he was all over the place. When we were the train table, he wanted to be by the books and when we were at the books . . . well, you get the idea. Thankfully, Le Anne was there to sit with the kids while I chased Lil' Buddy around. I felt a little bad for Natalie. She just wanted to sit in the big, green chairs and read books and I had to keep getting up and down. "You'll have to read it to yourself, " I said. "But, Mommy, I can't read words," she protested. "Well, then make something up that goes with the pictures." Yes, I said that! At least Matthew can leave the train table. I remember a twenty month Natalie screaming bloody murder as we dragged her out of the bookstore. Or there was that time when we were in Cape Cod and she screamed halfway down the street as we exited a high price toy store in a hurry, all the while my mom trying to console her with a green Percy. And then if we're at Disneyland he wants out and he wants to walk. If the line is longer than twenty minutes the wiggle fest begins.

Sign three, did I say he is demanding? When he wants something, he wants it and when he doesn't, he doesn't it. Matthew simply screams like I said when he wants something, but if he doesn't, like his milk, he throws it and then screams and gets mad. He has even been known to pull a crocodile tear throw myself on the floor and cry tantrum which is totally different than the Target tantrum he threw a couple of weeks ago. For example, yesterday he wanted Natalie's Don't Break the Ice game. We let him play with that. He enjoys putting the ice cubes back in the box. But then he walked over to where we keep the games and pointed at Natalie's Cootie and said, "uh." When I said, "No, Buddy, that's not for you, " he threw himself against the wall and cried big tears. It was hard not to smile because it was darn cute but at the same time, he was serious. Fortunately, he is easy to distract and I moved him on to something else.

His toddlerhood is going to be more of a challenge than Natalie's, I think. He was definately and easy baby and granted, I can usually take him almost anywhere without incident. But now he is into everything and everywhere. Natalie would have a few tantrums - usually after "school" when she was tired or after Matthew was born. Now, she is quite the little lady and a big help. Other than being a dawdler and occasionally moody when tired, she's a great listener (alhtough we did have to leave B & N because she wouldn't share trains. "I'm really tired," she said like that makes it okay).

Anyway, the whole premise of this blog was to talk about how little Matthew was so upset that he couldn't have my Crystal Light at dinner tonight (and every night) that he threw his milk and screamed until I got him out of the high chair. Then he grabbed my legs and when I picked him up he hit me! So I put him down and walked away and cried the croc tears. Of course, after I gave him some water in a water bottle he was okay.

Every day is quite the challenge with something new and often comical occurring. I wouldn't change it for a thing. I love this time and I love the stages my children are in. Today, Natalie and Nathan ran laughing into the bookstore after a big embrace. Priceless. Matthew kissed the trains on the side of the Thomas table and fell over. Precious. The good, the bad, the exhausting . . . I don't want it to end.

Look at my smart little princess working in her workbook! She's getting so big!

Some Quiet Time

Wow! I actually have some time to myself. It's very rare and I am not sure what to do with myself. Well, I probably don't really have that much time. I put Matthew down for a nap about thirty minutes ago and Natalie is having lunch at "Old McDonald's" with Daddy. It is part of Daddy's new attempt to bond with his daughter. It seems that lately they have been butting heads quite a bit and Natalie gets frustrated with her Daddy, which results in her spending time in her room. I suggested some Daddy/Daughter time outside of the house might help since she is just now being okay with going somewhere without Mommy. So, it will probably give me about an hour to an hour and a half. Yay!

I could read. Right now I am reading The Freedom Writer's Diary and 1-2-3 Magic. Click here to the book club I am a part of.

I could excercise (thinking of my resolutions for the year) but I already did that! Another yay for me.

I could blog about something interesting. But, that would require some thought and some writing. It kind of feels like work right now.

Or, I could work on Matthew's album. I think that is what I will do.

Terrible Two's Here I Come

Now is this the face of tantrum throwning fourteen month old or a sweet, little angel?
They say the terrible two's really start early. And since Nat's toddler-hood was relatively easy, well, today I think I had my first glimpse of them.

Whoa, Matthew had quite a little fit today at Target. All was good. He woke up happy, had his breakfast and we (Me, Nat, and Matthew) headed out to Target to get another box of Valentines and a present for Daddy(What about Mommy, I ask. No, a present for Daddy. That's okay because I buy my own). Yes, we needed more Valentines.

We parked in the garden section like we always do. I got Matthew all strapped into his Floppy seat and all was well. He was happy to see the fountains. He was patient in the Valentine aisle. Then we got to the toys.

Well, one thing we always did with Natalie was let her out to play with the toys in the toy section. She was always very good about that. We'd go up and down the aisles that appealed to her and she'd try out the toys - usually loud, obnoxious ones. She never insisted we bring one home and she never cried when we left. She just accepted that that was what we did at Target. Of course, sometimes I would have to tell her that we had to shop for Mommy first, but we always eventually made it to the toy section.

Apparently, Matthew is not so easy going in the sense that you let me out of the cart to play and you think I am going to get back in . . . quietly . . . and like it. It wasn't pretty. He started screaming from the moment I put him back in the cart. I started giving him toys to play with. He threw them out of the cart. Natalie tried talking to him. He screamed. I gave him a bottle - screamed. I took him out and held him - screamed. I put him down - he screamed and ran away from me as he was screaming. Natalie looked at me and said, "Matthew is having a fit." "He most certainly is, " I said. "I think we'd better go." She was a little disappointed because she had big plans to go to Kohl's but she accepted and tried her best to help: at the register by putting things up on the belt, in the cart by comforting Matthew, and in the car on the way home by talking to Matthew. It didn't matter. He screamed all the way home. Thank goodness Target is close to home.

When I finally got home I rushed him upstairs, changed him and rubbed some Orajel onto his gums. It was then that I remembered that he has at least four teeth coming in on all sides, top and bottom. He guzzled his bottle and fell fast asleep.

I went downstairs to find Natalie setting up a game for us to play - bless her heart. We played Nat's princess game Natalie style which is she gets all the Ariels and makes all the rules. Then we did Valentines. Matthew didn't wake up until three hours later and he was in a terrific mood.

When I told Ryan the story he asked wasn't I embarrassed with a screaming toddler. I guess with Natalie I might have been then, but now I feel as a seasoned parent and I kind of just took it with a grain of salt. It was just one of those days when nothing made the boy happy. Hey, we all have days like that. At least we can say what bugs us. Matthew can't say, "I am tired, hungry, my teeth hurt and I want to go home - now. If not, then let me play with toys."

See, I CAN Read!

Yes, I finished a book. It wasn't even a People magazine. But you don't know how badly I wanted to buy one today just to find out about Patrick Dempsey having twins. Anyway, hurray for me! Of course, it only took me six weeks to read - but I did it. Now, before you start congratulating me and telling me how proud you are, you should know that this is what I read. A couple of years ago, Ryan bought a couple of his childhood favorites. This was one of them. The other is The Westing Game. I tried that during silent reading time in my class and although it is a Newberry winner, I found it hard to read during the half an hour that I give my students to read. I had too many distractions.

So, yes I did read a book. What's next you ask? One of my goals is to read as many of the Newberry award winners and honor books that I can. I picked up this one - Olive's Ocean -over the weekend. The author, Kevin Henkes, writes great picture books.

Also, I am pretty excited to say that I am going to be part of a blog book along. I am not really sure exactly how it's going to work. I think it's like a book club on line. My favorite blog writer is hosting the event, club, what-have-you. The first book is 1-2-3 Magic . I already read the first section today while I was getting my hair done. Now, I just have to work on my commentary. How exciting!

So, by the end of this month I should be back on track with my New Year's goal. Perhaps I will even be ahead.

Jeep! Jeep!

Oh, my poor little buddy. Apparently he has had some sort of reaction to something! Who knows what. The only different thing I gave him to eat were strawberries on Monday (and now it's Thursday) and the nurse said an allergic reaction to food would cause more of an all over sort of thing. So, now I am retracing all of his steps and my steps to figure it out.

Yes, it is true that Matthew has VERY sensitive skin. I thought it was getting better though. Gone are the days where I lather him with thick, greasy Aquaphor and bath him in Cetaphyl or Aquaphor wash. I now use a regular Eucerin lotion and a mild Johnson's baby wash and he's been okay with it.

Now laundry soap I haven't changed. I don't want to take any chances after last year's bout with the full body contact dermatits (or excema). Hmm, it was about this same time of year. Well, actually it was more spring. Anyway, I continue to use Dreft.

Here is where I am feeling a bit guilty. I thought that since he was getting older, I didn't have to wash his new clothes before wearing. And I got some hand-me-downs from friends freshly laundered in their soap. I am thinking that pulling the shirts on over his head could have triggered it. I really don't know for sure. The nurse suggested Bendryl for the swelling. He has now been asleep for almost two and a half hours. (WOW) If it doesn't clear up in three days (the magic number) then I am to bring him in.

In the meantime, I am washing all of his clothes and blankets again in Dreft. Good think I am on vacation!

For now, enjoy this photo of my big boy looking like a Jeep from Popeye, all swollen and puffy, eating his applesauce with his spoon. Granted, it's backwards, but he's doing it all by himself! Yay, little buddy!

As for the Jeep, Jeep - I was thinking he looked a little like this character from Popeye, but now I am thinking it's a little more like Alice the Goon.

I'm Going to Disneyland . . . Along With Everyone Else

We've always thought that going to Disneyland on Super Bowl Sunday would be a grand idea. As far as I can remember, the Super Bowl received acclamations of a national holiday with parties and food. The grocery stores have been all decked out in Super Bowl decor for quite awhile. So, it makes sense that most people would be at home or at a party watching the game, right? WRONG. While Disneyland was not the overcrowded, close our doors at noon type of place it was the last time we went, it was crowded enough to make us wish we had made different plans. I think what the cincher was, was the fact that we had to wait an exorbitant amount of time at It's a Small World and at the restaurant in the French Quarters (yuck - what a waste of money. Even the kids didn't eat it). With all that aside, we probably could have made it a little longer and not been ready to leave by three. Natalie usually puts up quite a fuss when we leave, but even she was okay with going. She happily licked her swirl lollipop (my mom never bought me those) and fell fast asleep as soon as we hit the car.

I think we've just become spoiled with the passes. In the past, Ryan and I always would leave if it was too crowded knowing that we could come back another day. We both hate waiting in lines and have been enough times to say, "Eh, I don't need to go on that." If you don't have a pass or plan on going on as many rides as you can, you probably don't want to go to Disneyland with us. That and the little uns dictate as to which rides we can actually ride.

Oh well, I am sure we will be back there soon. Heck, I am on vacation AND we have passes - a perfect combo. Actually, I think we are planning to check out the nighttime. Our first trip their with the kids we stayed at California Adventure until dark, but this time we want to see the fireworkds so we'll go later in the day. And it will be crowded, but we'll just have to be ready for that.

Matthew's Word List at Almost 14 Months

cat "kah"
up "uh"
ball "bah"
bath "bah"
ma
da
dog "duh"
elsa "eh"
juice "jus"
fish "fis" {goldfish crackers}
bum bum
boom
bye "buh"
this "dis"
patty cake
yay
beep (when pushing your nose!)
sit (while standing and pointing his finger at you as in telling YOU to sit down)
poop (ew! but he does say it)
cheese (multiple meanings: the actual cheese and "cheese" for the camera)

and more in sign language

Resolution Update

With January over I thought I'd take a look back at my goals and see how I have been progressing. Of course it is early in the year, but still I need to know how things are coming along. Here's my list.

1. Lose the 6 pounds I gained these past two weeks. Well, actually, it was ten. I did go back to WW and managed to lose four. I am still planning to drop those six. This past week I started going to Curves. I got a card for a free membership in the mail if I participate in a three week study. I thought, why not. Yes, I have a memebership to LA Fitness, but I don't go. This was something different so I thought I'd give it a try. I think it's more for older women. I've only gone once and it really wasn't much of a workout, but it's different and it's free.

2. Vow to read more than two books this year. I am actually setting a goal for
one a month. Well, I have three in the works, but I haven't finished one. My only time to read is at work during silent reading or at bedtime. At bedtime I am just too tired. Maybe now that I am on VACATION I'll have some more time.

3. Make it to the gym once a week. Yeah, well. Again I am too busy. But I did go to Curves yesterday and am going back on Monday.

4. As much as this will torture me . . . have an unspending month. I don't think I did too badly. I mostly bought things we needed such as diapers, toiletries. I also bought Natalie shoes and a couple birthday gifts. Natalie and I went to the movies twice - but I had gift certificates and entertainment is different than spending on useless stuff. Oh, I did buy Natalie a two-step stool for her bathroom. She really wanted one and honestly, she is more eager to use the potty (less accidents).

5. Finish Natalie and Matthew's baby scrapbook (but not in January because that
would involve spending). This is the month for that.

6. Keep the house moderately clean or picked up (once it's clean to begin with). I am trying. But boy is it hard to keep up on laundry! And, really, if I had it my way, I'd hire someone. I know 'homemaking' is not my strength. I never said it was. And Ryan knew that when he met me. I did my laundry by compression!

After reviewing these goals, I feel remotivated to keep trying. I think they are all things that are doable. I realized that I don't need to spend money on useless stuff in the dollar section of Target. It's usually just junk that ends up in the good will box anyway. I do need to do a little shopping this month so when I go back to work, my colleagues will quit saying my clothes are too big. Other than that, I promise not to make frivolous purchases. And, Ryan, getting my hair done is not frivolous!