some of my favorite Charley quotes

Three of these are from this morning! :)

Mommy: "Do you hear the birds singing?"
C: "Yes, they're having a Thanksgiving party, they're playing some Thanksgiving games."

C: "Mommy I'm growing. My body is trying to push me up." :)

C: "Mommy are you so proud of me?"
Mommy: "Yes, Charley, I'm so proud of you."
C: "Do you love me so much?"
Mommy: "Yes, I love you so so so much."
C: "I love you so so so so so so so so so so much much much much much . . . that's a lot of muches"

C: "Mommy, I'm hiding my thoughts from you. " hmmm

Charley brought me a tower of legos he built this morning and asked, "Could you sell this for $40 bucks?"

lotion lover

Another quirk of my second son is that he loves to do so many things that my first rebelled against. I'm sure it's a good thing, it's just that I'm not used to it b/c of having to fight Charley when he was Ben's age. Things like brushing teeth, changing diapers, putting socks and shoes on to go outside, and yes, putting on lotion. He loves lotion and while I'm changing his diaper, he'll rub it on his legs and arms and tummy. It's really cute and GREAT since it's so dry now, but it's also very hilarious to me to see my 19 mo. old putting on lotion like he's such a big boy. Also, if Ben had his way, he'd have a toothbrush in his mouth 24/7. He LOVES to brush his teeth and runs for it every time we accidentally leave the bathroom door open.

We're still waiting for snow around here. Will got so excited when we had some flurries a few days ago. He can't wait to take the boys sledding at the golf course around the corner from our house. He also can't wait to go skiing. He's going to see the new Warren Miller snow movie in Providence tonight and by going, he'll get free ski passes to some places around here. He can't wait! Seriously, this is going to be something we have to work out in our future: Will wants to live somewhere cold and I love warm weather with short winters. I DO love snow and skiing, but I just don't like cold for 6 months! Plus, with the dry skin issues I've mentioned in previous posts ... I just don't want to be itchy, cracky and dry every winter just so we can ski nearby. I'd rather travel somewhere to ski and wear my shorts and t-shirts most of the year. Anyway, I know we'll compromise on the perfect place someday (once the Navy is done with us, or vice versa and one plus is that with all the moving around we have to do, we'll get to visit different parts of the country to see what they're like before we have to choose.

Oh yeah, another success on the potty front, Charley is finally going #2 in the potty! yay! I know it may sound late to most, but with the issues he's had and meds etc. I'm just thrilled and he's proud too. He's been going consistently for 3 days now. I'm not holding my breath, but I think he may have conquered the constipation thing. He doesn't even want his medicine anymore and doesn't seem to be having problems without it now. It started getting easier for him a while back and when he had to go, he'd go and grab a pull-up and go. When we realized he wasn't struggling anymore, we started disciplining him if he didn't go in the potty. I think this helped us get where we are now, but for the longest time, he really was struggling and having a really hard time pushing it out, and we didn't feel that we should punish him for not using the potty b/c of that. Well, it seems to be over now, so we'll see how the next week goes and hopefully it will become a habit and easier for him. Yay!! It's funny, I'm actually excited that I get to wipe his bottom b/c it means he's gone on the potty! Of course, he wants to that by himself and he doesn't do a bad job at that, so double YAY!!

by the way . . .

I forgot to mention that last night as we were getting ready for bed and I was about to read Charley a book ("Puff, the Magic Dragon"), he said that I was the best Mom in the world. :)!! I have no idea where he's heard that before. I have a hard time believing he came up with it on his own, but you never know, he's a sharp kid. Even though I know he doesn't know what that means, it was still nice to hear.

In other news, he now knows what lying is and how to convincingly tell one. ugh! It's scary how good he is at it. Hmmm, do I wash his mouth out with soap or is that too much these days? :) Right now I'm settling for simply talking to him about honesty and trust and what God wants us to do, with time outs, creative discipline to fit the crime and spanking, if necessary, to follow.

In better news, Charley can almost spell his name. The other night we were writing with soap crayons in the tub and he asked me to write a C-H-A-R but didn't know the rest. I know it's sight spelling, but it's a start and it's nice to know some things are coming together in his little head. We've always worked on phonics so hopefully that will be the next step. It's a whole new world!

Victory . . . maybe

Well, I was all ready to post a happy, excited, hallelujah, hooray, and tadah post that Charley went poopers on the potty last night for the first time!! This is, of course, wonderful and exciting, but this morning, he had a tiny stool, like the kind he had when we had to put him on the Glycolax to get things moving. He also wanted me to put a diaper on him so he could go in it instead of using the potty. I obliged because I thought he was in pain and was trying to pick my battles. Then, just a little while ago, he had a normal size/consistency stool but went in his undies. yuck! He told me he had to go pee and so I thought he had gone, since he frequently tells me then goes by himself, but it turns out he didn't go at all and I was downstairs (he was up) thinking he'd taken care of things and the next thing I know, he's calling me to tell me he went in his undies. hmmmmm we still haven't started him back on the Glycolax, but the randomness of his stools are throwing me off. We're just going to have to take this a day at a time and see what develops.

It is great though that he at least felt comfortable enough to go on the potty. Will threw a little mini-celebration for him (lots of Shrek M'n'M's was the promised reward if he did this). I missed it because I was taking a Mom's night out before Will took off on his boat trip. I did get a phone call at Target though and Charley told me everything! Apparently, he was asking to call me before he'd even finished. I was sad not to be there, but I needed the break.

nothin' much, or not

I want to post something, but don't really have anything to say :) Just random thoughts that don't comprise a theme, which is always fun! :)

I'm stressing a little about Will leaving tomorrow to go on his 5 day boat trip. I have a few activities planned to keep us occupied and one night with a babysitter, but that's about it. They're getting easier to do things with, but Ben's fussiness combined with Charley's strong will at times, makes things very interesting and impossible for me to predict. I'm sure no one knows what I'm talking about. :) hee hee We may be watching some movies this week to help out. Although, I think I've been doing such a good job of keeping Charley down to watching only half an hour to no television each day.

Charley is almost fully potty trained as far as going pee. We're having some setbacks on the poop front. He hasn't gone in a day and when he went before, it was solid and hard for him to push out. We might have to start up the Glycolax again or try Fibersure that a friend of mine, Rachel, is using with her daughter. He's still trying to go, at least, and on the potty no less. He used to want us to put him in a diaper before he'd go. Who knows, he may want us to again once he starts going. Two steps forward, one step back, and one step at a time. We'll get there eventually. :)

Ok, I'll say it, (partially because another friend of mine, Christianne, mentioned it on her blog first), I've been having lots of baby thoughts lately! aaaaghh :) We've gone back and forth about timing etc. and agreed that we'd wait until Ben was around 2 to try again, and that's still the plan, and my hope. That doesn't mean you can always control your thoughts. It's not like their bad thoughts, just thoughts about holding a newborn, being prego again, nursing, swaddling, all the noises and smells and crying . . . knowing that both boys would love it and want to make it happy and take care of it. I loved giving birth at the Newport Hospital. They have a wonderful birthing ward with wonderful nurses and our experience there was, well, wonderful. But we're moving in a year and to do that with a newborn, especially when we're talking about moving states, or even overseas, would be quite a challenge. Not to mention, Will would need to focus on his responsibilities on his new ship and not need the stress of a baby not sleeping through the night yet etc. I want to be able to support him, not need him a lot. Anyway, we're praying about it right now so that hopefully these "thoughts" will go away, or God would confirm that it is the right time to have another, or I could just get pregnant, although birth control is working pretty well for us right now. God's bigger than the pill though. :)

Ok, that's all of my random thoughts for now, so now I can let go of them. Whew, one less thing to keep up with in my brain. :) ta ta

Happy 3rd Birthday Charley!

Now weighing in at 31 lbs and standing at 38" tall, Charley turns 3 today, June 7, 2007. I can't believe it's been 3 years since starting this great adventure of parenthood. It's been a ride and a treat.

So far, he's growing into a very loving, caring, outgoing and active little boy. He's not potty trained yet, but we're working on it. He's been dealing with a contipation issue for a year and a half now and we have him on a prescription laxative. We're making progress though and hopefully, starting preschool in September will be the turning point after our work this summer.

He takes prodigious care of his brother and his constantly hugging and kissing him saying, "I love my baby brother." It's so cute! We're working on obedience as well. Some days are great, some days are not and as he learns to express himself verbally instead of physically, it gets better. He's not a whiner, but we have had to work on hitting. It's a work in progress like anything and from all of my reading and interviewing, I think it will just take time and loving reinforcement.

A few of his favorite things to do are digging for worms, riding his tricycle, petting the neighborhood stray cat, driving our neighbors' toy Jeep cars, playing with trucks, Bob the Builder toys, and building with quatro and duplo legos.

His favorite foods right now are chicken nuggets, raisins (especially yogurt covered), fruit of just about any kind (he likes to sink his little teeth into apples whole, peel and all), of course chips and chocolate, candy of any sort :). He's out of his noodle phase. he used to love any pasta or noodle soup, but lately he hasn't been interested. He still likes green beans and corn, which is good. Oh yeah, I forgot, peanut butter and honey sandwiches. :) He's also good about eating cereal, meat of almost any kind and bread. He's not a real big mac'n'cheese fan, but maybe that falls in the pasta category that he's left behind recently.

He has excellent motor skills, verbal skills (he'll talk your ear off and you can understand him), and balance. He love to do somersaults, jump on the trampoline and do tricks, jump from just about anything high, like a dresser, bookshelf, or toy chest, to anything else, say like the couch, bed or ground.

He has tons of energy and is up almost every morning at 5:30. Somethings haven't changed from when he was 7 months old. Back then though, he went back down for a nap. He still takes about an hour to an hour and a half nap everyday though, which is nice.

He loves to be read to, to sing and dance to songs, and to recite things. I catch him reciting poems, lines from movies, songs, and lines from books to himself while he's playing with his trucks. It's really cute to watch and listen to what he remembers. In fact, when I'm reading him a book we've read before, he'll correct me if I say a word out of order or miss a word, even an insignificant word like "the". I don't think he knows all his letters yet, although he could be playing games and just not wanting to tell them to me. Will says he knows them. He also can count to around 15. :) What really strikes me about his mind is his ability to observe. When he's in a room, he notices everything, even little things. He never forgets where he's left a toy and even when we think he's wrong, he'll go get it and prove us wrong.

It's been a joy to watch him grow and develop during this changing time in his life and I can only look forward to what the next 3 years will be.

crawling and teething and walking (almost) . . . OH MY!

Alright, huge milestone catch up blog . . .

Ben started getting his first tooth about 2 weeks ago and his second a week after that. Only two so far and they're so cute!

He's been crawling like a champ for about a month now is currently pulling up on everything in site and even beginning to walk along the edge of the couch! He's only 6 months old! Maybe I shouldn't be suprised, but Charley didn't even crawl well until he was around 7 months old so I'm just not used to this pace. We keep thinking it's because Ben has been watching Charley so he' s just catching on faster. People have told me it's "second child syndrome" :)

Charley is doing great as well. He's reciting books to us, talking to us non-stop, counting to around 13, praying at the dinner table, and singing us songs. It's so much fun having a conversation with him! Some of his favorite phrases are, "Oh my goodness" and "You're kidding me". He is such a good brother to Ben. He's constantly caring for him and noticing him. He's always telling me what Ben is doing like, "Mom, Ben crying," or "Ben smiling at me," or "Ben happy," or "Ben crawling." It's adorable. He'll usually bring him a toy to play with, but lately he's started trying to tackle him and wrestle with him. It had to start sometime.

Oh I could write so much more, but I have to get to bed. Enjoy!

precious moments

I had the most precious time with Charley yesterday. Background first . . . when he was smaller I used to dance around with him while we listened to music together. So yesterday, I had a classical mix from a Paddington Bear CD (gift from Aunt Donnette, Thank you!) and I started to play it so he could calm down before his nap. On a whim, I asked if he would dance with me so I picked him up and we got to dance together again like when he was little. It was so sweet! Afterwards, he snuggled with me on the couch while we listened some more and he liked the music so much that he let me lay him in our bed and kept listening while I was able to go get some dishes done. When he finally got up and I asked him how he liked it he said, "it's pretty." Oh so sweet! :) Dancing with him was a sweet time and when Will got home, he reminded me that I would get to dance with him again at his wedding. That was a crazy thought, but dear. Anway, just thought I'd relay a very precious moment. It's so wonderful to enjoying our kids.

"I obey Mommy"

ahhhh sometimes it's just too much! I love my boys so much!! This morning we had to go to a 4 mo. well baby check- up for Ben (shots and all). Charley woke up early this morning and we didn't make him go back to bed so he was already tired when we had been at the appointment for an hour. He sat in the stroller for over an hour and was sooo good for me. He squirmed and complained a little, but didn't cry or throw a fit or really fuss a lot. I gave him some treats and promised him a few donut holes afterwards if he was good. We were there so long I think he forgot about the donuts, but he was still very good for me. Then, when we got home and I thought he would run wild after being strapped down for so long; he began to exit the car (instead of making a break for the front seat to "drive") saying, "I obey Mommy." I praised him thinking, "ok we'll see what he wants or how long this will last," but as I asked him to go to the front door (instead of run around the yard) he again said, "I obey Mommy." This continued all the way up the stairs into the house and afterwards as he threw away the bag from the donut holes and as we went to wash his hand and finally as I laid him down for a nap where he is now. He just kept saying it over and over again and it was so sweet! I was praising him for it and trying to let him know how good he was for obeying, but since I've been reading "Dare to Discipline" I learned that I shouldn't overly praise him or else it won't mean anything (I think that's the jist of it). Maybe it's don't overly reward him or the reward doesn't mean anything, or maybe it's both, maybe I should go reread that section :) Anyway, my heart was about to explode from how good he was today and I just had to tell someone so I thought I'd blog it and let everyone know. I figure, 2 year olds are going to have their terrible moments, and Charley has definitely had his, but I want to remember these wonderful moments too, when he's temporarily an angel :)

I just pray and wish that I could be a good enough parent to deserve the two little blessings God has given me. I know I can't be perfect, but I'm thankful that God's grace is bigger than my parenting abilities. I also hope that I obey God as serenly and as constantly as Charley obeyed me this morning. I hope that "I obey God" when I want to crawl in the front seat and drive, or when I want to run wild in the front yard or even when I don't want to wash my hands or rest. Thank you Lord for these little blessings and little lessons in life, and thank you that there are so many yet to come. Amen.

tired-leigh

I can't seem to get out of the tired rut I've been driving in for the past, oh I guess, 4 months (since Ben was born). I don't know if it's having a newborn, or if it's the combination of a newborn and a toddler, or just that I can't seem to get myself in bed before 10:30 . . . I'm just tired. I'm sure it doesn't help that Ben has reverted to nursing through the night again. He was sleeping through the night at around 2 months old and ever since we came back from Norfolk, he's wanted to nurse every 3 hours again. It's funny because Charley has actually been sleeping later! Go figure :) I think Ben needs to start rice cereal and that's why he keeps eating through the night. You saw the picture of how that went though :) We'll try again soon, but for the time being, I'm having some very long days.

On a happy note, Charley has used his little boy potty a few more times and I'm so proud of him! We're not ready to go diaper free yet, but hopefully it's the beginning of the end :)

Tinkle, tinkle little boy

Big milestone today . . . Charley used his little potty for the first time today!! He had been telling us for awhile that he had to go, but he'd go too soon in his diaper for us to run to the toilet. So we just kept telling him that he should tell us before he needs to go and then we'd go. Finally, tonight, he held it long enough to make it to the toilet and go! Of course he got treats and lots of praise. He was so proud of himself! It was so cute! In fact, he was so good, that later when we were giving him a bath, he told us he had to go again, and so we put him on his little potty all soapy, and he went again! So now it begins. I'd love any input or suggestions from all you pros who have been through this before. We're going to take it a day at a time and see how it goes, but with practice and encouragement, I think he'll be potty trained before too long. Yay for Charley!! (ps. thanks to my hubbie for the catchy title) :)