Sunday morning I worked, and the boys were able to play with daddy all morning. They had a blast, and I came home in time to put them down for their naps. Once they woke up, we headed out to their cousin's house to play and celebrate all of the November birthdays all rolled into one. Basically - one huge excuse for a party. Pierce told his Uncle Mark that he NEEDS to learn to play hockey like the girls, and both boys were having so much fun playing the piano (yup, really need to obtain one. That type of noise I could live with). And of course both boys wore themselves out playing with their cousins by the dozens, and all of their aunt and uncles. I was worn out too!
Monday morning came, and off to school we went with Pierce. I brought the dog along to drop him off (plus, I really need to start including her on hikes again too), and he thought it was the coolest thing ever to have Amber send him off to school. I was worried there would be extra tears, but after his reaction, I think we are past that point. Hopefully. I have a personal goal of exploring a new town park a week. There are two reasons behind this. To begin with, I am sick of going to the same places and doing the same things. I need to clear my head at times, and being in the same drab place does not help. Secondly, by going to different towns, I can see what they have for play grounds, and I can store in that mind I just cleared various things that maybe we could have in ours. Sounds logical, right? Carter, the dog, and I explored a place in Avon called Fisher Meadow. There was no playground that I found, but there was a really awesome trail along the river, by the massive well houses, and a lake. I enjoyed the scenery, and Carter kept pointing and asking, "What's that?" He is growing up way too fast, and wants to be just like his brother so badly. How do I convince or even convey to a 15 month old to just slow down and enjoy life?
After naps, the boys were running around the house like mad men, and I had enough ambition to go through their toys again and start weeding out the ones they don't even touch (just in time for Santa). While doing this, I do acknowledge that both boys are now climbing in the crib, and Pierce is doing his ever amazing flips out of the crib and onto his bed. Then I almost freaked when I saw Carter do it. Yes, my little Carter jumped out of his crib, but unlike his brother, got stuck by his sweatshirt snagging. Therefore, when Daddy came home, the crib went bye bye. Carter screamed when he saw us taking down his crib, but I do not want to take chances of him doing this in the middle of the night and I am not there to rescue him. I just cannot do it.
Monday evening we caught up with my co-organizers of the new playground, and enjoyed pizza, play time, and some excellent company. The boys were absolutely zonked, which was great since it allowed for a nice easy bath and bed sequence. That also helped with Carter's transition, but it also very foolishly gave me a false hope that the crib was forgotten.
Tuesday I decided to play it low. With the cost of gas, and the fact that more downtime means more quality time with my kiddos, I just have to do this more often. The big extravagant event that morning was grocery shopping. Pierce was awesome at helping me make a list of what was needed (of course hot dogs made the list), and then helped me look for coupons (based on pictures). The things that he comes up with amaze me. Such as, "Momma, if we cut out lots of coupons, that means we can do more fun things, right?" Yes, my dear, you are correct. And how at the age of 2 1/2 you comprehend that, I have no idea, but it amazes me. Everything these kiddos do amazes me. Maybe it was because he was involved in the grocery store preparations, but the grocery trip was a breeze. We were in and out within 40 minutes. That was all that it took. Carter was happy since I gave him a banana to eat, and Pierce "steered" the cart through the store.
Once we came home, it was play time. They started out with play dough, and I put in some Christmas music to go along with it. It was all from the Nutcracker, and of course Pierce asked me what that was. So I showed him a little ballet, and he took off with it. We put on a recital that afternoon, as well as one that night for Daddy. Everyday I have now heard that he needs to do ballet with me, and needs his ballet music. I am feeling muscles I haven't felt in a very long time, and I love it. It just goes to show how out of shape I am, and that I need to get back in shape so I can keep up with my kiddos. Carter got in on the dancing as well, and is starting to walk more and more - as long as we do not look at him. He is certainly a character.
We also read the book called Red Leaf Yellow Leaf and I showed Pierce the bird seed project in it. So we created our own bird treats out of gelatin and bird seed so that we could fed our birds. Pierce got a thrill out of it, and we did it while Carter was sleeping so that it was our time. I am starting to realize (which I really should have by now), that time alone with just Pierce is so precious to him. I have to make sure I do it more often.
Wednesday Pierce was back at school, so Carter and I took the dog to Session's Woods in Burlington for a nice long hike again. He held the dog leash and helped walk the dog, and was so proud of himself yelling "Yay! I did it!" We picked up Pierce from school, and then everything just went downhill and I do not even know how. Let's just say, Pierce decided Carter didn't need to nap, nor did he have to listen. The results were a very cranky baby and a toddler that was sent to his room kicking and screaming because he felt he didn't need a time out. It also left a worn out momma, who actually decided to go out, by herself, and get a pedicure and a cup of Starbucks. I have not done that in MONTHS. But man, it felt fantastic. And it gave me enough energy to clean out their room, put all of the toys back in the playroom, and leave their room for sleeping and school work. I think that is the best way for these guys. No temptations to get out of bed and play, no arguments that the bedroom is for sleeping.
That night we read a book entitled, Do Unto Otters, and it was a book about manners. I made sure I elaborated on each one and made a direct correlation to his behavior. He started to understand where I was coming from, and made examples for himself as well. The coolest part? He stops me from reading, and goes, "Mommy! That is not a letter. That is the number 5". And he was so right. I am so proud of my little peanut. Specially looking back at where we were a year ago, where he would really only say 4 words.
However, today has been amazing since breakfast. We are having a huge issue getting Pierce to eat for meals. I know kids go in phrases, but he now wants to be fed like a baby, and will point blank tell you that he will not eat unless he is fed. We have made him sit there until the food was gone (ended up with him extremely upset and in bed with an empty stomach), not given him any snacks between meals (didn't phase him), and pulled my hair out. This morning was the last straw, which left him being told that he can either start listening, behaving, and keeping his hands to himself, or he can spend everyday in his room, with nothing in there, while Carter and I do fun things. I made sure he understood that eating was no longer going to be a fight, and that I would start taking away things. I did pull the Santa card, and that helped more than anything. Since then we have been great! We have had listening ears, been nice to our brother, and have even helped around the house picking up, without being asked. Yay! I don't want to jinx myself too much though. However it was pretty awesome to see him hauling wood in his tractor to put inside the house for heat. And it was pretty awesome watching him make homemade ice cream with me after he put himself in the quiet corner while I got Carter down for a nap.
So, I am signing off of here for now, as my eldest child has decided he no longer needs his personal space (yes, he told me that), and wants to play with me. I will love playing with him, since he won't want to build block towers forever, nor will he want to cuddle in my lap forever. I leave this blog entry with this. No matter how much of a brat my kids act like, or how much they drive me up a wall, I will love them no matter what. I need to make sure that they know that, and that there is never a shadow of a doubt. I also never want them to deal with the numerous insecurities I have, and am currently, dealing with. I need to remember to praise them for the little tiny things, since to them, everything is big stuff. I hope I have given them the best childhood I could, and that is my driving force behind every movement I make, and every little saying I say to them. Pierce and Carter - mommy loves you more than you will understand. You probably will not understand until you are parents yourselves. Thank you for teaching me something new every day. My life is much better because of it. :)
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