Cups versus Bottles

I understand the importance of making sure that W does not continue to drink from a bottle. There are so many reasons that this must change. I mean we do not drink from bottles! And of course there is the issue of teeth and gum problems that occur from use of the bottle.

The problem is that W hates using his sippy cups. I can't get him to drink from the sippy cup or from a real cup. To complicate the issue Wgets more and more worked up the more often I put the cup in front of him instead of the bottle. Then he is so thirsty that he fusses. And after about an hour I give up and let him use his bottle. It is a horrible circle of going back and forth.

Yet, I keep trying, and little by little he does get some liquid out of the cup, although he never figures out how to suck on the sippy cup well enough to get a steady drink like the bottle. He just teeths on the cup and seems surprised when he gets a small amount of milk or juice. I never thought I would be so frustrated over not getting him use the cups now.  I guess I just have to keep going one day at a time and keep trying.

Saturdays

So there was a time in my life when a great Saturday meant that I would sleep in, eat a nice breakfast. Then I would probably shower and get some small chores done. And spend the evening going out and have a good time. Staying up late was usually in the cards as well.
Those days are pretty much over. Now I consider it a good Saturday if I get to sleep until 7! Then it is all about finding the energy to get some chores done while keeping Wyatt entertained. And trying to figure out what we can do to keep him from getting bored inside the house. It never fails that I take a great nap when he goes done for his afternoon nap and then it’s time to figure out dinner.
And the funny thing is that we hardly ever go anywhere on Saturdays anymore unless it is the library or park to entertain Wyatt. The best part is that these Saturdays are my favorite days of the week and I wouldn’t change a single thing about them. I just hope that I don’t look back on my life and wish had done something else.

Snow again

Just in time for spring we got a new layer of fresh snow yesterday. I was half upset and half completely excited. It was fun to watch it all melt super fast with W from the warmth of the kitchen. He was mesmerized by it all. I was a little upset because I had been looking forward to being able to take him outside in his new shoes. There is a nice park about a half mile away from our house and I thought it was the perfect time to go and play. It would have allowed me to get in another early spring jog and W would have the chance to walk around in his new shoes. Not that the snow ruined the day it just made me change my plans for the day.

Changing plans at the last minute seems to be the new normal for me. Which is not what I am used to. I like having my day planned at least a little bit. It makes me feel like I actually accomplished something when the day is done. But now I have realized I have to be more free to go with the flow because the schedule changes every hour practically. I guess it is a good life lesson, being able to go with the flow.

Hopefully this little cold spell doesn't last long and W will be able to play outside and breakin his new shoes. And I will get to get in a jog and show him the park. The fun stuff about having a kid isn't limited to when they are newborns. There is just as much fun when they can play outside on playgrounds!

And he walks...

Not even a week after buying the shoes we have finally had success in getting W to walk in them.  It is great news because he needs to be able to break in his sandals before visiting Oma and Opa! I knew it was going to be a tight timetable that he would have in order to break in the sandals that I bought so he could play outside in the warmer weather with shoes that would not over heat him. Now it looks like he might actually break them in before the trip. This is good news because I was starting to worry that he would never walk in these shoes and it would have been a complete waste of money buying the sandals when it is still so cold at home.

First Shoes

It only took about 13 months, but we officially got W his first pair of real shoes, not just the tougher socks that pass as shoes when they are babies. Patrick's grandmother said she wanted to buy him his first pair, so we all went to Lucky Shoes in order to get Stride Rite shoes. Wyatt had been in a fairly good mood all day and we decided to go just after he woke up from a nap. He was laughing and giggling in the car, little did I know what was going to happen.

We got there, and a sales associate came over to help us. She was fairly nice, if not overly sure of herself. She said she had been doing this for 33 years and could always find the perfect pair of first shoes for every kid. So we dove right in. W wouldn't have it. She had barely started to put the first shoe on his toe and he started to scream. Which is completely unlike W. He is usually willing to do anything as long and mommy or daddy are near by. But it was like we were trying to cut of his toes. It took a full hour to find a pair of walking shoes and a pair of sandals with a couple of socks before we left. Wyatt screamed the whole time and never even stood up in his shoes once we got them on. The sales associate was going on about how he would be hard to fit into shoes because he has such a high arch- and that is mommy's fault. He ended up with 5 double wides! I mean I realize he isn't the smallest 13-month-old but he is no where the near the biggest! And his toes are no where near the top of the shoe. I really hope that once he gets use to it he will be able to walk in these new shoes.

Date Night

Finally after a month and a week Patrick and I made out for our Valentine's date. We had issues with the babysitter on Valentine's weekend and then Patrick got sick and then W got sick- the story of every one any more right? But finally all the men in my house were feeling well enough to have a night out and my parents agreed to watch him for the night. It is always a great gift when grandparents are willing to watch the little one for a whole night.

Well dinner was great. We went to the Melting Pot, which is a fun experience mostly because it is so different from all the other restaurants in the area. So for 2 hours we had a nice, romantic dinner with drinks and dessert. Which in my book makes for a great date night. However date night ended there. After a week of little sleep because of phlem boy as soon as we got home I was like the walking dead. As Patrick pointed out to me this morning in the amount of time it took him to brush his teeth I had crawled into bed and fallen asleep - a sleep that resulted in hardly any movement all night long. By the time the alarm went off this morning I couldn't believe it was morning already. So I guess the definition of date night has changed for the time being since a lack of sleep seems to be the norm right now.

I mentioned the lack of sleep to my mom the other day and she said she knows moms who don't get full nights sleep for years because of their kids. And I was in shock. I would not be able to function without a full night's sleep. In fact I am pretty sure my husband would move out so he wouldn't have to deal with a crabby me! I can only hope and pray that as W gets better from this winter-to-spring cold he starts sleeping from 8 and night until 7 in the morning again, because for me to be the best mom and wife I can be I need that sleep!

Middle of the night

I realize that being a parent means that you put the needs of your children before your own. There are times when that sacrifice is the hardest thing to do in the whole world. We have been fighting this horrible cold for about 2 weeks now, which hasn't really impacted us all that much considering what other families have been going through, I hear.

Last night everything changed. He had so much phlem that he coughed from around 8 when we put him down until at least 11 pm. Then he started to wake up from all the coughing. Well at first we just tried rocking him which is our usual technique when he is extra fussy at night. But after 40 minutes of no success we moved to a small water bottle (yes he is still on bottles because he will not drink from any cup yet, it is in the works though- for another post). By 1 in the morning he was still crying, verging on screaming. So we started to think maybe a real bottle would be helpful because he didn't really eat much for dinner because of not feeling too great. It seemed like the perfect thing. He drank it like it was all he wanted and then fell asleep. About 15 minutes later the screaming started. His poor little stomach was hurting, probably because of the mix between milk/formula and phelm. Then in the early morning hours he threw it all up. And that was the beginning of 2 more hours of walking him around the house, trying to find ways to keep him calm while his stomach settled down. It was no fun for anyone.

Of course this morning I am feeling the horrible effects of a night of hardly any sleep. Granted somewhere around 4 he finally fell asleep and we followed closely behind. But today is the big family pictures day and I just don't know how to survive it and look good. But that is what it means to sacrifice for your children so I have to figure out a way.

Croup

Having gone a whole year with no major illnesses these past couple of weeks have been a major challenge. My son was exposed to croup and some other chest cold from another little boy at daycare (well at my friend's house). And of course he got a really bad cough and even a slight fever as soon as I found out. So I called the doctor and made an appointment. Luckily he only has a pretty bad cold. I spent all weekend watching him like a hawk to make sure it didn't get any worse. The doctor mentioned that it could turn into an ear infection since he was so stuffed up. Also he keeps waking up in the middle of night because he is coughing all the time, which is adding to the stress of everything. I just keep praying that he starts to get better instead of this steady yucky cold!

I did do some serious research though about croup since I had heard about it but didn't really know much about it. Some of the information was horrible. But some meshed with what the doctor later told me. The biggest is to watch for retractions and stridor. (Croup info) Even better was the examples of what croup sounded like and stridor for that matter. (Audio of croup & stridor)

Monkeys

Watching the monkeys

The zoo is always a fun place to go. There is so much to do and look at. I imagine is like heaven for toddlers who are always looking for something fun and interesting to catch their attention. We have spend many hours at different zoos just exploring and watching animals. Most of the time I don't think W waits long enough to see the animals actually move. If they aren't already doing something when he gets up to one, he goes straight to the next section.

So far the monkeys, more specifically the chimps, have never let me down. They are constantly putting on a show for the many people who are mesmerized by them. And now W has fallen under their spell. He literally stood at the glass, with his forehead pressed up against it, watching the chimps climb up robes and swing down, playing catch with each other, for 15 minutes. I know, I know, to us adults, what is 15 minutes? But for a one-year-old, that is forever. I was amazed. Then after that he just moved to another window and watched them some more. I couldn't believe it. It didn't matter if we went to any other spot that whole trip, the fact that he was that enthralled by this amazing animals was worth the trip for me.

Since we were at the Rain forest, we had to make a stop at the rainfall exhibit. We actually timed it right this particular time because we got to listen to the storm. W was again amazed to see rain inside! He just sat down right next to the rail and watched. Once it was over, he continued to sit there, almost waiting for it rain again. Eventually I pulled him away and called it day. But this trip was perfect. We all enjoyed it.