Update: 2 Months Old and 4.5 Years

Apr 292012
 

I cannot believe how quickly time is passing this spring. I treasure this newborn baby stage and very rapidly, Caroline is becoming an infant, not a newborn.

Last Monday, we had her two month check up. She’s right on track developmentally. She coo’s and goo’s all the time. She smiles when she sees a face. She loves watching her mobile going around and cries when it stops. Other times, she cries when we turn it on because she’s figured out that means we are going to leave her and she’d rather look at us and be held. She’s adamant about eating Right Now when she wants to be. She’s strong and eager to try standing and laying on her belly (most of the time).

She was 9 lbs. 8 oz., 22.5 inches long, so in one month she gained a full pound. That still leaves her in between the 10th and 20th percentile. The doctor isn’t concerned “She’s just petite,” he said.

Caroline did not like her first round of shots. She got three shots with a total of five or six immunizations. She had been starting to have a schedule but that really threw it off! I still can’t figure out when she expects naps so she’s not really on a schedule: some days, she sleeps 7 hours at night and then naps for a long three hour stretch, with cat naps through the day. Other times like last night she is up every 2-3 hours at night and doesn’t sleep more than 30 minutes at a time all day.

This no sleeping at night might be somehow related to her growing up and changing body systems: now she no longer poops 10 times a day, but goes two or three days between huge explosion poops, like Paul did when he was an infant. The downside is that I’ve noticed wakes frequently the nights when she has not had a poop for a few days. Personally, I’d really like the 7 hours of sleep at a time to continue. That is very nice when that happens. I feel like a human!

Paul is still very much an attentive big brother. He loves that she is now responding to him, smiling and otherwise excited to see him. She definitely recognizes and loves him already! Paul doesn’t try to take over her care (thank goodness) but simply tells me what she needs as best as he can guess. He occasionally has his own “newborn baby” to take care of, an imaginary one. He pulls the stool over the changing mat to “change” his baby; he lifts his shirt and pretends to feed his baby. His baby is not always around, but appears a few times a week.

Paul has been going through a painful transition phase. Ever since Caroline joined our family, he’s regressed in a number of emotional ways. Things he’d been doing by himself for months (getting dressed, putting on shoes, floating on his back at swim lessons, buckling his belt in the car, carrying the family-sized Book of Mormon) suddenly became “too hard,” inducing tears. He’s also developed a sense of entitlement that results in tantrums when he is does not get what he wants.

This has been trying for me, since I’ve had a newborn to deal with. It’s also a bit worrisome in general, simply because we’d like him to develop into an emotionally mature person, of course. I just reread Awakening Children’s Minds about helping children learn by reaching them at their emotional level, and I’m planning on reading Raising Your Spirited Child next.

Paul also has some speech issues right now. Ryan has mentioned he’s getting harder to understand. Many times I need him to rephrase what he’s saying because I simply can’t understand him. “I’m sart, Mommy!” (Short? No, I’m Smart.) When the preschool teacher also mentioned it to me last week, I decided it’s time to look into intervention. I’m not sure how it will work, but I’m talking to the school district about next year.

Beyond that, he’s still an impressively smart boy, a cheerful boy most of the time, and a very creative individual. We’re still doing some fun “school at home” and I’ve decided to begin doing some kindergarten work with him next year and not send him to preschool. I’m signing him up for a kindergarten class at a local homeschool co-op, and I’m looking forward to getting more one-on-one time with him. It’s exciting to think of all the time we’ll get together. It will be incredibly exhausting to homeschool with a young baby who will be learning to crawl and walk, but I can’t think of anything more exciting and rewarding than watching my son blossom into a critically thinking individual.

Here’s to the next few months of parenting! Right now, I’m loving this journey.

April pictures to come as soon as I get a moment….

Two-Week Checkup

Mar 072012
 

Caroline had her two-week check up yesterday. (Already!) Since her five-day appointment, she gained a full half a pound! So her stats yesterday were as follows:

Weight: 7 lbs 8.5 oz (She was 7 lbs 0.5 oz last Monday, eight days previous)

Head circumference: 35 cm

Height: 20.25 inches (she grew a quarter inch)

In other, less statistical, updates, she’s given me at least one night of very good sleep: she woke every three hours to eat and otherwise slept soundly! That was just one night, however. Other nights she’s remained awake after feeding, or awaken every hour, or pretty much just wanted to be held. The doctor reminds me that a newborn cannot be spoiled: it’s only after a month or so that a baby has the ability to self-comfort. She needs interaction at this point.

Paul seems a bit bored by Caroline, as well as a little jealous at the amount of time I spend holding her. “She has eyes!” he says when they are actually open. And “you need to put her back in her crib now” has also been said at least once. He suddenly finds himself bored with playing by himself. I think he was expecting Caroline to be a bit more interactive, or at least smile at him. Soon enough, dear. Too soon, from my perspective.

All this is a wonderful reminder to keep cuddling her some more! I’m off to do that before she gets too big too soon!

 

Things Paul Says

Jan 242011
 

I realize I have not discussed or posted pictures of Thanksgiving in Utah with Daddy’s family, Christmas with Mommy’s family, or any of the many happenings in between. Paul has grown up a lot since last time I posted.

Nonetheless, here is a simple “Things Paul Says” post to get something up at least. He’s always surprising me with cute things he says.

“I found a pay-o-click!”

A paperclip, of course.

“I want purple-berry yoghurt.”

I agree, blueberry yoghurt looks more purple than blue. Smart thinking, Paul!

“Please bless the people that don’t have things to get things.”

We had a family home evening about tithing and fast offerings on Sunday night. He said this in Monday morning’s breakfast prayer. He apparently heard me! And remembered it overnight!

“Mommy’s bum is sticking out!”

He happened to walk in on me when I was changing my clothes. My back was to the door (thankfully), and well, he thought it was very funny.

“Don’t let it bite me!”

I was safety pinning his pants so they wouldn’t fall down. Very clever boy. I assured him the safety pin wouldn’t “bite.”

Cute Things From Paul

Nov 192010
 

Underwear

Paul’s fully toilet trained and surprises me with his ability to get dressed all by himself. But. For some reason, the creators of toddler underwear decided to put Elmo’s (and Thomas’ and James’) face on the back of the underpants. Paul sometimes insists on wearing his underpants backwards so he can see Elmo (or Thomas or James).

Time

Paul loves clocks. Last week, I noticed that whenever I said, “ten minutes” or “what time is it?” Paul would look at his (naked) wrist and say “no, 12 minutes!” or  “it’s 1-0-2-3″ or “it’s 5-8-9-7″. He likes to tell time and know the time. Since neither Mom nor Dad wear watches, I think he learned that people wear clocks on their wrists from his preschool teachers, both of whom wear watches.

Preschool

Paul loves preschool. When he was looking at his watch (see story above), I said, “Paul, did you learn that at preschool?” Ever since, everything he “learned at preschool.”

“How did you know how to put on your own shoes?”

“From preschool!”

“How did you learn to get the milk out of the fridge all by yourself?”

“I learned at preschool!”

“How did you get so good at putting that puzzle together?”

“At preschool!”

You name it, he learned it at preschool, even when I know he didn’t really.

McDonald’s

Since Ryan has been traveling the last few weeks, I’ve been trying to make our dinner times exciting so it won’t feel so lonely. One night, we were having Chicken Nuggets so I made Paul a menu to “order” from. I wrote a big golden arch on the front for our “McReid’s” restaurant. He saw the yellow M and said, “M is for french fries!”

We’ve only been there about twice in his lifetime (once when he was newborn in Australia) and we never watch television with commercials, so I was quite puzzled at this. I finally decided that a Halloween costume we saw (french fries in a red McDonald’s container) was memorable for him.

Christmas

There are Christmas decorations in the store and I’m working on a Christmas project. (Yes, it’s way too early, but there you go.) Each morning, Paul wakes up to ask if it is Christmas yet. This is going to be a long month.

Cheese

Paul says I should write about cheese. At preschool, they sometimes have cheese for snack. Paul leaves preschool saying, “yummy yummy cheese!” when I pick him up. Then we get home and I offer him a little sliver of cheese. “Yucky! I don’t like cheese.” So I asked him why he likes it at preschool and not at home:

“I like cheese at preschool only!”

Okay then.

Singing and Talking

Paul regularly likes singing songs as we drive in the car. But I started singing a primary song in the car the other day, and he was quite annoyed.

“No, Mommy! No singing in the car! Singing at home only! That’s the new rule.”

I asked him about singing at preschool, or singing at church, so he changed the rule.

“Number 1, home. Number 2, church, Number 3, preschool. That’s the only places you can sing. That’s the rule. Number 1, number 2, number 3. Three places.”

He also made a “no talking in the car rule” a little later. I think he was over tired and a bit cranky, though, so I don’t take it personally. He also started singing himself a little later, so apparently, it’s only a rule for me… And I find it funny that he sees it necessary to establish “rules.” Do I do that too often?

Right Now

I told Paul I was writing the cute things he says and does. He said I should write:

“Grandma. Grandpa. Great Grandma [we'll see all three of them tomorrow]. I love them!”

Yes, Paul, those are very cute things to say!

Binkies Anonymous

Jul 172010
 

Hi. I am a Binkie Addict. I’ve been binkie free now for five days and five nights now, and it’s still rather painful. Here’s my story.

Mommy and Daddy brought the binkie addiction to my attention on Sunday night, after I played with my binkie in the middle of a fireside at church and wouldn’t put it away. I resisted the title of “binkie addict” and I cried when Mommy said it was about time I stopped using the binkie. I kept my binkie that night and didn’t let go of it.

In the morning, Mommy told me it was time to stop using because I’m a big boy now and should not continue to cater to this addiction. She gave me the responsibility to throw my two binkies away when I felt I was ready to be a big boy. She said when I did, we’d call Grandma Peggy and tell her that I’m a big boy. I thought about it for a few minutes and decided that yes, I wanted to be a big boy, and I wanted to tell Grandma Peggy I was a big boy. I threw away both of my binkies.

Mommy was really excited. Apparently, it was only 7:30 a.m. and she didn’t think I’d be so eager to be a big boy so early in the morning! She didn’t realize that that is the easiest time to be a big boy. I’m awake and happy, and I certainly don’t feel a binkie craving when I’m happy. I don’t need my binkie when I’m not tired. I watched Mommy take out all the garbage in the house and I stood by the window for a while, hoping that the garbage man would come so I could see his truck. (He didn’t come.) We had to wait another hour or so to call Grandma because it was just too early still. I was excited and couldn’t wait to tell Grandma my big boy news. She was excited for me too.

I had a fun morning playing with toys. But I bumped my head on something about 10:30 and that’s when I realized what being a big boy meant: I asked Mommy if I could have my binkie, and she said there was no more binkie. Wow, that was hard.

At about 1 or 2, I wanted my rest time in my room. But once again, there was no binkie. Oh, the withdrawl was so painful that first day! I cried and cried. I searched in every garbage in the house looking for my binkies. But the garbage cans were all empty. I remembered watching Mommy take out the trash and felt very sad.

In the afternoon, Mommy said we were going on a road trip in the car. (I’ll tell you about our trip later.) We would be driving to a big hotel with a big big bed just for me! I was so excited, and I helped Mommy pack the bags. Daddy started driving the car and it took about 20 minutes to realize that when I asked for my binkie, Mommy wouldn’t give it to me. I screamed for hours, and I would only calm down when Mommy was telling me stories. I can’t tell you how sad it made me to know I would not have my binkie. I think I fell asleep in sheer exhaustion.

Tuesday was a busy, busy day. I didn’t bother to ask for my binkie because I knew Mommy didn’t have it. Besides there was so much to see. There were barns full of cows and roosters and horses and lions, and I liked to make all their noises. I saw old houses with interesting things to look at. I played games. I saw pictures of Joseph Smith and Jesus. I looked around at everything new. It was only when the sun went down that I thought of the binkie again. Mommy and I were walking around the Temple — it was so pretty — and Daddy was taking pictures. Mommy said we’d be going back to the big hotel with the big big bed and we’d get some sleep. I was sleepy! I asked Mommy then, but I knew the answer: “But my binkie?” She said, again, that there was no binkie. I suppose it didn’t matter. I was so sleepy. I fell asleep in the car again.

Wednesday was another busy busy day with lots of new things. It was when were driving home and I could tell the sun was going down that I started asking for my binkie again. I knew it wasn’t coming, but I was so bored and so sleepy, I couldn’t help asking. Mommy did not feed my addiction.

Thursday was a hard night. The day was fine; I never mentioned my binkie because there was no point. But when Mommy put me in bed at 7:30, I could not sleep. I was in my own room and in my own bed, and the binkie is such a part of my routine that it was hard to do without it.  I kept bouncing down to talk to Mommy and Daddy who were watching a movie. I didn’t go to sleep until after 10.

Last night was the same. I cried and cried and cried. I pleaded. I whined. I pulled Mommy’s hand. It was probably 9:30 before I got to sleep. I was just so uncomfortable and sad. I know Mommy’s insistence that there is no more binkie is true, but it doesn’t make the withdrawl any less painful. My question now is: how long will it be before I can go to sleep without feeling so sad, without the craving for the binkie?

I know I am a big boy, but I’m glad I can tell you all the hardships of being a big boy. Habits are hard to break, and this addiction, particularly, has been hard since I’m nearly three years old. Three years is a long time to have a bad habit!

From the Mouth of Babes…

Feb 262010
 

(1)

The other day, as I drove to deliver cookies to my friend for her birthday, I saw my reflection in the rearview mirror.

“Oh,” I said aloud. “I forgot to put on makeup this morning.”

Paul’s response: “Uh oh, Mommy! Go home and get makeup! Uh oh!”

(2)

As I lead Paul upstairs for bed, Paul likes to bid farewell to everything he says.

Paul: “Bye bye cars! Bye bye books! Bye bye fridge! Bye bye flowers! Bye bye stairs! Bye bye Jesus [in a picture]! “

(3)

If my prayer gets too long, Paul helps me out.

Paul: “In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen. AMEN! AMEN!”

(4)

Paul has a new favorite word. From the sample conversations below, see me if you can figure out what it is.

Mommy: “Do you want to sit on the toilet?”

Paul: “Icky toilet!”

Later: “Let’s change your diaper!”

Paul: “Icky poop!”

Later: “Daddy might come home tomorrow!”

Paul: “Icky Daddy!”

Later: “Do you want some goldfish for your snack?”

Paul: “Icky Goldfish!”

(5)

Paul is a very compassionate two-year-old. If I bump my arm against something (for example) and exclaim “ouch,” he runs to me and kisses it better. When he sees the picture in his book of Cookie Monster crying (because the onions made his eyes water), he gives him a hug and a kiss. Paul has compassion on everyone and everything. When his cars crash against each other, he kisses them better.

An In-Between Stage

Aug 312009
 

Paul is caught in between ages this month.

One day he wants to sit on the toilet every hour. (He’s usually successful.) The next day, he won’t go near the toilet without crying.

One day he wants to sit at the table in a regular chair. The next day he cries unless I open up his high chair for him.

One day he wants to go down the stairs ALL BY HIMSELF walking on two feet like a big person. The next day he cries for someone to come take his hand or he slithers down on his hands and knees.

One day he wants to sit and cuddle for ten minutes after his nap. The next day he won’t come near me and cries if I try to hold him.

And then there are the signs that he’s figured out the system. He slipped on the floor and sat down and fake cried for a few seconds. I was taking something to a different room and as soon as I was out of his sight, he stopped crying. As soon as I walked back in, he started up again. He wouldn’t stop until I’d picked him up and given him a “feel better; I love you” hug.

I love the baby stage, but it is exciting to see the “I’m getting older” stage too!

What Paul Loves

Aug 112009
 

I don’t have wedding pictures yet, and I don’t have time to find some from my camera (most of mine didn’t turn out anyway), but here are some quick Paul “favorites” updates.

Paul loves:

  • Trains, Planes, and Automobiles. Yes, he’s a boy.
  • New things, including people, places, and events. He (normally) loves new situations and just watches fascinated as new things happen. Case in point: the haircut last week. He didn’t even squirm, just sat there with a big smile on his face. There are always exceptions, but normally, new things are fun.
  • Nursery. I’m not sure why he loves nursery, because whenever I go in for singing time (I’m the song leader), he’s knocking over kids trying to give them hugs and kisses.
  • Hugs and kisses. He finds these fun to give. I love the moments he lets me cuddle, even for the briefest second. I hope this isn’t top on his list when he’s 15.
  • Schedules. Paul has had a few non-scheduled days lately because of family events, and he’s been a whiny puss. Even when his nap is shorter than normal, he becomes a basket case when something isn’t just as he wants it. I certainly encourage schedules, but I try to follow what he needs too (i.e., unlike some moms, I don’t wake him from his nap at the same time each day. That’s nuts!). It always takes a least a day to recover from an “off-nap” day or a “stay up too late” night. I like to stick with the normally planned schedule just so I can ignore those whines!
  • Daddy. Oh, he loves his daddy when he’s home! He’s a fun daddy.
  • The toilet. What fun to sit on the Winnie-the-Pooh chair and clap when something comes out!
  • Winnie-the-Pooh. Still a favorite friend. We’re rereading the books right now, and Paul definitely likes me to read it to him.
  • Puzzles. Paul is very good at puzzles, and normally has the patience to put all the pieces in the right spot, even the 26 piece alphabet puzzle!
  • Dancing. We watched Mary Poppins this week, and he was dancing, and trying to do somersaults, when we got to the Stepping Time “rooftops of London” scene. Very cute.
  • Outside. Paul loves his hat, he helps me put his sunblock on, and then he runs to the swing and slide. When I’m weeding, he “helps” by digging in the dirt.
  • Mail. Paul likes to help me get the mail. For some reason.

Okay, that’s a start for a bunch of stuff he loves. Hopefully I’ll post some cute wedding pictures or cousin pictures in the coming days!

Paul’s 19-Month Checkup

May 062009
 

Vital Stats

  • height: 33 1/2 inches tall (75th percentile)
  • weight: 26 lbs 13 oz (50th percentile)

Paul is an incredibly happy boy, and apparently he is completely up-to-date developmentally. The doctor kept saying “Oh he’s so good” when he did things like open his mouth when she asked him too. I think he was just observing and taking it all in because it was all new to him (relatively; he doesn’t remember the last visit three months ago).

When the doctor left, we had to wait for the nurse. He was ready to be done though. He kept walking to the door saying “go? Go? GO!” When the nurse finally came, he got two shots. He wasn’t sure what was going on with the first one, and since we were clapping and saying “yeay!”, he started clapping too. For the second shot, he was a little more wary and tried to pull away. It brought tears, but when he saw the bandaids, he was fascinated with that too, and even the tears stopped.

Overall, I love my boy. This week’s special words are “Hi! Hi!” and “Bye! Bye!” to strangers both coming and going, “shoes” as he wanders the house looking for them (anyone’s is fine), and “go!” for everything and everywhere. He still signs “thank you” with a little kiss.

Paul Updates

Apr 272009
 

Paul finally has enough hair that I had to buy him a brush this week. When it is wet, it is matted and long. When it dries, it curls in the back to produce an adorable head of curls. Ryan is quite traumatized by this: every time someone comes up and says “What adorable curls! What lovely hair!” he has memories of his own childhood. He, apparently, hated having curly red hair because everyone wanted to touch it. Alas: like father, like son.

Paul is signing at least 30 words now — surprising me every day with new ones. I shouldn’t be too surprized since Signing Time is his only show these days.

Paul is saying at least 15 words. Sometimes his talking sounds like babbling and other times it actually is words.

Paul has become fascinated with dogs and birds. He also loves the train table at the library. He also loves the slide and the swing at the park: I need to fix up our play set in our yard because right now it’s not useful for a baby Paul’s age.

Paul has a runny nose again this week. It will never stop, I’ve decided.

Paul’s naps are still sporadic. I never know if he’ll go down or when he’ll be ready for it. (Saturday he was ready at 10 a.m. and he slept for three hours. Today it was one hour. And that’s it.)

Paul likes his binkie. He can only have it when he’s in his bed, so sometimes he begs to go in his crib, just to have his binkie. Ten minutes later, he’s ready to go on with his day again.

Paul is a smart kid. There are so many stories I meant to share. I’m going to have to write them down as soon as they happen because now I’ve forgotten!

 Older Entries