A Future in Television?

Is there really anything to say after that?

Parenting is Hard Work!

Sigh.


Some days being a parent is super fun and other days it just confuses you to death. Here are some things I've been grappling with lately:


Potty training: Up until a few weeks ago, I really didn't care one way or the other about changing Sophia's diapers. Now, I'm ready for her to go on the potty. She, on the other hand, still doesn't care. I'm not too worried about, truly I'm not. In fact, I think the grandmothers are worried enough for me ;) but it can be frustrating. I've heard so many people say that one day their kid just decided enough was enough and they were going to use the potty. I'm still holding out for that day. In the mean time, we go between wanting to use the potty and then flat out refusing. We sit on the potty in our clothes, we want to take our clothes off (sometimes all our clothes must come off for potty time!), we want the potty seat, we don't want the potty seat...the list goes on and on. Sophia very successfully told me she had to poop and she wanted to use the potty. It was like a miracle...she pooped and everyone was happy. Since then, not so much. We're back to refusing. I know she's still on the early side of 2, but lots of people say girls are so much easier and 'should' be potty trained by now. I'm also beginning to feel the crunch of purchasing two sets of diapers...it stinks! (pun intended!) At the end of the day, I'm confident she will potty train and one day she indeed will decide to use the potty, I just wish that day was now!




Sleeping Through the Night: Ugh. As I stated in an earlier post we constantly go back and forth with this issue. Leo slept through the night 5/7 nights last week and now we're back to waking up in the middle of the night. Last night he woke up at 1:45 and then again at 4:20 and took a full bottle both times. There has been a great debate in my house about using cereal in his bottle. At this juncture, I'm against it. Here's why; "they" now say that cereal in the bottle is a bad idea. Even our pediatrician says that. "They" recommend that when you begin cereal it should be off a spoon and not before 4 months. Now I know plenty of people who have used the other method successfully and no baby has choked or had ill effects, but I'm not comfortable with it right now. Secondly, I recently read an article saying that a study was done about this very topic and this particular study concluded that there was no greater sleep gained by babies who used the cereal method. I know it is not uncommon for babies who are not yet 4 months of age to wake during the night, but frankly, I'd like to be beyond it. I think it's especially hard when Sophia was sleeping through the night at 2.5 months. Now, I know we shouldn't compare the children, but it's hard not to, especially when one does something you'd really like the other to do! Additionally, I'm a much nicer and happier person when I get a full night's sleep. I'd like to be that person once again! I can see the light, only to have it dimmed once again! That being said, I'm pretty sure that after our next visit to the Ped. we're going to have to start him on cereal anyway because he's so big and nearing the max-out on his bottle. He goes between 6-7 oz per feeding, and he's less than 4 months! So, I'm sure we're going to have to start supplementing. I was really hoping to push that off for another 2 months, but we'll see!



Soy: I'm happy that we have found an alternative for our little guy but it is also the source of some worry for me. This is going to be the topic of my "crazy mom question" at our next doctor's visit, in fact. I worry that, even though there is only a small amount, the estrogen that is found in soy can have ill effects on Leo's male system. Additionally, I consider that in the future, if this intolerance sticks around and both children are eating more soy based products than the average bear, will it have ill effects on Sophia's female system...cuz, seriously, there are plenty of women out there who can attest to being a crazy woman when their own hormones are out of whack due to pregnancy, birth control, whatever. I just don't know how much research has been done in this area, and admitably, I haven't taken much time to check it out, but it's something that possibly concerns me.




SIDS: We all know I'm neurotic. I feel like I'm a mom who tries not to worry too much about this but has done her research. And I have...I've read lots of articles and websites, and books and magazines, and whatever on this topic, but today I felt a little dumb-founded. I read a new article today in Parents magazine about SIDS and learned that the real problem is not so much that the baby will suffocate on the blanket, lovie, bumper, etc. but that the baby will get too close to said object and have a build up of carbon monoxide, due to lack of air flow, therefore breathing in too much carbon monoxide and dying due to lack of oxygen that way. I truly have never understood that until today. In some ways, this information is good...in other ways it only supplies more fuel to my psychosis...but mostly it's good. Anyway, it was a great article so pick up a Parents if you're interested. Luckily, Leo is slowly moving out of the SIDS danger zone of 2-4 months, but is still at a higher risk until 6 months.



Stimulation/Education: Okay, now I know that this is probably me just over reacting, but this is stuff I think about!! I wonder if I give Leo enough stimulation, movement and "learning moments" since he's the second child. It really is so different because with Sophia I could devote my entire day to these tasks! When Sophia and I read books I often include Leo, but then I think that maybe I shouldn't because I don't want all my time with her to include her brother, so I don't always do it. If he's awake and I start to play with him, Sophia gets involved, which is good, but then sometimes she starts another game or tries to take his toys (yes, that's already starting!) and I get side tracked and may or may not come back to him in a timely fashion. I feel like Sophia has such good language skills and is a pretty social child, I just want to make sure Leo has the same fate, and I often worry that I'm not doing the best I can when it comes to his development. It also comes down to the fact that I need to get Sophia involved in a Mother's Day Out program. I'm not opposed to it as much as I'm just lazy and haven't gotten around to it. I need to make it a priority so that both children will get more stimulation. I will say however, that I AM meeting my goal of making sure he doesn't fall into the second child syndrome when it comes to picture taking! I have lots of pictures of just Leo by himself and him with his parents and other family members...so at least I'm succeeding somewhere! :)



Oral Hygiene: Okay, so here's another one of those conflicting resources moments. When to take your child to the dentist??? I'm actually quite interested in other parents' views or experiences on this topic...so here goes. I know that you're supposed to start brushing even before kids get teeth, which I'll admit I don't do. Secondly, as soon as they get their first tooth you're supposed to brush with non-fluoride paste and take them to the dentist. Here's where it gets hairy...do people actually do this??? I read in multiple resources that you should do it...however, after talking to various moms and friends, I don't know anyone who actually has done it. Most people I know wait until their child is at least 3 before going to the dentist. BUT, in another Parents article I read today (thanks Kathleen, by the way!:) they said your kid should be going to the dentist twice a year starting at age 1 and not only should they be using fluoride toothpaste at age 2, but they should be flossing as well. It then went on to say that you should be brushing your kids teeth until their like 7 or something...Really? Because so far I'm getting an F. I haven't moved Sophia off of the Little Bear beginner toothpaste and I'm sure as heck not flossing her teeth. I do do a follow-up brush after she's done it, but I was actually thinking of trying to wean us off that process in the next 6 months...guess not. So, please chime in on this, cuz I'd really like to know how far off base I really am! Step 1: put toothpaste on my next grocery list!





If you've gotten this far and read through my entire list of ramblings...way to go! And thank you! Having been sick and housebound the past few days I've had a chance to catch up on my reading and ponder too many thoughts going through my head! Being a parent is hard work and although I'm up for the job, sometimes it gets the best of me! I'm sure in another 10 years, I'll only be wishing my problems were as easy as fluoride or no fluoride, but until then, I'll continue obsessing about the small stuff! :)

Birthdays!

My Aunt Bess and Shelby share a birthday and we usually combine their celebrations, but this year, they each got their own! ;) We often visit Aunt Bess at her office so we're regular faces around there, and Sophia is much loved by everyone she meets. So when her office decided to throw her a surprise party, we made the list of VIPs. The unfortunate part was that it was smack in the middle of Sophia's nap time, so she was a bit unsociable...but once we got some cake in her, she perked right up! She walked around the party, pretty much ignoring everyone in her sleepy state saying...where's Aunt Bess? Where is she, I need her?? She happily found her and stuck by her side the rest of the time.

sisters!

party princess

(this picture is obviously post-cake!)

We also organized a family dinner at one of our favorite Chinese restaurants for last night, but unfortunately no pictures were taken b/c the resident picture taker (that's me!) has strep throat. Yup. Sucks, with a big fat S. So, everyone else went and enjoyed the dinner, but at least they sent some birthday cake home for us to enjoy. Once Aunt Bess realized that Sophia was coming with Stacy and Shelby, she wasn't too worried that Charlie and I wouldn't be in attendance. Isn't it nice to be replaced?!

Shelby celebrated her birthday with splashy style at Coco Key, a local indoor water park. She invited a friend and all of us had a splashingly good time! I even braved the really tall, long, and pitch black slide! It was super fun, though! Charlie missed this adventure because he was home sick that night. Although he doesn't have strep, I'm sure it still must have been his fault I got sick, some how, right?! ;)

14...her golden birthday!

They grow up so fast!

Mom kept tabs on everyone from her trusty cabana seat!

the boys enjoyed floating and playing

Leo was really having fun in the water!

upside down baby!

hee, hee, ha, ha...maybe it wasn't so bad after all!

Blast From the Past

Okay, now I know that I sometimes give my mom a hard time because she can be somewhat of a pack rat...but this time, I have to say it paid off! Mom has saved my Fisher Price Little People things from when I was a kid. She had the fire station and the Sesame Street brownstone in an obvious place and Sophia has been playing with those for about a year now, but just last week, mom unearthed the mother load! In a box deep in the recesses of her basement she found so much more, including my castle and camper set pictured above. These were both 2 of my absolute favorites that I honestly had forgotten about until I saw them. The castle has a trap door in it that Sophia immediately found and began dropping people through and the camper folds down and hitches onto the back of the Jeep. I also found, which I will really have to get a picture of, a sort of community with apartments, garages, stores, etc. At some point in time Lisa and I had converted it into condos because I found all sorts of funny things that we had created and taped in, on, and around this toy. My personal favorite was the hand drawn Bon Jovi poster, made Little Person size that I know Lisa made (I recognized her handwriting cuz I sure didn't remember her doing it) for one of the "kid's" bedrooms. Absolutely hilarious! After this fun trip down memory lane, I realized that I too will now have to save all of Sophia's Little People so that her children can play with it. I'm sorry mom for always mocking you! I guess mothers are always right! ;)

Hangin' Out

With such frigid temperatures that keep on hanging around, we've been keeping busy indoors! Here are some snapshots from the past week or so...

We played and ate pizza with Grandma Sue
We've seen lots of Uncle Stacy and Shelby

Bama and Sophia rode the panda bear...twice!!

This is my favorite picture...Sophia took the camera, gave me Leo's toy and said, "snuggle this and smile!" This is her best picture yet...you can almost see my face!

cooking up some breakfast goodies

peek-a-boo!

a regular concert pianist

clementines are our new favorite food...thank goodness they're in season! Her record so far is 6 in one day and that's only because I finally stopped her! It is nice that she can peel them herself too!

You can't read it very well, but Leo's shirt says Mallow Out, Dude. Priceless, and just what he likes to do!

Sophia helping Leo learn his numbers

Other noteworthy things:

• Leo's skin is noticeably clearing up...a sure sign we're on the right track with soy
• Sophia has an imaginary friend named Gay-Gay. Gay-Gay lives in her own house, she's 5, has blond hair, and comes and goes through the front door. We've also run into her at various restaurants and shops around town. A new friend, Geri, also popped up yesterday, but we're not sure if she's going to stay around or not.
• Leo rolled over in his sleep the other night. It seems to be a one and only event so far (thank goodness!) but we're keeping an eye on him.
• Both kids really love swimming!
• Sophia is asserting her "two-ness" wholeheartedly. I am a big fan of Love and Logic and use their techniques to get me through my days and nights. These techniques are the best choice for us and they do work, but it's hard. It is hard to be consistent, it is hard not to be sarcastic, and sometimes it's really hard not to raise my voice. BUT...I'm doing it even when it's hard. :)
• Speaking of nights, I'm still not sleeping. Both kids wake up at some point or points throughout the night. Leo will sleep through the night a day or two and then not again for a week. I don't know why or how to fix it, but I wish I did. Sophia is still having separation anxiety issues from me and I don't know why or how to fix it.
• Here are a couple of Sophia's latest quotes that I found too cute!
• As she was looking in the refrigerator she said, "Mom, I need something for my mouth."
• She was getting out some colored pencils and she looked and Walter and said, "Don't eat these, they're not sticks."
• I'm very glad Leo is still immobile. Even as it is, they both keep me moving all day long!
• I'm trying to set some goals to get more done during the day since it doesn't seem my night routine is going to be without interruption for a while. I am trying to get back to cooking every night and getting laundry done in a more prompt manner. I have struggled with the laundry goal the last week or so though!! Good thing we have a lot of underwear.

Count Milkula...or not?!

Okay, I just couldn't resist this picture!! I mean, c'mon...with his little widow's peak and the milk dripping down, he did look like my little vampire! Speaking of milk however....it seems that Leo may in fact be allergic. We are still unsure, however, all the signs are pointing to 'yes'. Big Bummer. The irony of the whole thing is that my entire pregnancy with him all I did was eat ice cream by the gallon! With Sophia I ate a ton of soy based products...there's just no justice! ;)

I switched him to a soy formula on Tuesday and he doesn't seem to be having any major problems, but I think it's too early to tell if the other things are clearing up. We switched him to a low-lactose formula about a month after his birth when the breast milk and regular formula were making him extremely uncomfortable and gassy. This new formula helped quite a bit in that area, but after chit-chatting recently with one of my friends, whose daughter has a milk allergy, I realized that Leo had all the same symptoms. He has a major case of eczema that covers his entire body, and although it doesn't bother him now, it's really only because he doesn't know what's going on. Secondly, he has major mucus issues. Both things we attributed to the winter weather and didn't really think much of it. But, when I really looked at everything, it all added up. I called the pediatrician's office and the nurse seemed to confirm my suspicions. So far the downfalls with the soy formula are that the gas is back, although it doesn't seem to be as painful this time around, and he does seem to be spitting up more. Now, these things could be because of the formula or because we switched up his diet so quickly and his system needs time to adjust.

I know that we need time to assess the situation, but as a mother I feel a bit anxious about it. I mean first off...if he is allergic, I hate that we didn't catch it sooner and that I've been pumping him full of stuff he can't have! I also feel bad that we keep changing his diet (he's been on 4 different formulas plus breast milk in his short life span) and his poor little system is all out of whack! Lastly, and this is mostly selfish, I really, really hope this isn't permanent (although I'm not holding my breath) because we eat a lot of cheese and ice cream in this house! I know we can make substitutions and things will be just fine, but it really is such a bummer. His next appointment is Feb. 1, so we should have a much better idea by then, in fact, we should have a better idea in a week or two, depending upon whether or not his skin clears up...so we'll see!!

Preoccupied

So, I usually have some sort of project going on on the side to keep me busy, and this time it was a photo book. Now, this was not just any photo book mind you, but the granddaddy of all photo books! After I made a baby book of sorts for Sophia after her first birthday I decided that there were just too many other pictures of the family, etc. that wouldn't fit into just a "Sophia" book, so I decided I should start making yearly photo books. Leo will get one for his first year also, but after that it's just going to be year by year and whatever other ones I throw in the mix (I've also done a Thanksgiving and Halloween photo book) for good measure. The small theme based ones are way easier and take up much less time, so that's no biggie! Anyhow...since the first of the year has passed I was anxious to finish up the book and it was difficult to do that and blog, which explains why my posts have been a little lax lately! Just to give you a little more insight into my craziness, I've crunched some numbers...observe below: Oh, but first I should preface this by saying that this book is actually more than 12 months because I stopped Sophia's baby book at her first birthday so that left from mid-Sept through December and that could not go undocumented, so I added it in, which made it for about 15 months instead of 12. Okay, so here are the numbers ...






Number of pages in my book: 124
Average # of pics/page: 9 (this is a guess, b/c I didn't actually count!)
# of pics (approx) in book: 1, 116
# of pics I actually took within those 15 months: 5,641
% of pictures I used in the book: 20%






So, even though the book is going to cost me a fortune...just think of what it could have been! ;) (Charlie, I hope you're reading this!!!) Regardless of price, I think it's worth it. It's a year of memories that can now be cherished for a lifetime.






I'd like to say that next year it won't be as many pictures, therefore costing less and taking less time, because it will be fewer months, but let's be real...I don't work like that. In fact, last Christmas ('08) the spread was 5 pages, this Christmas it was a whopping 16 page spread. I know, I know, a sickness. BUT...this year was way more exciting because Sophia had a Christmas party, and helped us pick out the Christmas tree, plus she was actually into Santa Claus and opening presents so there were more priceless moments! And next year, Leo will be bigger and more involved, so that is going to account for more pictures too.




Anyway, I'd love for you all to view my masterpiece next time you're over, as pretty much everyone I know makes an appearance somewhere in the book, so all you have to do is ask!!! :)





So, here are a few pictures to what we've been up to in the mean time...we had a very low-key New Year's, which was much needed after all our Christmas craziness! We ordered some chicken wings, popped some champagne early (b/c let's be serious....we weren't staying up much past midnight and we had to drink that sucker up!), and hung out with our friends Jason and Jenn and their boys, Cayden and Alex. Sophia went to bed about 9:30, the boys went to bed around 10 and the four us hung out and talked until the ball dropped. New Year's Day we met Jodie, Greg, Emma and Isabelle at the bowling alley for Sophia's first bowling experience. She had a blast but was definitely done after 1 game.

My little rap mogul with her velour jumpsuit and gold chains

Mommy's snuggle-saurus

Sophia actually ate chicken wings...she rarely eats meat, but apparently no one can resist the chicken wing!

Alex pushing Sophia in the wagon....

... Sophia pushing Alex in the wagon!

This was a little trickier, but she insisted and Alex wasn't complaining!

I would have happily kissed this cutie at midnight!

the perfect way to start the new year...snuggling with Daddy and watching football!

Between frames Isabelle and Sophia enjoyed the slick alley floor to practice their break dancing moves

Our little bowling champ!

I'll just watch, okay mom?