Morning time

As I was waking everyone up this morning, it dawned on me how different my morning routine is. It was get up, children to bus, work. Fairly simple. But this school year has some changes thanks to my son graduating to middle school, my huband's continued degeneration, and my daughter's bus schedule being messed up.

The original plan for this year started fairly simple. They both have a bus stop in the same location. Because they go to the arts academies for their grades, the bus does not pass by my house. Rather I have to take them to a satellite location. And the fact that that location is the same for them should make it easy. However, Bub's bus doesn't come until close to 8:00. I have to be at work at 7:30. So yeah. Finally I decided to put him in morning care. It's fairly inexpensive for the morning program at his school. So I had planned to drop her at the bus, take him to school, get to work fairly on time. But then her bus situation got messed up thanks to the driver quitting days before the start of school. So then her bus wasn't coming until close to 8:00. The end result is that she ended up in morning care as well. The expense of both these programs is not great but it's the best solution otherwise.

So now I get up (still working on finding early morning time to run/exercise, for now that is being done in the evenings), and wake up Bub and get him in the shower, wake up LG and put her clothes out so she can change and then start getting ready myself. They either can have breakfast at home or at school, their choice. I get ready myself. Before we leave, I wake up BT who has taken to sleeping in the recliner so he can sleep more upright and also it is easier for him to get in and out of (we are working on a hospital bed for him to aid in this). I help BT out of the chair and we go. Then I drop off Bub at school, drive to LG's school and sign her in and then I go to work. It's a lot. I don't know if it sounds like a lot but it's a lot. It's a lot of driving and getting everyone where they need to go and helping them all out while still trying to get my own stuff together and make to work. But it's the best way and honestly has been less stressful. There are, of course, even less stressful ways to manage. I could pull them and make them go to our home schools and then they would be bused to and from the house. That is not an option for me. I love the arts academies and they are getting a great education and learning an in-depth art form at the same time. And I believe wholeheartedly in that. So this is what we are doing and I'm trying to make it work as best I can.

Baaaack to school

The kids start school this week and as usual I am of two minds. School usually ramps up the responsibility at my house but it's, you know, school so it's important. School is a lot for me thought. As the mom I shouldn't admit that? But it's true. The burden of transportation, school functions, and everything that goes into school is down to me especially now as the only driving adult in the family. My children goes to arts schools so there are no buses that run near my house. I love the arts elementary so much so it's worth it but it is a pain. And now my oldest is headed off to middle school which is scary for me but he seems chill about it so far. It was a nice couple of years having them in the same place. Certainly that made it easier. Now 2 different schools, buses and schedules. It'll work out especially now that I have figured out exactly how to get my son to school without being overly late for work. His school starts later so his bus comes later, thankfully to the same location as hers. But he isn't zoned for that bus stop so all of that had to be worked out. He'll go to the before school program run by the YMCA and then take the bus in the afternoon and then they will both get dropped off in the same place. It's not the cheapest plans but it's worth it. And they will have time for their evening sports.


I am amazed that she is going into first grade and he is going into sixth and the fact that he is going to middle school is like wow. It's crazy to me that we've already gotten to this point. I am worried about middle school. It's a rough time and a rough age and middle schoolers are not necessarily the nicest. I think he will be fine but he can be sensitive so I guess we'll see. It's also just more. More homework, more classes, and a different routine with changing rooms multiple times a day which won't be a bad thing. He can move around more during the day and he'll have to go outside to change rooms so that actually is a good thing. I also realized that this will be the first time he has to dress out for P.E.  His middle school is a great school and the arts program is amazing. He got in with piano and that is the art that he will focus on. I am so happy with the decision to put him in the arts academy and grateful that this school district offers the option and that LG could go to that school too. I'm curious what her art will be. I'd say drama or dance based on her personality. Drama seems to be the better fit.

But now it's time for homework and parent/teacher meetings among other things. And I handle all of that but I also feel bad because BT misses out on so much. Most of the time it is easier for me to just get the kids from school or from the bus and then go to any open house meetings or to just go to school for lunch or any school activities. Their schools are really close to my work and it's just easier. But I feel bad because I probably should go get him more. It's a rough balance between trying not to miss too much work and trying to include him. There is the factor that things make him very tired and it can be hard to negotiate any crowded venues with his chair. So far we've managed to work it out but I think we both feel bad about him missing out on too much. It's just one of those unfortunate things and will work out how they work out. 

And the kids

Once BT was initially diagnosed the question of what to tell the kids was immediate. Obviously something had to be said since BT would no longer be working and they would definitely notice that. There was a month gap between the first and second opinion where everyone just kept hoping that it was going to be something else and BT was still working. In that gap I consulted our pediatrician who has cared for Bub since he was a newborn. It's one of the few times I've ever seen a doctor visibly upset. I asked him what was appropriate to say.  He recommended a simple explanation but not to include the fact that it is terminal. Bub was 9 and LG was 4 at the time. We told them that Dad was sick now, he wasn't going to get better, and that he wasn't going to work anymore. Their reactions were very accepting. LG went around telling everyone that her dad was sick and wouldn't get any better. Bub was sad and asked more questions. It was a different way of processing fairly appropriate to their ages. As time has gone on, Bub has begun to ask more questions about BT's condition. LG has been more accepting. They both have been big helps to their dad although still expect a lot more out of me somehow. It's been also a sad thing knowing what's to come but there is a lady we know who grew up with a father with ALS and she talks more positively about her experience so I feel like the time BT spends with his kids will be hopefully result in something similar.

One day recently Bub asked me about how long we would live. I talked about the average life span of my grandparents and guessed 30-40 more years for me all things considered, hoping that he would drop the subject of his dad. He did not and I answered with Well it depends on how his ALS progresses and then he asked if the ALS could kill  his dad. I never want to lie to my kids but there is information I don't volunteer unless they ask. So I answered yes but that it all depends on how quickly things go. There is no time limit. These are the moments that I get, that no one else gets and they are sad moments. He took this pretty well and he has been processing, I believe, fairly well. And has been very good to his dad this summer. I hope that this summer and the summers to come where he is home with BT are good, positive memories and that they have quite a few more.

140 decibels

My daughter is loud. She is loud in a way that BT and I are not. He pointed it out to me one day. "Have you noticed how loud is she?" And then I did. It's not that BT and I are incapable of being loud, but we generally are not. I suppose she comes by it honest anyway because his family is loud and my father's family is loud though I didn't know that loudness was a genetic trait. Bub, I would say, falls in the general regular loudness scale, when he is excited, etc. But just regular talking, not so much. But she is just very outspoken and at top volume. I asked if she knew what an inside voice is. "No," she said. I told her it was when you are inside so you talk quieter. She thought about it for a moment. "No," she said. No, that's okay, apparently I'm cool with using an outside voice at all times is what I assume she meant. It seems though she is not like this with everyone. At daycare they are surprised when we pick her up and she exhibits her most three year old behaviors (me first! me do it! NO ME!). They think she is a quiet, sweet, angel baby. She has them snowed. We know the truth at home.

Potty trained

I wrote back in January that Button was 95% potty trained and I'm honestly not sure when it happened but one day I realized she was 100% trained. I hadn't changed dirty underwear for quite sometime and just like that I had two regular undiapered kids. It's pretty amazing. I can't say that I did anything amazing to facilitate this other than constantly remind her to use the potty and when she had an accident say over and over again that "it's okay but big girls use the potty and where does poop go? In the potty." It's been my constant refrain for a long time. Her daycare teacher had a lot to do with it and she was amazing. Mostly I think it was Button's constant need to be like big brother that did it.

I feel like we had a lot less struggle with Button than we did with Bub but that's hardly apples to apples. Bub = first born boy, Button = second born girl. I'm not saying that she hasn't had a few setbacks now and again. When she's sick she tends to wet the bed and she had a hard time at my in-laws' new house since their toilets are really high and she couldn't go by herself. But things like that are too be expected.  I'm just happy for no more diapers ever again!

Potty training {The End}

Since I've written extensively (probably too extensively) about Button's potty training journey, I thought an update was in order. I'm happy to report that she's about 95% trained. In fact, she's slept in underwear the last 2 nights and woken up dry so most of the battle has been fought. There's still a #2 issue but that is being slowly resolved. She wears big girl underwear and doesn't want to put pull-ups on anymore. So I have a whole stack of pull-ups since we had some at the house and then the daycare sent their supply home too. I told BT last night how excited I am to never have to buy diapers again. I'd like to take credit for this miracle of a child potty-trained before the age of 3 but her daycare teachers had a lot to do with it. I honestly think they did most of the work and their consistency in taking her to the potty and getting her to where she is now is mostly to their credit. So I am very grateful to them for that. We still haven't done any big outings with her in underwear but as long as she is kept aware, I think she will do just fine. Potty trained before the age of 3! So exciting.  

Happy 2015 or something

Holy smokes! I didn't realize how much time had gone by since I last wrote. I hope your New Year got off to a great start. Ours was less than ideal.

The end of 2014 was brutal health-wise. Button has gotten the worst of it getting both strep throat and RSV at the end of November. I followed up by catching something from her. My guess is RSV but officially it was a sinus infection. That lasted essentially the month of December. Button then came down with the flu right before Christmas. And I have to say that the flu was the only thing that managed to keep that child down. Everything and everyone was looking better until Wednesday when her face started to swell and she began running fever. Had she just had the fever I probably wouldn't have worried so much but the swelling freaked me out. So yesterday I took her to Urgent Care after calling the on-call doctor who didn't really seem to know what to do. The Urgent Care doctor didn't know either sending us to the children's hospital ER. So that was a waste of an hour and a co-pay.

The ER doctor was more helpful but in the end I'm not convinced she entirely knew herself. Anyway, it was not a fun day at all. Traumatizing is the word I believe. At least BT was off to stay home with Bub because I could not have dealt with him too. Poor baby Button had to have an IV and a CT scan because they were afraid her glands might be abscessing. The CT scan was pretty horrible for us both. They had to wrap her up papoose style and strap her down so she would be still and she's crying and I'm crying and it was not okay. She calm down when they started and there were some stickers in the machine that interested her. They also drew a lot of blood so they placed a catheter in her hand for that and also to give her fluids. They seemed pretty convinced that she wasn't eating or drinking but they were wrong. Her appetite is essentially the same as usual.  Anyway, something kept going wrong when they tested the blood drawn out of her hand so the phlebotomist came in and drew some blood out of her arm. All in all, Button filled 9 vials for the hospital. Finally the doctor came back and said she thought it was parotiditis, the swelling of the salivary gland. Somehow Button managed to get an infection and that is what is causing the swelling. They think. 2 doses of intravenous antibodics and we were good to go. Well, that and a lot of tears and 1 interrupted nap and 5 hours.

Button was pretty much a champ about the whole thing. There was the breakdown about the IV and the one about the CT scan but who can blame her? It's scary enough for a lot of adults much less a 2 year old. But she handled it pretty well all in all. She didn't say much though most of the day which is unusual but once we got home she was herself again. To say she was not a fan of the hospital is an understatement. She was pretty cheerful leaving saying bye to everyone we meet on the way out. It helped that BT and Bub had come at the end and she had her big brother with her. So it looks like she's on the mend again. She'll have a follow-up with her regular doctor on Monday so she's out of daycare for the next 4 days. Hopefully this is it for my poor baby girl. I just hope that this is not an omen for 2015. It's definitely not how I pictured spending the first day of a new year.

This and that

I didn't realize it had been so long since I've been on this blog until I looked my book blog and realized I hadn't been over there in a while too. Things at work have been super busy between interviews, presentation preparations, and meeting, meetings, meetings, among other things. At least this week is looking like I might get a breather. Plus, at home, school and soccer have started and BT has moved into a weekend rotation at work. But that feels like more of the same.

I was thinking about what I wanted to write about. That Bub got marked as failure to thrive too at his last check-up so he had blood work done too and he is fine though was thoroughly traumatized by the needle, something that was sad and then later super funny.  He is so dramatic. I'm still struggling to help my kids gain weight but they are both doing well. That some kid in Bub's class broke his glasses and so he went about a month with no glasses but he is getting his new super cool pair today. Also I've develop an intense dislike of an 8 year in Bub's class.

I could write about how Button is the twoest two year old that ever was a 2 year old and I have abandoned the idea of putting her dance class and instead think she is definitely going to gymnastics. Her willingness to FLING herself at surfaces and hope she sticks the landing is both interesting and heart stopping to watch. And her new favorite song to sing "Twinkle twinkle little star" but she fuses the ABC song with it so she sounds like a drunken sailor especially when she lays on the floor and sings "Twinktle Twinktle little ABCD STAAAARRR" and counts "1, 2, 3, 5, 9, 10." And that potty training is still hit or miss with the misses being the higher percentage but that it's a slow and steady thing. I'm thinking of taking an upcoming weekend break from soccer and doing a boot camp to see if I can't get her where I want her to be. She's interested in the the wiping and flushing and the prizes but the actual action is where she is stalling.

But that's generally the whole story of those stories. So I'll just leave it at those anecdotes and try to find a full topic soon. Meanwhile it's the first day of autumn and the weather is not that hot and, dare I say, even a little pleasant and I had a giant chocolate donut courtesy of the Cataloging Department and the first song that came up on my playlist was "Shake It Off" so I'm going to take that as a sign that this week might be one of the better ones I've had in a while.

Pregnancy nostalgia

It seems to be baby time or at least it is on my Facebook feed. Several people have announced pregnancies for late this year or early 2015. I got a little sentimental thinking about being newly pregnant with my kids. I never did an elaborate announcement like Pinterest shows. I was pregnant with Bub before Facebook was the thing that it is now. So that was mostly a word of mouth type thing.

I remember sitting at my desk and feeling woozy. We weren't really trying for a baby yet (the time was set for a few months from then) but it was still a possibility and as soon as I felt that I began to suspect. I stopped and bought 1 pregnancy test and as soon as I got home I took it. When I saw those 2 lines, I freaked out. I ran back to the store and bought more tests and took 2 more. All came back positive almost immediately. I called my BFF-cousin because I knew that out of everyone she would be level-headed about it and I certainly didn't want to tell BT over the phone. She reassured me and I called the doctor. The nurse had me come in and do a pregnancy test, basically what I had just done 3 of at home and she confirmed it. We were leaving that afternoon to go to BT's grandfather's funeral so I had to pick BT up at work. On the way to do that I was trying to figure out how to tell him but, in the end, he got in the car, I burst into tears and told him I was pregnant. He was very happy about it. It was almost time anyway. We told BT's parents that night by bascially saying "You know how you just became grandparents? You ready to do it again?"(the Nephew had just been born) and then my parents when we got home. Nothing very clever. Well except my whole life anytime I wanted to talk to my mom, she'd start the conversation with "You're not pregnant, are you?" So I sat down and said "Hey, remember how anytime I wanted to talk to you, you'd say 'You're not pregnant, are you?' Well I want to talk to you." She got it and my parents were super happy.

For Button, I had this feeling that I wanted to keep it to myself for just a little bit. Bub belong to everyone almost right away and I wanted this one for myself. She was definitely planned so it was not surprising. Since we were trying, I bought some pregnancy tests and had them at the house. One Friday before I was suppose to start my period, I took one and it came back with the faintest line but I knew. So the next day I went out and bought a pack of newborn diapers and made a card that said "You ready to do this again?" and tied a positive pregnancy test to the diapers with the note and put it on the table. I thought BT would see it right away but, I swear, the man has some sort of tunnel vision. I sent him to the kitchen at least 3 times thinking he would see it. But no, finally, I had to tell him to go look on the table. It was a little anticlimactic. We told my parents a few weeks later by putting a Big Brother t-shirt on Bub. My mom was home alone and I had to direct her to look at his shirt and then my sister and dad when they got home. We put the same shirt on Bub a few weeks after that when we went to the beach for Labor Day with BT's family. They saw it right away so that was gratifying.

I look at my kids and it's funny to think about before I had them, when I just found out I was pregnant and now here they are such amazing little people.

Potty training {Part TMI}

So I've been trying on and off since January to potty train Button. Well, I say that but I've only made one serious effort during Memorial Day weekend to actually potty train, discovering then that she wasn't quite ready. Mostly I've been pestering her with questions about using the potty and telling her that big girls use the potty, reading her books (these are her favorites), things of that nature. Also I've been changing her diapers in the bathroom and, if it's #2, putting the poop into the potty and telling her that it is where poop goes so she sees where it is suppose to be. Then she says eww, yuck and tries to wipe herself and flushed the toilet. I feel like we skipped step 1 somewhere along the way and jumped to step 2-4.

But last night randomly she came back to step 1. For a while now she will tell me when she needs to be changed and will sometimes try to change herself. Hence why I thought she was ready in May. But it is always after the fact. Last night she came to tell me "Potty" and pointed at her bottom. So I took her into the bathroom and helped her onto the toilet. She doesn't like using the baby potty that Bub trained on, a symptom of being a second child maybe, but at any rate she does like the attached potty seat on the regular toilet. I sat her down and, boom, she went. It was so awesome. I got super excited and made a big deal and then told Bub who also got excited and made a big deal and she enjoyed it all immensely.  Unfortunately I had no rewards handy, no stickers or the like, so she had to settle for her mother clapping and dancing with her. But she definitely got the idea that this was a good idea.

Now I am unsure of what to do. I've potty trained before so you'd think I'd know what I am doing but it's been a while and every kid is different. I guess the next step is to get what the daycare needs (training pants and covers mostly) and have them start over there while I take care of it at home. I'm trying not to build it up to THIS IS IT status. But maybe this is it? I sincerely hope so.

Potty Training {Part it doesn't matter}

I took the Friday before Memorial Day as planned in order to start laying a foundation and to get this kid out of diapers once and for all. I forgot that she is so very much like me and that nothing will persuade her to do what she doesn't want to do. Normally I'm not about making my kids grow up faster than they want but I know she's ready or so I thought. She's almost ready, like on the edge but she's not willing to tip over the edge and so we reached an impasse the second day in. Optimally potty training happens after age 2. I know this. And I know from experience that training (a boy at least) after 3 is even hardener. I also know she's barely 2. But still I try. I tried. The first day she thought it was fun but never gave an indication of needing to go and never actually went in the potty.  She enjoyed the rewards though and tried all day for me to just give them to her rather than earning them. But by the 2nd day she was over it. She was tired of me making her sit on the toilet and she just did not want to. While I hate to use the word "quit" frankly I quit at the end of the second day. We weren't getting anywhere and she was tired of me and vice versa. I'm honestly not trying to push this on her but it's just she seems so ready and I'm so afraid to lose my window. Lately she wants to sit on the potty before her bath and sometimes she will try to change herself but she will not tell me before she goes.  It's so weird. I'm getting mixed signals. So now I'm wondering if I should take the last weekend of June and try again. I guess I'll try to suss out the situation over the next couple of weeks and see where we stand.

Game on

Sometime this baseball season it dawned on me that we are a sports family. I know that should have occurred to me at some point before but I think it was the immediate switch from soccer to baseball that did it. See, I'm not a sports person per se. I've only recently gotten into watching football and I was never interested/good at sports as a child so they were never really my thing. BT, on the other hand, has played his whole life and was a great track runner in high school. So when Bub turned 3 and I noticed a sign that said a local club started soccer at 3 years old I texted BT and asked if I should sign him up. Hell, yeah was the answer I received. So Bub has been playing soccer in the fall since he was 3. Then t-ball started at the age of 4. He missed playing when he was 5 since it started right after I had Button and I couldn't handle a newborn and baseball at the same time (weak, I know). So it's been 3 years of baseball and 6 seasons of soccer. He seems to enjoy playing and we all like going and watching. It can be a lot of shuttling around with practices and such but I know that it will get to be more and more as he gets older.

Eventually, I'm sure, Button will want to do as her older brother does and she will start soccer too. I'm thinking I will sign her up for the 3 year old soccer even though Bub doesn't play with that club anymore. His current one starts at age 5 but the 3 year old soccer is the cutest thing ever so I want to see her do that. If she wants to play ball too when she is old enough than I will sign her up for that too. But part of me hopes she takes after me and wants to do dance as I did for so long. I would love that so much. Whatever she wants to do, we will make it happen. I think it's important for kids to do at least one other thing outside of school and I think team sports are great. And I may not understand everything that happens out on the field but I sure enjoying watching the kids get out there and play!

Potty training {Part Ready}

I get the feeling that potty training is different with every child. Or maybe that's just me because I'm going from a child who was basically forced to potty train to one who is incredibly interested in the whole thing. Still it's weird for me. It feels like it's been a long time since I've done this but it's only been 4 years. Yet I'm not entirely sure where to start especially with a barely 2 year old.

Pinterest and the internet tells me I can potty train her in 3 days. But those methods rarely say at what age to start. Button has been showing interest in a big way lately though. The other day when I was changing her she spotted a pair of Hello Kitty undies in her drawer and wanted to put them on. I told her panties were for big girls who use the potty and so she decided she wanted to sit on the potty so she could wear her underwear. This was a big step because up until that point she was telling us when she was wet but when I would ask her if she wanted to use the potty she'd tell me no. Now she was wanting to at least sit on it. This is certainly the right direction. So now this week twice in a row she's sat on the potty, never actually using it, but at least sitting there. She has no interest in the baby potty that Bub use instead she wants to use the big toilet. Luckily we still have the seat with the built in potty seat and that thing is the best.

At her 2 year check-up, I mentioned all this to her doctor and he basically said I needed to jump on this as soon as possible. I talked to her daycare and they told me just to let them know and they will work on it at school too. She's still in the 1 year room, waiting for space to open with the 2 year olds but there is a little bathroom off of that room so she's good to go there. Now it's a matter of finding the time. I'm thinking I'll give it a try Memorial Day weekend. I can take the Friday off so it's just the 2 of us the first day and then we will have 3 more days after that with her brother around but then that might not be a bad thing. He will encourage her and she loves it when he pays attention to her. So I'm excited and cautiously optimistic about this. I think she is, for real, ready and not just because I want her to be. I'm mean, she tells us when she needs to be changed and will lead us to the changing table. This child is more than ready to get going on this and so am I.

This came up on Timehop the other day. The more things change...

Flamingo party {2 year old}

 Last Sunday we had Button's 2nd birthday party. I did a flamingo theme because, for some reason, I've developed a liking for flamingos for her. So last summer when I saw that the Dollar Tree had flamingo party stuff, I spent about $10 on plates, napkins, cups, an inflatable flamingo and a few other small decorations. I didn't know what I was going to do with them but, hey, it was cheap and why not?  I bought a scrapbook kit from Sweet Shoppe Designs called Coconut Grove to make invitations and whatever I needed. I gathered ideas from Pinterest and around the web and got started mid-February/early March. I found a few ideas for invitations and, in the end, this is what I came up with.

The invitations

I made a matching banner using the kit and strung it up on blue ribbon across our entrance way to the kitchen. I hung the inflatable flamingo from the chandler and we blew up pastel balloons for the tray ceiling. I had a giant wall hanging that had 2 flamingos on it from the dollar store (no picture) that I hung over the front door and I hung a few cut out flamingos on the mantle under which we put the gifts.

A few decorations

I decided on triple coconut cupcakes and chocolate cupcakes. The coconut cupcakes were completely from scratch while the chocolate cupcakes were from a box. The chocolate fudge cupcakes ended up having strawberry icing with dark Lindor truffles in the center. I halved each recipe so I'd only have 12 of each instead of 24. I made 2 different cupcake wrapper in two of the patterns from the invitation, one with 2 flamingos and one with the number 2. I made water bottle labels with either a 2 or a L (her first initial) with a flamingo overlay (this was a great tutorial on it).

The party turned out great, in my opinion, despite me having been super sick the day before. Everything looked nice and all our guests had a good time.  She got quite a few things, though mostly clothes which she needed. Among other things, my mom bought her an InnoTab 3 Baby and some shoes and BT's mom got her a balance bike and a helmet. The helmet she loves, the bike we are working on. My sister got her a water table which she and Bub played with that afternoon and we got her a grocery cart that she now careens around the house pushing. We also got her a Curious George tea set and we have been treated to several tea parties already. 

I feel like I did a few less decorative things for this party than I did for her 1st party. I enjoy making these things so much. I practically need another kid  (haha NO) so I can make more party things. So another party in the books.

Even her dress and hair clip were flamingo themed

Two is the new thing

So Button is finally officially a 2 year old! I was looking at pictures of her from when she was a baby and it is simply amazing to me how big she is now. She can follow directions and she is a helper girl. She talks so much and says so many words and short sentences. She is completely enamored of her big brother and follows him around doing whatever he is doing or trying to. She really thinks she is as big as him. She loves the dogs and will stand in the middle of a room calling out their names wanting them to come to her. Unfortunately for her they are unlikely to do that but still she tries. She is such a sweet girl, very curious and demanding but her nature is so loving and determined.

We are celebrating Sunday with a small family party (Flamingo themed!) but I have plans for her actual birthday today. I wanted to spend the day with her but a library conference got in my way so after work I'm going to go get her and bring to Build-a-Bear. I'm pretty excited to get to do this with her. It's going to be so fun.

I know from experience that trouble is about to begin because age 2 to 4 is insanity for toddlers (and parents) but I also know from experience that we can make it through to the other side. But right now we are getting sweet baby kisses and lot of hugs and cuddles. And it is so fun watching her discovery new things and learn everything.

Into the fray

The good news is that BT got a new job. A day time job in fact so that's pretty awesome. The bad news is that he has to go for training and won't be around for a while. The worst new is that Button has to go to daycare now. Yeah, maybe that's not the worst news but it feels like it. It feels like it because I've enjoyed knowing she was home with her dad and I knew for certain how her day was going and that she was happy. But all the research I did in the past on daycares paid off because I was able to call up a few that we saw and find her a spot almost right away. My first choice had a tentative spot in 2-4 weeks. Eh, I was hesitate to take it because what if the spot hadn't opened up when we needed it? I can only take so much work off and I've been doing a lot of that lately. Plus soon it will just be down to me to take care of them. So I called my second choice and they had 2 spots available right then. It was decided to take the sure thing. Plus this place has the bonus of holiday care so Bub will have a place to go on the days that he is off and I am not. Heck I might even make him go on a few of those days so I can get a few things done in peace. And it has a summer camp so he will be able to go to that. He went there a few years ago and had a good time so I know that he will enjoy it this summer too. This way they will be at the same place and it will be easier to drop off/pick up whenever they need to go at the same time. So that makes things a bit easier on me. And because she is enrolled there, he has first choice at a summer camp spot.

All in all, I think it's going to work out fine. She is becoming more and more interested in other kids and wants to play with them. She seems to be craving some socialization. I'm not sure if 40 hours a week is what she necessarily wants but it's what she is getting. They will teach her things and it will be a good learning experience. I know she's only 2 but it's probably a good time for her to get out of the house and start hanging out with others. And if nothing else it's probably only for a couple of years anyway if I can get her into the preschool at Bub's school. There is a sense of accomplishment not putting her in daycare for almost the first 2 years of her life, but I am also afraid it will make it harder. I've seen kids starting daycare after years at home with mom (or dad) and it can be sad. I'm sure we will have our ups and downs but once she gets use to it, I think she is going to like it.

The differences between

I have few opportunities to observe Button in social settings. Mostly because she is home all of the time and I am at work or it could be the fact that we don't socialize a whole lot anyway. Generally I find her to be much more reserved with people she doesn't know. Thanksgiving 2012 when she was 8 months old we went to Oklahoma and she didn't deal well with all the people around sticking their faces in hers. She wants to play when she wants to play and not otherwise. And she's not comfortable dealing with people she doesn't know. She had a better time at my cousin's house where it was just us and my cousin and her husband. I was not use to this with Bub. My son has never met a stranger and will join right in the kids or talk to whoever will listen. He reminds of BT's father in that respect. Just a friendliness and an assumption that, of course, everyone wants to talk to him. Having a shyer child is not something I've dealt with up to that point.

So we went to a party at the beginning of the month for my friend's 2 year old. We got there a few minutes late and they had already started opening gifts so everyone was already there. Bub came along and he walked in and started holding a conversation with a lady there. I had to call him back since she was trying to watch what was going on. He sat down and started playing a game. Meanwhile, Button went and hid behind the chair because everyone was looking at her. And then I had to hold her. She perked up a bit when everyone started moving around and no one focused on her. She reminds me so much of me. Being the center of attention is the worst. And then the toys began to come out of their boxes and she got to play with some cars and trucks and that made her happy. Plus her big brother was playing with her and then my friend's son. And they went outside and that is one of her happy places.

It's interesting having two kids with such different dispositions. Not that I expected her to be like him in every way but I am occasionally surprised. Having a friendly child and then having a shy child takes some getting use to. People say how serious she is but I've never found her to be that way. But then she is my child and has never been that way with me. For him, everything he says is important and he expects everyone to want to listen. I don't think she is going to be that way though I'm trying to encourage her to go play. I won't be far away for now.

Sleep tight

Apparently 2 year sleep regression is a real thing and I was unaware of it until now. Time has provided enough distance between Bub's 2 year phases that I've forgotten some of the things he did. Was he as destructive as her? Endless energetic? Dramatic? I'm sure the answer was yes or mostly yes. I feel like she is next level toddler.  He's a pretty chill dude all around and she is so... determined. Anyway. Sleeping.

Recently she stopped wanting to go to bed and just started screaming bloody murder when she was put down. I thought it was her 2 year molars but then nothing happened back there so now I'm not sure if they are coming or not right now. But Google tells me that there is something called 2 year sleep regression. Basically around this age is when they start exerting even more independence (that's possible?) and want to control their circumstances even more. It was suggested to letting her control as much of her nightly routine. We already let her pick her books and I'll let her "brush" her teeth after I do it first. She wanted to go to bed with a book and turn on her flashlight friend to "read" by. Fine, that's fine. Then she didn't want to do that and screamed when her flashlight was turned on. And then screamed when it was off. And then screamed when her butterfly was on and then off and she has way too many nighttime toys but she loves them all. She was stalling. I'm not a fan of the cry it out method but I use it. I hate hearing her crying but there are only so many times I can go in there before it becomes her crying to get me into the room. And she's almost 2 so it's not biological necessity bringing it on. It's her own manipulations.

We've been discussing transitioning to a toddler bed for a few months now and in the end we decided to wait til she was at least 2. But with her recent sleeping issues it was decided to convert her bed to a toddler bed. It was pretty easily done since it only required removing one side of the crib and lowering her mattress all the way down. Since we didn't get the toddler railing I put a pool noodle under her sheet and mattress pad to prevent her falling out (a Pinterest idea that has worked really well so far). Lo and behold, she's been pretty happy about it. She climbs happily in bed which is pretty adorable and lays down and covers up. There is still some protestations when I leave the room but nowhere near the seemingly endless wailing that were occurring. So far she's been happy and that makes me happy. This is not a girl who is going to wait to grow up. She's going to do it her own way.

Big girl bed now

Adventures in Potty Training

So here's what I learned on the preliminary potty training day with Button. She's not ready. She not only refused to sit on the potty but managed to hold it from 8:30 to 11:30 til I put a diaper on her for her nap. At that point I don't want to say I gave up but I figure out that she wasn't ready yet. I think she is on her way and I really wanted to give her an idea of what it feels like to go. I know that it is hard for them when they are use to diapers. She did enjoy wearing the underwear and had absolutely no trouble peeing in them and then getting me to change her. She enjoyed running away from me and being half naked even more. Toddlers, the original nudists. So I will revisit the potty training another day. Maybe closer to her 2nd birthday.

Preliminary Potty Training

So today begins Day 1 of potty training for Button. I'm honestly not expecting to come out of this with a fully potty trained 21 month old. But I'm home and it's seems like a good time to introduce her to the concept. I'm fully armed with 9 pairs of training pants and a willingness to spend a lot of time cleaning up messes. We took down the potty from the attic about 2 weeks ago and she was very interested, spending some time sitting on it and even accidentally peeing once. But since then she's grown use to it so I don't know how this is going to go. The internet tells me that I can potty train a child in 3 days. I think the internet is working with a child who is on the other side of 2. But my mom tells me that I was around this age when I potty trained and I am slightly hopeful because she is always interested in doing what her brother is doing. At the very least she will start to learn when she is "going" and maybe making her aware will be helpful down the line. I think that there is a window of opportunity with kids to get this done. We waited too long for Bub looking for all the signs they tell you to look for, starting closer to 3, and he was 3 1/2 when he was finally fully potty trained. Maybe if we had tried sooner, it would have happened sooner. Who knows? But I am willing to keep trying with Button starting now in order to find that window a whole lot sooner than 3 1/2.

But how awesome would it be to not have to deal with diapers ever again? If she was fully potty trained by her 2nd birthday... a mother can dream.