Lucas and I walked to work today in the stroller. At the end of the day I got swept up in talking to Krissy upstairs and it was already 5:40. I didn't want to walk home, so I checked the bus schedule . . . 5:55!
Lucas and I booked it to the bus. He thought it was hilarious that I had to run. Stinker.
We made it. You'd have thought I made Lucas the biggest slide in the world by the look on his face! Bus!!!
We rode home on the bus with Lucas yelling "bye bye" to every car, person and animal we passed. His enthusiasm for those simple things is so contagious. I love it.
The bus spit us out right in front of our house. Bonus!
Thank goodness for surprise buses. (:
Monday, July 30, 2012
Sunday, July 29, 2012
Hand, foot, mouth AND knees, legs, elbows and bottom!
Poor Lucas. Last weekend he spiked a fever when he was with Brian. He came home happy, but super hot. He didn't have any other symptoms, but I was pretty wary because I knew that hand, foot and mouth virus was circulating in mass quantities at work. But, he's had it before. . . a very light case last summer when we were Mason Jar camping. By Sunday night, Lucas was not comfortable at all. He had developed a few bumps on his hands and on his bottom, and in the folds of his knees and elbows. I was worried about chicken pox at first, but after checking the CDC webpage I discovered that it can sometimes show up in these areas too. Lucas' poor feet were getting bad. He would fall asleep while I rocked him and then awake almost violently, rubbing his feet together. I had to make a late night trip to Haggen to get some Benadryl for him. Megan had come over to watch the last Bachelorette episode, so luckily I didn't have to drag him with me!
I was out of work Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. Brianne watched him on Thursday for a good chunk of the day and Brian took him on Friday. The worst place he got it was on his feet. By Wednesday his feet had developed full-on blisters. He was such a trooper though. Tuesday was his crankiest day, but even at his crankiest he was still pretty tame! I'd be way more cranky if it was my body covered with an itchy/painful rash. No good. Luckily, he's pretty much made a full recovery and it's back to school for Lucas tomorrow. Almost 100% of both toddler rooms have had this bug. That's absolutely the most absences we've had with any virus in my memory. I called the health department and reported it, but they didn't have too much advice for me. I guess it's just one of those things.
So, I've been trying all week to post all these cute things Lucas has been doing, but with his crankiness comes the "I-don't-want-you-to-put-me-down" symptoms. But now he's asleep and I have 10 minutes before bed!
Stinky Feet
Lucas thinks it's so hilarious, at the end of the day when I take his shoes off, that I tell him his feet are stinky. When he wears those Keens without socks, they are REALLY stinky! (: So now every time I remove his shoes, I wave my hand in front of my nose and say, "Ewww, stinky feet and toes!" And he laughs and laughs. In fact, he's learned the word stinky. Ha!
Hot!
One of Lucas' favorite books is "Goodnight Moon". I'm surprised, because it's really not the most exciting book. But I'm also not surprised at the same time because it's got some sort of weird calming rhythm to it. I read it to him while I was pregnant too (they said that was good to do). He sits in my lap when I read it to him and the other day he pointed to the picture and said, "Hot!" I looked at the picture and saw the fireplace. "Yes," I said to him, "It IS hot! It's a fireplace." And he started blowing on it, to cool it off.
New Baby
Natalie, Lucas' friend from school, just had a brand new baby brother. When we got word that he (baby William) was born, we got a text with a picture! Elisha took her phone in the classroom to show Natalie her new baby brother. I watched from the window in my office. Natalie just kind of stared at it at first and was a little memorized and confused, I think. Lucas and Miles came over to look and Lucas kissed the phone with the baby. Awww. Then, of course, Miles and Natalie had to kiss him too.
Go, Mama, Go!
When Brianne watched Lucas on Thursday, she took him for a walk on part of the Interurban Trail. On the downhill parts she'd jog with Lucas and he thought it was fantastic. Today we went on a walk at Lake Padden and he kept encouraging me from the stroller, "Go, Mama, Go!" I couldn't figure out what he wanted me to do for a second, and then I realized he wanted me to run. Lake Padden's trail has BIG downhill parts so we got some speed. We got so much speed that the front wheel on the stroller started spinning around very fast, almost dangerous! I got quite the workout in (probably looked like a total dork too), and Lucas thought he was speed racer.
Pretend Play
I love that Lucas is a good "pretend player". He's been rocking his "babies" to sleep for months now, chanting "night-night" as he pats their backs (just like he gets patted at school). He's recently started "feeding" his Little People and his cars and trucks. When he has a bowl of crackers or blueberries, he makes sure that his toys all get bites of his food as he says, "Mmmm-num-num-num". The other day he took his blocks and lined them up right next to each other, down the table. I asked him what he was doing and he said, "Choo-choo!" He was making a train out of his blocks. (:
I could probably keep writing this stuff forever.
The funny thing is that he was driving me crazy by the time Thursday morning rolled around. I was almost salivating to go back to work (and honestly, I think he was really hoping to get to go to school). But as soon as I got to work, I missed him. And at the end of the day, I was really happy to come home. If I only had to work part time, that would probably be ideal. But, this isn't an ideal world and we work with what we have. More of that practice with balance.
I was out of work Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. Brianne watched him on Thursday for a good chunk of the day and Brian took him on Friday. The worst place he got it was on his feet. By Wednesday his feet had developed full-on blisters. He was such a trooper though. Tuesday was his crankiest day, but even at his crankiest he was still pretty tame! I'd be way more cranky if it was my body covered with an itchy/painful rash. No good. Luckily, he's pretty much made a full recovery and it's back to school for Lucas tomorrow. Almost 100% of both toddler rooms have had this bug. That's absolutely the most absences we've had with any virus in my memory. I called the health department and reported it, but they didn't have too much advice for me. I guess it's just one of those things.
So, I've been trying all week to post all these cute things Lucas has been doing, but with his crankiness comes the "I-don't-want-you-to-put-me-down" symptoms. But now he's asleep and I have 10 minutes before bed!
Stinky Feet
Lucas thinks it's so hilarious, at the end of the day when I take his shoes off, that I tell him his feet are stinky. When he wears those Keens without socks, they are REALLY stinky! (: So now every time I remove his shoes, I wave my hand in front of my nose and say, "Ewww, stinky feet and toes!" And he laughs and laughs. In fact, he's learned the word stinky. Ha!
Hot!
One of Lucas' favorite books is "Goodnight Moon". I'm surprised, because it's really not the most exciting book. But I'm also not surprised at the same time because it's got some sort of weird calming rhythm to it. I read it to him while I was pregnant too (they said that was good to do). He sits in my lap when I read it to him and the other day he pointed to the picture and said, "Hot!" I looked at the picture and saw the fireplace. "Yes," I said to him, "It IS hot! It's a fireplace." And he started blowing on it, to cool it off.
New Baby
Natalie, Lucas' friend from school, just had a brand new baby brother. When we got word that he (baby William) was born, we got a text with a picture! Elisha took her phone in the classroom to show Natalie her new baby brother. I watched from the window in my office. Natalie just kind of stared at it at first and was a little memorized and confused, I think. Lucas and Miles came over to look and Lucas kissed the phone with the baby. Awww. Then, of course, Miles and Natalie had to kiss him too.
Go, Mama, Go!
When Brianne watched Lucas on Thursday, she took him for a walk on part of the Interurban Trail. On the downhill parts she'd jog with Lucas and he thought it was fantastic. Today we went on a walk at Lake Padden and he kept encouraging me from the stroller, "Go, Mama, Go!" I couldn't figure out what he wanted me to do for a second, and then I realized he wanted me to run. Lake Padden's trail has BIG downhill parts so we got some speed. We got so much speed that the front wheel on the stroller started spinning around very fast, almost dangerous! I got quite the workout in (probably looked like a total dork too), and Lucas thought he was speed racer.
Pretend Play
I love that Lucas is a good "pretend player". He's been rocking his "babies" to sleep for months now, chanting "night-night" as he pats their backs (just like he gets patted at school). He's recently started "feeding" his Little People and his cars and trucks. When he has a bowl of crackers or blueberries, he makes sure that his toys all get bites of his food as he says, "Mmmm-num-num-num". The other day he took his blocks and lined them up right next to each other, down the table. I asked him what he was doing and he said, "Choo-choo!" He was making a train out of his blocks. (:
I could probably keep writing this stuff forever.
The funny thing is that he was driving me crazy by the time Thursday morning rolled around. I was almost salivating to go back to work (and honestly, I think he was really hoping to get to go to school). But as soon as I got to work, I missed him. And at the end of the day, I was really happy to come home. If I only had to work part time, that would probably be ideal. But, this isn't an ideal world and we work with what we have. More of that practice with balance.
Thursday, July 19, 2012
Flowers from Lucas
Lucas' Grandma and Aunt came to see him today and take him out for a visit at school. He came back and brought me flowers. (: Pretty purple flowers from Lucas. Thanks Lucas!
Yesterday Lucas and I had a power struggle over cleaning up. I was finishing up taking a shower and Lucas came into the bathroom and dumped out my basket of baby shampoo bottles all over the floor. It wasn't the actual contents of the bottles, but the bottles themselves. Not a big deal, but we've been working on cleaning up our messes after we've made them. Let me tell you . . . you have to start early! So, when it came time for Lucas to take a bath, which is the norm for our routine, I told him he had to clean up before he got in the tub.
He did everything he could not to clean up. He played cute. He "pretended" to clean up the bottles. He moved them around. He stared at them. But most of all, he ignored me. I know very well that he knows how to clean up. He's actually REALLY good at it. He's one of the best cleaners in the toddler room. He's just like his ever-stubborn mother in that he wants to do it on his own terms. So, in a fruitless effort to teach him logical consequences, we went head to head.
Like I said above, I first told him that he couldn't get in the bath and play with his trucks (a very anticipated event of the day) if he didn't clean up. That bummed him out, but not enough to clean up. Then I tried to coach him through it . . . "Lucas, you should grab that pink bottle and put it in the basket!" No go. Then I got more frustrated and told him he had to sit down unless he was going to clean up. We did this a lot. He'd agree to clean up, I'd allow him to get up, he wouldn't clean up. Ha ha. If I used the term "time out", he'd get upset. I can tell Brian has used that term with him because they don't use it at school and I don't usually use it. In the field of early childhood, "time out" has kind of gotten a bad connotation because it's been overused. People do time out's for every little thing, and for children of this age, it doesn't always teach them anything. Plus, when they get older we try to teach them that taking "a break" can help to clear your head and calm you down. When we use it as a punishment all the time, it's completely negative and no child wants to take a time out.
But, sometimes that's the last thing you can do. So I struggled for 45 minutes to find what works for Lucas. This will be a puzzle that I will work on for the next 18 years. I started feeling ridiculous after 45 minutes because the "child development" education major in me was nagging at my conscious. After 45 minutes a toddler is not getting it any more. He probably doesn't even remember making this mess. The window of opportunity has probably passed. He's not 3 yet. Plus, I needed to get to work eventually and he desperately needed a bath. So I picked up all his trucks and bath toys and put them away. I told him he had to take a bath without toys because he hadn't picked up the last mess he'd made. He didn't get it. I know he didn't get it because it didn't really seem to phase him. But it made me feel better. (:
I was talking about it with Elisha later, and I think next time I would ask him to leave the bathroom (because at the beginning, I was still in the bathroom getting ready and all that) and then close the door. I'd tell him that if he couldn't take care of his "bathroom things" that he couldn't be in the bathroom. I think at the time, that would have made him really mad. And I think taking away that "cool bathroom experience" would help him understand a little bit. Who knows. But, I'm proud of myself because during the entire experience I didn't get frustrated or raise my voice or anything like that. I put on my firm teacher voice and my teacher face (or, I guess my mom voice and face), but I didn't yell at him and I didn't lose my patience.
Lucas REALLY responds to positive reinforcement. He likes to have that positive attention. I can tell that already. He could care less about getting a "punishment", but he thrives on people watching and giving him that "thumbs up". I have a book I need to read that we ordered for work that talks about how to work with kids in that positive way. I think if I focus too much on the negative reinforcement and punishments he will naturally just do what he wants. He seems to need more motivation.
But he also needs to understand that there are natural consequences to his behaviors. This is why I sometimes let him fall, let him feel the cold of the air when he doesn't wear a coat, let him push the cat to the point where they fight back (although they never have, silly cats). He needs to know that there are natural consequences, outside of mama and daddy, that will happen if he makes those choices. But I also need to protect him - so no, you cannot touch the stove. You cannot climb up and try to stand on the balcony edge. You cannot run out into the street. Those are not logical consequences that will teach you anything you'll easily recover from! Such a delicate balance it is.
I used to think that I didn't like puzzles or mysteries, but the more I look at my life and the things I work on the most, the more I see that I deal with puzzles all the time. Lucas is just my most loved puzzle. (:
Yesterday Lucas and I had a power struggle over cleaning up. I was finishing up taking a shower and Lucas came into the bathroom and dumped out my basket of baby shampoo bottles all over the floor. It wasn't the actual contents of the bottles, but the bottles themselves. Not a big deal, but we've been working on cleaning up our messes after we've made them. Let me tell you . . . you have to start early! So, when it came time for Lucas to take a bath, which is the norm for our routine, I told him he had to clean up before he got in the tub.
He did everything he could not to clean up. He played cute. He "pretended" to clean up the bottles. He moved them around. He stared at them. But most of all, he ignored me. I know very well that he knows how to clean up. He's actually REALLY good at it. He's one of the best cleaners in the toddler room. He's just like his ever-stubborn mother in that he wants to do it on his own terms. So, in a fruitless effort to teach him logical consequences, we went head to head.
Like I said above, I first told him that he couldn't get in the bath and play with his trucks (a very anticipated event of the day) if he didn't clean up. That bummed him out, but not enough to clean up. Then I tried to coach him through it . . . "Lucas, you should grab that pink bottle and put it in the basket!" No go. Then I got more frustrated and told him he had to sit down unless he was going to clean up. We did this a lot. He'd agree to clean up, I'd allow him to get up, he wouldn't clean up. Ha ha. If I used the term "time out", he'd get upset. I can tell Brian has used that term with him because they don't use it at school and I don't usually use it. In the field of early childhood, "time out" has kind of gotten a bad connotation because it's been overused. People do time out's for every little thing, and for children of this age, it doesn't always teach them anything. Plus, when they get older we try to teach them that taking "a break" can help to clear your head and calm you down. When we use it as a punishment all the time, it's completely negative and no child wants to take a time out.
But, sometimes that's the last thing you can do. So I struggled for 45 minutes to find what works for Lucas. This will be a puzzle that I will work on for the next 18 years. I started feeling ridiculous after 45 minutes because the "child development" education major in me was nagging at my conscious. After 45 minutes a toddler is not getting it any more. He probably doesn't even remember making this mess. The window of opportunity has probably passed. He's not 3 yet. Plus, I needed to get to work eventually and he desperately needed a bath. So I picked up all his trucks and bath toys and put them away. I told him he had to take a bath without toys because he hadn't picked up the last mess he'd made. He didn't get it. I know he didn't get it because it didn't really seem to phase him. But it made me feel better. (:
I was talking about it with Elisha later, and I think next time I would ask him to leave the bathroom (because at the beginning, I was still in the bathroom getting ready and all that) and then close the door. I'd tell him that if he couldn't take care of his "bathroom things" that he couldn't be in the bathroom. I think at the time, that would have made him really mad. And I think taking away that "cool bathroom experience" would help him understand a little bit. Who knows. But, I'm proud of myself because during the entire experience I didn't get frustrated or raise my voice or anything like that. I put on my firm teacher voice and my teacher face (or, I guess my mom voice and face), but I didn't yell at him and I didn't lose my patience.
Lucas REALLY responds to positive reinforcement. He likes to have that positive attention. I can tell that already. He could care less about getting a "punishment", but he thrives on people watching and giving him that "thumbs up". I have a book I need to read that we ordered for work that talks about how to work with kids in that positive way. I think if I focus too much on the negative reinforcement and punishments he will naturally just do what he wants. He seems to need more motivation.
But he also needs to understand that there are natural consequences to his behaviors. This is why I sometimes let him fall, let him feel the cold of the air when he doesn't wear a coat, let him push the cat to the point where they fight back (although they never have, silly cats). He needs to know that there are natural consequences, outside of mama and daddy, that will happen if he makes those choices. But I also need to protect him - so no, you cannot touch the stove. You cannot climb up and try to stand on the balcony edge. You cannot run out into the street. Those are not logical consequences that will teach you anything you'll easily recover from! Such a delicate balance it is.
I used to think that I didn't like puzzles or mysteries, but the more I look at my life and the things I work on the most, the more I see that I deal with puzzles all the time. Lucas is just my most loved puzzle. (:
Toddler Reports: June 15 through June 18, 2012
Here they are! Lucas' toddler reports!
June 15, 2012
Today Lucas went on a community walk with Nika and Heather. Saw a big dog! Lucas was so excited to help water our zucchini this morning!
June 17, 2012
Lucas was super stoked today – running, jumping, yelling! Love his Keanu Reeves impression – “Woah!!!”
June 18, 2012
A little fussy this morning but happy after his nap! Danced to music from cars passing by!
June 20, 2012
Lucas played in the water today. He had a great day! He loved rowing and splashing!
June 21, 2012
Lucas frequently enjoys climbing into/diving into the water tables. Today we went on a community walk and painted. We read the “Runaway Bunny” three times. . . in a row.
June 25, 2012
Lucas loved shoveling all the rainwater out of the water tables. He was really into emptying the bookshelf so he could climb in and lay down!
June 26, 2012
We popped a lot of bubbles, took turns blowing them, read books, and snuggled!
June 27, 2012
Today we played in the sandbox, using the dustpan and shovel to clean up. He turned a lot of different things into a telephone today.
June 28, 2012
Lucas loved splashing in the water outside today. He had a good day overall!
June 29, 2012
Our new construction/excavation book is a little advanced for him but Lucas always responds with “whooooaaa” as he lifts the flaps.
July 2, 2012
Lucas had a great morning dunking baskets and testing his friends to see who would give up their toys!
July 3, 2012
Loved rowing the wooden boat with Miles and Kallyann. Asked for a walk all day. Yay! He made it till noon (nap)! I hope that makes the evening easier!
July 5, 2012
Today Lucas enjoyed showing me all the things in the yard – nature guide style. Lucas would eat an entire watermelon, I’m pretty certain.
July 6, 2012
Lucas begged for a walk today and we’re happy he was awake to go! He was throwing chairs today too, practicing for WWF wrestling.
July 9, 2012
Today Lucas watered the zucchini, played in the hippo sprinkler, and stomped in the mud puddles with Miles. Lucas had a great time in the sprinkler and replenished himself with a ton of noodles and then promptly passed out.
July 10, 2012
Loved the new books about oceans and beaches! Lucas has taught everyone to dip their fruit in tomato soup. This is so bizarre!
July 11, 2012
Enjoyed tipping over the sprinkler and throwing the balls into the water tables. We managed to keep Lucas out of the water tables, but not for lack of trying.
July 12, 2012
Lucas enjoyed splashing in the water table and watching the Costco man! We also went on a community walk!
July 13, 2012
Lucas made it through lunch without any major meltdowns! He had a great time dumping water tables out on all his friends.
July 16, 2012
Lucas was so snuggly this morning! He had a good time playing with pretend food in our play kitchen.
July 17, 2012
Lucas checked the heartbeat of his bear with the doctor toys to make sure he was healthy!
July 18, 2012
Lucas mowed the lawn, played king of the slide, used wheelbarrows to transport balls and sorted shapes!
Tuesday, July 17, 2012
Today after work Lucas and I had to pick up our prescriptions at Rite Aid. Normally I carry him or put him in the cart, but today I held his hand and walked. We had so much fun. We played with the balls and picked out ice cream at Haggen. It's hot today, so I thought ice cream was completely justified. We got home and he ate dinner and then we had ice cream. When I have him a scoop of chocolate he said, "Mmmm, cream." It was so cute.
•••
Lucas really enjoys this hand-me-down book I got about using the potty. Some time ago I bought him a cheap little potty at IKEA and he loves it. He sits on it, randomly and says, "Poooo." it cracks me up. He doesn't really get the connections between those "sensations" of using the bathroom and actually doing it though. I let him go diaperless yesterday and he peed on the floor right next to his green potty. Ha! I'm not expecting him to ACTUALLY use his potty any time soon, but I figure the exposure can't hurt!
•••
I read this article somewhere on Pinterest tonight about things people don't tell you about raising boys. There was some section about weddings or something and the quote was, "There's a good chance you may scoop up your son, hold him close and slow dance with him in your kitchen, thinking: One day you'll be taller than me and we'll be doing this at your wedding." I got all weepy. I'm getting all weepy just rewriting it.
Damn time going so quickly.
•••
Lucas really enjoys this hand-me-down book I got about using the potty. Some time ago I bought him a cheap little potty at IKEA and he loves it. He sits on it, randomly and says, "Poooo." it cracks me up. He doesn't really get the connections between those "sensations" of using the bathroom and actually doing it though. I let him go diaperless yesterday and he peed on the floor right next to his green potty. Ha! I'm not expecting him to ACTUALLY use his potty any time soon, but I figure the exposure can't hurt!
•••
I read this article somewhere on Pinterest tonight about things people don't tell you about raising boys. There was some section about weddings or something and the quote was, "There's a good chance you may scoop up your son, hold him close and slow dance with him in your kitchen, thinking: One day you'll be taller than me and we'll be doing this at your wedding." I got all weepy. I'm getting all weepy just rewriting it.
Damn time going so quickly.
Monday, July 16, 2012
Talk, talk, talk
My little Lucas, I love him. He's just a very chatty little man right now! My favorite is when I ask him a silly question (a yes or no question), and he grins at me and says, "Nnno!" Like he's saying, "Oh mom! You're ridiculous!"
We have a lot of things around the house that there are 2 of: 1 mom-sized and 1 Lucas-sized. He points to his and says, "My wawa." (If we're talking about water bottles.) And I say, "Yes, that's your water." Then he grins and points to mine and says, "Mama's wawa!"
I hope he calls me mama for awhile. I love it.
We have a lot of things around the house that there are 2 of: 1 mom-sized and 1 Lucas-sized. He points to his and says, "My wawa." (If we're talking about water bottles.) And I say, "Yes, that's your water." Then he grins and points to mine and says, "Mama's wawa!"
I hope he calls me mama for awhile. I love it.
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