Product Review Friday - Joovy Caboose

So, I went with the Caboose. Price wise, they were almost identical. I could get the very very basic Baby Trend Sit-n-Stand for $99, a "standard" Sit-n-Stand for about $130, or I could order the Joovy Caboose online for $129 with the parent organizer, free shipping, and no tax (from Joovy itself). I ordered it Tuesday morning, and it arrived yesterday. That means they do indeed ship the item the day you order it (as we are a two-day shipping on UPS and Fed-Ex from their shipping locations). I almost immediately put it together, and at AJU5's request, we took it for a test drive.

It was fairly easy to put together - attach wheels and canopy and put the parent organizer on. I have left the kid tray and car seat adapter off for now as AJU6 is big enough to sit upfront out of his car seat but isn't big enough to make any use out of the tray (and it would just be in the way of getting him in and out easily). The opening and closing are a tiny bit harder than the Sit-n-Stand, but it is still fairly simple. It just takes two hands instead of just one...

As for size, if I were to take the canopy off, the Caboose would be an inch or two taller than my single Graco stroller (part of the travel system). It is narrower than the Graco, so it takes up just about the same amount of space. Unfolded, it is a little longer than a single stroller of course, but it is still easy to steer. I had no problem making the 90 degree turn on our side walk nor spinning the thing in circles to entertain the kids. It did get a little hard to push over our very beat up side walks (i.e. read falling apart), but I was still able to get through the gravely mess.

One common con of the Caboose over the Sit-n-Stand seemed to be the size of the basket underneath. I think it is pretty big actually. It should fit our diaper bag and a blanket/coat with no issues. Plus, as someone said in a review online, you can use the kid handles in the back to hang bags off of if you are taking it shopping. Another common con I read was about the back seat sliding. Yes - it does slide, but it takes force to get it to move. It did not slide while AJU5 was on it unless I intentionally was moving her forward. I like that I can move it so she has more room when the front seat is reclined.

So, overall I love my new stroller. I can't wait to test it some more - probably at the zoo and mall in the next week or so! And yes - mine is yellow...

How Many...

When AJU1 and I got married, we were certain we would have two kids - no more, no less. We still said we were going to have only two kids when AJU5 was born. Then we got pregnant with AJU6. It changes to maybe we will have three, especially if AJU6 would have been a girl. Now I don't know what I want.

While skiing last week, I wanted to be done. I want to be able to ski as a family and not worry about child care. I know that is 3-4 years down the road, if we are done, but that seems reasonable. If we have another kid, then it will be 5-8 years before we can ski as a family like my sister will be able to next year.

But then I am reminded of:
Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD:
and the fruit of the womb is his reward.
As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man;
so are children of the youth.
Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them:
they shall not be ashamed,
but they shall speak with the enemies in the gate.
Psalms 127:3-5
It was brought up in our Bible class this week. The teacher didn't say we all have to have 19 kids like the Duggars. He even said that some families are meant to only have one child for a variety of reasons. But, he also said that children are a blessing and we should want that blessing.

Right now AJU1 and I are at the point that we want to prevent a pregnancy for at least another year, so AJU6 and a possible third child will be over two years apart. At that point, I think we will just see what happens. All three of our children where in God's hands - we never tried to get pregnant nor really prevented the pregnancies. He chose to take Junior #2 home before we got to meet him/her here on earth. But if we have a third, are we going to be done? AJU1 and I are both one of four children. Although we have no issues with the family size we grew up in, we have always said we don't want to have that size family ourselves. But, will our minds change if/when we get pregnant again?

I know others have struggled with this decision as well. It is not an easy one. Sometimes the decision is made for you medically. Other times it is not...

Thanks for Sharing...

AJU1 and/or AJU5 has shared a little too well for my liking. They shared the crud with me, and Mommy no like! AJU6 is a little under the weather too, but he got it after the two of them. So, yes, technically he could have given it to me, but if he did it was because they gave it to him first.

We are dealing with stuffy noses and coughs around here. AJU5 and AJU6 have had some very mild fevers (under 100) as well. AJU5 seems to be on the mend now, so hopefully the rest of us will feel good in a few days too.

This is not what I wanted AJU5 to learn to share!

Decisions, Decisions...

I am trying to decide what stroller to buy. It is between the Baby Trend Sit n Stand and the Joovy Caboose. They are about the same price and have basically the same child seats (AJU6 will get the front full seat while AJU5 gets the back bench or can stand). The Baby Trend (BT) is a little longer supposedly but a little more flimsy. But, the BT has a better basket underneath and a better parent organizer. Unfortunately, there isn't a Joovy in town, so I can't test drive it...

Anyone used either one? I need a double stroller that will fit through a normal doorway because I take the kids to work with me. I don't want a huge stroller because, well, they are just HUGE! And, AJU5 likes to stand in strollers anyways :)

Ugn... I hate making decisions but I need to soon! I want to take the kids to the zoo, but I don't want to have to have AJU6 in the carrier the whole time (because it gets hot and uncomfortable after about an hour)...

Pictures from the Trip

In the car on the way up.

View out the windshield on the way up.

The mountain

Breakfast one morning

Everyone but one sister (who left the day before)

That was fun...

So, if we are friends on Facebook, you already know we made a road trip this week and went skiing with my family. That part of the trip was fun. I got to ski 1.5 days, while AJU1 skiied for 3 days. We got to spend time with the family, and AJU5 did great around her cousins. She actually left AJU1 and I many times to play int he other room with the big kids. She also loved walking around the lodge - we made many trips for walks!

The trip to the ski resort was not so fun. It snowed most of the way there, so we only stopped for one potty/gas/diaper change. It took us about 7 hours,a nd the kids did just fine. I sat in the back and pumped and fed AJU6 bottles. He seemed to take the trip okay. Then we got to the lodge and got him out of his car seat. I handed him to my sister K who had n ot met him yet. And he screamed. I tried to hold him - he screamed. I tried to feed him, burp him, bounce him, etc, and all he did was scream. My dad tried to take him, my mom tried to take him, AJU1 tried to take him. All he did was scream. After about 30 minutes of this, he was worn out and slept for about an hour. He woke up and was himself again.

Nights were a little bit of a battle. AJU5 did not want to go to sleep a few times, and we were both tired and wanted to sleep. And of course she woke at least once a night needing something... But we survived.

Wednesday night everyone else went out to eat. We decided to just grab Subway because we didn't want anything too heavy (after skiing, etc). Well, it turned out that it was a very good thing that we didn't go out to eat. AJU5 threw up just after we ate. It was mostly post-nasal drip stuff, and she was fine once she got it all out. We deposited her in the bath tub for a while, and when she was done with that, she was ready for bed (and slept well). We thought it was a once-and-done sort of thing...

We hit the round around 10am on Thursday (yesterday). After about 45 minutes, AJU5 asked for a diaper change. We were about 15 minutes from the next town, so we told her we would stop soon. She kept asking for a diaper change. There was no way she had filled her diaper yet, so I thought she might have to stand to take care of business. So, we just kept on going. About 2-5 miles outside of town, we figured out why she wanted us to stop. She threw up all over herself. And her car seat. We got to a Pizza Hut parking lot and started the clean up. She got new clothes on, and we wiped down everything else with a bunch of baby wipes. It was not fun! I also gave her some Benadryl and Motrin, and she was happy after everything was clean.

Today she has been cranky, but I don't think she is sick. The car incident probably wasn't helped by some very windy roads for the first 30 minutes (big switchbacks). Today she is cranky, but I think it is more of her getting back to rules and order than anything. We will see... Now to get the laundry done, grocery shopping done, and get everything back in order...

Almost Lost It...

Today has been a battle. I had planned on taking the kids to story time and then running some errands. But, AJU5 didn't want to go to story time. I decided not to fight her on it because if she didn't want to be there, she wouldn't behave. But, we still had errands to run regardless. So, After her nap, I started to ask her if she wanted to go. This eventually moved to telling her we need to go. But, she was resisting. Again, I don't want to force her because shopping with a screaming toddler is not fun. I knew we had until 3pm to leave. Everything would be busier, but we would survive. But, she was testing my patience. First, she decided to try to climb on the exersaucer while AJU6 was in it. Then, she started to demand things (I forget what). Finally around 2:30 she refused to put her jacket on. I almost lost it. I put her on her bed, shut the door, and went into another room. Oh course a few minutes later AJU5 was happy to listen and get ready to go, but it wasn't fun until then.

Some times I think my issues come because I have plans and I "have" to stick to them. God has tried to teach me that He is in control numerous times in the past, but I am a slow learner. I think having a toddler is getting that point across now. If only I could keep my temper back while I learn this lesson!

Wait, Where Did She Go?

AJU5 has changed a lot in the past few weeks. She went from a little girl who didn't want to socialize much at all and slept like a champ to one who does great at the library and won't go to bed at night.

A few weeks ago, after she refused to sit for story time and threw a big tantrum at the library, I decided to let her have a voice in what we do. I didn't expect her to want to go to story time or do much of anything except play outside or stay in the house. The next week she chose to go to story time two days in a row. Both days she sat with me and somewhat listened to everything. Then, this week she has even been happy to stay after story time is over and the instruments are put away. Yesterday we stayed for almost an hour, and she played with three other two year-olds most of the time. Today we only stayed for a little bit, but she happily read a book or two by herself and then played in the snow. She followed some big kids in the snow. Now, she is just as content to be by herself, but she isn't nearly as shy and reserved in public as she was just 3-4 weeks ago.

As for going to bed at night - it is a nightmare! She stays up until about 9 each night, when we finally give up and just put her in the crib. She will lay down 1-3 times before than in her big girl bed, but she gets up after about 15-30 minutes. Closing her door may work, but when I tried that for naps a month or two ago, she screamed the moment the door was shut. So, we haven't done that just yet. But, we are definitely missing our quiet evenings! AJU6 has been going to sleep around 7 or 8 each night, so if she would sleep we would be able to get in a couple of TV shows before our normal 9pm bedtime. Instead, we have been staying up until almost 10, watching the shows in little bits when she is up in bed.

I feel like i talk almost exclusively about AJU5 these days. I think that is because AJU6 is so laid back and not up to too much. He sleeps fairly well, so I don't have that to complain about. He isn't hitting any major milestones, so nothing to write about there either. But, he is such a great little guy! He giggles and coos and smiles are us. He wants to be where we are, so we have put the high chair in the reclining position so he can sit at the table with us. But, I can't think of anything that is "worthy" of a blog post for him just yet. But, I know in a few months he will be the "center" of attention...

Prayer

AJU5 has begun to "pray" at dinner time. We know at this point she is just mimicking us, but it is so cute! About 6 months ago we started praying aloud at meal time. We used to pray quietly because we didn't sit down at the exact same time. I was normally getting the last few things on the table or AJU1 was still getting his drink when AJU5 was already "chowing" down on her food. But, we decided that prayer was important to us and something we needed to teach AJU5 more about. She had started to request that we pray, and even told us whose turn it was to pray. Then, last week she prayed herself. She started after one of us had already started the first time. Since then, she normally just does it herself. It is so cute to hear her! I can tell we say "today" and "church" fairly regularly in our prayers, as these two words appear a lot in her prayers. Other than that, we don't know what she is saying most of the time.

Last nigth she decided we have to pray twice. First time was when we sat down (like normal). Then I got up and went to get AJU6 who had woken from a nap. When I sat back down, I got myself a little more enchiladas. She said "pray" and started praying again. So, it was either because AJU6 was now at the table or for my seconds...

We are just glad she has learned to say "amen" at the end. The first few times we sat there trying to decide when she was done praying. We would eventually guess she was done and say "amen." Now she says it so we don't have to guess!

ZZZZ...

I have had about 2.5 hours of sleep in the last, um, let me do the math, 31 hours? But, it was my fault and worth it!

Yesterday around 5:30pm AJU6 and I arrived at church for a night of scrapbooking. AJU1 had AJU5 for the night (and survived luckily). I started laying things out and slowly figuring out how I wanted to get started. By 6:45ish there were 12 of us ladies there, and we had some dinner (pizza and salad with soda and dessert). Then it was time for some scrapbooking! As the night wore on, the crowd diminished.

By about 1am, there were four of us left, and we were staying the night. None of us are night owls, so as the night progressed we kept commenting on how surprised we each were that we were still going. AJU6 of course gave me a distraction every 3-4 hours, but other than that I was getting pages done. By about 5am, we were all getting tired. Three of use decided to lay down and rest. I was down for a little over a half hour. Another lady was down for about an hour, and the last was down for about 2 hours.

Around 7:30 am, I had finished the kids' books (as much as I could of course), and decided to just start organizing all of my mess. I knew I had to leave by 9:45 (as I said I would be home by 10), and we had breakfast coming around 8. Three ladies returned for breakfast (cooked by a very nice man in our church), and we had a good time of fellowship before the morning began. As I was getting ready to leave, two ladies I didn't know showed up to crop for the day (we opened to the public at 8am), and others might have come after I left.

Once home, I was good for about an hour. Then AJU5 laid down in bed. I laid down with her and began to dose off. Then AJU6 was hungry (and was in our bed napping), so I laid down to feed him. Two hours later, I woke up. After a shower, I am feeling a little awake now. The plan is to stay up until 9pm (or a little later). Hopefully I will make it...

A few of the collages I scrapbooked - AJU5's 19-21 month collage and AJU6's 3month colleague.

Insurance

We have had to fight our health insurance company following the births of both kids. AJU5 spent a week in the NICU due to infection during labor and delivery, and AJU6 had a NICU doctor present at delivery due to fetal distress (his heart rate dropped in half). I have a network OB and delivered both of them at a network hospital. I had no idea that someone taking care of them would not be in-network when AJU5 was born. Then, I had no idea that it was even a NICU doctor when AJU6 was born.

It turns out that all of the NICU doctors at our hospital are out of network! That just was a complete shock to me when AJU5 was born. We got a letter from the doctors group the day I was discharged after AJU5 was born informing us of this. They said they would work with our insurance, but I don't know what they mean by "work." I had to call them MANY times with AJU5 to get things down to where they should be. Initially they wanted us to pay everything at the out-of-network rate. This would be more than twice our in-network out of pocket by the end since some things were still in-network (like the actual hospital bill). Eventually I got it so we paid less than $50 more than our max in-network out of pocket, and I was content.

So, when AJU6 was born and we got a similar letter in the mail, I was ready for a fight. I finally realized why I recognized the second doctor in the room when he was born since he was one of AJU5's doctors as well. But, I had originally thought it was another OB, not a NICU doctor. We got the first bill - about $750 for him to be in the room while AJU6 was born (i.e. about 30 minutes). We are fairly certain he didn't even tough AJU6 after he was born since he was perfectly fine. Well, since that is less than our out-of-network deductible, insurance wanted us to pay all of it. So, I called and got it reviewed. Then, they wanted us to pay about $375 dollars - $350ish that wasn't "customary" and then 20% of the remaining amount. Today I called and got them to review it again.

For the first time in all of this, I had a very nice lady who knew some things. She looked at our plan and saw that in the case of ER visits, etc. that they will pay 80% of whatever is billed. Since this was an emergency situation, she is having them review it under this clause. Hopefully it will work!

If we have three kids, I am just praying that there are no out-of-network issues to deal with!

Up and Down

Why is it that when on kid is being easy, the other one makes life difficult?

Recently AJU5 has been having a hard time going to bed. She has been staying up past 8pm, when she used to go down by 7. Last night after she had worn AJU1 out, we let her take a bath to wear herself out! Well, it worked. After she was done int he bath, I got her out and into her jammies. She immediately climbed into her big girl bed. I got her her juice and milk (I know - bad habit - but it gets her to sleep), and I expected to see her downstairs before too long. She has been laying in her big girl bed each night, only to come out, play, and eventually go down in her crib for the night. But last night, she stayed in her bed and went to sleep! I did hear her at 2am. I am fairly certain she came to our room, but I am not sure she was awake. She was saying "Where did it go?" By the time I got out of bed and to her room, she was in her bed looking for her pacifier. I got her another one from the bookshelf and asked her if she needed anything else. She requested more milk and juice, so I went and got her refills. By the time I got back upstairs, she was OUT.

So, I was very happy and proud of AJU5 last night. Aju6 ont he other hand...

I think eating chili with beans yesterday was a BAD idea. He was not a happy camper yesterday afternoon and evening. He would not sleep on his own! But, he also had a hard time sleeping in our arms. He was just very squirmy and obviously dealing with some belly issues. AJU1 and I tag teamed holding him until evening. We did get him down in his bed for about 2 hours around bedtime, but he stirred just before 11pm and refused to go back into his bed. So, he spent the night sleeping on my arm. Sleeping any other way just was not acceptable. Luckily, we both ended up sleeping, although my arm was very sore this morning!

Now to see how tonight goes...

Frustrated

So, we didn't make it to story time today. I let AJU5 decide if we were going, and she wanted to stay home. I wish toddler activities were spread out throughout the day. Everything I have found has either been morning or evening. There is nothing in the afternoon. And guess what - afternoons are the best time for AJU5. She is more willing to do things then. Yeah, I know most toddlers nap in the afternoon. I get that. But, I am "stuck" with one that naps around lunch time. So, activities starting at 10 or later are almost doomed from the start. She is getting tired and cranky by then most days, and doing anything out of the ordinary around those times is just not a good idea!

Add to that her new whiny-ness, and you have a recipe for a frustrated mommy. I have been having to "give" her a bath every afternoon just to keep my sanity. She will play for an hour or more each time, and I get a chance to breathe. I have used that time to grade, do laundry, and just relax.

Going for a walk on Wednesday was nice, but unfortunately it wasn't so pretty outside yesterday. It snowed a little bit and was breezy all day - not a good mix for trying to take kids outside for sure. Today we have to make it to Costco for a few things, but I am hoping for either another bath or a trip to the park.

I think half of my battle is crazy hormones. I just get to a boiling point with AJU5 some times. I have to leave the room so I don't snap at her. I am really looking forward to next Friday night when I get a Ladies' Night. We are doing another scrapbooking night at church. I haven't done any real scrapbooking since last year, so I am really looking forawrd to getting caught up. Plus, a night with a bunch of ladies I love with only AJU6 sounds like heaven. Hopefully it will be...

Okay, enough of "Debbie Downer"... AJU6 is three months old today, and I need to be in a good mood when I "help" him write his letter to the our friends and family.

Whine and Storytime...

I am about "over" this whiny stage AJU5 is in these days. Anytime she doesn't get her way she goes crying uncontrollably through the house. This started on Monday, so I think it may be something she "figured out" while we were traveling. Needless to say it is not something I want to encourage.

So, for today's story...
About 10 minutes before we were "scheduled" to leave for storytime, AJU5 got a hold of my camera. Because she LOVES to push all of the buttons and ends up smugging the lens, I took it away. I went downstairs to grab a quick snack. Well, she took that opportunity to climb up on my desk and get the camera! But, I decided not to fight it because I just wanted to get out of the house. On the way to the library, I noticed a couple of flashes. At first, I thought it was coming from the bus next to us. Then, after we were no longer next to the bus, I figured it out! I told her to stop. But, unfortunately the one time I would have liked a red light we didn't hit any! Finally, after she had taken about 10 photos, I had had enough. The flash was very distracting, so I pulled over and took the camera away from her. Of course, she started to whine like crazy. But, we made it to the library. As I pulled into a parking spot, I asked her if she wanted to go to storytime or go home. She said storytime, as we went in. Things seemed to be going okay. She was upset I wasn't taking the diaper bag in (because I never get stuff out of it anyways), but she didn't cry. She even sat down with me for a while. Then, she grabbed a piece of paper off of a table set up for the kids to color. Not a problem. Then she brought the crayons over to the storytime area. I tried to explain to her that the crayons needed to stay on the table. I was willing to let her keep one crayon with us, but she was not going to monopolize the whole drawer of crayons. She of course threw a tantrum at this and ran around the library. She stopped at the water fountain and calmed down because she wanted to drink. After 3-4 drinking periods, I said it was time to either go home or go back to the storytime area. She chose to go home. But, along the way back to get our jackets, she noticed the computers. I had to drag her away from them and take her to a corner and remind her of the rules. Then we got our jackets on and AJU6 back in his car seat. She wasn't 100% sure about leaving I think. Then, she made her final decision to leave, but wanted to be carried. In order to avoid even more of a scene, I carried her out of the library. But, once we got outside I put her down. And again, the whining ensued. She eventually calmed down and was willing to walk to the car. Then, about 1 mile from the library she wanted to go back to storytime. Of course, we didn't. Maybe tomorrow...

We normally ignore the tantrums at home. Sometimes we ask why she is upset, but that is it. Almost all of the time they are because she is not getting her way, and there is no reason for her to have her way (like with the camera). I hope she outgrows this stage soon... I miss my happy-go-lucky little girl!

Decency

Yesterday Facebook recommend a group to me - something like "If you are offended by my breastfeeding, put a blanket over your head." I decided to look and see what the group was all about and saw some of the pictures. Now, in no way do I think these photos where pornographic. But, some of them were more than I would want to see!

A few were fine - you could see some skin and the baby eating, but it wasn't obvious it was the breast. Yeah, if you look close enough, you will figure it out, but it is just some normal skin and the baby's face. These I am fine with. Others were more zoomed in. Some women didn't have a shirt on at all. After seeing one or two like that, I was done with the group.

I have breastfed in public - I do it most weeks at church actually. But, I try to be as discrete as possible. I cover up with a blanket as best as possible. I try to not make a scene nor show much skin. Once or twice with AJU5 I had to feed her without a blanket. But, I found a quiet spot to do it where very few people would see.

Yes, breastfeeding is natural. But, so is going to the bathroom! Personally, I feel that if you are going to breastfeed in public you should take steps to not be completely out there. If you have issues with covering up, then find a place out of traffic. Don't just "pop it out" where the whole world will see it.

Some proponents of bfing in public say that it is a bonding time. Well, I bond best when I can give the person I am bonding to my full attention. That means I am not shopping or walking around the store. Yes, there are times you have to multi-task, but do you have to do that in public? I don't think so...

Thoughts?

Survived!

We made out first road trip with the kids this weekend (which is why I haven't blogged in almost a week). We went about 4 hours away to go skiing with three other families. We were blessed with almost continuous snow while we were there, making the skiing GREAT!

Both kids did great on the ride up. AJU6 slept for about 3 hours straight, waking just before we got to where we needed to stop to pick up dinner. While AJU1 and another parent grabbed all fo the food we needed, I was able to feed AJU6 and change him. He was then content all of the way to the town homes we stayed at (a mile away from the slopes). AJU5 slept some of the way and was happy to just sit or play the rest of the way (with a break to play driver while everyone was getting food).

There were 8 adults and 11 kids (almost 7 to Amos) on the trip. It was certainly crazy when all of the kids were together! AJU5 often found the quietest spot to just hang out, as she doesn't like too much noise. The last day when everyone was in our townhome she went and played int eh closet or laid in bed half of the day just to avoid the noise. I think a lot of the noise came from the fact that were were only 4 girls! Five boys between the ages of 2 and almost 7 can be very loud.

I did leave AJU6 for the first time with AJU1 so I could ski (Dads skied in the morning and Moms skied in the afternoon). His biggest challenge was trying to keep AJU5 happy while AJU6 wanted attention too! I was just happy that AJU6 had 0 issues taking a bottle since we had only given him one once before (and he had no issues then). I guess he is just happy to get food regardless of where it comes from!

The trip home was a little fun. AJU6 again slept well. But, there was about 1.5 hours of the 4 hour trip that we were driving through almost blizzard conditions. Luckily it hadn't stuck to the ground yet, so we were still able to make good time. AJU5 was alos a little less compliant because it was evening. She did sleep for some of the trip, but then it was too dark for her to play when she was awake. She also soaked through a night time diaper because she had been drinking so much (probably because every time she laid in bed she emptied a sippy cup). So, the last hour or so was met with little fusses. AJU6 woke up just as we were getting to town. A pacifier calmed him for the first 15 minutes, but the last 15 minutes were met with screams.

So, that was our trip. We have another one planned next month - skiing with my family about 6 horus away. Hopefully it goes just as well!

Big GIrl Bed

All of a sudden AJU5 has been willing to nap in her big girl bed. A few weeks ago we started to play with her on her bed. We would lay down with her when she just needed a little rest. We would help her get on and off on her own. Then, Monday I convinced her to nap there. I had to lay down with her first, but I left before she was asleep (AJU6 cried, so I had an excuse to get up). The last two days I have only had to tell her that is where she is going to nap - and there haven't been any complaints. Today she brought her milk and juice cups up while I was int he shower and just laid on her bed until she heard that I was out. A few minutes ago she climbed up (because I said we were done playing on the computer) and put herself down!

Advantages: She can put herself to bed.
She can get out when she is ready.
When we travel, I don't have to worry about how she will sleep.

Disadvantages: I can no longer keep her out of bed when I want her to stay awake.
She isn't forced to give up her pacifiers before she gets out of bed.
I can't "force" her to rest a little longer.

Hopefully once she makes the complete transition to the big girl bed we can end the pacifier use. Then, we can SLOWLY start getting AJU6 ready to sleep in the crib...

THey are growing up too fast :(

Not My Finest...

This morning was not my finest hour. I had no patience with the kids. AJU5 was crying for her pacifier, which she knows is just for bed time (and she had just gotten up from a nap). AJU6 was crying because he was hungry, but he refused to eat. I was tired because for some reason I tend to stay up whenever AJU1 is out of town (for work - on the plane home now). Luckily, I held it together some. I laid AJU6 down on the chair for a minute while I tried to figure out how to get him to eat. He was obviously hungry, but he had stopped to burp early on and wasn't sure about starting back up again. I eventually got him into a good position and calm enough to get him to eat. AJU5 did get one spanking, but that was for totally not listening to me at all. We needed to go shopping, and she refused to put on her shoes. She ran away from me three times - which is the most chances I give her to listen. So, I got the spoon (plastic, easy to bend, etc) and she got a swat on the bottom. She tried to run away after that too, but I successfully forced the shoes on her feet, carried her to the car, and got her strapped in. Less than 10 minutes later at Costco she was totally fine. She wasn't asking for her pacifier. She wasn't upset we had to go to the store. She was happy because she got pizza and "juice" (berry smoothie) as well as Mommy's attention while we ate. Oh, and I totally forgot the issue with lotion this morning. Let's just say AJU5 emptied an almost full bottle on the floor and then tried to clean it up - just because she wanted to clean up. Yeah, that wasn't fun either.

Things have been better all afternoon. There were a couple of cries for bed (at 3pm which is passed the allowed bed time), more shows, and because she was FREEZING after a bath. But, those I all expect/accept. AJU6 slept most of the afternoon, so it was nice to just relax with AJU5.

Hopefully before too long AJU5 will learn to listen and not throw tantrums when she doesn't get her way. This is something AJU1 and have been trying to teach her, but it isn't easy. She is 2, and her behavior comes with the age. AJU6 is allowed a few cranky times occasionally, especially since he doesn't do it too often. I think some of his issue was that he is a little stuffy right now, so laying back isn't totally fun.

Here is praying tomorrow is a better day - especially since we are going to try to go to story time!

Intellectual Development

So, I post back here that AJU5 has most of her letters down. Jen L. asked how I was "teaching" her the letters. Well, I give Word World credit for some of it. The show teaches phonics, and as a result repeats the letters. This got AJU5 interested in letters. We also bought her the foam bath tub letters. These were first just a toy she would stack and dump. But, whenever she would bring me one, I would repeat the letter. Before too long, she had a few letters down. Around that time (late October/early November), she also got interested in the Alphabet song. She used to hate it, but then she wanted me to sing it for a few days. Now, it is only slightly liked, as others keep taking its place at the top.

In the November/December time period she also got very insistent that we write letters for her. To start out she just wanted me to write, so I would write words and have her point to them. Then, she started to ask for specific letters. We have lots of pages of letter floating around the house in spiral notebooks! Because I have gotten "tired" of writing the same letters over and over again, I have started to ask her what each letter is for. She already knows C is for cookie, W is for Water, F is for Frog and Fish, etc, mainly from Word World again.

So, that is how we are doing it. I have tried flash cards some, but she isn't very interested in those. I tried a page of letters in a train, but it only interested her for about 2 minutes (and then it caused screaming any time I would show it to her). She will point out letters in other places of course, and we just encourage her (unless we are in church) with praise.

Now, before you wonder if your kid is falling behind - does he/she know the colors? Or can he/she identify most of the shapes? Or does he/she count? I think what they learn at this age is based primarily on what they like/are interested in. AJU5 hasn't picked up these things much because they aren't interesting to her. We are pushing these skills a little more now because she has the letters down fairly well and others "expect" her to know them.

So, what is your kid good at? What do you wish he/she was better at?

Thud!

Can you guess what went Thud around 7pm last night?

Take a guess!

Did you guess someone falling on the floor?

Did you guess someone tried to climb out of her crib on her own?

Yup - AJU5 tried to be an escape artist last night. She was cranky and tired at 6:20, so we got her ready and in bed without any protest. Then, about 15 minutes later she started to call for us. She wasn't crying, so we just let her stay there. I eventually went downstairs (the office is right nest to her room) with AJU6 to feed him and snuggle. Then I heard a huge THUD and ran upstairs. AJU1 had already gotten her, so I tired to put AJU6 in his bed (he was sleepy but not quite ready to be in bed) and then went and held her. AJU1 of course had to get AJU6 since he was now crying. AJU5 wanted to go back to bed - probably because that is a place of comfort for her. I got her her pacifier and her blanket, and she calmed down a little. She wanted to play on my computer (PBS Kids games), so we sat down in my chair. I little touched all parts of her body, waiting for her to scream out in pain somewhere. After asking her something like "Where does it hurt?" she said "I fine." And, we went about our playing for about 30 minutes. Then, I decided it was time for her to go back to bed. She was yawning and obviously tired. Again she was willing. I went downstairs to get her some more water (she had drank all she had in her cup), and came back up. She was content until I shut the door. Screaming ensued, so I opened the door to see what the problem was. I think she was scared. So, I moved the egg crate mat we have next to the big girl bed over next to the crib so she had a padded landing if she chose to escape again. I also lifted the side of the crib to make it harder for her to attempts an escape. Then I left. She cried a little, but it was never more than one cry at a time. Eventually she went to sleep. Until 4;45. When she woke for the first time. Luckily she put herself back to sleep until about 5;45. Then, she was up for the day. At 4;45, she cried for Mommy and Daddy. At 5;45, she happily requested Mommy and Daddy. I knew the day had begun...