Tag: Kids

The Potty Chronicles Continue

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Since I have written about my goals of potty training ‘J’ over the summer and how those plans were unsuccessful, I thought I would provide an update. To some, it may seem weird to be writing about this. But for me, this is a major milestone in this house!

Many attempts were made over the summer, as well as on and off for the last two years. Over the summer we’d take a couple of days where ‘J’ would hold it, and go while he was sleeping since I still had a pull-up on him. Other times he would feel like he had to go and become so overwhelmed and hysterical it was hard to continue because I didn’t want it to be a bad experience. You definitely don’t want your kid traumatized when it comes to bathroom habits. You also don’t want them going to High School in a diaper.

We went through lots of ups and downs and then two days before his first day of school, a Tuesday, he finally did it! It was so exciting and I think he got to see that it wasn’t so bad. Granted, the whole next day he refused. Thursday was his first day of school. Considering he had only gone once, I definitely wasn’t sending him in underwear. I didn’t need him freaking out about that on top of first day of school jitters. Once I picked him up and as we were driving home, I told him that after his nap we were going to try the potty again. That was 5 days ago. He’s now gone 4 nights and 4 full days without wearing a diaper.

It definitely helps that we had no weekend plans and no services or school today and tomorrow in observance of holidays.

It’s hard not to be too excited so I’m trying to stay cautiously optimistic. We’ve put a sticker chart into play which he’s excited about, he hasn’t asked for a diaper and he’s… um…done #1 annnnnnd #2. I’m still in disbelief.

Over the last two years I’ve tried everything. No pants, just underwear, standing, sitting, sticker charts, rewards, no rewards, peer pressure, trying to talk out his fears, reading books, watching potty episodes of his favorite shows, the list goes on.

What we’re experiencing now has never happened. Even over the years when he would go, it would be random, one and done and not again for months.

I’m not sure what clicked for him even thought I always knew it would just click at some point. But when you’ve been changing diapers for 4 years and 3 months for 1 child, you start to doubt it. I think the combination of him realizing it wasn’t so bad once he did it, then going to school two days later and seeing that all the kids were using the potty may have pushed him into gear. Whatever it is, I’m happy and so proud of him. Seeing the fear, the hysterics and knowing how overwhelmed he would get, I’m keeping my fingers crossed that it’s hopefully behind us.

 

1st Day of School Blues

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Today is ‘J’s’ first day of Pre-K. The big question is: Who is handling it better, me or him?

For nursery school last year, he went two days a week for 2.5 hours each day. This year he’s still going 2 days a week but this time for 5 hours. So much time (for me)!

Of course I have the normal mommy fears and I want him to be happy and have a good day. Selfishly, I hate leaving him and I want to keep my baby with me. I know that although the transition time may be rocky, he’ll be into the routine in no time and hopefully loving it as much as he did last year.

I left the classroom with him playing with a new friend. Last year, I left him as he was crying so we’re already a step up! I just hope it continues throughout the day. On the drive, he was saying he wanted the “same school” with his teachers from last year. Luckily one of his teachers is the same from last year, which I think will help.

Stay tuned to hear how his day went!

What Happened to Summer?

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I think something is wrong with my calendar. It seems as though we’re in the last week of August, summer is coming to an end and school starts next week.

It went way too fast. I had ideas for the summer, things I would be doing with the extra time we’d have everyday and most of those things didn’t happen. Don’t get me wrong, we had fun, saw friends for playdates, saw immediate family and some of our adult friends. At the same time it seems like we should have done more. But in the paraphrased words of Carrie Bradshaw, we shouldn’t “should” all over ourselves.

Let’s recap what I had hoped for from my pre summer posts.

  • Potty Training
    • Attempted, no success
  • A daily schedule
    • Written out, happened twice
  • A road trip to visit some of our friends
    • I can’t remember if I wrote about this one but regardless, it didn’t happen

Here we are at the end of summer. As I await details of ‘J’s’ class information, I wonder how his adjustment back into the routine will go. Monday and Wednesdays he’ll have Speech and OT again and Tuesday/Thursdays will be school. He went two days a week last year for about 2.5 hours a day. This year, he will be there for 5. I wonder which of his friends will be in his class again and my hope is that he’ll love it as much as he did last year. I know that won’t always be the case so if we cant hang onto it for now, that would be great. As for ‘Baby J,’ we’ll get back into a Mommy and Me class routine and I’m sure she’ll be missing her playmate around the house during the day.

A schedule is great but I want to hang onto these summer days just a bit longer.

Mets Overload

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This past weekend, we went to a Mets game. ‘J’ has been quite a few times in his 4 years and ‘Baby J’ went once last year. However, this was our first game of the season.

We went with my family which meant three kids 4 and under (my niece is right inIMG_2097 between the ‘J’s’). Knowing the kids probably wouldn’t sit through much of the game, we got seats in the highest section…also known as the boonies. Some more background for you: it was also one of the hottest days of the summer and the game started when nap time is normally happening for all three.

If you’ve been to a game, you know there are lots of announcements, plenty of loud music and crowd chanting. Being so high up, we were pretty close to the speakers. Within a few minutes, the first announcement was made and ‘J’ was freaked out. He wanted to leave and said it was too loud. Him and I went back down, found a shady spot out of the way on the next level down and had a little hot dog and french fry picnic. We talked through it, walked around a bit and he wanted to try again. I’m happy he tried two more times but it was still too much for him.

He definitely has a sensitivity to sound and certain things are very overwhelming for him. What we have learned is that if we keep talking to him and maybe get him to cover his ears, it can sometimes help. The thing that has helped the most has been letting him know there’s a way out and a safe space. We know the signs/cues from him and we don’t want to see him go into ultimate freak out mode especially if the sound is affecting him that much. Once we found a calmer/cooler spot, he was ok.

Eventually the sun started invading our seats and we all hung out on the next level down before heading home. Back in the day, we used to stay the whole game…or at least until the 7th or 8th inning. Now we never make it past two hours. We did manage to get some adorable pictures which was great!

Oh and by the way, ‘J’ was asleep as soon as we got out of the parking lot.

Below are two videos from Sensory Spectacle regarding auditory difficulties.

 

I’ve Been There, Buddy

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I was so excited to hear that Muppet Babies was getting a revival. It was one of my favorites when I was young and I was happy that my kids would get to experience an up to date version.

From episode 1, ‘J’ was all in. Most new episodes have come out on Fridays and if you have the Disney Now App, it is waiting for you when you wake up. Not that we ever wake up and immediately put the TV on in order to help mommy and daddy come out of zombie mode from their 6AM wake up call….

Each episode is a half hour, but broken into two different segments. This past week, the second story was titled “Animal Kong.” Animal was upset because Miss Nanny took away his drum sticks during quiet time. If you’re a parent of young ones, you know the tantrum that can erupt when they can’t do what they want to do. This was the same for Animal and because of those feelings, he turned into his larger self, Animal Kong.

This story is an excellent lesson in feelings. Much like Daniel Tiger teaches that it’s ok to be mad and how to turn it around, Animal’s friends talk through different ways to calm down when you’re feeling angry.

Summer sings a song to Animal to let him know it’s ok to feel angry and the feelings won’t last long. The song is called “I’ve Been There, Buddy.” A bonus to this episode and song is that ‘Buddy’ is one of ‘J’s’ nicknames.

I think it’s great that so many shows now not only teach ABCs and 123s, but also feelings and how to handle real life situations.

If your child wants to play along, check out the Muppet Babies Figure Set on Amazon!

*Eligible for commission

 

Thank You Regal!

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The following blog is not an advertisement, just an honest review of our experience.

Back in October, my husband took ‘J’ to a Disney Jr event at the movie theater. We thought it would be a great way to test out the movie going experience with our then 3.5 year old. The event was showing Halloween episodes of some of his favorite shows and he’d be able to dress in his Woody costume. Sounds like a win right?

Nope.

Once he turned down the dark hallway to the theater, he ran the other way. After attempting to get him back, including FaceTiming with me, we decided he wasn’t ready. We eventually added this to the list of red flags we had when figuring out his Sensory Processing Difficulties.

Regal Cinemas has a fantastic summer event; Summer Movie Express: $1 Movies all summer long! Every Tuesday and Wednesday, Regal will show previously run/older movies. Both days will offer the same two movies but they change weekly.

SMX

We decided to give the movie theater experience another try. I was talking with a friend and we met up on Wednesday to check it out. Between us we have four kids: two are age 4, one is 2 and one is 1.5. So we definitely didn’t know how this would go!

‘J’ was doing great until we entered the theater. The lights were dim, it was a room he had never been in and he froze. Our friends sat down and we were hanging out in the entryway to the theater as he told me that he wanted to go home. After some time, some reminders of the snack stash I had in my bag and emoji games showing up on the big screen, we slowly made our way to our seats. We were there to see Sing, a current favorite. I did not expect to make it through the movie expecting he might get too overwhelmed or his sister would get way too fussy (after missing her morning nap).

I was amazed that we made it to the credits! All four of them did great. There was some fussiness here and there, some switching seats, but overall, it was a success! I still can’t believe it and it’s two days later.

Thank you Regal for creating an experience where parents feel comfortable in the theater (since its a morning movie filled with other kids) and a price point that eases the pain of possibly needing a quick exit at any moment.

I don’t think ‘J’ is all in on movies just yet, but perhaps a few more summer days at Regal and we may be ready for new releases soon!

Back Into the Writing Groove

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After being way behind on blogging I’m back and getting in the writing groove.

We had a rough June with a crazy virus. That virus turned into blood work and some other tests for ‘J’ and we’re still waiting to hear about one. In the meantime, we have an appointment with a GI next week to make sure there’s nothing else going on with ‘J’s’ stomach. I’m personally wondering if we’re on the brink of another food allergy (he already has a dairy intolerance). But more on all of this over the next couple of weeks!

June was the end of school, speech and OT for the summer. With ‘J’ being sick on top of it, any kind of new schedule goal has gone out the window. Luckily July seems to be getting better so hopefully we can enjoy the rest of the summer!

I also have a part time virtual job teaching English to children in China. More hours are available over the summer which is great money wise, but also an adjustment for me to get back to working nights. I love talking to the kids and in terms of flexibility, this job is perfect.

All this to say, thanks for bearing with me and for following this blog! More posts coming soon (maybe as early as tomorrow 😉 ).

Milestones

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First off, I promised a blog everyday this week and I failed yesterday. But it was for a good reason!

‘J’ turned 4 on June 5th. 4! How did that happen? Remember when High School felt like forever? And college?! And yet you start on an awesome adventure of being a parent and 4 years go by in a blink.

In 4 years he has grown and changed so much. I’ve been lucky enough to witness every milestone: rolling, first steps, the long awaited first words and so much more! Toddler days are over and the personality he’s always had continues to flourish. He’s loving, sweet and funny, strong and smart, cute and full of energy. I see him interact with his friends and have flash forwards to years from now catching a glimpse of who he might be. I want the best for him and hope that when life lets him down, he can use his new strength to navigate out of it and turn it into something positive. His smile and laugh are contagious and I never want to see that fade.

Yesterday, ‘J’ had his closing ceremonies for his first year of school. Much like the first day of school can be more emotional for the parents, I think the same can be said for the last day. After talking with some of the other moms, I’m thankful to know I wasn’t the only one not accepting this change. This has been our routine for the past 9 months. We hit the jackpot with his teachers and the kids in his class. We’re going back to the same school in September but with different teachers and kids. I know it won’t always be as good as it was this year which only adds to not wanting to let go. I’m so thankful he found a safe and happy place in his classroom. He knew if he felt overwhelmed, he could go to his teachers for comfort. I heard about a day he was randomly crying and saying he missed me. His teachers said his friends gathered around him to make him feel better. Hearing that makes my heart explode. Of course I want to be there to scoop him up and make the tears stop. But I love that if I can’t be there, he found comfort in his friends.

I’m so proud of how he did in school this year. We continue to navigate through his speech and sensory difficulties. He works so hard everyday between school and his therapies. He’s insanely smart and blows us away daily. At the same time, he’s only 4 and sees everything as a way to play. And isn’t that the best way to learn?

It’s hard to see time go by so fast. I want my babies to stay babies forever, but I also want them to grow to be healthy, strong, independent adults. This is nothing compared to what I’ll be up against in the coming years. I look forward to all of it!

In the meantime, I’ll try to hide my lack of enjoyment when it comes to change so he’s just as excited for school in September as he was this year (hopefully).

When the Student Becomes the Teacher

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‘J’ has been receiving speech therapy for 1 year and 6 months. Prior to speech therapy, he was a big grunter. Grunts took the place of words. To sit here today and see how far he has come amazes me.

Now that his sister has been starting to talk, he has taken on the role of trying to teach her new words. He says them slowly, points to his mouth and tries to get her to repeat them. It’s beyond adorable. Of course it typically happens when my camera is not easily accessible.

Why I haven’t put GoPros on them by now, I have no idea.

We are so thankful for his speech therapist. We hit the jackpot with someone that ‘J’ took to, feels comfortable with and talks about even when she’s not around. He has learned so much from her, which he is now using in his teaching style with his sister.

He’s still working on perfecting words and his sentence structure, but he gets better everyday. Soon enough we will have not one but two chatterboxes in the house.

No Sleep Till….Well I’m Not Sure

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‘J’ was always a good sleeper. Well, once he was a few months old and out of the eat, sleep, poop, repeat mode. He was the baby you could put in the crib awake, he’d fall asleep on his own and if he woke up, it was solved with retrieving his binky. When he turned 1, he started going to sleep anywhere between 5:30 and 6:30 at night. Not as a nap, that’s just when he went to bed. In a way, it was great. It became a little more difficult if we had family dinner plans but he always adjusted well.

We knew that whenever we had another, we would not get as lucky in the sleep department. And we didn’t. ‘Baby J’ is adorable, happy, we are so lucky to be her parents. But the girl does not stay asleep. To her credit, she can also be put in her crib awake and fall asleep on her own. But she will wake up many times during the night. Most are quick and solved with a binky retrieval….but it still happens…alot.

Days before I found out I was pregnant with #2, ‘J’ decided it would be a good time to climb out of his crib. Convenient right? I mean we’d need the crib 9 months later anyway! With his new big boy bed came the realization that he could get out of his bed on his own. And so began the process of laying with him until he fell asleep. Two years later we’re still doing it for nap time and bed time.

Now throw in teething for ‘Baby J” and ‘Big J’ starting to have bad dreams and you get two zombie parents. I think we’re back to the days of appreciating a “good stretch of 4 hours” at night. I feel for both of them. ‘Baby J’ is in so much pain when she gets new teeth it’s heartbreaking. We know that ‘J’ is starting to have bad dreams even if he can’t fully comprehend or always communicate that which is horrible.

‘Baby J’ will still nap twice during the day which definitely helps for the nights where she is waking often. ‘J’ has been waking up extra early and sometimes during the night too which makes him more sensitive to his surroundings. I definitely get that. As adults, we’re not in a very good mood when we haven’t had much rest. I just want them to get a good night sleep, feel well rested and be happy when they wake up in the morning. In return, we’ll feel the same!

All I’m saying is as a collective unit, I look forward to us all sleeping through the night and feeling well rested the next day. At the same time, this is all a phase and it will pass. Once we are all sleeping through the night it will mean that they are growing up and soon enough will be in their teen years when I’ll be waking them up at noon. So even in this zombie mode, I will appreciate the tiredness (or at least try to) since I will (somewhat) miss it when it’s gone.

P.S. I love this post on Facebook from Parents Magazine: