30 second update

- After much anxiety, the little guy successfully pooped on the potty last night! Afterwards he asked if he could have some candy as a reward. I told him I wasn't sure if we had any candy and he replied, "We have some candy in the kitchen, in fact." And, in fact, he was right!
- This potty training success was quickly erased this morning when he peed all over the kitchen floor (and did I mention he's been peeing all over the bedroom carpet lately and not telling us? We keep stepping in puddles)
- A new stage has begun: the violent temper stage. He's like a volcano and when he blows he really blows. And you never know what's going to set him off. We've been hearing him yell the following phrases a lot lately:

"No! You're being rude to me!"

"That's not fair!"

"I'm going to knock you down!" and other statements to this effect.

- Of course hubby and I are the only ones who are witnesses to his violent temper. Everyone else reports him as being so well-behaved, gentle, nice, cooperative etc...He's the model child outside the privacy of our home. Oh well, I guess everyone needs to blow off a little steam once in a while.

- We are finally able to sleep in again on the weekends. In the morning he just trots downstairs and quietly plays with his toys. If he gets hungry he just helps himself to some crackers and fruit and pours himself a glass of water.

- This morning he drew some pictures and we said, "These are great!" He replied, "Yes, I'm a great drawing boy!"

- Our new couch suffers so much abuse. The pillows are constantly being cast around and turned into forts, water slides, dens etc...And there is no point making the bed because no sooner as the bed is made the blankets and pillows are sprawled out across the room.

- Daddy bought the little guy water pistols so when the weather is nice it's game on! Even some of our neighbours have been joining in.

- What is it with little boys and spitting? Enough already!!!!

An 11th toe?

The little guy and his female friend SW were playing in the kiddie pool yesterday. At one point he decided to strip out of his bathing suit and streak around naked (he's a bit of an exhibitionist). SW, who had never seen a little boy in the nude before, started giggling and staring. She turned to her dad and said, "Look, he has a toe!"

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If the 2s were terrible, the 3s are even worse in some ways. The little guy has developed a terrible temper and just flies off the handle at the smallest thing. Sometimes in his attempt to hurl angry words at me, he ends up saying something hilarious. Like last night, when he yelled, "You better stop that you little guy or you can't come to my birthday party!"

Or earlier tonight when I wouldn't let him have a piece of pie before dinner. "You smack that pie right here, Okay?

Parental advice

Even if you don't ask for it, you sometimes get it. Like last night, when I was talking to my mother on the phone about toilet training. I told my mom that we had tried almost everything to get the little guy to poop on the toilet but nothing seems to be working.

Her advice: baby suppositories.

My reaction: I think not!

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There is a little cheese thief in the house. Every morning when I'm packing the lunches the cheese mysteriously disappears from the room.

When I ask the little guy if he's seen the cheese, he starts giggling.

"I smooched it!" he says.

He's also into "smooching" oranges and apricots.

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You can lead a horse to water

I think they should change this saying to, "You can lead a toddler to the toilet, but you can't force him to poop." The drama around the BMs never seems to end.

Whenever I talk to people about it, they don't understand why he's winning and we're losing. I'll tell you why -- his #1 dominant personality trait is stubbornness. I can't even begin to tell you how stubborn he is. If he doesn't want to eat something, do something, try something etc... there is absolutely nothing anyone can do to change his mind. He has to come around to the idea on his own terms. Eventually he does, but it's an extremely frustrating process.

That's my weekly bitch on the topic...

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I've been trying to get rid of toys. Lots and lots of toys. The nursery school is having a kids yard sale and fair next weekend I've being putting together boxes full of donations.

There's just one problem....Every time I set aside some toys, you-know-who finds them and starts playing with them again. Toys he hasn't looked sideways at for months have suddenly taken on a new life. I swear he can sense when I'm about to chuck something! Has anyone else experience this? I'm not going to let this phase me though. All of his babyish toys have got to go. Same goes for the old Playmobile toys that have millions and millions of little pieces. I have a love-hate relationship with Playmobile. The toys are very cool and spark a lot of imaginative play, but good lord are they messy! I'm constantly tripping over little parts and pieces. They drive me nuts! When he's older and better at keeping track of the pieces we'll get him more Playmobile but, right now, they have got to go.

I'm going to load up the car tonight so he doesn't see them leave the house. My guess is that he's never miss any of those toys. He probably won't even notice they are gone.

Mother's Day

I was one spoiled mom this year. On Friday, I was invited to a Mother's Day brunch at nursery school. Virtually everything on the menu had been prepared ahead of time by the kids. My little guy took all of the credit for the pancakes (which were, of course, delicious). Even the butter was homemade.

In honour of Mother's Day all of the kids were asked to create a portrait of their moms. Beside my portrait was a description of me that the teacher had transcribed. Here is what it said:

My mom is called J****.
She's not at school she is at work.
She is having lunch with me.
She has brown eyes a nose and a mouth.
She looks like my mom.
She has feet.
She has toes.
She has socks.
She has a belly button.

I'd say that was a pretty accurate description, don't you?

On Sunday, I had a full day of culinary delights. In the morning, hubby and the little guy made me french toast with strawberries. Later on they took me out for lunch. And for dinner, hubby made one of my favourite Thai dishes. My boys know that the way to this mom's heart is through her stomach :)

A real nail biter

Yesterday, the little guy and I had to drive hubby to the train station. While we waited in the car for him to grab his suitcase I started biting one of my nails (a terrible, lifelong habit).

The little guy yelled, "No mommy." At that moment I was totally unconscious of the fact that I had been biting my nails and had no idea why he was saying no. So I shrugged my shoulders and continued to gnaw on my nail.

"Mommy, you stop that!"

"Stop what?" I asked, still completely clued out.

"Stop doing that to your hands," he said. "If you don't stop doing that right now I'm not going with you to see daddy's train!"

Well I sure learned my lesson. Maybe he'll help me to kick my habit for good :-)

First night of soccer

There were 15 kids at soccer tonight. Most knew enough to chase and kick the ball in the general direction of the net. And then there was my son, forever beating to his own drum. If the coach said run, he would stand still. If the coach said kick the ball, he would pick it up and carry it.

He was the one who excitedly called one of the coaches over to show him a rock he found in the grass. The one who abandoned a fully charged game of What Time is it Mr. Wolf in favour of kicking up dust clouds along the chalk line. The one who switched teams intermittently and shot at the wrong net.

At one point he decided to just run off the field to come see us. The coaches called after him, "Where are you going? You're supposed to sit with the team." He casually replied, "I'm going to have a nap now."

He may have completely missed the point of soccer, but he sure had fun!

After 30....

It was my friend's 30th birthday last night (spring chicken!) and it really got me thinking about how different you become as you get older. For example, we went to a nightclub for drinks and to listen to a celtic band. All of us 30+ year olds got there early so that we could find a table. Because when you're over 30, who wants to stand in a cramped bar all night?

As the night drew on, I couldn't help but notice a huge serpentine line-up winding around the building. The wait to get in to the bar was at least 45 minutes. I'm pretty sure that all of the people in line were in their early 20s. After all, no one in their 30s (or even mid-to-late 20s for that matter) would ever wait in line to get into a nightclub unless, of course, they were total losers. When you are a 30 something you just shrug your shoulders and say, "oh well, let's go somewhere else." Another way I could tell that the people in line were much younger than me was by their choice of clothing. Many of the females were scantily clad (I've seen a handkerchief provide more coverage!) despite the frigid temperature. We live in Canada for crying out loud! In the very unlikely event that a 30+ year old did decide to wait in a long bar line-up they would at least be smart enough to wear a jacket.

When the bar closed at 2 a.m., I would hazard to guess that there were very few people in their 30s left in the establishment. Why? Because people in their 30s go home when they are tired (unless, of course, they are hanging out with a younger crowd and trying to keep up)! I got home at midnight which is pretty good for a 34-year old don't you think?

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Last night when the little guy asked where I had gone, hubby said, "Mommy went to a nightclub with SB."

"Oh," he said. "Why did SB want to go with mommy to her book club?"

My lack of a lively social life really shows through sometimes, doesn't it?

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Today, the little guy and I both learned something the hard way while on a wilderness hike.

He learned that there is a good reason why we tell him to not get to close to the edge of a stream. And I learned that I should never leave his change of clothes in the car.

Photos to follow..

The babysitter solution

It is so hard to find a babysitter these days. My caregiver's daughters are so busy with activities that I literally have to book them weeks in advanced. The other day I called one of her daughter's friends and was told "I only have time on Monday nights and sometimes on Friday. That's it."

Well.... soccer starts next Monday night, so that's out. I guess I'll have to try to book Friday's a week or two in advance.

On occasion I'll ask my friends to watch the little guy for a couple of hours, but I don't like to impose upon them too often.

It turns out that we are not alone in our struggles to find a babysitter. A group of us were chatting about this at the park today. Someone suggested that we form a babysitting circle with other parents in the neighbourhood and take turns looking after one another's children. I think this is a great idea. The kids would have a fantastic time hanging out together while the parents got a much needed break. And the best part of all is that it doesn't cost a cent.

The fact that I know all the parents that would be a art of this circle is also very reassuring. I would never have to worry about the care the little guy was receiving.

I think we'll give it a try and see how it goes.

Woohoo!

Great news! The little guy used the potty at daycare today while the other kids cheered him on. He was pretty impressed with himself. I rewarded him with gummy bears when we got home.

Anyone want to place a bet on whether or not he'll use the potty again tomorrow???? It could go either way.

He's not pee shy!

It was such a beautiful day today that I decided that we should have a picnic at the park. I hopped over to the store at lunch and picked up some veggies and dip, avocado rolls, fruit salad and drinks so we could head straight to the park from daycare. In all of our haste to start our picnic, it never occurred to me to stop and let the little guy use the bathroom first.

You see where this story is leading.....Not long after downing a whole bottle of juice the little guy had to go really badly. Normally he would come and tell me so that I could get him a diaper. But not this time. No, he decided to take matters into his own hands. He stripped off his shorts and underwear and then proceeded to pee right next to a tree. I'm pretty sure that he was trying to be discreet but instead of going behind the tree to pee, he stood in front of the tree before a crowd of onlookers. We all clapped and cheered (and laughed ourselves silly). Afterwards, the little guy was so pleased with himself that brought some of his friends over to look at the puddle he made. I heard him give them a play by play about how his pee went right into the mud.

It was so funny I just about peed myself :-)

A little bit of this and that

I have a whole bunch of little things to write about today.

1. Toilet training. I have tried every single suggestion in every single potty training book, with the exception of getting rid of all of the diapers. Should I do it???? Or do you think it will backfire? He's been doing great lately at home. Still refuses to poop on the toilet but will now sit on the toilet with his diaper on to "practice". And, still no progress at daycare. I'm so frustrated I could spit!

2. Coming out of his shell. Everyone at the park is amazed at how much the little guy has changed since the fall. He's now super outgoing and talkative. Instead of playing shy for 10 to 15 minutes when we arrive at the park, he goes over to kids (even the ones he doesn't knows) and starts playing with them and chatting away. It's great to see him overcoming his shyness.

3. Table talk. I remember a time not so long ago when our table and floor were a disaster zone after every meal. And the laundry that meals generated was astounding! Now, the little guy is neat and tidy as can be, barely ever dripping or spilling anything. You can tell that he actually takes pride in keeping his place mat clean and tidy.

Speaking of meals, he's also turned over a new leaf and is much more open minded when it comes to trying new things. Up until a few weeks ago he would never even touch something with sauce. Now he's asking for macaroni with cheese sauce. Just this week he tried sausages for the first time and loved them (getting him to eat meat has always been a big struggle). And, he's starting to "dip" his food, something he's never done before. I'm hoping to introduce him to hummus and other dips this week.

4. Shamed. Earlier this week, the father of one of his friends yelled at him. For some unknown reason, he pushed his friend off of a climber at the park (which totally isn't like him at all). It wasn't a far fall and his friend wasn't hurt (or even phased for that matter) but her father got really upset and scolded him in a deep, booming voice. When we asked the little guy to apologize to the little girl, he was absolutely silent. He just hung his head, looking sad and terrified all at once. I actually felt kind of sorry for him, knowing that he is usually such a peaceful little guy. For more than half an hour he wouldn't look at anybody. He just hung his head in shame. I think he really felt truly sorry about what he had done.

5. Hide and seek. This is his new favourite game, even if he's lousy at it. The little guy usually says, "Mom, you count to ten and I'm going to hide behind that tree." And he never gives me enough time to find him. The second I've finished counting to 10 he jumps out of his hiding spot to "scare" me.

This morning he hid under the blankets on the bed with his legs sticking out. I guess he figures that if he can't see me that I can't see him either. Kids are so funny!

Picking up bad habits

The little guy is fully capable of pronouncing all of his words properly -- or at least when feels like it. Lately, he's been imitating one of his friends, who has difficulties pronouncing certain words. Here are a few examples:

Instead of saying "water" she says "wy-er". Spider is "Spy-er".

Lately, the little guy is imitating her all the time and it's driving me crazy. Especially since he makes an effort to over pronounce these words incorrectly.

The other day he said, "Mom, the dolphin is diving in the wyyyyy---errrr." I asked him what wy-er was? When he repeated it over and over again I finally said, "Oh, you mean water."

Whenever he asks for a glass of "wyy-er" I tell him I don't understand what he wants. I make him ask me over and over again, until he says water properly.

Of course, he's now figured out that he can get me all worked up and frustrated by his mispronunciations. So what used to be a bad habit is now just a game to push mommy's buttons.

Help!

Art is so subjective

Yesterday, the little guy found a scrap of paper on which I had hastily written directions to a friend's house. He asked me if we could hang it on the wall.

I said, "We don't hang directions to people's houses on the wall. Art goes on the wall. If you drew a picture we could hang that on the wall."

The little guy skipped off into the other room to find his markers. A few minutes later he returned with the same scrap of paper. He had scribbled a small picture at the bottom of the paper, right below the directions.

"Here mom," he said. "I'll go get the tape so we can hang it on the wall."

:-)

What a sneak!

This morning the little guy got up at the crack of dawn, so we turned on the cartoon channel so we could lounge in bed for a little longer. I thought he was going to drift back to sleep watching a show at the end of our bed. When I opened my eyes to check on him (not sure how many minutes later), he had disappeared.

I poked my head into the hall and called to him. No answer. I called him again. No answer. At this point hubby jumped out of bed, worried. He called to him. Again, no answer. Hubby ran down the stairs and found him immediately. The reason he was being so strangely silent was because he was sitting at the dining room table peeling foil wrappers off of chocolate eggs. Chocolate eggs that I thought had been put out of reaching distance. We figured he'd eaten at least three or four of them before we caught him red handed.

Besides sneaking treats, he's also been known to sneak money from the change bowl. Yesterday, when he didn't think I was looking, he opened the drawer that the change bowl is located, grabbed some coins, and began shoving them into his pocket. He loves carrying money in his pockets (starts young, doesn't it?). No wonder I've been finding coins in the washing machine!

What a guy!

I love my grandparents!

Here are a few pics from the little guy's recent visit with his grandparents.


Peek-a-boo through the cat door.


Grandpa and the little guy have a fascinating discussion about his toy squid.


Baking banana bread with Grandma.


Amma and the little guy doing some heavy construction work at the Children's museum.

Gone fishing

We've gone "fishing" every day now for the last week. At the park. With a stick. In a dirty mud puddle.

He's caught some pretty big "fish" (leaves).

"Mom, I caught a fish!" he yells each time he hooks a clump of soggy, rotting leaves.

Speaking of mud puddles....I practically had to rescue him from one the other day. The mud around the puddle was so thick and squishy that his boot sank in pretty deep. When he tried to lift his foot out it just wouldn't budge. I (stupidly) was wearing my leather walking shoes. Right as I was about to dive in the mud after him (probably getting stuck myself) a nice lady in long rubber boots came to our aid.

Despite it's messiness, I love spring! If I had had my boots on I probably would have dove right into those mud puddles too.

On the bus

Here is a replay of our conversation on the bus yesterday.

Little guy: Why are those people getting off the bus mom?

Me: Because this is a bus stop. People take the bus to where they want to go and then they get off the bus.

Little guy: (obviously baffled as to why anyone would ever want to get off the bus) Oooohhh...

Little guy: Look mom, those people are getting on the bus and those people are getting off the bus.

Me: Yes, that's how the bus works.

Little guy: Mom, do they give us breakfast on the bus?

Me/other nearby passengers: Snicker, snicker, snicker

Me: No, it's not like the airplane. They don't give you food on the bus.

Little guy: Mom, I'm sitting on the bus!

Me: Do you see that yellow cord? When we get close to our bus stop, we pull it to let the driver know that we want to get off. It makes a "Bing" noise.

Little guy: (wide eyed) Oh, do I get to pull the cord?

Me: Yes, when I tell you it's time.

Little guy: Oh....(pointing and using a very loud voice) Mom, what are those people doing????

Me: Riding the bus.

Little guy: Mom those people are riding the bus.

Other passengers: snicker, snicker, snicker.

The conversation continued non-stop until we got off. Fast forward to the ride home on a crowded bus. The little guy had to sit in his stroller because there weren't any free spots.

Little guy: Mom, I want to sit on the seat.

Me: There aren't any seats right now. The bus is too crowded.

Little guy: (pointing at the man sitting next to me) Maybe that guy will leave and I can sit down on that seat.

Me: Maybe when it's his bus stop.

Little guy: Mom, is that guy going to leave?

Me: (silent, pretending to ignore him)

Little guy: Mom, I want that guy to leave so I can sit on the seat.

The conversation went on and on like this. I felt terrible for the poor guy sitting next to us!

Bring on the 5 day weekend!

Woohoo! I'm free until next Wednesday thanks to those overtime hours I've accumulated.

Me and the little guy have some big plans tomorrow. We're going for a bus ride (his idea, not mine) to the coffee shop for lunch. Afterwards, we're going to head to Mountain Equipment Co-op to see the canoes and kayaks and then maybe check out some toy stores before catching a bus home. And since it is supposed to be a lovely day, we'll probably also make a side trip to the park to splash in the puddles.

Should be fun!

Date night

Every time that hubby goes away on a business trip I plan a date night with the little guy. We usually go out for dinner and then do something fun like play with the trains at Chapters.

Tonight we decided to go shopping for a soccer ball. We found a really cool and inexpensive one at Old Navy. The little guy carried it in his arms the whole time we were out. He would have rather kicked it around the mall all night but mommy (that mean, old ogre) wouldn't let him.

Pre-school soccer starts in May so we're going to start practicing. When I told him I signed him up for soccer he was so excited about the idea of playing on a team, just like Caillou. I imagine that coaching pre-school soccer is a little bit like herding cats - should be very amusing to watch.

I've also been toying with the idea of signing him up for T-ball but I don't think there is enough running involved. Also, he would constantly have to wait for his turn to bat, which is awfully hard for a 3-year old. What he needs are activities where he can run his little heart out. Soccer just seemed like the natural choice.

I've gone off on a bit of a tangent here, haven't I? What I meant to say was that besides getting a soccer ball tonight, we went out for dinner and ate sushi and frozen chocolate yogurt. How's that for a date night?