I have had to stay late at school every day because of Academic Decathlon, so poor Will has been stuck at daycare longer than usual. He really seems to be taking it well. I am sure to devote extra attention to him in the evening (until Daddy gets home, when he switches favorites).
Obviously, I think my kid's smart, but I still think it's pretty neat that I can point to a picture of the president and ask him who it is. Every time, he'll point and say, "'Bama." He won't call anyone else Obama, so I have to believe he knows who his president is. One of my earliest memories was seeing Jimmy Carter on TV, so I guess it's fitting Will follows in the poli sci/history footsteps of the rest of his family. (Both of my parents, all of my siblings, all but one of my in-laws on my side, and Rolf and I all have degrees in either history or political science).
Will loves to help me cook. I pull up a chair for him to stand on (right next to me so he doesn't fall - don't call CPS). He is fantastic at salting the water for pasta, and he even helped me bake cookies last week! He poured in every ingredient for me. I think I have a budding chef on my hands. I love it!
Yesterday, school was closed due to ice that melted by 10:30. The district doesn't do late arrival, for some reason. It was nice to be home with Will, though, since I won't see him Friday or Saturday. Will alternated between being a complete angel and being a complete hellion. I suppose he is getting closer to his terrible twos.
The past week, Will has been so nice and compliant when it is time for bed. Even yesterday, at naptime, he went without a fuss. We read to him and then let him walk and climb into bed on his own. This way, he feels as if it is his choice.
Every day since Sunday, Will has gone potty in his potty chair once a day! We have to ask him, of course, and he's only taken care of #1, but I am so proud of him! On Tuesday, we had to run by the grocery store on the way home. We didn't get home until nearly 6. I took him to the potty, took off his dry diaper and he peed! It's really exciting to see him start to take control of his actions and gain more independence. I am not mourning the thought of his getting out of diapers. They're expensive!
29 January 2009
25 January 2009
Will Pee-peed in the Potty!
This morning, Will patted himself and said, "poo-poo," which is his universal signal that he has done something in his diaper, be it #1 or #2. I was about to jump in the shower, so I handed him off to Rolf to take to the potty. By the time they got to the other bathroom, it was too late for #2. Rolf sat him on the potty chair, told him to be still while he fetched a clean diaper, and ran to Will's room. When he returned, Will was still on the potty, just as daddy had asked, and he had tinkled!
We are super proud of him. If this keeps up, we'll have him potty-trained by summer for sure!
P.S. Rolf left the tinkle in the potty chair in case I wanted to take a picture. I'm an embarrassing sort of mom, but I'm not THAT embarrassing! :-)
We are super proud of him. If this keeps up, we'll have him potty-trained by summer for sure!
P.S. Rolf left the tinkle in the potty chair in case I wanted to take a picture. I'm an embarrassing sort of mom, but I'm not THAT embarrassing! :-)
22 January 2009
A Few Pictures
Just cute.
Will's stunt the other night: he dug out two pacis and chewed on them both.
He was so proud of himself!
When Will gets a hold of markers, he does this
....then he tries to make hand prints on his easel.
A boy and his daddy
Elton John?
Will's new play mat. Yes, there is a 9, but Will had pulled it out and stashed it somewhere.
12 January 2009
Update and Milestone
Bedtime has been better since the weekend. I think maybe Will is getting used to the routine again. He was down by 8 last night. He had a nightmare at about 10 (at least, he started crying then). Rolf went in, calmed him down, and put him back in bed. Will started crying again almost immediately. I unearthed myself from the papers I was grading to go to him. He was sitting up in bed, and I picked him up. I rocked him for a few minutes, then tried to get him back to bed. He had horrible sinus breath, so I asked if he was thirsty. "Thusty." I tossed Boyd into the bed and retrieved the sippy of water we keep for him. Several pulls on the sippy, and he leaned over to get back in bed. Yes, you read that right. He actually voluntarily got back into bed. And stayed there. He was awake for another 5-10 minutes, but I wasn't in the room with him. Hooray!
As for the milestone, not once but TWICE in the past three days, Will has sat on his potty chair with no pants on. He hasn't actually gone potty in the chair yet, but he's getting more comfortable with it. Saturday night, I was bathing him, and he said, "poo-poo." Because of our past experience cleaning poop out of the tub, I pulled him out quickly. I plopped him on the potty chair, where he sat until he got chilly*. Tonight, he had already pooped a little in his diaper, but when I went to draw his bath, he came to sit on the potty chair. I ended up pulling his pants down and taking his diaper off to see if he needed to do any more. He didn't, but boy am I proud of him for wanting to try!
He's gotten to the point that if one of us is in the bathroom, he'll come in and sit on the potty chair along side us. I don't harbor any illusions that we'll get to stop buying diapers any time soon, but it certainly seems he'll be ready to try giving them up this summer.
*ETA: I didn't torture the poor boy; I merely let him sit there a couple of minutes. He was wet from the bath. As soon as we saw that little chin wiggle, we picked him up and dried him off. I realized later that the way I wrote it sounded bad.
As for the milestone, not once but TWICE in the past three days, Will has sat on his potty chair with no pants on. He hasn't actually gone potty in the chair yet, but he's getting more comfortable with it. Saturday night, I was bathing him, and he said, "poo-poo." Because of our past experience cleaning poop out of the tub, I pulled him out quickly. I plopped him on the potty chair, where he sat until he got chilly*. Tonight, he had already pooped a little in his diaper, but when I went to draw his bath, he came to sit on the potty chair. I ended up pulling his pants down and taking his diaper off to see if he needed to do any more. He didn't, but boy am I proud of him for wanting to try!
He's gotten to the point that if one of us is in the bathroom, he'll come in and sit on the potty chair along side us. I don't harbor any illusions that we'll get to stop buying diapers any time soon, but it certainly seems he'll be ready to try giving them up this summer.
*ETA: I didn't torture the poor boy; I merely let him sit there a couple of minutes. He was wet from the bath. As soon as we saw that little chin wiggle, we picked him up and dried him off. I realized later that the way I wrote it sounded bad.
I love this...
Okay, so he doesn't turn the pages quite in the right order, and he's not quite speaking English, but this is seriously one of the cutest things I've ever seen.
Yes, those are post-it notes on his back. He and Rolf were playing with them shortly before the reading commenced.
Yes, those are post-it notes on his back. He and Rolf were playing with them shortly before the reading commenced.
11 January 2009
Rough Week
This week was our first week back at work/school since December 19. We loved spending time together and with Will.
Monday came around, and we got Will up and ready to go to daycare. He, contrary to my expectations, did great! He loved having other kids to play with. They said at music time, he was the only one really participating with the music teacher's songs and hand gestures, grinning the whole time. Monday night, we were able to get him to bed with his usual routine at his usual time. No sweat, right? Wrong.
Tuesday, Will had a lot of fun at daycare again. I was relieved, thinking that this might be a fairly easy transition back to work. Tuesday night, we got Will into the bath around 7, got him dressed for bed and ready to read by 7:15, and ready to sleep at 7:30. Ha! As soon as we put him down in his bed, he started screaming. Not crying, but screaming, as if in terror. I tried rocking him for a while more, got him to doze off, and set him down. He screamed again. Eventually, I brought him into the living room, turned off the lights, and got him to sleep again. As soon as we reached his bed, he bounced back up and started his screaming again. The process: snuggle, sleep, bed, scream. Repeat ad nauseum. We were absolutely unable to get him to calm down, so we broke one of our cardinal rules and brought him to bed with us. There, in the dark, he whispered something around his paci that sounded really creepy and went to sleep. We were not so lucky. I know I was up once an hour, worried that my pillow had fallen over on Will's face and was smothering him. Rolf nearly fell off the bed twice. We have a queen-sized bed, neither of us are small people, and Will made himself at home and stretched out diagonally. It was a rough night for all.
Wednesday, he had another great day at daycare, although he seemed a little reluctant to sleep there, too. Wednesday night, though, brought the same screaming. Ugh. At one point I figured we were going to just have to let him cry it out. Usually, he's down in 10 minutes. Not this time. He screamed 20 minutes straight, barely taking a breath. He sounded terrified. I was starting to wonder if there wasn't something in his room bothering him. My mom joked that I needed to tell Granny to go away and let him relax. I believe that kids are able to see things adults can't, and his sudden terror of his bed had me thinking that maybe her joke was close to the truth. Earlier in the day, I had taken him to his room and asked him what was bothering him. I sat in his rocking chair, and he babbled something and headed for the door. I watched as he closed the door and went into the hallway, like he wanted me to see what happens when he's alone. I looked around and tried to feel any change in the room, but he burst back in with a "mama!" after 10 seconds. It was almost like he was worried. Rolf finally got him to sleep in his own bed at 10 PM.
Thursday was more of the same, but Rolf was able to get him down by 9:45.
Friday, we let Will stay up with us while we played on the Wii. By this point, I was figuring that his reluctance to go to bed was more separation anxiety than anything. After all, he went from spending all day, every day with us to seeing Rolf for a mere hour and a half before he had to go to bed. He went to bed with much less of a fuss around 9:00.
Saturday, Rolf tried putting him to bed at his normal time and was able to get him down by 8:00. Of course, we had spent the entire day with him, and he had pulled the "I fell asleep for 20 minutes in the car so I'm good for the day" thing. He was pooped. The real acid test will be Monday, after we're separated again all day.
Ugh.
Monday came around, and we got Will up and ready to go to daycare. He, contrary to my expectations, did great! He loved having other kids to play with. They said at music time, he was the only one really participating with the music teacher's songs and hand gestures, grinning the whole time. Monday night, we were able to get him to bed with his usual routine at his usual time. No sweat, right? Wrong.
Tuesday, Will had a lot of fun at daycare again. I was relieved, thinking that this might be a fairly easy transition back to work. Tuesday night, we got Will into the bath around 7, got him dressed for bed and ready to read by 7:15, and ready to sleep at 7:30. Ha! As soon as we put him down in his bed, he started screaming. Not crying, but screaming, as if in terror. I tried rocking him for a while more, got him to doze off, and set him down. He screamed again. Eventually, I brought him into the living room, turned off the lights, and got him to sleep again. As soon as we reached his bed, he bounced back up and started his screaming again. The process: snuggle, sleep, bed, scream. Repeat ad nauseum. We were absolutely unable to get him to calm down, so we broke one of our cardinal rules and brought him to bed with us. There, in the dark, he whispered something around his paci that sounded really creepy and went to sleep. We were not so lucky. I know I was up once an hour, worried that my pillow had fallen over on Will's face and was smothering him. Rolf nearly fell off the bed twice. We have a queen-sized bed, neither of us are small people, and Will made himself at home and stretched out diagonally. It was a rough night for all.
Wednesday, he had another great day at daycare, although he seemed a little reluctant to sleep there, too. Wednesday night, though, brought the same screaming. Ugh. At one point I figured we were going to just have to let him cry it out. Usually, he's down in 10 minutes. Not this time. He screamed 20 minutes straight, barely taking a breath. He sounded terrified. I was starting to wonder if there wasn't something in his room bothering him. My mom joked that I needed to tell Granny to go away and let him relax. I believe that kids are able to see things adults can't, and his sudden terror of his bed had me thinking that maybe her joke was close to the truth. Earlier in the day, I had taken him to his room and asked him what was bothering him. I sat in his rocking chair, and he babbled something and headed for the door. I watched as he closed the door and went into the hallway, like he wanted me to see what happens when he's alone. I looked around and tried to feel any change in the room, but he burst back in with a "mama!" after 10 seconds. It was almost like he was worried. Rolf finally got him to sleep in his own bed at 10 PM.
Thursday was more of the same, but Rolf was able to get him down by 9:45.
Friday, we let Will stay up with us while we played on the Wii. By this point, I was figuring that his reluctance to go to bed was more separation anxiety than anything. After all, he went from spending all day, every day with us to seeing Rolf for a mere hour and a half before he had to go to bed. He went to bed with much less of a fuss around 9:00.
Saturday, Rolf tried putting him to bed at his normal time and was able to get him down by 8:00. Of course, we had spent the entire day with him, and he had pulled the "I fell asleep for 20 minutes in the car so I'm good for the day" thing. He was pooped. The real acid test will be Monday, after we're separated again all day.
Ugh.
03 January 2009
Ice!
While Will's Missouri grandparents were in town, we went to the Gaylord Texan's Ice exhibit. They bring in artisans from China to create amazing ice sculptures. The display is kept at 9 degrees, so they issue parkas to the visitors. Problem - Will is a Texan, and he doesn't understand the necessity of covering up when it's cold. The sculptures were amazing, but Will pitched a fit through most of the display. He didn't want his head covered, he didn't want his hands covered, and he didn't like the cold. Ugh. We managed to get a couple of pictures in which he isn't crying, though.
The North Wind greets you as you enter the exhibit.
This is the entry tunnel - before Will started his screaming fit.
A gingerbread house made out of nothing but ice!
Okay, I agree with Will on this one - the Santa is pretty scary.
This was an ice slide, but they wouldn't let Will ride with one of us. Nobody got to slide. :-(
An amazing life-size nativity scene.
The goofy critters at the end.
There were, of course, other things there, including a 15 foot angel, but there were a lot of people to try to take pictures around, and as I've said before, Will was no fun to be around.
Very neat exhibit, though. Expensive, but fun. We'll try it again when Will is a little older.
The North Wind greets you as you enter the exhibit.
This is the entry tunnel - before Will started his screaming fit.
A gingerbread house made out of nothing but ice!
Okay, I agree with Will on this one - the Santa is pretty scary.
This was an ice slide, but they wouldn't let Will ride with one of us. Nobody got to slide. :-(
An amazing life-size nativity scene.
The goofy critters at the end.
There were, of course, other things there, including a 15 foot angel, but there were a lot of people to try to take pictures around, and as I've said before, Will was no fun to be around.
Very neat exhibit, though. Expensive, but fun. We'll try it again when Will is a little older.
Long Overdue Christmas, part 3
The day after Christmas, we went out to spend a little of our Christmas money. That afternoon, Will's grandparents came down from Missouri to spend a few days. Once again, Will was spoiled rotten by doting grandparents.
By far, Will's favorite present was the ball pit he got. His unbridled joy was something to see.
By far, Will's favorite present was the ball pit he got. His unbridled joy was something to see.
Long Overdue Christmas, part 2
Christmas morning, we heard Will coo about 7:15. I wanted to make sure everything was ready for him, so we got up and turned on the lights, got the camera set up, and waited. And waited. And waited. We opened our Christmas presents to each other and waited. And waited. At 8:00, I finally decided to go wake Will up. Fifteen minutes later, a sleepy Will stumbled into the living room to see what Santa brought him.
After we saw what Santa brought, we headed back to my parents to see what Santa left there. We saw my cousin Sean, who had come in late the night before.
Before it got too late, we went to Rolf's stepdad's. Will loves to visit his Nini and Papa. There he was spoiled yet again. We stayed for the afternoon, and when Will got sleepy, we headed home.
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After we saw what Santa brought, we headed back to my parents to see what Santa left there. We saw my cousin Sean, who had come in late the night before.
Before it got too late, we went to Rolf's stepdad's. Will loves to visit his Nini and Papa. There he was spoiled yet again. We stayed for the afternoon, and when Will got sleepy, we headed home.
Long Overdue Christmas, part 1
Sorry it's taken me so long to get this post up; we've had company or have been working on getting life and the house back under control since I got out for Christmas break.
Will had a fantastic Christmas. He was duly spoiled by all his doting relatives (including Mommy and Daddy).
On the 23rd, we had my local (Texas) sibs over for a fun evening. We ordered pizza, and played the Wii. At one point during the course of the evening, Will disappeared for a couple of minutes. When he emerged from the dining room, he had a slice of pepperoni in his hand. He reached up on the table, opened the box, and helped himself. Silly boy.
Christmas Eve, we went to my parents' house. We had an awesome lunch of tamales, queso, and other Tex-Mex specialties. Will had a great time opening his presents, even though we were working past his naptime. Afterward, he watched my nephew and my cousin play cards. I don't know what game they were playing, but Will thought it was hilarious. Check it out:
After going all afternoon without a nap (too much excitement!), Will was getting cranky. We headed home around 4:30. Will fell asleep before we got home and slept until 7, when Rolf's brother came over. Will stayed awake until about 7:30, long enough to open his presents from Uncle Rolland, and went back to sleep. There he stayed until past 8 on Christmas morning. He was one pooped little boy.
Will had a fantastic Christmas. He was duly spoiled by all his doting relatives (including Mommy and Daddy).
On the 23rd, we had my local (Texas) sibs over for a fun evening. We ordered pizza, and played the Wii. At one point during the course of the evening, Will disappeared for a couple of minutes. When he emerged from the dining room, he had a slice of pepperoni in his hand. He reached up on the table, opened the box, and helped himself. Silly boy.
Christmas Eve, we went to my parents' house. We had an awesome lunch of tamales, queso, and other Tex-Mex specialties. Will had a great time opening his presents, even though we were working past his naptime. Afterward, he watched my nephew and my cousin play cards. I don't know what game they were playing, but Will thought it was hilarious. Check it out:
After going all afternoon without a nap (too much excitement!), Will was getting cranky. We headed home around 4:30. Will fell asleep before we got home and slept until 7, when Rolf's brother came over. Will stayed awake until about 7:30, long enough to open his presents from Uncle Rolland, and went back to sleep. There he stayed until past 8 on Christmas morning. He was one pooped little boy.
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