I'm feeling pretty good this afternoon. It dawned on me a few minutes ago that my good spells seem to be coming more frequently and lasting longer. And good spells no longer mean merely not hovering over the toilet but that I am truly not nauseous at all. Even when the bad spells feel overwhelming, I'm starting to have hope that this really will pass. I'm not about to give up my Zofran anytime soon, though!
Patrick astounds me every day by how much he's growing. It feels like he's growing up in leaps and bounds all of a sudden, instead of the baby steps I've come to anticipate. The other day he crawled over to the laundry basket sitting on the floor and voluntarily walked behind it while pushing it. We had been unable to convince him to do that very same thing on his toys specifically for that purpose, so it was amazing to see him do so on his own.
He is also looking for ways to play with his toys other than their intended purposes. For example, he'll put rings on his ring stacker deliberately out of order (he can easily put them on in order now) so that he can try to stack other toys on the top or balance balls in the indentation left by a ring that didn't settle all the way down. His play looks less and less random and more like he knows exactly what he wants to do.
A few of his toys are still somewhat complex for him, but it shocks me just how much persistence he shows in trying to figure them out. It takes him a long time to get frustated when what he tries doesn't work; I'm actually jealous of his patience. We're going to have to graduate to more complicated toys before long. I'm glad the ones we have don't bore him, though.
I love watching Patrick cruise at top speed around his pen, the easiest place for him to pull up and cruise. He is getting so incredibly flexible, balanced, and mobile. He loves hanging on and bouncing up and down. I think he thinks he's dancing. He does it more when music is playing and especially when he gets excited.
Unfortunately, he's growing up in some other ways too. He is almost certainly moving to a one-nap-a-day schedule. I'm sad about that. While I'm still sick from the pregnancy, I'll probably keep encouraging him to take two naps (I need the rest desperately), but as soon as I start feeling better, I think we'll be tweaking his schedule yet again. He will usually still rest during both naptimes and usually falls asleep after a little while. He just doesn't sleep quite as long each time as he used to. He's also been waking up earlier in the mornings. I'm not so fond of him turning into a morning baby again (although he probably needs to eventually), so maybe re-working his schedule so that he plays more during the day will encourage him to sleep later in the morning.
The other way I've seen him mature in the last week or so is his sudden insistence on showing symptoms of the terrible twos. He has started demanding things and making sure we know he's upset if he doesn't get what he wants right away. He can actually produce real tears in a short-lived temper tantrum. We don't usually see tears when he has a real reason to cry, so this is amazing. Obviously, these tantrums are frustrating, but Matt and I are learning to keep our calm about them. We just pay him no extra attention and do our best to not give him exactly what he wants right away. If it's something he would have gotten anyway, like lunch, he still gets it, but we don't jump to accommodate his wishes. He won't starve if we make him wait another minute or two to eat. Our theory is that if we cater to his tantrums, giving him what he demands, it will only encourage the tantrums. We want to teach him early that there are better ways to ask for things. Experienced moms, what have you found to work to suppress tantrums early on?
I hope everyone else is enjoying the beautiful springlike weather we are here. If so, take advantage of the early spring while you still can. If not, maybe thoughts of us basking in the 80-degree weather will help you feel a bit warmer in your typical February weather.
Patrick astounds me every day by how much he's growing. It feels like he's growing up in leaps and bounds all of a sudden, instead of the baby steps I've come to anticipate. The other day he crawled over to the laundry basket sitting on the floor and voluntarily walked behind it while pushing it. We had been unable to convince him to do that very same thing on his toys specifically for that purpose, so it was amazing to see him do so on his own.
He is also looking for ways to play with his toys other than their intended purposes. For example, he'll put rings on his ring stacker deliberately out of order (he can easily put them on in order now) so that he can try to stack other toys on the top or balance balls in the indentation left by a ring that didn't settle all the way down. His play looks less and less random and more like he knows exactly what he wants to do.
A few of his toys are still somewhat complex for him, but it shocks me just how much persistence he shows in trying to figure them out. It takes him a long time to get frustated when what he tries doesn't work; I'm actually jealous of his patience. We're going to have to graduate to more complicated toys before long. I'm glad the ones we have don't bore him, though.
I love watching Patrick cruise at top speed around his pen, the easiest place for him to pull up and cruise. He is getting so incredibly flexible, balanced, and mobile. He loves hanging on and bouncing up and down. I think he thinks he's dancing. He does it more when music is playing and especially when he gets excited.
Unfortunately, he's growing up in some other ways too. He is almost certainly moving to a one-nap-a-day schedule. I'm sad about that. While I'm still sick from the pregnancy, I'll probably keep encouraging him to take two naps (I need the rest desperately), but as soon as I start feeling better, I think we'll be tweaking his schedule yet again. He will usually still rest during both naptimes and usually falls asleep after a little while. He just doesn't sleep quite as long each time as he used to. He's also been waking up earlier in the mornings. I'm not so fond of him turning into a morning baby again (although he probably needs to eventually), so maybe re-working his schedule so that he plays more during the day will encourage him to sleep later in the morning.
The other way I've seen him mature in the last week or so is his sudden insistence on showing symptoms of the terrible twos. He has started demanding things and making sure we know he's upset if he doesn't get what he wants right away. He can actually produce real tears in a short-lived temper tantrum. We don't usually see tears when he has a real reason to cry, so this is amazing. Obviously, these tantrums are frustrating, but Matt and I are learning to keep our calm about them. We just pay him no extra attention and do our best to not give him exactly what he wants right away. If it's something he would have gotten anyway, like lunch, he still gets it, but we don't jump to accommodate his wishes. He won't starve if we make him wait another minute or two to eat. Our theory is that if we cater to his tantrums, giving him what he demands, it will only encourage the tantrums. We want to teach him early that there are better ways to ask for things. Experienced moms, what have you found to work to suppress tantrums early on?
I hope everyone else is enjoying the beautiful springlike weather we are here. If so, take advantage of the early spring while you still can. If not, maybe thoughts of us basking in the 80-degree weather will help you feel a bit warmer in your typical February weather.
Labels: Discipline, Fun Stories, Morning Sickness
3 Comments:
Our pediatrition said that the terrible twos are kind of a myth, they dont start at 2, they start during the 2nd year of life, and that starts right after they turn one. Tanner started showing signs before he was 2. And as we speak, he's pitching a fit for chips. As hard as it is, we were told to ignore them, and they would grow out of them. {{hugs}}
So good to hear from you again and catch up on Patricks 'tricks'. Thankful you are beging to feel better. Does Patrick have one of the toys he can push walking and ride on when you change positions of the handle )I think). I have seen it on TV and thought of him. Be glad when you feel like
posting another picture.
I'm glad you are feeling like posting today. It sounds like Patrick is really growing up lately. We're having some great spring weather here this week, too. I have loved being outdoors when I can get outside!
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