Friday, December 18, 2009

oh so tired

Poor little man has been over tired for over a month! He had a very exciting visit with his cousins but between that and dropping his afternoon nap he has been a very cranky, over tired, hard to handle 2.5 year old!!
I am happy to say that we are on our way to getting him back under control and catching up on some of that missed sleep. Last night was stellar - a solid 11 hours!!

Little Miss is doing well - only getting up once in the night for a feed and would probably not need that if we could time her night time bottle a bit better. A work in progress.

Little Mr. Man had his last day of day care yesterday for 6 weeks. Ouch! I suppose if I were a 'better mother' I would be looking at it as an opportunity to spend 6 quality weeks with my gorgeous son....have I mention he's been sleep deprived and over tired for over a month and a bit over the top, even by 2.5 year old standards?! sigh! Thank goodness for passes to the zoo and the museums, as we'll be there a lot!!

Gotta run, little miss seems to be trying out for the opera. sadly i don't think she's got what it takes ;-)

Wednesday, October 7, 2009

mini-bras for toddlers...

haven't seen them, but apparently mini-bras or crop-top style bras are being marketed towards toddlers. Now being the mom of a 2.5 year old I'm a bit surprised that this is such an issue - so far my toddler doesn't go to the shops and pick out his own clothes. Should the manufacturers of these products really be blamed or the parents that think this is appropriate or even necessary for their daughters.
Just because it's out there, doesn't mean you have to buy it.

Sunday, September 13, 2009

Hooray for Dry Days

When Little Mr man decided it was a good time to be toilet trained I was not really sure. I'm from the school of thought that TT could wait until he was 10...why not. Seemed like A LOT of work, let alone with a 3 month old in tow. But alas, the boy speaks and we must listen.

We've been going at it for a little over a month now and I guess we're seeing progress. Just now he told me he has "holding his pee in". I suggested we go potty, as we're not really doing anything, however he informed me he's going to wait "5 minutes". A long way from "Mom, I have to pee" and looking down and seeing not only his pants all wet, but his socks shoes drenched as well. Now I know we're not out of the woods, as it was just yesterday that we had that last scenario.

It is nice to end the day with a big Hooray for staying Dry all day!

Here's to many more Hooray for Dry days!!

Thursday, September 3, 2009

Oh the lies

Little Mr. Man has a great imagination, but where's the fine line between imagination and fibbing or out right lying?
On our walk the other day he was telling me about the Monster he saw when we turned the corner, describing in detail the colour and what it was doing. it was a friendly monster. it was green. it was on the road.
This is fun and the type of story telling I expect. What I didn't expect was him telling me stories about a boy at his daycare. First the boy was punching him, next it was pinching, then they were playing, then back to pinching. Was this storytelling or is there a bully in our midst?

The trouble is that the boy in question is a bit rough and is known to push (poor little guy's actually just a baby, but he's big and doesn't have much in the way of social graces). However, when the daycare staff are questioned they plead ignorance on any event that may have happened the last time Mr. Man was there. So, is he telling stories or is he being targeted by an 18-month old powerhouse?

This article (http://edition.cnn.com/2008/HEALTH/family/11/12/why.kids.lie/index.html) from CNN is interesting and from the looks of it I'm in for many more years of 'story-telling'

Monday, August 24, 2009

The downfall of the digital era

After going away for a two week holiday and taking somewhere near 1000 pictures I have a constant nagging feeling like I'm forgetting to do something. Oh right, do something with the damn pictures!
Now don't get me wrong, they are off the camera and I've even uploaded them to facebook and Flickr. But you see, while we were on holidays I was talking about making a photo album for Mr Man, so the memories will stay with him, and of course one for my husband and I, so we can look at the pictures whenever the mood strikes, and not be hunched over my laptop.
It's a big job though, sifting through hundreds of photos. Which one of Darling son is the best one? Is his smile brighter in #456 or #465 (note 10 pictures of exactly the same shot, only each one taken a second later). The responsibility is too great! I can't decide. Heck, that's why we've got so many darn pictures in the first place.

Part of the problem is that everywhere you turn someone is suggesting you turn those beautiful pictures from your last family holiday into a coffee table book or have that million dollar shot printed on a canvas for all to see when they enter your home. Nowadays you don't subject your family and friends to slide shows of your last holiday, no instead you send them a picture book starring you & your family. Because that's what Uncle Joe wants for Christmas...not so much.


Monday, August 17, 2009

Sleep...

I never really paid much attention to sleep before having kids. I mean, I used to get a lot of it. Probably more than your average person. I really really really like(d) it.

But with children sleep becomes something different. And I'm not even talking about my lack of it. It is often the first thing people will ask you when they see your newborn. "Oh, what a cutie" they'll say, promptly followed by a "is she a good sleeper?".

Listen in to to 3 conversations at a playground and at least one is bound to be about sleep.

With the newborn, I don't like to talk about her sleeping habits, lest I jinx it.

This superstition is a hangover from my first. Without fail, as soon as I would mention that he was a good sleeper, we would have a week of lousy sleeps. So now I just nod and smile and quickly change the topic when Little Miss' sleep enters the conversation.

As for the Little Man, his sleep, well...he's entering that stage where if he naps for too long during the day, he's ready to stay up past my bedtime at night. This is a sad stage for Mommy...a really sad stage. To say that when they both nap at the same time is my favorite time of the day might sound unloving, but it's true, it is my favorite time. I love the quiet. I will just sit on the couch and enjoy the silence. I mean I never have enough time to actually get anything done, so I just sit there for the few minutes of quiet and enjoy. But now I will have to start monitoring Little Man's sleep, and wake him up after an hour or so. Those few minutes of absolute silence may end up being only a few seconds. It's either that or kiss my own 9pm bedtime goodbye!


Thursday, July 16, 2009

Extreme Makeover: Toddler Edition | momlogic.com

It has been such a long time since I've posted anything. I'm a little surprised the blog is still here...I guess, where would it go?

Well, my darling son never did drop that midday nap, thank goodness, and I now have a darling daughter to wish about being a better mother to :-)

I just came across this video Extreme Makeover: Toddler Edition | momlogic.com, which I'm sure is a lark, but makes you wonder: How soon is too soon for plastic surgery. Apparently not a silly question, as according to the American Association of Plastic Surgery, it's on the rise for those under 18. They do have ethics and standards though and will normally not give girls breast implants until they are 18, and girls must wait until around 16 (boys 17) before they can have their nose done.

But what about Botox, the great fad of injection poison into your skin? Well, that's all the rage too for the under 18 crowd, but not for the same reason as the old folks use it...Teens use it to look cool. Literally. Apparently, a quick injection of Botox makes signs of sweating disappear. No more sweaty palms or pit stains. Of course, good ol' B is also being used to reduce lines (like teens have lines??) as are other tricks such as microdermabrasion, all in the hopes of capturing that youthful look.

It's a bit frightening to think of teens trying to make themselves look younger. I guess they have to in order not look older than their Mom at their high school graduation ;-)

Tuesday, January 20, 2009

Is this the end of midday naps???

We struggled a couple of days last week, but I chocked it up to the heat as later in the week he started to nap again. We are now enjoying the same struggle this week, and yes, it is still hot, but...but I fear we are coming to the end of midday naps.

How can this be. He's not even 2. I'm pregnant. I need my 2 hours in the middle of the day to...to do things. Ok, maybe not actually do things, but I do need those two hours, if for no other reason than because I need a nap!

And the books...they all say he still needs to nap. Can't he read??? Doesn't he know what the experts are saying?

Sadly, as I sit here and type there is a chorus of 'MAMAMAMAMAMAMAMAMAMAMAMAMA" leading me to believe that no, my little man is not up on the research and even if he is he's decided to buck the trend. What is a tired MAMAMAMMAMAMAM to do?

My options are simple I guess. I keep on trying to put him down, day after day and hope for the best. Go in his room every 15 minutes or so and remind him that he should be napping. Close his door, turn the monitor off, and pretend that he's sleeping! Start praying (to who???) that this, like head banging, food throwing and spitting, is just another phase. Let's hope it passes. Quickly.