Today's Words Of Glass

What I saw today: It was Lil Man's  first time at a water park, and he wanted to do the water slide. I was cautious and said "Are you sure?". He said yes. I helped him to the top of the slide, then I waited for him at the bottom. He looked so small up there all by himself. At the top are sprinklers that you go through. I watched as he sucked in as the cold water hit him, then I saw his eyes big as sauce rs as he was moving so very fast down the slide. He has never slid that fast before. He quickly wound up on his back, and when he got to the bottom he was submerged completely under water. I was there to grab him, but not before he was sputtering and choking on water. Once he caught his breath, he wiped the water from his eyes and croaked out "Again". And that he did, over and over and over.  We moved over to another section where there were water guns. He patiently waited his turn as another boy was using it. Once he moved away, Lil Man timidly said "My t...

I know it's been quite some time since I've written anything, but who knew that Potty Training would be so time consuming. As many of you know, we've tried several times to potty train. He wasn't ready. I wasn't ready. It just was causing more frustration that I have called it quits more than once. But when he turned 3, we talked about how we weren't going to buy any more diapers. So around his 3rd birthday, Lil Man said, "no more diapes, wear underwear." I said yes.  And that's what we've done... or tried to do for the most part. The first day there was like 6 accidents. The problem is that he doesn't want to stop doing whatever it is that he's doing to go to the potty. And we have a very busy schedule, and I didn't want to put him back in pull-ups, but I couldn't just take him in underwear either. So another mom suggested that I put the underwear on him, and then put the pull-up on top of it. And that's what we'...

It's funny how single words can sum up my life lately. Some days I can define my entire day by only using one word. TANTRUM. Pretty much no other words are needed to describe how the day was if Hubby asks about my day, and all I say is tantrum. Yep, that pretty much means Lil Man was in toddler tantrum mode continuously which may or may not have resulted in me eating large quantities of chocolate and longing for a pint of Ice Cream. Hair Cut - the fact that Lil Man is old enough to sit in the chair (without crying) to get a hair cut evokes a range of emotions for me. Pride that he was well behaved. Sad that he's no longer a baby. Happy that he's becoming such a unique little person. Movies - Lil Man has discovered Disney movies and the Polar Express. He calls it the 'train movie'. And he wants to watch it continuously. "Stop the train" he yells during the movie. He is also fascinated with Toy Story 2 (for some reason he likes it better than the 1s...

It's like overnight that Lil Man woke up with an "I do" attitude. No, really... it's like he went to bed one night, and woke up the next day demanding that he not receive help with anything . If I went to put his coat on, I was met with "I do. I do". If I went to get his food, it was "I do. I do." I understand that he is expanding his need for independence. But seriously this stuff isn't easy. And shortly after the "I do's" came the strong-willed, it's my way or no way attitude. And if he didn't want to do it, well he just wouldn't. I'll say it again, this stuff isn't easy. In fact, it's down right difficult. You wouldn't think that the stubbornness of a 3 year old could make a grown woman feel so inadequate, but trust me it can. And it can make you cry too. And maybe even cuss a little when they aren't around. And I've been known to hit the Hershey's syrup bottle (straight from the bot...

If you know me or have been following my blog, then you probably know that I'm from MS and currently live in PA. (and if you didn't know, well you do now :) And I love snow. I'm not a huge fan of driving in it (ok, so maybe I freak a little). But I love the white stuff. Come winter, I check the weather numerous times a day to see what the forecast is or if it's changed. And this Winter has been one to remember that's for sure. It seems like every week or every other we've had some snow. And this week, we got 10" on top of the snow that we already had. And we have more projected for this weekend. My Lil Man loves the snow. And he loves watching his daddy with the snow blower. And he loves seeing the snow plow.  So this has been a fun Winter for him. And I'm glad. I had hoped we'd get a lot of snow this winter. The downside is the school delays and closings. I will admit that hasn't been fun. How did I manage getting everything done befor...

On the way to pre-school today, I heard a laugh from the backseat. Lil Man was pointing to the vehicle in front of us. It was an SUV type vehicle that had a back wiper. And since it was raining, the wiper was moving. He thought it was funny to watch it move back and forth. And it got me to thinking.... How often do I rush through life not really seeing the things around me? Busy, busy, busy, rush, rush, rush - and at what cost? Have you ever stopped to see things through the eyes of a toddler?    I've watched my son:  Stop playing to stop and watch a bird fly across the sky.  Watch a bug crawl on a stick.  See a bee sitting gently on a flower.  Watch the grass and leaves sway in the wind.  Hear an unfamiliar sound and ask "What's dat?" Follow an airplane across the sky with excitement and wonder.  Look for the moon every night.  Sing off key and loudly without a care in the world.  Hear music, look up at me, no matter ...

I will warn you as I am typing this at 2:30pm there is an open container on my desk.... chocolate cake icing that is. Let's begin with yesterday, during naptime (or what was supposed to be naptime), Lil Man pulled his shorts off, his diaper down and peed all in his bed. I will pause a moment for you to catch your breath after laughing. Thankfully Mickey took the brunt of it, and the rest of the bed was dry. After several times being told "Do NOT get out of this bed" he finally napped. Today, well today, as I was trying to take care of my morning business, Lil Man grabbed the bathroom cabinet door and slammed it into his head catching his brown bone. Sigh. Picture the scene as he is trying to climb up on me as I'm sitting on the toilet. Husband in the shower. Mom on the toilet with a screaming toddler climbing into her lap. Dog sort of running in circles whining at all of the commotion. One ice pack later, the swelling in his eye starts to subside. Hubby leaves f...

We had our first public puking. And it was totally unexpected. Lil Man was happy, playing, and not showing any signs of anything being wrong. We went out to dinner for Father's Day. Lil Man was eating, laughing, and on his 3rd glass of chocolate milk. I know, I know. But he was enjoying himself, and it's not like he wasn't eating his dinner along with drinking apparently a HUGE amount of chocolate milk. We'd just finished eating our meal, and we were waiting on dessert. Just as the server started to put our ice cream and cake on the table, I saw a little movement from him and knew what was next. But there was no way I could pick him up in time. He started vomiting everywhere. I grabbed a napkin and tried to do what I could without making a huge scene. But let's get real. Everyone sitting around us in Cracker Barrel knew that this kid was puking everywhere. I waited for it to stop coming out of his nose. The poor little guy was gagging so. And I grabbed him up an...

Do you exercise with your kids?  I'm finding that the older Lil Man gets, the more he participates in my fitness program. I admit that I usually have to keep the hand weights away. He lifts them (yes, even the 10lb ones). And I'm afraid he's going to drop them on himself. And if I use the bosu ball, it's also a challenge because he wants on it also. This is a pic when he was a little younger. He's got some pretty decent balance there. And lately, I've been utilizing the jogging stroller more and more. I started off with a 2 mile run. Then the next week I joined in on a group run and ran 7 miles with him. (That was the farthest we'd been.) He did great.  So last week, I went out for an 8 mile run that turned into our first Double Digit 10 Miler.   I have to say that I was actually surprised at the emotions that I was feeling during and after the run. Yes, it was super hard. It was humid that day. But it was such a feeling of accomplishment to p...

I'm not having the best 'mommy' week this week. Yes, I know it's just Tuesday. So I'm hoping the rest of the week is going to get better! But it's just been one of those weeks where I feel like a total failure as a parent... sigh. And it has a lot to do with the fact that Lil Man has refused to nap this week. Maybe he's ready to give up naps? It's hard to say. The days that he does nap he can sleep 3.5 HOURS. So it's hard for me to believe that he will go from really long naps to just not napping at all. So maybe this is a phase? Regardless, I've spent the last 2 days trying to convince and just out right beg Lil Man to nap. Yes, I realize just how silly that sounds to try to get a 2 year old to nap because I told him to do so. Tomorrow, I plan to try a new tactic. He doesn't have to 'nap', but he does have to spend some quiet time in his room. And I'm going to try not to run in and out of his room 100 times during his ...

Deep breath. Deep breath. I know better. I do. So why do I let myself get back to this point? Why, why, why must I feel like I am always justifying my actions. I shouldn't feel the need to explain to other people that I am doing the best that I can do to help Lil Man with his speech delay.  I want to scream sometimes that just because my son isn't in daycare that he gets A LOT of interaction with kids. We don't stay holed up in this house never seeing the world outside. There is a voice inside me screaming 'Look. Look. Look at my calendar. At least 3 to 4 sometimes 5 days out of the week we are with other kids. His speech therapist has remarked how great I do with getting him out among his peers. But I feel like I am constantly  defending my actions. I feel like because I am a stay-at-home mom that I have to constantly reinforce to people that my child has interaction with other children. And let me tell you, sometimes it's not easy. That's right. I said i...

Have you ever watched your kid as they saw new things? I mean really watched them? I love watching Lil Man's face as he experiences new things. Today we went to Target , and after putting all of the items in the car, I decided instead of driving across the shopping center parking lot, that we'd walk the side walk. It was a fairly long walk for a toddler, but I thought Lil Man might enjoy it. So off we went. He was mesmerized by the cars, the people, and the store fronts. The things that I take for granted and don't really 'see' anymore, he was looking at everything with such awe and amazement. He noticed the flowers outside the grocery store. He noticed the writing on the windows. He stopped to look at the displays. How many times in our life do we just keep walking, our purpose is to get from point A to point B, and never really see what's around us? Had I been walking alone today, I would have briskly walked across the parking lot, finished my errand and bri...

Well, Hubby and I finally did it.. yep.. took us over 2 years but we finally got a baby sitter and went out on a date. It had been 3 years since we'd been to see a movie! We decided to go on an afternoon date to see a movie and then out to eat. It was great to spend some quality time with Hubby. And Lil Man did just fine with a sitter. I hope we can do this again. I have to mention that Lil Man learned (yesterday) that he could throw things from the his car seat  to the front seat. As I was driving today, out of no where, I got hit in the head with a whistle. Yep, I was like.. "what the..." then I realized it was a whistle he'd been playing with. That kid has good aim!

I've been a little MIA lately. For those of you who haven't read my other blog ( Will Run For Ice Cream ) then you probably don't know that I just finished my first Marathon. For the race recap, click here But that has consumed a lot of my time last week.  I have to say that I wasn't sure how Lil Man would do at the race waiting on me to finish. But he seemed to have a good time. And he really enjoyed my post race food. :)  It's finally warm here, and he we've spent a good amount of time outdoors. I do believe I am going to have an enjoyable summer with him. He loves the playground and all things outdoors.  We had speech today. Actually we had 3 hours of speech this week (to make up for missed sessions when we had the flu). Over the last couple of weeks, he's really started to try to communicate with us. We both have been less frustrated since we can now both understand what he needs. I'm really hoping the progress continues.  And so f...

This week has been a very busy week. I've had a lot of freelance work this week which has been GREAT. Not only have I enjoyed doing it, but it's kept my mind busy! I needed to stay busy this week. If you love to read, or if you are an author, you should really check this site out   Momma Says Read . It's a great site, and this weekend is Mommas Big Launch Giveaway Blitz. (Check Momma out on Facebook). You don't want to miss this event. So this week has been exciting helping with this site plus the last minute preparations for my marathon on Saturday. Lil Man has napped every day (so far). He did get up once last night, but all of the other nights this week he has slept all night! Apparently I was looking rough last week for his speech session. This week his teacher said 'Wow, you must have got some sleep. You look so much better." Speaking of speech... over the weekend Lil Man has said lots of new words! He said egg, candy, What is this? Where is it? Her...

Lil Man will be 2 next Monday. It's so hard to believe! Where has the time gone? But as you know if you read my last post he has the flu. Well in addition to the flu, he also has pneumonia. It's been touch and go with putting him in the hospital. He wouldn't drink or eat and was getting lethargic. But finally, as we were making the decision within the hour, he ate a little and drank some water. We have stayed out of the hospital so far. He is showing some signs of improvement, but he is still very sick. Currently, we he has major congestion and major diarrhea. I am a ring of boogers. From my shoulders, to my chest, to my stomach, down my shirts sleeves... boogers. I am but a swipe away from his little nose. I no longer care that I'm covered in snot. For days I've felt like a human rag. I've been puked on, pooped on, sneezed on, snotted and cried on. My nose is pouring also (although I'm reaching for a tissue instead of my shirt sleeve). Hmmm... I guess...

Lil Man didn't show any signs of being sick. In fact we went about our normal day. Thursday night about 9pm he developed a dry cough. I didn't think much of it. My midnight he had a low grade fever. By morning he was worse. By Noon it was full blown. We went to the pediatrician's office. They came into the examining room with masks on. From the beginning apparently they suspected the flu. The flu never crossed my mind. They did a test and it was positive :( And yes he had the shot so we are hoping he won't have it 'as bad'. Well I have to say this is rough. We are having a hard time getting any liquids in him. Between the vomiting and the fever, I'm really worried about dehydration. It's been a sleepless night and a rough day today. So far Hubby and I aren't sick. I have a headache and slight sore throat. But no fever. Really hoping we don't get it, and hoping my Lil Man gets better quickly. It is so hard to watch him hurt.

So, this weekend, Lil Man decided to climb out of his crib. NOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!! I needed those rails. I needed that confinement. I needed just one...place...that I knew he was safe and away from harm. But alas, the time came that I heard a bump and found him in the kitchen. Sigh... so we changed out electrical plugs and fastened furniture to the wall. I was still going to 'wait and see' if it happened again. But when I saw his leg over the rail, and talked to other mothers, I knew that it had to be done. I couldn't risk him falling and getting injured. The first night wasn't too terribly bad. There was only about 30 minutes of crying. But Monday, for the first nap without his crib (or pacifier). Yeah, I forgot to mention we took that away also. He only used it in the crib and in the car. And since he slept without it at nap on Sunday (in his crib), we decided to just do it and be done. Anywho, the first nap time rolled around. Let me say, there wasn't enough chocol...

Sometimes this just sums up my day...

So Lil Man, at almost 2 years old,  is really showing his independence. Just where does he get this stubborn streak?!? Oh yeah... probably from me. My mid-morning started off with me chasing him to change his dirty diaper. I could smell him from across the room. He, however, has learned that if he squats and bounces he can push the poop around and apparently it feels 'funny'. This has become a 'fun' thing to do after pooping. It isn't so much fun for Mommy to clean up squished poop. So I chased him. Caught him. Changed him. Released him. But then it was getting closer to the dreaded lunch time. I wasn't sure what to feed him today. See, he's been showing some... shall we say... resistance to whatever I give him (even if it is something that I KNOW he likes). Well, he wanted some yogurt. I decided why not and let him have it. He ate 3, yes 3, gogurts and then a small cup of yogurt at 10:30am. I knew this would pretty much mess up lunch, but I didn't wan...