23 posts tagged “baby milestones”

He did it! He did it! He did it he did it he DID it!!!

In case you missed the big announcement on Facebook yesterday (as many of you may well have, since I'm not FB friends with many of my Vox neighbors):

THE BOY SAT ON - AND PEED IN - THE POTTY!!!

(Pause for Happy Dance.)

It happened at school, so now we need to witness it at home. And, given the option, he's prefer to wear diapers over training pants, but that's okay. My baby peed in the potty! It's such a HUGE deal!!!

That concludes this major announcement. We now return to your regularly scheduled programming.

We reached a major milestone this morning.

I had been postponing the switch from rear-facing car seat to forward-facing. I read somewhere that the NHTSA recommended keeping your child the rear-facing postion for as long as the car seat would allow, and I was determined to do just that. After all, 20 pounds really isn't a whole lot (and he was 20 pounds well before his first year), and there had to be a reason car seats in the rear-facing position were rated so high, anyway.

Yesterday, after much fighting, screaming, spitting, and hitting, I vowed to turn my son's car seat around to the forward-facing position. And so, after I got to work, I did just that (and uncovered some remnants of a time, several months ago, when he puked in the car - how it didn't stink up the car is still a mystery). It took a little time (and a good deal of rereading the booklet that came with the car seat), but I successfully reoriented the car seat.

Well, he was ready to fight me on getting into the car this morning until I plopped him into his seat. I wish I could express in words how stunned he was to be facing forward! He was so excited the entire trip to school, pointing at everything, squealing in delight at different sights... A part of me felt bad for depriving him of this experience for the past eight months. Of course, he'll be sitting forward-facing for the rest of his life now, so I'll have to be sure to remember this moment and remind him of it when he gets much older.

It was such a busy day in the Chis/Eileen household, but I have no idea what we did today. I know I took an impromptu nap on the couch for a couple of hours, and I know that The Boy passed out watching Sesame Street, but I'm not sure what else happened. I just know we were really busy.

I straightened up the family room as best I could, but whenever I touched something, The Boy immediately needed it for his latest plaything. I did, however, manage to get him to put away some of his toys himself, which pleased me to no end because he was following instruction, and it pleased him to no end because I was so impressed.

All of this, of course, was before he decided to start throwing things at Chris (including a hardcover book), and before he decided to use me as a human punching bag. Ah, the wonderfully woeful ones. I gave him a time-out (his first real one), followed by a stern conversation about why we do not throw things at people. I then instructed him to go give his daddy a kiss and a hug (which he did), and that was the end of that... until he started slapping me about an hour later. Fortunately, I knew he was cranky because he was tired, so I made sure he was in bed a little early tonight. Even funnier, he stood up in the middle of the Yo Gabba Gabba! "Sleep" episode and walked straight to his room to go to bed.

I absolutely adore this little boy. I don't adore all the things he does, but I absolutely love him to pieces!

A few weeks ago, I finally made an appointment for The Boy to visit the dentist. (I actually made an appointment for all of us to go to the dentist, but Chris and I see a different dentist and we couldn't get in to see him until next month. But I digress.) I'm not sure why, but it seems pediatric dentists are kind of hard to find. It doesn't make sense. The AAP recommends taking your child to the dentist before the first birthday, but no one seems to have told the ADA that.

Anyway.

One of my coworkers recommended her son's dentist, but after calling for months and waiting for them to call me back, I finally asked another friend where she takes her little boy, and she sent me to Dr R. It's a bit of a drive for us (30 minutes!), but as soon as we got out of the car, The Boy started pointing up at the windows where a lion, a monkey, and an elephant stared down at us. So far, so good.

Once I got him into the building ("It's a bright sunshiny day - a perfect day to play!"), he clung to my leg while I turned in the new patient paperwork, then willingly parked himself in front of the TV to watch Ratatouille. Oh - as if it's not enough that there's a TV in the waiting room, there are TVs above every chair in the cleaning/check-up area. How cool is that?

He did really well with the cleaning, but he didn't care for the sharp pokey-thing or the mirror that Dr R put into his mouth to check his teeth (16 in all! Only 4 more to go, and then we're good for a little while). He also didn't like getting his teeth flossed, which I've now been told I need to do each night. [sigh] But the cries were just fussy cries, nothing really traumatic (or so I hope - I suppose I'll know when I get his therapy bills in about 20 years), and he was perfectly happy again once he was sitting upright. Plus, he got a rubber duck and a toothbrush out of the visit. How can you possibly argue with that?

So, he got 16 healthy teeth and no cavities. The top central incisors look a little discolored, she said, so I've been instructed to brush those really well in the mornings and a night, floss between them before bedtime, and bring him back in February for a fluoride treatment. (He had some fluoride painted on all his top incisors after his checkup. He wasn't a big fan of that, either.) Then the next check-up isn't until May.

As for pacifier use, she said we're doing the right thing by limiting it to bedtime and only bedtime, but she'd like to see it go away by his second birthday - no later than 30 months. We'll have to work on that. She was also happy to hear that he's been off the bottle for 7 months, and that we don't give him any juice.

All in all, I'm happy to cross this First off the list. I'm glad we didn't wait much longer, but I kind of wish I took him earlier so that The Boy would be more accustomed to having people poking around his teeth. But he's got healthy teeth and healthy gums, too. I really can't ask for more than that.

I wanted to write a bit yesterday but was so exhausted, I ended up going to bed early and falling asleep before 8.

Some notes:

- The Boy says "Up!" very clearly, and usually does it while he holds his arms up and lifts himself onto his toes. It's very clear that he wants to be carried. Of course, he also says it while you're carrying him, but I'm not sure what he means when he says it in that context.

- I found a toy that is a must-pack for long airplane rides. It's a wand with a clear ball on top that, when you press a button, flashes different colors. It kept The Boy occupied for two and a half hours while I had him at work with me on Friday (and the ride home), and, best of all, it doesn't make any noise (save for a slight "whirring" sound)!

- The Boy holds some serious grudges. We took him to the Magic Kingdom yesterday, and let's just say that he was probably thinking I was a really mean Mommy. I (a) made him get a haircut, (b) wouldn't let him stand in line for a third time to see Daisy Duck, (c) wouldn't let him run to the characters while other kids were waiting in line in front of him, (d) kept asking him if he wanted to take a nap (which, of course, he didn't), (e) wouldn't give him any of my ice cream when he woke from his nap (he ended up passing out in his stroller, his body hunched over the little tray), and (f) whisked him away from Pluto when the character handler told me the line was already closed. And that was just at the park! After we were back home, I made him wait before he could get into the shower, took him out of the shower before he was ready, hid the Kix before he ate his weight of it, and refused to give him all of my hamburger bun at dinner. It's amazing he was talking to me this morning.

- The only thing that makes me more nervous than a child who hasn't pooped in 24 hours is one that hasn't pooped in 36 hours. The Boy went most of Saturday without a single poop and all day Sunday, too. When he finally pooped on Saturday, his diaper was quite full; I changed two poopy diapers this morning and still warned his teachers that they should still be on the lookout. Well, at least we know he doesn't have Toddler Tummy right now.

- I'm getting contact lenses again! This time, I've opted for soft toric lenses instead of the gas permeable variety. The gas perms hurt my eyes when I wear them now, so I'm hoping the soft lenses will be kinder to my poor, aging eyes. As soon as I pick up my lenses and get them checked, my doctor will sign off on my prescription for glasses, so I can get a new pair of those, too. My current pair keeps sliding off my nose.

- Chris and I voted this weekend, so we've done our civic duty! Hooray! Let's just hope they count the ballots correctly and the focus isn't on Florida this time. (For the record, I was in Florida and voted in 2000 and in 2004, and both times, Florida went to the other guy. I'm hoping the third time will be a charm!) The early voting place is right by our house, so I was able to go, check in, vote, and come home in less than 20 minutes. It took Chris even less time because he didn't have to stand in line. (We took turns voting because I was still waiting for The Boy to poop, and he also hadn't gone down for a nap. I don't think I need to explain what tired and cranky little boys are like in public.)

- I've discovered that there are some things at Costco that are actually cheaper when you use coupons and shop grocery store sales and don't buy them in bulk. Mind you, it's primarily cereal and such, but it was a revelation nonetheless. Of course, we still spent more than $200 there this weekend (only $25 of it was non-essential), but at least I know we're stocked on meat for a while.

- The Boy nods more often than he shakes his head now. (It used to be that he never nodded.) It's very cute, but he seems to follow this simple rule: When you don't understand the question, just nod "yes" because it makes the grownups happy.

All told, it was a very busy weekend. I got a lot of stuff done (The Boy's haircut, my eyes checked, a trip to Costco), but I've still got plenty I didn't do, either (laundry, purging my closet, laundry, straightening the kitchen, more laundry). But isn't that what next weekend is for?

Being a mom means that my life will be full of firsts for many years to come. I've witnessed The Boy's first diaper change (which the nurse in the hospital did as I watched), his first shots, his first smile, his first steps, etc. I think you get the idea.

One first I thought surely wouldn't come for several years (if it even came at all) was his first Behavioral Report. Yes, at the tender age of 17-months, my child brought home with him his very first disciplinary notice. What did he do? He was pushing and hitting the other children.

My son, the Bully.

[sigh]

Chris and I are continuously working with him on using "nice hands" and not hitting people. When he's over-tired (as he was yesterday), he gets mean and cranky and destructive. We all do. (Mean and cranky, anyway. Some are more destructive than others.) When I see him getting cranky, I step in and put him to bed. But, of course, Mommy wasn't there at daycare yesterday to intervene, and Cranky Boy - probably after running around too hard in the playground - pushed and/or hit someone (or several someones) and was written up and reprimanded for it.

I'm not saying anyone deserved it (I hope to lead The Boy down the path of non-violence), nor do I say his actions were justified because he woke up at 3am that morning. I will say, though, that after watching him interact with the other kids this morning, I can see how he could interpret the actions of certain other children as aggressive, unfriendly, or, at least, a violation of his personal space. (Not that he really has any concept of personal space, but just go with me.) I also noticed that there are some kids he seemed to want to High-Five, only the other kid didn't have his hand up at the time and Crispin hit his shoulder, instead.

So, Chris and I have - again - talked to him about not hitting people and using nice hands. It's a process, I know.

Thank goodness there's a Yo Gabba Gabba! segment about it.

The Boy is now on the move.

I don't mean this as in walking; he's been doing that for ages. No, I mean that he is now bound and determined to scale things. As in large pieces of furniture.

Yesterday, he successfully hoisted himself on top of a cooler in the kitchen (which has since been emptied and will be put away in the garage after it dries) in an attempt to get to items on the countertop. I stopped him and coaxed him down from said cooler amidst much frustration (and had to endure a minor tantrum, to boot).

Last night, he also climbed on top of some pillows, giving him enough height and leverage to hoist himself onto the ottoman in the family room. Thankfully, he knows how to climb back down (backwards), but I don't think there's much stopping this child from getting into things currently out of reach.

My days are numbered. Anything left out in the open is fair game for his little (sometimes destructive) hands, so I've got to get my crap cleared - and fast!

In an effort to get The Boy to eat, I introduced him to that wonderful contraption known as The Fork. And he loved it. Mind you, it's a kid's fork (from IKEA, like my grown-up flatware, so it's all matchy-matchy), but a fork nonetheless. Last night, he thoroughly enjoyed stabbing his chicken nugget pieces and getting them into his mouth. No mastery of the spoon, of course, but he digs using the fork.

He also had his very first taste of ketchup yesterday at lunch. Chris grilled some burgers (including a smaller burger meant for The Boy), and he eagerly devoured most of his hamburger patty before practically inhaling the half-bun I later offered. (I have a tendency to feed him the same way I eat, which is one food at a time. Eventually, he'll learn that the patty and bun can - and should - be consumed together, but for now, this is a much easier way to do things.)

I also noticed this morning that he's good about covering his mouth when he coughs. I'm not certain if this is entirely on purpose; it's not like I've been instructing him to cover his mouth, but he was consistent about putting his hands to his mouth before coughing.

His latest antic is waving goodbye (and sometimes saying "Bye!") as he leaves a room. He did this several times yesterday while Chris and I were hanging out in the family room. He would get up and make his way to the kitchen, waving goodbye to us. More than once, one of us asked where he was going, and then he'd laugh and take off as quickly as his little feet could carry him.

Our friends marveled this past weekend at how quickly he moves. If you're not vigilant, it's easy to lose track of him. Let's just say I won't be taking him to the mall sans stroller for a long, long time!

And two more on the way. It turns out, The Boy was waking up in the middle of the night with teething pains. This would also explain why he would put both hands in his mouth, his pudgy little fingers pressing down on his bottom gums as he tried to relieve some of the pressure. It's the canines this time. It figures; we breezed through his first molars and his upper canines, so why shouldn't he torment us with the lower ones?

So, he's back on Tylenol before bedtime. It worked marvelously last night; he didn't wake until just after 6 this morning and I was able to get a (relatively) good night's sleep. I kept having weird dreams.

It's so weird to think that just a year ago, he didn't have any teeth, and that he'll have half of his teeth in just a few short weeks. Isn't that crazy? I mean, I know he'll start losing his baby teeth in a few years and all, but almost half of his teeth are in!

[sigh] He's growing up too fast.

Today was The Boy's very first Water Day at school. The teachers invited me to stay a while and check it out; I was curious to see what goes on during Water Days (they make such a big deal about it), so I eagerly stayed to watch.

Before I go into the events of this morning, let me just preface this by saying The Boy really enjoys tubby time. The other night, Chris was filling the tub, and The Boy meandered to the bathroom on his own and was anxious to climb into the tub. That night, though, he squirted himself in the face with one of his rubby ducks, and though he didn't cry (Chris and I laughed when it happened), he certainly had a look on his face that clearly read, "That was so not cool."

Anyway, I was excited about Water Day. I prepped his clothes, got him dressed in his new swim trunks, put on his water shoes, slathered him in sunscreen, and got him out the door. (It's also Fish Stick Friday, so I had to pack his lunch of mini meatloaf patties, too. They look just like little crab cakes, but they're mini meatloafs - and they're really yummy!)

So, just as all the kids are ready to go outside, one of the teachers asks me about his towel. Doh! I washed it but completely forgot to bring it! And, of course, he can't participate in water days without it!

Never fear, though - Mommy's gym bag is in the car, complete with a towel (and two changes of Mommy-size clothes), so I ran out to my car, grabbed the towel, and brought it to his class. Success! Now my little boy can go outside with all the other kids.

Once we got outside, I saw what Water Days is all about: a giant inflatable ball hooked up to a water hose that sprays water everywhere. Oh, and there were a couple of water tables with little water toys in them.

The older kids were having a blast. (By "older", I mean more than 14 months.) They were running to and fro excitedly, eager to play in the sprinklers. The Boy, on the other hand, didn't know what to make of it. I led him to a spot in the shade where the sprinklers were shooting water, and he stood there, contemplating the situation, for about 30 seconds before he decided getting splashed by an unfamiliar object several yards away was simply not fun. He started leading me to the classroom door, pointing and demanding, "Eh! Eh!"

I brought him closer to the inflatable ball and encouraged him to touch the water. This worked for a little while (I got very wet, myself), but he really wasn't into it. Thankfully, one of the teachers took over and let me head back into the dryness of the classroom. I observed for a while longer with two other mothers through the windows. The Boy sat very still on a plastic blue horse, content to watch all the other kids. Every time a teacher tried to engage him (and they all did), he screwed up his face and protested with loud cries.

[sigh]

We might need to do our own version of Water Days at home to get him a little better acclimated. Maybe if he sees that Mommy and Daddy don't mind getting wet - and actually have fun in the water - he won't be so anxious about the sprinklers at school.