Listening to My Mommy Instincts

I've posted several times before about how I could never get LBB to eat a bite of food.

And then...the other day...I had an epiphany.

{Insert bright lights and angelic singing here}
The epiphany occured as I watched LBB gulp down his whole milk (he loves to drink sippys...I have to bring a sippy of water EVERYWHERE we go, even if it's a quick trip to the store.) And I've read that if your toddler is filling up on liquds to take their sippy and give it to them after they've eaten, but that didn't work either. And then it dawned on me.

He's getting so full from whole milk...why don't I switch to our milk? I mean, sure, he's supposed to be on whole milk until he turns 2, but he's only a few months short. And in my opinion, while I know the argument that whole milk is higher in fat which is good for brain development is a strong one, I'd rather have him getting healthy fat and calories from actual foods.

In fact, he eats so little that he has been the same weight since he was 12 months old or so...and he's grown at least 3 inches. That's not good math.

So. I switched him to drinking the same milk as us on Saturday.

And since then, he's eaten like a champ. He ate french toast. He ate eggs. He ate hashbrowns. He ate fishsticks. He ate chicken nuggets. He ate stir fry chicken. He ate hot dogs.

In fact, one morning, he ate a whole bowl of oatmeal, a waffle, and a sippy of milk.

Insane, huh? And that's all on top of his normal love for fruit and snacks! I'm so impressed. He's happier. More energetic (which I did not think was a possibility, but it is.) And he is so willing to try new things now!

Before bed tonight, when he would usually be begging for water or the such, he pointed to the fridge and pulled out his plate from dinner that had the last of the hashbrown, corn, and fish stick, and sat on the couch and ate it.

I'm so glad he's eating...I was starting to majorly stress over it. But now I breathe a little sigh of relief each time I hand him his plate...and I actually look forward to cooking. :) Before it was a little depressing knowing that he would just turn his sweet little nose up at anything I made. :)

But even more so, I'm just glad I listened to my gut. It's hard to do in this day and age when every doctor insists that their way is the right way, but I have to remember, that deep down, I'm his Mommy and I know what is going on with him. That's pretty empowering.

And We're Back to Fighting Sleep

Sigh.

LBB has been very headstrong about going to sleep lately. It's funny because he does so well for so long, and then it's like someone flips a switch. He's currently in his room yelling at me because I put him down for a nap...apparently Mommy doesn't know what she's doing. :)

And at first I thought, "Well, maybe he's ready to go down to one nap a day." So I tried it.

Trust me, he's not.

In fact, he was grumpier, stayed up later, and woke up earlier the days we attempted the change.

So, I think he still needs that short morning nap. And then bedtime is another fun, never boring experience.

He's very set in his routine...until he decides that by adding something else to the routine he can prolong bedtime. Here's his routine:

Get ready for bed at 7:50. Get a small sippy of milk (sometimes warmed). Cuddle up with Mommy and Daddy. Watch 10 minutes of a cooking show or something that isn't too stimulating. Give kisses to his Zhu Zhu pets. Brush his teeth (which in itself is a routine...toothbrush wet, toothpaste on, turn on light up toothbrush, turn the bathroom light off, say "ah", brush teeth, and turn light back on.) Have a little Mylicon. Turn on lullabies. Turn on air conditioner/fan. Turn on Spoka night light (from IKEA). Turn on moon light. Turn on cars night light. Get 2 bedtime stories. Lay him down in bed. He sits up. Read stories. Lay down. Get tucks. Cuddle Bearemy. Tuck Bearemy. Have Mommy and Daddy give him his Tickle Me Elmo (turned off for the night, of course). Have Mommy and Daddy give him his other Elmo. Turn Scout's lullabies on. Say goodnight to the letter by his bed (currently it's letter A). Say goodnight to the Sesame Street decals by his bed. Say prayer. Give hugs (two each for Mommy and Daddy, but in this pattern---Mommy, Daddy, Mommy, Daddy.) And last but not least, spin the twirly that hangs above his bed.

Sigh.

It didn't start out so detailed. And it doesn't take long. BUT. If we so much as change one thing in the routine, LBB has to do it all over again. Yes, you could say we are catering to our toddler...I can totally see your point. :) But...

...he's only little once. And if he likes routine, who are we to fight him? Both Dear Sweet Hubby and I tend to be a bit OCD, so it's really no surprise to us that LBB is already showing signs. And while I know it runs in the family, I also know that we are responsible for making sure he's not a nervous wreck...so I don't plan on letting him add any more steps to the already rigid routine. :)

And deep down, we aren't really bothered by this momentary sleep issue. We are pretty used to LBB being stubborn when it comes to sleep, and he has months where he does great, so we just enjoy those and get through the stubborn moments. :)

Come to think about it, I think that's what a majority of parenthood is about...savoring and enjoying the wonderful moments, and just smiling when the not so wonderful moments pop up. Parenthood is a fun ride, full of ups and downs, twists and turns, and by no means is it ever boring. :)

Now I've got to go get LBB...he was supposed to nap before a playdate, but he chose not to, and now it's time to get ready for his friend to come over. :)

He's a Hoot

LBB makes me chuckle. Constantly. :)

Well, not constantly. There are those moments when I am convinced he is just testing my patience for the fun of it. But I still try to smile it off. I do well 98% of the time.

He is absolutely in love with trains and boats right now. Whenever he hears the train that blows it's whistle near our house, LBB stops what he is doing and yells "CHOO-CHOO!!!!" It's super cute, if I do say so myself. And tonight, he spent some time watching train videos on YouTube. Then he watched a clip of the Thomas the Train movie he watched yesterday. And...when it came time for bed, insisted on bringing one of his Thomas engines to bed with him.

And when it comes to boats, that little guy is just like his Daddy. :) Apparently a love of all things that float on the water is hereditary. He first started saying "boat" when we went on vacation and got to see some big ships. And for a while, he thought that the train blowing it's whistle was actually a boat, but he knows the difference now. So, among the train videos, he also watched a LOT of boat videos as well. Then, proceeded to go through his room to find all the boat toys he could and bring them out to the living room.

Oh...he's such a boy. And I love it. When we first found out we were pregnant with LBB, I can admit that I was originally hoping for a girl. :) (After all, don't most mommies?) And the day we found out that the little baby that was being so rambunctious, so stubborn, and so strong, was a boy, fear took over. I didn't know what to do with boys! Needless to say, I got over that fear within days, and spent my pregnancy super excited that we would be welcoming a bouncy baby boy. And when he arrived, it was love at first sight. Now I am in awe that I could have had any fears over raising a boy.

And each night, when I put away Hot Wheels, clean up Duplos, rebuild train tracks, put his ride-on fire truck back by the window (and his fireman hat on top of it), and put oodles and oodles of truck, car, firefighter, and construction books back on the book shelf, I am struck by how awesome it is to have a little boy...

...and how awesome it is, that whenever we hear a train or see a boat, he makes this wonderful look of excitement and surprise and says "WHOA!" Sigh. He's sleeping right now, but if I could I'd give him tons of big Mommy hugs. :)

God is very good and knows exactly what he is doing, that's for sure. :)

I Just Have to Share...

I came across this blog today, and absolutely love it. :)

It's called Delightful Children's Books, and has book lists for themes and ages. So cool! Some of my favorite lists so far are 5 Books Every Toddler Should Own, 7 First Stories to Share with Your Toddler, and 12 Books for Nature Loving Babies and Toddlers.

We always walk out of the library with a bag overflowing of books for LBB, but I always walk out wishing that I had been a bit more precise in our book choosing. :) Now I've got a few more ideas for books to get...and it will be perfect as I work on our curriculum planning.

Which...is what I was supposed to be doing right now. :) I got a little sidetracked.

Stories from the Trenches of Tot School

Sometimes I feel like my blog post titles are a little blah...that one spiced things up a bit, didn't it?

So, we've been really focusing on Tot School and incorporating it into daily life...it was amazing how much easier it is to do so when there isn't a computer to distract a person. Technology is a double-edged sword, isn't it? On one hand, you get so much done when you don't have it around, but then on the other hand, there is so much that you are lacking...especially when it comes to Tot School because there are a lot of awesome resources on the internet out there for it.

Anyways. I haven't blogged in so long, so please excuse the random rambling that is making an appearance in this post. :)

Back to Tot School.

LBB and I have been doing more activites, fine tuning things (we seem to do that a lot), and getting his homeschool area organized.

That's right...homeschool area. In our sweet little 2 bedroom apartment, we have managed to make him a little preschool style room.

In our dining room.

The way I figure it, we have this huge room that is well lit, has plenty of wall space, and we only use it about 45 minutes a day. That doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me. So, we converted it. We still use it for eating, but it's main purpose is clearly evident in the toddler art hanging all over the walls, IKEA Trofast storage proudly holding all his educational things, and a dining room table that has two of his workbooks serving as a constant decoration. :) We still have a few more things that we want to do in there, and as soon as we get those done, I will post some pictures. I'm very excited.

I've got to say that having a little area has helped immensely. LBB has been working on his Kumon "Let's Cut Paper" workbook. He's used his Do-A-Dots to learn the shape of the letter A. He has done marker painting. Music. Clay. Used his felt board to make animal noises. (Which, surprisingly, if you ever take a visit to his felt farm, you will learn that all of his felt animals tend to roar like a dinosaur.) All in all, having that area dedicated to just his tot/preschool has been a blessing.

Now I just need to get my homeschool storage area in the linen closet cleaned up. Well, I need to get the linen closest cleaned up in general. Ugh.

We are going to start LBB's preschool when he turns two (But I'm actually starting a few months early). I've been planning our lessons and activities, and I've can't express how fun this is. :) I'm going to enjoy every minute, because I know in a few years, he will be doing more detailed homeschool stuff that needs to be a bit more structured.

So, come October 1st , LBB will be busy with Toddler Storytime, Nature Play at the nature center, home learning, playdates, field trips, and who knows what else. :) There are so many opportunities where we live, it's just fun to think about all the things we can do with him.

Alright. I'm done typing now...I really feel like I'm a bit all over the place. My blogging brain is a bit rusty. :) I'll get back in the swing of things.

I'm Back!

This is LBB writing.

My Mommy wanted me to let you all know that she got her old laptop working, so we are back on the internet. When I found out, I started squealing and clapping. I really want to go to Sesame Street and play their toddler games again.

And since she is letting me on here, I have some observations to share.

*I don't like bedtime. I don't think that I should have to go to bed when my Mommy and Daddy are still up. They must be doing lots of fun things, and I think that they probably play with my toys when I am sleeping. That wouldn't be nice. Mommy keeps saying that all they do is watch tv, but if I were allowed to stay up, I'd play with my choo-choo trains and cars all night. And watch Elmo.

*The kitties don't play ball like my PaPa and GiGi's puppy does. I even say kitty and ball before I throw it, but they don't know what to do with it.

*I really like Cheez-Its. Everybody keeps trying to get me to eat regular food, but I'm really happy with Cheez-Its, so I think I will just keep eating those.

*I got a Sesame Street pop-up book at the bookstore, and Elmo dances in it. It's pretty fun. Big Bird is reading a book in a book, which is neat, and I can point to all the "B" things in his little book- ball, balloon, basket, bird, banana, bicycle, and butterfly. And the boat.

*People really get a kick out of when I say "Cheese" for the camera. Mommy laughs everytime, so I really ham it up for her. I like attention.

*Being a toddler is pretty cool...but there are a lot of times when I'm not allowed to do what I want. This makes me mad. So then I bite or hit. And then I get put in a time out. It's not fun to be in time outs, but I sit really well until Mommy or Daddy come talk to me about what I did wrong. I get a lot of time outs, but Mommy says I'm learning well and doing better than I used to.

*Mommy is beginning to do early preschool activities, and I know my letter "A". I like doing preschool stuff.

*And last, I think it's pretty cool to roar like a dinosaur. I roar at everybody because dinosaurs are the greatest. I even roared at the tiger at the zoo...I think he was impressed.

Just a short little update...

Our computer bit the dust a few months ago...so it's been no blogging for me. And at first I thought for sure I'd miss facebook the most...it's honestly the time I write in my blog that I miss the most. I write for the people who read it, but to be honest I love looking back at my entries and chuckling at the little things LBB does.

And speaking of LBB...he's been growing by leaps and bounds and learning tons everyday! Just when I was beginning to think that he wasn't going to talk and the worry-gene of mommyhood starting setting in, LBB had a "language explosion." Everyday he's learning something new!!! It's absolutely amazing to listen to him talk and, honestly, the majority of the time we can understand everything he says. The past few days he has reintroduced his love of the word "No", which he had learned a long time ago but had seemed to forget about. And of course, now the word has much more drama when said. :) But much to the happiness of my parents and sis, LBB finally says "PaPa", "GiGi", and my sister's name. It's adorable. Whenever we see a van like PaPa's or a S.U.V like GiGi's, he points to them and says their name. He makes me smile.

He is learning animal noises. Can match colors. And pretty much is a walking sponge with as much as he is learning.

We went on vacation and sat on the beach. Walked around the canal area. Sat on a balcony overlooking the water, and ate ice cream. It was absolutely wonderful. LBB has been having so much fun just absorbing, and Dear Sweet Hubby and I have been soaking up every wonderful moment of watching him. I'm so blessed that I am able to be a stay-at-home mommy!

He's gone for bike rides with PaPa. Had playdates with his new friend. And started baby story time two weeks ago...

...and had a major issue each week. He kept getting cranky halfway through and acting up, and after trying to figure it out with the children's librarian, we both came up with the same theory...LBB is getting bored. :) He's been ready to move up to the next class for some time now, but is technically too young to do so. But, thankfully, his librarian wants to move him up to Toddler Storytime!!!! We're so excited! During the baby storytime activities he's been bored and able to do all of them while the others in the class aren't...so I think Toddler Storytime will be a nice challenge for him.

It's just amazing how fast he is growing. He looks like a little boy more than a baby, and it's so important to us to make sure we enjoy each moment.

So in hindsight, although I miss the internet, it's been a blessing to have a forced reduction of the time spent on here. I've slowed down. Focused on life. And enjoy every minute of it.

Not to say that I won't be upset when we get a new computer...on the contrary...I'll be happy because I can blog again and share photos of my sweet LBB on facebook for family and friends, but I've definitely learned a lesson of how much is too much. Too much computer is bad...but there is no such thing as too much of time with my LBB.

So, until next time that I take a few minutes at my parent's to write a blog post, have a good rest of the summer!!!!