Sunday, July 26, 2009
Band Aid Finger and AFV
He is now able to climb onto the rocker/recliner and the couch. Once he is up there he likes to walk on the couch (we have an L shaped couch) and the coffee table is in front of the table. We push it all the way up to the couch because Brandon likes to crawl under it and behind it and get stuck. Now he likes to crawl on the couch and then on top of the table and dance on it.
Today Brandon cut his pointer finger on his left hand. We don't know how he cut it but while sitting on the couch after dinner dad realized his finger was bleeding. We sat for almost an hour trying to get it to stop with putting pressure on it. Brandon got a bit upset about this because he wanted to get down and play. He didn't realize what was going on. I am thinking it didn't hurt him because he was pulling it away and didn't want us to take care of it. We went through half a box of band aids before the bleeding stopped.
As mean as this might sound, the cutest thing was how he held his finger after the band aid changes. He did try and get the band aids off which is why we wrapped it with 2 or 3 at a time. After we were done and he realized he couldn't get the band aid off he would walk around holding his one pointer finger in the air. As of right now the finger is wrapped and he is doing well (sound asleep).
My favorite part of the day today was when we were all watching America's Funniest Home Videos (AFV). Brandon would sit and watch any parts with animals in it. He would laugh hysterically at any puppy/dog ones. We would rewind the show (we love our dvr) and play it over and over so he would keep laughing. He had a fun time with AFV and we know what makes him laugh! Good Show!
Friday, July 17, 2009
Are You One Finger?
The most popular time we ask is when they just turn one. They are official a 'finger' a whole 'one finger' years old.
Today I was practicing this with Brandon. I would ask him the question and then hold up my one finger and wait for a reaction from him. Right away he repeated my actions which is what all of us moms want. Thinking, "My he is SO smart" I applauded his answer. The key to kids learning anything is repeating yourself over and over. A few minutes later I asked again, "How old are you?" and held up my one finger. Again, he knew exactly what to do. However, this time he stood starring at me waiting for my next action. I thought he was looking for praise from me but I was wrong. After a few brief moments later he ran over to me and grabbed my 'one' finger. With his other hand he dug for my other 'one' finger and then put them together.
I scared him with my laughing response.
You see, he doesn't think of just the 'Are you one finger' but thinks the 2 fingers that go together. He thinks this because I have been busy teaching him 'Cut the Pickle'. He kept putting my fingers together and apart. He could care less about the 'Are You One Finger' but rather the 'Cut the Pickle' finger because he knows it gets him a good laugh.
Not only does Brandon get his laugh with a 'tickle, tickle' to his belly mom gets a good laugh because he learned 'cut the pickle' before 'are you one' and his reaction to it is just perfect for a 'tickle, tickle' for mom.
Thursday, July 16, 2009
The Praise vs. Scold dilemma (TMI Warning)
At 8:49am on Wednesday morning Brandon woke up chatting like usual. After I secured the living room (aka closed the baby gate) I excitedly ventured down the hallway to get my happy little boy. Obviously he was going to be happy because I could smell the hard work he did in his diaper from the hallway. Thinking, "Boy, that must have been a hard one for him. I bet he feels better." I turned the knob in slow motion like you see in a horror movie. I walked in and screamed (and gagged).
My perfect little boy had learned how to take off his diaper. Not only did he learn how to take it off he also learned how to use his entire crib and himself and a bathroom for his diaper #2 duties. Why is it that toddlers think because it is brown it must be a fingerpaint? I wanted to laugh but I cried! I didn't know where to start. Sadly, I called my sister and my mom to get some moral support.
The praise vs. scold dilemma came when I noticed how proud Brandon was that he took his diaper off himself. He thought he was doing mommy a huge favor and that he was such a big boy because he took his own diaper off. Do you become a proud momma that your little bear learned a new thing and he applied himself or do you scold him for the disaster of a mess he created?
This is not the first time I have pondered the problem. He has had this reaction more than once.
When he tips his entire cup upside down and is so proud he got all the milk out of the cup.
When he knows how to use the remote to turn the television to another division of the world (we have 4 remotes and many different steps need to be taken to just watch tv). He thinks he is so smart he got the screen to change but you have no idea what planet the television is portraying.
When he learns things can go into the toilet and when you push the flush button they disappear. This only happened with a little fuzzy toy once but Brandon thought he was Houdini the Magician.
When he realized the bed skirt on his crib is just for decoration. He realized he could fit under there and get stuck. He knows a good hide and go seek spot now.
When he noticed rocks look just as good in the rock area of the yard as they do the grass area. He was so proud of himself for just starting his own landscaping company and made life easier for dad who doesn't have to mow the yard anymore if you just fill it all with rock.
When he learned Grandma and Grandpa react when they are splashed with water. He was so proud he saved them from the heat and used the water to keep them cool.
Obviously, Brandon is proud of himself for finding new and exciting things to learn and ways to contribute to the world. As his mom, I want to be really proud of him as well and praise him when he learns new things but as a 'MOM' I also want to scold him, discipline when necessary and redirect! So as the BEST MOM you come to a middle ground.
So, you solve the dilemma? What would YOU do? Leave a comment! I want to hear from YOU!
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
What they never tell you!
While 8 months pregnant Rob and I spent some time at our local bookstore where I ventured over to the Mom and Baby section. I found one of these 'What they never tell you books' that I normally are written by a celebrity (Jenny McCartney, Tori Spelling). After skimming through the book I realized 'they' (whomever 'they' are) have really done a good job at telling me what I need to know.
For instance (warning: gore ahead) and this isn't necessarily true for me but for examples,
1. Labor and Delivery hurts. It feels like you are taking the largest poo in your life and then multiple that by 100. Yes, I knew it hurts and would feel like I expected it to feel. You are trying to push a watermelon through something the size of a grape.
2. Some women, while pushing during delivery have their own BM...that actually made total sense to me.
3. While pushing that watermelon through something the size of a grape, some women can tear. Not just a bit but a whole tear from one hole to another.
4. The last month of your pregnancy it feels like a 50 pound bowling ball is not only sitting on your bladder but on your pelvic bone and you swear there has to be a fracture in that bone.
5. The last weeks of your pregnancy it will feel like that bowling ball will fall out as you walk down the hallway.
So for me- these things were not really new. I wasn't totally surprised at all
However there are a few things someone never told me: AFTER THE FIRST YEAR!
1. You will be bent over at the waste, nearly touching your toes, at a minimum of 8 hours a day.
2. Your older infant/toddler can screech louder and longer than a group of tween age girls at a Jonas Brothers Concert.
3. You will say "NO" or "Don't touch that." about 2.25 times a second.
4. You will pee your pants when you are downstairs getting the laundry while your husband and child are upstairs when you hear a thud and a blood-hurdling scream. You know your husband is with your child but your heart will skip a beat.
5. You will sweep your kitchen floor 3 times and mop it 3 times and when it is done you will do it all over again. When you go to bed at night you will worry about the dirty/clean kitchen floor. When it is clean and you wonder how long it is going to last...you look over at your child in the high chair and see him flip his food all over the floor. That was a record- 8 seconds of cleanliness for a floor.
6. You will get sick of picking up your kid over and over and over and over...well, you get the picture. This is how my son learned to do stairs. I was sick of hauling him up and down. I decided to open the gate and tell him to figure it out (with our help of course). It took him 2 stairs and he figured out how to do it. He never once fell and now he climbs them up and down all on his own.
7. Newborn babies sleep all the time. That whole 'sleep when the baby sleeps' is bogus. Your newborn will be asleep more than you can imagine so there is plenty of time to sleep and catch up. Now in the toddler years- you do want to nap when the toddler naps. The main reason is your kid has more energy than a 12 pack of Red Bull waiting to be chugged. You will get tired quickly.
8. You can't always count on nursing to help burn the calories and pre-baby weight. If you can wait until the toddler years you shouldn't have to worry. Your toddler will be your personal trainer...now if you can only figure out a way for them to get paid for it.
9. If you have ever seen a house demolished by a tornado then you have seen a toddlers play area...(only better).
10. When table foods have started and you are planning on going to dinner there is a total plan. First, you have to go to certain places that will serve some kind of food your child can have. Chinese isn't the best. Next you have to have an appetizer for the kid (not you). It is best to bring these from home. When you sit down be prepared to order your meal immediately when giving your drink order. When you get your food- shovel fast because your kid will be crabby and itching to go in a matter of 3 minutes. You must keep all this in mind while pushing all your food and everything to one side of the table so your toddler in their high chair/booster seat can have access to 3/4 of the table.
11. You have to be very prepared for keeping a straight, firm face while sitting with your child in time out. He/She will make funny faces at you, smile, laugh, poke you in the face, try to make you laugh....but you have to stay tough and not give in.
AND most importantly, they never tell you that your kid is kind of picking his nose while posing for the family July 4th photo (hence the photo above).
I am sure there will be plenty of more 'learning' along the way. Learning things that people have never told me before about being a momma/parent. Maybe I need to become a celebrity and write my own book.
Blog Hop...3 things you didn't know about me.
***3 Things You Didn't Know About Me...
Because I write so much about Bear and not too much about momma (plus I share lots about him) I am going to do my 3 things about Momma!
1. I had surgery at 17 weeks pregnant. They had to take out my Gal Bladder. It was supposed to be an in/out surgery and the pain was horrible and I was in the hospital for 3 days.
2. I was born Michelle but my parents couldn't agree how to spell the name so they switched it to Melissa.
3. My nickname on my moms side of the family is Minnie Pearl. As a kid I dressed up in my grandmothers clothes, make up, and fake jewels. The name took pretty quickly and stuck. Now they still call me Minnie. If I called one of them and said, "Hi It's Melissa." They wouldn't know who I am.
***

Sunday, July 12, 2009
Mom Confessions
So, I am confessing today some of the things I beat myself up about. Maybe if I can overcome these things I might solve the sleep issue I have.
1. I have done 6 loads of laundry in one day only to go to bed angry at myself I didn’t do an even 10 loads-even if there weren’t 10 loads to do.
2. I have left the sprinkler on for over 4 hours because every time I walk up and down the stairs I have a load of laundry in my arms.
3. I have spent an extra 20 minutes washing and drying dishes by hand because I HATE to load and unload the dishwasher.
4. I have pushed all of Brandon’s toys to the side of the room instead of actually putting them in his toy box. This still makes the living room look somewhat picked up and tidy.
5. There have been nights when I am too tired to put the clean sheets on the bed so I lay a sheet over the top of the bed and sleep on that.
6. I have thrown one too many kitties across the room because they easily annoy me. Ok- a small exaggeration here.
7. I have, one more than one occasion, had a ‘picnic’ with Brandon in the living room. I do this a lot for breakfast because I have this thing about watching the morning news.
8. I have had my days when I am SO SICK of sweeping the kitchen floor that I sweep it all into a pile and leave it there. It will stay just fine until the next sweep or sometimes until Rob gets home to pick it up for me. This is another chore I HATE doing (hurts my back). Rob is nice enough to do it for me.
9. Those 6 loads of laundry I mentioned- I did them all with a few coins in the bottom of the washer because I just don’t want to bed over to pick up 20 coins that my husband didn’t take out of his pocket.
10. I have made Brandon go on a ‘car ride’ with me just to get a Starbucks. Only to go on another car ride 3 hours later for another Starbucks.
11. Do Brandon’s clothes really always need to be put away? Can’t the clean clothes sit in the ‘clean hamper’ and we pull them from there?
12. Only twice have I ‘fibbed’ to my husband about my back pain so he will offer to sleep on the couch and I can have the whole bed to myself. This actually does help my back pain and allows me to get a good nights sleep- something that is hard for me.
13. I have told my husband I have a ‘work meeting’ that will last a couple hours just so I can get out of the house and spend a couple hours on my own. If I were to tell Rob I need a couple hours out alone he would totally give them for me but for some reason my guilt won’t give them to me.
14. While visiting family, I have had them say to me, “I think he needs a diaper change before you head home.” I reply, “No- he is good” only because he will get changed when we get home anyway before bed.
15. I have hit the ‘reverse’ button on our Kirby Vacuum cleaner which then makes it act like a blower only to use it to ‘dust’ the furniture in our living room.
16. I have given Brandon a bottle when he shouldn’t have had one (too old for them now) just because he has figured out how to tip his sippy cups upside down and squeeze them to get the liquid out but when he drinks from a bottle he doesn’t get liquid all over.
17. I have used the Nuk as a mute button.
18. I have searched for ear plugs in our house (seeing Rob does construction we have them around) when Brandon is throwing a tantrum- just to take the edge off his screeches.
19. I have used a walk to the mailbox as a mommy time out.
20. I have left Brandon in time out 10 seconds too long just because I am angry and I think he will realize how angry I am if he has an extra 10 seconds- he really doesn’t know or care- he still just sits and waits for his time out to be over.
21. And something every mom does…uses the bathroom often just because we all know that is the ONE place where we can have some extra peace and quiet. When Rob asks, “You okay” I reply, “Yeah, my tummy just hurts” when really I am just sitting on the edge of the tub checking my facebook!