Wyatt's new basketball

My son is in love with balls - anything round is a ball and worthy of throwing, bouncing, rolling, etc.

Mike came home the other night with an authentic basketball for wyatt. His reaction was instantaneous - and very enthusiastic. In fact - he slept with that ball that night!

It was hilarious - Mike would ask Wyatt where his basket ball was - and Wyatt would say "I don't know."

Then Mike would say - well why don't you go find it? And Wyatt would say, "OK!" and run off - even if he was holding the ball!

Wyatt calls it his backet backet ball. I think that's pretty darn good for pronunciation for a 20 month old!

He's very determined to learn how to dribble/bounce the ball and we're seeing daily improvement! There are times when he bounces it several times before missing the rhythm!

Sleeping Beauties

I love the sweet faces of my family when they're asleep!

Sweet nursing moments

A few months ago I wasn't sure if Wyatt and I would still be breastfeeding. It seemed then that he was quite frustrated with my lack of abundant milk supply and he would let me know with each feeding.

But things seem to have evened out. We still have some frustrating moments now and then, but they are all erased by the sweet moments like tonight..

I sat down to nurse him before bed - in my favorite chair - the recliner my parents bought us as a rocking chair when I was expecting Maddie.

He latched on for a few seconds, let go and looked up at me and in a commanding voice said, "SING!"

I kind of looked at him oddly - this is a new request. I've kind of gotten out of the habit of singing them lullabies at night lately and it was just out of the blue that he's started requesting me to sing to him.

I sang "twinkle twinkle little star," taking a moment to breathe after finishing it.

"Sing!" he commanded again.

So I sang him "story" as it's called in our house - but the full title is "Mother Tell me the Story."

It's a song out of the children's songbook for the Mormon Church. It's a sweet song about a child asking his mother to tell him the story about how he came here - about heaven and Jesus. I listened to my best friend Rebecca sing it to her little ones and committed it to heart and it's one of our favorites.

He must have been satisfied after that song - because his only request after that was "SIDE! side side." Which is his way of asking to change sides when the milk flow decreases.

There's something heavenly about nursing your newborn baby - knowing that you're the only one who can satisfy their needs. 

But there is something just as special about nursing your toddler who can communicate their wants and needs to you. There's a little less guesswork - a little more assurance that you're doing the right thing by continuing to offer them the love and comfort and nourishment from your breast.

Now if he'd just learn to sleep through the night!

Mine

They're playing that game again - 

you know the one where they take their toys or in this instant - their pacifiers - and scream at the top of their lungs "MINE."

Maddie is sitting in the reclining - protecting her eggs. She apparently has a nest in that chair and Wyatt is jeopardizing them by trying to climb up and sit with his sister.

Now he's back on the floor - drumming on the chair.

"No drumming Wyatt!" Maddie yells.

"Why not?" I ask.

"Because this is my nest," she replies.

She's rocking the chair and singing rock a bye baby to her eggs - which are really her stuffed animals (3 giraffes). Although she claims there are 5 and 300 eggs that are going to hatch.

My daughter thinks she's a bird - great.

We're heading to the beach soon - there's an informal birthday party for one of the girls in our original playgroup - Sprouts2005. I think she's the last one to turn 3 out of the first child generation.

I just told Wyatt that he needs to put his paci in his crib and he looked at me and said, "Nuh-uh."

Maddie is refusing to get up and get dressed for the beach because she needs to lay her eggs. 

But at least she just told me she has to do her chores before we go to the beach - there's a little progress!

One step forward

five steps back...

It's just that kind of morning. I don't feel good, which is making it undeniably worse.

Maddie is not listening this morning. My patience is waning and I've given chances, explained things - but it's just not sinking in.

For example:

She had been crying about some random issue and needed a tissue, which she took out of the box.

"Please make sure you put it in the trash can when you are done," I told her as she was wiping her nose.

I walked out of the living room for a second - she did not leave the room and there is no trash can in the living room. I returned and the tissue was no where in sight.

"Maddie, where is the tissue? Did you put it in the trash can?" I asked.

"Uh-huh," she replied.

"But there isn't a trash can in here and you didn't leave the room, where is your dirty tissue?" I asked.

She walked over to a box near the desk and window and told me it was in there.

I just don't get it!

How in the world, 30 seconds after directly being told to do or not do something she does the exact thing I asked her not to do?

We were sitting at the desk looking at pictures of caterpillars and butterflies and she brought over a woven toy basket and said she was going to use it as a stool. I nicely explained to her that it was not something she could stand on because it would break.

What does she do? She turns it over and proceeds to step on it! Again, I tell her no - and that she cannot stand on it, but she keeps trying. And when I tell her no she starts whining and crying again.

Enough already with the whining and crying - it's making my head hurt!

I just told her that from this point on when she's crying and whining that I don't hear her and will not talk to her or acknowledge her when she's acting this way. 

It's completely something that she's doing on purpose - because she can turn it off in an instant.

And this means that in some small way I'm a failure as a parent because it's a negative behavior and I've obviously done SOMETHING to reinforce or reward her for this behavior - or perhaps it's others who are rewarding her for this behavior by giving into her whining fits.

I don't know - but I do know it's going to stop and it's starting today.

So if you're reading this and have a soft heart when it comes to whining and tantruming of little girls who are being manipulative - expect some changes. 

I'm not mean - I'm a parent - and I refuse to be controlled by a whiney three-year old who can turn it "off" in an instant.

Sick Day

I'm taking a sick day for myself today. Maddie is at school - I'm not going to Bible Study and Wyatt and I are going to hang out at the house and not do much of anything. It's a dreary day outside (although wonderfully cool!). I've got a terrible sore throat and off and on chills/sweats.

We went to the medicine store for some throat drops and I got a hot coffee from Seattle Drip (way better than starbucks IMO).

It will be nice to be lazy.

Fall felicitations

I'm sitting here in the living room - feeling a little under the weather - my throat is sore. It's the kind of painful sore throat that drives you insane, too.

All the while my son is driving a helicopter on my foot - making appropriate noises.

Earlier this afternoon when he was still napping I was sitting in here checking my email - the back door was open because the weather is absolutely delicious today.

Into the room pranced our cat, Azzie - the great huntress. She carried a blue-tailed skink in her mouth. I tried to catch it when she dropped it and really should have let her catch it again. 

Needless to say the little lizard escaped and quickly ran under the couch - where he's still hiding.

So the joke will be on some poor unsuspecting person - when it decides to venture out and climb up someone's leg.

There's something about the cooler weather that motivates me - physically and emotionally. I love the fall - and can't wait for the holiday season to gear up.

We're making plans for a small, winter garden. I've purchased broccoli, kale and carrot seeds. I went out to my garden plot and turned most of the dirt over - getting it ready for the compost I've been working so hard on this year. I also added some organic plant food to encourage our yummy veggies to grow!

I'm so ready for the cooler weather to be here to stay - for the pumpkins to be here at the pumpkin patch - holiday craft bazaars, hot apple cider.

I'm full of anticipation!