I'm settling the kids down for their naps. Sophie usually has a "quiet time" in my bed since she shares a room with Gideon and keeps him up the whole time.
Sophie snuggles down into my bed with her dozen dolls and grabs the sleep mask I use when I sleep. Nesting herself into all of the pillows on the bed, she puts the mask over her eyes.
Me: "Are you going to sleep with Mama's mask?"
Sophie: "Niy-niy!"
What a little cutie. She's imitating her Mama!
I kiss her sweet little forehead.
Me: "OK. I love you, sweetie."
Sophie: "I SAY NIY-NIY!"
*blink*
Me: (under my breath) "Have a pleasant nap, Missie Sahib."
Showing posts with label Sophie. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sophie. Show all posts
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
Target Tantrum
*sigh*
Yesterday, I was That Mom.
Sophie and I had gone to Target to get just a few things. Meaning we went into Target with a list of 5 things and left with a cartful of stuff. That's just what you do at Target. We had just come into the store and Sophie was acting very good. She held my hand through the parking lot, counted the handicapped signs and tried to pick up the giant red ball at the front like she always does. We picked out a cart - Sophie requested the red one and I complied - and headed into the store. Sophie trotted beside me with a grin on her face. All is going well.
Then came that dadgum Dollar Spot.
Now I love that Dollar Spot. We find all sorts of cheap crap there. Sophie loves funky socks and I regularly pick out 4 to 6 pairs every few months for her because I don't care if they get lost or fall apart. We found 2 pairs of Minnie Mouse socks for Sophie and 2 pairs of Mickey socks for Gideon. Great. Now Mama's ready to leave and do the rest of the shopping.
Sophie has different ideas.
I take her hand and begin walking away and she somehow makes herself triple in weight. Seriously, she just willed her kidneys to turn to lead or something. So I tried the method of OK, I'm going to just leave you here!
Lalalala! Mama's walking away!
...
I glance back after 20 feet and Sophie is standing there. Defiant o'Pigtails with her arms firmly crossed over her chest and her little pigeon toed feet planted.
About that time, my Mama calls. I answer the phone and tell her what her precious gem of a granddaughter is doing. She tells me to go over and put her in the cart. I sigh and turn the cart around. The Little Nutjob just glares me down as I approach. As soon as I touch her arm, she goes completely boneless.
"Mama, I have to go. Your granddaughter is a jellyfish."
So, without ceremony, I haul my defiant little nutjob jellyfish up and dump her into the red cart. As I begin to push the cart down the aisle with a now scream-fake sobbing mental patient nearing 11, I lean down and whisper what every mother has said...
"I hope you have a daughter someday JUST LIKE YOU."
Yesterday, I was That Mom.
Sophie and I had gone to Target to get just a few things. Meaning we went into Target with a list of 5 things and left with a cartful of stuff. That's just what you do at Target. We had just come into the store and Sophie was acting very good. She held my hand through the parking lot, counted the handicapped signs and tried to pick up the giant red ball at the front like she always does. We picked out a cart - Sophie requested the red one and I complied - and headed into the store. Sophie trotted beside me with a grin on her face. All is going well.
Then came that dadgum Dollar Spot.
Now I love that Dollar Spot. We find all sorts of cheap crap there. Sophie loves funky socks and I regularly pick out 4 to 6 pairs every few months for her because I don't care if they get lost or fall apart. We found 2 pairs of Minnie Mouse socks for Sophie and 2 pairs of Mickey socks for Gideon. Great. Now Mama's ready to leave and do the rest of the shopping.
Sophie has different ideas.
I take her hand and begin walking away and she somehow makes herself triple in weight. Seriously, she just willed her kidneys to turn to lead or something. So I tried the method of OK, I'm going to just leave you here!
Lalalala! Mama's walking away!
...
I glance back after 20 feet and Sophie is standing there. Defiant o'Pigtails with her arms firmly crossed over her chest and her little pigeon toed feet planted.
About that time, my Mama calls. I answer the phone and tell her what her precious gem of a granddaughter is doing. She tells me to go over and put her in the cart. I sigh and turn the cart around. The Little Nutjob just glares me down as I approach. As soon as I touch her arm, she goes completely boneless.
"Mama, I have to go. Your granddaughter is a jellyfish."
So, without ceremony, I haul my defiant little nutjob jellyfish up and dump her into the red cart. As I begin to push the cart down the aisle with a now scream-fake sobbing mental patient nearing 11, I lean down and whisper what every mother has said...
"I hope you have a daughter someday JUST LIKE YOU."
Saturday, December 31, 2011
2011 Review
January: Sophie turns 3. Milly is born full term. NO NICU. Sophie adores her sister. Gideon thinks that I've brought home some sort of elaborate baby doll. I begin getting up at night again with a baby and fall in love with infomercials all over again. How I got through her first few months without buying Pajama Jeans and a GT Xpress Redi Set Go is totally beyond me.
February: I begin this blog! I had a newborn, a toddler and a preschooler. Everything goes hazy. The heater breaks during the coldest month in Texas and we spend a few days at my grandma's house until everything gets sorted out with my landlord. Things start to get dark as I struggle to keep my head above water. Hillsong's The Greatness of Our God becomes the song I turn to whenever I need to remember that God is always bigger than my problems. Also, Milly meets the sling for the first time and I begin to wonder if my children are part marsupial.
March: Sophie and Gideon start Mother's Day Out. I find a new psychiatrist and go back on meds. The haze begins to lift. I get time alone with my newborn. It's easier to clean the house and get to church. Sophie begins to talk more and Gideon comes out of his shell at MDO. My babies know how to play with other kids!
April: Milly begins smiling! She's so beautiful! She still has all of her hair and it gets curly after a bath. On the 18th, she rolls over from her tummy to her back for the first time. My third baby and I'm still mesmerized by how my baby learns. She sleeps through the night and doesn't spit up too much after we've switched her to a new formula. She babbles all of the time. At the end of the month, Gideon spends two days at Children's Legacy with breathing problems. I'm fed up by this point and determined to find a doctor to give me a proactive solution for my baby boy. I still remember one Sunday morning when I took the girls to church and Ben stayed home with Gideon. During the service, my song (Greatness of Our God) played and I dropped to the floor as I sobbed to God to help my baby.
May: The Plague descends upon the Dyer household. Ear infections all around for the kids, bronchitis for Mama and Ben gets a Severe Man Cold. Holy macaroni, it's a tough few weeks but we get through it and come out on the other side just in time for Ben to go on his first business trip. Three days alone with the kids! OH BOY. Beyond my wildest expectations, the kids are complete angels. They go to Mother's Day Out, eat their dinners and go to bed without fussing. I even try to invite Sophie to stay up late and hang out with Mama and then sleep in Mama's bed! Fun! Girl time! Sleepover! This is met with a firm NO and a reminder that we not deviate from routine. (Honestly, Mother.) Finally, finally, FINALLY we see a doctor who diagnoses Gideon with asthma. My baby has a daily inhaler that lets him breathe! He's a different kid within a week! I know that no mother would ever wish asthma on their children but I'm just grateful that we have an answer. Milly begins teething and it pisses her off ROYALLY. The kids "participate" in their first Easter Egg Hunt and are completely flummoxed by the concept. They are given Pity Eggs from other kids. Gideon tries to eat the plastic eggs. When they are found to be inedible he turns them into grenades. Ben and I celebrate our 4th anniversary. We kiss a lot. Ben's parents come to Dallas for a few days and proclaim Milly acceptable.
June: I turn...26. Let's say 26. We have family pictures taken by the fabulous Jenn Weis. They are amazing and I commit to getting family pictures done once a year. Milly begins to scoot and army crawl. I move everything up a shelf. I try to potty train Sophie and she pees on Milly's head. Sophie is not ready for potty training. We begin to think that something more than a speech delay is wrong with Sophie. Gideon turns two and my heart breaks a little. Milly is introduced to solid food in the form of cereal and yogurt. She gobbles it down, grabs for the spoon and screeches at me when I go too slow. I begin making my own baby food again.
July: Milly rolls over from her back to her tummy. Now she looks like she's on a hot dog cooker. She can army crawl or roll to where she wants to go. Three mobile kids are making me want that third eye in the back of my head that every mother claims. Sophie discovers that forts are really cool and I begin saving giant boxes. She also goes to her first pool party and we discover that she is a water baby! Why can't that translate to the bath when I have to wash her hair?! My best friend had her first and long-awaited baby boy. I was there at the hospital in the middle of the night to wait and greet him. It's the first time I've been on that side of the situation and it was interesting to experience. Sophie said "I love you" for the first time. Ben and I freak out and beg her to repeat it as often as possible.
August: Milly has cut two teeth and can sit up on her own. She is a really easy baby until her teeth make her mad and she Hulks out. Then we run for the Baby Orajel before the house shifts to the left again. To bookend Texas weather, the A/C decides to break during the hottest summer we've had in decades. We spend days at my mother's house while we struggle with the repairs and landlord again. Sophie is going through a Naked Phase and I say a silent prayer every single time we leave the house that everything stays on her body until we get home. Once we get home, I don't care as long as her non-potty-trained butt is diapered. Her only obsession is with socks. I regularly have a naked, diapered 3 year old roaming my house with a Cookie Monster sock on one foot and an Elmo sock on the other foot. Sometimes she's wearing her black patent Mary Janes. I begin watching the 2005 reboot of Doctor Who and become a certified Whovian. David Tennant is my Doctor. At the end of the month, Milly begins pulling up and I start pulling out my hair. Gideon is my quiet little man with a maniacal oral fixation. He chews almost through the PS3 cord and every single wood item we own has bite marks around his height. His crib looks like we raise beavers. I join and become completely obsessed with Pinterest.
September: Sophie is speaking more and doing well at MDO. However, she still needs more help. We are researching Pediatric Developmental Doctors and try to get her enrolled into GISD for speech classes. This develops into a HUGE ordeal with more paperwork than I ever imagined could exist. Ben turns 32. I actually get crafty and MAKE something for his birthday. Pinterest Addiction has actually paid off! Milly pulls up and begins cruising around the furniture. Holy Moly, three mobile kids are a lot of work!
October:Milly can sit in a high chair and feed herself! Kinda. Sorta. OK, we find a lot of stuff in her lap but some delicious morsels make it into her mouth and she's very proud! We make the difficult decision to take the kids out of MDO. The time and money is just not there. I'm medicated and ready to entertain the kiddos at home. If and when we get a second car then we will revisit the idea of MDO for Gideon and possibly Milly. Sophie will hopefully begin some sort of school to help her with her speech and developmental delays. Baseball season begins and Ben discovers that Milly is the Rangers' lucky charm. Milly has a lot of late bedtimes waiting for "one more inning". Sophie has found a new love in the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and adores Daisy. We take the kids to the Disney Store for the first time. Sophie leaves with a large Daisy doll and does not put her down for about a week and a half. Gideon leaves with Pluto and even Milly grabbed a small Jessie doll. It's fun to see the kids eyes get wide as they see their favorite characters in a store where they can hold them and take them home. Milly begins babbling with a purpose and her first word is Mama. I am now two for one. (Sophie is the only one who said Dada first.) We take the kids to the Mesquite Lake Pointe Fall Festival. Everything goes surprisingly well!
November: We're gearing up for a trip to Arizona at Thanksgiving so the majority of the month is making lists and checking them twice. Gideon gets his first haircut and the building is still standing. I only cried a little. We have a get-together with my mother's side of the family and I'm reminded again how blessed I am and how nuts my family can be. Milly finally says Dada but NEVER around her DADA! Ben and I pay off the Volvo S80 we bought the first year we were married. It may not work but it's ours and we're grateful. We spend the 19th and the 20th traveling to Arizona with three kids. How we didn't end up tossing them at Nana and Grampie and then checking into the nearest Mental Institution is still beyond me. The kids are overjoyed to see their grandparents and great-grandparents and the weather is wonderful. On Thanksgiving Day, Ben is felled with a stomach virus. The grandparents take the kids while I stay at the hotel to care for Ben. Great-Grammie is also sick. When they bring the kids back that night, we find out that Gideon barfed all over his Grampie. He barfs again when he gets back to the hotel. Milly saves the day by saying Dada to her Daddy for the first time while in his lap. The next day, I'm sick and my MIL is sick. The grandparents take the kids while Ben takes me back to the hotel. The day we leave, Grampie and Great-Grampie are sick. Gideon barfs AGAIN in the hotel on the way home. Only Sophie and Milly manage to dodge the bug. Dyer Thanksgiving 2011 goes down in history.
December: Gideon is still having some freaky stomach problems. I take him off of dairy products to see if he is lactose-intolerant and it gets worse. Diaper changes become terrifying to my baby boy. Milly begins standing all by herself. She also becomes a dedicated thumb sucker. Sometimes, when the teething gets bad, then she'll take a pacifier. She has little bite marks all over her right thumb that make me cringe every time. We finish the last can of formula and switch her over to regular milk without a fuss. No diaper problems, no YUCK WHAT IS THIS, no drama. She prefers her milk warmed and really likes warm chocolate milk. On December 17th, Milly takes her first steps. She's only taken a few steps since then. We think it's because it's too unstable and slow. She's a speed crawler and has no time for walking. There's older siblings to chase! Christmas goes off without a hitch. I receive a new Kindle from my love with a handmade BY HIM cover! HE GOT CRAFTY. The kids got new toys including a Little People Ark and Sesame Street figurines. It's funny to watch them put Super Grover at the front of the Ark and think "Wow. That ark is DOOMED." The indoctrination also continued in the form of Texas A&M Reveille and the Texas Rangers Captain Pillow Pets. The girls wore matching Christmas sweater dresses and were the most adorable things on Earth. Sophie was accepted by a Developmental Pediatric Practice and will see them for the first time in January. Ben and I spent the last night of 2011 with steaks and Big Bang Theory.
2011, you were full of laughter, tears, surprises, sickness, healing and love.
2012, I can't wait to see what God has in store.
February: I begin this blog! I had a newborn, a toddler and a preschooler. Everything goes hazy. The heater breaks during the coldest month in Texas and we spend a few days at my grandma's house until everything gets sorted out with my landlord. Things start to get dark as I struggle to keep my head above water. Hillsong's The Greatness of Our God becomes the song I turn to whenever I need to remember that God is always bigger than my problems. Also, Milly meets the sling for the first time and I begin to wonder if my children are part marsupial.
March: Sophie and Gideon start Mother's Day Out. I find a new psychiatrist and go back on meds. The haze begins to lift. I get time alone with my newborn. It's easier to clean the house and get to church. Sophie begins to talk more and Gideon comes out of his shell at MDO. My babies know how to play with other kids!
April: Milly begins smiling! She's so beautiful! She still has all of her hair and it gets curly after a bath. On the 18th, she rolls over from her tummy to her back for the first time. My third baby and I'm still mesmerized by how my baby learns. She sleeps through the night and doesn't spit up too much after we've switched her to a new formula. She babbles all of the time. At the end of the month, Gideon spends two days at Children's Legacy with breathing problems. I'm fed up by this point and determined to find a doctor to give me a proactive solution for my baby boy. I still remember one Sunday morning when I took the girls to church and Ben stayed home with Gideon. During the service, my song (Greatness of Our God) played and I dropped to the floor as I sobbed to God to help my baby.
May: The Plague descends upon the Dyer household. Ear infections all around for the kids, bronchitis for Mama and Ben gets a Severe Man Cold. Holy macaroni, it's a tough few weeks but we get through it and come out on the other side just in time for Ben to go on his first business trip. Three days alone with the kids! OH BOY. Beyond my wildest expectations, the kids are complete angels. They go to Mother's Day Out, eat their dinners and go to bed without fussing. I even try to invite Sophie to stay up late and hang out with Mama and then sleep in Mama's bed! Fun! Girl time! Sleepover! This is met with a firm NO and a reminder that we not deviate from routine. (Honestly, Mother.) Finally, finally, FINALLY we see a doctor who diagnoses Gideon with asthma. My baby has a daily inhaler that lets him breathe! He's a different kid within a week! I know that no mother would ever wish asthma on their children but I'm just grateful that we have an answer. Milly begins teething and it pisses her off ROYALLY. The kids "participate" in their first Easter Egg Hunt and are completely flummoxed by the concept. They are given Pity Eggs from other kids. Gideon tries to eat the plastic eggs. When they are found to be inedible he turns them into grenades. Ben and I celebrate our 4th anniversary. We kiss a lot. Ben's parents come to Dallas for a few days and proclaim Milly acceptable.
June: I turn...26. Let's say 26. We have family pictures taken by the fabulous Jenn Weis. They are amazing and I commit to getting family pictures done once a year. Milly begins to scoot and army crawl. I move everything up a shelf. I try to potty train Sophie and she pees on Milly's head. Sophie is not ready for potty training. We begin to think that something more than a speech delay is wrong with Sophie. Gideon turns two and my heart breaks a little. Milly is introduced to solid food in the form of cereal and yogurt. She gobbles it down, grabs for the spoon and screeches at me when I go too slow. I begin making my own baby food again.
July: Milly rolls over from her back to her tummy. Now she looks like she's on a hot dog cooker. She can army crawl or roll to where she wants to go. Three mobile kids are making me want that third eye in the back of my head that every mother claims. Sophie discovers that forts are really cool and I begin saving giant boxes. She also goes to her first pool party and we discover that she is a water baby! Why can't that translate to the bath when I have to wash her hair?! My best friend had her first and long-awaited baby boy. I was there at the hospital in the middle of the night to wait and greet him. It's the first time I've been on that side of the situation and it was interesting to experience. Sophie said "I love you" for the first time. Ben and I freak out and beg her to repeat it as often as possible.
August: Milly has cut two teeth and can sit up on her own. She is a really easy baby until her teeth make her mad and she Hulks out. Then we run for the Baby Orajel before the house shifts to the left again. To bookend Texas weather, the A/C decides to break during the hottest summer we've had in decades. We spend days at my mother's house while we struggle with the repairs and landlord again. Sophie is going through a Naked Phase and I say a silent prayer every single time we leave the house that everything stays on her body until we get home. Once we get home, I don't care as long as her non-potty-trained butt is diapered. Her only obsession is with socks. I regularly have a naked, diapered 3 year old roaming my house with a Cookie Monster sock on one foot and an Elmo sock on the other foot. Sometimes she's wearing her black patent Mary Janes. I begin watching the 2005 reboot of Doctor Who and become a certified Whovian. David Tennant is my Doctor. At the end of the month, Milly begins pulling up and I start pulling out my hair. Gideon is my quiet little man with a maniacal oral fixation. He chews almost through the PS3 cord and every single wood item we own has bite marks around his height. His crib looks like we raise beavers. I join and become completely obsessed with Pinterest.
September: Sophie is speaking more and doing well at MDO. However, she still needs more help. We are researching Pediatric Developmental Doctors and try to get her enrolled into GISD for speech classes. This develops into a HUGE ordeal with more paperwork than I ever imagined could exist. Ben turns 32. I actually get crafty and MAKE something for his birthday. Pinterest Addiction has actually paid off! Milly pulls up and begins cruising around the furniture. Holy Moly, three mobile kids are a lot of work!
October:Milly can sit in a high chair and feed herself! Kinda. Sorta. OK, we find a lot of stuff in her lap but some delicious morsels make it into her mouth and she's very proud! We make the difficult decision to take the kids out of MDO. The time and money is just not there. I'm medicated and ready to entertain the kiddos at home. If and when we get a second car then we will revisit the idea of MDO for Gideon and possibly Milly. Sophie will hopefully begin some sort of school to help her with her speech and developmental delays. Baseball season begins and Ben discovers that Milly is the Rangers' lucky charm. Milly has a lot of late bedtimes waiting for "one more inning". Sophie has found a new love in the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and adores Daisy. We take the kids to the Disney Store for the first time. Sophie leaves with a large Daisy doll and does not put her down for about a week and a half. Gideon leaves with Pluto and even Milly grabbed a small Jessie doll. It's fun to see the kids eyes get wide as they see their favorite characters in a store where they can hold them and take them home. Milly begins babbling with a purpose and her first word is Mama. I am now two for one. (Sophie is the only one who said Dada first.) We take the kids to the Mesquite Lake Pointe Fall Festival. Everything goes surprisingly well!
November: We're gearing up for a trip to Arizona at Thanksgiving so the majority of the month is making lists and checking them twice. Gideon gets his first haircut and the building is still standing. I only cried a little. We have a get-together with my mother's side of the family and I'm reminded again how blessed I am and how nuts my family can be. Milly finally says Dada but NEVER around her DADA! Ben and I pay off the Volvo S80 we bought the first year we were married. It may not work but it's ours and we're grateful. We spend the 19th and the 20th traveling to Arizona with three kids. How we didn't end up tossing them at Nana and Grampie and then checking into the nearest Mental Institution is still beyond me. The kids are overjoyed to see their grandparents and great-grandparents and the weather is wonderful. On Thanksgiving Day, Ben is felled with a stomach virus. The grandparents take the kids while I stay at the hotel to care for Ben. Great-Grammie is also sick. When they bring the kids back that night, we find out that Gideon barfed all over his Grampie. He barfs again when he gets back to the hotel. Milly saves the day by saying Dada to her Daddy for the first time while in his lap. The next day, I'm sick and my MIL is sick. The grandparents take the kids while Ben takes me back to the hotel. The day we leave, Grampie and Great-Grampie are sick. Gideon barfs AGAIN in the hotel on the way home. Only Sophie and Milly manage to dodge the bug. Dyer Thanksgiving 2011 goes down in history.
December: Gideon is still having some freaky stomach problems. I take him off of dairy products to see if he is lactose-intolerant and it gets worse. Diaper changes become terrifying to my baby boy. Milly begins standing all by herself. She also becomes a dedicated thumb sucker. Sometimes, when the teething gets bad, then she'll take a pacifier. She has little bite marks all over her right thumb that make me cringe every time. We finish the last can of formula and switch her over to regular milk without a fuss. No diaper problems, no YUCK WHAT IS THIS, no drama. She prefers her milk warmed and really likes warm chocolate milk. On December 17th, Milly takes her first steps. She's only taken a few steps since then. We think it's because it's too unstable and slow. She's a speed crawler and has no time for walking. There's older siblings to chase! Christmas goes off without a hitch. I receive a new Kindle from my love with a handmade BY HIM cover! HE GOT CRAFTY. The kids got new toys including a Little People Ark and Sesame Street figurines. It's funny to watch them put Super Grover at the front of the Ark and think "Wow. That ark is DOOMED." The indoctrination also continued in the form of Texas A&M Reveille and the Texas Rangers Captain Pillow Pets. The girls wore matching Christmas sweater dresses and were the most adorable things on Earth. Sophie was accepted by a Developmental Pediatric Practice and will see them for the first time in January. Ben and I spent the last night of 2011 with steaks and Big Bang Theory.
2011, you were full of laughter, tears, surprises, sickness, healing and love.
2012, I can't wait to see what God has in store.
Sunday, December 11, 2011
Excuse You
(Ben is out running errands this afternoon and the other kids are asleep. I'm in my bed with Sophie trying to take a nap and convince her to do the same.)
*LOUD GINORMOUS FART THAT RATTLES THE BED*
*Sophie giggles*
Me: "Sophie, say excuse me."
Sophie: "Dada!"
Me: "It wasn't Dada."
Sophie: "DADDY!"
Me: "I heard it come out of your butt. It shook the whole blanket."
Sophie: *very insistent* "DAAADAAAA!"
Me: "Sophia, Daddy isn't even in the house! He's not even in the same city!"
Sophie: "IT DADA!!!!"
Me: *sigh* "Fine. Daddy tooted. Now go to sleep."
Sophie: "Ew."
*LOUD GINORMOUS FART THAT RATTLES THE BED*
*Sophie giggles*
Me: "Sophie, say excuse me."
Sophie: "Dada!"
Me: "It wasn't Dada."
Sophie: "DADDY!"
Me: "I heard it come out of your butt. It shook the whole blanket."
Sophie: *very insistent* "DAAADAAAA!"
Me: "Sophia, Daddy isn't even in the house! He's not even in the same city!"
Sophie: "IT DADA!!!!"
Me: *sigh* "Fine. Daddy tooted. Now go to sleep."
Sophie: "Ew."
Monday, November 7, 2011
Loner
I have tried to get Sophie to nap today. It did not go well and ended with her leaping from my bed after 45 minutes of tantrums. Now she wanders the house.
Sophie: "Gibbon?" (This is how she says Gideon.)
Me: "Sorry, kiddo. He's napping."
Sophie: "Oh. Nih-nih, Gibbon. Mei-Mei?!"
Me: "Also napping."
Sophie: "Oh...ni-ni, Mei-Mei."
*crestfallen sigh as she goes to play by herself.*
Sorry, kid. EVERYONE IN THE WORLD IS NAPPING BUT YOU. LEARN FROM THEM.
Sophie: "Gibbon?" (This is how she says Gideon.)
Me: "Sorry, kiddo. He's napping."
Sophie: "Oh. Nih-nih, Gibbon. Mei-Mei?!"
Me: "Also napping."
Sophie: "Oh...ni-ni, Mei-Mei."
*crestfallen sigh as she goes to play by herself.*
Sorry, kid. EVERYONE IN THE WORLD IS NAPPING BUT YOU. LEARN FROM THEM.
Thursday, November 3, 2011
Lord, Give Me Strength
You know what happens when you have kids close together?
You have two kids go through picky stages at the same time.
Sophie and Gideon ate nothing but tortillas at dinner last night and are now both refusing breakfast. They're drinking milk. I'm going to have to get some sort of Carnation Instant Breakfast to start putting in their morning milk to get some calories into them.
Milly, however, is looking at me like "Is that toast? Can I have another piece? I think I popped another button on my onesie!"
You have two kids go through picky stages at the same time.
Sophie and Gideon ate nothing but tortillas at dinner last night and are now both refusing breakfast. They're drinking milk. I'm going to have to get some sort of Carnation Instant Breakfast to start putting in their morning milk to get some calories into them.
Milly, however, is looking at me like "Is that toast? Can I have another piece? I think I popped another button on my onesie!"
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
Halloween 2011
I was so prepared for Halloween to bite.
Let me back up. We have a HORRIBLE Halloween track record. Sophie was 10 months old on her first Halloween and was sick. No cute baby pictures of a confused pumpkin or pea pod. The second Halloween we had a 22 month old daughter and a 3 month old son. Both were sick. I started to wonder if Halloween really was cursed.
Finally last year, both children were germ-free! I was pregnant but could waddle along to the Fall Festival. That's what you do in the Buckle of the Bible Belt. You go to church-run Fall Festivals where the kids can play games to earn their candy.
Yoda and the Prima Donna Ballerina were not amused. Neither of them like candy, the games confused them and it was way past their bedtime. We lasted maybe 30 minutes.
This year we had three little monsters. Warily, I procured costumes. Did you know that NO ONE ON EARTH makes a Daisy Duck costume for kids?! Daisy is Sophie's favorite Disney character. So we went with Minnie instead and she carried her best friend.
Minnie is a little bit of a ham.
Gideon was a race car driver. In true 2-year old form, he took great offence at being dressed up and paraded about.
So Ben decided that he was Kurt Busch.
Milly was supposed to be an adorable little kitty cat in a tutu.
(image from Party City)
Cute, right?
Milly grew. So we put her in a tutued long sleeved dress and called her a ballerina-princess-cute-baby.
We got to the Fall Festival and my spirits (har!) were lifted when Sophie successfully played a beanbag game. I just have to teach her to pick the good kind of candy. She just grabs indiscriminately. We played beanbag toss games, basketball and a game where the kids grabbed a plastic duck out of a small pond. Gideon wanted the duck more and actually got one foot in the pool before I caught him.
Did I mention that none of my kids like candy?
There was a petting zoo and pony rides. We knew that Gideon would lose his diaper if we put him on a moving animal so I took him into the petting zoo instead. He just stood back and stared at the goats. He screamed in protest whenever I encouraged him to actually, you know, PET the animals. Then, after a short line, we were able to see just what would happen if you put Sophie on a horse.
She actually liked it! She kept saying GINNUP! and HOESEY! and whenever we passed her Daddy with the camera she would yell CHEEEEESE! The only downside was that Mama picked poorly and put her on the LARGEST pony there. Sophie kept leaning towards me and I was honestly afraid that she would tumble right off. It didn't help that I couldn't convince her to hold onto the durn saddle. She had fun but a horsewoman she is not.
When we left, not one child was crying. In fact, they were all smiling. This counts as a Win in the Dyer book. We finally won a Halloween!
Let me back up. We have a HORRIBLE Halloween track record. Sophie was 10 months old on her first Halloween and was sick. No cute baby pictures of a confused pumpkin or pea pod. The second Halloween we had a 22 month old daughter and a 3 month old son. Both were sick. I started to wonder if Halloween really was cursed.
Finally last year, both children were germ-free! I was pregnant but could waddle along to the Fall Festival. That's what you do in the Buckle of the Bible Belt. You go to church-run Fall Festivals where the kids can play games to earn their candy.
Yoda and the Prima Donna Ballerina were not amused. Neither of them like candy, the games confused them and it was way past their bedtime. We lasted maybe 30 minutes.
This year we had three little monsters. Warily, I procured costumes. Did you know that NO ONE ON EARTH makes a Daisy Duck costume for kids?! Daisy is Sophie's favorite Disney character. So we went with Minnie instead and she carried her best friend.
Minnie is a little bit of a ham.
Gideon was a race car driver. In true 2-year old form, he took great offence at being dressed up and paraded about.
So Ben decided that he was Kurt Busch.
Milly was supposed to be an adorable little kitty cat in a tutu.
(image from Party City)
Cute, right?
Milly grew. So we put her in a tutued long sleeved dress and called her a ballerina-princess-cute-baby.
We got to the Fall Festival and my spirits (har!) were lifted when Sophie successfully played a beanbag game. I just have to teach her to pick the good kind of candy. She just grabs indiscriminately. We played beanbag toss games, basketball and a game where the kids grabbed a plastic duck out of a small pond. Gideon wanted the duck more and actually got one foot in the pool before I caught him.
Did I mention that none of my kids like candy?
There was a petting zoo and pony rides. We knew that Gideon would lose his diaper if we put him on a moving animal so I took him into the petting zoo instead. He just stood back and stared at the goats. He screamed in protest whenever I encouraged him to actually, you know, PET the animals. Then, after a short line, we were able to see just what would happen if you put Sophie on a horse.
She actually liked it! She kept saying GINNUP! and HOESEY! and whenever we passed her Daddy with the camera she would yell CHEEEEESE! The only downside was that Mama picked poorly and put her on the LARGEST pony there. Sophie kept leaning towards me and I was honestly afraid that she would tumble right off. It didn't help that I couldn't convince her to hold onto the durn saddle. She had fun but a horsewoman she is not.
When we left, not one child was crying. In fact, they were all smiling. This counts as a Win in the Dyer book. We finally won a Halloween!
Monday, August 29, 2011
Death to Naptime
I'm not sure what's happening in our house.
Sophie is 3 and a half. She has started to give up napping. I'm cool with this decision or "down wit it" as the younglings say. The only problem with her wanting to give up her afternoon nap is that by 5:00, demons start pouring out of her mouth and ears. Big purple demons with pitchforks, torches, butcher knives and clipboards asking if you have a minute for a small survey. They make her rampage through the house knocking down her brother and looking for small animals to stomp.
So I've started doing the Mom Thing of "You don't have to sleep. Just lay down and rest for a while." This isn't going over well, either. She takes this time to pin Pink Baby and Ernie to the wall by the crib rail and then strip her fitted sheet off the bed and wear it like a cape.
Next is my two year old, Gideon. The Boy still needs a nap and he will still take a nap.
Eventually.
First he has to do the I'm-Not-Tired dance for about 4 hours. Then he has to stare into space like a zombie for another 30 minutes. He has to refuse all food you give him and then try to eat the dried up macaroni that the vacuum missed on the floor under the ottoman. He has to stop playing with all 10 gazillion of his toys and only want your skillets and something from the recycling bin. Then he has to crawl all over you like you are Kilimanjaro. (YOU ARE THERE.) Once you get him into the bed, he has to take off the fitted sheet (what is with this?!) and try to crawl under his mattress.
Then he will finally pass out cold 20 minutes before you need to leave to go somewhere.
Milly takes about 3 naps a day. Well, according to the schedule, she takes 3 naps a day. In truth, she screams like she's being skinned alive until I feed her a bottle and then will army crawl over the entire living room looking for razor blades to swallow. She will slither up behind her brother and grab his ankle causing him to leap 40 feet into the air and clutch the ceiling fan. Then, when she is yawning, she gently lays down and everything is wonderful.
For about 40 minutes.
My mother has asked me before why I put my kids to bed at 7:00. ("It's so early!)
Mama's tired, yo.
Sophie is 3 and a half. She has started to give up napping. I'm cool with this decision or "down wit it" as the younglings say. The only problem with her wanting to give up her afternoon nap is that by 5:00, demons start pouring out of her mouth and ears. Big purple demons with pitchforks, torches, butcher knives and clipboards asking if you have a minute for a small survey. They make her rampage through the house knocking down her brother and looking for small animals to stomp.
So I've started doing the Mom Thing of "You don't have to sleep. Just lay down and rest for a while." This isn't going over well, either. She takes this time to pin Pink Baby and Ernie to the wall by the crib rail and then strip her fitted sheet off the bed and wear it like a cape.
Next is my two year old, Gideon. The Boy still needs a nap and he will still take a nap.
Eventually.
First he has to do the I'm-Not-Tired dance for about 4 hours. Then he has to stare into space like a zombie for another 30 minutes. He has to refuse all food you give him and then try to eat the dried up macaroni that the vacuum missed on the floor under the ottoman. He has to stop playing with all 10 gazillion of his toys and only want your skillets and something from the recycling bin. Then he has to crawl all over you like you are Kilimanjaro. (YOU ARE THERE.) Once you get him into the bed, he has to take off the fitted sheet (what is with this?!) and try to crawl under his mattress.
Then he will finally pass out cold 20 minutes before you need to leave to go somewhere.
Milly takes about 3 naps a day. Well, according to the schedule, she takes 3 naps a day. In truth, she screams like she's being skinned alive until I feed her a bottle and then will army crawl over the entire living room looking for razor blades to swallow. She will slither up behind her brother and grab his ankle causing him to leap 40 feet into the air and clutch the ceiling fan. Then, when she is yawning, she gently lays down and everything is wonderful.
For about 40 minutes.
My mother has asked me before why I put my kids to bed at 7:00. ("It's so early!)
Mama's tired, yo.
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Potty Training Tears
Potty Training Boot Camp Day Two was a lot like Day One. There were a gazillion tries on the potty with no results. There was a giant diaper after her nap. There was a 45 minute tantrum on the potty when I refused to put a diaper on her and she just could not hold it any longer. There was an accident all across the floor when she was exhausted and angry and just done with the day. (On Day One, she had the same kind of accident but walked over her sister who was on a blanket on the floor. Poor Milly got caught in the crossfire.)
Today began Day Three. She started doing the Potty Dance around 10:00 and I took her into the bathroom. The tears, screams and tantrum started almost instantly. She sat on the potty and started holding it as much as she could. I held her hands and firmly told her that she had to go.
She cried.
I didn't budge.
She screamed.
I didn't budge.
She cried, screamed, tore at her hair, tried to lunge off of the potty and generally became hysterical.
I didn't budge.
She peed in the potty and then threw up all over me.
I cleaned us up and declared Potty Training over.
Sophie is aware of how to use the potty. Sophie will decide when she is ready to use the potty. Not me, not her father, not her Grandma, not anyone on this Earth will be able to force her to go before she is ready to make that choice. She will wear training diapers and I will take her to the potty every morning, night and at least every 2 hours. If something happens, great. If nothing happens, no big deal. If it keeps her out of certain classes then we'll find something else for her to do.
If people think that this is my fault, FINE.
If people think that my child is retarded or autistic, FINE.
KEEP IT TO YOURSELF.
I've already beaten myself to Hell and back over this. I know Sophie better than anyone else on this planet. I know that God has Sophie curled into His palm. She is healthy and wonderful. Sophie will be fine.
Today began Day Three. She started doing the Potty Dance around 10:00 and I took her into the bathroom. The tears, screams and tantrum started almost instantly. She sat on the potty and started holding it as much as she could. I held her hands and firmly told her that she had to go.
She cried.
I didn't budge.
She screamed.
I didn't budge.
She cried, screamed, tore at her hair, tried to lunge off of the potty and generally became hysterical.
I didn't budge.
She peed in the potty and then threw up all over me.
I cleaned us up and declared Potty Training over.
Sophie is aware of how to use the potty. Sophie will decide when she is ready to use the potty. Not me, not her father, not her Grandma, not anyone on this Earth will be able to force her to go before she is ready to make that choice. She will wear training diapers and I will take her to the potty every morning, night and at least every 2 hours. If something happens, great. If nothing happens, no big deal. If it keeps her out of certain classes then we'll find something else for her to do.
If people think that this is my fault, FINE.
If people think that my child is retarded or autistic, FINE.
KEEP IT TO YOURSELF.
I've already beaten myself to Hell and back over this. I know Sophie better than anyone else on this planet. I know that God has Sophie curled into His palm. She is healthy and wonderful. Sophie will be fine.
Monday, June 20, 2011
Potty Training Boot Camp Day #1
6,435,675,546 empty tries in the potty all ending with a gleeful "Bye-bye potty!"
1 shiney heinie dancing around all day.
1 fake nap in a diaper ending with a VERY wet diaper.
A 30 minute tantrum at 5:00 begging Mama to put a diaper on her so she can tee-tee. Mama refuses.
2 successful tee-tees in the potty. Only the first is through tears and requires snuggling with Mama afterwards.
1 shiney heinie dancing around all day.
1 fake nap in a diaper ending with a VERY wet diaper.
A 30 minute tantrum at 5:00 begging Mama to put a diaper on her so she can tee-tee. Mama refuses.
2 successful tee-tees in the potty. Only the first is through tears and requires snuggling with Mama afterwards.
Monday, May 2, 2011
Getaway
Last Wednesday Gideon and I spent the night as guests of Children's Legacy. He had an ear infection, a high fever and was struggling to breathe. I was worried about it settling in his lungs and having another pneumonia stay like last year. He had a chest x-ray, an IV steroid and a few breathing treatments. They kept him overnight for observation and the next morning everyone was satisfied that the danger had passed. Gideon went through a lot that day including a Torquemada-like device to keep him in place for the x-ray, an IV with a splint to prevent him from moving his arm and getting cathed for a urine sample that made him terrified to potty for the rest of the night. I held that kid on my chest most of the night. It reminded me of nights in the NICU. Of course, now he weighed 25 pounds instead of 6.
On Friday, we realized that I was sick too. Ben stayed home and helped get Sophie to the pediatrician and me to the clinic. Sophie has a blocked ear tube and I have a sinus infection so ear drops for her and an antibiotic for me. The whole weekend has been a blur of wiping noses, naps and sitting on children's chests to force them to take their medicine.
On Saturday, Sophie had an EPIC tantrum that lasted an hour. She fought me like the devil and then passed out in my arms. She was just tired, sick and angry. She had to take it out on someone and I offered myself. Once she was done fighting and had fallen asleep, I eased myself away from her to let her sleep. She whimpered and grabbed back at me. I put my arms around her and let her sleep in my embrace for a while. It's OK to need your Mama. Lord knows, I needed to love on my baby.
Today it's raining. We're all getting better but we're still coughing. Tempers are still a little tender. The weather and sinus infection makes my head hurt so I've taken my heavy duty medicine. Mama's a little bit zombified.
Every once and a while I put my head back and daydream about a quiet beach. A big comfy chair with an umbrella, my husband beside me, a good book and a cold drink. My bare toes buried in the warm sand.
I really like that dream.
On Friday, we realized that I was sick too. Ben stayed home and helped get Sophie to the pediatrician and me to the clinic. Sophie has a blocked ear tube and I have a sinus infection so ear drops for her and an antibiotic for me. The whole weekend has been a blur of wiping noses, naps and sitting on children's chests to force them to take their medicine.
On Saturday, Sophie had an EPIC tantrum that lasted an hour. She fought me like the devil and then passed out in my arms. She was just tired, sick and angry. She had to take it out on someone and I offered myself. Once she was done fighting and had fallen asleep, I eased myself away from her to let her sleep. She whimpered and grabbed back at me. I put my arms around her and let her sleep in my embrace for a while. It's OK to need your Mama. Lord knows, I needed to love on my baby.
Today it's raining. We're all getting better but we're still coughing. Tempers are still a little tender. The weather and sinus infection makes my head hurt so I've taken my heavy duty medicine. Mama's a little bit zombified.
Every once and a while I put my head back and daydream about a quiet beach. A big comfy chair with an umbrella, my husband beside me, a good book and a cold drink. My bare toes buried in the warm sand.
I really like that dream.
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Monkey Antics
Milly rolled from her belly to her back twice yesterday. She's sleeping pretty consistently through the night. She goes to bed sometime between 9:00 and 10:00 and will usually sleep until 7:00 AM. We just switched her to a thickened formula that is supposed to prevent spitting up and it has the added bonus of making her feel fuller longer. She is such a HAPPY HAPPY JOY JOY baby and is always smiling. I no longer call her Murray and now call her Buddy the Elf. ("Smiling's my favorite!) She was just under 12 pounds when we went to the doctor earlier this month and is 23 inches long. She is such a chunky little thing and loves to be cuddled. She also loves to talk, talk, talk, talk, TALK, TALK, TALK, OMG WHERE IS THE OFF SWITCH ON THIS KID?! She is a delight to be around when she's not demanding to be held until she falls asleep at 2 AM. I could really do with less of that behavior.
Gideon is getting molars and they are coming in S-L-O-W-L-Y. Poor buddy just keeps drooling and gnawing on everything. It looks like we live with beavers. All of the corners on the TV cabinet are chewed and every edge on the end tables are nibbled. All of the wooden blocks look like we've run them through a dull wood chipper. He runs random fevers and cries when he hurts. He pulls at his ears and cheeks. Those big brown eyes fill with tears and look at me as if to say "Fix it, Mama!" I wish I had a way to make it all go away. All I can do is offer cold drinks, soft food and ibuprofen when it gets really bad. Then I just cuddle him to me and sing his favorite lullabye. He's also become addicted to his Daddy. I think he looked around and realized just how many girls are in this house and is now clinging to the other testosterone-riddled body that actually knows the right way to play with cars.
Sophie is flourishing at Mother's Day Out. (In my opinion.) She's getting into a routine and knows her teachers. She doesn't cry until she gets up to the door of her classroom. Instead, she gets a determined look on her little face and marches right into that church. She ignores all greetings and goes straight to her classroom and lifts her arms to her teacher. The tears bubble up a bit until the teacher reminds her that she can go color. Then she calms down and goes over to the craft table. (After a kiss goodbye to Mama.) She's still very quiet in MDO and at Sunday School. She doesn't speak around those she doesn't know. However, she's been chatty at home. She's learned her colors and likes to identify everything around her. She still throws some pretty epic tantrums but I'm trying to be patient and get to the core of what's really wrong. It's hard because she still doesn't communicate well. It's frustrating for both of us but she's more than worth it.
So that's the latest with the Dyer Monkeys. Hopefully I can figure out how to do a picture post next.
Gideon is getting molars and they are coming in S-L-O-W-L-Y. Poor buddy just keeps drooling and gnawing on everything. It looks like we live with beavers. All of the corners on the TV cabinet are chewed and every edge on the end tables are nibbled. All of the wooden blocks look like we've run them through a dull wood chipper. He runs random fevers and cries when he hurts. He pulls at his ears and cheeks. Those big brown eyes fill with tears and look at me as if to say "Fix it, Mama!" I wish I had a way to make it all go away. All I can do is offer cold drinks, soft food and ibuprofen when it gets really bad. Then I just cuddle him to me and sing his favorite lullabye. He's also become addicted to his Daddy. I think he looked around and realized just how many girls are in this house and is now clinging to the other testosterone-riddled body that actually knows the right way to play with cars.
Sophie is flourishing at Mother's Day Out. (In my opinion.) She's getting into a routine and knows her teachers. She doesn't cry until she gets up to the door of her classroom. Instead, she gets a determined look on her little face and marches right into that church. She ignores all greetings and goes straight to her classroom and lifts her arms to her teacher. The tears bubble up a bit until the teacher reminds her that she can go color. Then she calms down and goes over to the craft table. (After a kiss goodbye to Mama.) She's still very quiet in MDO and at Sunday School. She doesn't speak around those she doesn't know. However, she's been chatty at home. She's learned her colors and likes to identify everything around her. She still throws some pretty epic tantrums but I'm trying to be patient and get to the core of what's really wrong. It's hard because she still doesn't communicate well. It's frustrating for both of us but she's more than worth it.
So that's the latest with the Dyer Monkeys. Hopefully I can figure out how to do a picture post next.
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Mother's Day Out
Two weeks ago, Sophie and Gideon started Mother's Day Out. They go every Wednesday and Friday from 9 to 2.
HEAVEN.
I now have days where I can make phone calls without Gideon trying to grab it from me and chatter away to the plumber. I can go to the doctor without Sophie picking up every single tongue depressor in the office while I'm getting my ears checked. I can go to the grocery store without filing the cart with kids and having only 1/4 of an inch left for actual food. I go HOURS without listening to Sesame Street songs and tantrums.
The kids are doing well, too. They really need the socialization and the time away from each other. Poor Gideon is usually at the mercy of his somewhat demanding older sister at home. If she's thirsty, she brings me both sippy cups and asks for milk or juice. Then she brings one to him, shoves it in his hands and stares at him until he drinks. At school he gets to do things his way. If he wants to play with trucks, then he plays with trucks. His teachers adore him and swoop him up every morning as soon as he gets there. He cries a little each morning but fine after a few minutes. He's loving it.
Meanwhile, Sophie is learning that she is OK if Mama is not there during the day. It's actually the first time I've seen her frightened. She's usually such a strong and determined little thing. When we pull into the parking lot, Sophie's eyes fill with tears but she doesn't make a sound. She walks beside me and goes right to her classroom. The crying gets worse as we get closer. She always turns around and lets me hug and kiss her. Still, while I know she trusts me and she knows that I'll come back, I can see that she's scared. It's very much like what I used to do when I was a kid. It's probably going to be a problem every year she goes to school. My Mama was able to teach me how to overcome my fears and I know that I can help Sophie. Her teachers describe her as "emotional". She doesn't cry all day but she's still struggling. It's going to take some time. It's a little odd to look at her and see a tiny mirror of myself.
Milly and I are having fun together. I get to spend quality time with my newborn. I was really missing that. I got that with Sophie because she was my first. When Gideon was born, Ben was at home and was able to help me get that newborn time. Now I'm able to get that with Milly.
I'm so grateful for each of my kids. Even if they do drive me nuts every now and then.
HEAVEN.
I now have days where I can make phone calls without Gideon trying to grab it from me and chatter away to the plumber. I can go to the doctor without Sophie picking up every single tongue depressor in the office while I'm getting my ears checked. I can go to the grocery store without filing the cart with kids and having only 1/4 of an inch left for actual food. I go HOURS without listening to Sesame Street songs and tantrums.
The kids are doing well, too. They really need the socialization and the time away from each other. Poor Gideon is usually at the mercy of his somewhat demanding older sister at home. If she's thirsty, she brings me both sippy cups and asks for milk or juice. Then she brings one to him, shoves it in his hands and stares at him until he drinks. At school he gets to do things his way. If he wants to play with trucks, then he plays with trucks. His teachers adore him and swoop him up every morning as soon as he gets there. He cries a little each morning but fine after a few minutes. He's loving it.
Meanwhile, Sophie is learning that she is OK if Mama is not there during the day. It's actually the first time I've seen her frightened. She's usually such a strong and determined little thing. When we pull into the parking lot, Sophie's eyes fill with tears but she doesn't make a sound. She walks beside me and goes right to her classroom. The crying gets worse as we get closer. She always turns around and lets me hug and kiss her. Still, while I know she trusts me and she knows that I'll come back, I can see that she's scared. It's very much like what I used to do when I was a kid. It's probably going to be a problem every year she goes to school. My Mama was able to teach me how to overcome my fears and I know that I can help Sophie. Her teachers describe her as "emotional". She doesn't cry all day but she's still struggling. It's going to take some time. It's a little odd to look at her and see a tiny mirror of myself.
Milly and I are having fun together. I get to spend quality time with my newborn. I was really missing that. I got that with Sophie because she was my first. When Gideon was born, Ben was at home and was able to help me get that newborn time. Now I'm able to get that with Milly.
I'm so grateful for each of my kids. Even if they do drive me nuts every now and then.
Monday, March 14, 2011
My Eldest
Sophie changed my life. Since June 25th, when those two little lines popped up on that test, I've been a different person. She came into this world with a huge amount of DRAMA. That really should have tipped me off. Here are a few Sophie stories.
SOPHIE STORY #1
Last week, Gideon was already bathed and in bed and Milly was asleep in her crib. I plunked Sophie into the tub and she started to play while I tried to wet her hair without her freaking out. (Hair washing is a big Freak Out right now.) All of the sudden, she looked up at me very seriously.
"Poop."
"Beg your pardon?"
"Poop. Yep. Poop."
She always sounds like Rainman. Sure enough, there was a floater in the tub. I hauled her out and stood her on a towel while I drained and cleaned the tub. She wrapped her arms around her and shivered while she watched.
"Sowwy!"
"It's OK, baby! You just had to go poop. We're just going to clean the tub and let you get back in."
"IS COLD!"
"I know. It's just going to take a little bit."
*peer into the tub* "Poop."
"I know, baby."
"SOWWY!"
*REPEAT 8,245 TIMES UNTIL I GET HER BACK IN THE TUB*
This is the most meaningful conversation I've had with my daughter. She pooped in the tub, she was sorry and now she was cold. Over and over until we were both giggling. I've never had so much fun in my life.
SOPHIE STORY #2
This is from Ben. He just remembered to tell me about it tonight and we both laughed until we cried. Sophie is still in her crib. We're waiting until we move to get her a big girl bed. On Sunday morning he went to get her out of bed and realized that she had gotten a hold of the box of Milly's clothes next to her crib. Sophie is also learning how to put her own clothes on and decided to give it a shot. She decided to try on her infant sister's sweater.
As pants.
That's Mommy's little genius.
SOPHIE STORY #3
Sophie has basically given up her nap but sometimes will still need to just lie down for some quiet time. She does better if I let her back in my bed and I lie down next to her. We laid down today and she snuggled down into her daddy's pillows. I closed my eyes and pretended to sleep thinking it might make her be quiet and stop twirling her doll around her head. (Not so much.) Finally I just let her lie there and be quiet even if she wouldn't sleep. I turned over and the sheet fell down my arm. Before I could reach it, Sophie reached over and pulled it up to my chin. A few minutes later, I turned again and the sheet fell again. Sophie pulled it up, patted my shoulder and said "Night-night, Mama." My heart nearly burst with love for my little girl. She may be strong willed and very silly but she is so tender hearted. That combination is going to be dynamite in God's hands.
And I have a front row seat.
SOPHIE STORY #1
Last week, Gideon was already bathed and in bed and Milly was asleep in her crib. I plunked Sophie into the tub and she started to play while I tried to wet her hair without her freaking out. (Hair washing is a big Freak Out right now.) All of the sudden, she looked up at me very seriously.
"Poop."
"Beg your pardon?"
"Poop. Yep. Poop."
She always sounds like Rainman. Sure enough, there was a floater in the tub. I hauled her out and stood her on a towel while I drained and cleaned the tub. She wrapped her arms around her and shivered while she watched.
"Sowwy!"
"It's OK, baby! You just had to go poop. We're just going to clean the tub and let you get back in."
"IS COLD!"
"I know. It's just going to take a little bit."
*peer into the tub* "Poop."
"I know, baby."
"SOWWY!"
*REPEAT 8,245 TIMES UNTIL I GET HER BACK IN THE TUB*
This is the most meaningful conversation I've had with my daughter. She pooped in the tub, she was sorry and now she was cold. Over and over until we were both giggling. I've never had so much fun in my life.
SOPHIE STORY #2
This is from Ben. He just remembered to tell me about it tonight and we both laughed until we cried. Sophie is still in her crib. We're waiting until we move to get her a big girl bed. On Sunday morning he went to get her out of bed and realized that she had gotten a hold of the box of Milly's clothes next to her crib. Sophie is also learning how to put her own clothes on and decided to give it a shot. She decided to try on her infant sister's sweater.
As pants.
That's Mommy's little genius.
SOPHIE STORY #3
Sophie has basically given up her nap but sometimes will still need to just lie down for some quiet time. She does better if I let her back in my bed and I lie down next to her. We laid down today and she snuggled down into her daddy's pillows. I closed my eyes and pretended to sleep thinking it might make her be quiet and stop twirling her doll around her head. (Not so much.) Finally I just let her lie there and be quiet even if she wouldn't sleep. I turned over and the sheet fell down my arm. Before I could reach it, Sophie reached over and pulled it up to my chin. A few minutes later, I turned again and the sheet fell again. Sophie pulled it up, patted my shoulder and said "Night-night, Mama." My heart nearly burst with love for my little girl. She may be strong willed and very silly but she is so tender hearted. That combination is going to be dynamite in God's hands.
And I have a front row seat.
Saturday, February 5, 2011
You're Doing it Wrong
Sophie's tantrums are getting scary and I think I'm handling them wrong.
First I tried putting her in her empty crib for Time Out. Once the screams died down, I would go in there and have a one sided conversation about why she shouldn't scream/throw things/hit people/cause destruction/etc. This didn't seem to do anything and she would usually get angry about 3 seconds after getting out of the crib. So then I started holding her and letting her fight against me. She screams and struggles until she gets it out of her system. When she starts to calm down, I ask her if she wants her baby. She gets her baby when she stops yelling. Once she stops yelling and has her baby in her arms, I talk to her about why she can't tell/hit/throw/destroy/etc. This seems to work a little better. She wouldn't be angry afterwards.
However, twice in the last few weeks there have been actual meltdowns where I had to restrain her from hitting me and herself. It really scares me. I've already been arguing with myself for over a year about autism. (Why doesn't she talk? Why doesn't she cuddle? Why does she get so FREAKING ANGRY?) Aren't meltdowns a part of all of that?
It doesn't help that everyone else's kids seem to be freaking geniuses. They're all speaking in complete sentences by 4 months old and giving guest lectures on quantum physics by 2 years old. They not only eat with silverware but have perfect manners. Some have eschewed potty training and just reabsorb everything back into their bodies. It's more green, you know. Meanwhile, my 3 year old is dangling from my arms, diaper soaking through her pants and onto my shirt, screaming nonsense at the top of her lungs because I handed her a blue crayon.
I know it's my fault. She was early. Maybe I did something. Maybe I'm doing something now. Maybe I'm not doing something now. Maybe I didn't get the First Kid Handbook that everyone else seems to have. I'm taking this beautiful little blue-grey eyed girl from God and just ruining her.
Maybe I should mention this to my psychiatrist. It might be time for better meds.
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