I figure I say this at least once a day, but honestly, where does the time go? There are days that seem to have no end in sight, but I turn around and another month has gone by. I'm pretty happy and content with the Bear. We've settled into a really nice routine, and although our days are busy, they are wonderful.
We do have our moments though. Jack has started hitting. I know that this is just another stage and he's striking out, literally, because he doesn't have his words yet to say "back off" or "leave me alone" or "I don't like that." Yesterday, we were at the indoor playground and Jack was attempting to crawl up some bridge thing. Admittedly, he was getting frustrated by it because he couldn't make it all the way up. Call me a mean mom, but I truly believe that kids need to experience frustration and learn how to fail. Granted, yesterday was really a minor teaching since Jack will have to face much bigger obstacles in years to come, but crawling up this bridge thing was something he wanted to do. I wasn't going to help him up it because I want him to learn how to do it himself. I want him to learn how to fail and I want him to keep trying until he was successful. So, he got really frustrated. And upset. And he sat at the bottom of the bridge and half-cried/half-whined. Well, this well-intentioned little girl came over to try and comfort Jack. She was giving him hugs and kisses and asking him where his "boo-boo" was, but he was just not having it. Again, she was really all over him. And when I'm frustrated or upset, I really need to be left alone. And Jack wasn't getting his cool down time, so he whacked her. In the face. Awesome.
I grabbed Jack off the floor and disciplined him quite sternly. And I held his little hand and told him that he should not hit. I was being very serious and using my "mean Mommy" voice. And then he really started crying. At which point the little girl came over yet again, wanting to help. Fortunately, her dad was near by and intervened, but Jack just kept hitting. So, he got a time out. The pediatrician says that for "time outs" you need to remove the child from the offending activity, firmly tell him "no" and ignore him, removing all your positive attentions. This doesn't really work so well on Jack. I sat him on my lap, again grabbed his hand and told him "no" and then put him down on the bench beside me, at which point I ignored him. However, as anyone with an active toddler knows, you can't keep them on the bench. This is especially difficult to accomplish when you're trying to withhold your positive attention. It works much better at home.
After about fifteen seconds, Jack climbed down off the bench and started tottering around the play area again. But, if any kid came within a foot of him, he'd start trying to hit again. So, I took him out of the play area, put him in his stroller, and walked around the mall for about twenty minutes, trying to figure out what to do. Again, it's just a phase. But its making me re-think my actions as well. I'll be the first to admit that I've slapped his hand when he was doing something really naughty or dangerous (i.e. trying to stick his fingers in a light socket or trying to climb up on the hot stove) so its pretty safe to say that he's learned this behavior from me. This makes me think. A lot. I can't really get mad at him for doing something that I've demonstrated before. But I can. I am the parent. If I need to discipline him to ensure he remembers that he shouldn't grab for a really hot pot off the top of the stove, then that's what I'll do. Consistency in parenting is really the name of the game, but I'm going to be correcting Jack's behavior for at least the next seventeen or so years so I need to find a method that works and is effective and just stick with it. For the next seventeen or so years.
Anyways, on to more exciting things. On Friday, we got our new furnace installed. I have not noticed one difference with this new, fancy model. I was kind of attached to our old one. Still, it's nice to know that I don't have to worry about it going out now, especially since we're in the middle of yet another Minnesota snow storm. Yay. Sense the sarcasm.
I should also note that Jack hit the fifteen month milestone on Friday. And of course, along with that comes the obligatory picture:
I think he's really starting to lose some of that "baby" look. He's turning more and more into a little (or big) boy every day. In other big news, he's going to start transitioning to the Toddler classroom at school. He will slowly transition over this month, and be in his new classroom come April 1st. Again, this comes with mixed emotions, but I am so excited to see how he changes, develops, and learns with his new environment. He's got a "best friend" in his current classroom, Johnny. And those two are as thick as thieves. He runs over to see Johnny every morning we arrive at school and his teachers have endless stories about the kinds of mischief those two get into over the course of the day. Fortunately, Johnny will be transitioning up to the Toddler classroom a few weeks behind Jack, so he won't lose his friend when he finally goes to the Big Kid classroom.
We also had his fifteen month appointment today. He's about thirty pounds now, and 33" tall. He's solidly in the 95th percentile - with the exception of his head circumference. He's only in the 80th percentile when it comes to that. Which is weird, because I think he's got a giant head. His foot size is off the charts, and his pediatrician didn't even bother to measure them this morning. He wears size 6 shoes. I really have no idea what this means, but it's really hard to find him shoes that fit the potatoes attached to his legs. Jack also got another round of shots this morning, which he did not like. I don't really blame him.
On Saturday, Jack and I made our weekly run to Target. We had some lunch and Jack went down for his nap. Since he's transitioning into the Toddler classroom, we've had to work our way towards taking only one nap a day. This hasn't been too difficult, actually. He's only been napping once a day during the week, but his timing is a little off. I've really tried to hold him off in the mornings as long as possible, but come lunch time, he's about ready to pass out in his food.
After he got up from his nap, we went swimming. We haven't been swimming in quite some time because of all his ear troubles. We got to the gym, got into our swimsuits and walked out to the pool. Jack was quite apprehensive at first. He clung tightly to my hand and walked slowly into the water, stopping every foot or so to check things out. Of course, he eventually warmed up and got used to the feeling of swimming again, but he still clung on pretty tightly to me the entire time we were in the pool. After about an hour, we were laying on our bellies at the entrance of the pool, and Jack promptly got up, held his hand out for me, and walked over to our towels. I think this was his way of telling me that he was done swimming for the day.
So, we got back to the locker room and got showered and changed. I packed up our stuff and turned around to look for Jack. He was gone. My heart literally dropped into my stomach because he had just been next to me not ten seconds before. I sprinted around the locker room, calling his name, only to hear his giggle come from one of the lockers. This is what I found:
He thought that was pretty funny. Anyways, we came home and had some play time downstairs. He's really into books these days, especially all of his picture books. However, nothing tops "Pat the Bunny" or the Dr. Seuss classic "Oh Baby! Go Baby!" We've read these books over and over again - so much, that I can recite them in my sleep.
On Sunday, we spent a little time watching an episode of Sesame Street in bed with Blue. Jack just loves Blue, if it isn't obvious. Jeff and I have concluded that while "mama" and "dada" pretty much came at the same time, "Blue" is Jack's first real word. Jack asks for Blue all the time. Jack barks like Blue. Jack wants to know where Blue is every minute of every day. When we were in bed on Sunday, he wasn't content until Blue was with us. So, after Sesame Street ended, I got in the shower. When I came out, I was greeted with this:
I think that every kid does this at least once in their lifetime. I know my parents have a very similar picture of my sister, almost in this exact pose. However, Jack had begun taking pieces of the toilet paper, tearing them into strips and either putting them into the toilet, or throwing them into the trash can. This kid does pick up after himself.
So, we had to take Blue to the vet yesterday. Afterwards, we came home and Jack took a monster nap. I think he slept for about three hours, which was fine by me. When he woke up, he had the best case of bed head I'd ever seen:
I think it's safe to say that he's finally getting some more hair. When he got up, we went to the Eden Prairie Center for a little play time and then met my mom for dinner. She's been in Oregon for the past seven weeks or so. He recognized his Nana on the spot and ran up to give her a big hug. This really made my mom's day. And, he was entertaining throughout dinner, showing off all of his new skills. Nana made him laugh so hard during dinner that he kind of threw up a bit. And, he was kind enough to give her a kiss good-bye.
And that's it, I think. I'm so ready for winter to be over. I'm tired of thinking of fun, indoor activities to do with Jack on the weekends. I want to be able to take him outside and let him play with all the kids in the neighborhood. I want to take him for walks, go up to the play ground, go on picnics or to the beach, and do all that fun stuff outside. Looking outside my window at the snow falling sideways just makes me grumpy. But, March Madness is only a few weeks away and that means spring is just around the corner!
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