Tag Archives: toddler

Turning Three

01 Thursday Nov 2018

Posted by in Fenway, Friends, Kids, My Family, Parenting, Toddler Life

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For at least 5 months now, Cora has been asking for the same toy at Target.  Every week we go to the baby doll aisle, she picks up the box and stares at it lovingly. She goes over everything that comes in the box, pink baby, diaper, bottle, and binky.  Then we say goodbye to “pink baby” and get on with our shopping as she announces, “I will have pink baby at my birthday!”  If others had the joy of taking her to Target she would direct them to the right aisle to visit her beloved pink baby.

Slowly that 3rd birthday crept up and on the last trip to Target, we strolled down the aisle and pink baby was not there.  Cora cried real tears but asked, hopefully, if it was because someone bought pink baby for her birthday.  (I had indeed already made that purchase online.)

About two weeks before her birthday, Cora started to ask for a flat bed.  A bed like mommy and daddy’s and Kendall’s and Grandma’s and she listed every person with a normal adult bed-you know, a flat bed.  She currently has this exact set up for a toddler bed:

After asking for flat bed she proceeded to start sleeping on the floor or her Pottery Barn chair.  She was quite done with the toddler bed.

In the midst of our crazy October we realized the conversion rails for her crib to full size bed were on back order and decided to just go grab the mattresses.  So 8pm, the night before her birthday, there we were, heading into the city for mattresses, sheets, etc.

On the morning of her third birthday Cora woke up and excitedly asked if it was time for pink baby and flat bed.  Mind you, we never told her she was getting these things but that is literally all she talked about.  She almost cried out of happiness to sit in the middle of the living room, on flat bed and play with pink baby.  I almost cried because in that moment I was so thankful that we are able to afford this moment and capable of giving that to our child.  Simple wishes in a child’s heart.

Per her other requests we spent her birthday at the pumpkin patch and I made her  dinner that evening of hot dogs, mac and cheese and Cheetos.  She ate none of it proclaiming she was full on water, while the adults ate it all.

The next day everyone came to our home to celebrate with a Minnie safari party.  Complete with a requested blue cake with sprinkles. We had an animal rescue company bring in animals that the kiddos got to hold and learn about.  The favorites being the alligator, skunk, snake, and the best- a baby kangaroo!

Our party, as always, lasted well into the night where pizza was ordered, someone went out for more booze and the kid fell asleep on the couch amongst new toys and discarded wrapping paper.  We all nursed our own version of hangovers the next day.

To my Cora,

Three doesn’t seem so crazy.  Not as crazy as turning one or two did, maybe because the crazy milestones have slowed a bit. You are so smart, smarter than what we can handle some days and that can scare me.  We sit and do your workbooks in the evenings and I wonder how you learn so quick.  You are hilarious with your smartass comments, perhaps that is due to living with three adults.  You are my shadow and love to work out right next to me.  We can often find you dancing and singing, especially when watching Ellen.  You have a love for your baby dolls, finding the moon in the sky, digging in the dirt, pasta, play-doh, Minnie Mouse and Paw Patrol.  You never quit jumping on things, around things, over things or off of things.  I have no idea how you haven’t broken bones yet.  You are still an absolute fish and sail through the water every week. You want to grow up and be like Daddy, running a construction company and girl, go for it.  I hope you do.  You love to fix things, build things and create.  You have such a heart for your family and I think you may love your puppy even more than us some days, especially in the early morning hours.

You are our dream come true and we love you so much.

Happy third birthday crazy kid.

We love you.

October Chaos

31 Wednesday Oct 2018

Posted by in Kids, Marriage, My Family, Parenting, Toddler Life

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October is my second favorite month, following July.  It is full of traditions, fall excitement, our anniversary, Cora’s birthday, special Halloween outings and so much more but today, I’m glad it is the last day of this month.  It has been so full of things, all wonderful, that my cup has runneth over (all over the floor really) and I need a nap….for 24 hours straight.  In fact, I went over my calendar for the next week and canceled a bunch of things and said no to a bunch of things I previously said yes too.  I over booked myself and I had to take back some control.

I got caught up in the fun and festivities and my kid started staying up too late and missing naps.  She may now believe she is in charge and I think she needs a few more time outs in her life to set her straight.  Don’t get me started on the candy corn for breakfast thing.

I let things slide and the house got messier. Please do not look under my couch cushions and don’t ask how the tear got there.

My husband’s hours ramped up before the snow flies and we crammed more into our social calendar.  Oh, but late night trip for mattresses? Sure!

I almost quit my job, should have quit my job, husband demanded I quit my job, looked for jobs, interviewed for jobs and yet here I am, still at said job.

We had some big talks and longer talks and started looking at land, talking to realtors and squeezed in a few meetings with some builders.  Have you ever had to clean the outside of your home to make it look so pristine, in the pitch black dark of night because hell, where did the sun go?

We stayed up late many nights, cheering on the Red Sox and making sure the dog got walked. I started drinking more during the week because we found ourselves adulting in bars to catch part of said games.

We celebrated life with big parties and small parties and I have a crazy amount of leftover plates and napkins, that match nothing for some reason.  At one point my home had a baby kangaroo jumping around it and tiny children holding snakes.  Literally.

I wouldn’t take any of it back but it is time to take back control.  Tomorrow we will put away all family shark costumes, hide the candy from the toddler and take a deep breath.

Happy Halloween!

 

 

I hate bedtime with my child

19 Wednesday Sep 2018

Posted by in Kids, My Family, Parenting, Toddler Life

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There I said it, I hate putting my child to bed.

Yes, it is true.  That magical time that parents talk about at the end of their day, I fucking hate it.  I know, I’m in the minority and some of you are sitting there thinking I have got to be the worst parent on earth.  I get why you might like it, I used to like it.  Past tense.

I also believe all problems in the middle east would be solved if we sent toddlers to negotiate with the terrorists.  Because seriously, the tactics these kids have ALL day and then it comes to bedtime and there is a whole other level of crazy and seriously, I’m all for world peace.

My toddler is a good kid. Seriously, as far as toddlers go, I can’t complain too often but every mamma has her limit and mine is at the end of the day.  It is at the end when I spent all day patiently repeating myself to the point I might as well have been talking to a rock.

Put your shoes on.  Put your shoes on.  Seriously, please put your shoes on.  Are you listening?  Did you hear me?  Put your shoes on. Fine, don’t wear shoes.

Eat dinner.  Take a bite of dinner.  Aren’t you hungry?  Eat your dinner.  Do not give it to the dog.  Do you want dinner? Fine, go to bed starving.

Go to the bathroom.  Go to the bathroom.  Go to the bathroom.  Dude, pee before bed.  Seriously, the bathroom, go there.  I will give you candy corn if you go pee.  FUCKING GO TO THE bathroom. Fine, pee the bed.

Lets get your pajamas on.  Put your pajamas on.  Can you please put your foot in.  No, it isn’t naked time.  No running. Get back here.  Put your pajamas on.  Fine, go to bed naked.

THE ENTIRE DAY goes this way.

So by the time we make it to her room and all things have been negotiated and she may or may not be dressed and may or may not be fed and I have run through all my patience…we sit down to read books.  She knows it is three books but has already began negotiations for 20.  As I read she demands food because she is now hungry even though five minutes prior she had half of a pop tart and crackers. (Thinking I’m ahead of the game)  We read three books and I turn off the light. She turns back on the light to get a Band-Aid because suddenly there is an owie.  Light back off.  Into bed to sing songs. She flails around, farts, demands she has to poop.  Into the bathroom.  Asks again for food. She evil laughs.  Back to bed.  Lights off.  Lights on for socks that we refused when we first came to the room.  Lights off.  Begin to sing songs.  She sings over my singing.  Demands I start from the beginning because she couldn’t hear me over herself.  Cover her up, she kicks them off.  Refuses hug till I make my way to door.  Always at the door, demands hug.  Hand on door knob.  Demands kiss.  Halfway out the door. Begins crying because Wade at daycare pushed her today.  She feels the need to discuss.  I make it out the door.  Turn on monitor.  She announces she needs covered up again.  As I head back out the door it is like she knows I’m going to break so she sweetly says “Gooooooodniiiiiiiight mamma I love you!” Evil laugh.

Nothing about that was fun.  Some have told me to just give in and enjoy it for she will grow up soon enough.  I find zero enjoyment in this.  I’m actually over it.  I give 100% all day and I just want her to go to bed.  Yes, that I love you at the end is fucking precious but I’m ready to go down and workout, to have my own time.  Selfish some may say? Sure.  But it is the cold hard truth.

Anyone else with me?

 

 

Last call for the binky

05 Wednesday Sep 2018

Posted by in Kids, Parenting, Toddler Life, Uncategorized

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There are some things, I think we can all agree as parents, that are hard to let go of.  For me, it was the binky.  Cora has been attached to that thing from day one. I remember the day at the hospital when she first took to it and I told my husband that it had to be gone by the time she was three.  That was my cut off date.

Fast forward to last March where we cut the binky time down to just naps and then just bedtime without any real issue.  Her turning three was still forever away, in October, so I didn’t think much of it.  Slowly though, that nighttime habit became well, annoying.  She didn’t need it, we all knew that but suddenly I was having a hard time cutting her off from it.  I wasn’t sure why. Actually I did know why, it was the last “baby” thing she had.

Cora has been fully potty trained for some time now.  She sleeps in her toddler bed.  Bottles were long gone years ago.  She has conversations.  We have been working on preschool workbooks and writing her name.  Hell, the kid can make her own waffle and is a pro at doing her own laundry. For a kiddo who hit all the milestones early and acts much older than she is, I was holding on to the last little piece of my baby.

So we had a talk, Cora and I.  The binky had to go and bribery was our plan. I took her to Target to pick out a new baby doll that she wanted and explained that it had to replace the bink.  She was on board.  We printed out a picture of the bribery, I mean, baby doll and stuck it to the fridge.  Three nights.  That is how long she had to go without bink and then we could head back to Target and pick up that new doll.  She did it with zero questions, complaints or whining.  Doll purchased, binkies in trash and we moved on with life all before that three year mark.

It was bittersweet for me. Non kiddo people look at me like I’m nuts but we all have our thing.  That kid went and grew up on me, so fast, just like they say they do.  I think part of me struggles with not knowing if we will have that chance to do it all again.  Do we even want to do it again? Who knows?

How did you end your binky habit?

 

Growing up overnight

03 Thursday May 2018

Posted by in Kids, My Family, Parenting, Toddler Life

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When your child turns 1, a lot of people seem to think your child is all grown up.  I didn’t quite see Cora as all grown up by any means.  She was still my baby with a diaper butt and a binky in that chubby hand.  She turned two and I remember rocking her to sleep that birthday night thinking, it will all be very different soon.  I knew that soon she really would start growing up on me.  It took her until these past couple of weeks but man, my baby is gone and a full toddler is in front of me.

First it was my husband removing the rocking chair in her room.  We had to take it out to get the carpets cleaned and my husband thought we might just go ahead and leave it out.  No more rocking my baby, while reading books before bed.  I cried because I didn’t know the previous night was our last night to rock.  It hurt me more than her because she was excited to have a new reading nook with her own little chair.

At 14 months Cora started showing signs of potty training and we bought the potty, bribed with stickers and pretty much left it at that.  Some days she would be great all day and other days she would stick to her diaper.  We didn’t push.  Then a few weeks ago she decided panties were cool and diapers were not.  She is now potty trained aside from wearing a diaper at night, although those have been dry the past few nights so we might be done with that.  The changing pad and diaper pail was moved to storage, creating more space in her room.

Remember the great big girl bed fail? The weekend she decided she was done with diapers was the same weekend she asked for her big girl bed back.  (It is still her crib but with a toddler railing on the side that opens.)  Aside from falling out of it on a daily basis, we are having total success with it.  But seriously, this kid flips every which way allllll night long.

Just like that her room is changing from the nursery to a toddler’s room.  The last of the baby items are being tucked away and the house is filling with toddler everything.  It is bittersweet moment and seems to be happening all at once.  At the same time I can’t help but think, yep, we made it through that baby stage. Whew!

Learning Patience

04 Wednesday Apr 2018

Posted by in Kids, My Family, Parenting, Toddler Life

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I think one of the main things a mother will say that her children taught her is patience.  I couldn’t agree with this more.  I have never spent so much time telling myself to stop, breathe, wait, and have patience.  This moment shall pass, we will get to where we are headed, don’t explode, give her a moment.

I have a pretty easy toddler but it doesn’t mean we don’t have our moments.  Our moments of trying to get out the door, of mamma just needing to pee, of dinner on the stove or cleaning needing to be accomplished.  She is hanging on a leg, asking me to sit and play with her, requiring a cup of water or a snack.

For the love of God child can you just please get in your car seat and not literally stop and smell the flowers along the way?

But then I remember she is still new to this world.  She doesn’t understand the rush, she needs a moment to have a tantrum because learning shoes is tough, she wants to stop me to discuss the poopy she did in the potty earlier in the day, she needs to inspect the flowers that spring is slowly trying to produce and is that a bug? Better follow it somewhere. All these things I quickly do myself, quickly glance at, shove feelings down to be dealt with later, and don’t give a second thought about.  She is discovering the world around her, learning and processing it all.

Therefore, she gives me patience.  She teaches me daily to take a step back, listen, feel, and pay attention to all the little details of life.  It is such a cliché what kids can do for us but a cliché that many of us take for granted. Even find down right annoying because dude I can’t fetch you a 4th blanket because the water is boiling over on the stove.

It isn’t always possible, but giving her the extra time and space has been a game changer.  The art of letting go a bit and letting her, not take charge, but lead at times, has taught me more than I thought it could.

What has your toddler taught you lately?

 

Big Girl Bed

22 Thursday Mar 2018

Posted by in Kids, My Family, Parenting, Toddler Life

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At 2 1/2 Cora is still in her crib.  We asked her pediatrician at her last appointment when she thought the best time to move her would be.  She said every kiddo is different and you’ll just know when it is time but a lot of kids are around the age of three or when a sibling comes along to kick them out.  Since the sibling thing isn’t true for us then we figured we would just let her tell us one day.  She has never made a move to climb out and really loves her crib so we just let it be.

We have occasionally asked her if she would like a big girl bed like her friends or her cousin and she always answered, no, I am fine with my crib.  We watched my nephew seamlessly go to a toddler bed a few months ago so we figured it would be simple when the day came.

Fast forward to our recent night of sleepless hell due to nightmares.  Top that with this weird habit she has with needing her feet perfectly covered at night.  Both things will wake her and Lord help me I’ll just assume I’m never sleeping through the night again.  Cora sleeps with 200 blankets but not a true comforter that fits her crib.  I got to thinking that maybe ordering her big girl bedding and transitioning her crib to the toddler stage would be a good idea.  Maybe it would solve some sort of problem.  Yes, I was reaching for anything.

So we ordered the bedding, made a big damn deal of it all, waited for the weekend and Daddy took down the front rail and put up the toddler railing.  Wonderful! She was pumped.  She talked about how she could get in and out of her crib by herself. She played in her room all day, taking her baby dolls in and out of her bed.  Then nap time rolled around.  Normally we stick her in her crib and that is that, she sleeps.  Not this time. Crying for an hour took place until I sat on the floor, in her room, and she finally fell asleep. Then bed time came around.  Bath, we read books, she talked excitedly about her big girl bed and then we laid her down and walked out.  Crying, tantrums, whining, pleading, negotiating, bribing, wine…..Three fucking hours later this child stood in the middle of her room and demanded that daddy put her crib railing back.  So 10:30 at night he put that thing back together and she fell asleep 3 minutes later.

Toddler-1

Parents-0

The next morning she asked to call daddy and the conversation went like this.  Daddy can you come home and put my big girl bed back up?

I can’t even with this kid.

We told her she has to wait two weeks before we try again.  I’ll let you know how that one goes.  On the positive side, the big girl bedding is a huge hit.

What is the game plan in your household for a crib to toddler bed transition?

The Great Binky Take Away

21 Wednesday Mar 2018

Posted by in Kids, Letting Go, My Family, Parenting, Toddler Life

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Before we left for Aruba, the binky attachment was at an all time high.  We told Cora that when we returned, the binky was going to go bye-bye. We talked about how her friends don’t have binkies and she was a big girl now.  She basically gave zero shits about those reasoning’s and every time we face timed her from Aruba she waved around her binky, taunting us.

I will say, my husband was much more adamant about getting rid of it than I was.  I’m not sure why, it has just never stressed me out.  It wasn’t in her mouth 24/7 so it didn’t bother me.  Never the less we came back and operation take away binky was in full force, with zero plan of how to go about it.  We heard every plan in the book from other parents and all I knew was that cold turkey was not going to be our method.  We decided to narrow it back down to nap time and bedtime.  While there were some meltdowns, especially in the car, she was fine with it.  Within a couple of days she quit asking for it at nap time and completely didn’t have it at daycare.  Within one week we were down to just bedtime and that is where we currently stand.  There has been a few nights she forgot to ask for it and she went to bed without it.  She comes out every morning, sets it on the counter and goes about her day, never asking for it.

We are really at this point where I think she will just forget it one night and that will be that.  Why are we not pushing to just take away night binky? We are having some sleep issues again.  Mainly, nightmares. She goes to sleep fine each night and for naps.  It is the middle of the night when she wakes up screaming and I have to go in and cover her back up, rub her back for a few seconds and that is it.  If the binky helps get her back to sleep when we are doing this upwards of 5 times a night then I really don’t care if she still has it.  It is all about sanity.

How is operation not binky in your household?  I have to say, I thought the fight would have been stronger with her but I think giving her the heads up was the best plan.