Mila's Ear Infection

Wow.  So I forgot about blogging for a little while.  Sorry 'bout that!

The past two months have been a little stressful with Mila.  She's had an ear infection that just will not go away.  She had two different oral antibiotics, then we tried the shot and now she is on Augmentin.  They gave her a crazy high dose, so she has an upset stomach and lots of diarrhea.  Like five times a day.  We started the newest med this past Thursday, so the diarrhea didn't get going until Friday night.  Since I was around to keep an eye on her, I was able to change her diaper the moment I heard her blowin' it up.  By Saturday morning she'd developed a rash I'd never seen before - some in her diaper, some down her leg.  I called our pediatrician's nurse help line.  The nurse was unsure what to do, so he called the doctor, who in turn said to bring her in if it got worse.  At that point, we didn't know if it was diaper rash (why would it be down her leg?) or an allergic reaction.  Sunday afternoon it seemed to be getting better so we didn't bring her in.

Monday (yesterday) evening, Mila's teacher told me she had horrible diaper rash.  I looked at it as soon as we got out to the car and sure enough, it had gotten worse.  Raw, broken skin.  It looked bloody, but there was no blood in her diaper.  I ran through the McDonald's drive-thru for Aiden, dropped off the casserole I had brought down at my friend's mom's house (her husband died a couple weeks ago) and then headed to Pediatric Urgent Care.  

We walked in the door at 5:45.  I guess I've never been on a Monday evening, because that place was FULL.  Every chair was filled.  I guess I have seen it that way, but Aiden was over a year old, so I took him to the regular urgent care clinic next door.  I checked in Mila, Aiden made friends with one of the kids waiting (who was thankfully in for a bug bite, not a sickness) and we started our wait.  

You know in the movies, when there's a couple at a restaurant and some family is letting there child run around screaming, dragging their spoon on the back of everyone's chairs?  Well that kid was in the waiting room last night.  See here for more info.  He was around 2 years old, shoeless and wild.  His mom kept trying to hold him on her lap to keep control, but he would just flail and scream.  Then she'd give up for a bit and he'd crawl under all the chairs in the room, putting anything he could find in his mouth.  He made it to the end of the chairs and another lady in the waiting room said, "Uh.  He just put an orange peel in his mouth."  The mom grabbed him when he crawled back and proceeded to pull out the orange peel, 5 fruit snacks and a rock.  Thankfully he's was the first to get called in back.

Mila peed through her diaper onto my lap twice.  I don't know why the diapers decided to stop working.  Maybe they weren't on tight enough?  Both times, I had to take her out to the car because I hadn't brought in any diapers.  I don't carry a diaper bag with me during the week because we just go to daycare and back.  I keep a couple extra in the trunk of my car for situations like this.  But each time I had to go out, I was trying to hurry so I didn't miss getting called in back.  I was out in the sun on Sunday without sunscreen so my shoulders are burnt.  I was carrying my purse on my shoulder, plus Mila will not sit on my hip because it hurts her too much.  Instead she clings to my shoulders like a baby monkey.  Normally it wouldn't be so bad.  With fried shoulders it's a little uncomfortable.

I was next in line to be called in back and a family comes running in carrying a limp child who's eyes are rolling back in his head.  I'm not a doctor, but that seemed more like a trip to the ER or maybe even taking a ride in the ambulance.  Anyway, obviously that kid got to go ahead of us.  

FINALLY at 7:30 we got called back.  The nurse took Mila's vitals and the doctor walked in right away.  She took one look at her and prescribed two ointments.  She took a sample to run a culture to check for staph.  We are medicating for staph anyway, since the culture won't be ready to read until Wednesday.  So!  Over to Walgreen's.  

I checked in at 8 o'clock (Aiden's bedtime and an hour after Mila's) with the pharmacist.  She said one of the meds needed to be compounded and it would take 30 minutes.  I pulled the car around to a spot, gave Mila a blanket and Aiden my phone (thank goodness for YouTube) and waited again.  I pulled into the drive-up at 8:30 and they said it would be another moment.  Fifteen minutes later another car pulled up behind me and I decided to drive around so that car could be helped.  At 9 pm, they gave me the medications.  The pharmacy tech said, "Sorry you had to wait so long.  We don't mix up that ointment until the customer arrives because of cost reasons."

If that glass was not there I think I would have slapped that woman.  If I would have known that, then I would have sat at that window from the start.  I only pulled around so other people could get through.  I was too irritated (sunburnt, tired, hungry, two tired/cranky kids) to go sit inside.  I decided to give her the benefit of the doubt and assume she was making up excuses for why it took so long.

Despite eating 5 of Aiden's leftover fries and 4 whole Jolly Ranchers, I was starving.  I just wanted to go home, gorge myself, and sleep.  What I really did was go home, get the kids ready for bed, medicate Mila (pure torture for her and me), eat a cup of couscous salad while watching some news coverage on the horrific Boston bombing, listen to Travis while he showed me how to use a lock box he bought that day (I'll try to remember to write about that later), clean up the house, THEN get ready for bed. 

My dad said parenting is perseverance.  True dat.

These doctor appointments for Mila are $30 a pop.  She has had 5 appointments for her ears and diaper rash.  Plus antibiotic costs.  It's been an expensive venture.  Thankfully Mila is our problem child since our income is a little healthier than it was when we had Aiden.  

Ugh, I'm cranky today.

Music Time

The other night at dinner, Aiden randomly announced, "Ms. K's* hair fell off today." 

Aiden's preschool teacher is African American so Travis and I quickly understood what had happened and couldn't help but laugh.  Once we calmed down, we asked how that happened.  He said, "She did this [he shakes his head and body really fast like a crazy dancer] and then it fell on the ground."

I JUST DIED.  Kids really do say the darndest things.



*Names have been changed to protect the individual.  ;)

Regression

I have read and heard from others that it is common for the older child to regress some when a new baby is brought into a family.  I was super surprised when Aiden didn't have any extreme reactions to Mila's arrival.  Apparently, his reactions are delayed.  The past month has been horrific.  Suddenly Aiden is incapable of doing things he's been doing for a year: putting on his socks and shoes, taking off his shirt, climbing into his car seat, buckling himself in... this list goes on.  

To top it off, his attitude would put a teenager to shame.  He talks back all the time.  Sometimes he yells back.  He refuses to do anything we ask him too.  Even if it's something he actually wants to do.  It's like the fact that we want him to do it gives him an aversion to said act.  He whines.  He throws fits.  It is SO frustrating.

Oh and then there's meal time.  Aiden has always been a good eater, but it seems he's chosen to go anorexic.  He's boycotting food altogether.  He eats a couple bites and then he's done.  But that's not until he throws a fit about how he hates everything on his plate.  I even tried giving him some foods he used to love - pizza and edamame.  He ate half a slice and six pods before he said he was done. I think the only food he happily eats these days is cereal.  Can I just feed him that for every meal?  I'm hoping he's just in a growth lull.

Travis was complaining the other day about how he's tired of bribing Aiden to do everything.  'You can't  watch TV until you eat your dinner.'  'You can't play outside until you get dressed.'  'You can't have your juice until you put on your shoes.'  Etc, etc.

When I dropped Aiden off at daycare yesterday his teacher stopped me and asked if he has been extra whiny at home lately.  "OH MY GOD YES HE HAS HAVE YOU NOTICED IT TOO???"  She basically repeated everything I've mentioned above.  I kept meaning to ask her about it, but I always forget in the morning rush.  I don't know if it's good to know he acts the same at daycare, or not.  

His teacher said every time he throws a fit, he has to go sit on the carpet until he stops crying.  She tells him, "No babies are allowed in her classroom.  Only big boys and girls."  I tell him the same thing and then he just says he wants to be a baby.  She said he does the same thing for her.  She also said there is another boy in her class who has been acting like that for a long time.  So I don't know if it's learned behavior on Aiden's part, or something he's doing because of Mila.  I don't feel like I give Mila more attention than Aiden, but I know it's different attention.  I have to carry her, feed her, change her diapers and clothes.  But that's only because she's a baby.  When she gets big enough, we'll let her do those things for herself.  It's not because we love her more or something like that.

I don't know what to do about this bad behavior.  I'm thinking about starting a goal chart to reward good behavior.  I would put 4 or 5 columns ('Eat Your Dinner', 'Clean Up Your Mess', 'Listen to Mommy and Daddy'...) and then give him a sticker every time he does really good with one of these things.  Then give him a bigger reward after he gets so many stickers or fills up a column.  I'm not sure what the reward would be.  Go out to the movies?  Ice cream date?  Buy him a new coloring book or stickers?  How big should I go?

Has anyone had any experience with this?  Any other ideas that worked better?  I'm looking for any advice I can find.

Constipated at 4 Months

Turns out the rice cereal was a bad idea for Mila.  I gave it to her once on Saturday and once on Sunday.  The daycare notified me that she spent all day Monday constipated.  It wasn't until that moment that I realized she didn't poop at all on Sunday.  Finally, Tuesday afternoon it flopped over to diarrhea.  Diaper rash ensued.  

I was planning to try giving her oatmeal cereal since that is good for keeping the digestive tract moving, but now I'm afraid to give it to her.  I think I'll take tonight off.  Assuming she's had a good day at daycare today, that will give her a day of normalcy.  I'm still not sure what to give her tomorrow.  Oatmeal cereal or a veggie.  Hm.

I feel really bad because two of my friends watched the kids Saturday night and Ariel watched them last night.  Mila was cranky both times.  I'm REALLY hoping it's due to her bowel discomfort and not because she's That Baby.  You know.  The one that hates all strangers and will only be happy with her own parents.  She loves her teachers, but she's with them as much as she's with us.  I want her to love people and be independent!  Dang it.  Although, the doctor did say she should start developing stranger anxiety at this age.  So maybe it is that.

I'm going to have to start forcing people to hold her so she can experience others, I guess.  I just feel bad forcing my kid on others.  Ugh.

First Week of Pre-K 3

Aiden's first week of "school" went really well.  He loves it.  On Monday he ate breakfast with his old teacher, then she brought the whole class over to the new area.  They all did well, so Tuesday I dropped him off directly with his new teacher.  He immediately ran up to her and gave her a giant hug.  He didn't even say bye to me!  He just ran off.  Gah.  He's repeated that every day this week.

When I picked him up Monday, I was a little late, so he was back over with his old teacher.  As we were leaving, he insisted on running over to the new class to show me his new room "with the big kids."  It's so cute.  I love that he loves this transition.  In the past, moving to a new class (or daycare) has been stressful.  Aiden is usually cranky for weeks and cries every time I drop him off.  This time it's the complete opposite.  He is thrilled to be one of the "big kids."

On top of all this, he's been really good in the evening.  He's not cranky, he does what I say when I ask him (for the most part - he is THREE) and he seems in good spirits.  Normally he asks for tons of things he's not allowed to have and then throws a fit when he doesn't get any of it.  Most days he ends up in his room while he cools off.  Not this week though!  I really hope this lasts because it is amazing.

Three

Aiden is moving up to the next class at daycare on Monday.  They told me a month or so ago they were planning on moving his entire class up together.  This week they are taking turns bringing each kid over to the older class for a few hours so they can get used to the new room.  Aiden did GREAT, so he only went over for a bit on Monday.  Every day when I pick him up from daycare he tells me in disappointment that he "didn't get to go with the big kids today."  I keep telling him, next week!  You will get to go next week. 

On Monday, I stopped by the front desk to talk to the director about the move. She mentioned that it was the Pre-K 3 class. I had no idea it was a pre-Kindergarden class! I knew there was a pre-K class at the daycare, but I assumed it was for 4 year olds. Apparently they have one for 3 and one for 4!

After I spoke with the director, I went over to formally introduce myself to the new teacher and see the class room.  She said Aiden was super interested in everything on each shelf.  He was really bummed when he had to go back to the other classroom.  He loves his current teacher, so I don't think it has anything to do with her.  He just loves new toys and new kids.  Whenever we walk by the window to the older kids, he stops and stares in jealousy at their cool toys.  Aiden tends to gravitate towards toys for older kids.  Most of the things we buy for him say 4 or 5+ on the box. 

In the new class, Aiden is going to start learning the alphabet, numbers, how to spell his name, learn about Stranger Danger and more.  The class he is in now has already introduced him to letters.  He can recognize some, particularly those in his name.  If you ask him how to spell his name, he gets to the 'd' before he peters out.  I asked the teacher if he will have homework (I'm not ready for that!) and she said no.  She will periodically send home things for him to work on (like tracing his name), but none of it has to be brought back to her.  Apparently when he gets to Pre-K 4, they start turning in assignments.  Good god I had no idea we were this close to the time of homework!! 

I am so excited for him because he loves to learn new things.  I am also super excited about helping him with his homework.  I enjoyed school for the most part, so I look forward to doing this with him.  I just cannot believe its just about time for that.

Because he is moving over to Pre-K, his tuition will not go down at all in this move.  Now when I drop Aiden off, I will have to bring Aiden to his class room on one side of the building, then I'll bring Mila over to the baby-side of the building.

Speaking of Mila, she rolled over at daycare yesterday (back to front).  I am so sad I missed her first foray into locomotion, but at the same time, I know I will have many chances to see it for myself.  I gave her lots of time on the floor last night, but she didn't feel like showing off for me.  That girl has been SO DROOLY lately.  Gross.  She pulls her dresses or skirts up and chews on them.  Most of the time, the daycare has to change her clothes in the middle of the day because of all the slobber soaked into her outfit.  It's crazy.  The bibs help when she's just in a onesie, but if she's got a skirt on, she pulls that thing right over her bib to her mouth.  I give her burp cloths at home to chew on.  They said she doesn't like the microfiber cloths they have at daycare though. So weird. 

Last night while we were on the way home, Aiden asked, "What are you making for dinner tonight?"  I don't know why it was so cute.  Sometimes he pulls out these very adult things that catch me by surprise.  My beebs are growing up!

3 years old

3 months old

On the Inside

I just love it whenever Aiden gives me a glimpse into his feelings.  He's still little, but he is a "guy", so I try not to expect TOO much from him.  I love it when he finds a way to articulate his feelings for me though.

In the past few months, he has started telling me when something hurts.  It started out with simple things, like his finger hurts (hang nail), or his foot hurts (rock stuck in the shoe).  Recently it branched into his tummy hurting.  That generally signifies a bowel movement.  It's a nice warning since he has a record of problems with pooping.  Thankfully I don't think it actually hurts every time he says it does.  I think he's just getting the sensation to go.

Speaking of poo, Aiden has graduated to the big toilet.  He uses an adult toilet when we are in public, and they have child-sized toilets at daycare that he uses all the time.  I am really tired of emptying the training potty every time he goes.  I realized it was up to me to help him make the transition.  I set up a stool and his training seat in the half bathroom, then I put the training potty out in the garage (out of sight, out of mind).  Thankfully, he accepted the transition easily and has been using it on his own ever since this weekend!  He has also been staying mostly dry at night, though not frequently enough for us to skip the nighttime Pull-ups.  I am thrilled he has gone through this whole potty training thing so well.  And just in time for the baby diapers to start rolling in again!

Yesterday when I picked Aiden up from daycare, one of his classmates ran up and gave me a hug around the legs.  Aiden was further from me, so he didn't reach me until after his classmate did.  He was yelling, "Mommy!" just like he always does when I show up, but it quickly turned to, "My mommy!" when he saw what his friend was up to.  When we got into the car, I asked if he liked that classmate.  He said, "Yes," then his face got pouty and he said, "he touched my momma."  LOL!  Crazy kid.  I said, "Yes, wasn't that nice of him to give me a hug?" and he said, "Oh, ya!"  Funny how easy it is to affect his take on life.

Another example: Last night when I got home, I turned on a show for Aiden to watch while I made dinner (keeps him out from under my feet).  When I was finished, I set down the remote on the coffee table and noticed a lizard laying on it's back right next to the throw rug.  Eesh.  My first reaction was, "Awww grosss!"  Of course, then Aiden has to walk around to inspect what I've seen and agree with me.  Dang it.  I don't want him to be averse to creatures because of my silly first reaction.  We always take time to check out the live anoles around the house.  I'm never going to catch one, but I like to watch from afar.  Hopefully that balances out my girly response.

When we got into the car after daycare last night, I noticed Aiden's hands and face were dirty.  I got the wipes out to wash him down and asked him what he had been up to.  He said another classmate had pushed him down in the mulch.  Then he said he didn't like that boy.  After a little prodding, I sounded more like they were chasing each other and Aiden fell down, or perhaps the other boy got a little excited and knocked him down in the process.  I know which boy he's talking about.  He can be pretty rambunctious and I know he's a handful for the teachers.  But he's not quite a bully.  You never know though.  I asked Aiden again later in the evening if he liked that boy and he said yes.  Hopefully it was just a misunderstanding, but I appreciate Aiden's willingness to share these things with me now.

Aidenisms

We pulled into the driveway after grocery shopping to see Travis' truck parked in the driveway. 

Aiden yelled, "Daddy!"  Then he saw his pirate ship and yelled, "Pirate ship!"

"Go inside and grab Daddy to play on the pirate ship with you."

"Daddy's too big for the pirate ship."

=(  Travis has already played on it with him and he loved it.  I don't know why he suddenly became a Debby Downer about it.

This morning I was driving Aiden into work when my phone alerted me to a text message. 

Aiden asked, "Who'sat?"

"Gpa." (My dad.)

"Gpa?  Not Gramma?"

"Nope, it's Gpa." I text both fairly regularly.

"Gpa gave me a pirate monkey."

Last September when we went to Illinois for my cousin's wedding, my dad gave Aiden a toy monkey that is dressed like a pirate.  It has a button on it's hand that when pushed, makes monkey sounds.  It was a Halloween decoration that he thought Aiden would love.  He was right.  I am just so impressed that he remembers who gave it to him.  I'm hoping this means he got Travis' memory because we know mine sucks it.  The only reason I can recall things is because Travis reminds me, or I go back and check this blog. 

The other thing I've been really impressed with lately is Aiden's ability to name colors.  When I used to ask him what color something was, he would answer 'blue' 75% of the time.  Occasionally he got it right, but I was never sure if it was luck or true memory.  But I have noticed for the past couple weeks that he has consistently gotten colors correct.  He never seems to remember pink and purple, but I am still blown away at his good record as of late.  They must be focusing on colors at daycare.

Aiden Met Blanket

Aiden has been really great lately. He still has his moments, like every toddler, but it doesn't feel like he's constantly upset anymore. He just finished his 7th week at the new daycare and I think he's finally getting the hang of it. Before we moved him, most parents and the teachers at his daycare said it would probably take him a week or two to get used to it. Well, Aiden took 6 weeks. This is the first week he didn't cry every single morning as I left him. It is SUCH a relief! Although, in his defense, I did realize AFTER the fact that Aiden had four teeth come in at the same time, right around the time he was starting at the new daycare.

Yesterday was the Daddy & Me Breakfast at Aiden's daycare, to celebrate Father's Day. Since Travis is only in his third week at the new job, he didn't want to take the time off. He asked if I would sit with Aiden for a few minutes when I dropped him off so he wouldn't be the only kid without a parent. Turned out there were only three other kids with parents, out of the nine present. I stayed for a moment nonetheless.

When I went for the Mommy & Me Breakfast last month, it was during Aiden's first week at the daycare. He didn't really know anybody yet. I was relieved to learn he now has friends. When I pick him up in the afternoon, he's usually too excited to see me to really do anything else. But since I was sitting there for a few minutes, I got to see which kids he talked to. His favorite friend walked in as I was getting ready to leave. Her name is Bella. He screamed her name the moment he saw her and she screamed his name back. It was so cute!

Every morning when I drop Aiden off, I ask him if he's excited to go play with his friends. After I said that today, Aiden says, "Bella?" I said, "Yes! You're going to see Bella!" When we got inside, Bella was not there yet. I guess she doesn't usually come until after 8, which is why I had never seen her before. The teacher explained that she is the most rambunctious of the girls, which is probably why Aiden is drawn to her.

I have been keeping my eyes peeled for any clues that Aiden is ready for potty training. There are pretty much NONE. I've decided to hide his potty for a couple weeks. He pays absolutely no attention to it. When we ask him if he wants to sit on it like Elmo, or like Mommy and Daddy, he flat out refuses. I think he's only actually sat on it three times. I keep several of his toys in his closet and every few weeks, I pull them out and replace them with the least used toys. Whenever I pull out the "new" toys, Aiden has a renewed excitement with them. I'm hoping we'll get that effect with his potty. I was also thinking about letting him decorate it with Buzz Lightyear stickers. Maybe then he'll be more interested?

Travis is really enjoying his new job. He has gone out a couple days on his own. I think he'll probably go out more starting next week, after he's had a chance to finish organizing and stocking his truck with materials. He goes into work a little later than he used to now. It's nice because he helps me out with Aiden a little in the morning. The downfall is that he works later. We're still trying to get used to that. Aiden has gotten so used to Daddy being there in the morning, that when he had to work early one day this week, Aiden asked, "Where's Daddy?" when he woke.

Aiden has really been loving Elmo in Grouchland lately. In the very beginning of the movie, we get introduced to Elmo's best friend Blanket. It's literally his blanket. But they've made the blanket into a puppet so it can hug Elmo back and bop it's head to the music. Well last weekend when I was putting Aiden down for a nap at Auntie Ariel's, we had a funny incident. I had set up Aiden's travel crib in the guest bedroom and we went up to read books before nap time. The guest bed wasn't made, but there was a pile of clean sheets lying on top. I was getting ready to help Aiden up when he stops, points at the sheets and says, "Blanket?" I look to where he's pointing and I see a corner of the sheet flapping in the breeze of the air vent.

Oh man it was so cute. He seemed a little scared at first, but I just patted "Blanket" on the head and said "Hi Blanket!" Then Aiden was scrambling up the bed to see for himself. He kept patting him on the head so hard that the blanket would get smashed and stop flapping in the wind. Eventually I had to mush "Blanket" down so I could get Aiden to pay attention to the books I was reading. SO CUTE.

Earlier this week Aiden got a hold of my cell phone. Since I don't usually let him play with it, I decided to let him have a go. He was sitting on the bed with Travis and I was on the computer nearby. Travis starts chuckling, so I turned around to see what was up. He was tapping on the screen like he was dialing a call, then he put the phone up to his ear. He chatted for a few moments and then he rubs the phone on his shirt. He kept doing it over and over again, even rubbing it on his shirt afterward.

The funny part? I rub my phone on my shirt whenever I get off the phone to get my makeup off the screen (gross, I know)! I cannot believe that Aiden caught on to that! He really amazes me sometimes.

I've got a ticket so ride with me

Aiden's transition into the new daycare has been a roller coaster. When Travis picked him up Monday night, the teacher said he did great all day. Tuesday morning, I sat with him for 15 minutes before leaving and he handled it like a champ. The teachers said he did good again that afternoon.

Wednesday morning he screamed and cried and did NOT want me to go. I told him I loved him and that he would be fine and I left. When I picked him up that afternoon, the teachers said he did not do well that afternoon. They said just about everything would set him off crying. We've seen the same attitude at home.

I'm not sure if this attitude problem is the daycare transition or if it's because he's sick. We've been wrestling with either allergies or a severe cold (congestion and cough) in the House of Ward for the past week. Travis had it first, but then I got it 10-fold. I almost completely lost my voice Tuesday night. Aiden has a cough and I can tell his voice is not at full strength. I'm going to give him some Motrin before school today to see if that helps at all.

I took a few photos of Aiden playing in the sprinkler last week and wanted to share...

The Decision to Change

When Aiden was 6 weeks old, I had to go back to work. We found a woman who was a stay-at-home mom, recommended by a friend. It turned out that she didn't agree with the way we were raising our son, and because of that, she refused to do as we asked. We wanted him on a sleep schedule (which he was doing great with at home) that required waking him up if he overslept. She refused. She said, "You never wake a sleeping baby." There were a number of issues and in the end, we chose to switch him to a daycare.

We knew we wanted to do that eventually anyway, so he could have more of a school-like routine and other friends to play with and push him to keep up. Unfortunately, it happened after only two months with the stay-at-home mom.

I really liked his teacher in the infant room. Not so much with the teacher in the toddler room. I have wanted to get Aiden out of that daycare ever since they moved him out of the infant room and into the toddler room. His teacher was never very friendly with me. She always seemed a little bitter. And I felt like all I got from her at the end of the day was all the bad things Aiden had done.

The only reason we didn't move him right away was because I worried about him having to transition too frequently. He was only in the toddler room for a week before I wanted to move him, but he was having troubles adjusting to the one nap a day. Plus he was still getting used to his new teachers, the new classroom and the new kids. Soon after that, there was a biting epidemic at the daycare. Biting happens. I understand that. It's just that I was unhappy with the way they dealt with it. Instead of following the biter(s) around, they just scolded them after the fact.

We went months without any huge problems with the daycare. My main complaint at that point was the amount of television those kids watched. The TV is always on. Always. When I drop him off in the morning, the TV is on. When I pick him up after work, the TV is on. On Fridays, I would come in at various times between 3 and 6 pm and the TV was ALWAYS ON. The only times it was off was during nap time and when they went outside to play.

It was so frustrating. TV is not recommended at all for children under 2 years old. And after 2, they're only supposed to get 1-2 hours per day. Now, I am not completely against television watching for kids under two, despite those recommendations. That said, I don't want him watching it ALL DAY, EVERY DAY!

I refused to let Aiden watch TV in the evenings because that's all he did during the day. On some days, that was really hard. I generally have an hour and a half after I get home, to make dinner, give Aiden a bath and get him in bed. That means there is no dawdling around with the dinner making. I would give anything to be able to turn that TV on Aiden's cranky days to give him some serious distraction while I make the meal.

Well, my time has come! We finally switched Aiden to a new daycare. And guess what? They don't even HAVE TV's. How amazing is that?! Yesterday was his first day, and when I dropped him off, the teacher had big Duplos out for the kids to play with before breakfast is served at 8 am. Imagine that. An activity to entertain the kids that's not electronic.

The daycare/preschool has various activities they do throughout the month that the parents are invited to attend. For example, this Friday is a Mommy & Me Breakfast, in honor of Mother's Day the following Sunday. Then, at the end of this month, the kids are putting on a circus performance for the parents to view. So cute!

They also have ride-on toys for the toddler group to play with when they're outside. And when it's raining, they find some fun indoor activity for the kids to do, like playing with shaving cream. No TV!

The logistics of it are a little cumbersome. The new daycare is close to my work. Since I am always the one to drop Aiden off in the morning, and more often than not I pick him up in the evening, that means I won't have to drive as far. The problem is it's really far from Travis' work, so he will mostly likely never help me out in that area. I'll probably end up making the drive down to Galveston if I ever take a sick day from work. I guess the good side is it means Travis will have to go home and get dinner started. Right?!

Monday morning was rough. I walked him in, checked him in at the computer station and then walked him back to his room. I sat in the room with him for 15 minutes while the other kids shuffled in for the day. He sat at the table and played nicely with the other kids. He cried once when a kid took his stack of Duplos, but I gave him more from the center of the table and he was fine.

The real crying started when I had to leave. I gave him a hug and a kiss goodbye and he seemed okay. It wasn't until I got up to walk away that he started screaming "Mommmmyyyyy!!!" and holding his arms out for me. The teacher got down and gave him a hug and I walked out quickly. I dropped off the start-up paperwork at the front desk and then walked back to his hallway. I didn't have to walk to his room to hear him still crying.

Ugh, it was heart wrenching. All I could think was that I should have sat with him for a little while longer. I wish there was a way to save him from stuff like that, but there just isn't. He will have to go through things in his life that I cannot protect him from. I just need to come to terms with that.

When I was on my drive to work after that, I remembered he had still been sleeping in a crib at the old daycare. The new daycare puts the kids on mats at his age. He slept on the mat a couple times at the old daycare, but I still wanted to give them a heads up. I got lucky and Aiden's teacher answered the phone. I couldn't hear any screaming in the background, but I made sure to ask if he'd stopped crying. The teacher assured me he was doing fine.

I just gotta breathe...

Sometimes? Kids bite.

Or in Aiden's case, it's ALL the time. He had three accident reports yesterday when Travis picked him up. All three were bites. Once on a finger, once on the arm and once on the forehead. Only the one on the arm left a mark. And they were from three different children.

According to the teachers, Aiden takes the other kids' toys, so they bite him in defense (I've witnessed him take toys from smaller kids). When this happens, Aiden gets the toy momentarily while the other kid is put in time out. Then they take the toy away and give him an ice pack (fun for a 1-year old). I keep hoping that the pain of the bites will teach him not to steal toys anymore, but I read that kids his age don't have a good sense of cause and effect just yet. Hopefully he figures it out within the next few months - preferably before he starts biting others.

Travis asked the teachers what they recommend doing and they said the main thing is to teach him how to ask for a toy instead of just taking it. To do that, we're supposed to teach him to say "please" when he wants something. I'm not quite sure how to teach that. I just hope we can get him to understand before he loses an arm!

Thankfully, thus far no bites of broken the skin. Only two have been bad enough to leave a mark long enough for us to see it in the evening (one of which occured yesterday). He has had over seven bites at this point. Honestly, I've lost count.

Does anyone have any other suggestions? I need to do some more reading!!!

Bully

It has been known for a while now, that Aiden is a bully. Whenever he is around kids that are younger, smaller or less advanced than he, then he takes advantage of the situation and will take toys from them or occasionally give a little push (he was stealing Luke's toys at 9-months old). At this point, it does not seem to be out of control, but it is very evident whenever he is in his classroom, since there are plenty of 1-year-olds with a pack mentality.

Aiden is not the alpha, but he is definitely second in command. Who is the Alpha you ask? Why, she is a sweet little blond girl that always gives me a big smile when I walk into the room. She is a little older than Aiden and was moved into the toddler room a few months before he was. The kid that is mostly on the receiving end of Aiden's crimes is a boy who just happens to be the son of another teacher at the daycare. He is a month older, but because of his size he is far behind in his gross motor development.

It is sad. Travis even caught Aiden in action when they were both in the baby room. Travis came in to pick up Aiden in the evening, to find him rearranging the cribs around the perimeter of the room. Wedged between the crib Aiden was pushing and the next crib, was this poor child. Aiden was screaming because the crib wouldn't move any farther. Because that's what he does - screams when things don't do what he wants them to. I'm sure it had just started to happen because the teachers hadn't noticed it yet. Thankfully no one was hurt.

While Aiden does a lot of toy stealing (and fit-throwing when he doesn't get said toy), he has been on the receiving end for the past couple days. Tuesday, he had an accident report. A child had bit him on the hand, but there was no mark by the time Travis picked him up. Apparently that biter is a Known Biter and Aiden just happened to attempt to steal his toy while the Known Biter was mad at another child. Sucks, but no biggie.

Fast forward to Wednesday evening - he had another accident report. This time, another child bit Aiden on his right forearm. I guess this is the only way the bullied children can defend themselves? This time there is a mark. Two crescents with a total of 10 little raised red bumps.

I'm not sure how to deal with Aiden's bullying or his screaming when he doesn't get what he wants. It can be as simple as a door won't open any farther, but since he wants it to open more he throws a fit. Even if I wanted to give him what he wants, there are certain situations where it is physically impossible. In most situations, I don't want to give him what he wants because he is being a snot. I don't know how to deal with this at such a young age. I need to find time to read that toddler book!

Toddler Room

Folks, we have got a cranky baby on our hands. I don't know if it's his recent change of schedule, or all the chaos that we've been enduring with family in town, or teething, or maybe an ear infection? Thankfully he has his 1-year check up this afternoon, so hopefully we'll be able to rule out or confirm the last one or two. The schedule issue is a different story.

Aiden moved up to the next classroom at school on Tuesday. The teachers told Travis when he picked up Aiden on Thursday evening. The teachers had told me before that they would give us at least a week's notice so we could work on changing his schedule, but I guess they forgot. I didn't want to change his schedule the day before his big party, so we decided to wait until Sunday. Because of Independence Day, the daycare was closed on Monday. That meant we had two days to work on starting his transition.

It is pure hell, people. He has started to get tired and cranky just an hour or so after waking up in the morning. Then he is a fussy-butt right up until his nap at 11:30 am. He sleeps the entire two hours, then wakes up a much happier version of his self. But then again, about an hour before bedtime he brings out the cranky guns again.

I am also fumbling while trying to figure out his bottle/feeding schedule. He has to stick to the daycare's meal schedule, but we need to fit in some bottles still and I don't know when to put them. I don't think it's working the way we've been doing it, so we are going to change it today.

Fight #283: Transition to sippy cup. As I'm sure I've mentioned before, Aiden does not want to trade out his bottle for a sippy cup. He will drink out of his cup during meals, but when it comes time to one of his three bottle times, he absolutely refuses it. I've tried to stay firm, but it only ends in pain and horror. He won't drink that cup of milk, so then he is hungry, then he just cries and cries and cries. I can only take so much of that before I give in. A couple times, I have not given in, but then he doesn't get any fluids and doesn't have any wet diapers. That doesn't seem like a good thing either. I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO.

The actual class that Aiden is in now is really cute. He has to wear shoes everyday because they go outside a couple times to play. Once a day they have craft time, during which they focus on a letter, color or shape. This week they are focusing on the letter 'B' by coloring or painting the letter 'B' or objects that start with 'B'. I know that he is not actually doing the work by himself, but it is absolutely adorable that he is beginning this part of his life. I have kept every piece of art that he comes home with so far, but I know that has to stop. I won't have enough room to save this stuff after long.

Rachel came across a great idea a while back that I think I am going to try. Basically, it's just a photo album filled with pictures of the artwork. Of course we can keep current pieces on the fridge, or keep a few that are particularly special, but the bulk of it cannot be saved. The question is, "Will I be able to actually throw anything away?"

The other exciting parts of the toddler room are that they have play time and clean up time, and the best of all - they feed him!!! I no longer have to worry about bringing his food in. I also don't have to feed him breakfast in the mornings because he gets it at daycare. That equates to an additional 45 minutes of sleep every morning. Ho-ly-cow. It's amazing. Every morning I wake up in a panic that I have slept in and won't make it to work on time. Then I spend the next hour rushing around like a madman trying to get ready before Aiden wakes up, even though I have plenty of time. I think this will take some getting used to.

Is it bad that I am hoping Aiden has an ear infection? Because that would be an easy fix to this new found crankiness. If it's not, then I have no idea how much longer he will be like this and that really stresses me out.

His Life at School Begins

Monday was Aiden's first day in the daycare. It was so much scarier dropping him off there than it was on his first day at the sitter's house when he was only 6 weeks old. I'm not exactly sure except for the fact that he is no longer the only baby. At the daycare they are allowed up to four babies per teacher.

His first day didn't go so well. When I dropped him off I gave the teacher a piece of paper with his schedule, but I didn't go over it with her.

1) Because I thought that would make me a psycho mom.

2) Because I had so many other things to take care of that first day that I didn't have much time in the end.

On the evening of that first day I decided that I am willing to be a psycho mom. They didn't keep him on his schedule at all. He only slept two out of the four hours he was supposed to have and it was mostly little naps here and there. They also did not give him enough to eat at two out of the three feedings. Oh! And also, he came home in someone else's diaper. That's not really a big deal though.

I can't get mad at them yet though. Even though Monday night was miserable because Aiden was ridiculously cranky and tired, a transition time is to be expected. Travis said he fell asleep after they'd been in the truck for 5 minutes. We left him in his carrier on the kitchen table and he didn't wake up until I got him up two hours later for his last feeding of the day. And man was he pissed. Usually after he gets a few stretches in he is a smiley boy when he wakes up from sleeping. This was an Aiden I have never met before. He kept grunting and fussing and all the while flailing his arms and legs. I tried to get him to eat, but he kept falling asleep. Eventually I gave up and just put him to bed.

Tuesday when I dropped Aiden off, I had a quick chat with the teacher, explaining that it is okay to wake him up for feeding time and to keep him AWAKE during feeding so he gets a full five to six ounces of milk down. That second day went MUCH better. He was still exhausted after only having three 45-minute naps, but I think since they were longer naps that Monday's, he was in much better shape come the evening time. Aiden still fell asleep during his last feeding, but at least he wasn't a cranky-butt and we were able to get in a bath.

I think it will take some time for him to get used to the new sights, scents and sounds of the daycare. Hopefully he adjusts quickly. I need my little happy man back!

A Decade

Who would have thought that 10 years after my first date with Travis, I would be taking our son to his first day of daycare? Landmark date all around.

Travis and I went on our first official date October 12, 1999. I was a senior and Travis was a sophomore. Teehee. It's crazy to hear the number 10, but at the same time I feel like I've been with Travis all of my life. When you think about it, we've actually been together for almost half our lives. Woh. We usually go out to dinner at Olive Garden to commemorate our favorite restaurant when we were in high school. We can't go tonight, but hopefully we'll find time this weekend or maybe even later this week.

I also mentioned up there that today is Aiden's first day at daycare. I am so much more nervous about this "first" day than I was when I brought him to the sitter's house six weeks after Aiden was born. I sort of feel bad, like I'm starting him off in his school career already. He will spend the next 18 years of his life in a place like this daycare; and hopefully for another four years after that!

I was sad to pick up Aiden for the last time at his sitter's last week. It was such a homey atmosphere. But, things were still not the way I wanted them to be there. When I told the daycare teacher that we don't rock Aiden to sleep, she sort of freaked out a little. In turn, that freaked me out. The normal teacher, the one that I talked to before we made the official decision to switch to them, has today off. She didn't seem fazed in the least when I told her that we don't rock Aiden to sleep. Needless to say, I will be calling to check in at lunch to see how the first nap time went. Oh man the anxiety.

Aiden had a rough weekend. I dropped a cell phone on the side of his head while I was breastfeeding him first thing in the morning. I held my breath while I waited for the scream that never came. I think that scared me more than a cry would. Later that day I scratched his face with my thumb nail when I was picking him up. It only had a small welt for a little while, but I felt horrible nonetheless. Then, this morning when Travis was getting Aiden ready for school, he dropped a soft toy on his belly. Again, he didn't cry, but we can't help but feel bad when we do these stupid things. I'm proud to say we have not dropped the kid yet and I hope to never do so!!