Eddie's First Day of School

Last fall, our friend Kristina told us about a preschool for two year olds that is run through the Jordan School District Child Development Center (the same place that did Eddie's physical therapy). Her twins have been going all year. I thought about signing Ed up back in the fall, but since I was pregnant and feared that my immune system would tank when winter hit, I decided not to enroll him so that we could avoid being sick all winter. I'm not sure if this helped us avoid disease or if we both just have stronger immune systems than we have had in previous years.

Well, now it is March and Eddie and I have been cooped up in the house for way too long. We know how to drive each other completely crazy and we definitely have cabin fever. So I asked Kristina about preschool again and promptly signed Eddie up for the rest of the year. The classes are actually designed for kids who are developmentally delayed, but they need non-delayed peers in the classes, too. He goes every Thursday and today was his first day.

This month the class is learning about colors. I'm sure Eddie dazzled the teachers because he knows all his colors (and because he talks so much). He got to paint a picture to bring home. Here is his picture, which is now proudly displayed on the fridge:

He told me that he painted a spider web. I'm not sure if he came up with that or if one of the teachers suggested it. Either way, I think it's pretty convincing. He was a little confused about how his red and blue picture ended up completely purple, so we had a discussion about how mixing colors makes new colors.

We are both very excited about preschool. I think he'll learn a lot and get some much needed social interaction... and Violet and I will get an Eddie-free time every Thursday!

Strolling in Style

I took a long time trying to decide if we should get a double stroller or not. We test drove huge monstrosities at Babies R Us and I decided there was no way I was going to push a full-size double stroller around and started looking for other options. I looked at side-by-side models, but couldn't find any that could really fit through a standard doorway. Besides that, we needed one that could fit an infant seat since Violet probably won't be ready to sit up in a stroller for a few more months.

Eventually, I ended up researching the sit and stand stroller (otherwise known as a "stroller and a half"). After much deliberation (and not entirely logical reasoning), I decided to get the Mia Moda Compagno. This was a risky move because it was the only one I had not seen in person. But I like the way it looks and some of the features that it has that its competitor does not. We got the stroller yesterday and I assembled it fairly quickly with only minor help from Dave (he was busy working and entertaining Violet). After Eddie woke up from his nap, we took it for a stroll to the park.

The stroller is great because it includes a universal car seat adaptor, so Violet's seat fits securely up front. The way the canopies work, she is shielded from the sun, but I could still see her the entire time. Eddie has the option to either sit or stand on the back. He has a nice padded bench seat (including a three point harness) and a standing platform. There are handles for him to hold when he's in either position, a pad for him to lean against while standing, and a strap across the back to make sure he doesn't fall off when my steering gets a little sketchy.

All four of us enjoyed our walk in the nice weather. For her first extended trip outside, I think it was the longest that Violet has been happily awake since we left the hospital. She kept smiling at us while we walked and Eddie liked being able to change position and get in and out by himself. He especially liked where the stroller took us.

New Baby Carrier

Violet and I tried out our new ErgoBaby carrier today for the first time. Check us out (but pardon my crazy eyes):


Violet likes to be held as much as humanly possible. I can't say I blame her since whenever she is unguarded, she gets smacked in the face by her brother. During the daytime, she won't usually sleep unless she's being held. Occasionally, she will sleep in the bouncer or swing for a little while, if she is kept in constant motion and her binky stays firmly in place.

I had been debating about buying a soft carrier and borrowed a Baby Bjorn from my neighbor to try out for a while. I like the Baby Bjorn, but after taking a walk up the hill, pushing Ed in the stroller, I decided that the Baby Bjorn puts too much stress on the shoulders and there was no way I would be able to carry a larger baby in it for long. That is when BabySteals had a great deal on the ErgoBaby Sport. Since it was about 60% off, I decided I'd better just buy it. I had heard good things about it and since it has a waist belt, it distributes the baby's weight a lot better. Technically, for babies younger than 4 months, you should have an infant insert to better support the baby. But, I figured that Violet holds her head up well enough that we could give it a try without the insert (since we don't have one). I am amazed at how easy it was to get on and how comfortable it is to wear. Violet seems plenty big enough to fit in it and likes being able to hold her head up and look at me while I carry her around, hands-free.

Hopefully this will make it possible for me to get something done around the house during the day and go grocery shopping without lugging a giant car seat around. Of course, I'm not sure how easy it will be when Eddie screams, "HOLD YOU! HOLD YOU!" and demands that I carry him while I have Violet strapped to me.

Splish Splash

Since Dave got to go to Portland for a few days for work, Eddie, Violet, and I decided not to stay home and drive each other crazy. Instead, we drove down to Cedar City to visit my parents (otherwise known as Grammy and Papa).

Eddie was very excited to visit Grammy and Papa's house because they recently got a swimming pool in their house. It has been so long since Eddie went swimming that he was under the impression that there would be dolphins in the pool, but luckily he wasn't too disappointed to find it empty.

We got to Cedar on Sunday afternoon and got to spend most of Monday playing in the pool. Since the water is the same depth throughout the entire pool, the kids have to wear life jackets when they get in.

Eddie was not very comfortable in the water at first and would only get in when he was clinging firmly to an adult. I tried explaining that the life jacket would make him float, but he didn't really get it. He loved watching his cousins jump off the side and go all the way under the water. At one point, Eddie slipped off the edge of the stair when we were playing catch and his face went in the water before I pulled him out. He talked about how he went "under the water" for the rest of the trip. He spent most of the time in the pool motor-boating around and telling anyone who would listen that he did not want to go under the water.

During the time when we were not swimming, Eddie teamed up with Riley to be mischievous. They jumped on the beds when they thought we weren't paying attention (but didn't realize that loudly singing "No More Monkeys" would tip us off). They got in a lot of fights, but also had a lot of fun together. Eddie kept trying to throw things over the rail into the pool and even ate part of Grammy's house plant.

Violet spent the trip being held by everyone. This is the only photo I took of her just to show how big she is getting. She is now one month old and she is wearing 6 month size shirts and 3 month size pants. Her hair is getting too long to mohawk, so I need to figure out some other way to style it. Usually, it is just a ridiculous mess. She has started smiling a lot more and holding her head up really well. I finally figured out that she's not really hungry all the time, but eats to comfort herself because she has gas. Now we're working on addressing the gas problem so that I don't have to spend every evening from 4:00-10:00 PM nursing her constantly.

We had a lot of fun on our trip, but by the time we got home on Wednesday, Eddie was desperately missing his Daddy... and so was I.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Violet (3 weeks old) & Eddie (wearing a stethoscope as a belt)

January

While I have been busily anticipating Morsel's arrival every day this month, Eddie has been growing up a lot. I feel bad because it has been so cold that we never play outside any more and I don't have a lot of energy for doing anything too exciting inside either. I have tried to give him as much attention as I can, since I know that once Morsel is born, I might not be able to do that quite as well. So Eddie and I have spent the month in the house, playing with toys and reading stories (and watching a lot of TV and movies). He talks so well now that we get to have all kinds of amusing conversations and it has been a lot of fun to watch his imagination blossom. He loves playing with his cars and with Buzz and Woody. He thinks it is hilarious to do or say something silly and then say, "Momma, Daddy, do this!" and watch as we imitate him. And, when we're feeling particularly energetic, we have the occasional dance party in the living room.

Since I no longer work every day for my brother-in-law, Eddie no longer gets his daily dose of his favorite cousin Sarah. So, it was quite the momentous occasion when Sarah got to come to our house the other day to play for a while. They both wanted to sit in Eddie's chair while we watched Batman, so they ended up like this:

Eddie has been anxiously awaiting Morsel's arrival just like the rest of us, except he has very little idea what it all means. Since I told him that after Morsel is born, we will be able to go see the ocean (meaning months afterwards), he thinks that as soon as she's born, we're headed for the ocean to see the dolphins. Hopefully that won't be too big a disappointment for him. He likes to talk to Morsel and ask her when she is going to come out. He gets upset if we try to convince him that we need to pick a real name for her. He is adamant that her name is Morsel and will remain that way. I think he will be a good big brother and I am excited to see his reaction when he finally gets to meet his baby sister.

Conversations with Ed

Here are some samples of the most frequent conversations we are having with Eddie lately:

Conversation #1

Eddie: "I want my [fill in blank with random toy]."
Momma: "Where is it?"
Eddie: "I want it."
Momma: "I know you want it. Can you find it?"
Eddie: "Momma find it."
Momma: "I don't know where it is. Do you know where it is?"
Eddie: "I want it."
Momma: "I think we lost it."
Eddie: "I want it."
Momma: "It's lost."
Eddie: "I want it."

Conversation #2

Eddie: "Momma, what you doin?"
Momma: "Cleaning the tub."
Eddie: "You not?"
Momma: "I am."
Eddie: "You not?"
Momma: "Yes, I am."
Eddie: "Momma, what you doin?"
Momma: "Cleaning the tub."
Eddie: "Momma, what you doin?"
Momma: "Eddie, I already told you."
Eddie: "Momma, what you doin?"

Conversation #3

Eddie: "Momma, what you doin?"
Momma: "Sitting."
Eddie: "You not."
Momma: "I am."
Eddie: "You not sitting!"
Momma: "Then what am I doing?"
Eddie: "You sitting on that chair?"
Momma: "Yes I am."
Eddie: "You not."

Conversation #4

Eddie: We don't
Daddy: We do
Eddie: We don't
Daddy: We don't
Eddie: We do

"I'm stuck!"

Eddie loves boxes, so this time of year has been great for him. Not only do we have diaper boxes like always, but we have been getting a lot of packages since I'm doing all my Christmas shopping online. Eddie likes to fill the boxes with toys and carry them around. He likes to stand on the boxes, sit on the boxes, jump on the boxes, climb in the boxes, etc. Today, he wedged himself into this box and proudly declared, "Ine stuck!"

He paused long enough for a photo-op, then tipped over. Of course, at that point, he had to announce "I fall down!"

Eddie, the Con Artist

I always had good intentions to be one of those moms who doesn't cave into their kids unreasonable demands. I thought that with the proper combination of love and discipline, my kids would be little angels who would do whatever I asked.

Okay, so I was a little naive. Having never been around kids for extended periods, I did not realize the power such a little person can hold over the otherwise reasonable adults who raise them. Now I realize that successful parenting is not so much about finding the perfect combination of love and discipline that turns the kid into an angel and is more about surviving every day by choosing your battles.

Unfortunately, I think that lately, the toddler has been winning every battle. I have my excuses for my lax parenting, so I will lay them out for you:

1. I am rotund and achy and get very little sleep.
2. Eddie is a very stubborn child.
3. Eddie has been teething and/or sick for most of his life, so I feel bad when I put my foot down too often.
4. Eddie is a two year old and cannot be reasoned with.
5. Eddie is a master manipulator who knows exactly how to get his way.

It is Excuse #5 which I wish to discuss today. In just the last few days, I have started to notice how entirely Eddie is the master of this domain. I think we have been on a slippery slope for some time, but since we learned that his two-year molars are coming in, I have become even more lax than before, telling myself that he doesn't feel good and I shouldn't be too hard on him.

The reality is that Eddie knows my weak spots. Here are a few examples of how he messes with me and inevitably gets his way:

Scenario #1 Lunch

When we get home from work every morning, Eddie wants to "watch some-pin." I am okay with this because it gives me time to make lunch without being asked "what you doin?" eight thousand times. In former times, I would make said lunch, then turn off the TV while Eddie came into the kitchen, sat at the counter, and ate his lunch. Now when lunch is ready, I say "Eddie, do you want to come eat your lunch?" to which he immediately responds "No." When I press him, he says, "In living room?" Unfortunately, I have given into this request one too many times. Now if I say no, he bursts into tears and cannot be calmed until I bring him his lunch in the living room. Or, if I try to wait it out, thinking he will eventually get hungry and come into the kitchen, he will just not eat lunch.

Scenario #2 Lunch

The other trick Eddie likes to pull at lunch time (usually in conjunction with the one detailed above) is to be completely indecisive. I am happy to give him a choice on what he wants to eat as long as he follows through and eats what I make for him. Unfortunately, that is not usually how it works. I will say "Eddie, do you want toast with cheese for lunch?" For the sake of this scenario, we'll say he agrees. I go in the kitchen and make toast with cheese. After going through scenario #1, I bring his food into the living room and set it next to him on the couch. Then Eddie says "don't want cheesy toast any more." So I say "well what do you want?" I will suggest various things, which he will always reject. Finally, after the cheese on his toast has solidified into a greasy glob, he will request "sugar toast" (which is really cinnamon sugar toast, one of Ed's breakfast staples). Generally I try to restrict the sugar toast to a breakfast food, but if I refuse, he will then burst into tears, crying "want sugar toast! want sugar toast!" until I give in.

Scenario #3 Nap

After lunch, I attempt to convince Eddie that it is nap time. He has been pretty good about taking naps willingly and I can usually succeed in getting him up the stairs and into his bed. It is once he is in the bed that the tricks start. I tuck him in and walk to the door, at which point he says "Momma?" I turn and say "yes?" Then he says "Wanna say prayer?" I feel this is one request I ought to grant, so I come back in and try to get him to say a prayer. Of course now he refuses to say a prayer or listen to me say one. So I try again to leave and he again demands a prayer. Regardless of whether or not I say a prayer, he is always mad when I finally get frustrated and leave the room. At that point, he generally cries for 10 minutes, then switches to talking and singing for the next 50-75 minutes until I give in and go get him out of bed.

So here is my appeal to you: how do I turn the tables and regain control of our lives? Do I let Eddie go hungry if he refuses to do as I ask? Do I stop asking what he wants to eat and just make something else instead then insist that he eat it? Or do I continue to give in to his demands and end up with one of those 300 pound 3 year olds and we'll go on Dr. Phil so he can berate me for not feeding my child enough vegetables and letting him watch too much TV?

An Incident

This morning, as Eddie and Dave went "out-outside" to play, Eddie tripped on the porch and dove down our cement stairs. His face hit the edge of the bottom stair. Needless to say, he was a bit upset.


I took this photo hours later. It looked a lot worse right after it happened, with a big blue lump forming just above the scrape within minutes. The lump went down pretty quickly, but I imagine the scrape will last several days.