"Moose juice?"
His one and only song request -- to sing the song about a great big moose who likes to drink a lot of juice. It is a song he picked up at playgroup. When I break into verse, I can't get past the first line, before he's jumped ahead to the chorus and starts singing "Way-oh, way-oh, way-oh, way-oh."
The moose's name is Fred, he likes to drink his juice in bed. He drinks his juice with care, but he spilled it in his hair. Poor sticky Fred! If only he had a sippy cup, he wouldn't be in this mess. And didn't someone tell Fred's mom that juice at bedtime is bad for your teeth?
Speaking of sippy cups, I finally found a shop that sells the "Klean Kanteen." It's a stainless steel sippy cup that is free from Bisphenol-A. Great, right? Like everything in life, you have to take the good with the bad. Here is what I view as the good and bad attributes on the Klean Kanteen:
Good:
- No yucky chemicals
- Keeps beverages cold
- Well-made
- nice size
Bad:
- Not dishwasher safe
- A little too cold to the touch, at times
- Easily dented when thrown from grocery cart (can you tell I'm speaking from experience?)
- Hurts when you get bonked on the head with it (remember what Fred Flintstone looked like after being struck in the head? That's me!)
- Expensive! More than $20 which I think is a total rip off.
- Although the container is stainless steel, the sippy nozzle is made out of plastic...so it's not completely plastic-free.
- Don't know how my caregiver is going to feel about heavy, clunky sippy cup being hurtled around her house...
I'm still looking for the perfect sippy cup. Any suggestions, let me know!
The big boy bed also has its good and bad side.
Good:
- He's sleeping better because he's more comfortable. In turn, we're sleeping better too! Bonus!!!
- He feels like a "big boy". Good confidence booster
- Mattress is chemical free, with zero off-gassing. It's made out of organic cotton, with a wool flame retardant.
- He hasn't tried to escape -- not even once! I'm astounded!
- Much cheaper than buying a regular mattress and frame.
Bad:
- Futon must be on a bed frame (to avoid it getting skunky over time). Bed frame makes it high off the ground, increasing risk of falling.
- Bed frame hurts when you clonk your head on it (again, Fred Flintstone)
- Having trouble finding a bed rail that works with the futon. The one we have isn't high enough so I worry about him rolling off the edge of the bed.
Overall, I'd say the futon has been a good purchase.
He's closing in on 20 months now. Here is what is good about that....
Good:
- Getting more independent.
- Is able to walk places, rather than being carted or carried all the time.
- Communicating is getting way easier. Today he said "I want sunglasses" when we got in the car. He'll also say "I want toast," and "I want a bite"
- He loves pretty much everything. It doesn't matter where we take him, he thinks it's an adventure. When we tell him we're going out, he yells "ready!" and runs to the door.
- He is ultra lovable! Something that won't ever change.
- He is starting to put two and two together, so to speak. All of that repetition is starting to pay off.
- Having a 20-month old in the house is a constant source of entertainment. He's so funny sometimes. Like when he stomps his right leg around the room when we sing "when your happy and you know it". Or when he puts his hat on crooked, and his sunglasses on upside down.
- He likes housework! Hand him a hose, and he'll water the plants. Give him the broom and he'll sweep the floor.
I won't write a "bad" list. As a mother, I can easily just overlook the books being tossed in the toilet, the fingerprints on the freshly painted walls, and the other "slight" misdemeanors... Besides, we always laugh about these things later on. Which brings me back to my good point that he is a constant source of entertainment!
Sunday, July 22, 2007
Friday, July 13, 2007
Bye-bye moon!
I now know why the children's book Good Night Moon is so popular. I could probably write a similar book, replacing all of the "good nights" with "bye-bye." My son says bye-bye to everyone and everything he encounters.
Bye-Bye cat.
Bye-bye woof.
Bye-bye that (if he doesn't know what to call something).
Bye-bye pretty (waving at flowers).
Bye-bye house
Bye-bye water (as bath water drains).
Bye-bye baby (he says this to me when I leave for work)
Bye-bye ray-bow (rainbow)
Bye-bye bus
and, you guessed it, bye-bye pee-pee and bye-bye pooh-pooh
For the first time tonight he put "I" in front of an adjective. He said "I sleepy" when I asked him if he wanted to go to bed. Wow!
In other news, we now have a big boy bed. We ended up buying a futon bed made out of 100% cotton, with a layer of flame retardant wool. We looked into other organic bed options, but this was by far the most affordable. With the frame and futon combined, we spent less than $300. Tomorrow we're going to get it all set up, and then try to sell him on the whole "big boy bed" concept. If it doesn't fly, we can always revert back to his baby bed. I don't think it will be a problem getting him to sleep in his new bed. The problem will be getting him to stay in his bed. I have a feeling he's going to be a little escape artist. Stay tuned!
Bye-Bye cat.
Bye-bye woof.
Bye-bye that (if he doesn't know what to call something).
Bye-bye pretty (waving at flowers).
Bye-bye house
Bye-bye water (as bath water drains).
Bye-bye baby (he says this to me when I leave for work)
Bye-bye ray-bow (rainbow)
Bye-bye bus
and, you guessed it, bye-bye pee-pee and bye-bye pooh-pooh
For the first time tonight he put "I" in front of an adjective. He said "I sleepy" when I asked him if he wanted to go to bed. Wow!
In other news, we now have a big boy bed. We ended up buying a futon bed made out of 100% cotton, with a layer of flame retardant wool. We looked into other organic bed options, but this was by far the most affordable. With the frame and futon combined, we spent less than $300. Tomorrow we're going to get it all set up, and then try to sell him on the whole "big boy bed" concept. If it doesn't fly, we can always revert back to his baby bed. I don't think it will be a problem getting him to sleep in his new bed. The problem will be getting him to stay in his bed. I have a feeling he's going to be a little escape artist. Stay tuned!
Saturday, July 07, 2007
Having a "ball"
This afternoon we bought the little guy a superball with a cool turtle and beach scene on the inside. As I was loading him into the car, he threw the ball and it rolled out of the parking lot, across the highway, and to the door of the store where we had bought it. It was like a game of Frogger trying to get across the street to retrieve it. Baby boy howled with laughter as the ball chase unfolded. Lucky for him, the ball made it home safe and sound.
********************
You have to see this hilareous video on toilet training on You Tube. Normally the little guy can't sit still to watch a program for more than 10-seconds at a time. This one kept him interested the whole way through. He was laughing, singing along to the music and, when it was all over, he started yelling "bye-bye- pooh pooh!"
********************
You have to see this hilareous video on toilet training on You Tube. Normally the little guy can't sit still to watch a program for more than 10-seconds at a time. This one kept him interested the whole way through. He was laughing, singing along to the music and, when it was all over, he started yelling "bye-bye- pooh pooh!"
Thursday, July 05, 2007
Toddler travel
I've written about traveling with a baby in the past. Now that my baby has turned into a toddler, I think it's worth revisiting the subject.
On the way to our hometown last week, we had a bit of a nightmare flight. Because it was the long weekend, the plane was full and we weren't able to get an extra seat for the little guy. When he was smaller this wasn't as big a deal. Now that he's an ants-in-his-pants toddler, it is an ordeal with a capital "O".
The woman sitting in front of us hated us! Even though we were being very careful not to jostle her chair, the little guy kept on jumping around on top of us, and shifting around to get comfy. Even the slightest nudge of daddy's long legs caused his knee to bump the grouchy lady's seat. Every time this happened she would get more and more agitated. I don't know how many times she shot me the stink eye -- too many to count (and it wasn't even my leg bumping her!). I told her we were trying our very best not to shake her chair, but I guess our best efforts weren't good enough. A nice Air Canada flight attendant came over to have a "talk" with us. As loudly as I could, I explained to her that we were doing everything humanly possible to contain our energetic 19-month old. I even suggested that, if the lady in front of us was irritated, she could put her seat into the upright position to allow my husband who is 6'4" tall a bit more leg room. The flight attendant gave me one of those "I'm just doing my job" kind of looks and asked us to try our best. Thank goodness the little guy eventually fell asleep!
All this to say, my first word of advice is to make sure that you don't get on a full flight. And, second, ask for an extra seat! The airline staff will be more than happy to give you a bit of swing space. Frankly, it is in the best interest of every person on the plane that your toddler is happy and comfortable. On the way home we had an extra seat and it was smooth sailing! Everyone thought he was a complete joy! And he is (usually)!
Other advice:
- don't give your toddler tap water, even if you aren't traveling to exotic locals. Our little guy had traveler's diarrhea for several days because of the water change. Like we don't deal with enough poop in our day to day lives!
- The whole no-liquid/gel rules for carry-on luggage do not apply to children under the age of 2. Go ahead and bring on board your bum cream, applesauce, and full to the rim sippy cups.
- When on the road, bring lots of snacks. Double the amount you think you will need because, if your toddler is anything like mine, he'll eat out of boredom.
- Borrow equipment - car seats, strollers, cribs. Dragging these things sucks. There is just no other way to say it.
- Get to the airport early. You'll need every spare second you can get for feeding, changing diapers, and letting your toddler burn off some energy before getting on the plane.
- We severely broke our little guy's bedtime/nap routine while we were away. I think that's okay. After all, it was a vacation, right? But keep in mind that you will pay for this upon your return. Our son has been tossing and turning at night, and then not wanting to get up in the morning. So my advice: get back into the routine groove immediately. This will save everyone's sanity!
And, finally, have fun!
On the way to our hometown last week, we had a bit of a nightmare flight. Because it was the long weekend, the plane was full and we weren't able to get an extra seat for the little guy. When he was smaller this wasn't as big a deal. Now that he's an ants-in-his-pants toddler, it is an ordeal with a capital "O".
The woman sitting in front of us hated us! Even though we were being very careful not to jostle her chair, the little guy kept on jumping around on top of us, and shifting around to get comfy. Even the slightest nudge of daddy's long legs caused his knee to bump the grouchy lady's seat. Every time this happened she would get more and more agitated. I don't know how many times she shot me the stink eye -- too many to count (and it wasn't even my leg bumping her!). I told her we were trying our very best not to shake her chair, but I guess our best efforts weren't good enough. A nice Air Canada flight attendant came over to have a "talk" with us. As loudly as I could, I explained to her that we were doing everything humanly possible to contain our energetic 19-month old. I even suggested that, if the lady in front of us was irritated, she could put her seat into the upright position to allow my husband who is 6'4" tall a bit more leg room. The flight attendant gave me one of those "I'm just doing my job" kind of looks and asked us to try our best. Thank goodness the little guy eventually fell asleep!
All this to say, my first word of advice is to make sure that you don't get on a full flight. And, second, ask for an extra seat! The airline staff will be more than happy to give you a bit of swing space. Frankly, it is in the best interest of every person on the plane that your toddler is happy and comfortable. On the way home we had an extra seat and it was smooth sailing! Everyone thought he was a complete joy! And he is (usually)!
Other advice:
- don't give your toddler tap water, even if you aren't traveling to exotic locals. Our little guy had traveler's diarrhea for several days because of the water change. Like we don't deal with enough poop in our day to day lives!
- The whole no-liquid/gel rules for carry-on luggage do not apply to children under the age of 2. Go ahead and bring on board your bum cream, applesauce, and full to the rim sippy cups.
- When on the road, bring lots of snacks. Double the amount you think you will need because, if your toddler is anything like mine, he'll eat out of boredom.
- Borrow equipment - car seats, strollers, cribs. Dragging these things sucks. There is just no other way to say it.
- Get to the airport early. You'll need every spare second you can get for feeding, changing diapers, and letting your toddler burn off some energy before getting on the plane.
- We severely broke our little guy's bedtime/nap routine while we were away. I think that's okay. After all, it was a vacation, right? But keep in mind that you will pay for this upon your return. Our son has been tossing and turning at night, and then not wanting to get up in the morning. So my advice: get back into the routine groove immediately. This will save everyone's sanity!
And, finally, have fun!
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