I did get most of what I thought out there, but there were a few things that I missed.
Mostly....I wasn't trying to make any other parent feel guilty about how they parent. I see nothing wrong with leaving the kids in the car while you drop one of them off for example ;-) I was amazed at the attitudes of parents now and what is acceptable and what some people determine is abuse. The people that were calling in or standing up and explaining that they were not for ANY time in the car, were quickly asked by Dr. Phil, so you NEVER leave you kids in the car? They quickly answered that they never did. Meanwhile most of the other people laughed when they heard the mom say this. It just isn't realistic.
And when the mom that left the child to let him find his way home was on, they were quick to show the level 2 sex offenders in the route that the child took back home. But my question is, has that really changed? Now we have a way of tracking things like that. But has it really increased the amount of predators or are we just more aware of them? So that point is not valid in my opinion.
Since I'm talking about parenting, I will say that the hardest thing for me so far is to change something I've thought was the best only to find a better way of doing things. I've been getting a lot of information on sibling rivalry. It really is hard to sit back and let the kids resolve their own conflicts. But I also know that if Trevor would have had this time to work on having to deal with another person playing with toys, he might have had an easier time at school. As it is, he is learning how to resolve things there.
So that's what I'm working on for now. Tomorrow is a big day! I'll update on the weekend with pictures and other things.
Thursday, October 2, 2008
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
So my only down time is during TV time
I always seem to flip on Dr. Phil and Oprah during the time Trevor us upstairs for a nap. It has been interesting to watch a few of the shows. Not most, but a few. I think it was a week or so ago when Dr. Phil had a woman that was arrested but charges were dropped when there was a police officer (or someone like that) that had been watching her car as she pulled up to a sidewalk in front of a store. Think of a Target, although it wasn't one. So she pulled up to the side of the store (not in a parking space) and walked with her 3 or maybe 2 older daughters to the front of the store where there was a donation pail. I think it was around Christmas time, and it might have even been the salvation army bell ringers. Anyway, she brought the older kids out because they were making a big deal about it. It was sleeting rain/snow and the youngest girl was 18 months and asleep during this time. So the mom walked 30 feet (measured afterward) dropped the money in the pail, and as she was walking back, she was arrested in front of her daughters for abuse via neglect of the youngest child.
The show was about what is abuse and what is not. I was amazed (and really, I guess I shouldn't have been) that there were so many people willing to condemn the thought of leaving any child in a car AT ANY TIME. It was interesting to see how these people were willing to commit that under no circumstances would they leave their child in the car. Such as if they had to drop something off at a neighbor's house. Simply from the driveway to the front door. Or what about if you are returning a cart at a grocery store. Do you ALWAYS carry the child in the cart after you return the cart and last head to the car? I certainly don't. I would even be comfortable leaving Gwen in the car with Trevor if I had to head in to pay for gas at a gas station. However, I have never and probably will never do that. Mostly because of if anyone saw me do it, it would scare me into thinking I could be charged with something. Or on the 1 in a million chance that something were to happen, I wouldn't be within an arm's reach. A gas station is a bit different than a neighbor's driveway though.
Then a few days ago, Dr. Phil again had a "parenting" show. This one was extreme parenting. There was a woman in the news that blogged about the fact that she had intentionally left her son who was either 9 or 10 years old in New York City, where they lived, with maps and change to be able to take a subway, to a bus line, back home on a Sunday afternoon. What was interesting about this show was talking about how she was simply trying to prepare her son for live outside of their house. How to be a responsible child. And of course, you have the other side of the spectrum, parents that are called helicopter parents. They hover completely around their children, spying on them, calling them when they aren't at home....of course the one mom that they had on the show talked about how her oldest daughter called her own mom psycho. And that made her want to change how she did things.
He also had a guest on that had been on the show previously twice before this time, with a mom that had been a hovering mom. Each time she had been on the show, he had told her she needed to change how she parented or she will have a daughter that will rebel as soon as she was able to. She was back, and her daughter was 17. And her daughter was "horrible". Definitely in the rebelling stage. It was interesting to hear both of them talk about what was going on. The daughter had been home schooled as the mom didn't want her to end up as a rebellious teen. Now, she was saying she was going to go to college next year, and the daughter wanted to go away to college, live in a dorm, etc. but the mom said no because she didn't think she could get up any earlier than noon since that was what she was doing. The daughter argued that she should be able to prove it to her. But the mom said she wasn't willing to shell out the money to find out.
Anyway, my point was that I wonder where I am in the spectrum. I feel like I am a little too far in the hovering side of things with Trevor. However, when I go to the ECFE class with the first time parents in that class, I realize a lot of it is being a first time parent. I let Gwen run around in the class while everyone else is making sure their child isn't getting into anything they shouldn't. And the room is designed for infants and toddlers.
But finally, today Oprah had a mom on who last year left their daughter who was 3 in the car the entire day while she was at school as a teacher. The point of the show was basically to stop and think about if you are overdoing it. Overplanning, overtasking, etc. But what surprised me were all the parents talking about how they leave their child in the car while they went to do something. Basically where they weren't able to visibly see the car. Just an interesting difference in shows I guess. And I don't think I'm feeling too overplanned...yet. But I also know I'm not even near when it is going to get bad.... I have lots of ideas for things that both of the kids can do. Hopefully I can get some of the things done between school and dinner so we don't have things that make us out and about more than we are at home.
So....that's what's been running through my mind recently. There sure are a lot of things to think about when you are a parent!
The show was about what is abuse and what is not. I was amazed (and really, I guess I shouldn't have been) that there were so many people willing to condemn the thought of leaving any child in a car AT ANY TIME. It was interesting to see how these people were willing to commit that under no circumstances would they leave their child in the car. Such as if they had to drop something off at a neighbor's house. Simply from the driveway to the front door. Or what about if you are returning a cart at a grocery store. Do you ALWAYS carry the child in the cart after you return the cart and last head to the car? I certainly don't. I would even be comfortable leaving Gwen in the car with Trevor if I had to head in to pay for gas at a gas station. However, I have never and probably will never do that. Mostly because of if anyone saw me do it, it would scare me into thinking I could be charged with something. Or on the 1 in a million chance that something were to happen, I wouldn't be within an arm's reach. A gas station is a bit different than a neighbor's driveway though.
Then a few days ago, Dr. Phil again had a "parenting" show. This one was extreme parenting. There was a woman in the news that blogged about the fact that she had intentionally left her son who was either 9 or 10 years old in New York City, where they lived, with maps and change to be able to take a subway, to a bus line, back home on a Sunday afternoon. What was interesting about this show was talking about how she was simply trying to prepare her son for live outside of their house. How to be a responsible child. And of course, you have the other side of the spectrum, parents that are called helicopter parents. They hover completely around their children, spying on them, calling them when they aren't at home....of course the one mom that they had on the show talked about how her oldest daughter called her own mom psycho. And that made her want to change how she did things.
He also had a guest on that had been on the show previously twice before this time, with a mom that had been a hovering mom. Each time she had been on the show, he had told her she needed to change how she parented or she will have a daughter that will rebel as soon as she was able to. She was back, and her daughter was 17. And her daughter was "horrible". Definitely in the rebelling stage. It was interesting to hear both of them talk about what was going on. The daughter had been home schooled as the mom didn't want her to end up as a rebellious teen. Now, she was saying she was going to go to college next year, and the daughter wanted to go away to college, live in a dorm, etc. but the mom said no because she didn't think she could get up any earlier than noon since that was what she was doing. The daughter argued that she should be able to prove it to her. But the mom said she wasn't willing to shell out the money to find out.
Anyway, my point was that I wonder where I am in the spectrum. I feel like I am a little too far in the hovering side of things with Trevor. However, when I go to the ECFE class with the first time parents in that class, I realize a lot of it is being a first time parent. I let Gwen run around in the class while everyone else is making sure their child isn't getting into anything they shouldn't. And the room is designed for infants and toddlers.
But finally, today Oprah had a mom on who last year left their daughter who was 3 in the car the entire day while she was at school as a teacher. The point of the show was basically to stop and think about if you are overdoing it. Overplanning, overtasking, etc. But what surprised me were all the parents talking about how they leave their child in the car while they went to do something. Basically where they weren't able to visibly see the car. Just an interesting difference in shows I guess. And I don't think I'm feeling too overplanned...yet. But I also know I'm not even near when it is going to get bad.... I have lots of ideas for things that both of the kids can do. Hopefully I can get some of the things done between school and dinner so we don't have things that make us out and about more than we are at home.
So....that's what's been running through my mind recently. There sure are a lot of things to think about when you are a parent!
Monday, September 29, 2008
Productive weekend?
I'm getting more of the house organized. I made a donation run with a car full of stuff that is now GONE from the house. It always feels good to do that. Yard work was done outside all day Saturday. There is prep work being done for the last big wall in the yard. I'm sure Russ is looking forward to having his garage back as well as the driveway.
Both kids still have a runny nose and cough from the cold. I hope Gwen can go to ECFE this Wednesday. Maybe she just needs another day or two. Trevor, I don't ever seem to have to worry.
Sunday, we took both kids in to church because I haven't signed Gwen up for the nursery yet and Trevor's Sunday School starts next Sunday with an open house after mass that day. We sat in the back so as not to disturb anyone, and in case we needed to make a quick exit. Both kids did really well. Although I hope I don't have to do that again. I think Gwen will like the nursery, and hopefully she won't even notice that mom and dad aren't there.
Trevor took an interest in the Eucharist this time. So I had to explain it and I'm sure since he hasn't heard it at his Lutheran preschool, it's going to be a topic of conversation for a while. He was asking about why and if he could or at least why he couldn't right now. I told him that when he is 8 years old he will. That always seems to satisfy him. Just give him a date as to when he will be able to do something, and then he can plan for it. Must be like me that way. So this morning, he was asking about it again, and then asked how old Gwen will be when he is 8.
My mom bought a Toy Story computer game that was installed on Trevor's computer, and he doesn't want to stop playing it. He was afraid of the newness of it all, but since he's learned how to play it, he has beaten it and gotten high scores on his favorite games. Of course it is hard to play if Gwen is in the area. She can't leave him alone with it.
Speaking of her, she has been gearing up to turn the big ONE. One of the big touchpoints is one year old. I'm guessing it is usually doubly bad because most kids are learning to master walking as well as going through growth spurt stuff. For some reason, the walking milestone wasn't too hard for Gwen. She's been walking pretty good for a few weeks now. She can even do it with shoes on, although she'd prefer not to.
No, she's turning one, and having to relearn how to put herself to sleep. Both for naps and nighttime. We have recently had a few visitors to help with the kids where they have had to put her to bed. And I know it is hard to listen to her cry, so if it is someone else, I let them do whatever they need to feel comfortable. Of course now she thinks if she cries enough, she will be picked up. She is also good about delaying naps. She can act wide awake if she is brought downstairs. However, after a few minutes, she is tired and cranky. According to my book, the next touchpoint is another 3 months, so this won't be too long.
In the mean time, I've been really enjoying having her - I believe it is called "receptive language" - really blossom! I can let her know what we have to do next, or what we can do next and she will walk over to where she needs to be. I'm kind of amazed by this because I wonder if she enjoys the understanding piece of it, rather than what is about to happen. I have battled with her a few times on changing her diaper. But if I tell her we need to change her diaper, and let her walk into the room, she is much more calm and understanding.
She LOVES LOVES LOVES to play "dollies" in the doll house. I think it has caused Trevor to back off of it because he now thinks it is a baby or a girl toy. Bummer. But I am happy it will probably get a lot of use.
So on to the party planning.....cake bought, presents bought, now I need to get everything for the party ready and cleaned for Friday. Only 5 more days of a 0 year old baby in my house!
Both kids still have a runny nose and cough from the cold. I hope Gwen can go to ECFE this Wednesday. Maybe she just needs another day or two. Trevor, I don't ever seem to have to worry.
Sunday, we took both kids in to church because I haven't signed Gwen up for the nursery yet and Trevor's Sunday School starts next Sunday with an open house after mass that day. We sat in the back so as not to disturb anyone, and in case we needed to make a quick exit. Both kids did really well. Although I hope I don't have to do that again. I think Gwen will like the nursery, and hopefully she won't even notice that mom and dad aren't there.
Trevor took an interest in the Eucharist this time. So I had to explain it and I'm sure since he hasn't heard it at his Lutheran preschool, it's going to be a topic of conversation for a while. He was asking about why and if he could or at least why he couldn't right now. I told him that when he is 8 years old he will. That always seems to satisfy him. Just give him a date as to when he will be able to do something, and then he can plan for it. Must be like me that way. So this morning, he was asking about it again, and then asked how old Gwen will be when he is 8.
My mom bought a Toy Story computer game that was installed on Trevor's computer, and he doesn't want to stop playing it. He was afraid of the newness of it all, but since he's learned how to play it, he has beaten it and gotten high scores on his favorite games. Of course it is hard to play if Gwen is in the area. She can't leave him alone with it.
Speaking of her, she has been gearing up to turn the big ONE. One of the big touchpoints is one year old. I'm guessing it is usually doubly bad because most kids are learning to master walking as well as going through growth spurt stuff. For some reason, the walking milestone wasn't too hard for Gwen. She's been walking pretty good for a few weeks now. She can even do it with shoes on, although she'd prefer not to.
No, she's turning one, and having to relearn how to put herself to sleep. Both for naps and nighttime. We have recently had a few visitors to help with the kids where they have had to put her to bed. And I know it is hard to listen to her cry, so if it is someone else, I let them do whatever they need to feel comfortable. Of course now she thinks if she cries enough, she will be picked up. She is also good about delaying naps. She can act wide awake if she is brought downstairs. However, after a few minutes, she is tired and cranky. According to my book, the next touchpoint is another 3 months, so this won't be too long.
In the mean time, I've been really enjoying having her - I believe it is called "receptive language" - really blossom! I can let her know what we have to do next, or what we can do next and she will walk over to where she needs to be. I'm kind of amazed by this because I wonder if she enjoys the understanding piece of it, rather than what is about to happen. I have battled with her a few times on changing her diaper. But if I tell her we need to change her diaper, and let her walk into the room, she is much more calm and understanding.
She LOVES LOVES LOVES to play "dollies" in the doll house. I think it has caused Trevor to back off of it because he now thinks it is a baby or a girl toy. Bummer. But I am happy it will probably get a lot of use.
So on to the party planning.....cake bought, presents bought, now I need to get everything for the party ready and cleaned for Friday. Only 5 more days of a 0 year old baby in my house!
Thursday, September 25, 2008
It is mostly premere week!
I used to have more on my list, but I still have a few shows that I love to watch. Some I still want to watch, but I'm going to have to get caught up with them via Netflix.
Still, this week was HEROES!!!! I was a bit weirded out by it. It has seemed to change direction drastically, and I'm not sure I like it all that much. However, I don't really think it's going to be weird for long. They just need to fit the two storylines together and then they'll get more into the story side of things. Then it'll get good again.
Tonight is Grey's Anatomy! I've also heard good things about this one. 2 hours tonight! These shows (among a few others) really make me feel like someone other than a mom.
Anyway....have to start dinner now! And as a side note....GO TWINS!!!!
Still, this week was HEROES!!!! I was a bit weirded out by it. It has seemed to change direction drastically, and I'm not sure I like it all that much. However, I don't really think it's going to be weird for long. They just need to fit the two storylines together and then they'll get more into the story side of things. Then it'll get good again.
Tonight is Grey's Anatomy! I've also heard good things about this one. 2 hours tonight! These shows (among a few others) really make me feel like someone other than a mom.
Anyway....have to start dinner now! And as a side note....GO TWINS!!!!
Can you believe it?
It was one year ago today that I was officially due with Gwen. I remember it SO vividly probably because I was SO ready to be done, among other emotions.
These past few weeks I've been trying to get ready for both kids' birthdays although I know I have almost two months between them. It actually feels a lot easier this way. Only problem is, I remember that there are some great sales that come out in October for toys for Christmas. So while I'd prefer to be done with all the crazy toy shopping for everything, I'm holding off after getting a few things for Gwen's birthday.
I also have to figure out what to do for Halloween. I don't remember if it's ok to have swords at preschool. If I remember, I think they just prefer no "scary" costumes. Although I might have to convince Trevor to keep his lightsword at home during preschool. I know last year I thought I was going to make costumes this year, but I've instead been trying to clean and organize most of the house. I've been making big strides and I feel a lot better about getting into the down and dirty areas and getting rid of a lot of stuff.
For example, I'm shreading papers from before we were married. Bank statements mostly. Do you know how far down on the priority list that stuff has been? And it doesn't mean that my priority list has been shortened, just that I feel like if I do little things like that for 10 minutes a day, I don't feel like all those projects are overwhelmingly never going to get done.
Also with the upcoming birthdays and Christmas, I again have to go through and put away toys to make way for new ones. I've been trying to make a nice play place in the basement for times I need to clean downstairs. It can help keep some of the toys "newer" as they don't get played with very often if they go downstairs.
On another note.....it has been a little tough on Gwen to be sick this time. She has been having some trouble sleeping, or feeling good sleeping. So she's had a crabby attitude lately. But she has been having a BLAST playing with the dolls in the dollhouse. It has been fun to say something to her, like "Let's go play with the dolls" and she will go right over to the house and wait at the chair. Or if she wants to go to sleep, she will go to the bottom of the stairs and cry out. She is really understanding a lot of what is going on. And while I feel as though her temperment is different than Trevors is, I'm trying to distract her whenever I feel like she is going to throw a temper tantrum. So far, it's been working for the most part. Maybe I can convince her that it isn't a good idea? Who knows.
Her bedtime/naptime routine is interesting. Unlike Trevor, she never sleeps in the pack n play. Which doesn't make it very easy for when we go places. So I always make sure to take her blanket pal with us. I make sure she snuggles with it when I lay her down. But lately, she has really taken to a plain pink blanket that I have been using to cover the light on one side of her crib. It is very soft and much bigger than the other blanket. It will be interesting to see what (if anything) she ends up liking.
I'm just happy she finally can put herself down for naps and takes one regular one for at least an hour and a half every day. Trevor and I can have some time together to play games or whatever. And he has some time to play on his toys without Gwen. I forget that he doesn't have a lot of time to do that. He's usually the one that is away somewhere.
Well, Gwen is finally sleeping in this morning. I'm sure she needs it. Now I have a few minutes to get some other things done!
These past few weeks I've been trying to get ready for both kids' birthdays although I know I have almost two months between them. It actually feels a lot easier this way. Only problem is, I remember that there are some great sales that come out in October for toys for Christmas. So while I'd prefer to be done with all the crazy toy shopping for everything, I'm holding off after getting a few things for Gwen's birthday.
I also have to figure out what to do for Halloween. I don't remember if it's ok to have swords at preschool. If I remember, I think they just prefer no "scary" costumes. Although I might have to convince Trevor to keep his lightsword at home during preschool. I know last year I thought I was going to make costumes this year, but I've instead been trying to clean and organize most of the house. I've been making big strides and I feel a lot better about getting into the down and dirty areas and getting rid of a lot of stuff.
For example, I'm shreading papers from before we were married. Bank statements mostly. Do you know how far down on the priority list that stuff has been? And it doesn't mean that my priority list has been shortened, just that I feel like if I do little things like that for 10 minutes a day, I don't feel like all those projects are overwhelmingly never going to get done.
Also with the upcoming birthdays and Christmas, I again have to go through and put away toys to make way for new ones. I've been trying to make a nice play place in the basement for times I need to clean downstairs. It can help keep some of the toys "newer" as they don't get played with very often if they go downstairs.
On another note.....it has been a little tough on Gwen to be sick this time. She has been having some trouble sleeping, or feeling good sleeping. So she's had a crabby attitude lately. But she has been having a BLAST playing with the dolls in the dollhouse. It has been fun to say something to her, like "Let's go play with the dolls" and she will go right over to the house and wait at the chair. Or if she wants to go to sleep, she will go to the bottom of the stairs and cry out. She is really understanding a lot of what is going on. And while I feel as though her temperment is different than Trevors is, I'm trying to distract her whenever I feel like she is going to throw a temper tantrum. So far, it's been working for the most part. Maybe I can convince her that it isn't a good idea? Who knows.
Her bedtime/naptime routine is interesting. Unlike Trevor, she never sleeps in the pack n play. Which doesn't make it very easy for when we go places. So I always make sure to take her blanket pal with us. I make sure she snuggles with it when I lay her down. But lately, she has really taken to a plain pink blanket that I have been using to cover the light on one side of her crib. It is very soft and much bigger than the other blanket. It will be interesting to see what (if anything) she ends up liking.
I'm just happy she finally can put herself down for naps and takes one regular one for at least an hour and a half every day. Trevor and I can have some time together to play games or whatever. And he has some time to play on his toys without Gwen. I forget that he doesn't have a lot of time to do that. He's usually the one that is away somewhere.
Well, Gwen is finally sleeping in this morning. I'm sure she needs it. Now I have a few minutes to get some other things done!
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Congratulations Christine and family!
Just wanted to post a big CONGRATULATIONS to Christine, George, Anya, and Baz as they welcome their newest addition Lorelei Dawn! I have a feeling she's going to have a lot in common with my little Libra!
Monday, September 22, 2008
Quick weekend
We had a ver quick weekend. At least the weather was nice. Unfortunately, both kids are sick wth a cold. Trevor woke up this morning and sounds horrible. I can't send him to preschool. He seemed ok yesterday. He had his usual energy, and just had a runny nose. But today, he can hardly talk and is coughing and sneezing all over the place. Hopefully he'll just need another two days to get better. Poor Gwen, now I have to watch her for an ear infection, and if she gets one, she'll have to postpone her shots.
Thankfully, we now have decent nights again. Right before Trevor gets sick, he wakes up screaming for a few nights. Friday night was bad.
On Sunday, Trevor was able to go to another Children's Theater performance with my mom. It was longer than I expected, but he made it through and then didn't want to leave. He also tried to sit in the regular seats for a bit and then went into the crying room for the rest of the show. Sounds like he was very interested in the show which happened to be "Madeline and the Gypsies". Or it might have been something about a circus as well. We hadn't read that book, but have a Madeline book that he has read. So he understood a little bit about the story.
So somehow I'm going to have to run errands with both kids and try to keep Trevor and Gwen from rubbing their noses all over everything. 'Tis the season!
Thankfully, we now have decent nights again. Right before Trevor gets sick, he wakes up screaming for a few nights. Friday night was bad.
On Sunday, Trevor was able to go to another Children's Theater performance with my mom. It was longer than I expected, but he made it through and then didn't want to leave. He also tried to sit in the regular seats for a bit and then went into the crying room for the rest of the show. Sounds like he was very interested in the show which happened to be "Madeline and the Gypsies". Or it might have been something about a circus as well. We hadn't read that book, but have a Madeline book that he has read. So he understood a little bit about the story.
So somehow I'm going to have to run errands with both kids and try to keep Trevor and Gwen from rubbing their noses all over everything. 'Tis the season!
Friday, September 19, 2008
Some Toys
As we get ready for Gwen's birthday followed by Trevor's and then Christmas, I figure I should let you know about some of the things the kids are playing with. They might go by the wayside with new stuff coming in. Or at least I hope to weed out or recycle and hide some of the old toys to make way for the new stuff.
Trevor still plays with Cars cars. We have been slowly introducing him to board games and I have a few in mind to get him for his birthday or Christmas. He knows how to play Uno, Chutes and Ladders, Memory, Hi Ho Cherry O, and Sequence for Kids. I have been involved in a free game site that just started offering Monopoly. Trevor noticed that we had games like that, but wasn't interested in playing by the rules (I think the actual age is like 10 and up) but liked the fact that he could make similar sound effects like dice rolling and going to jail on a game board that he liked. The one he wanted to play on was our Mario/Nintendo game board.
Over this summer, I found a fisher price dollhouse at a garage sale for $1. It was in very good shape but did not come with any furniture or dolls. A few weeks later, my mom found some furniture at a store in Chicago. A few weeks ago, Trevor had still been playing with the house using it as Lightning McQueen's house. But on Wednesday, the family of dolls was found. We now have grandparents, parents, a brother and sister, and boy and girl twin babies. So now Trevor can play with Bubba, Papa, Mommy, Daddy, Trevor, Elizabeth, Gwen, and Sam. (Yes, I tried to convince him Sam was not a baby, but he wanted the baby boy to be Sam). And he loves it. Unfortunately, Gwen does too. And even more unfortunate, she isn't at the age where she can play with the big house yet. If we put it on the floor for her, it would easily be broken within a week. So instead, we let her sit on someone's lap and play or she even likes to carry around a select doll and then drop it off to be lost for a few hours. (That's what happened with the mommy doll today).
As far as toys Gwen likes...it's pretty much any of Trevor's toys that he plays with. Add to that, the Word Whammer refrigerator toy that has like 30 letters scattered on the fridge which come off and get picked up 30 times a day....and then she also has a few books that she likes to read. She now gets around by walking everywhere. And jabbering. She's trying to copy things she hears, but she has a good time walking around talking to herself. Or to you if you want to listen to her. I'll have to get a video of her, if I can remember!
Trevor still plays with Cars cars. We have been slowly introducing him to board games and I have a few in mind to get him for his birthday or Christmas. He knows how to play Uno, Chutes and Ladders, Memory, Hi Ho Cherry O, and Sequence for Kids. I have been involved in a free game site that just started offering Monopoly. Trevor noticed that we had games like that, but wasn't interested in playing by the rules (I think the actual age is like 10 and up) but liked the fact that he could make similar sound effects like dice rolling and going to jail on a game board that he liked. The one he wanted to play on was our Mario/Nintendo game board.
Over this summer, I found a fisher price dollhouse at a garage sale for $1. It was in very good shape but did not come with any furniture or dolls. A few weeks later, my mom found some furniture at a store in Chicago. A few weeks ago, Trevor had still been playing with the house using it as Lightning McQueen's house. But on Wednesday, the family of dolls was found. We now have grandparents, parents, a brother and sister, and boy and girl twin babies. So now Trevor can play with Bubba, Papa, Mommy, Daddy, Trevor, Elizabeth, Gwen, and Sam. (Yes, I tried to convince him Sam was not a baby, but he wanted the baby boy to be Sam). And he loves it. Unfortunately, Gwen does too. And even more unfortunate, she isn't at the age where she can play with the big house yet. If we put it on the floor for her, it would easily be broken within a week. So instead, we let her sit on someone's lap and play or she even likes to carry around a select doll and then drop it off to be lost for a few hours. (That's what happened with the mommy doll today).
As far as toys Gwen likes...it's pretty much any of Trevor's toys that he plays with. Add to that, the Word Whammer refrigerator toy that has like 30 letters scattered on the fridge which come off and get picked up 30 times a day....and then she also has a few books that she likes to read. She now gets around by walking everywhere. And jabbering. She's trying to copy things she hears, but she has a good time walking around talking to herself. Or to you if you want to listen to her. I'll have to get a video of her, if I can remember!
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
I feel very behind...
Sorry about my lack of posts. There has been a lot going on, but not a lot that takes up a good sized post. So I will try to piece everything together and give you a few things to read.
Thursday we all went to the Twins' game. It was a day game and Gwen napped in the car on the way there, and then both kids were tuckered out by the end of the game. We actually left after the 8th inning as it looked like it might go into extra innings (and did - to have the twins loose). Both kids slept in the car on the way home. Trevor stayed in his seat a lot more than he did last time and we got to see a few foul balls fly by us.
Friday night we went to Amy's 16th birthday party. Gwen was able to do her tricks of walking everywhere and jabbering as if she was included in the conversation. Trevor was able to get outside to jump on the trampoline for a little while and enjoyed that.
Sunday Trevor got to try on a tux for the wedding he is going to be in in May. I did not get any pictures of him in it and it looked a little silly because the pants were WAYYYYY too long and not small enough around the waist. Plus he didn't have a tie. But we (and he) got a good idea of what it would be like. They won't measure him until closer to the date because he is probably going to grow another 2 inches by that time. (And I already have a tall beanpole on my hands) But the funny thing was, that once he had on the tux (which he called a dress) and knew that it was for a wedding, he wanted to dance the day away. And go show everyone out in the mall. We practically had to restrain him from leaving the store.
The ONLY downside I can see for him about this wedding is that he will probably be so excited and have such a good time with everything is that he won't make it much into the dance part of it. Which he would love. That's what happened a few weekends ago. And if there was a way that I could get him to sleep good the night before, and sleep late into the morning, that would probably help. But he seems to have my sleeping habits. He is a very light sleeper and if he is excited about something coming up the next day he doesn't sleep well and wants to be up EXTRA early. Whenever we sleep somewhere other than home, he is up at the latest 6:30 or so.
Anyway....it's all speculation at this point. We have a lot of time to figure things out.
But these past few nights have been interesting. Trevor is going through some sort of development and I don't know if it is because he is becoming more afraid of the thought of going to sleep and having a bad dream or what. But he is always trying to sneak into our bed at night (before he goes to sleep) and sleep in our bed. So I hear nothing and then go upstairs to find him sleeping in our bed. It's not that big of a deal. More annoying than anything. But then last night, he woke up at 2am and said he had to go to the bathroom. Then he was up for a good hour. And so was I. I know I startled awake when I heard him open his bedroom door at 2 but then I went back to sleep and then startled again when I heard the toilet flush. So I situated him back into his bed and then couldn't get to sleep myself. I heard Gwen making some happy noises at this point too. And I never really could get into a deep sleep again.
Anyway, sleep would do everyone a lot of good right now. Thank goodness for the nice weather. We can spend some of our time outside!
Thursday we all went to the Twins' game. It was a day game and Gwen napped in the car on the way there, and then both kids were tuckered out by the end of the game. We actually left after the 8th inning as it looked like it might go into extra innings (and did - to have the twins loose). Both kids slept in the car on the way home. Trevor stayed in his seat a lot more than he did last time and we got to see a few foul balls fly by us.
Friday night we went to Amy's 16th birthday party. Gwen was able to do her tricks of walking everywhere and jabbering as if she was included in the conversation. Trevor was able to get outside to jump on the trampoline for a little while and enjoyed that.
Sunday Trevor got to try on a tux for the wedding he is going to be in in May. I did not get any pictures of him in it and it looked a little silly because the pants were WAYYYYY too long and not small enough around the waist. Plus he didn't have a tie. But we (and he) got a good idea of what it would be like. They won't measure him until closer to the date because he is probably going to grow another 2 inches by that time. (And I already have a tall beanpole on my hands) But the funny thing was, that once he had on the tux (which he called a dress) and knew that it was for a wedding, he wanted to dance the day away. And go show everyone out in the mall. We practically had to restrain him from leaving the store.
The ONLY downside I can see for him about this wedding is that he will probably be so excited and have such a good time with everything is that he won't make it much into the dance part of it. Which he would love. That's what happened a few weekends ago. And if there was a way that I could get him to sleep good the night before, and sleep late into the morning, that would probably help. But he seems to have my sleeping habits. He is a very light sleeper and if he is excited about something coming up the next day he doesn't sleep well and wants to be up EXTRA early. Whenever we sleep somewhere other than home, he is up at the latest 6:30 or so.
Anyway....it's all speculation at this point. We have a lot of time to figure things out.
But these past few nights have been interesting. Trevor is going through some sort of development and I don't know if it is because he is becoming more afraid of the thought of going to sleep and having a bad dream or what. But he is always trying to sneak into our bed at night (before he goes to sleep) and sleep in our bed. So I hear nothing and then go upstairs to find him sleeping in our bed. It's not that big of a deal. More annoying than anything. But then last night, he woke up at 2am and said he had to go to the bathroom. Then he was up for a good hour. And so was I. I know I startled awake when I heard him open his bedroom door at 2 but then I went back to sleep and then startled again when I heard the toilet flush. So I situated him back into his bed and then couldn't get to sleep myself. I heard Gwen making some happy noises at this point too. And I never really could get into a deep sleep again.
Anyway, sleep would do everyone a lot of good right now. Thank goodness for the nice weather. We can spend some of our time outside!
Friday, September 12, 2008
We have a sleepwalker
And it wasn't the first time he did it. It was a while ago when he first started mastering the child proof doorknob. He walked into our bedroom and wanted to crawl into bed with us. It was about 1 o'clock and while I was disoriented, I led him back to his bedroom and tucked him in. He wasn't awake, I could tell by the lack of talking and how I practically had to drag him into his bed.
Last night, I went upstairs to bed at 10. Trevor was in bed before 9, and I didn't hear a peep from him. I checked on Gwen and then went to our room. I turned on the light, and in our bed, his clothes for the next day on the nightstand, was Trevor. He didn't even stir when the light flipped on. So I carried him back into bed and put his clothes back on the bookcase where they usually are.
He has had plenty of nights where he fully wakes up and cries out. He remembers those nights. But the ones where he walks around and doesn't talk, he is sleepwalking. I've done it a few times. Not regularly...and it might have something to do with lack of sleep. I don't think I've done it since I was at least in the apartment, and maybe living back with my parents. Not sure.
Anyway, I hope he gets back to napping for a few days...he needs the sleep. And I don't like worrying what he could be getting into in his sleep for goodness sake! I already have to keep my eye on him when he's awake!
Last night, I went upstairs to bed at 10. Trevor was in bed before 9, and I didn't hear a peep from him. I checked on Gwen and then went to our room. I turned on the light, and in our bed, his clothes for the next day on the nightstand, was Trevor. He didn't even stir when the light flipped on. So I carried him back into bed and put his clothes back on the bookcase where they usually are.
He has had plenty of nights where he fully wakes up and cries out. He remembers those nights. But the ones where he walks around and doesn't talk, he is sleepwalking. I've done it a few times. Not regularly...and it might have something to do with lack of sleep. I don't think I've done it since I was at least in the apartment, and maybe living back with my parents. Not sure.
Anyway, I hope he gets back to napping for a few days...he needs the sleep. And I don't like worrying what he could be getting into in his sleep for goodness sake! I already have to keep my eye on him when he's awake!
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