The first day of Kindergarten

Dee started Kindergarten at a local Catholic school a couple weeks ago. I had this crazy misconception that after she was in school, life would get easier. I now realize how much I counted on her to keep an eye on Bubba when I was getting ready for work and how nice it is to have her around when choosing which outfit to wear for work.
She looks so cute in her little uniform and giant "Hello Kitty" backpack. The whole line of kindergarteners practically tipping over from the weight of their school supplies on the first day was so cute it would bring a tear to anyone's eye. I made through the first day ok, but the second day was the hard one. She trotted off across the lot to her class and I almost lost it. I can remember when her little foot was the size of her daddy's thumb. I guess this is just one of those things that happens. I raised this sweet little human only to send her off to the kindergarten wolves where she will learn words like butthead and start telling people to shut up. Sigh.

The holes in their faces

Dee Dee came into my room at 630 am and told me she needed a tissue. I, proud that she was not picking her nose, gave her a tissue and told her to get back to bed. About 10 minutes later she came in to tell me that the tissue was stuck. I thought she was joking... But when I got her put her chin up, sure enough there was what appeared to be a small fleck of tissue. I went to get the tweezers... but when I gently put them in her nose the tweezers tickled and she sniffed and the little fleck disappeared completely. That's when I freaked out.
Only a few weeks before this happened, I noticed Bubba had started to get really really bad breath. I mean BAD! I thought he had a rotten tooth or something, not that I could imagine how because he brushes his teeth like 5 times a day, but just the same that's what it smelled like. Infection. I made the dental appointment for the following week after out trip to visit my mom. While we were there seeing Grammy, Bubba managed to flip himself out of the highchair he was in and he hit head. The bonk on the head dislodged a GIANT booger. I got a tissue to wipe it off his face and almost barfed. The "booger" was a piece of yarn that had been festering in his little nose for the past 2 weeks. That would explain the odd smell. Don't worry, the stench cleared within an hour of the head bonk/booger removal.
So anyway... after that experience I was worried about the tissue and knew that it needed to be removed. After waiting in the local minor emergency for what seemed to be eternity... they were able to hold her tiny little nostril open far enough to see up her nose and remove the tissue. It was HUGE! I can not believe how she could get that up her nose.

Boys 'n Girls

I am here to let you know that boys are different than girls. Did you know that? I mean, when people say that I don't think they realize the weight in those words. Dee Dee potty trained herself in about 2 days. Here we were at a garage sale and my little 18 month old has disappeared. I found her about 30 seconds later sitting on a little toilet in the driveway. She got it. Bubba on the other hand is now 2 1/2 and it's not working! He would rather sit there and "play" with the toilet paper or pull all the wash cloths off the shelf.
I have tried stickers, jelly beans, and singing some ridiculous song about a little red caboose. We have hand motions...it worked for a while. At daycare, he won't go at all. He can not stop playing long enough to take a minute to go. Soggy pants? Doesn't phase him.
The "bottom" line, ha ha, is that he will when he is ready.

Potty Training Tips

I have been trying to potty train Bubba. Here are my insights on the subject.
~ Boys ARE more difficult than girls...I've had both.
~ Little boys don't really care if they wet their pants, it is in fact funny to them.
~ Food is a good reward, I am not trying to say that you should feed him a whole burger or a dish of ice cream every time he pees, but I give one chocolate chip for each success and that seems to be a good reward, I did stickers with Addy, but Bubba could care less.
~ We have a great "Bubba went potty dance" that we do... don't do this in public, but at home it's cool.
~ It's not a big deal to carry the little potty seat around with you. I don't love it, but people know what's you're doing and most people have been there too.

There is nothing easy or fun about this process I can tell you that, but by being positive and upbeat you may see that your little one will give potty training a lot more effort.

Parenting at Its Best

So tonight I became my mother. We all vow that we "will never do THAT to our kids"... but I did it. I made my little boy sit at the dinner table until he ate his carrots. This took just a little over an hour. I remember sitting for hours (or what seemed like it) staring at a bowl of cold oatmeal. I used to hate oatmeal. I blame this staring experience on me not eating oatmeal or any hot cereal for that matter until I was well over 20. I didn't ever want to be the mom who made her kids eat certain foods, but the bottom line is this: not eating a couple of carrots is silly and making them eat it is sort of fun! Not that I enjoyed the crying and yelling that ensued, but I was content to sit with him and read a book while just kept asking for a popsicle instead...as if I am going to let him have a treat in exchange for some now soggy carrots. Who does he think I am? But in the end I won and he got his popsicle when the carrots vanished. I don't remember ever getting anything after I ate my oatmeal though.

Addy and Me 

Another fun filled trip to the ER

We have just returned from an excursion to the local emergency room where I spent what seemed to be ETERNITY!! The man of the house...my 2 year old... decided that he needed to stop breathing properly. Ok... he didn't decide, but I would like to blame someone. Anyway, he got to have all kinds of meds and the undying attention of several nurses who were wrapped around his finger. Little punk! He knows how to work it that's for sure. Now with his little body full of steroids and asthma treatments I plan on getting a good night's sleep.... all fingers crossed that is. Sigh...I get to get up and do it all again tomorrow. I hope that it's far less eventful that today was.

The end of yet another day.

Well WWF has ended at my house. (WWF= putting the munchkins to bed) It's more of a wrestling match than anything and I for one am beat now. After last night when I woke to find Bubba sitting in the hall outside my bedroom reading a book, well, not reading exactly but looking at the pictures, I am tired and grouchy. The light from the kitchen was enough that he could make out the pictures and was telling himself and whoever else was up, all about baby cows. While I find these little things endearing and almost cute... I was really just annoyed with myself for thinking he is old enough to not be caged into a crib anymore. I also regret this decision around 4 am every morning when he arrives at the edge of my bed to just stare at me. Then he goes back to bed only when I promise that I will bring him a drink. It's these moments when I ask: Why God? Why?