What do you do when a toddler just won't sleep?

Hmmm, so yes, we are in the big boy bed. Now what? Will this get any better? How do parents deal with big boy beds if the big boys won't stay in them?

I have a very active little boy...I realize he was in a crib until after his third birthday but he was willing to sleep there and we were willing to let him.

Our normal ritual consists of prayers followed by kissing and tucking Thadeus into bed. Around two weeks before Christmas, I started the potty talk again. Our pediatrician had advised me that Thad just didn't seem ready for pottying and maybe to lay off for a couple of months. So that would put us at January for starting the potty time again.

Mid-December I started suggesting to Thadeus that if he would start using the big boy potty then he would be rewarded with a big boy bed. I was thinking...it is time to move on to this big bed but what a great way to "reward" him--if he used the potty. Well, it was that same weekend that he figured out how to get out of his bed. I knew it was only a matter of time. It is one of the convertable beds, meaning, it's a crib, converts to a toddler bed and finally can be converted into a double bed...pretty neat. The crib had tall sides, so he never tried to crawl out, until about two weeks ago.

It was a Saturday. We are both in our living room and out comes Thadeus--Jerime and I both looked up with bewilderment on our faces. "Hello Thad", Jerime said. "What are you doing? Did you figure out how to get out of your bed?" "Uh, huh," Thadeus said with this HUGE smile on his face.

So we tried putting him back in his crib and he just wouldn't have it....nice. Nap time has been non-existant. Yep...nada. No naps. This means that by 5pm, Thadeus is just the most wonderful kiddo to be around. Melt downs occur, yelling, throwing; and all of this because he is tired and won't take a nap. This is not from lack of trying though. We kept putting him in the bed...out he came. I think I even threatened to duct-tape him to the bed....of course, this was not good because he believed me and began crying....so not such a good idea....

Night time has been an issue too. Sometimes we've let him stay up....falling asleep next to us and we just take him to his new bed. Other times, we let him play in his room...until finally we have to make him go to sleep which involves a "YOU BETTER NOT GET OUT OF THIS BED AGAIN" speech--he will cry and we feel bad but once it is 10 pm you just have to draw the line! I mean I was falling asleep before him!!!!

I've done a spanking technique once and that was not fun so haven't done that again. So I guess there is no really right way but we are continuing to work on it and maybe he will eventually cooperate.

and two weeks later...

Well, golly bum. I am so excited to have reached my blog page....now, what to write? Facebook has taken over my strength to blog...but I must....
You see, I forgot my password? How did this happen....? I'm not sure, except that I kept trying to follow the prompts to reset it and I couldn't get it to happen....two weeks later, I FINALLY receive the e-mail I need to really reset this thing! Ah, atlast!
Now, off to decide what to write about...my last blog was on July 4th!!!!! Pre-second baby....a LOT has happened since then.
AND Christmas.

Happy Fourth! (oh, and happy due date or not-due date!)

Happy Fourth! We are thankful for all of those who have served and died for our country and are continuing to serve our country. Yesterday, we hung out with the Buffington's side. It was a beautiful hot day and thank goodness for the breeze. GeeGee enjoyed watching Thadeus while I sat, sat, and sat some more. It is tough being so big right now but I know I will have a baby before next Saturday, according to the doctor who will not let me go to 41 weeks. Yikes.

Here are some photos of our fabulous day! We miss you Jonathan; we'll be glad when you come home from Afghanistan.

First, here is a photo of Thadeus playing with Daddy. He is really getting into his train set. He's getting where he will actually let you play with it...and let is stay on the track.

Jerime bought his Dad a smoker for Father's Day. He has used it quite a bit. Jerime brought his smoker over and here they are "smokin." For starters we had lunch--smoked hot dogs with chili. Yummy. And yes, those are the baby-backs--dinner for later.

Thadeus is really trying to potty like a big boy. This is a great (yeah) stage. It is the hardest stage ever. I mean I hope this kid is potty trained before Kindergarten. LOL He thinks it is more fun to put the potty insert over his head. This is a only a slightly new potty insert so don't think Granddaddy and Jerime have lost their minds...if this potty wasn't nearly new, they would not be puttin' this potty on their heads!!!

Thadeus and his mommy took a trip to Wal-mart before heading to GeeGee's. I just had to buy the flower sprinkler. Thad loved it!!!

Below is a photo of the new calf. You can see the mama to the left. She was a little cow to be having a baby. I don't know about you but I'm thinking GeeGee and Granddaddy better watch that bull. LOL Just kidding!

Ah, the ribs. Don't they look great. And Jerime's sauce is just awesome. They were great. Thadeus had a great time eating the ribs, tomatoes, butter peas, bread and enjoyed some strawberry short cake. We left around 9pm or so and Thadeus was a tired boy. Below is a great photo of his bed head the next morning. Thadeus and I are both morning persons! I wake up singing and so does he. Gotta love that hair!

Love,

Christine and Jerime

Memorial Day Weekend

This is a great shot of Thad's pearly whites! Bathtime is the best time--he loves getting into the water and splashing around.

Ingles had a great sale on bananas during the Memorial Day Weekend. One bag for $0.99!!! There were 15 bananas in that bag. We couldn't eat them fast enough so I decided to make banana pudding and banana bread! I had enough for two batches each. Thadeus had fun helping his mama, as you can see.

Here I am at 34 weeks. I finally removed my naval ring which you can spot in the photo below.

Jerime and I went fishing at Lake Juliette over the holiday. The two of us had not been in the new boat together since the time we took Thadeus with us. A two year old in a boat is not that good an idea if your two year old likes to climb and jump. The weekend, as you may remember, was a rainy one. It didn't rain on us much but it was very overcast. Jerime only caught one fish. It was a keeper that we took to Cliff and Rhonda's pond. I didn't catch a single fish. GeeGee and Mimi split babysitting duty that Saturday as we fished. It was good to get out but I was happy to see my little boy. I can't believe I still have the withdrawal symptoms from being away from my 2.5 year old son-- I love my little man.

Thadeus got a new toy over the weekend also. All of his toys are "outdated" meaning boring! He doesn't really play with his toys anymore and he needed an interactive toy for the indoors, especially on rainy days. Jerime and I decided to take Thad to town. We ate Mexican first. Thadeus loves Mexican food. We gave him salsa and chips to start off with--the salsa was spicy and Thad just ate it up...I can't believe he likes spicy food the way he does but I ate a lot of spicy food when I was pregnant with him. Afterward we went to Walmart. This experience wasn't a good one because Thadeus wanted every toy he could see. After a bunch of screaming in the toy section, we loaded up a toy kitchen. Thadeus calls this is "kinchen" and absolutely loves it. When I pick him up from daycare, he will say, I want my kinchen.

I think this photo is so cute. Today when we got home he was cooking with his kinchen. He will sip on his juice and stir up his play food. Sometimes when I can't find his sippy cup, I can take a peek in one of the compartments and find the cup. Usually I find it in the Microwave! Today I asked him what he was making and he replied with "apple juice." So I asked him, what else will you make and he said "chocolate." I laughed at him so hard.

My sister Tiffany got married this weekend. I worried about Thadeus but he did really well. Daddy took snacks for the ceremony which turned out to be beautiful. My parents decorated the lake and it was just beautiful. I hate I didn't take any photos but I couldn't do much since I was helping direct the wedding. Tiffany looked beautiful. Thad stayed up the entire time. GeeGee help tremendously by keeping an eye on him as he was running all over the place. I was getting sharp pains in my abdomen the whole weekend so I just couldn't keep up with him. Together, Jerime, GeeGee and Granddaddy kept him at bay. He had a good time dancing the night away. Toward the end of the night we could tell he was tired as he sat in my lap as we watched some of the last dances before Tiff and Taylor left the reception. I just know Thadeus would fall asleep on the way home. Can you believe this kid didn't wind down until well after 12:30 a.m. He kept talking while in his bed. We stayed awake until he fell asleep. I was pooped. The next day Jerime watched Thad as I helped Mom clean up some at the lake. It was sad to see all of the decorations and flowers come down...I can't believe one of my baby sisters is married.

Last molar! Full head of teeth

Well, we've finished getting in his last molar! His left one. I guess now we wait for them all to fall out before getting the wisdom ones!!! Brushing a toddler's teeth is definitely a task. He hates it when I help but I know dental hygiene is a very important thing.

Today I bought Thadeus some new jammies. He loves them. There are bugs all over the pants and there is a fuzzy bug on the shirt. He looked so cute before bedtime.

I also bought him a three piece set for the wedding. It is a cute little vest in yellow with kakhi pants and the neatest little roll up polo shirt. It was on the clearance rack and very cute. Then I paid entirely too much for a polo shirt for a two year old! I got it on sale too--it is green with a light blue polo logo. I got some navy pants to go with it...so I have two outfits to choose from for my sister's, Tiffany, wedding in two weeks!!!

I have seven weeks left of the pregnancy. I just love the lady, Fran, at my son's daycare that tells me EVERY day how large I am! It's like the movie, "Groundhog Day." She asks me every day how much farther I have to go and tells me how big I look. Thanks Fran. There's nothing like working your butt off all day long to come to that in the afternoon! LOL

Poor little Mica is a sweet little pup! She lets Thad lay on her, pull her tail, drag her upside-down, etc. I'm trying to teach him the importance of being sweet and gentle to our seven year old, five pound dog. When it gets too bad, she goes onto my bed until Thad goes to bed. She has bitten him a couple of times but I know it was when she could take it no longer. They are not serious bites, just the kind that say "back off bud." She really deals with it well and with Thad getting stronger, I rescue her before she has a chance to react to him, just in case.

I've been an emotional basket case lately. I cry at the drop of a hat. Little Thad is so sweet. He will come up to me and say, "I sorry, mama." I give him hugs and tell him I love him and tell him that it is okay and he is not the reason mommy is crying! It is really quite humorous. I think it is so sweet that he is so concerned. Sometimes he will come up to me and rub my leg and look at me with those beautiful big brown eyes and say "sorry." I could just eat that kid up.

Another molar, twins and falling asleep

Well, I know I still have not posted my Hawaii photos. I think I have this dream to have the coolest blog entry of our trip with photos and captions and everything...that is a lot of work! I will do it though, all in due time.

Here are some other cute things that have happened...

We are almost done with the new baby's room. I have hung curtains, painted the chair rail, brought home the furniture, Jerime put the furniture together...it is almost complete. I bought some wall letters and we plan to hang them. I also plan on buying some art work for the new room...mice and boats, a real cute piece of work.

I had confederate memorial day off of work so I decided to take the day for myself. I let Thad continue to daycare to be with his friends and I completed some house chores and left off to pick up the baby furniture from Babies R Us.

I pick up a few needed items from Babies R Us and mosey my way to Customer Service to pick up my order. It took a little while but they brought two of the three pieces out. I think we ordered the largest pieces of furniture that they had because the two ladies running the show were not sure that all three pieces would fit in the Ford F150. Ridiculous, I explained. We bought the very same furniture (different wood finish) two years ago and brought it home then...in that very truck...
Well, the two ladies had to find a male helper who happened to be a scrawny man... about an hour later and after help from some big muscular stranger (thank you Jesus), we got the furniture loaded. I had to go to Home Depot to get some tie downs, and finally started home! I was quite proud of myself and it was a fun adventure.

The room looks great so far, but I can't wait to make the finishing touches.

Twins:
Thadeus has three aunts, two of which are twins. Tiffany took to Thad much more than Heather. Heather is uncomfortable around small babies but Tiffany just grabbed Thad up and baby sat often. So Thad calls Tiffany, "TT," and we refer to her as Aunt TT. Heather came over one night last week to eat dinner since she was by herself and hungry. Mom and Dad were out of town. I said, come on by... Thadeus kept calling her TT and I kept informing him that this was his Aunt Heather, or Heaha. He would say Heaher but a few minutes would go by and it was back to TT. Tiffany works in Barnesville so she stopped by on her way home. I told her that he kept calling Heather TT, which TT just loved. I said, I really don't think he understands that he has twin aunts...because you are never together with him...and let's face it, you look very similar. So, right before bedtime whenTiffany arrived at my house, I asked Tiffany and Heather to stand together so Thad could see. I held him and he looked at them, from one to the other and then he'd look at me. He look back at each one and looked back at me. With the most bewildered look on his face, he looked back at me after looking at both of them again and said, "two" and smiled. It was the cutest thing ever.

We finally have second year molar number three. One more molar to go before we are done.

I wore my stilletto heels to work...not a good idea. My toes look like little smokies, as Jerime would say...or did say. Only 9 weeks to go.

Swine flu or H1N1 is wrapping up at work too. It has been crazy with all the conference calls and updates. I'm ready for that to be over.

And to close, for the first time in his toddler life, Thadeus fell asleep in my arms. It was so great. He has taken a liking to Blues Clues. I could tell he was tired but normally he keeps himself awake and we have to force him to bed; otherwise, he simply would NEVER go to bed. But, tonight he cuddled with his mommy, daddy beside mommy, and he fell asleep. It was so sweet and I wouldn't mind that if it happened every night. I love that little boy. He has no idea how much I love him.

Parenting Little Boys, article that hit close to my heart.

Parenting Toddlers:It's all about Action and Independence!

What is it about parenting toddlers? If you thought your baby boy kept you busy, then you ain't seen nothing yet!
Toddlers can be challenging for sure! Just listen to moms talking about their toddlers to get a glimpse of the challenges ahead: "He never stops! He is Mr Independent! He keeps me on my toes with his antics!" and so on and so forth. Some go as far as talking about their "little devils". Parenting toddlers is sometimes described as a nightmare. And I'm sure you've heard the "terrible twos" expression...
As soon as your little boy can walk with confidence and run, he is all movement! You have to keep your eyes on him all the time. Who said parenting toddlers was easy?!
What you need to understand is that boys this age have their own agenda. They are focused only on their own needs. And the agenda is action and independence.
I have mentioned the so-called terrible twos earlier. The term is a little bit misleading because that phase actually usually starts around 2 1/2. It's a time of opposition, aggression and anger that appears to be deliberate and willful. Between 18 months and 2 1/2 toddler boys still appear mostly loving and affectionate. They are also very active and searching autonomy but it is usually better perceived by parents than the later phase.
Yes, parenting toddlers is challenging some days, but the way you react to your boy's search for autonomy and high level of activity is very important!

Research has shown that boys are more active than girls and are usually behind in terms of language development. They also tend to get frustrated more easily than girls, probably because of their less developed language abilities. They don't seem to be as interested in the reactions of the adults around them. All this leads to stronger reactions from parents in response. They are parenting toddler boys differently from the way they are parenting toddler girls.
In babies, gender doesn't seem to be important for the level of activity. Individual temperament seems to be more important. The differences by gender start to appear around 10 months. Boys become less compliant than girls. This difference between genders will increase between 1 and 2 and keep doing so until school age. At that stage, the majority of boys are more active than girls, regardless of their temperament. Because of this main difference, parents need to manage their boys' activity levels.
One important thing you need to keep in mind when parenting toddler boys: they do not understand the link between cause and effect. Because of this and his activity level, your toddler can turn into a tornado! You need to anticipate and keep an eye for "problem situations". This is important to protect your house from destruction and to keep your boy safe. ;)
Toddlers cannot control their impulses. If your toddler boy kicks or punches just after you told him explicitly not to and looks at you straight in the eyes while doing so, it does not mean he does it to provoke you. He is just acting in an age appropriate way and you should not tell him he is a bad boy. It is better to tell him "No", "Stop", "We do not do that", etc.
Don't get me wrong, they DO need discipline, but NOT retaliation such as corporal punishment. It is always important to keep age appropriate behaviors in mind when parenting toddler boys. By the time your toddler is 3, he should start to be in better control of his impulses. After reading all this, you are probably wondering what has become of the close bond that once existed between mother/father and baby boy. Well, the bond is still here, it's just different! In this time of action, it's more of an "on and off" thing. What is important for your toddler is to know that you are here "in case".
This is where boys differ from girls. Research has shown that boys don't check their moms so much when playing. Little girls tend to make eye contact with them often and search their approval. Boys still need their mom as much as girls do, it's just less obvious.
The challenge in parenting toddler boys is finding the right balance between allowing them to assert their independence and being present to support them emotionally. It's a fine line and nobody gets it right 100% of the time! Trust me, there is no specialist at parenting toddlers, they make sure to keep us on our toes! ;)
Let's look at the development of your toddler now, because knowledge of age appropriate behaviors is a useful tool when parenting toddlers.

Second Year Molars

After two weeks of horrible poo episodes, Thadeus has finally cut two molars. Yep. We have sure had a time with this teething episode. This has been the worst experience of all the teething so far. Now, we only have two more teeth (top molars) to go! Yay. Thad's little booty is so raw right now. We've been lubing that little butt up on a regular basis to keep it from getting too bad.
We took Thad to Bass Pro Shops this past Saturday. He loved looking at the boats and trying on the baby sunglasses. He was so cute. I love my little cutie pie.

Six Month Checkup

Well, I'm on my last week of my sixth month! Next week will be the beginning of my last trimester! Where did the time go? I'm growing by leaps and bounds. Gained six lbs since my last appointment. I've been putting on the stretch cream like crazy. Haven't taken out the navel ring yet...so you can imagine how humorous that must be!
The baby boy was moving all over in my tummy so she had a hard time finding the heartbeat initially but finally did! Next month, I get to do the glucose test...yuck...but at least I get to do it in the Dr. Office instead of the lab, like last time.
We moved Thadeus into his new room and he loves it. He rarely goes into his old room. We are ready to paint the trim in the new baby's room, still have to order baby furniture...and what else? I seem to be pretty calm about this so far....I will probably freak out a little closer to July.
Thadeus pee-peed in the potty at school yesterday once. I was so happy for him. No dice today though. I'm amazed at how much he can eat.
Yesterday we were all playing on the floor. Thad hit his daddy and his daddy made him go to time out. He kept crying and crying and finally I asked him, "Thadeus, are you really crying?" and he responded honestly, "no." Oh my gosh...we died laughing. He is a smart little booger.

It's a boy

So how could I have guessed? In 22 family members in four generations, there are 3 girls. Until Lillie was born in 2007, the last girl was born 59 years ago. So, the odds were very low for a girl. I was prepared. I asked Jerime not to go to the doctor with me. Now that he works in Griffin and I in Macon, I decided I could handle this and he can use that extra day after the baby is born. So I asked the Ultrasound Technician to write it down for me and not tell me the sex of the baby during the appointment. I got to watch that pretty little baby stretch its arms and legs on the monitor and I saw the little heart beating away. It really is a miracle. The tech wrote the sex down on a piece of paper, and I sealed the envelope. I could hardly stand it but I was strong and did not look. The doctor said all looks healthy! This is all that matters! That afternoon, after Jerime got off work, he was smiling as he saw me parked just outside his office. He got into the car with me and I know he could see the suspense on my face. He slowly opened the envelope...looked at me and smiled. He tilted the little piece of paper toward me. "It's a boy!!!"

We are so excited. We're getting Thad's new big boy room ready now. Jerime and his dad have been constructing a closet....a fun little project!!!

I'm 21 weeks today! In the not so distant future we will be welcoming that precious little boy into our family. I can hardly wait.

'Possom

Oh my goodness. Last night we were leaving from our really good friends' house (after some dang good fixins) and I saw the most horrible sight. I know it happens everyday but I witnessed it...and my heart just broke.
We pulled down our street and this car was flying down our road. It is a small road and no one should go that fast. And, somehow, a possom became the poor little victim of road kill. I saw it happen and I screamed when I saw it.
We pulled into the carport and I immediately walked to the edge of the drive way. He wasn't moving and as I watched his lifeless little body, I saw his little friend walk up and stiff him. I felt so badly for that little ugly creature. He had lost his companion.
Ironically we had venison for dinner....hmmmm.

The Two-Dollar Bill Lady

So, did you know that Truetts Restaurant in Griffin has buffet breakfast on Saturdays? We didn't but found out and this pregnant lady got her money's worth!!! We got up early to go shopping at Walmart for some fishing gear. Since Jerime bought David's John Boat, we've been getting ready to go out...which involved me getting a fishing pole! But, anyway...we decided to eat at Truetts (aka ChicFilA) for breakfast. We sat down with Thadeus and wondered how well he'd do. When the lady told us there was a buffet, we hopped to it, as any parents would who had a two year old. The quicker the better. We got Thadeus his own plate and enjoyed watching him use his "poon" to gobble down his food. We ate too. It was actually a pretty good buffet. The bacon was great and all you can eat chicken--which you can load onto their mini prepared bisquits. There was also scrambled eggs, gravy, hash brown with onions, and sausage. Thadeus enjoyed watching the choo-choo train go round and round the dining room. Before Thadeus got ill, the sweet little old lady came up to him and said, "Hi, I'm known around here as the Two Dollar Bill Lady." We said hey and sure enough, she gave Thadeus a two dollar bill. Pretty cool. She was sweet. The fun came to an abrupt stop as Thadeus was ready to go. We got all our gear and headed out the door. I thanked the Two Dollar Bill Lady as we left. Now, it's off to Walmart!