Tuesday:
Liam is back to his normal self. Phillip stayed home from work today and at breakfast, Liam talked a million miles a minute, asking question after question, like usual. He keeps saying he doesn't feel better, but I know he does. He even asked to help me mop today, which I of course let him. He did a lot of running around, playing catch, chasing Annabelle, and all kinds of carrying on. I am happy that he's feeling better. Now, it's just a matter of if Annabelle is going to catch it.
He fed Honey puppy treats, and helped me corral Annabelle as I swept and he also tried to referee her and the dog food. He says, "Anbel Mae, no ma'am. You cannot have that. You cannot go over there." And then when she turns and smiles he says, "That not funny, Anbel." Hearing him talk to her like that is pretty funny.
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
August 29, 2011
Monday:
Liam slept with us all night last night, and today, he's still pretty out of it. I tried to get him to eat toast for breakfast, and I don't think he was too in
to it. He did eat half a piece of bacon, and that's about it. His temperature only got to 101.5, and I think he's really feeling it. He keeps saying, "I so tired.", with much emphasis on the 'so'. Poor guy. After breakfast we sat on the couch together and I held him. After Annabelle kept climbing on him, I laid him down on the couch covered in a blanket. Annabelle kept coming up to offer him her binky that I think she hoped would make him feel better enough to get down and play with her. It didn't. All day, Liam kept asking me, "Mom, can you make me feel better? Can you make me not be sick?" I felt so bad for him. He was really miserable.
He asked for a cup of milk, and for whatever reason, I thought that would be a good idea. Well, it absolutely wasn't. I was doing dishes and I saw Liam quickly hop off the couch and head begin toward the bathroom as he said, "I going throw up!" He tried to cover his mouth, and we made it down the hall before it began, and I tried to catch it so it didn't get on the carpet or him, and then at the last bit of carpet by the bathroom door, it really let out. I think we managed to get a bit of it actually in the toilet, but the rest of covering us and the floor. Yuck. I think all of this caught Annabelle off guard and she was left alone in the living room and began to cry. So, I got our clothes changed, Liam wiped down and in the bath, the bathroom cleaned, Annabelle consoled, the carpet cleaned, and then all settled back down again. Needless to say, I won't do that again.
Nap came shortly after, to which Annabelle slept much longer than Liam so he came and snuggled in bed with me while I worked. At one point, I had to share my computer screen with him so he could watch Curious George and Shaun the Sheep and he laid in bed next to me. He started feeling better as the day went on, and was in better spirits off an on. He sat on the floor with me and Annabelle and we built block towers together (mainly me) as the kids knocked them down. I'm betting by tomorrow he will be back to his normal self.
August 28, 2011
Sunday:
Liam is now in the three's class at church and in short, he doesn't like it. He has a new room with a new teacher, Mrs. Adams, who he doesn't like either. I don't think it's anything to do with the room or teacher, I think it's the change. The whole way up, he wanted to go to Mrs. Jennifer's class and not Mrs. Adams, and was very vocal in letting me know this. I dropped him off after pulling him passed the threshold of the door, and told him that I would be back later. He was crying and sobbing. One of the teachers that is usually in the other class, Mrs. Ellie was there, but that didn't really help. I went to drop off Annabelle and then went back to peek in on him. He was standing alone, crying. My heart broke, so I went in and helped him calm down and then told him that he could come in church with me, but he had to be still and quiet and there would be no toys to play with. If he did act up, he would have to come back to his class. He understood. In church, he was great, he sat next to me, didn't do any wiggling, and all in all, I am glad he had a better time. After service, a couple of women came up to him and told him what good behavior he had in church. I think this may have sealed the deal with me to let him come in with me.
After we woke from nap, I made some lemonade and we went outside to play in the sprinkler in
the 112 degree heat. I don't know if Liam was quite sure about it. He scoped it out slowly. At first he would only splash on the puddles in the blanket that the sprinkler made. Annabelle kept trying to eat the water hose and Liam was very helpful taking it away from her. Liam also liked to lay down and put his tummy in the water puddle, which was kinda funny. Then he slowly would go over to the sprinkler and put his feet in it. Of course, he had to be tightly gripping one of our hands, which was okay. Then one of our neighbors came with her little boy, Kierin who is five, and he and Liam played together. Liam drank his lemonade and then after a we were all ready to come in, he finished the last bit of splashing in the blanket puddles and then we came in.
In the evening, he acted like he was really feeling under the weather. He laid on the couch as he waited for us to finish the dishes. He kept saying he was 'So tired', and he felt warm to the touch. He rocked with me in the rocking chair as I rocked Annabelle and he almost fell asleep. Dad came in and read story as we rocked and Liam asked no questions the entire time, unlike he usually does. We tucked him in and I asked him if his tummy hurt, his head hurt, his neck, etc. He said, "No, I just so tired." I asked him, "Do you feel sick or tired." He replied, "I'm so tired." So he slept. Since the kids are never sick, when they are, we think it's the end of the world. I began to worry it was something serious like Meningitis or something, so we kept waking him to take his temperature and ask him to bend his neck. He didn't like this, and was very uncooperative. He kept saying, "No, I want to sleep, I so tired." We finally left him alone, and when he got up just as we were going to bed, we brought him our bed with us to sleep for the night. For the first time ever co-sleeping, I think he actually slept better with us than he would he would in his own bed.
Saturday, August 27, 2011
August 27, 2011
Saturday:
Last night, Phillip and I were watching a movie in the living room and Liam wasn't liking the noise it made. We rarely watch movies or any TV in the living room, so I can see how it's a noise he's not accustomed to. Dad had the great idea of closing his door. Well, then it would be too dark. So I gave him a flashlight to have and keep on while he slept. Solution? Maybe, at least until 5:00 in the morning when he wakes and sees the battery has run out. After him going potty and leaving his and the bathroom door open and the bathroom light on, he went back to bed.
Before we napped, Daniel came over to drop off belated birthday gifts for Liam which were a canvas bag that Liam can wear on his back that Rayne painted on, a Twinkle Twinkle Little Star story book that Rayne recorded the story in, and two stuffed caterpillars, one for Liam and one for Annabelle. Liam really liked the book and as soon as it opened and played, I asked him who that was reading the story, and he said, "That Yane!"
Nap was better today. Liam napped from 1:00 to almost 3:30, but Annabelle only from 1:00 to just shy of 2:00. I think I need to stop trying to nap when they do, because waking up when you are expecting to sleep longer doesn't help with the fierce annoyance you get upon waking.
Last night, Phillip and I were watching a movie in the living room and Liam wasn't liking the noise it made. We rarely watch movies or any TV in the living room, so I can see how it's a noise he's not accustomed to. Dad had the great idea of closing his door. Well, then it would be too dark. So I gave him a flashlight to have and keep on while he slept. Solution? Maybe, at least until 5:00 in the morning when he wakes and sees the battery has run out. After him going potty and leaving his and the bathroom door open and the bathroom light on, he went back to bed.
Before we napped, Daniel came over to drop off belated birthday gifts for Liam which were a canvas bag that Liam can wear on his back that Rayne painted on, a Twinkle Twinkle Little Star story book that Rayne recorded the story in, and two stuffed caterpillars, one for Liam and one for Annabelle. Liam really liked the book and as soon as it opened and played, I asked him who that was reading the story, and he said, "That Yane!"
Nap was better today. Liam napped from 1:00 to almost 3:30, but Annabelle only from 1:00 to just shy of 2:00. I think I need to stop trying to nap when they do, because waking up when you are expecting to sleep longer doesn't help with the fierce annoyance you get upon waking.
August 26, 2011
Friday:
Papa left this morning, and that meant Liam had to give up the blackberry. One day, it won't be a fight. I think the sooner he can learn this lesson of 'people have to leave and we have to give them their stuff back' the better. If only I knew how to expedite that process. It took a couple minutes for Liam to calm down and get over it. I think the distraction of having to head out and pick up Nanny Frances helped.
When I got back, Frances said Annabelle took a morning nap, so I figured I'd put the kids down a little later so that they would nap together. I gave Annabelle her bottle at 1:30, and both kids were in bed at 2:00. At 2:30, Annabelle woke up, and just as she was getting back to sleep, Liam came in crankily fussing since she woke him and he only slept for half an hour. I got him settled in my mean mom voice in my bed and said if he was in here, he had to be quiet so I could get Annabelle back to sleep (her bed was still in our room.) He was quiet, and I tired to get Annabelle back down, with no avail. I then decided to take her to her room and rock her. After an hour, I gave up. I went in to check on Liam, and he was wide awake and when I asked him if he had went back to sleep he said, "No, I just lay here." Then I felt bad for my son laying there alone for an hour. So we got up and I called Bonny and asked her if we could get together and so we headed over there. Thank God for mom friends!
As we were heading to leave, Papa called to make sure Liam was okay from this morning. I was juggling Annabelle on the potty so I offered him to talk to Liam on the phone. Big mistake. It was then a huge fit getting the phone back. Foot stomping, crying, tears, red faced, yelling, crying; the works. Again, the whole concept of saying good bye and returning items to whom they belong lesson has yet to be learned. Trying to teach that on an afternoon after a crappy nap, is not a good idea. One day....one day....one day, we will be done with fit throwing. One day.
Papa left this morning, and that meant Liam had to give up the blackberry. One day, it won't be a fight. I think the sooner he can learn this lesson of 'people have to leave and we have to give them their stuff back' the better. If only I knew how to expedite that process. It took a couple minutes for Liam to calm down and get over it. I think the distraction of having to head out and pick up Nanny Frances helped.
When I got back, Frances said Annabelle took a morning nap, so I figured I'd put the kids down a little later so that they would nap together. I gave Annabelle her bottle at 1:30, and both kids were in bed at 2:00. At 2:30, Annabelle woke up, and just as she was getting back to sleep, Liam came in crankily fussing since she woke him and he only slept for half an hour. I got him settled in my mean mom voice in my bed and said if he was in here, he had to be quiet so I could get Annabelle back to sleep (her bed was still in our room.) He was quiet, and I tired to get Annabelle back down, with no avail. I then decided to take her to her room and rock her. After an hour, I gave up. I went in to check on Liam, and he was wide awake and when I asked him if he had went back to sleep he said, "No, I just lay here." Then I felt bad for my son laying there alone for an hour. So we got up and I called Bonny and asked her if we could get together and so we headed over there. Thank God for mom friends!
As we were heading to leave, Papa called to make sure Liam was okay from this morning. I was juggling Annabelle on the potty so I offered him to talk to Liam on the phone. Big mistake. It was then a huge fit getting the phone back. Foot stomping, crying, tears, red faced, yelling, crying; the works. Again, the whole concept of saying good bye and returning items to whom they belong lesson has yet to be learned. Trying to teach that on an afternoon after a crappy nap, is not a good idea. One day....one day....one day, we will be done with fit throwing. One day.
Thursday, August 25, 2011
August 25, 2011
Thursday:
Last night was the most ridiculous night ever. Annabelle is in our room, and she woke up, and I think that woke Liam up, who ended up being up for around 4 hours. He said he was scared, and I could tell that something was truly bothering him. So, we talked, I got him to calm down, and not be scared, and told him that if he was scared again, he could pray and Jesus would help him not be scared. I don't think he tried it, but if he did, I don't think he really grasped it. He came in my bed, while I had Annabelle in bed after she had finally fallen asleep, and laid on the six inch edge of the mattress. I told him there wasn't room, he said, "There is room." I told him that he didn't sleep well in Mommy's bed, and that he would be very wiggly, to which he replied, "You can tell me 'be still.'" I then told him he was a little boy, and little boys couldn't help it, they wiggled, and that was okay, they just should do it in their bed. To that he rebutted, "I'm not little, I BIG!" I finally got up, put Annabelle in her bed, and took him to his room. We had multiple exchanges from there out through the evening well after Phillip left for work at 4:30. Long night. Both kids got up at 7:30 and each napped, Liam having the longer of the naps, which is what I hoped would make the evening go smoothly.
It didn't really. We went to dinner at Maudies, around the corner and at first, Liam was very excited. He was coloring and playing sitting next to Papa. Then, once his food got here, something changed. I don't know if it was the giving up of the blackberry to eat that did it, or that he had bad sleep, or having family in town, or what. It was the most ridiculous dinner we have ever had. He wouldn't eat, and wanted the black berry, to which we said 'no', to which he went into a yelling, crying, tear fit. To which Phillip got anxious, to which I wanted to get everyone calmed down by heading home, to which the guys wouldn't let me, to which made me step in and try to get Liam calm, which didn't do much, then lead to more yelling, crying, tears, then moderate calm, then a need to potty, then once back at the table, another melt down, to which, finally, I said, "I'm going to get the kids loaded in the car." and left with both crying, red faced kids to get them loaded. I think Annabelle had a fit because I took Liam to the bathroom and going through her attachment phase, wasn't cool with her. We got home, it was bedtime, past 7:30, and Liam wanted to eat, being nice parents, we decided it best to feed him, so we offered him his food from the restaurant that we got to-go, which he cried over, then finally gave in to that option over bed time. Then Phillip went to get him a plate, and Liam threw another cry fest because it wasn't 'Mommy get me plate', and then again, between bedtime and eating, he chose to eat. He began to eat, and then he didn't want the beans, which was another dispute, to where I said, "I don't care what you eat, I just want you to get done eating to get to bed." Then he ate, then broke down because his quesadilla was falling apart and wanted me to put it back together. Once ate his one piece of food, he proudly got down and exclaimed, "I ate ONE quesadilla!" We brushed teeth, Papa read story, and then......b....e....d.
Last night was the most ridiculous night ever. Annabelle is in our room, and she woke up, and I think that woke Liam up, who ended up being up for around 4 hours. He said he was scared, and I could tell that something was truly bothering him. So, we talked, I got him to calm down, and not be scared, and told him that if he was scared again, he could pray and Jesus would help him not be scared. I don't think he tried it, but if he did, I don't think he really grasped it. He came in my bed, while I had Annabelle in bed after she had finally fallen asleep, and laid on the six inch edge of the mattress. I told him there wasn't room, he said, "There is room." I told him that he didn't sleep well in Mommy's bed, and that he would be very wiggly, to which he replied, "You can tell me 'be still.'" I then told him he was a little boy, and little boys couldn't help it, they wiggled, and that was okay, they just should do it in their bed. To that he rebutted, "I'm not little, I BIG!" I finally got up, put Annabelle in her bed, and took him to his room. We had multiple exchanges from there out through the evening well after Phillip left for work at 4:30. Long night. Both kids got up at 7:30 and each napped, Liam having the longer of the naps, which is what I hoped would make the evening go smoothly.
It didn't really. We went to dinner at Maudies, around the corner and at first, Liam was very excited. He was coloring and playing sitting next to Papa. Then, once his food got here, something changed. I don't know if it was the giving up of the blackberry to eat that did it, or that he had bad sleep, or having family in town, or what. It was the most ridiculous dinner we have ever had. He wouldn't eat, and wanted the black berry, to which we said 'no', to which he went into a yelling, crying, tear fit. To which Phillip got anxious, to which I wanted to get everyone calmed down by heading home, to which the guys wouldn't let me, to which made me step in and try to get Liam calm, which didn't do much, then lead to more yelling, crying, tears, then moderate calm, then a need to potty, then once back at the table, another melt down, to which, finally, I said, "I'm going to get the kids loaded in the car." and left with both crying, red faced kids to get them loaded. I think Annabelle had a fit because I took Liam to the bathroom and going through her attachment phase, wasn't cool with her. We got home, it was bedtime, past 7:30, and Liam wanted to eat, being nice parents, we decided it best to feed him, so we offered him his food from the restaurant that we got to-go, which he cried over, then finally gave in to that option over bed time. Then Phillip went to get him a plate, and Liam threw another cry fest because it wasn't 'Mommy get me plate', and then again, between bedtime and eating, he chose to eat. He began to eat, and then he didn't want the beans, which was another dispute, to where I said, "I don't care what you eat, I just want you to get done eating to get to bed." Then he ate, then broke down because his quesadilla was falling apart and wanted me to put it back together. Once ate his one piece of food, he proudly got down and exclaimed, "I ate ONE quesadilla!" We brushed teeth, Papa read story, and then......b....e....d.
August 24, 2011
Wednesday:
Today seemed like one of the busiest days. We started getting things together at the house to head out to the grocery store. Luckily we only had to go to two stores, which was nice considering we made it out of the house after 10:00 and it was already nearing 100 degrees. Liam got some buddy bucks at HEB, as always, and got two stickers to put in his buddy buck magazine. When we got home, he had lunch, and then laid down to nap. I told him that after he woke up Nanny Frances would be here and Papa was also coming over today as well. As I was heading out, he woke up and we had a little bit of time to get adjusted to the new care giver. I left and they were reading books on the couch.
When I got home, Papa was here, and both kids were excited to see me, but I got the drift that they had a great time while I was gone.
That evening, Liam did some talking of the phone with Gigi and then we had dinner, and bath. I bathed Annabelle first and everything was fine, except after Annabelle took a nose dive into the bathtub. She was leaning over to reach a toy and fell right in! She tried it again, and Liam reached his hands up to stop her from going any further. He then handed her the toy she was reaching for. He really looks out for her.
Today seemed like one of the busiest days. We started getting things together at the house to head out to the grocery store. Luckily we only had to go to two stores, which was nice considering we made it out of the house after 10:00 and it was already nearing 100 degrees. Liam got some buddy bucks at HEB, as always, and got two stickers to put in his buddy buck magazine. When we got home, he had lunch, and then laid down to nap. I told him that after he woke up Nanny Frances would be here and Papa was also coming over today as well. As I was heading out, he woke up and we had a little bit of time to get adjusted to the new care giver. I left and they were reading books on the couch.
When I got home, Papa was here, and both kids were excited to see me, but I got the drift that they had a great time while I was gone.
That evening, Liam did some talking of the phone with Gigi and then we had dinner, and bath. I bathed Annabelle first and everything was fine, except after Annabelle took a nose dive into the bathtub. She was leaning over to reach a toy and fell right in! She tried it again, and Liam reached his hands up to stop her from going any further. He then handed her the toy she was reaching for. He really looks out for her.
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
August 23, 2011
Tuesday:
Today is Violet's birthday
and we are going to give her a Toddler Sling so that she can carry around her dolls while her Mommy carries around her new baby brother. I asked Liam to pick a color out for her and he picked the light blue one with leaves on it. I wanted to try it on him first to make sure it would fit a toddler. It did, perfectly, and I put his Curious George in it to get an idea of how it would work for a Toddler. He loved it. It was interesting to me almost immediately once it was one, he actually made a sort of connection with his monkey, much like I see in mamas and much like I see in myself when I put Annabelle or Liam on. He began to look over him, checking his eyes, ears, etc. He would pat him, and touch him softly. It really instilled in me the value of baby wearing. Not long after it was on, he said, "I need to vacuum now!" and went to get his lawn mower and began to 'vacuum' with it. That obviously was more a learned behavior than anything, but cute none the less.
Monday, August 22, 2011
August 22, 2011
Monday:
This morning, Liam collect
ed all the farm animals from both sets of farms, and then passed them out to all of us, even Honey. I looked over at Honey as she lay by the chase chair and under her head between her feet was a pile of various animals. I asked Liam, "So you gave Honey some animals as well?"
"No, no...", he replied, "I gave Honey food."
"Is she going to eat the animals?"
"Yeah!" resounded with great enthusiasm. It was pretty funny. Honey didn't mind. I think she liked the attention, as always.
Later this evening, after Phillip got home, Liam and he planted his wheatgrass. At first there was a lot of snacking on the sprouted seeds, which Liam loves. Then Phillip told him that he needed to plan the rest of them and would sprout Liam some of his own for eating. As I watched them, I began to notice how big Liam is. He's such a little boy now. I snapped a picture and it wasn't till after Phillip saw the picture that Phillip noticed it as well. My how they grow....
Sunday, August 21, 2011
August 21, 2011
Sunday:
Liam woke up this morning and went into the living room. He found a box of raisins in Ruth's purse and brought them back to our bedroom, asking her to open them. She did, and Liam went into the living room again. He presumably ate the raisins, we heard him rummaging around a bit more, then he returned to the bedroom asking if there were more raisins. At that point we decided to get up and feed him. The morning was relatively quiet as we got ready for church. As Ruth was getting ready, I put clothes on Annabelle and asked Liam to change out of his pajamas. He went into his room and came back out with only his underwear and pajama shirt. I asked him to go and put his shirt in the dirty clothes also. He went in his room again and returned, once again, with his shirt on, but no underwear. Finally I got him dressed and we went to to church.
Since Liam turned 3, he is now in the 3 year old class with new teachers. He was hesitant at first, but pretty quickly stated that he wanted to eat. After the service, on our way to the car, I asked Liam what he ate in the classroom. He said he ate graham crackers and crackers and drank water. He added that he was still hungry. We ate lunch and all took a lengthy nap.
After, we had to run to a couple of stores. At HEB, Liam asked if we were going to knock mom over as we circled around the parking lot to pick her up. Between chuckles, I told him that we weren't going to knock mom over.
At dinner, Liam talked almost the entire time. He checked on each one of us periodically to ensure that we continued to enjoy our dinner. He talked about the fact that kombucha tea made his tummy feel better, but not today because he drank it too fast. He drank some water and told us that it made his tummy feel better. He asked for more noodles, although he did not finish his food. We helped him find the noodles in his food and he was satisfied. Ruth read his story his evening. He is still stuck on "Curious George Goes to a Costume Party" featuring the scary lady. We'll be reading that for awhile, I think.
August 20, 2011
Saturday:
Ruth's parents watched Liam and Annabelle during the day while Ruth was at a baby expo and I worked. When I returned, Liam was talking up a storm, asking for milk, and overall very excited. Ruth's parents stayed for dinner and Liam talked more than he ate. He eats a few bites, then talks until he is ready to get down. It is really pretty funny, but hard to respond to him when I am busy with eating my food.
We prepared the kids for bed. Liam wanted to read the same Curious George story that we read last night: "Curious George Goes to a Costume Party" or a.k.a the "Scary Lady" story. Liam is fascinated with the fact that the scary lady in question answers the door with her witch mask on. He asked over and over if Curious George is scared and I describe the posture of George (hands gripping the pant leg of the man with the yellow hat and mouth wide open). Further in the story, there is an illustration of the scary lady with her back turned to the reader. Liam stops on that page and, in a very concerned way, says, "does she have her mask on?" I reply that there is no way of knowing because she has her back to us and it is a story, and a picture, and we can't tell. He thinks on that for a bit before he agrees, "yeah, we can't tell if she has her mask on." It is really humorous to read stories to Liam these days, he talks almost the entire time. As I am trying to read, he is asking questions about either the current or the next page. I don't really mind, as I certainly don't want to discourage him from asking questions if he isn't sure about something.
August 19, 2011
Friday:
I had a Baby Expo today so my parents came over to spend the night so they can watch the kids today and tomorrow. Liam is very excited about this. They said he was good all day and when I got home, I think I probably missed him more than he missed me.
We got dinner going. We had hot dogs, which I can't remember Liam ever having, but I love them, and I bought some sprouted grain buns to go with the nitrate free dogs. Yum! We had a Hot Dog Bar where there were tomatoes, spinach, relish, avocados, sprouts, onions, cucumbers, mustard, mayo, ketchup and jalapenos to choose from to top your hot dog. Liam wanted mayo, cucumbers, tomatoes, a couple onions, and ketchup. He ate it like a sandwich at first, and then when he got down to the dog, took it out and ate it by itself. I thought it was funny. He loved it.
I had a Baby Expo today so my parents came over to spend the night so they can watch the kids today and tomorrow. Liam is very excited about this. They said he was good all day and when I got home, I think I probably missed him more than he missed me.
We got dinner going. We had hot dogs, which I can't remember Liam ever having, but I love them, and I bought some sprouted grain buns to go with the nitrate free dogs. Yum! We had a Hot Dog Bar where there were tomatoes, spinach, relish, avocados, sprouts, onions, cucumbers, mustard, mayo, ketchup and jalapenos to choose from to top your hot dog. Liam wanted mayo, cucumbers, tomatoes, a couple onions, and ketchup. He ate it like a sandwich at first, and then when he got down to the dog, took it out and ate it by itself. I thought it was funny. He loved it.
Thursday, August 18, 2011
August 18, 2011
Thursday:
Since we've been going all week and were out of town last week, I figured it was high time to get the house clean today. I started with sweeping, and then I mopped, which Liam was very into. The job to be done mopping in the kitchen was way too much for the steam mop I usually use, so I bought a Mr. Clean magic eraser mop, and Liam was very curious what it was all about. I showed him how it worked and he he wanted to try it. I told him after I was done, but by the time I was done, the mop looked like it had mopped the inside of a trash truck, so I let him sweep instead. He enjoyed it for all of two minutes then said he was done. He was happy, so I was happy.
After that, the kids took nap and I began some sewing. Liam woke to the sound of the sewing machine after a couple hours and came out to sit with me at the table and play with the pin cushion. He removed all the pins and put them in my phone cover, and then at dinner had to put them all back, which was a project bigger than he expected. A couple times I went over and said he was doing a great job and that maybe next time he wants to take the pins out to think about the massive undertaking it is to put them back. I think he got it.
At dinner, we had greek chicken with hummus and tadziki with veggies to dip them in. I made a big bowl of sliced carrots and bell peppers and Liam sat down with the bowl in front of him and mentioned he was going to eat them all. I gave him my allowance. When Phillip sat down to dinner and grabbed a carrot to eat, Liam said, "No, no, don't eat all the carrots! You can eat all the bell peppers, I will eat all the carrots." Phillip bargained his way to a few carrots then when I went to the bell peppers to get a few, Liam said, "No, no Mommy, those are Dadn's." I told him I thought Dad was willing to share, and he did.
Since we've been going all week and were out of town last week, I figured it was high time to get the house clean today. I started with sweeping, and then I mopped, which Liam was very into. The job to be done mopping in the kitchen was way too much for the steam mop I usually use, so I bought a Mr. Clean magic eraser mop, and Liam was very curious what it was all about. I showed him how it worked and he he wanted to try it. I told him after I was done, but by the time I was done, the mop looked like it had mopped the inside of a trash truck, so I let him sweep instead. He enjoyed it for all of two minutes then said he was done. He was happy, so I was happy.
After that, the kids took nap and I began some sewing. Liam woke to the sound of the sewing machine after a couple hours and came out to sit with me at the table and play with the pin cushion. He removed all the pins and put them in my phone cover, and then at dinner had to put them all back, which was a project bigger than he expected. A couple times I went over and said he was doing a great job and that maybe next time he wants to take the pins out to think about the massive undertaking it is to put them back. I think he got it.
At dinner, we had greek chicken with hummus and tadziki with veggies to dip them in. I made a big bowl of sliced carrots and bell peppers and Liam sat down with the bowl in front of him and mentioned he was going to eat them all. I gave him my allowance. When Phillip sat down to dinner and grabbed a carrot to eat, Liam said, "No, no, don't eat all the carrots! You can eat all the bell peppers, I will eat all the carrots." Phillip bargained his way to a few carrots then when I went to the bell peppers to get a few, Liam said, "No, no Mommy, those are Dadn's." I told him I thought Dad was willing to share, and he did.
August 17, 2011
Wednesday:
We went to Target this morning to find Liam some clothes that fit him. His shorts are all good, but all his 2T shirts are getting a little small. They had a lot of shirts to pick through, one bright orange one with a monkey on it that says 'Silly' across the top, but they had only one short sleeve button up shirt and only a couple polos, none of which were in his size. I think I'm going to have to look around for another inexpensive toddler clothing store. I was a little disappointed, but Liam wasn't. I guess for now he can wear t-shirts to church till I find some nicer ones. I refuse to dress him in long sleeves till it cools off, which the way things are, may not be till December. This summer has been very hot.
We then went to the grocery stores, and after taking both kids potty and washing both their hands, and getting out of the restroom there, I put Annabelle in the front of the cart and I let Liam walk. He's the best kid ever. He never grabs things off the shelf, he stays beside me, and really enjoys looking at the new view. After I realized how light I felt not having Annabelle wrapped, I think I may take this up for future trips. I hope his awesome behavior keeps up too.
While we were leaving, Liam mentioned he wanted to ride his bike when we got home. I thought that would be a great idea, as I think it would be cool if he rode his bike with me and Phillip when the weather gets cooler. So we get home, and I put Liam on his bike and he hates it. screams and yells about how he doesn't like it and wants off, so I took him off. Maybe another day. I think it's going to be a slow process, which I am willing to be patient on.
We went to Target this morning to find Liam some clothes that fit him. His shorts are all good, but all his 2T shirts are getting a little small. They had a lot of shirts to pick through, one bright orange one with a monkey on it that says 'Silly' across the top, but they had only one short sleeve button up shirt and only a couple polos, none of which were in his size. I think I'm going to have to look around for another inexpensive toddler clothing store. I was a little disappointed, but Liam wasn't. I guess for now he can wear t-shirts to church till I find some nicer ones. I refuse to dress him in long sleeves till it cools off, which the way things are, may not be till December. This summer has been very hot.
We then went to the grocery stores, and after taking both kids potty and washing both their hands, and getting out of the restroom there, I put Annabelle in the front of the cart and I let Liam walk. He's the best kid ever. He never grabs things off the shelf, he stays beside me, and really enjoys looking at the new view. After I realized how light I felt not having Annabelle wrapped, I think I may take this up for future trips. I hope his awesome behavior keeps up too.
While we were leaving, Liam mentioned he wanted to ride his bike when we got home. I thought that would be a great idea, as I think it would be cool if he rode his bike with me and Phillip when the weather gets cooler. So we get home, and I put Liam on his bike and he hates it. screams and yells about how he doesn't like it and wants off, so I took him off. Maybe another day. I think it's going to be a slow process, which I am willing to be patient on.
August 16, 2011
Tuesday:
I had to go run an errand today, so we did that first thing in the morning, and then we were home the rest of the day. I feel like something eventful happened, but I honestly can't remember as I type this now, and it's only two days out.
Who knows.....
I had to go run an errand today, so we did that first thing in the morning, and then we were home the rest of the day. I feel like something eventful happened, but I honestly can't remember as I type this now, and it's only two days out.
Who knows.....
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
August 15, 2011
Monday:
We got up a little before the set 8:00 rising in our house, since we had a lot to do. The first thing we did was pick up Honey, which Liam was very excited about. When she got in the back of the car, she leaned her head over the seat to sniff both the kids. She then did all her wiggling, and then got settled with sitting in the back with her head over the seats. Liam said, "Honey getting water on your seat." He was talking about her drool, which I wish was water. We do plan on getting the car detailed very soon.
We went to the grocery store, then back home, and this was Liam's first interaction with Honey, and with thrill in his voice, said, "Honey excited to see me!" "I bet she is, she missed you!" I told him. After he ate his lunch, he went over to her in the living room, laid down next to her with some books and cuddled. He really loves animals.
I went to feed Annabelle in her room, and we moved the Kachina doll from his room, per his request, and he didn't like it here either. He said he was afraid of it, and he that if he were to get down off the couch, it would come down and get him on his leg. The only thing I can come up with is that he may have dreamed something of this. I explained that it was just a statue, and he was 'stuck' there and he wouldn't be coming down at all. He wouldn't move or make any noise. I don't think he believed me. I told him when Dad got home, he would put it away some where. Phillip talked with him more about it, and said that it was a nice doll, and that it would never hurt him, etc. Again, I don't know how much of it he believed, because he still isn't very fond of it.
We got up a little before the set 8:00 rising in our house, since we had a lot to do. The first thing we did was pick up Honey, which Liam was very excited about. When she got in the back of the car, she leaned her head over the seat to sniff both the kids. She then did all her wiggling, and then got settled with sitting in the back with her head over the seats. Liam said, "Honey getting water on your seat." He was talking about her drool, which I wish was water. We do plan on getting the car detailed very soon.
We went to the grocery store, then back home, and this was Liam's first interaction with Honey, and with thrill in his voice, said, "Honey excited to see me!" "I bet she is, she missed you!" I told him. After he ate his lunch, he went over to her in the living room, laid down next to her with some books and cuddled. He really loves animals.
I went to feed Annabelle in her room, and we moved the Kachina doll from his room, per his request, and he didn't like it here either. He said he was afraid of it, and he that if he were to get down off the couch, it would come down and get him on his leg. The only thing I can come up with is that he may have dreamed something of this. I explained that it was just a statue, and he was 'stuck' there and he wouldn't be coming down at all. He wouldn't move or make any noise. I don't think he believed me. I told him when Dad got home, he would put it away some where. Phillip talked with him more about it, and said that it was a nice doll, and that it would never hurt him, etc. Again, I don't know how much of it he believed, because he still isn't very fond of it.
August 14, 2011
Sunday:
We are leaving Gigi and Papa's house today, and almost all morning, all Liam did was play with Annabelle's purse she got yesterday. He played with his airplane too, but the purse was the bigger hit.
At one point, I went into the bigger living room, just me and him and he sat in my lap, and we just had some time together. I think there has been a lot of going and going and going, and he is the type of kid who just needs to take a break every now and then and just slow down. So we cuddled, talked, he talked about Annabelle's phone and how he liked it. Then when I had to get up to go get Annabelle, he followed me and said, "I want have some Mommy Time." I guess this is the term for, 'no sit down with me again'. I think he's ready for a slower pace of things. I'm glad he had so much fun with Gigi and Papa and that's one thing we talked about; how we are going to see them again, and it won't be too long. Talking about that beforehand always seems to make good-bye easier.
We are leaving Gigi and Papa's house today, and almost all morning, all Liam did was play with Annabelle's purse she got yesterday. He played with his airplane too, but the purse was the bigger hit.
At one point, I went into the bigger living room, just me and him and he sat in my lap, and we just had some time together. I think there has been a lot of going and going and going, and he is the type of kid who just needs to take a break every now and then and just slow down. So we cuddled, talked, he talked about Annabelle's phone and how he liked it. Then when I had to get up to go get Annabelle, he followed me and said, "I want have some Mommy Time." I guess this is the term for, 'no sit down with me again'. I think he's ready for a slower pace of things. I'm glad he had so much fun with Gigi and Papa and that's one thing we talked about; how we are going to see them again, and it won't be too long. Talking about that beforehand always seems to make good-bye easier.
August 13, 2011
Saturday:
We celebrated Liam's and Papa's birthday today. We got Liam a cupcake cake in the shape of a monkey and Mona made Gary a carrot cake. Before cake though, we did presents. Liam really liked tearing into each one, cards flying, paper everywhere, and he had little interest in any of th
e toys. I think the airplane that Joe, Jenny and Lenore got him caught his eye the most. Aunt Nancy got Annabelle a present too, to make sure she didn't feel left out. It was a toy phone, with one button on it, and it played three different gingles. Liam couldn't kee
p his hands off of it.
It was time for cake after that, and Liam couldn't wait to dig in. He put the candles on the cake himself, which he found great thrill out of, then we sang Happy Birthday to him and Papa, and then he blew the candles out. I gave Liam a cupcake off of his cake and he picked it up, looked at me and said, "After this, I cannot have any more." "Nope." I replied. I don't think his stomach could have handled it anyway. He was very excited about the treat of a birthday cupcake, even if it was just one, it meant the world to him.
I went for a run in the evening around 9:00, and when I got back, Phillip told me that he heard some noise coming from the kids' room, and when he went back there, he found Liam over by Annabelle's bed, her standing up and both of them giggling and playing. He was upset at first and told them both to go back to bed, but then we both agreed it was pretty funny, must have been all the sugar.
Friday, August 12, 2011
August 12, 2011
Friday:
This morning started off kinda rough with breakfast, it was a battle to get him to eat some eggs. He did, finally, and got to eat some blackberries. We then got ready to go pick up Mimi, and then to Kroger to pick up his Monkey birthday cake. There was a little fit in the car before that about having to leave Gigi and go potty in the store, but once we got to Kroger, he was good. He went potty, and then we skipped throughout the store down the isles, which he thought was really funny.
I had bought him a click-on moon light from Dollar Tree, that was promised to him after he had good behavior. In the parking lot of Kroger, he threw a fit about something, I think his shoe fell off, and he went to screaming, hitting, yelling and flailing his arms. I removed him from his car seat, back on the ground, and told him that once he was done, we could get in the car and leave. He settled down, and we left. When we got home, he had lunch of hummus, bell peppers, a banana and some peas, and played with Mimi at the table throwing a balled up piece of paper towel. It was more fun than anything to him, which was cute.
After eating, he and Annabelle played in the room, giggling and crawling around his bed just having tons of fun. He would get settled down, and then Annabelle would climb up in the bed and crawl on top of him. They had a blast.
I could tell they were both getting tired and I told Liam we were going to nap after Annabelle finished her bottle. He was cool with that, until he wanted help folding a diaper and instead of asking, he threw himself on the floor wallowing, and hitting and kicking and carrying on. I told him I was done dealing with that, and put him in timeout, where he began to scream at the top of his lungs. I told him if he did it again, he was going to be sent to the room to be by himself. Just before the timer went off, he let out a shriek and that got him to his room. Where he cried more, and after a minute or so, I went in to find him sitting in his bed, crying. I told him that I was going to put Annabelle to bed, and she needed quiet and that it was time for him to settle down too. He laid down. A couple minutes passed and I went in to talk to him. I told him that he was big, and smart, and he had much better behavior than that. I told him we were not going to put up with the yelling and throwing himself on the floor anymore. We shall see what the rest of the day brings.
I could tell that after he woke, he was a little fussy. So, I asked him if he wanted to lay down in my bed for a bit with me. We laid there and talked about the week and all the new people we have seen. Liam started talking about his freckles and how he liked them. All together, we counted out six freckles. He said, "When I get big like mom, I have a lot freckles." I told him maybe. Then he said, "When I get big like Dadn, I get tattoo. I get scorpion tattoo!" I laughed. Phillip thought it was pretty funny too when I talked to him.
We went swimming, which was Liam's idea, even though, I don't think he knew how much fun he was in for. We started just sitting by the pool with our feet in, then we went in to get our swim suits on and sun screened up. Liam stayed on the edge of the pool for a while as he watched me and Annabelle play, swimming back and forth. Gigi had a turn with Annabelle and I went over to Liam. He wouldn't sit on the step, so as I gave him my sunglasses, I snagged him up and brought him into the water. I was a little unsure how he would react, but it turned out he loved it. I'd swim on my back with him on my
chest and then on my stomach with him on my back and he had grand ol time. He didn't want to get in the airplane-floaty-thing, but once I got him in there, he enjoyed that as well. There was enough room in the back of it for Annabelle to sit and he agreed to let us put her there. She tried to dive out of it, so that didn't last long. I think he really enjoyed the water, as long as he could have a tight grip on me or Gigi, it was the time of his life.
We went in, had a snack of hydrating watermelon and cantaloupe, and then waited for dinner to get ready, which was chicken pot pie and sweet potato fries. He didn't eat much of the pot pie, but ate plenty of fries. After Papa got home, he ate even more. It wasn't long till it was time for bath, where I washed the chlorine, sun screen and olive oil (which I put on his scalp to hopefully take the cradle cap off, which I find odd that he has) off. We were in Gigi's bathtub again, which i think Liam may be a little traumatized by. It was time for him to lean back so I could wet his hair and he was very nervous about the jets coming on. I told him Annabelle wasn't there to turn it on. "Do they turn on themselves?" he asked with high concern in his voice. "No, they won't. You have to turn them on, and I'm not going to do that." Everything was fine until as I was pouring the last cup of water on his hair, water got in his ear, which he pointed out, turning his head, which made water spill in his face. This lead to screaming, yelling, hitting, etc. So, we were out of the bath, into the room, where I told him he had to calm down or I was going to leave him in there till he did. I'm really ready for these fits to be done. He settled down, and got dressed and not much longer he went to bed.
After giving them some thought today, I think I know what is going on, so it makes me a little less pissed off when he does them. He's a pretty easy going, slow paced kid, which I think is great. And this week has been full of new people, lots of going, lots of playing, and maybe a little overwhelming and overstimulating for him. So, he lets out all this pent up aggression and energy and frustration that he hasn't been able to express all day. So it comes out in fits.
This morning started off kinda rough with breakfast, it was a battle to get him to eat some eggs. He did, finally, and got to eat some blackberries. We then got ready to go pick up Mimi, and then to Kroger to pick up his Monkey birthday cake. There was a little fit in the car before that about having to leave Gigi and go potty in the store, but once we got to Kroger, he was good. He went potty, and then we skipped throughout the store down the isles, which he thought was really funny.
I had bought him a click-on moon light from Dollar Tree, that was promised to him after he had good behavior. In the parking lot of Kroger, he threw a fit about something, I think his shoe fell off, and he went to screaming, hitting, yelling and flailing his arms. I removed him from his car seat, back on the ground, and told him that once he was done, we could get in the car and leave. He settled down, and we left. When we got home, he had lunch of hummus, bell peppers, a banana and some peas, and played with Mimi at the table throwing a balled up piece of paper towel. It was more fun than anything to him, which was cute.
After eating, he and Annabelle played in the room, giggling and crawling around his bed just having tons of fun. He would get settled down, and then Annabelle would climb up in the bed and crawl on top of him. They had a blast.
I could tell they were both getting tired and I told Liam we were going to nap after Annabelle finished her bottle. He was cool with that, until he wanted help folding a diaper and instead of asking, he threw himself on the floor wallowing, and hitting and kicking and carrying on. I told him I was done dealing with that, and put him in timeout, where he began to scream at the top of his lungs. I told him if he did it again, he was going to be sent to the room to be by himself. Just before the timer went off, he let out a shriek and that got him to his room. Where he cried more, and after a minute or so, I went in to find him sitting in his bed, crying. I told him that I was going to put Annabelle to bed, and she needed quiet and that it was time for him to settle down too. He laid down. A couple minutes passed and I went in to talk to him. I told him that he was big, and smart, and he had much better behavior than that. I told him we were not going to put up with the yelling and throwing himself on the floor anymore. We shall see what the rest of the day brings.
I could tell that after he woke, he was a little fussy. So, I asked him if he wanted to lay down in my bed for a bit with me. We laid there and talked about the week and all the new people we have seen. Liam started talking about his freckles and how he liked them. All together, we counted out six freckles. He said, "When I get big like mom, I have a lot freckles." I told him maybe. Then he said, "When I get big like Dadn, I get tattoo. I get scorpion tattoo!" I laughed. Phillip thought it was pretty funny too when I talked to him.
We went swimming, which was Liam's idea, even though, I don't think he knew how much fun he was in for. We started just sitting by the pool with our feet in, then we went in to get our swim suits on and sun screened up. Liam stayed on the edge of the pool for a while as he watched me and Annabelle play, swimming back and forth. Gigi had a turn with Annabelle and I went over to Liam. He wouldn't sit on the step, so as I gave him my sunglasses, I snagged him up and brought him into the water. I was a little unsure how he would react, but it turned out he loved it. I'd swim on my back with him on my
chest and then on my stomach with him on my back and he had grand ol time. He didn't want to get in the airplane-floaty-thing, but once I got him in there, he enjoyed that as well. There was enough room in the back of it for Annabelle to sit and he agreed to let us put her there. She tried to dive out of it, so that didn't last long. I think he really enjoyed the water, as long as he could have a tight grip on me or Gigi, it was the time of his life.
We went in, had a snack of hydrating watermelon and cantaloupe, and then waited for dinner to get ready, which was chicken pot pie and sweet potato fries. He didn't eat much of the pot pie, but ate plenty of fries. After Papa got home, he ate even more. It wasn't long till it was time for bath, where I washed the chlorine, sun screen and olive oil (which I put on his scalp to hopefully take the cradle cap off, which I find odd that he has) off. We were in Gigi's bathtub again, which i think Liam may be a little traumatized by. It was time for him to lean back so I could wet his hair and he was very nervous about the jets coming on. I told him Annabelle wasn't there to turn it on. "Do they turn on themselves?" he asked with high concern in his voice. "No, they won't. You have to turn them on, and I'm not going to do that." Everything was fine until as I was pouring the last cup of water on his hair, water got in his ear, which he pointed out, turning his head, which made water spill in his face. This lead to screaming, yelling, hitting, etc. So, we were out of the bath, into the room, where I told him he had to calm down or I was going to leave him in there till he did. I'm really ready for these fits to be done. He settled down, and got dressed and not much longer he went to bed.
After giving them some thought today, I think I know what is going on, so it makes me a little less pissed off when he does them. He's a pretty easy going, slow paced kid, which I think is great. And this week has been full of new people, lots of going, lots of playing, and maybe a little overwhelming and overstimulating for him. So, he lets out all this pent up aggression and energy and frustration that he hasn't been able to express all day. So it comes out in fits.
August 11, 2011
Thursday:
This morning, IHOP, where Liam ate his entire breakfast of a fried egg, a piece of bacon and five silver dollar pancakes, then my last piece of toast. I was so proud of him.
We finished running errands all morning, and then we came home for nap. I'm really hoping the kids get some rest. I went towards the room as I thought I heard Liam up. I get to the door and see a sleepy Liam who said, "Anbel wake me up." Sure enough, she was up as well. I went to pick up Annabelle with Liam on one hip, and Liam said, "Anbel want go back to bed right now!" I told him I thought they were both up for good now. After nap, we headed out to Target to get a couple outfits for the kids so that we could take
a picture of the two of them for Papa's birthday. We started outside and that really didn't work to well. It was bright, and we were trying to get both of the kids to sit on a rock together, without either falling off, and that just didn't work. I had earlier bribed Liam with a cookie giving him half of it before we took the picture and then a promise of the other half after he was cooperative and gave big smiles during picture taking. He was doing so well, and it was really his sister that wasn't working well with us. There were too many distractions outside, so we moved inside. Much more success, and we ended up getting one good picture. Mission accomplished!
After that, we made dinner, ate, and after Liam looked at pictures with Papa for a while, naming everyone in them, and then he went to bed without a fuss a little before 9:00.
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
August 10, 2011
Wednesday:
Last night, I slept with Liam in the hotel bed to keep him company, and in the middle of the night, the smoke detector started beeping a high pitched beep every few seconds. I woke and couldn't fall back asleep due to it, and both the kids began to stir. So, I decided I better address it and try to fix it before they both woke. So, in the dark, quietly, sneakily, I ever so gently pull the chair over to under the smoke detector, and climb on top. I reach up, feel around softly, and find the little button. I think, 'Oh, I'll hold it down to turn it off.' BEEEPPP BEEEEPPP BEEEEPPPP!!!! Both the kids wake yelling and crying, and Phillip gets up "What's going on?!?!?" I jiggle the detector a little more, twisting it and it turns off. Phillip goes in bed with Liam to calm him, and I pick up Annabelle, who is now sitting up in bed, crying waving her arms in tired, frustrated and scared. I get her calmed down, and hear Liam ask Phillip, "You want sleep with me." Phillip of course, said okay and climbed in bed next to him. Both the kids settled and I climbed in bed with the boys and we all went back to sleep. Liam was excited to re-tell the story with Gigi and Papa, enthusiastically and accurately imitating the beeping alarm of the smoke detector.
We got dressed to head down stairs for breakfast, where Liam was very trying in getting him to eat. He ate half a cup of yogurt, and that was pretty much it. After a screaming fit, and a tantrum and still, no cooperation in eating, I told him if he didn't have good behavior then he couldn't hang out with Gigi and Papa in the morning before we leave. This didn't do it. I don't know if he thought I was serious or not. I have found though, as a parent, when you put your foot down, it's wise to keep it down, this is why picking your battles is so important. On some things I won't wager, and one of those is what he eats. When we go out of town, of course, I know that the typical food we eat isn't going to be available, but I still prefer for them to eat the most nutritionally sound food at hand, with the exception of avoid fights where I don't want to. Like at dinner, I would have preferred for him to eat all his salad, but it really wasn't something I wanted to fight over then. So, the morning was a little rough, but we made it through to loading the car and heading out. I think Liam was pretty hot, tired and grouchy, and after we got back in the car he slept for bit, only to wake up when we stopped to get food.
We got home after the burial, and we were thankful to have nothing to do, and we able to just hang out. Liam had a lot of fun packing Papa's back-pack-suite-case (his work bag) for him for his trip tomorrow. Papa helped him unpack all the toys, kitty toys, diaper cover, snappi, etc and told him he could put everything in his other bag, that he wasn't taking. Liam was excited about this too.
I tried to get him to nap by allowing him to lay in Gigi's bed with her, but turned out that Sydney was all too distracting for napping to take place, which was kinda cute. He really loves Gigi's cats, and Sydney really loves him. He went back later in the evening to play with her, and came out crying holding his arm, which had a noticeable cat scratch on it. I asked him what happened and he said Sydney bit him. After further questioning, we think we've determined that Liam was trying to pull Sydney off the bed, and she bit him to get him to stop, and most likely scratched him with her back claws. I told him sometimes kitties want their space and we should give them space.
It was also bath night tonight, and Liam wanted to bath in Gigi's bathtub. I bathed Annabelle first and Liam waited patiently to get in till after she was done, his preference of course. As I bathed him, I showed him how to lean back in the tub with his head toward the water so that I could get his head wet. I had just got done getting water in his eyes, which he hates, and assuring him that I wouldn't do it again, when Annabelle hit the button on the side of the bath to turn the jets on. Water shot out at all of us in the bathroom and Liam screamed and yelled. He was not okay with that. It scared him, and got his face totally wet. After I got him calmed down, we told him that Annabelle wouldn't do that again. Gigi and I thought the situation was pretty funny, and Annabelle did too. They have such different personalities, I'm sure they will learn much from each other.
After all the going and going today, bedtime was a breeze. Gigi read a couple stories, and Liam went to his bed, where we said prayers and Little Pumpkin and kissed him goodnight.
Last night, I slept with Liam in the hotel bed to keep him company, and in the middle of the night, the smoke detector started beeping a high pitched beep every few seconds. I woke and couldn't fall back asleep due to it, and both the kids began to stir. So, I decided I better address it and try to fix it before they both woke. So, in the dark, quietly, sneakily, I ever so gently pull the chair over to under the smoke detector, and climb on top. I reach up, feel around softly, and find the little button. I think, 'Oh, I'll hold it down to turn it off.' BEEEPPP BEEEEPPP BEEEEPPPP!!!! Both the kids wake yelling and crying, and Phillip gets up "What's going on?!?!?" I jiggle the detector a little more, twisting it and it turns off. Phillip goes in bed with Liam to calm him, and I pick up Annabelle, who is now sitting up in bed, crying waving her arms in tired, frustrated and scared. I get her calmed down, and hear Liam ask Phillip, "You want sleep with me." Phillip of course, said okay and climbed in bed next to him. Both the kids settled and I climbed in bed with the boys and we all went back to sleep. Liam was excited to re-tell the story with Gigi and Papa, enthusiastically and accurately imitating the beeping alarm of the smoke detector.
We got dressed to head down stairs for breakfast, where Liam was very trying in getting him to eat. He ate half a cup of yogurt, and that was pretty much it. After a screaming fit, and a tantrum and still, no cooperation in eating, I told him if he didn't have good behavior then he couldn't hang out with Gigi and Papa in the morning before we leave. This didn't do it. I don't know if he thought I was serious or not. I have found though, as a parent, when you put your foot down, it's wise to keep it down, this is why picking your battles is so important. On some things I won't wager, and one of those is what he eats. When we go out of town, of course, I know that the typical food we eat isn't going to be available, but I still prefer for them to eat the most nutritionally sound food at hand, with the exception of avoid fights where I don't want to. Like at dinner, I would have preferred for him to eat all his salad, but it really wasn't something I wanted to fight over then. So, the morning was a little rough, but we made it through to loading the car and heading out. I think Liam was pretty hot, tired and grouchy, and after we got back in the car he slept for bit, only to wake up when we stopped to get food.
We got home after the burial, and we were thankful to have nothing to do, and we able to just hang out. Liam had a lot of fun packing Papa's back-pack-suite-case (his work bag) for him for his trip tomorrow. Papa helped him unpack all the toys, kitty toys, diaper cover, snappi, etc and told him he could put everything in his other bag, that he wasn't taking. Liam was excited about this too.
I tried to get him to nap by allowing him to lay in Gigi's bed with her, but turned out that Sydney was all too distracting for napping to take place, which was kinda cute. He really loves Gigi's cats, and Sydney really loves him. He went back later in the evening to play with her, and came out crying holding his arm, which had a noticeable cat scratch on it. I asked him what happened and he said Sydney bit him. After further questioning, we think we've determined that Liam was trying to pull Sydney off the bed, and she bit him to get him to stop, and most likely scratched him with her back claws. I told him sometimes kitties want their space and we should give them space.
It was also bath night tonight, and Liam wanted to bath in Gigi's bathtub. I bathed Annabelle first and Liam waited patiently to get in till after she was done, his preference of course. As I bathed him, I showed him how to lean back in the tub with his head toward the water so that I could get his head wet. I had just got done getting water in his eyes, which he hates, and assuring him that I wouldn't do it again, when Annabelle hit the button on the side of the bath to turn the jets on. Water shot out at all of us in the bathroom and Liam screamed and yelled. He was not okay with that. It scared him, and got his face totally wet. After I got him calmed down, we told him that Annabelle wouldn't do that again. Gigi and I thought the situation was pretty funny, and Annabelle did too. They have such different personalities, I'm sure they will learn much from each other.
After all the going and going today, bedtime was a breeze. Gigi read a couple stories, and Liam went to his bed, where we said prayers and Little Pumpkin and kissed him goodnight.
August 9, 2011
Tuesday:
Liam woke to Phillip's alarm going off, and then I woke to him standing in the middle of the room asking, "What is that?" I woke Phillip, and then briefly later, Annabelle did, so we all got up to get ready to head out to Garland for the funeral service for Mudder, who passed last Friday. We planned to bring them in the service and if either of them got too loud, we'd head out. Liam began sitting with Gigi and the rest of the family in the front, and I stayed back towards the back of the church so that I could sneak out if I had too. Mimi sat with me. It wasn't long till Liam came towards the back with Gigi in hand and sat down with us. I think he was getting tired and he sat in my lap and laid his head on my shoulder and I think almost fell asleep. I don't think it was long after that when the service let out for us to go eat. Liam was excited to eat, because after that, he got to eat a small piece of strawberry cake. After he was done, Padad showed him what to do with his cup when he was done with it. He was very into this, and then went on to pick up all the other cups and throw them away as well. He's oh so helpful.
After the service, we headed back to Gigi and Papa's to get packed up to head to Sulpher Springs where we stayed in a hotel to then head to Clearwater for the burial tomorrow. It was a busy day and I'm glad we got to bed semi early.
Liam woke to Phillip's alarm going off, and then I woke to him standing in the middle of the room asking, "What is that?" I woke Phillip, and then briefly later, Annabelle did, so we all got up to get ready to head out to Garland for the funeral service for Mudder, who passed last Friday. We planned to bring them in the service and if either of them got too loud, we'd head out. Liam began sitting with Gigi and the rest of the family in the front, and I stayed back towards the back of the church so that I could sneak out if I had too. Mimi sat with me. It wasn't long till Liam came towards the back with Gigi in hand and sat down with us. I think he was getting tired and he sat in my lap and laid his head on my shoulder and I think almost fell asleep. I don't think it was long after that when the service let out for us to go eat. Liam was excited to eat, because after that, he got to eat a small piece of strawberry cake. After he was done, Padad showed him what to do with his cup when he was done with it. He was very into this, and then went on to pick up all the other cups and throw them away as well. He's oh so helpful.
After the service, we headed back to Gigi and Papa's to get packed up to head to Sulpher Springs where we stayed in a hotel to then head to Clearwater for the burial tomorrow. It was a busy day and I'm glad we got to bed semi early.
August 8, 2011
Monday:
One of the first things Liam mentioned this morning was that we were going to Gigi and Papa's today. I had a few appointments that I had to go to before we headed out of town and Nanny Sharron came over to be with the kids while I was gone. She said they were good, as usual, and Liam wanted to nap on the futon in Annabelle's room, but she told him he needed to nap in his bed and went in there without any more talk about it and laid down and slept. That's typical. He likes to press his limits sometimes and when he sees the boundaries, he makes camp right next to them. It's no surprise, Phillip and I, I'm sure, were the same way, and still are.
We finally got to heading out to Gigi and Papas and Liam probably asked a hundred times, "Are we going to Gigi and Papa's?" This started to get a little annoying and I asked Liam if he would stop asking and he said, "Does it aggravate you?", "Yes, it does." He didn't ask too much after that.
Towards the end of the trip, as it got dark, the kids, especially Liam, started to get pretty antsy. So, this is when I resorted to the cell phone, and Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. So, we listened to that in the car as Liam held it until we lost data signal. There were some pretty cute moments between Annabelle and Liam though. Liam would hold the phone up towards Annabelle as it played the song, and he'd say, "Can you see it? Yes you can. You cannot hold it. It has buttons."
Then, when it got dark, and the phone signal was dead, Liam began to get a little anxious about the dark. He said he was scared of it. I asked him what made it scary and he said, "When I look at it, it scares me." So, we started talking about ways for it to be not scary, and he said, "If I have my glasses on, I won't be scared." So I found his glasses, and he put them on, and he quickly said, "I'm not scared anymore!" Phillip and I thought that was really cute. He then wanted to hear a story, so I told him one of a little boy, who was scared of the dark, but once he went into a dark room to get his pajamas, he realized it wasn't that scary anymore. After that, he took his glasses off and said, "I'm not scared anymore with my glasses off!"
One of the first things Liam mentioned this morning was that we were going to Gigi and Papa's today. I had a few appointments that I had to go to before we headed out of town and Nanny Sharron came over to be with the kids while I was gone. She said they were good, as usual, and Liam wanted to nap on the futon in Annabelle's room, but she told him he needed to nap in his bed and went in there without any more talk about it and laid down and slept. That's typical. He likes to press his limits sometimes and when he sees the boundaries, he makes camp right next to them. It's no surprise, Phillip and I, I'm sure, were the same way, and still are.
We finally got to heading out to Gigi and Papas and Liam probably asked a hundred times, "Are we going to Gigi and Papa's?" This started to get a little annoying and I asked Liam if he would stop asking and he said, "Does it aggravate you?", "Yes, it does." He didn't ask too much after that.
Towards the end of the trip, as it got dark, the kids, especially Liam, started to get pretty antsy. So, this is when I resorted to the cell phone, and Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. So, we listened to that in the car as Liam held it until we lost data signal. There were some pretty cute moments between Annabelle and Liam though. Liam would hold the phone up towards Annabelle as it played the song, and he'd say, "Can you see it? Yes you can. You cannot hold it. It has buttons."
Then, when it got dark, and the phone signal was dead, Liam began to get a little anxious about the dark. He said he was scared of it. I asked him what made it scary and he said, "When I look at it, it scares me." So, we started talking about ways for it to be not scary, and he said, "If I have my glasses on, I won't be scared." So I found his glasses, and he put them on, and he quickly said, "I'm not scared anymore!" Phillip and I thought that was really cute. He then wanted to hear a story, so I told him one of a little boy, who was scared of the dark, but once he went into a dark room to get his pajamas, he realized it wasn't that scary anymore. After that, he took his glasses off and said, "I'm not scared anymore with my glasses off!"
August 7, 2011
Sunday:
This morning we went to church and Liam brought a bag of grapes to share with all the other kids. He at first was a little apprehensive to share, but then when I explained how nice that would be, he said, "They will say Thank You!" I told him they would and he agreed to share.
Phillip and I got the kids to bed and started the packing ordeal to head off to Gigi and Papa's house tomorrow.
This morning we went to church and Liam brought a bag of grapes to share with all the other kids. He at first was a little apprehensive to share, but then when I explained how nice that would be, he said, "They will say Thank You!" I told him they would and he agreed to share.
Phillip and I got the kids to bed and started the packing ordeal to head off to Gigi and Papa's house tomorrow.
Saturday, August 6, 2011
August 6, 2011
Saturday:
Ruth went to an ICAN meeting this morning, so Liam and I stayed at the house and installed a faucet that Ruth and I bought at The Home Depot on clearance some time back. Liam was really into it for about 30 minutes. He held the flashlight steady while I crammed myself into the bathroom cabinet to disconnect the supply lines and the old faucet and install the new. He asked, "Can I let the dogs in?" (we are keeping Rayne and Daniel's dogs while Daniel is visiting Rayne). I replied that he could and he disappeared for the next 45 minutes. The dogs periodically came in and licked my back while I sweated in the vent-less bathroom. Finally with the fixture installed, Liam was eager to wash his hands. He did so several times.
Ruth returned home with Annabelle and the day commenced. Liam was definitely ready for a nap. After nap, Ruth and I began to prepare dinner and Liam was running around with the dogs, sweating and screaming; quite excited. At one point, he noticed that the dog with the prominent underbite (I believe she goes by "Bella") had a 'wrapped up tail.' He exclaimed several times, "the dog's tail is wrapped up" while he proceeded to straighten it, with limited success. Dinner was smooth. I switched chairs with Ruth while she experimented with Annabelle's dinner without her tray. I sat next to Liam.
Liam also took his Dog and put him on Annabelle's potty and mentioned Dog had to go potty. He then took the bubbles and began blowing them. "Mommy blows bubbles with Anbel." he said.
August 5, 2011
Friday:
Daniel dropped of their dogs today so we could dog sit, and I think Liam caught a little slice of what his heaven would be like. I think he was a little bummed that as soon as we got home, he had to eat lunch and head for nap, but I assured him that he could play with them when he got up. During lunch, the dogs were outside to make lunch as efficient as possible, and Liam of course, watched them intently. He laughed, "Rayne Daniel dogs sniffing Honey butt!" That was really funny to him. After lunch, I let the dogs in for a bit, and Liam followed Bella around saying, "You so funny, yeah. That dog so silly. I like your tail puppy dog. Uh-huh, you nice dog. You like crunchies, yeah, you like it." Bella just walked around as he followed and occasionally turned to acknowledge him and lick his hands. I then got ready to get Annabelle settled with a bottle and I left the very excited Liam in the kitchen to have some more puppy time before nap. Before I got to her room, I heard him let out a scream that definitely signaled me that he was hurt. I came to the kitchen to find him kneeling on the floor with a busted lip. I felt so bad. I asked him what happened and he said he hurt his lip on the floor. "Did you fall?" "Yeeeeaaaaahhhh." I got an ice cube, wrapped it in a paper towel and carried him to Annabelle's room to sit on the couch. When I was done feeding Annabelle and put her in bed, he and I went back to the kitchen. I asked him if his lip still hurt. "Nope. It's better. It doesn't hurt anymore." I don't know why, but this was one of those things in his three year old voice that sounded so cute. Maybe it was even better because he was wasn't hurting anymore. We threw the ice cube away and got settled for nap. When he woke, he had lots of fun playing with the dogs till Phillip got home, all the way up till bed time.
Daniel dropped of their dogs today so we could dog sit, and I think Liam caught a little slice of what his heaven would be like. I think he was a little bummed that as soon as we got home, he had to eat lunch and head for nap, but I assured him that he could play with them when he got up. During lunch, the dogs were outside to make lunch as efficient as possible, and Liam of course, watched them intently. He laughed, "Rayne Daniel dogs sniffing Honey butt!" That was really funny to him. After lunch, I let the dogs in for a bit, and Liam followed Bella around saying, "You so funny, yeah. That dog so silly. I like your tail puppy dog. Uh-huh, you nice dog. You like crunchies, yeah, you like it." Bella just walked around as he followed and occasionally turned to acknowledge him and lick his hands. I then got ready to get Annabelle settled with a bottle and I left the very excited Liam in the kitchen to have some more puppy time before nap. Before I got to her room, I heard him let out a scream that definitely signaled me that he was hurt. I came to the kitchen to find him kneeling on the floor with a busted lip. I felt so bad. I asked him what happened and he said he hurt his lip on the floor. "Did you fall?" "Yeeeeaaaaahhhh." I got an ice cube, wrapped it in a paper towel and carried him to Annabelle's room to sit on the couch. When I was done feeding Annabelle and put her in bed, he and I went back to the kitchen. I asked him if his lip still hurt. "Nope. It's better. It doesn't hurt anymore." I don't know why, but this was one of those things in his three year old voice that sounded so cute. Maybe it was even better because he was wasn't hurting anymore. We threw the ice cube away and got settled for nap. When he woke, he had lots of fun playing with the dogs till Phillip got home, all the way up till bed time.
Thursday, August 4, 2011
August 4, 2011
Thursday:
In the wee hours of the morning, as Phillip was getting up for work, Liam came wandering in our room asking to sleep in our bed. Phillip had gotten up to go re-swaddle and binky Anbel, so I leaned over the side of the bed and hugged Liam, gently telling him that he needed to sleep in his bed. All was fine till Phillip's loud as can be alarm sounded and Liam got scared. "That scared me!" I told him, "I know, I don't like Dad's alarms either, they are such a bother and so loud." Liam agreed and as Dad came back in from Anbel's room, she let out a cry and Liam told Phillip, "That alarm scared Anbel! It woke Anbel up! It scared me. It scared Mommy! It woke up Honey!" We couldn't help but laugh. I like that Liam is on my side of the Mission-Gentle-Alarm committee. It's a work in progress.
In the wee hours of the morning, as Phillip was getting up for work, Liam came wandering in our room asking to sleep in our bed. Phillip had gotten up to go re-swaddle and binky Anbel, so I leaned over the side of the bed and hugged Liam, gently telling him that he needed to sleep in his bed. All was fine till Phillip's loud as can be alarm sounded and Liam got scared. "That scared me!" I told him, "I know, I don't like Dad's alarms either, they are such a bother and so loud." Liam agreed and as Dad came back in from Anbel's room, she let out a cry and Liam told Phillip, "That alarm scared Anbel! It woke Anbel up! It scared me. It scared Mommy! It woke up Honey!" We couldn't help but laugh. I like that Liam is on my side of the Mission-Gentle-Alarm committee. It's a work in progress.
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