Books

I have been reading books lately. After a long pause during C's first 2 years, I now feel like I have the time to do it. Here is what I have read in the past few months.

Lottery by Patricia Wood
NutureShock
Origins by Annie Paul
Bringing up Bebe by Druckerman
The Hunger Games by Collins
Catching Fire by Collins
Mocking Jay by Collins
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Larsson
The Girl who played with Fire by Larsson
Simplicity Parenting by Payne
The Friday Night Knitting Club by Jacobs
Beyond the Sling

6 years

This month marks my 6 year 'anniversary' working at the same little consulting firm in Tahoe. Wow, never thought I would be here that long! The last year I have been getting a little antsy and looking for something new. But it is a good job, with benefits and flexibility, and in a place I love to live. So we will see...

Potty Training - 3 month update

The past 2 months have been great. C is just a few weeks over 2 years old and definitely potty trained.

C went diaper free on a plane ride successfully.We tried underwear around 2 months and he had accidents so we are just starting to try again. Some days he wants to wear them and some days it is a "no".

C only has 'little' accidents now. He starts to go then stops till he gets to the potty. His pants/underwear usually need changing. But there is not a big puddle to clean up.

We have tried some diaper free naps with some success. It works if he only naps 1 to 1.5 hours but if it is a 3 hr nap he usually doesn't make it. So we usually use a diaper at nap time. Maybe we will try to nap diaper free this summer when there wont be so many blankets and layers of clothes to wash when he wets in the bed.

I have not changed a poopy diaper in 3 months! Yippy!!! (and I think C likes not pooping in a diaper anymore too)!

Homemade Laundry Detergent

1 bar grated Fels Naptha
3 cups Borax
2 cups washing soda
2 cups baking soda

Mix well and use 2 tablespoons per load.

I have been making this laudry detergent since right after C was born. I wanted a gentle detergent with a limited amount of chemicals. This is the first recipe I tried and it works great.

 

Bento box

C just started a new daycare that does not provide lunch. So I am trying out this bento box.

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All Better :)

Almost done with the antibiotics and C is feeling great! AND sleeping great! We have a follow up visit with the Doc on Thursday to confirm the pneumonia is gone.

Also today C had to get his blood drawn (to test his thyroid levels).  It was a slightly traumatic experience for all of us. He did not cry at the needle poke but the lady could not find his vain and was poking around for a while. Which started the tears and wails. Poor guy. But as soon as it was done (which felt like forever but was probably only 30 seconds), C was deciding between a cookie and ice cream at the hospital cafeteria and a happy boy.

More sickness

Well the past 2 weeks have been a bit rough.

C's right ear drum ruptured on Jan 23 and on Feb 5th his was diagnosed with pneumonia. Ugg.

The only good news that I can see is they caught the pneumonia early. On Friday Feb 3rd's doc appointment (for his ear) his lungs were clear but on Sunday's follow up app they found the pneumonia. Right now we are on our second course of antibiotics. C does seem to be feeling OK right now and is sleeping well, so hopefully he will get better quickly.

Happy 2nd Birthday!

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No more pajamas!

No more pajamas for this little boy.

C is in a phase (hopefully it is a phase!) where he hates changing his clothes. Getting into jammies at night and back into clothes in the morning is a nightmare. So we have been putting him to bed in his clothes which consist of mostly sweatpants and long sleeved T-shirts.

It works like a dream!!!

Sick Little Boy - Bedtime Routine

Well C is sick right now with a cold and cough. It is winter and I am sure it will be happening frequently now. Ugg. I read toddlers get an average of 12 colds a year and here in the mountains the kids seem to squeeze them all into the 4-5 months of winter.

Since he has been sick we have tried some natural remedies to help him feel better. Most of these are recommended at bedtime so hear is what we have added to the routine...

- Saline nasal spray (I call it the nose tickler and he sometimes lets me use it)
- Vaseline under the nose to help heal his red dry nose
- Vics vapor rub on his chest
- Mullen Garlic ear drops in olive oil by Herb Pharm (He loves these. We used them last time he was sick and this time he started asking for them). They are supposed to reduce the inflammation in the ear associated with colds and ear infections.
- Honey. Our MD recommended honey to help calm his cough since he is too young for any kind of OTC medicines.
- Ibuprofen. Tonight is the first night I gave him Ibu preventatively. The last 3 nights he woke up 2-3 time and I ended up giving him Ibu in the middle of the night. Hopefully tonight we will both get an uninterrupted nights sleep!!!

....then a couple books, warm milk and a couple songs and he is off to sleep.

What comes after 7?

C is having a lot of fun lately with counting. He started a few weeks ago and now is a counting monster. He regularly counts to 10 but has a little trouble with 8, he always forgets it!

M. I. L. K

About a month or two ago we starting spelling words we did not want C to understand. We laughed at this but it proved very helpful. One of the words we have been spelling a lot lately is milk. As in Daddy asks me 'Does C get M. I. L. K with nap time today?'
Last night as we were getting ready to start bedtime, Daddy asked me to get the M. I. L. K. ready while he got C in his pajammas. Then C starts saying milk, milk. I thought wow that is weird that C said that right after we talked about it. I wonder if C know what we were talking about. So I look at C and say 'What is M. I. L. K?' and without hesitation C says milk!!!

Now I am not saying that our almost 2 year old can spell but he has figured out our secret!!! What are we going to do now?

Asking Questions

C started asking questions this week.

His favorite is "Mommy doing?" as in what is mommy doing? Also Mommy are you? as is mommy where are you?

He is missing a few words but he and I love this new level of communication.