Tuesday, December 17, 2013
Reagan's Christmas Program
Friday, December 13, 2013
Exasperated
Exasperate: to irritate or provoke to a high degree; annoy extremely, as defined by dictionary.com That's the best word and definitely the most accurate word to describe how I've felt this week. Completely exasperated and now that it's Friday, I feel I'm at the end of my rope. Praise the Lord Ryan will be home for the weekend and will be able to help me.
I'm fairly certain I can trace the exasperation back to last Saturday, December 7. I was barely even with the kids that day, but they were just acting horribly. Ryan and I were able to enjoy the day in the city sans kids and I thought things would get better on Sunday. Well that didn't happen. The best way I can describe myself on Sunday was having an out of body experience. Any sign of patience was out the window. Reagan went on his third straight day of not napping or having "quiet time" and I just couldn't handle it. I was tired from a very long day in the city yesterday so I thought life would get back to "normal" on Monday.
Oh how wrong I was! Without doing a play by play, I can sum up the week as Reagan still not napping, having meltdowns every day at various points during the day due to exhaustion (he tells me I'm so tired...) and accidents in the afternoon. He had gone at least a solid week without any accidents and this week brought several and sometimes multiple in a day. Kyleigh as well has been pushing the limits and chooses to be naughty in the midst of my struggle and frustration with Reagan. When I tell her no for anything, she'll start spitting. Where did that come from??
I think my low point of the week came yesterday when I had a friend watching the kids for about an hour and fifteen minutes while I had a doctor appointment. I had Reagan attempt the potty before we left the house, but didn't have to go. When I came to get the kids, he had three accidents - one poop and two pee accidents - at their house. And then to top it off, he accidentally broke one of their snowmen decorations. I know she wasn't upset at all - about the accidents or snowman - but I felt terrible. I pushed ahead and went to Mariano's since we had no food for dinner. Reagan thought it was a good decision to stick his fingers into an banana and then try to eat the banana through the peel. As I stood in the bread and jelly aisle, crying, all I could think is, "What happened to my child? This isn't the kid I know." I pulled myself together, paid for the groceries, and came home.
I spent the majority of Thursday evening alone because Ryan had a Peacemakers meeting at church from 6-8:30. I managed to get the kids fed, bathed (I normally only bathe the kids when Ryan's home), and in bed without much of an issue. By 7:15p I was making 13 dozen cookies and wrapping presents. This was actually a good time to be alone in my thoughts.
After a lengthy description of my feelings this week, I now have a few thoughts. Trust me, I don't know the answers and still feel exasperated, but I'm doing my best to work through this feeling of exasperation. First, as Ryan suggested, I should probably change my expectations in regards to Reagan's nap (or lack thereof). Maybe he's giving it up and I need to accept this. I think he's too young to give it up, but then again, Ryan gave up napping at an early age as well. Maybe it's genetic? Second, maybe Reagan is sensing things will be changing at home soon (baby is due in 6 weeks). He did so great at potty training and then he gave up his nap and we've been talking about big boy beds (bunk beds) for his room. Maybe he doesn't understand how to process all that is happening in his world right now so his way to keep my attention focused on him is through potty training regression, nap refusal, and misbehavior. I could be way off here, but it's just a thought. Third, and definitely most important, if I start my day with prayer, it truly changes my attitude toward the kids. On Wednesday morning I asked the Lord for extra patience and love during this difficult time. While Reagan continued his antics, I approached my discipline in a much calmer and loving way than the days I didn't start off with prayer. I know this and yet I still try to handle things on my own. So silly!
It's only 8:30a on Friday morning and we still have the day ahead of us. I did start my day with prayer, so I know I'm already on the right track. It's going to be a long day, though, as Reagan is in his first musical tonight at church. He only has one verse to sing for "Away in a Manger" but the program doesn't start until 7p which has been his bedtime during the napping strike. We'll see how he does with the extra late night.
I pray things will change soon and maybe as I mentioned earlier, I need to accept a new normal of life. Kids are ever changing and we had been in a groove for a long time. Maybe I should try to see the positive of this napping strike as giving me some one on one time with Reagan I didn't really have before. I know the Lord is walking with me through his difficult time; I just need to rely on His strength when I'm at my weakest.
I'm fairly certain I can trace the exasperation back to last Saturday, December 7. I was barely even with the kids that day, but they were just acting horribly. Ryan and I were able to enjoy the day in the city sans kids and I thought things would get better on Sunday. Well that didn't happen. The best way I can describe myself on Sunday was having an out of body experience. Any sign of patience was out the window. Reagan went on his third straight day of not napping or having "quiet time" and I just couldn't handle it. I was tired from a very long day in the city yesterday so I thought life would get back to "normal" on Monday.
Oh how wrong I was! Without doing a play by play, I can sum up the week as Reagan still not napping, having meltdowns every day at various points during the day due to exhaustion (he tells me I'm so tired...) and accidents in the afternoon. He had gone at least a solid week without any accidents and this week brought several and sometimes multiple in a day. Kyleigh as well has been pushing the limits and chooses to be naughty in the midst of my struggle and frustration with Reagan. When I tell her no for anything, she'll start spitting. Where did that come from??
I think my low point of the week came yesterday when I had a friend watching the kids for about an hour and fifteen minutes while I had a doctor appointment. I had Reagan attempt the potty before we left the house, but didn't have to go. When I came to get the kids, he had three accidents - one poop and two pee accidents - at their house. And then to top it off, he accidentally broke one of their snowmen decorations. I know she wasn't upset at all - about the accidents or snowman - but I felt terrible. I pushed ahead and went to Mariano's since we had no food for dinner. Reagan thought it was a good decision to stick his fingers into an banana and then try to eat the banana through the peel. As I stood in the bread and jelly aisle, crying, all I could think is, "What happened to my child? This isn't the kid I know." I pulled myself together, paid for the groceries, and came home.
I spent the majority of Thursday evening alone because Ryan had a Peacemakers meeting at church from 6-8:30. I managed to get the kids fed, bathed (I normally only bathe the kids when Ryan's home), and in bed without much of an issue. By 7:15p I was making 13 dozen cookies and wrapping presents. This was actually a good time to be alone in my thoughts.
After a lengthy description of my feelings this week, I now have a few thoughts. Trust me, I don't know the answers and still feel exasperated, but I'm doing my best to work through this feeling of exasperation. First, as Ryan suggested, I should probably change my expectations in regards to Reagan's nap (or lack thereof). Maybe he's giving it up and I need to accept this. I think he's too young to give it up, but then again, Ryan gave up napping at an early age as well. Maybe it's genetic? Second, maybe Reagan is sensing things will be changing at home soon (baby is due in 6 weeks). He did so great at potty training and then he gave up his nap and we've been talking about big boy beds (bunk beds) for his room. Maybe he doesn't understand how to process all that is happening in his world right now so his way to keep my attention focused on him is through potty training regression, nap refusal, and misbehavior. I could be way off here, but it's just a thought. Third, and definitely most important, if I start my day with prayer, it truly changes my attitude toward the kids. On Wednesday morning I asked the Lord for extra patience and love during this difficult time. While Reagan continued his antics, I approached my discipline in a much calmer and loving way than the days I didn't start off with prayer. I know this and yet I still try to handle things on my own. So silly!
It's only 8:30a on Friday morning and we still have the day ahead of us. I did start my day with prayer, so I know I'm already on the right track. It's going to be a long day, though, as Reagan is in his first musical tonight at church. He only has one verse to sing for "Away in a Manger" but the program doesn't start until 7p which has been his bedtime during the napping strike. We'll see how he does with the extra late night.
I pray things will change soon and maybe as I mentioned earlier, I need to accept a new normal of life. Kids are ever changing and we had been in a groove for a long time. Maybe I should try to see the positive of this napping strike as giving me some one on one time with Reagan I didn't really have before. I know the Lord is walking with me through his difficult time; I just need to rely on His strength when I'm at my weakest.
Monday, December 9, 2013
Potty Training Update
I am so happy Reagan is doing well with potty training. He's done so much better than I could have ever expected. He has had a few pee accidents, but beyond maybe one every three days or so, he's done an awesome job. There are some occasions where I need to ask him if he needs to go potty, but other than that, he's learned the urge to go and lets me know he has to go!
His first accident after many days without one was a big deal. I think he was so surprised it happened (and me as well) that since that day, he will often tell me every 15 minutes he needs to go. Obviously this is a false alarm, but it has been very frustrating. I never know when he actually needs to go or when he's just saying he needs to go. Something we'll work through, I'm sure.
The one main (and significant) issue has been pooping. He went on the potty that first week, but it's gone downhill (and quickly) ever since. He will often poop in his underwear and sometimes won't tell me. He doesn't seem to mind pooping in his underwear! When I can tell he needs to poop, I will put him on his little potty or even the normal toilet with a cushioned insert and he refuses to go. I'm not sure if he's scared or why he won't poop when I've put him on the potty. Again, it's something we'll work through, but difficult at this time.
Overall, Reagan has caught on so quickly and I'm thrilled!
His first accident after many days without one was a big deal. I think he was so surprised it happened (and me as well) that since that day, he will often tell me every 15 minutes he needs to go. Obviously this is a false alarm, but it has been very frustrating. I never know when he actually needs to go or when he's just saying he needs to go. Something we'll work through, I'm sure.
The one main (and significant) issue has been pooping. He went on the potty that first week, but it's gone downhill (and quickly) ever since. He will often poop in his underwear and sometimes won't tell me. He doesn't seem to mind pooping in his underwear! When I can tell he needs to poop, I will put him on his little potty or even the normal toilet with a cushioned insert and he refuses to go. I'm not sure if he's scared or why he won't poop when I've put him on the potty. Again, it's something we'll work through, but difficult at this time.
Overall, Reagan has caught on so quickly and I'm thrilled!
Sunday, December 1, 2013
Reagan and Kyleigh - November 2013
My notes from November 2013:
Reagan:
Reagan:
- Has delay tactics now at bedtime
- Very inquisitive - any unfamiliar noise comes with the immediate question "What was that?"
- Calls his cowboy boots "Calliou" boots
- Getting better at sharing and thinking of Kyleigh
- Getting better with numbers
- Starting to say "please" and "thank you" without any prompting (mostly thank you, but occasionally please)
- Loves his sister! He'll walk into her room in the morning and say "Morning, big girl" just like me
- Likes to get into the van and say "All agourd" translation - All Aboard
- Some days, he's really sweet with Kyleigh. He'll bring her toys or if she's crying, he'll say "You're ok, sister." Melts my heart
- Becoming quite the bargainer to get what he wants. "Mom, if I finish ____ then I have a treat?"
- Starting to procrastinate at dinner - just plays with his food and drinks his milk
- Favorite phrase: "No, I do it. I'm a big boy."
- Well on his way to being officially potty-trained!! Still using diapers/pulls up while sleeping, but in underwear the rest of the day.
- Likes to call Kyleigh and me "sweetie pie"
- Really enjoys praying each night before bed (The Lord's Prayer)
- Likes to pray after Ryan prays at dinner. He often gets very specific with the food he's thanking the Lord for.
Kyleigh:
- Likes to pick up the cat bowls and give them to me to put on the counter (at least she rarely eats it anymore!)
- First half of the month, she refused to let me brush her teeth; she wanted to do it
- Started showing signs of being a righty instead of a lefty
- Insists on feeding herself most days and she's pretty good at it
- Loves to play with Reagan's cars
- Wants to do everything Reagan does - she watches him very intently
- Says "elmo" multiple times a day, but she doesn't know who Elmo is!
- Discovered light switches and constantly wants to turn them off
- Enjoys helping me unload the dishwasher
- When she gets mad, she'll hit her belly and scream
- Likes to grab my hand and then stick her milk into it for me to hold for her
- Perfected "no"
- Resourceful! Becoming a good problem solver
Wednesday, November 27, 2013
Potty Training - Day 3
Well, I've made it to the 3rd day of this method of potty training. I fortunately slept a lot better last night and had high hopes for the day ahead. After all, Reagan had a very successful day yesterday.
He awoke earlier than I would prefer, but we got started right away. I told him that we'd change his diaper and put him in big boy pants. Immediately, he was resistant. He didn't want to wear underwear today. I wasn't about to give up, so I convinced him to put them on. Here is my log for the day:
6:45a put on underwear
7:30-7:40a stood, nothing
7:50-8a sat/stood, nothing
8:05-8:10a sat, nothing
8:35a pee!!
9:50a pee!!
11:25a pee!!
11:45a poop!!
12:45p nap time
2:45p woke up, put in underwear
3:35p pee!!
5:05p pee!!
5:25p pee!!
6:40p pee!!
From the time Reagan woke up until his first pee, it was a rough go. He tried going potty three times before he actually went. Every time I had him stand or sit, he was resistant; he continued to say, "I don't want to." At one point, he was actually angry and throwing his hands down. I knew this was a bad sign and thought a little bit about my approach. Shortly after his second pee of the day, I had a conversation with a friend (thank you KR - you've been a HUGE help!!) who shared that a big thing with this method is getting the child to learn the urge to go. I realized if it had been longer than an hour or so, I would just start to make Reagan stand in front of the potty because I thought he needed to go, not because he actually showed any signs of needing to go.
After this conversation, I decided to let Reagan lead me in knowing whether or not to have him attempt to go. What a difference!!!! Reagan became a lot less resistant when I told him to stand in front of the potty. The only time I got resistance was when he was watching a movie and didn't want to take the time to pee (even though I put the movie on pause!). It was also a much quicker process; he would usually pee within a minute of standing there.
I had already decided earlier in the day I wanted to venture out for a short time to see how things went. To be honest, I was a little nervous, but knew I couldn't stay cooped up in the house forever! After his snack and afternoon pee, we went to Kohl's to buy him something special - Thomas underwear! He has some underwear, but I thought we could reward him with Thomas undies! He was so excited to get them. I also decided to make a pit stop at Starbucks on the way home as a little reward for me ;) I asked Reagan several times throughout this one hour outing if he needed to go or if he had "pee-pees" and the answer was always no. And he was right - we made a successful trip out and back without an accident!
By the end of the day, I truly believe Reagan is now starting to understand the urge to go. He doesn't always tell me or make an attempt to get to the potty on time, but it's obvious by his actions (moving around a lot, touching himself, etc) that he needs to go. This is when I tell him it's time to go and he usually does. All in all, I can't believe that at the end of these 3 days, Reagan is fairly well trained. Of course there will be accidents in the future, I'm sure. However, a whole day without any accidents seems like a dream come true in the potty training world ;)
On a related, but side note: when I woke up Monday morning and decided to make a go for this, I didn't really think about how potty training would affect my life after the 3 days. I didn't really take into account that I'll have to plan the timing of my outings around the last time he peed and when I think he'll need to go again. I realize there are public restrooms, but until he's really comfortable, I would prefer he pees at home. Or how long can I plan to be out of the house before I should come home? Can I take him to "fun places" still or should I wait until he's really confident in knowing when he needs to go? Or what will it look like for him to be at Church/Sunday School/Bible Study? Will I put him in a Pull Up or just let the workers know we are potty training and to come get me? There are still a lot of questions I need to address, but that's okay. I feel such a sense of accomplishment and relief right now knowing we've made huge strides in this area!
He awoke earlier than I would prefer, but we got started right away. I told him that we'd change his diaper and put him in big boy pants. Immediately, he was resistant. He didn't want to wear underwear today. I wasn't about to give up, so I convinced him to put them on. Here is my log for the day:
6:45a put on underwear
7:30-7:40a stood, nothing
7:50-8a sat/stood, nothing
8:05-8:10a sat, nothing
8:35a pee!!
9:50a pee!!
11:25a pee!!
11:45a poop!!
12:45p nap time
2:45p woke up, put in underwear
3:35p pee!!
5:05p pee!!
5:25p pee!!
6:40p pee!!
From the time Reagan woke up until his first pee, it was a rough go. He tried going potty three times before he actually went. Every time I had him stand or sit, he was resistant; he continued to say, "I don't want to." At one point, he was actually angry and throwing his hands down. I knew this was a bad sign and thought a little bit about my approach. Shortly after his second pee of the day, I had a conversation with a friend (thank you KR - you've been a HUGE help!!) who shared that a big thing with this method is getting the child to learn the urge to go. I realized if it had been longer than an hour or so, I would just start to make Reagan stand in front of the potty because I thought he needed to go, not because he actually showed any signs of needing to go.
After this conversation, I decided to let Reagan lead me in knowing whether or not to have him attempt to go. What a difference!!!! Reagan became a lot less resistant when I told him to stand in front of the potty. The only time I got resistance was when he was watching a movie and didn't want to take the time to pee (even though I put the movie on pause!). It was also a much quicker process; he would usually pee within a minute of standing there.
I had already decided earlier in the day I wanted to venture out for a short time to see how things went. To be honest, I was a little nervous, but knew I couldn't stay cooped up in the house forever! After his snack and afternoon pee, we went to Kohl's to buy him something special - Thomas underwear! He has some underwear, but I thought we could reward him with Thomas undies! He was so excited to get them. I also decided to make a pit stop at Starbucks on the way home as a little reward for me ;) I asked Reagan several times throughout this one hour outing if he needed to go or if he had "pee-pees" and the answer was always no. And he was right - we made a successful trip out and back without an accident!
By the end of the day, I truly believe Reagan is now starting to understand the urge to go. He doesn't always tell me or make an attempt to get to the potty on time, but it's obvious by his actions (moving around a lot, touching himself, etc) that he needs to go. This is when I tell him it's time to go and he usually does. All in all, I can't believe that at the end of these 3 days, Reagan is fairly well trained. Of course there will be accidents in the future, I'm sure. However, a whole day without any accidents seems like a dream come true in the potty training world ;)
On a related, but side note: when I woke up Monday morning and decided to make a go for this, I didn't really think about how potty training would affect my life after the 3 days. I didn't really take into account that I'll have to plan the timing of my outings around the last time he peed and when I think he'll need to go again. I realize there are public restrooms, but until he's really comfortable, I would prefer he pees at home. Or how long can I plan to be out of the house before I should come home? Can I take him to "fun places" still or should I wait until he's really confident in knowing when he needs to go? Or what will it look like for him to be at Church/Sunday School/Bible Study? Will I put him in a Pull Up or just let the workers know we are potty training and to come get me? There are still a lot of questions I need to address, but that's okay. I feel such a sense of accomplishment and relief right now knowing we've made huge strides in this area!
Tuesday, November 26, 2013
Potty Training - Day 2
Let's just start with the fact I barely slept last night because I was dreaming about potty training, I was thinking about potty training, and I was fearing what tomorrow (today - day 2) would bring. I think I was most fearful that Reagan wouldn't want to try potty training again and I would easily give in because yesterday was so difficult.
Well, 7a came and Reagan was ready for breakfast. I tentatively told him we would change his diaper and put him in big boy pants. That seemed to go ok, but not with great enthusiasm. I put his underwear on and we started the day. He has a bad rash on his butt and I think it's from sitting so much yesterday. So today, I'm going to see if there is any progress if he stands vs sits. Following is my daily log for the day:
7a woke up and put on underwear
7:20a accident
7:40-7:50a stood, nothing
8:05-8:20a stood, nothing
8:35a accident
8:55a stood, nothing
9:25-9:30a pee!!
9:35a accident
9:35-9:45a stood, nothing
10:25-10:30a stood, nothing
10:45-11a stood, nothing
11:20-11:25 stood, nothing
11:35a pee!! He had been standing in front of the potty for 10 minutes and finally went
11:45a pee!! He ran to tell me he had to go again and we made it to the potty on time!
12:30p poop!! He tried for pee before nap time, but nothing
12:45p nap
3p back in underwear
3:50-4p stood, nothing
4:25-4:35p stood, nothing
4:45p pee!!
5:40p stood, nothing
6:05p pee!! He told me during dinner he needed to go and I thought he was just trying to get out of eating. After 2 minutes of standing, he went!
6:50p accident :(
After his third accident in 2 1/2 hours of being awake, I was in tears in the basement. I was so upset and seriously ready to throw in the towel. I just couldn't bring myself to continue trying with the results we were having. I even texted Ryan and said I would feel better if we could have one success, but at this point, it was just accident after accident.
Then...the breakthrough moment! I was having him stand because I knew he would need to go and all of a sudden, he started peeing. This was different than yesterday - he was actually getting a decent amount of pee into the potty, as opposed to just a few drops. Excitement doesn't completely convey how I felt. I encouraged Reagan to do a potty (celebratory) dance and we gave high-fives and, of course, finished off this milestone with a treat. Unfortunately, he took the wind out of my sails five minutes later when he had a accident. Lesson learned for me: just because he went doesn't mean he's completely done. There may be a little more in there that he hasn't gotten out yet!
From the time snack time was over (10:15ish) until his next success was grueling. I knew he would have to go and he hadn't gone over hour or so without peeing or an accident, so I was getting increasingly nervous every time he stood and nothing came out. We literally sat on the floor of his bedroom and read books or he laid his head on my lap. I wouldn't let him go anywhere because I knew it was coming - eventually. It took 2 hours, but he finally went. Then, the best part came next! Only 10 minutes after we went through out routine of cleaning the potty and getting treats, he came running into the the room and said he needed to go again. We quickly got to the potty and he started peeing again! I felt like this was a huge success because he knew the feeling of having to go. Yay!
I won't spend much time on his poop because I honestly think it was just a fluke. He had been eating lunch and I caught "the look" on his face and forced him to sit down on the potty. Within seconds of sitting, he had a little poop. Although I was lucky, he at least did it!
After nap time is questionable for me. He wears a diaper while sleeping and I have no idea the last time he peed when he wakes up and I change him into his underwear. I was so fearful of another accident, but we just plugged on ahead. He tried multiple times, but we finally had a success after almost 2 hours of being awake.
The other great accomplishment of the day was during dinner time. I tried to have him go before dinner but he didn't need to. While eating, he said he needed to go. I reluctantly unbuckled his chair to let him attempt. I really thought it was an excuse to not eat dinner (what I made wasn't very good) and he had been avoiding what I told him he had to eat. However, after only a two minutes of standing there, he started to go! Again, it showed me he is starting to know the sensation of having to go. Great news!
I COULD NOT BELIEVE he had an accident just 45 minutes later. I was really disappointed in the accident, especially to end the day this way, but he was so enthralled with the toy magazine, I think he wasn't paying attention. At least that's what I hope!
All in all, today was a MUCH better day that yesterday. I am so glad I didn't give in at 9:30 this morning when I really wanted to. Maybe, just maybe, Reagan will actually be potty trained in 3 days!
Well, 7a came and Reagan was ready for breakfast. I tentatively told him we would change his diaper and put him in big boy pants. That seemed to go ok, but not with great enthusiasm. I put his underwear on and we started the day. He has a bad rash on his butt and I think it's from sitting so much yesterday. So today, I'm going to see if there is any progress if he stands vs sits. Following is my daily log for the day:
7a woke up and put on underwear
7:20a accident
7:40-7:50a stood, nothing
8:05-8:20a stood, nothing
8:35a accident
8:55a stood, nothing
9:25-9:30a pee!!
9:35a accident
9:35-9:45a stood, nothing
10:25-10:30a stood, nothing
10:45-11a stood, nothing
11:20-11:25 stood, nothing
11:35a pee!! He had been standing in front of the potty for 10 minutes and finally went
11:45a pee!! He ran to tell me he had to go again and we made it to the potty on time!
12:30p poop!! He tried for pee before nap time, but nothing
12:45p nap
3p back in underwear
3:50-4p stood, nothing
4:25-4:35p stood, nothing
4:45p pee!!
5:40p stood, nothing
6:05p pee!! He told me during dinner he needed to go and I thought he was just trying to get out of eating. After 2 minutes of standing, he went!
6:50p accident :(
After his third accident in 2 1/2 hours of being awake, I was in tears in the basement. I was so upset and seriously ready to throw in the towel. I just couldn't bring myself to continue trying with the results we were having. I even texted Ryan and said I would feel better if we could have one success, but at this point, it was just accident after accident.
Then...the breakthrough moment! I was having him stand because I knew he would need to go and all of a sudden, he started peeing. This was different than yesterday - he was actually getting a decent amount of pee into the potty, as opposed to just a few drops. Excitement doesn't completely convey how I felt. I encouraged Reagan to do a potty (celebratory) dance and we gave high-fives and, of course, finished off this milestone with a treat. Unfortunately, he took the wind out of my sails five minutes later when he had a accident. Lesson learned for me: just because he went doesn't mean he's completely done. There may be a little more in there that he hasn't gotten out yet!
From the time snack time was over (10:15ish) until his next success was grueling. I knew he would have to go and he hadn't gone over hour or so without peeing or an accident, so I was getting increasingly nervous every time he stood and nothing came out. We literally sat on the floor of his bedroom and read books or he laid his head on my lap. I wouldn't let him go anywhere because I knew it was coming - eventually. It took 2 hours, but he finally went. Then, the best part came next! Only 10 minutes after we went through out routine of cleaning the potty and getting treats, he came running into the the room and said he needed to go again. We quickly got to the potty and he started peeing again! I felt like this was a huge success because he knew the feeling of having to go. Yay!
I won't spend much time on his poop because I honestly think it was just a fluke. He had been eating lunch and I caught "the look" on his face and forced him to sit down on the potty. Within seconds of sitting, he had a little poop. Although I was lucky, he at least did it!
After nap time is questionable for me. He wears a diaper while sleeping and I have no idea the last time he peed when he wakes up and I change him into his underwear. I was so fearful of another accident, but we just plugged on ahead. He tried multiple times, but we finally had a success after almost 2 hours of being awake.
The other great accomplishment of the day was during dinner time. I tried to have him go before dinner but he didn't need to. While eating, he said he needed to go. I reluctantly unbuckled his chair to let him attempt. I really thought it was an excuse to not eat dinner (what I made wasn't very good) and he had been avoiding what I told him he had to eat. However, after only a two minutes of standing there, he started to go! Again, it showed me he is starting to know the sensation of having to go. Great news!
I COULD NOT BELIEVE he had an accident just 45 minutes later. I was really disappointed in the accident, especially to end the day this way, but he was so enthralled with the toy magazine, I think he wasn't paying attention. At least that's what I hope!
All in all, today was a MUCH better day that yesterday. I am so glad I didn't give in at 9:30 this morning when I really wanted to. Maybe, just maybe, Reagan will actually be potty trained in 3 days!
Monday, November 25, 2013
Potty Training - Day 1
Over the past few weeks, I have been having near heart attacks thinking about three kids in diapers. As my due date approaches (8.5 weeks away!), I feel more pressure to get Reagan potty-trained. I know this is a self imposed pressure as he's still kind of young, but my desire to have him potty-trained is intense. Both Ryan and I have given half-hearted attempts at getting Reagan to go potty on his toilet. But he's always refused and we haven't pushed the subject. I just assumed "when he's ready, that's when we'll do it." Last night, I really struggled with the thought of buying three sizes of diapers.
I woke up this morning with no plans at all (except laundry, of course) and in the blink of an eye decided I would try potty training today. Reagan woke really late this morning and it seemed like an even better idea. At 8:30a I put Reagan in big boy underwear and started the day of potty-training. Following is a detailed account for the day:
9:00-9:10a sat on potty, nothing
9:20ish accident
10:05-10:10a little pee into the potty
10:55a accident
11:10-11:20a sat on potty, nothing
11:45a accident
12:05-12:10p sat on potty, nothing
12:25-12:30p sat on potty, nothing
12:55-1:05p sat on potty, nothing
1:05-3p nap time
3:10-3:35p sat on potty, nothing
3:40-3:50p sat on potty, nothing
4:15p accident
4:45p accident (possibly, he said he went but I didn't feel a wet spot on the carpet)
5:20-5:25p sat on potty, nothing
5:35p accident
5:55p accident
6:35-6:45p sat on potty, nothing
6:55-7:05p sat on potty, nothing
I felt very frustrated throughout the whole day. It was very trying and tiring - I never thought I would be so exhausted. The afternoon was probably the worst. Multiple times I would ask Reagan if he needed to go potty and he would say no. I would wait a short time and put him on the potty and he didn't go. Then he would look me in the eye and pee right where he was instead of saying he needed to go. I would try to put him on the potty in case there was more to come and he would just say no and cry that he didn't want to. Maybe I was expecting too much, I don't know. I knew this was going to be a long day, but towards the later part of the afternoon, I was about to throw in the towel and say forget it. However, the concept of potty-training in 3 days takes commitment and dedication.
The silver lining at the end of the day was when 10 minutes after we put Reagan to sleep, he woke up crying. I walked into his room and asked why he was so upset and his immediate answer was "I went potty." He, of course, was wearing a diaper, but I felt like this was very good news. He knew even in his super absorbent diaper that he went potty. I changed his diaper and told him we would try wearing big boy pants again tomorrow.
I'm praying tomorrow is a better day!
Thursday, November 21, 2013
November 21, 2013
I'm in a great mood today! Not really sure why, but I'm praising God because I love being in a great mood. Not only am I in a great mood, I'm feeling a little quirkiness going on and that's strange for me. Sometimes when I get like this, there are a million things going through my mind and none of them seem to relate to each other, but I just can't stop the stream of consciousness. Today, I'm going to give you a brief list of the things going on in this crazy mind of mine...enjoy!
- My kitchen sink is so clean right now that I've been obsessively rinsing it after anything is put into it. I can't get over how pristine it is and I don't want it to disappear quickly as most of my cleaning does. I then often wonder "Why bother, it'll get dirty again in 30 seconds since I have toddlers?" But I can't handle living in a mess, so I'll clean anyway.
- I felt so incredibly accomplished this morning after cleaning the bathtub. The rest of the bathroom still needs attention, but for now, I'm living high off the fact that the bathtub is clean!
- Sometimes, there is nothing better than the sweet (and often unexpected) embrace from your child. Thanks, Kyleigh, you made my day even better than it was already going.
- Hands down, the best "children's" meal is chicken nuggets. In fact, I just ate 10 of them for my lunch and I'm seriously considering putting more in the oven. They shouldn't be classified as kid food; perfectly legitimate for an adult.
- I can't get enough of granny smith apples this year (and no, it's NOT because I'm pregnant). They are pure tart deliciousness and I could eat multiple apples each day.
- Did I mention how much I love chicken nuggets? Yep, more are going in the oven as I type...
- Peppermint mochas make me happy. I only allow myself to get them around Christmas, but I broke my rule this year and got one before Thanksgiving was over.
- Speaking of Thanksgiving, I get really annoyed that this holiday is over looked each year. I refuse to turn on Christmas music until Black Friday. It's getting difficult, but I'm holding out.
Update from this afternoon:
- I seriously don't know how it's possible for a toddler to devour food one night and then throw every single piece of it on the floor the next day. Seriously???
- Why is Kyleigh so intrigued by the bathroom at Nibbles Play Cafe? For the life of me, I can't understand.
- Why do kids always poop moments after changing their diaper?
- I wish I was a fly on the wall in the basement: I walked downstairs after leaving the kids alone for 5 minutes and found Reagan with his pants off. Hmmmm...I didn't even want to ask!
That's it for right now. I've come to a mental roadblock after putting those nuggets in the oven. That's okay. I enjoyed writing this out and I know one day I'll re-read this post and probably laugh out loud. I'm okay with that because I rarely get into a quirky mood like this and it's good to mix things up a little. I hope you got a little laugh, too.
I just heard the timer go off for my nuggets...until next time!
Wednesday, November 13, 2013
Carrots
Carrots. Such a simple vegetable, don't you think? Well, in this house, carrots are not so simple. In fact, they lead to such a difficult afternoon, this is the first time I could bring myself to write about the incident!
Last Friday - the great day of Ryan's homecoming and the carpet being installed in the basement - Reagan had an absolute meltdown over his carrots. It started at lunch - he was supposed to eat his 4 slices of baby carrots (2 baby carrots total), but he refused. The carpet people were still installing so I didn't want have an incident while they were here. I told Reagan he could take his nap, but that the first snack he would have when we woke would be the carrots. He acknowledged and agreed.
After a rather short nap, Reagan came out of his room asking for a snack. I told him he needed to eat his carrots first and then I would give him whatever he wanted. This sent him into a downward spiral. A whole HOUR AND FIFTEEN MINUTES of complete temper tantrum, screaming, crying Reagan. After about 45 minutes or so, I had a breakdown moment and started yelling back at him because I was so angry. Not my best mother moment, I fully admit. In fact, I felt so ashamed of how I reacted, I almost started crying while sitting on my bed with the door closed. I finally regained my composure and went out to calmly talk to Reagan. He still took awhile to understand he needed to eat the carrots, but he finally gave in and ate them.
Why, you may ask, would I let this continue on for so long and over such a petty thing as carrots? It was no longer about actually eating the carrots, it was all about letting Reagan know who was in charge. I couldn't handle the crying after 15 minutes, but if I told him he didn't have to eat the carrots, I would be sending him the wrong message. He would assume he could act this way going forward and I certainly wasn't going to let that happen! It was such a difficult afternoon but we made it through.
I am still ashamed of how I responded in the hairy moments of that afternoon; however, I know that I am covered by the Lord's grace and I am forgiven. I needed to ask for forgiveness because my behavior wasn't appropriate and I would have expected Reagan to ask for forgiveness as well. I am finding during the difficult moments of parenting how grateful I am for the Lord's grace in my life. Praise the Lord for the sacrifice Jesus made on my behalf!
Last Friday - the great day of Ryan's homecoming and the carpet being installed in the basement - Reagan had an absolute meltdown over his carrots. It started at lunch - he was supposed to eat his 4 slices of baby carrots (2 baby carrots total), but he refused. The carpet people were still installing so I didn't want have an incident while they were here. I told Reagan he could take his nap, but that the first snack he would have when we woke would be the carrots. He acknowledged and agreed.
After a rather short nap, Reagan came out of his room asking for a snack. I told him he needed to eat his carrots first and then I would give him whatever he wanted. This sent him into a downward spiral. A whole HOUR AND FIFTEEN MINUTES of complete temper tantrum, screaming, crying Reagan. After about 45 minutes or so, I had a breakdown moment and started yelling back at him because I was so angry. Not my best mother moment, I fully admit. In fact, I felt so ashamed of how I reacted, I almost started crying while sitting on my bed with the door closed. I finally regained my composure and went out to calmly talk to Reagan. He still took awhile to understand he needed to eat the carrots, but he finally gave in and ate them.
Why, you may ask, would I let this continue on for so long and over such a petty thing as carrots? It was no longer about actually eating the carrots, it was all about letting Reagan know who was in charge. I couldn't handle the crying after 15 minutes, but if I told him he didn't have to eat the carrots, I would be sending him the wrong message. He would assume he could act this way going forward and I certainly wasn't going to let that happen! It was such a difficult afternoon but we made it through.
I am still ashamed of how I responded in the hairy moments of that afternoon; however, I know that I am covered by the Lord's grace and I am forgiven. I needed to ask for forgiveness because my behavior wasn't appropriate and I would have expected Reagan to ask for forgiveness as well. I am finding during the difficult moments of parenting how grateful I am for the Lord's grace in my life. Praise the Lord for the sacrifice Jesus made on my behalf!
Tuesday, November 5, 2013
Reagan and Kyleigh - October 2013
My notes:
Reagan:
Reagan:
- He's becoming very protective of Kyleigh, especially around dogs or when she tries to run away
- First prayer, without any prompting from me on 10/16/13: "Thank you, God, for this food and this house and this food and this house. Amen."
- When asked if he needs helps down the stairs, his response was, "No, my do it. I'm a big boy."
- He's able to climb into his carseat, but can't buckle it yet
- He "calls" Fireman Sam daily and rides his firetruck around the house and says he's going to the fire station. Clearly, he loves fire related things
- He's getting better with dogs
Kyleigh:
- She still loves running away and thinks it is hilarious
- She's climbing on everything!
- She likes to pinch Grandpa Bruce's nose and he responds with a honk
- Correctly identifies several body parts (eyes, nose, mouth, belly button, hands, feet, head)
- She likes to go up and down the stairs repeatedly
- Loves water and playing in small puddles
- Says "car car" with a Boston accent (cah)
- Screams at me when I tell her "no"
- Developing an attitude and shows it when she doesn't get her way
- Her vocabulary is expanding like crazy - probably at least 10-15 words learned this month
- Her biggest word is "buckle"
Thursday, October 3, 2013
A Week in Santa Barbara
As part of Ryan's deal with work, the kids and I get to travel to CA with him once a month. So, on September 22nd the four of us left for Santa Barbara. I won't go into all the details here because I really don't want to re-live the flights, but the trip out there was awful. So awful, I cried on our flight from Phoenix to Santa Barbara. The bottom line is the kids were over tired and they wouldn't give in and sleep on either flight there. Recipe for disaster.
On Monday, the kids and I oriented ourselves to Santa Barbara and tried to lay low. We picked up a few groceries and I took them to a park before heading back to the hotel for naps. When the kids awoke, I took them to the Alice Keck Memorial Garden just off State Street. It was a beautiful garden area with a pond with turtles and ducks. Both kids loved this place! They loved chasing the ducks and just enjoyed the sunshine. We also visited the most awesome park for kids. It was like a castle, but a little overwhelming as a parent trying to keep her eye on the kids.
Tuesday brought another morning at the Memorial Garden. Reagan continued to say he wanted to see the ducks! I was trying to balance free things to do with paid activities and since the kids loved the ducks so much, why not? After naps, we headed down to the wharf to visit the Ty Warner Sea Center. It was a small center, but the kids enjoyed it. Reagan especially liked walking through this small tunnel that allowed him to see the fish. I finally convinced Reagan to touch the sharks and after his initial apprehension, he really liked it. We also saw jellies - I thought those were great! After dinner, mom arrived at the hotel and the kids enjoyed seeing her, even though it was for a short time that evening.
On Wednesday, where else would we start our morning except at the Alice Keck Memorial Garden? Like I said the kids loved it. We also stopped by the Castle park for a few minutes before getting lunch. This was the hardest day for sleeping because both kids absolutely refused to take their naps. I finally gave in after an hour and 15 minutes. We got ready and headed to the SB Zoo. Oh what fun we had! This zoo actually has elephants - an animal I love. We probably spent at least 30 minutes just watching the two of them move about their habitat. We moved fairly quickly throughout the rest of the zoo. Reagan's highlight was riding on the blue train. He greatest disappointment, though, was that the giraffe car was broken. All in all, it was a great day even though the kids didn't sleep.
Thursday brought Jamie! I was so excited to see my best friend after a little more than a year. She arrived early Thursday morning and we just had a great time catching up. Instead of visiting the Gardens, we took the kids back to the wharf. We just enjoyed the ocean breeze and walked along the wharf before stopping at a candy shop for some treats. Luckily, the kids took their naps today and Jamie and I just got to talk some more. It was so refreshing! After the kids woke up, I really wanted to take them to the Goleta Train Depot. I thought Reagan would really enjoy seeing more trains. I took him on the red train while Jamie kept an eye on Kyleigh (she wasn't tall enough to ride). We had a little time before needing to pick up Ryan, so we headed to the Gardens! We couldn't miss a day at the Gardens. The day went quickly and we unfortunately had to say goodbye to Jamie.
And then Friday came. I packed us all up and we left for the airport at 9:30a. I had everyone praying for a better trip back home than our way out here. I couldn't believe it, but Kyleigh fell asleep in my arms on our short flight from SB to SF. I thought this could be bad and that she wouldn't sleep on the longer flight from SF to Chicago. Well, I was right :( We ate our lunch (from Klein's Deli, of course) on the plane and both kids again refused to sleep. Kyleigh had a breakdown only for about 30 minutes, but it was a loud 30 minutes. I finally got her to fall asleep for a short time, but at least she was okay for the rest of the flight. We arrived home and put the kids to bed about 10:30p. We went to sleep shortly after that.
I won't really talk about Saturday because we were home again, except to say the kids slept until 9:45a!!!!! I could not believe it - I was so thankful because both Ryan and I were so exhausted. We actually were awake before the kids and feeling refreshed. Praise the Lord!!
On Monday, the kids and I oriented ourselves to Santa Barbara and tried to lay low. We picked up a few groceries and I took them to a park before heading back to the hotel for naps. When the kids awoke, I took them to the Alice Keck Memorial Garden just off State Street. It was a beautiful garden area with a pond with turtles and ducks. Both kids loved this place! They loved chasing the ducks and just enjoyed the sunshine. We also visited the most awesome park for kids. It was like a castle, but a little overwhelming as a parent trying to keep her eye on the kids.
Tuesday brought another morning at the Memorial Garden. Reagan continued to say he wanted to see the ducks! I was trying to balance free things to do with paid activities and since the kids loved the ducks so much, why not? After naps, we headed down to the wharf to visit the Ty Warner Sea Center. It was a small center, but the kids enjoyed it. Reagan especially liked walking through this small tunnel that allowed him to see the fish. I finally convinced Reagan to touch the sharks and after his initial apprehension, he really liked it. We also saw jellies - I thought those were great! After dinner, mom arrived at the hotel and the kids enjoyed seeing her, even though it was for a short time that evening.
On Wednesday, where else would we start our morning except at the Alice Keck Memorial Garden? Like I said the kids loved it. We also stopped by the Castle park for a few minutes before getting lunch. This was the hardest day for sleeping because both kids absolutely refused to take their naps. I finally gave in after an hour and 15 minutes. We got ready and headed to the SB Zoo. Oh what fun we had! This zoo actually has elephants - an animal I love. We probably spent at least 30 minutes just watching the two of them move about their habitat. We moved fairly quickly throughout the rest of the zoo. Reagan's highlight was riding on the blue train. He greatest disappointment, though, was that the giraffe car was broken. All in all, it was a great day even though the kids didn't sleep.
Thursday brought Jamie! I was so excited to see my best friend after a little more than a year. She arrived early Thursday morning and we just had a great time catching up. Instead of visiting the Gardens, we took the kids back to the wharf. We just enjoyed the ocean breeze and walked along the wharf before stopping at a candy shop for some treats. Luckily, the kids took their naps today and Jamie and I just got to talk some more. It was so refreshing! After the kids woke up, I really wanted to take them to the Goleta Train Depot. I thought Reagan would really enjoy seeing more trains. I took him on the red train while Jamie kept an eye on Kyleigh (she wasn't tall enough to ride). We had a little time before needing to pick up Ryan, so we headed to the Gardens! We couldn't miss a day at the Gardens. The day went quickly and we unfortunately had to say goodbye to Jamie.
And then Friday came. I packed us all up and we left for the airport at 9:30a. I had everyone praying for a better trip back home than our way out here. I couldn't believe it, but Kyleigh fell asleep in my arms on our short flight from SB to SF. I thought this could be bad and that she wouldn't sleep on the longer flight from SF to Chicago. Well, I was right :( We ate our lunch (from Klein's Deli, of course) on the plane and both kids again refused to sleep. Kyleigh had a breakdown only for about 30 minutes, but it was a loud 30 minutes. I finally got her to fall asleep for a short time, but at least she was okay for the rest of the flight. We arrived home and put the kids to bed about 10:30p. We went to sleep shortly after that.
I won't really talk about Saturday because we were home again, except to say the kids slept until 9:45a!!!!! I could not believe it - I was so thankful because both Ryan and I were so exhausted. We actually were awake before the kids and feeling refreshed. Praise the Lord!!
Reagan and Kyleigh - September 2013
Let me just begin this post by saying so much more happened during this month, I just didn't write it all down. I'm kicking myself now because many of the things I wanted to write down were really cute, but I can't remember then now :(
Reagan:
Reagan:
- When I call his name, he comes to me and says, "Yes, Mom?"
- When I tell him something, he'll respond with, "Ok, Mommy."
- He really enjoyed helping daddy, Papa, and Mr. Jerry in the basement with his hammer, wrench, and "pisers" (pliers)
- He's been saying, "I'm sorry, Mommy," a lot - even when he doesn't do anything that warrants an apology
- He's very much into the "I don't want to" phase
- Likes to talk with his hands our to the side with his palms up
- He can now open the refrigerator - oh boy!!
- Went poop on his potty for the first time on 9/15/13
- Likes to run two different ways: elbows up and back with his hands by his armpits or with his arms straight back like he's ready for takeoff
Kyleigh:
- Likes to make a fish face
- My new name is "mem" and she screams it when she wants my attention
- When tired, she sucks her left two fingers and puts her right hand really close to her eye, almost trying to cover it up
- Can say a few words: bye bye, mama, dada, amen, all done (ah da), uh oh
- Likes to throw things on the ground and says uh oh
Tuesday, September 17, 2013
Some Big Milestones
I meant to write this post Sunday night, but you know, life happens!
We had a few big milestones occur this past Sunday, September 15. Let's start with Reagan. A little while after he woke from his nap, he said he wanted to go potty. I looked at him with surprise and lead him toward the bathroom. He sat on the toilet for about 5-7 minutes, but never managed to actually go. Then, a few hours later, he said again he wanted to go potty. I took him back to the bathroom and left him alone for some "privacy." I came back into the bathroom a few minutes later and he had pooped! I couldn't believe it! He actually pooped on the potty! Only a mom of a toddler who is at the beginning stages of potty training gets excited about poop :-)
Now, moving onto Kyleigh. After much internal debate, I am officially recording 9/15/13 as Kyleigh's first word. Well, actually, three words! She's been on the brink of saying words, but I'm finally convinced she can say three words: "Mama," "Bye-bye," and "Amen." She doesn't pronounce the word fully, but it's definitely clear what she's saying.
Two big steps in our house this weekend.
We had a few big milestones occur this past Sunday, September 15. Let's start with Reagan. A little while after he woke from his nap, he said he wanted to go potty. I looked at him with surprise and lead him toward the bathroom. He sat on the toilet for about 5-7 minutes, but never managed to actually go. Then, a few hours later, he said again he wanted to go potty. I took him back to the bathroom and left him alone for some "privacy." I came back into the bathroom a few minutes later and he had pooped! I couldn't believe it! He actually pooped on the potty! Only a mom of a toddler who is at the beginning stages of potty training gets excited about poop :-)
Now, moving onto Kyleigh. After much internal debate, I am officially recording 9/15/13 as Kyleigh's first word. Well, actually, three words! She's been on the brink of saying words, but I'm finally convinced she can say three words: "Mama," "Bye-bye," and "Amen." She doesn't pronounce the word fully, but it's definitely clear what she's saying.
Two big steps in our house this weekend.
Wednesday, September 11, 2013
The Last Two Weeks
Wow! How can two weeks go by so fast? For months, we've been planning and preparing for Ronnie and Jerry to come renovate our basement. And in the blink of an eye, they are gone.
Ronnie, Darcy, Jerry, and Carol arrived exactly two weeks ago today. We were on the go constantly and I am still in shock that I'm sitting in the breezeway, alone, writing the post. It seems like forever ago and yet, just yesterday.
While the ladies were here, we went to Wrigley for a heart-wrenching Cubs game. They were up the whole game and lost it in the top of the ninth. Ah, the Cubs! We also went downtown the next day. Boy, was that a day. It started off on the absolute wrong foot, literally. It was raining when we arrived and Carol almost slipped three times. So the first place we stopped was Macy's on State to buy new shoes. We kept thinking the storm would pass, but TWO painful hours later, we finally had the opportunity to enjoy downtown Chicago. The last full day the ladies were here, we went shopping! I found a dress for Jeffrey's wedding and a super cute pair of capri jeans. All in all, it was a successful shopping trip. Taking them back to the airport on Tuesday was really (really) hard. I think for the first time, Reagan understood that Mimi was leaving and going back to CA. It was difficult for me to explain what was happening, but we got through.
Meanwhile, the guys were making great progress on the basement. Everyday, I felt like they were accomplishing so much. They worked at least 8-10 hours everyday. I don't know how they managed to keep their energy up! One thing I do know is they like their treats! We (including me and the kids) took a coffee and treat break everyday at 10a. Reagan now thinks that his first snack of the day should be a donut! It's going to be difficult transitioning him out of the sugar based treats back to his normal health-ified snacks.
Back to the basement. The guys worked for 6 days straight before taking a break. Their fishing trip was cancelled and I felt so bad for them. They seemed truly okay with it, but I wanted them to be able to go. Instead, on Saturday, all the guys - including Reagan - went to Cabela's for a few hours. They seemed to really enjoy their time, and thankfully, they took the rest of the day off. Unfortunately, Ryan had to leave early Monday morning for Santa Barbara. So, he said goodbye to his dad and Jerry Sunday night.
As far as the kids go, it was a long two weeks. They were off their normal schedules and routines and definitely didn't sleep very well. There were even some days when neither kid took a nap. The first week wasn't so bad because I had Darcy and Carol here to help. However, the second week was a little harder, but we managed.
As far as the basement progress goes, they finished the bathroom (except installing the vanity, but that's because we haven't picked one out). It looks so much better and I'm not creeped out by walking into it anymore! Jerry finished all of the electrical work and it's so much brighter than before. Once again, I'm not nearly as afraid to walk downstairs because I can actually see! The guys were able to frame all the walls and then hung the sheetrock. Jerry was able to get through almost all the taping + one coat of mud. They also finished hanging all the doors and completed the little alcove going into the laundry room. Finally, on the last day they were here, Ronnie installed the cat door into the garage.
Wow! Like I said, they accomplished a lot in a short amount of time. We just need to have someone come in and finish the mudding/sanding of the sheetrock and then we'll paint and put trim up. And viola! We'll have a finished basement! We are so grateful for all the hard work and sacrifice the guys did on our behalf. And, of course, the ladies too, since they let us have their husbands for 2 weeks!
Ronnie, Darcy, Jerry, and Carol arrived exactly two weeks ago today. We were on the go constantly and I am still in shock that I'm sitting in the breezeway, alone, writing the post. It seems like forever ago and yet, just yesterday.
While the ladies were here, we went to Wrigley for a heart-wrenching Cubs game. They were up the whole game and lost it in the top of the ninth. Ah, the Cubs! We also went downtown the next day. Boy, was that a day. It started off on the absolute wrong foot, literally. It was raining when we arrived and Carol almost slipped three times. So the first place we stopped was Macy's on State to buy new shoes. We kept thinking the storm would pass, but TWO painful hours later, we finally had the opportunity to enjoy downtown Chicago. The last full day the ladies were here, we went shopping! I found a dress for Jeffrey's wedding and a super cute pair of capri jeans. All in all, it was a successful shopping trip. Taking them back to the airport on Tuesday was really (really) hard. I think for the first time, Reagan understood that Mimi was leaving and going back to CA. It was difficult for me to explain what was happening, but we got through.
Meanwhile, the guys were making great progress on the basement. Everyday, I felt like they were accomplishing so much. They worked at least 8-10 hours everyday. I don't know how they managed to keep their energy up! One thing I do know is they like their treats! We (including me and the kids) took a coffee and treat break everyday at 10a. Reagan now thinks that his first snack of the day should be a donut! It's going to be difficult transitioning him out of the sugar based treats back to his normal health-ified snacks.
Back to the basement. The guys worked for 6 days straight before taking a break. Their fishing trip was cancelled and I felt so bad for them. They seemed truly okay with it, but I wanted them to be able to go. Instead, on Saturday, all the guys - including Reagan - went to Cabela's for a few hours. They seemed to really enjoy their time, and thankfully, they took the rest of the day off. Unfortunately, Ryan had to leave early Monday morning for Santa Barbara. So, he said goodbye to his dad and Jerry Sunday night.
As far as the kids go, it was a long two weeks. They were off their normal schedules and routines and definitely didn't sleep very well. There were even some days when neither kid took a nap. The first week wasn't so bad because I had Darcy and Carol here to help. However, the second week was a little harder, but we managed.
As far as the basement progress goes, they finished the bathroom (except installing the vanity, but that's because we haven't picked one out). It looks so much better and I'm not creeped out by walking into it anymore! Jerry finished all of the electrical work and it's so much brighter than before. Once again, I'm not nearly as afraid to walk downstairs because I can actually see! The guys were able to frame all the walls and then hung the sheetrock. Jerry was able to get through almost all the taping + one coat of mud. They also finished hanging all the doors and completed the little alcove going into the laundry room. Finally, on the last day they were here, Ronnie installed the cat door into the garage.
Wow! Like I said, they accomplished a lot in a short amount of time. We just need to have someone come in and finish the mudding/sanding of the sheetrock and then we'll paint and put trim up. And viola! We'll have a finished basement! We are so grateful for all the hard work and sacrifice the guys did on our behalf. And, of course, the ladies too, since they let us have their husbands for 2 weeks!
Tuesday, September 3, 2013
Reagan and Kyleigh - August 2013
My notes from August 2013:
Reagan:
Reagan:
- Getting into the "one more" phase when it is time to leave a fun place - "one more time on the slide, mom"
- Says "no way nosee" instead of Jose!
- Favorite song is "Cruise" by Florida Georgia Line
- A little tattle-tale! Tells me everything Kyleigh does
- Very polite! Says "Thanks, Mom" all the time, but only says "please" when we remind him to
- When he needs help he says, "Mommy, help you" instead of "me"
- Very bossy! "Kai-ee no!" "Darby, come here"
- Holds my cheeks and gives me kisses on the lips
- "Mommy! That's my airplane right there, look," as he points out the window to an airplane flying over
- Very (very) disobedient while Ryan was gone on a work trip
- Says "another time" or "another day" when I tell him we can't do something that day
- When I told him he needed to put sunscreen on before going outside, he told me to put "ice cream on his face, his arms, and his legs"
- He picked up a MGD from a box and brought it to the table and said "Here, dad" and gave it to Ryan!
Kyleigh:
- Hitting a lot
- When I tell her it's time to eat (meal or snack), she walks over to the front door and stands or sits on the stone
- Grunts at everything
- Getting better at eating and drinking her milk
- Completely gave up morning nap by mid-August
- Backs down stairs or off the couch really well
- When you ask her to show love, she opens wide and gives kisses
- Starting to run (so cute!)
- Finally waving hello and goodbye
- Entered the door closing phase
- Likes to turn around and around and around in circles
- Close to saying her first word (hi and amen)
- Told her to throw her diaper away and she did it!
- Suddenly covers her ears with a funny expression for no reason multiple times a day
- Perfectly content laying on the floor (anywhere) and sucking her fingers
Saturday, August 24, 2013
Challenges
This past week, and really, if I'm being honest, the past three weeks, have been extremely challenging for me. To give a very brief back story, Ryan's work asked if he'd be willing to travel every other week to CA for the next 2-3 months, beginning on August 19. After much consideration and prayer, we agreed this was a great opportunity for him, even though it would bring many challenges, both for him and for the family.
Well, over these past few weeks, Reagan has been giving me a run for my money. He is challenging everything I ask him to do, refuses to listen to me, and throws temper-tantrums up the wa-zoo! Ok, I may be exaggerating a little on the temper-tantrums, but I'm not at all when it comes to obeying and listening to me. This past week - the first week Ryan was traveling - was exceptionally difficult.
Every morning, we go through the same routine. The very first thing I do is change his diaper. Now, Reagan doesn't want his diaper changed. He kicks and screams as I try to set him on the changing table. "What's caused the sudden desire to stay in a soaked in a diaper," I wonder? Or when it's time to get dressed in the morning, he runs away to the opposite side of the house, giggling the whole time. I count to three, but that only raises my blood pressure and doesn't help him obey. Or when it's time to leave the house, I tell him to sit on the bench so I can put his shoes on. This, of course, prompts another round of running away as well as screaming "No!!!!!" What gets to me the most; however, is actually getting into the van. Reagan knows he's not allowed in the back row, and yet that's the only place he goes. He'll even tell me "Don't go the back seat" when we're walking to the car, but sure enough, as I strap Kyleigh into her seat, I find him sitting and smiling in the back seat.
I am at my wits end, here. We've tried discipline (and I mean several rounds of discipline) and it doesn't seem to phase him. I've tried time-outs and he'll go and stand in his time-out location, but it doesn't change his behavior the next time around. As recently as this morning, I've started taking away some of his "privileges" (ie, watching a movie). We'll see how this turns out.
I feel like this is spinning out of control...and quickly. I've gone back to my Entrusted with a Child's Heart curriculum for guidance. It seems like I'm on the right track, but Reagan is not leaving the naughty track and jumping onto the right one!! One thing is I'm definitely trying to begin my days with prayer. This is something I should be doing anyway, but often forget. I ask the Lord to give me patience with Reagan's continued disobedience. Some days I do better, some days I don't. It's a constant challenge.
I often find myself in an internal struggle of holding onto these times and wanting to pull my hair out. Over these difficult weeks, I've been thinking of the poem "Wet Oatmeal Kisses" by Erma Bombeck. If you've never read this poem, seriously, Google it and be humbled. I know I am every time I read it. So as I reflect on this challenging time right now, I do not ignore the fact that this is challenging and it's okay to acknowledge the challenge. But, I also try to dwell on the fact that this time with my children is fleeting and one day, they will be grown up and I'll look back and think "Why did I let my blood boil over climbing into the backseat?" One day, I'll look back. That's not today :-)
Well, over these past few weeks, Reagan has been giving me a run for my money. He is challenging everything I ask him to do, refuses to listen to me, and throws temper-tantrums up the wa-zoo! Ok, I may be exaggerating a little on the temper-tantrums, but I'm not at all when it comes to obeying and listening to me. This past week - the first week Ryan was traveling - was exceptionally difficult.
Every morning, we go through the same routine. The very first thing I do is change his diaper. Now, Reagan doesn't want his diaper changed. He kicks and screams as I try to set him on the changing table. "What's caused the sudden desire to stay in a soaked in a diaper," I wonder? Or when it's time to get dressed in the morning, he runs away to the opposite side of the house, giggling the whole time. I count to three, but that only raises my blood pressure and doesn't help him obey. Or when it's time to leave the house, I tell him to sit on the bench so I can put his shoes on. This, of course, prompts another round of running away as well as screaming "No!!!!!" What gets to me the most; however, is actually getting into the van. Reagan knows he's not allowed in the back row, and yet that's the only place he goes. He'll even tell me "Don't go the back seat" when we're walking to the car, but sure enough, as I strap Kyleigh into her seat, I find him sitting and smiling in the back seat.
I am at my wits end, here. We've tried discipline (and I mean several rounds of discipline) and it doesn't seem to phase him. I've tried time-outs and he'll go and stand in his time-out location, but it doesn't change his behavior the next time around. As recently as this morning, I've started taking away some of his "privileges" (ie, watching a movie). We'll see how this turns out.
I feel like this is spinning out of control...and quickly. I've gone back to my Entrusted with a Child's Heart curriculum for guidance. It seems like I'm on the right track, but Reagan is not leaving the naughty track and jumping onto the right one!! One thing is I'm definitely trying to begin my days with prayer. This is something I should be doing anyway, but often forget. I ask the Lord to give me patience with Reagan's continued disobedience. Some days I do better, some days I don't. It's a constant challenge.
I often find myself in an internal struggle of holding onto these times and wanting to pull my hair out. Over these difficult weeks, I've been thinking of the poem "Wet Oatmeal Kisses" by Erma Bombeck. If you've never read this poem, seriously, Google it and be humbled. I know I am every time I read it. So as I reflect on this challenging time right now, I do not ignore the fact that this is challenging and it's okay to acknowledge the challenge. But, I also try to dwell on the fact that this time with my children is fleeting and one day, they will be grown up and I'll look back and think "Why did I let my blood boil over climbing into the backseat?" One day, I'll look back. That's not today :-)
Wednesday, August 14, 2013
A New Phase
We've had a bit of a breakthrough at our house these days. Within the last few weeks or so, Reagan and Kyleigh have been playing together. Like, they can be in Reagan's room talking, laughing, squealing, playing together! This brings about a few emotions within me. First, PRAISE THE LORD! There is a moment during their awake hours where I can be in one room and BOTH kids are happily playing together in a different room. It brings me great joy listening to Reagan say "C'mon Kai-ee (his version of Kyleigh), let's go. Here Kai-ee. Play with me, Kai-ee." I am starting to believe what so many people told me over the last year: "They will be great friends because they are so close in age." For the first time, I can actually see this becoming true.
The second emotion; however, is a little bit of sadness. There is a little part of me that thinks, "They are growing up so fast. They don't need me as much anymore." Now, I know this is a bit of a stretch because they very much still need me. However, there was a time not too long ago when Kyleigh had to be in the same room as me at all times. If I left for just a moment, she would scurry into the room or she'd cry until I came back to pick her up. I know this is a natural progression of growing up, but there are moments - some moments - when I desire them to stay my little babies forever!
When I do enjoy those precious moments of listening to them in another room, I also realize it's not always happy play. We've also entered another phase in the last few weeks - the tattle-tale phase! Reagan often leaves the room to come and tell me, "Kai-ee hit my head. Kai-ee touched my jams. Kai-ee is breaking my floor (ie ripping apart the alphabet puzzle mat)." Legitimately, Kyleigh has entered her own phase of hitting (and hitting a lot!), so I appreciate that Reagan comes to tell me he's been hit. However, he takes this to the extreme! As with all new phases, you learn how to deal with the kids' ever changing personalities!
Life is definitely changing in our house. It's all great and I love it, but I also realize how quickly time is passing. It's so cliche, but it's so true!
The second emotion; however, is a little bit of sadness. There is a little part of me that thinks, "They are growing up so fast. They don't need me as much anymore." Now, I know this is a bit of a stretch because they very much still need me. However, there was a time not too long ago when Kyleigh had to be in the same room as me at all times. If I left for just a moment, she would scurry into the room or she'd cry until I came back to pick her up. I know this is a natural progression of growing up, but there are moments - some moments - when I desire them to stay my little babies forever!
When I do enjoy those precious moments of listening to them in another room, I also realize it's not always happy play. We've also entered another phase in the last few weeks - the tattle-tale phase! Reagan often leaves the room to come and tell me, "Kai-ee hit my head. Kai-ee touched my jams. Kai-ee is breaking my floor (ie ripping apart the alphabet puzzle mat)." Legitimately, Kyleigh has entered her own phase of hitting (and hitting a lot!), so I appreciate that Reagan comes to tell me he's been hit. However, he takes this to the extreme! As with all new phases, you learn how to deal with the kids' ever changing personalities!
Life is definitely changing in our house. It's all great and I love it, but I also realize how quickly time is passing. It's so cliche, but it's so true!
Friday, August 2, 2013
Reagan and Kyleigh - July 2013
My notes from July 2013:
Reagan:
Reagan:
- Getting much better at counting
- I asked him who his best friend is and he said JT
- We (finally) moved him to a big boy bed!
- One day, all morning he told me, "I'm so tired" This was hilarious coming from a 2 year old
- He'll show me his coloring and then says, "That's so pretty"
- Managed to lock himself in Sue's bathroom with the light off, but wasn't phased by it at all
- Playing independently better
- He has a few stories almost memorized and he'll read them aloud to himself or Kyleigh
- He is growing a lot in his understanding of concepts
- Asks many questions: "What's that?" "Where did that come from?" "What are we having?"
- He's been showing concern for others (when I throw up due to morning sickness or have been coughing a lot)
- Very possessive of a few things (primarily his phone, but also his "beet")
- He doesn't like it when Kyleigh crawls on me; he'll scream "That's MY mommy!"
- Throws tantrums a lot when he doesn't get his way
- Identifies his drool (so gross)
- Wants to race Kyleigh around the house on his car
Kyleigh:
- Starting to climb (found her on the side table in the breezeway, as well as into the dishwasher)
- Becoming much pickier with food
- LOVES to throw her food on the ground
- Says "Uh-ooh"
- Much more difficult to feed; she changes her mind daily about what she likes
- Can walk backwards fairly well
- Barely starting to wave (not all the time, but occasionally)
- Starting to like books better (Peek-a-Who, Brown Bear, Mr. Brown Can Moo, Can You?)
- Will come and sit in my lap if I'm on the floor
- Loves to crawl all over me
- Learning how to follow commands (ie, go get your milk)
- Scrunches her nose when she smiles big
- Walks all over the place; I can't keep her in one spot
- Starting to throw tantrums; she'll sit/throw herself down on the ground when she doesn't want to do something
- Seems to understand a lot of what we tell her to do, but doesn't always do it
- Showing an interest in feeding herself with a spoon
- Does not like to drink her milk
- Needs to be in the same room as me - all the time
- Laughing more
- Takes apart Reagan's alphabet floor daily
- Finally lowered her bed
- Likes to dance when music is playing
- Favorite toy is still the plastic Easter eggs
- Gets on Reagan's firetruck and presses the buttons, but doesn't go anywhere
- Grunting as loud as possible is her main form of communication (crying is her other one)
Saturday, July 20, 2013
Minivan Mama
It's official...we are minivan owners! Ryan still isn't so sure about this, but I think he's beginning to come to grips with the fact that this was the best decision for our expanding family. I got to that point a long time ago, so I'm happy we finally have our van.
Boy, it was an emotional week of trying to get this van. A quick recap: we found one via private party and looked at it on Monday. He was asking way to much for the base model, so we continued our search. We looked at another one on Tuesday evening and we both loved (as much as Ryan could love a minivan) it. It was a 2008 and top of the line model in really good condition. We called the guy back on Wednesday morning and he wouldn't accept our offer because he owed more money than we were offering. I was bummed, but understood. I found a great deal from a dealer on Wednesday and spoke with a sales rep and he said he had people coming to look at it that night. I called back Thursday morning and the van sold Wednesday night. I was again really bummed. Thursday night we looked at yet another van. This one was promising - within our price range and in fairly good condition. The only problem is that the AC didn't work. The salesman said he would have it looked at on Friday and let us know. We even negotiated a price with him. Very surprising for a salesperson, but we had to call him. He gave Ryan the runaround, so I spent a good portion of Friday night looking for more options.
Oh boy, Friday night was fun. I ended up finding a really good deal about 1 hour 45 minutes away. I called the dealer and, of course, it sold 5 hours earlier. I continued my search and found 9 vans for Ryan and I to vet. We crossed off a decent number and picked 1 that we thought was a "too good to be true" deal in Elgin. It was a 2008 with only 30K miles on it. It was a little steep on our price range, but given the low miles, we were going to take a look at it Saturday. I spoke with the dealer and he said they would run it through inspection first thing in the morning and we could come around noon. Perfect!
Saturday morning around 9a, I received a call from one of the dealers I contacted in Joliet (about 1 hour away). They had an 2006 with 72K miles on it and it was on the lot for viewing despite the fact it hadn't gone through inspection yet (they just received it two days earlier on a trade-in). I asked how much and it was surprisingly very much in our price range. So, Ryan and I decided to call the Elgin dealer and postpone our visit until the later in the afternoon. We wanted to see this one in Joliet first since it seemed to be a better fit financially. Turns out, we really liked it and bought it! We both love the color (officially,Slate Green Metallic Ocean Mist Metallic, but it looks more like a very light grey/blue color) and both the exterior and interior are in good condition considering it's 7 years old. We negotiated with the dealer and were able to walk out the door paying $200 more than our goal. Not too shabby for dealing with a car dealership.
Boy, it was an emotional week of trying to get this van. A quick recap: we found one via private party and looked at it on Monday. He was asking way to much for the base model, so we continued our search. We looked at another one on Tuesday evening and we both loved (as much as Ryan could love a minivan) it. It was a 2008 and top of the line model in really good condition. We called the guy back on Wednesday morning and he wouldn't accept our offer because he owed more money than we were offering. I was bummed, but understood. I found a great deal from a dealer on Wednesday and spoke with a sales rep and he said he had people coming to look at it that night. I called back Thursday morning and the van sold Wednesday night. I was again really bummed. Thursday night we looked at yet another van. This one was promising - within our price range and in fairly good condition. The only problem is that the AC didn't work. The salesman said he would have it looked at on Friday and let us know. We even negotiated a price with him. Very surprising for a salesperson, but we had to call him. He gave Ryan the runaround, so I spent a good portion of Friday night looking for more options.
Oh boy, Friday night was fun. I ended up finding a really good deal about 1 hour 45 minutes away. I called the dealer and, of course, it sold 5 hours earlier. I continued my search and found 9 vans for Ryan and I to vet. We crossed off a decent number and picked 1 that we thought was a "too good to be true" deal in Elgin. It was a 2008 with only 30K miles on it. It was a little steep on our price range, but given the low miles, we were going to take a look at it Saturday. I spoke with the dealer and he said they would run it through inspection first thing in the morning and we could come around noon. Perfect!
Saturday morning around 9a, I received a call from one of the dealers I contacted in Joliet (about 1 hour away). They had an 2006 with 72K miles on it and it was on the lot for viewing despite the fact it hadn't gone through inspection yet (they just received it two days earlier on a trade-in). I asked how much and it was surprisingly very much in our price range. So, Ryan and I decided to call the Elgin dealer and postpone our visit until the later in the afternoon. We wanted to see this one in Joliet first since it seemed to be a better fit financially. Turns out, we really liked it and bought it! We both love the color (officially,
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| Minivan Mama (as Ryan now calls me) |
Wednesday, July 17, 2013
One Step Closer
This post is a few days overdue, but oh well. Life gets busy and I get tired by the end of the day!
A little back story before I answer what the "one step closer" means. So last week, we had Claire with us while Andy and Katie were on a missions trip in Haiti. I didn't want to have the Aerobed set up all week because it takes up too much room. Ryan and I decided to remove the front railing of Reagan's crib and let Claire sleep in his bed while Reagan slept in Kyleigh's crib and Kyleigh slept in the pack-n-play. A little musical beds, but that's okay.
Fast forward to Saturday, July 13...Claire leaves our house. Ryan and I decided to leave the railing off the crib and let Reagan take a nap in his "new" bed. I wanted to test this out with a nap before a whole night that way if he fell out and woke up screaming, it wouldn't jolt me out of bed in the middle of the night! To my surprise, he took his normal 2ish hour nap, no problem! He didn't get out of bed and play with toys and he didn't fall out of the bed. Whoo hoo!
On to bedtime. We put him in the bed and reminded him of the rules: no getting out of bed and no jumping on the bed. It was rest time. He went right to sleep and I thought for sure I'd hear a clunk in the middle of the night, but I didn't! I couldn't believe how well he did.
We are officially one step closer to moving Reagan out of a crib. Craziness!!
A little back story before I answer what the "one step closer" means. So last week, we had Claire with us while Andy and Katie were on a missions trip in Haiti. I didn't want to have the Aerobed set up all week because it takes up too much room. Ryan and I decided to remove the front railing of Reagan's crib and let Claire sleep in his bed while Reagan slept in Kyleigh's crib and Kyleigh slept in the pack-n-play. A little musical beds, but that's okay.
Fast forward to Saturday, July 13...Claire leaves our house. Ryan and I decided to leave the railing off the crib and let Reagan take a nap in his "new" bed. I wanted to test this out with a nap before a whole night that way if he fell out and woke up screaming, it wouldn't jolt me out of bed in the middle of the night! To my surprise, he took his normal 2ish hour nap, no problem! He didn't get out of bed and play with toys and he didn't fall out of the bed. Whoo hoo!
On to bedtime. We put him in the bed and reminded him of the rules: no getting out of bed and no jumping on the bed. It was rest time. He went right to sleep and I thought for sure I'd hear a clunk in the middle of the night, but I didn't! I couldn't believe how well he did.
We are officially one step closer to moving Reagan out of a crib. Craziness!!
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| Here he is Sunday morning, so proud of himself and his big boy bed! |
Tuesday, July 2, 2013
June 2013 for Reagan and Kyleigh
Here are the notes I took for June 2013 for both Reagan and Kyleigh:
Reagan
Reagan
- Enjoys putting his feet up on the dining room table
- Fights tooth and nail about eating his carrots
- He's a total book worm! Loves, loves to read (Thomas is his primary favorite, but we read Jesus and Clifford, too)
- Loves to play in his "piece" (translation, police) car the Lehmanns gave us, but he always afraid there are bugs inside
- Likes looking for airplanes when they fly over
- Really enjoys listening to "moosic" on my phone
- Really aggressive with Kyleigh
Kyleigh
- Walks to the right inside of in a straight line
- Walks swinging her left arms like crazy while her right arms stays relatively still
- Loves to eat, especially carbs and cheese
- She doesn't really like her milk, but is getting better at drinking it
- 8 teeth now
- Grunts at everything to communicate; so funny!!
A little update
It's been sooo long since my last post. So much has happened and I've been meaning to post, but honestly, I just haven't been up to it. This will be a quick update on the past 6 weeks.
At the end of May, we were supposed to go on a one night family camping trip. We were very excited to go, but pulled the plug at the last minute to due to weather forecast. Unfortunately, the severe weather we were expecting never came to fruition so we cancelled our plans for no reason. Grrr....
Kyleigh's first birthday came next. We had a little celebration here in IL on June 1st with the Lehmanns and Sue. I wanted to make the most of the decorations I'd been making for her big celebration in CA, so I decorated the house for our little pizza party here.
On Kyleigh's actual birthday, we didn't do too much. We had her 1 year pictures taken at Lake Arlington and they were great. It was a little cold outside, but we still got some really great shots. Kyleigh's favorite part of the night was digging into her birthday cake and stuffing it into her mouth ;)
A few days later we left for CA for a week. The trip was awesome. We had such a relaxing time (other than Kyleigh's birthday party). It was really nice to be in CA other than during the holidays. It was such a difference. Although I was stressed during Kyleigh's party, it went really well. We had nearly 30 people there and of course, it was 106 that day. Plans changed and we moved the party inside, but it all worked out.
The rest of June seems to be a blur. I don't remember much, other than celebrating 7 wonderful years with my fantastic hubby. We got a night out at Stoney River and truly enjoyed talking about our life together and dreaming about our future.
Ok, that's it. I've got nothing else for now.
At the end of May, we were supposed to go on a one night family camping trip. We were very excited to go, but pulled the plug at the last minute to due to weather forecast. Unfortunately, the severe weather we were expecting never came to fruition so we cancelled our plans for no reason. Grrr....
Kyleigh's first birthday came next. We had a little celebration here in IL on June 1st with the Lehmanns and Sue. I wanted to make the most of the decorations I'd been making for her big celebration in CA, so I decorated the house for our little pizza party here.
On Kyleigh's actual birthday, we didn't do too much. We had her 1 year pictures taken at Lake Arlington and they were great. It was a little cold outside, but we still got some really great shots. Kyleigh's favorite part of the night was digging into her birthday cake and stuffing it into her mouth ;)
A few days later we left for CA for a week. The trip was awesome. We had such a relaxing time (other than Kyleigh's birthday party). It was really nice to be in CA other than during the holidays. It was such a difference. Although I was stressed during Kyleigh's party, it went really well. We had nearly 30 people there and of course, it was 106 that day. Plans changed and we moved the party inside, but it all worked out.
The rest of June seems to be a blur. I don't remember much, other than celebrating 7 wonderful years with my fantastic hubby. We got a night out at Stoney River and truly enjoyed talking about our life together and dreaming about our future.
Ok, that's it. I've got nothing else for now.
Wednesday, May 22, 2013
Sleep...
...I would really like some more of it! I don't know what's going on with my little man, but his sleep schedule is all screwed up and it's having a huge impact on his mama! Beginning last Monday, May 13, he has been waking up between 5a and 5:45a every morning with the saddest cry you've ever heard. Each morning, I've picked him up and brought him back into our room with the hopes (unsuccessfully) of getting him to fall back asleep for another hour.
I'm trying to figure out what is causing this new and unwanted sleep pattern. We've tried pushing his bedtime a little later thinking that 7p is too early now. That hasn't worked. Katie suggested we try a night light - we'll give it a shot to see if this helps. The problem is that he's not only waking up with these terrible cries in the morning, he does it at naptime too. Last week, he was taking super short naps (45 minutes or so), but thankfully, he's doing better this week.
Anyway, I don't really have much more to say other than I'd really like to get back to our normal sleep routine. I don't know how many more early mornings like this I can take before I need to start taking afternoon naps ;)
I'm trying to figure out what is causing this new and unwanted sleep pattern. We've tried pushing his bedtime a little later thinking that 7p is too early now. That hasn't worked. Katie suggested we try a night light - we'll give it a shot to see if this helps. The problem is that he's not only waking up with these terrible cries in the morning, he does it at naptime too. Last week, he was taking super short naps (45 minutes or so), but thankfully, he's doing better this week.
Anyway, I don't really have much more to say other than I'd really like to get back to our normal sleep routine. I don't know how many more early mornings like this I can take before I need to start taking afternoon naps ;)
Sunday, May 12, 2013
A Great Mother's Day
I can't believe I'm blogging two days in a row...that never happens ;)
Today was a great Mother's Day. We didn't do anything grand, but it was great to me! We went to church this morning and Pastor Adam gave a great message on marriage. Ryan and I both came away from the service talking about things we'd like to change in our marriage for the better. We came home and had a quick lunch before putting the kids down at 1p for their naps. Both - thankfully - took 2 hour naps, which gave Ryan and I some much needed rest time.
Ryan asked me what I wanted to do for Mother's Day and I told him I wanted him to sit on the couch and watch the Cubs game (how's that for a request from a wife to a husband?) with me. No iPad, no iPhone, no books. Just sit down and relax with me! He always works so hard during the week and then takes care of the yard on the weekends, it was time for him to relax a little. He obliged and the Cubs won, yay!
After the kids woke up, we ran a quick errand as a family and then started making one of my all-time favorite dinners: taco salad! Ryan quickly cooked everything and we all enjoyed it. The only thing missing from the table was a margarita for me! Diet Coke it was instead ;)
When dinner was over, I told Reagan to get his shoes because we were going to a "special" place. Intrigued, he grabbed his "old shoes" and we put the kids in the stroller for a ride to DQ. A little side note here: today was a big day for Kyleigh for many reasons. First, we took out her infant (yes, I know she's 3 weeks away from being a 1 year old) car seat from my car and replaced it with the convertible car seat. Then, Ryan graciously removed the car seat attachment from the stroller and made it just a regular double stroller. Wow! What a difference that makes on navigating the stroller. So easy now ;) However, the biggest milestone for today is that Kyleigh ate ice cream! It was her first time and let's just say she LOVED it. The looks she was giving Ryan when he didn't have another scoop for her were priceless. She was also licking her chops on more than one occasion. I was so bummed I didn't have the camera to catch this. I got my favorite dessert - a Peanut Butter Bash Royal Treat in which I shared with Reagan. About every 30 seconds he would say "more" but I was happy to share with him.
On our walk home, we were just having a nice time and the kids were being good, so we made a few loops around the block before coming in to put on jams and get ready for bed. As I said, we didn't do anything grand, but I got to spend the day with my hubs and my two pretty awesome kids.
Life is good.
Today was a great Mother's Day. We didn't do anything grand, but it was great to me! We went to church this morning and Pastor Adam gave a great message on marriage. Ryan and I both came away from the service talking about things we'd like to change in our marriage for the better. We came home and had a quick lunch before putting the kids down at 1p for their naps. Both - thankfully - took 2 hour naps, which gave Ryan and I some much needed rest time.
Ryan asked me what I wanted to do for Mother's Day and I told him I wanted him to sit on the couch and watch the Cubs game (how's that for a request from a wife to a husband?) with me. No iPad, no iPhone, no books. Just sit down and relax with me! He always works so hard during the week and then takes care of the yard on the weekends, it was time for him to relax a little. He obliged and the Cubs won, yay!
After the kids woke up, we ran a quick errand as a family and then started making one of my all-time favorite dinners: taco salad! Ryan quickly cooked everything and we all enjoyed it. The only thing missing from the table was a margarita for me! Diet Coke it was instead ;)
When dinner was over, I told Reagan to get his shoes because we were going to a "special" place. Intrigued, he grabbed his "old shoes" and we put the kids in the stroller for a ride to DQ. A little side note here: today was a big day for Kyleigh for many reasons. First, we took out her infant (yes, I know she's 3 weeks away from being a 1 year old) car seat from my car and replaced it with the convertible car seat. Then, Ryan graciously removed the car seat attachment from the stroller and made it just a regular double stroller. Wow! What a difference that makes on navigating the stroller. So easy now ;) However, the biggest milestone for today is that Kyleigh ate ice cream! It was her first time and let's just say she LOVED it. The looks she was giving Ryan when he didn't have another scoop for her were priceless. She was also licking her chops on more than one occasion. I was so bummed I didn't have the camera to catch this. I got my favorite dessert - a Peanut Butter Bash Royal Treat in which I shared with Reagan. About every 30 seconds he would say "more" but I was happy to share with him.
On our walk home, we were just having a nice time and the kids were being good, so we made a few loops around the block before coming in to put on jams and get ready for bed. As I said, we didn't do anything grand, but I got to spend the day with my hubs and my two pretty awesome kids.
Life is good.
Saturday, May 11, 2013
One Year Anniversary
As I sit on the couch tonight, I simply cannot believe it's been one year since I quit my full time job out of the home. May 11, 2012, I walked out of the door from a company I really enjoyed working for and drove to Cheesecake Factory to meet my two R's! How is it possible that it's been a year since I did that?
Ryan and I went to Cheesecake Factory, sans kids, last night to commemorate this one year anniversary (day of the week, anyway). I don't know why this occasion has affected me this much, but it has. After sitting down at the table, Ryan asked me, "So, has this past year gone as you thought it would?" I couldn't answer his question directly because a year ago, I had no idea what to expect. I do know I was afraid and anxious to begin this new chapter in my life. It was something I always dreamed would happen, but never thought would become a reality. What would I do with myself all day? Would I have any value in society by staying home with my kiddos (I now know this was a ridiculous thought, but at the time, I really struggled with it)? Would I enjoy spending 12 hours a day with a newborn and a 14 month old, etc....?
Without a doubt in my mind, I can say Ryan and I absolutely made the right decision for me to stay home with the kids. Although there are days in which I stare at the clock and mentally count down until 5:30p, those days are few and far between. I really cannot imagine my life any different than what it currently is. I am so blessed, thankful, and happy to be home raising our two children. Seeing each new milestone for both kids will forever be etched into my memory. There is nothing more precious than watching them grow up.
Thank you, Lord, for making this possible. I know He continues to provide for my family in more ways than I could have ever dreamed.
Ryan and I went to Cheesecake Factory, sans kids, last night to commemorate this one year anniversary (day of the week, anyway). I don't know why this occasion has affected me this much, but it has. After sitting down at the table, Ryan asked me, "So, has this past year gone as you thought it would?" I couldn't answer his question directly because a year ago, I had no idea what to expect. I do know I was afraid and anxious to begin this new chapter in my life. It was something I always dreamed would happen, but never thought would become a reality. What would I do with myself all day? Would I have any value in society by staying home with my kiddos (I now know this was a ridiculous thought, but at the time, I really struggled with it)? Would I enjoy spending 12 hours a day with a newborn and a 14 month old, etc....?
Without a doubt in my mind, I can say Ryan and I absolutely made the right decision for me to stay home with the kids. Although there are days in which I stare at the clock and mentally count down until 5:30p, those days are few and far between. I really cannot imagine my life any different than what it currently is. I am so blessed, thankful, and happy to be home raising our two children. Seeing each new milestone for both kids will forever be etched into my memory. There is nothing more precious than watching them grow up.
Thank you, Lord, for making this possible. I know He continues to provide for my family in more ways than I could have ever dreamed.
Tuesday, April 30, 2013
Reagan - April 2013
One way I keep track of all the exciting things happening with Reagan and Kyleigh is by making notes on my phone. I've decided to just summarize those notes and I'll put them on the blog each month.
- He wants hugs all the time - both giving and receiving hugs
- Very good at stringing 4-5 words together, but often leaves out the verb!
- Loves to ham it up with people, especially our Wheaton friends
- Pronounces his name as "Rea-Gone"
- Favorite phrases: "I do it," " Beep, beep, paging Reagan"
- Says the same word 3x when trying to say a sentence
- Loves to put his hands in his pockets and say "pocket"
- He's becoming quite the tattletale! He'll come into the room and let me know what Kyleigh is doing, especially if she's getting into his stuff.
- He locks his door when I'm driving. I often forget and when I go to open his door and find it locked, he looks up at me with the biggest grin
- When I don't understand what he's saying, I'll say "Show Me" and he just repeats "Show Me" and runs off to show me!
- Favorite Books: "Minnie Mouse Best Friends Forever Song," "Clifford the Fire House Dog," "Clifford's Hiccups," "My Big Truck Book"
- Getting really good at correctly identifying things: sun, trees, etc
- Getting him dressed in the morning is a challenge; he doesn't want to and he kicks/screams when I do it
- First lie 4/12/13 - in the car, I asked if his muffin was all gone. He looked down at it in his lap and said, "yes"
- Gets obsessed with certain foods (usually breakfast) and has to have them. Applesauce at snack time, yogurt and muffin at breakfast.
- When people talk to him at the store, he'll point to me and say "My mommy"
- He gets very angry when things get stuck; throws things down or hits and screams
- Really good with most colors, but red is usually pink and blue is usually purple
- Big phrase is "I don't wan to"
- Learning his ABCs and doing well, but not totally threre
- Like to throw Kyleigh's diapers away every morning
- Going through a big "MY" phase....everything is "Mine"
- He'll put himself into timeout even when he doesn't need to be there
Saturday, April 13, 2013
130 Words
Disclaimer to this post: I am a little torn about writing this post because I feel like I'm bragging about Reagan. However, that is not my heart behind this post. The main reason I have been blogging is to keep a record of this time in my life and how our kids are growing up. So, with that said, read on if you choose!
I have heard frequently from several people how "verbal" Reagan is for a 2 year old. I always thought he had a large vocabulary, but thought I was just being presumptuous. Well, after someone brought it up to me again last night, I thought I'd do a little test. I had been wanting to do this test for the past month, but never got around to it. Today was different.
On April 13, 2013, I wrote down every word Reagan spoke since he woke up this morning and went to bed tonight. Let me tell you, this was an eye opening experience! It was very time consuming, but well worth it.
Reagan uttered a whopping 130 unique words today! I could not believe it when I sat down tonight and counted the final number. The amazing thing is that there were several words Reagan usually says throughout the day that he did not say today. For example, he only mentioned a few body parts and a few colors. He also only named a few friends instead of going through his normal list. He learned one new word today, which was chocolate (he ate a banana chocolate muffin for breakfast this morning). He learns so much and so quickly!
I have heard frequently from several people how "verbal" Reagan is for a 2 year old. I always thought he had a large vocabulary, but thought I was just being presumptuous. Well, after someone brought it up to me again last night, I thought I'd do a little test. I had been wanting to do this test for the past month, but never got around to it. Today was different.
On April 13, 2013, I wrote down every word Reagan spoke since he woke up this morning and went to bed tonight. Let me tell you, this was an eye opening experience! It was very time consuming, but well worth it.
Reagan uttered a whopping 130 unique words today! I could not believe it when I sat down tonight and counted the final number. The amazing thing is that there were several words Reagan usually says throughout the day that he did not say today. For example, he only mentioned a few body parts and a few colors. He also only named a few friends instead of going through his normal list. He learned one new word today, which was chocolate (he ate a banana chocolate muffin for breakfast this morning). He learns so much and so quickly!
Friday, April 5, 2013
Selfishness
This is going to be a quick post because I'm on a tight schedule today before I leave for WA to visit Aunt Jean. It's about selfishness...here we go!
I've always heard that becoming a parent brings out your selfish nature. While I believed this to be true, I hadn't truly experienced this. Sure, there have been times when I wanted something and couldn't do it because of this kids, but it never really got to me. That is, until yesterday/this morning.
Kyleigh has had a case of the runs for the past three days. I finally decided it was time to call the pediatrician to see how I could help this pass. They gave me instructions and then I asked the nurse if I needed to keep Kyleigh away from other kids. The unfortunate (but correct) answer was yes.
Enter selfishness. I was given this news on Thursday afternoon and all I could think about what that I was going to miss my Entrusted class on Friday morning. I was so upset...really upset...that I had to miss class. I thought about it the rest of Thursday afternoon and evening and then thought of ways I could still get to class when I awoke on Friday morning. I had a chip on my shoulder because I needed to stay home and let Kyleigh's system work through this bug.
I'm being really honest here. It's difficult to face the sin in your own life and it is not very fun either. I thank God for his forgiveness and that he was not selfish by withholding his grace from me. Next time I'm confronted with selfishness, I'll need to depend on God's grace to humbly let go of my desires.
I've always heard that becoming a parent brings out your selfish nature. While I believed this to be true, I hadn't truly experienced this. Sure, there have been times when I wanted something and couldn't do it because of this kids, but it never really got to me. That is, until yesterday/this morning.
Kyleigh has had a case of the runs for the past three days. I finally decided it was time to call the pediatrician to see how I could help this pass. They gave me instructions and then I asked the nurse if I needed to keep Kyleigh away from other kids. The unfortunate (but correct) answer was yes.
Enter selfishness. I was given this news on Thursday afternoon and all I could think about what that I was going to miss my Entrusted class on Friday morning. I was so upset...really upset...that I had to miss class. I thought about it the rest of Thursday afternoon and evening and then thought of ways I could still get to class when I awoke on Friday morning. I had a chip on my shoulder because I needed to stay home and let Kyleigh's system work through this bug.
I'm being really honest here. It's difficult to face the sin in your own life and it is not very fun either. I thank God for his forgiveness and that he was not selfish by withholding his grace from me. Next time I'm confronted with selfishness, I'll need to depend on God's grace to humbly let go of my desires.
Tuesday, March 26, 2013
Little Man Turns 2!
I can't believe we just celebrated Reagan's SECOND birthday! How is it possible our little man turned two just a few days ago? I'm still a little in shock that I'm the mom of a 2 year old. It is going to be very strange when I sign him into the nursery to just write 2 instead of 'x months' old. I know, it's the little things.
We had a very long celebration of Reagan's birthday. Grandma Jill came out to visit the weekend before his birthday. She was here for 5 days and as it always does, the time was too short. We decided to celebrate Reagan's birthday on Friday, 3/15 after Ryan got home from work. I've been trying to have our family eat healthier and there is a website that offers several great, healthy dessert options. So I went ahead and made Reagan's birthday cake. The sweet flavor came from the bananas, but there were also chocolate chunks in the cake, too. I made a blueberry frosting to go over it, but that wasn't as good as the actual cake. Reagan didn't really care, he just wanted the cake!
After eating his cake (and asking for more multiple times), he opened his presents. Grandma Jill and Grandpa Bruce gave him a basketball hoop and some clothes. He absolutely loves the new hoop. In fact, the next morning, Ryan taught Reagan how to count to three and throw the ball into the hoop. It was adorable! Reagan also loved playing with the "Cars" duplo set we bought him.
The following weekend we celebrated Reagan's birthday with Mimi and Papa in town. While Reagan really enjoyed the healthy cake, I wanted to make something different. I went through my cookbooks several times and just couldn't make the decision. I seriously thought I would end up making a boxed cake, but I looked one more time. I settled on a from-scratch Chocolate Covered Strawberry cake. The only thing was the frosting had so. much. sugar. I was very hesitant, but it was oh so worth it! Oh my gosh, it was delicious!
Reagan was absolutely thrilled to eat cake for the second time in one week. The look on his eyes says it all!
I still can't believe my little man is 2 years old. It seems like yesterday I was holding him for the first time. He's brought so much laughter to my daily life and I'm excited for the year to come!
We had a very long celebration of Reagan's birthday. Grandma Jill came out to visit the weekend before his birthday. She was here for 5 days and as it always does, the time was too short. We decided to celebrate Reagan's birthday on Friday, 3/15 after Ryan got home from work. I've been trying to have our family eat healthier and there is a website that offers several great, healthy dessert options. So I went ahead and made Reagan's birthday cake. The sweet flavor came from the bananas, but there were also chocolate chunks in the cake, too. I made a blueberry frosting to go over it, but that wasn't as good as the actual cake. Reagan didn't really care, he just wanted the cake!
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| Our only family picture from his birthday weekend |
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| "Yay, cake!!" |
The following weekend we celebrated Reagan's birthday with Mimi and Papa in town. While Reagan really enjoyed the healthy cake, I wanted to make something different. I went through my cookbooks several times and just couldn't make the decision. I seriously thought I would end up making a boxed cake, but I looked one more time. I settled on a from-scratch Chocolate Covered Strawberry cake. The only thing was the frosting had so. much. sugar. I was very hesitant, but it was oh so worth it! Oh my gosh, it was delicious!
Before we had the cake, Reagan opened his presents. He received a super cool tool belt from Uncle Jeffrey (including a pager that actually beeps!) and another duplo set. I think daddy had more fun playing with the choo choo train duplo set than Reagan. Memories in the making!
Reagan was absolutely thrilled to eat cake for the second time in one week. The look on his eyes says it all!
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| Look at the anticipation on his face! |
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| That is one happy cake eating birthday boy! |
Friday, March 8, 2013
A Rough Day
March 7, 2013 is a day I would like to erase from my life book of parenting. It was a rough day to say the very least.
It all started with an early wake up call from Kyleigh. I don't know why (I would assume teething, but I continue to assume that incorrectly), but Kyleigh has been getting up between 5 and 5:30a on alternate mornings. The other mornings she gets up at her normal time of 6ish. So, this morning she decided it was an early morning and we both got out of bed as Ryan was leaving the house. I did my normal routine of feeding her and reading my Bible. And in fact, Reagan actually slept in until about 7:45a which is really late! So, between 5:30a and 8:30a, the day wasn't terrible; early, but not terrible.
While Kyleigh slept, I decided to play PlayDoh with Reagan. We hadn't pulled it out in awhile and I thought we could have some good one on one mommy time together. We actually had a really good time; Reagan didn't eat it and he thoroughly enjoyed pulling tiny pieces apart and putting them into the container. When I told Reagan it was time to put the PlayDoh away, he agreed without a fight. Success!
And then it went all downhill from there......
It was nearing the time of getting Kyleigh up, so I mentioned to Reagan that we needed to change his clothes and get ready to leave. I can't even describe the scene that followed. Somewhere between the kicking, screaming (and waking Kyleigh up...grrr), and hitting me, I managed to get him dressed. It was an ugly, ugly 30 minutes. I disciplined him several times within these 30 minutes to no avail. He wasn't phased in the least.
After finally getting him dressed and getting Kyleigh ready, we headed to Costco. We had a fairly uneventful trip. On our way home, however, he decided it would be really fun to kick my seat as well as kick the toys off of Kyleigh's carseat. More discipline when we get home, I told him. He knows not to put his feet on the seat.
I'm now thinking I just need to make it to naptime and things will get better after they both sleep. I put them both down around 1p and they both went to sleep fairly quickly. Great! Around 2:15p Kyleigh starts screaming and I know it's over. She's been having very short afternoon naps the past week and it's driving me crazy! For once, her screams actually awoke Reagan so both of them were up and it was only 2:30p. I knew immediately this was not going to be a good afternoon. Cranky morning + short nap = rough afternoon....I've been there before.
Reagan was so upset when he woke up that I was actually really sad for him. He couldn't control his crying at all. I continued to hug/hold him for about 30 minutes and he finally calmed down a bit. Of course, Kyleigh didn't like the fact that she wasn't being held, so she cried during this whole time too. Now onto snack time...I ran out of crackers. Big mistake, mom, big mistake. I did my best to convince Reagan the snack I was going to give him would be just fine, but he still struggled through it.
Around 3:30p, I decided I needed to get out of the house again or I was going to explode. So, I headed off to Bed, Bath, and Beyond. Oh boy was this a disaster in the store :( I couldn't get the buckle to work on the seat for Reagan, so I just left it unbuckled. Reagan took that as "I'm free to stand up and wiggle all over the place." My own fault, I know, but I just couldn't muster the energy to go back to the front of the store and get a new cart. Silly, I know, but if you're having one of those days, you know how I felt in that moment.
When I got home around 4:15p, I knew there was only a little bit of time left before Ryan would be home and things would just get better. I got the phone call at 4:30p from Ryan - right on time. Except that he called to tell him he was just asked to go answer some questions the State had about assisted living and he doesn't know how long he'll be a work. NOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!! I just about lost it at that moment. I know it wasn't Ryan's fault, but I seriously didn't know if I would make it until 7p when the kids would go down to bed. I seriously wanted to walk out of the house; thankfully, my mind took over and I stayed put.
The next two hours were a blur. Somewhere between Reagan throwing temper tantrums and throwing his blocks all over the house and Kyleigh screaming in her Jumperoo because she wanted to be held instead of bounce, I managed to make a delicious stir fry dinner. Just as I was setting the meal on the table, Ryan walked through the door (6:20p) and we were able to have dinner as a family. Reagan behaved while eating, to which I was extremely thankful. Ryan helped me put the kids to bed and 7p never felt so good!
Now, after reading this, you might think that it wasn't that bad of a day. Well, at the beginning of the post, I said I wanted to erase this day. I think by the Lord's grace, I was able to mentally erase some of the other events that happened yesterday afternoon. I know there was more disobedience, but I can't remember the circumstances. I must say this was one of the toughest days I've had in a really long time.
Fast forward 12 hours to this morning when I woke up. I quickly checked Facebook and saw a post from a friend about tough parenting weeks and being thankful. Her daughter had just spent the last 4 days in the hospital and she was finally being released to go home. After reading her post, I got chills down my back and realized that although yesterday wasn't fun, I am thankful that both of my kids are healthy and that I can be home to raise them. Even during the difficult times. Holly will probably never know how her post impacted me.
It all started with an early wake up call from Kyleigh. I don't know why (I would assume teething, but I continue to assume that incorrectly), but Kyleigh has been getting up between 5 and 5:30a on alternate mornings. The other mornings she gets up at her normal time of 6ish. So, this morning she decided it was an early morning and we both got out of bed as Ryan was leaving the house. I did my normal routine of feeding her and reading my Bible. And in fact, Reagan actually slept in until about 7:45a which is really late! So, between 5:30a and 8:30a, the day wasn't terrible; early, but not terrible.
While Kyleigh slept, I decided to play PlayDoh with Reagan. We hadn't pulled it out in awhile and I thought we could have some good one on one mommy time together. We actually had a really good time; Reagan didn't eat it and he thoroughly enjoyed pulling tiny pieces apart and putting them into the container. When I told Reagan it was time to put the PlayDoh away, he agreed without a fight. Success!
And then it went all downhill from there......
It was nearing the time of getting Kyleigh up, so I mentioned to Reagan that we needed to change his clothes and get ready to leave. I can't even describe the scene that followed. Somewhere between the kicking, screaming (and waking Kyleigh up...grrr), and hitting me, I managed to get him dressed. It was an ugly, ugly 30 minutes. I disciplined him several times within these 30 minutes to no avail. He wasn't phased in the least.
After finally getting him dressed and getting Kyleigh ready, we headed to Costco. We had a fairly uneventful trip. On our way home, however, he decided it would be really fun to kick my seat as well as kick the toys off of Kyleigh's carseat. More discipline when we get home, I told him. He knows not to put his feet on the seat.
I'm now thinking I just need to make it to naptime and things will get better after they both sleep. I put them both down around 1p and they both went to sleep fairly quickly. Great! Around 2:15p Kyleigh starts screaming and I know it's over. She's been having very short afternoon naps the past week and it's driving me crazy! For once, her screams actually awoke Reagan so both of them were up and it was only 2:30p. I knew immediately this was not going to be a good afternoon. Cranky morning + short nap = rough afternoon....I've been there before.
Reagan was so upset when he woke up that I was actually really sad for him. He couldn't control his crying at all. I continued to hug/hold him for about 30 minutes and he finally calmed down a bit. Of course, Kyleigh didn't like the fact that she wasn't being held, so she cried during this whole time too. Now onto snack time...I ran out of crackers. Big mistake, mom, big mistake. I did my best to convince Reagan the snack I was going to give him would be just fine, but he still struggled through it.
Around 3:30p, I decided I needed to get out of the house again or I was going to explode. So, I headed off to Bed, Bath, and Beyond. Oh boy was this a disaster in the store :( I couldn't get the buckle to work on the seat for Reagan, so I just left it unbuckled. Reagan took that as "I'm free to stand up and wiggle all over the place." My own fault, I know, but I just couldn't muster the energy to go back to the front of the store and get a new cart. Silly, I know, but if you're having one of those days, you know how I felt in that moment.
When I got home around 4:15p, I knew there was only a little bit of time left before Ryan would be home and things would just get better. I got the phone call at 4:30p from Ryan - right on time. Except that he called to tell him he was just asked to go answer some questions the State had about assisted living and he doesn't know how long he'll be a work. NOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!! I just about lost it at that moment. I know it wasn't Ryan's fault, but I seriously didn't know if I would make it until 7p when the kids would go down to bed. I seriously wanted to walk out of the house; thankfully, my mind took over and I stayed put.
The next two hours were a blur. Somewhere between Reagan throwing temper tantrums and throwing his blocks all over the house and Kyleigh screaming in her Jumperoo because she wanted to be held instead of bounce, I managed to make a delicious stir fry dinner. Just as I was setting the meal on the table, Ryan walked through the door (6:20p) and we were able to have dinner as a family. Reagan behaved while eating, to which I was extremely thankful. Ryan helped me put the kids to bed and 7p never felt so good!
Now, after reading this, you might think that it wasn't that bad of a day. Well, at the beginning of the post, I said I wanted to erase this day. I think by the Lord's grace, I was able to mentally erase some of the other events that happened yesterday afternoon. I know there was more disobedience, but I can't remember the circumstances. I must say this was one of the toughest days I've had in a really long time.
Fast forward 12 hours to this morning when I woke up. I quickly checked Facebook and saw a post from a friend about tough parenting weeks and being thankful. Her daughter had just spent the last 4 days in the hospital and she was finally being released to go home. After reading her post, I got chills down my back and realized that although yesterday wasn't fun, I am thankful that both of my kids are healthy and that I can be home to raise them. Even during the difficult times. Holly will probably never know how her post impacted me.
Tuesday, March 5, 2013
Random Thoughts
I know it has been awhile since I last posted. Anyway, I just have some random thoughts I'm going to write about today. Enjoy!
Being Content: it may sound simple, but in my life, at least, it's not so easy. If you stop and really think about what it means to be content, I would venture to guess that you're not content all the time either. I am finding it difficult in these winter months to be content at home. I find myself needing to get out of the house at least once a day, and it is usually twice a day that I find myself away from home. A few Friday's ago this whole idea of being content really hit me. After Entrusted was over, I didn't have any errands to run and I didn't want to stop at any stores because I didn't have any money to spend either. So, where else was I to go at 11a on a Friday morning but home. I was not happy about this, but headed home anyway. I had a full hour and a half before I started lunch and the kids went down for their naps. I had no idea what I was going to do when I arrived home. It then dawned on me that although I am home with the kids, I am not necessarily home with the kids. Does that make sense? We're in the same location, but not necessarily together. Well, on this particular Friday, I decided that all I was going to do was be with them. I wasn't going to tend to any household business; I was just going to sit on the floor and be with them. It was a great hour and a half! Both kids were laughing; I was throwing Kyleigh up in the air to her squeals and delight and I was tickling Reagan until his face turned red. It was great! That's when I realized I don't always need to be out of the house. In fact, I should try to be home more so I can experience this wonderful time of the kids wanting to just crawl all over me and enjoying the simplicity of life. Now, a little side note here: this is not always easy. I still tend to want to be out of the house, but when I am home, I'm trying to be with them more.
Reagan's Growing Up: of course he's growing up, he grows up daily!!! However, I was watching him play with some toys the other day and it just hit me like a ton of bricks; he is growing up! It's the little things like when I let him walk into the store with me (instead carrying him), I don't have to bend over to hold his hand. Or, it's the fact that I can ask him to get the burp cloth from the other room and he comes back with it. Or, it's the fact that he can open the bathroom door and lock himself in there! Quite simply, my little man is growing up! It's hard to believe he'll be 2 in about 3 weeks. Everytime I drive by Oberweis Dairy I think of the first time I went there. It was my first week of maternity leave and I was just anxiously awaiting to meet the little person inside me. And now, it's almost exactly 2 years later and I'm thinking how could that have been 2 years ago? Crazy!!!!
Excited for spring: we had a small taste of spring last week and I began to crave it!! It was a beautiful day (low 40s) and the sun was shining. I decided to take the kids for a walk to the bank. I was gone for about an hour, but it was so refreshing. My whole day was brighter just because I got outside without a heavy winter coat! Now, I must confess that as I'm typing this, we are in the middle of a Winter Storm Warning and it's been snowing heavily since 6a. We're expected to get 5-9" from this storm. But, it's supposed to be in the 40s again this weekend, so I can handle it. I'm just so excited to get out and start walking again! Spring time, Kristin is ready for you ;-)
Being Content: it may sound simple, but in my life, at least, it's not so easy. If you stop and really think about what it means to be content, I would venture to guess that you're not content all the time either. I am finding it difficult in these winter months to be content at home. I find myself needing to get out of the house at least once a day, and it is usually twice a day that I find myself away from home. A few Friday's ago this whole idea of being content really hit me. After Entrusted was over, I didn't have any errands to run and I didn't want to stop at any stores because I didn't have any money to spend either. So, where else was I to go at 11a on a Friday morning but home. I was not happy about this, but headed home anyway. I had a full hour and a half before I started lunch and the kids went down for their naps. I had no idea what I was going to do when I arrived home. It then dawned on me that although I am home with the kids, I am not necessarily home with the kids. Does that make sense? We're in the same location, but not necessarily together. Well, on this particular Friday, I decided that all I was going to do was be with them. I wasn't going to tend to any household business; I was just going to sit on the floor and be with them. It was a great hour and a half! Both kids were laughing; I was throwing Kyleigh up in the air to her squeals and delight and I was tickling Reagan until his face turned red. It was great! That's when I realized I don't always need to be out of the house. In fact, I should try to be home more so I can experience this wonderful time of the kids wanting to just crawl all over me and enjoying the simplicity of life. Now, a little side note here: this is not always easy. I still tend to want to be out of the house, but when I am home, I'm trying to be with them more.
Reagan's Growing Up: of course he's growing up, he grows up daily!!! However, I was watching him play with some toys the other day and it just hit me like a ton of bricks; he is growing up! It's the little things like when I let him walk into the store with me (instead carrying him), I don't have to bend over to hold his hand. Or, it's the fact that I can ask him to get the burp cloth from the other room and he comes back with it. Or, it's the fact that he can open the bathroom door and lock himself in there! Quite simply, my little man is growing up! It's hard to believe he'll be 2 in about 3 weeks. Everytime I drive by Oberweis Dairy I think of the first time I went there. It was my first week of maternity leave and I was just anxiously awaiting to meet the little person inside me. And now, it's almost exactly 2 years later and I'm thinking how could that have been 2 years ago? Crazy!!!!
Excited for spring: we had a small taste of spring last week and I began to crave it!! It was a beautiful day (low 40s) and the sun was shining. I decided to take the kids for a walk to the bank. I was gone for about an hour, but it was so refreshing. My whole day was brighter just because I got outside without a heavy winter coat! Now, I must confess that as I'm typing this, we are in the middle of a Winter Storm Warning and it's been snowing heavily since 6a. We're expected to get 5-9" from this storm. But, it's supposed to be in the 40s again this weekend, so I can handle it. I'm just so excited to get out and start walking again! Spring time, Kristin is ready for you ;-)
Tuesday, February 19, 2013
Reagan Plays Soccer
I captured this moment on camera and thought it was so cute. Maybe we have a future soccer player on our hands?
Monday, February 11, 2013
In a groove
I'm very hesitant to post about being in a groove because once I write it all down, I know, I just know, it will change! I'm going to write about it anyway because I want to share life as of late.
I am in a groove. I can't believe it, but I feel like I finally have it together. Somewhat, anyway. Ever since I took the advice from Amanda to wake Kyleigh up at a certain time from her morning nap, life has magically become predictable. And I'm not just saying predictable for the kids sleeping, life as a SAHM is now more predictable! Let me give you a little insight into my daily life...
The kids are usually up between 6:30 and 7a every morning. I feed Kyleigh first, then come out to the living room and let her play while I read my Bible. A side note - my Entrusted with a Child's Heart class has a challenge to read through the Bible in a year and I've taken on this challenge. This is my ideal time to read and I love it! Okay, back to our schedule. Reagan gets up around 7a and the moment I walk into his room, the first word (most days) out of his mouth is "toast." The kid loves to eat, what can I say? I get breakfast ready, unload the dishwasher, tidy up the kitchen, and play with the kids for a bit before Kyleigh's morning nap. She goes down between 8:45 and 9a everyday. Reagan and I either read books or play with his toys while she sleeps. If I'm really lucky, I sneak shower and getting ready time in while Kyleigh's sleeping. Another side note - yes, I take showers, but I don't always take them when I want to! I always wake her up at 10a. If I don't, it throws the rest of the day off (thanks for the tip, Amanda!). Now, the time between Kyleigh getting up and lunch at 12:30p varies from day to day. Sometimes we run errands, sometimes we have playdates with friends, and sometimes I stay home. Depends on the day and how I feel. I always try to be home by 12:30p at the latest so I can fix lunch and let Reagan unwind a bit before going down for a nap. Both kids are in their cribs and asleep (hopefully!!) at 1p. They usually sleep for 2, sometimes 2 1/2, hours. Then it's snack time again and only an hour or so before I need to start making dinner. This is our daily routine. Works like a charm.....on the days the kids agree with my plan! Just kidding, in all seriousness, I really try to stick to this plan because this routine works for us. Some days are different, especially if I have a morning activity that throws off Kyleigh's first nap. But if I stick to the routine, both kids are happy. In fact, just recently, Reagan has been starting to say "sleep" when he's nearing the end of his lunch. Makes me happy!
The other reason I say I'm in a groove is because I've finally figured out how to get all of my household duties completed without having unrealistic expectations. Here you go: Monday is laundry day, all day. I usually don't leave the house until Small Group on Mondays because I'm doing load after load after load ;-) Tuesday is cleaning the kitchen; Wednesday is cleaning the bathroom, Thursday is cleaning the floors; and Friday is usually my free day or a "special project" day.
There you have it. This is why I'm in a groove. Now that it's been posted, the kids will inevitably throw a wrench into my perfectly organized day (hint, that was sarcastic), but that's okay. Motherhood is all about adapting, at least in this phase of motherhood!
I'm off to pull the dry clothes out and put the next load in!
I am in a groove. I can't believe it, but I feel like I finally have it together. Somewhat, anyway. Ever since I took the advice from Amanda to wake Kyleigh up at a certain time from her morning nap, life has magically become predictable. And I'm not just saying predictable for the kids sleeping, life as a SAHM is now more predictable! Let me give you a little insight into my daily life...
The kids are usually up between 6:30 and 7a every morning. I feed Kyleigh first, then come out to the living room and let her play while I read my Bible. A side note - my Entrusted with a Child's Heart class has a challenge to read through the Bible in a year and I've taken on this challenge. This is my ideal time to read and I love it! Okay, back to our schedule. Reagan gets up around 7a and the moment I walk into his room, the first word (most days) out of his mouth is "toast." The kid loves to eat, what can I say? I get breakfast ready, unload the dishwasher, tidy up the kitchen, and play with the kids for a bit before Kyleigh's morning nap. She goes down between 8:45 and 9a everyday. Reagan and I either read books or play with his toys while she sleeps. If I'm really lucky, I sneak shower and getting ready time in while Kyleigh's sleeping. Another side note - yes, I take showers, but I don't always take them when I want to! I always wake her up at 10a. If I don't, it throws the rest of the day off (thanks for the tip, Amanda!). Now, the time between Kyleigh getting up and lunch at 12:30p varies from day to day. Sometimes we run errands, sometimes we have playdates with friends, and sometimes I stay home. Depends on the day and how I feel. I always try to be home by 12:30p at the latest so I can fix lunch and let Reagan unwind a bit before going down for a nap. Both kids are in their cribs and asleep (hopefully!!) at 1p. They usually sleep for 2, sometimes 2 1/2, hours. Then it's snack time again and only an hour or so before I need to start making dinner. This is our daily routine. Works like a charm.....on the days the kids agree with my plan! Just kidding, in all seriousness, I really try to stick to this plan because this routine works for us. Some days are different, especially if I have a morning activity that throws off Kyleigh's first nap. But if I stick to the routine, both kids are happy. In fact, just recently, Reagan has been starting to say "sleep" when he's nearing the end of his lunch. Makes me happy!
The other reason I say I'm in a groove is because I've finally figured out how to get all of my household duties completed without having unrealistic expectations. Here you go: Monday is laundry day, all day. I usually don't leave the house until Small Group on Mondays because I'm doing load after load after load ;-) Tuesday is cleaning the kitchen; Wednesday is cleaning the bathroom, Thursday is cleaning the floors; and Friday is usually my free day or a "special project" day.
There you have it. This is why I'm in a groove. Now that it's been posted, the kids will inevitably throw a wrench into my perfectly organized day (hint, that was sarcastic), but that's okay. Motherhood is all about adapting, at least in this phase of motherhood!
I'm off to pull the dry clothes out and put the next load in!
Tuesday, February 5, 2013
I Made It!
I made it! The week of Ryan being gone is over and I made it out alive! Ok, I know I'm being dramatic here, but it's over, and I couldn't be happier. It was actually over Friday afternoon, but I was so happy to have my hubby home that I forgot to post ;-)
Overall, I would say that the week was a success! My change of attitude beginning on Monday morning made such a difference for the week. I chose to not let little tantrums or mishaps ruin the day!
Monday, I thought, was going to be the hardest day for me because I didn't originally have any plans. However, I finished all the laundry and played with the kids during the day. After the kids woke from their naps, the three of us headed over to Katie's house to hang out for a bit and eat dinner together. What a blessing that was!
Tuesday was also another great day. Katie and I met to finish our discussion on the book Darcy had given us. It was by far the most convicting chapter (submission), but also the most rewarding. Katie and I had a great conversation and it was nice for me to get away for a little bit while Andy watched my kids. I honestly don't remember Tuesday afternoon very well! I do know that Tuesday night was the worst night in terms of my fears. I'm a scaredy cat and I know it. I spent most of the night on the phone with Ryan and my parents so that I wouldn't let the creaks of the house get to me!
Wednesday was by far the worse day. I didn't sleep well on Tuesday night, so that probably had something to do with it. Both kids didn't sleep well that night either. However, I was just off morning and afternoon. I think I was so excited to get 3 hours to myself that night (hired a babysitter), that nothing was going to make the time go by. The kids were irritable; I was irritable. I didn't have any errands to run and didn't really have any money to go grocery shopping, but I knew I needed to get out of the house or I was going to lose it. So...off to Kohl's we went. I had no intention of buying anything, but needed a store to walk around that already had a shopping cart so I didn't have to get the double stroller out. Anyway, I only walked around for about 45 minutes, but it made a difference. Came home, put the kids down for a nap, and then it was only a few hours before I left for some much needed me time. I left the house around 4:15p, scored a great deal at CVS, looked for Army Wives season 6 at the library (checked out, bummer), and then walked around Barnes and Noble before meeting my friends at Panera for dinner. Dinner was great, but not long enough :( We laughed and talked, and all without kids!!! It was wonderful!
Thursday brought Bible Study at Moms and More in the morning. This is part of our normal routine and by the time we got home, I was ready to feed the kids lunch and put them down for their naps. I love easy mornings like this! I lost my iTouch at Moms, but thankfully, Pam called to let me know she had it. So after the kids got up, I drove to her house to get it and then stopped by Katie's house for an hour to just talk. The kids were behaving really well and Reagan really wanted to see AJ, so I was able to spend time just hanging out for a bit.
And now it's Friday! I was really excited about Entrusted's class this morning because we were having a Q&A with Betsy. Got the kids up and ready to go, despite the frigid temperature of 3! Our class had a really great time learning from Betsy and before I knew it, it was 10:45a and I needed to pick the kids up from the nursery. Both kids were exhausted and I knew I had to get them down for their naps early due to Ryan's arrival time, so I made a super quick stop at Caputo's and then came home. Of course, neither kid would take their nap, so it was a little bit of a long afternoon until we left for to get Ryan. I had a great idea of Reagan making a "Welcome Home, Daddy" sign, so we did that and then headed off to the airport. I arrived just about 10 minutes before Ryan came walking down the stairs. The kids were too tired to be super excited about seeing Daddy, but Reagan did break out a big smile and gave Ryan a hug. I tried to have Reagan hold his sign, but he refused :(
All in all, it was a successful week. BUT, I don't want Ryan to travel anymore than absolutely necessary. AND, we are all so happy to have him home with us again!
Overall, I would say that the week was a success! My change of attitude beginning on Monday morning made such a difference for the week. I chose to not let little tantrums or mishaps ruin the day!
Monday, I thought, was going to be the hardest day for me because I didn't originally have any plans. However, I finished all the laundry and played with the kids during the day. After the kids woke from their naps, the three of us headed over to Katie's house to hang out for a bit and eat dinner together. What a blessing that was!
Tuesday was also another great day. Katie and I met to finish our discussion on the book Darcy had given us. It was by far the most convicting chapter (submission), but also the most rewarding. Katie and I had a great conversation and it was nice for me to get away for a little bit while Andy watched my kids. I honestly don't remember Tuesday afternoon very well! I do know that Tuesday night was the worst night in terms of my fears. I'm a scaredy cat and I know it. I spent most of the night on the phone with Ryan and my parents so that I wouldn't let the creaks of the house get to me!
Wednesday was by far the worse day. I didn't sleep well on Tuesday night, so that probably had something to do with it. Both kids didn't sleep well that night either. However, I was just off morning and afternoon. I think I was so excited to get 3 hours to myself that night (hired a babysitter), that nothing was going to make the time go by. The kids were irritable; I was irritable. I didn't have any errands to run and didn't really have any money to go grocery shopping, but I knew I needed to get out of the house or I was going to lose it. So...off to Kohl's we went. I had no intention of buying anything, but needed a store to walk around that already had a shopping cart so I didn't have to get the double stroller out. Anyway, I only walked around for about 45 minutes, but it made a difference. Came home, put the kids down for a nap, and then it was only a few hours before I left for some much needed me time. I left the house around 4:15p, scored a great deal at CVS, looked for Army Wives season 6 at the library (checked out, bummer), and then walked around Barnes and Noble before meeting my friends at Panera for dinner. Dinner was great, but not long enough :( We laughed and talked, and all without kids!!! It was wonderful!
Thursday brought Bible Study at Moms and More in the morning. This is part of our normal routine and by the time we got home, I was ready to feed the kids lunch and put them down for their naps. I love easy mornings like this! I lost my iTouch at Moms, but thankfully, Pam called to let me know she had it. So after the kids got up, I drove to her house to get it and then stopped by Katie's house for an hour to just talk. The kids were behaving really well and Reagan really wanted to see AJ, so I was able to spend time just hanging out for a bit.
And now it's Friday! I was really excited about Entrusted's class this morning because we were having a Q&A with Betsy. Got the kids up and ready to go, despite the frigid temperature of 3! Our class had a really great time learning from Betsy and before I knew it, it was 10:45a and I needed to pick the kids up from the nursery. Both kids were exhausted and I knew I had to get them down for their naps early due to Ryan's arrival time, so I made a super quick stop at Caputo's and then came home. Of course, neither kid would take their nap, so it was a little bit of a long afternoon until we left for to get Ryan. I had a great idea of Reagan making a "Welcome Home, Daddy" sign, so we did that and then headed off to the airport. I arrived just about 10 minutes before Ryan came walking down the stairs. The kids were too tired to be super excited about seeing Daddy, but Reagan did break out a big smile and gave Ryan a hug. I tried to have Reagan hold his sign, but he refused :(
All in all, it was a successful week. BUT, I don't want Ryan to travel anymore than absolutely necessary. AND, we are all so happy to have him home with us again!
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