It's a Revolution!

I'm going to try to be a better blogger this year and post once a week. We'll see how long I can keep it up.

Jamie has taken his crib back. We'd been putting Renna in it to have naps and one night we started her there for the night, and Jamie said he wanted to sleep there. So Michael put it back as a toddler bed and he's been sleeping there ever since. I think the only reason he wanted to sleep on the floor before was because that's where the dogs were. But since they moved into Mama's room he was the only one on the floor while we bedshare with Renna. He's such a big boy. So now we have to get a crib for Renna.

Jamie has learned how to open doors. We're in trouble now. This happened the same day he wanted his bed back. Now we're working on getting him to stay in the bedroom even though he physically can escape. Two nights in a row I simply put him back time after time after leaving the door open. The first night it only took a half hour until he fell asleep. The second night it was over an hour. So last night we started with it open, I explained that if he left, then I'd close the door. He left immediately and the door was closed. I had to hold the knob for 15-20 seconds but he got the idea and didn't try it again. He raged about that for a while, finally falling asleep in front of the door. Tonight we explained that if he left, the door would be closed. We have a two strike policy. After the first escape, I repeated that if he left the room, I'd close the door. He stayed in there for a very long time, babbling and looking out the window. Finally he came out again, hoping to play the chase-me-back-to-bed-a-million-times-Mama game. But I explained again what was happening, then I closed the door and he didn't even try to open it. I want him to be able to stay in bed and have the door open because I think it will help him to feel connected the household even while he's in bed. He wants us to go to bed when he does and he doesn't want to be alone. This would be a perfect solution. If we can just get him to stay in bed.

Another big change he's going through is that we've gotten rid of bottles. He resisted at first, but decided that having warm milk in a sippy cup was just as good. We'd been using the bottles for soothing him back to sleep at night and for nap and bed time. But it just wasn't working anymore. He'd drink 2-3 8oz bottles in the middle of the night and keep getting up wanting to play and it wasn't working to help put him to sleep during the day either. He really just wanted to walk around with one all day long and drink only milk and not eat food because he wouldn't have to stop to eat. He could just keep playing and exploring and not be hungry. No. He needs more nutrition than just milk and the occasional food. He's been bottle free for 2 days and seems just fine. No traumas. :) Of course, part of the transition is that I told him, "Baba no. Tea yes." I've made him tea (it has antioxidants!) and it's pretty diluted and decaf. But he loves it. There were tears a few times, but we calmed him in other ways and he's been fine.

After some discussion with Mama and Michael, I've discovered what makes the Terrible Twos so terrible. I mean, I knew there were tantrums and things, but I never knew why. I mean, what makes the age of 2 so special that it makes most children begin screaming and raging? Until recently, Jamie has been able to have or get whatever he wanted because the only limitations on him were physical ones. So if he could get it, he could have it. Now, he really has no physical limitations anymore. He can open doors. He can go up and down steps. He can close doors. He can flush the toilet. He can open drawers and cabinets. He can turn on the water. He can climb. He can run. He can pull out the outlet protectors. He can open the fridge. But now his boundaries are intellectual ones. He has to limit himself. He has to limit himself either because he wants to or because we want him to. Obedience is now possible. And he does understand when we tell him things. He can remember long enough to comprehend consequences. This is new. This is where the frustration comes in. We need to be as clear as possible with him and explain things as much as possible and being ironclad consistent is imperative. We put that to use today, and while we had some of the normal tantrums, I think it was successful as well. He's not used to the "if this, then this" from us, but I think he likes it.

Renna is growing by leaps and bounds. Just tonight she said, "Mamamamama, dadadadada" just like that. She's been babbling a ton today. She got her first front tooth on Jamie's second birthday, and her second front tooth 5 days later. At her latest peds appt she measured over the 97th percentile in height and around the 25th percentile in weight. So her height and weight stayed in the same percentile and her weight didn't drop percentiles like it's been doing all along. She's still only getting tastes of solid foods, but she's enjoying it a lot and asking more often. But after only a few tastes she's done and looking for nummies.

Can I just say that I LOVE LOVE LOVE the baby Ergo? It's awesome. Renna loves riding in it when we're out, and she has even slept in it. It's great. Most of the weight is on my hips, not my back! The moby wrap was never that comfortable and I can wear her the entire time we're out shopping and not get tired. Now I just want to try Jamie in it. He got a bit impatient the only time I put him in it, but that was at home and it was nap time. I really wish I'd had it when Jamie was a baby. He still loves the SideRider, though, and so do I.