It dawned on me at 3:30 yesterday morning, as I was awoken by the dog again, that it has been awhile since I have updated our blog. I attempted to update yesterday, but when Mommy works the morning shift, that means that little men want her attention for the complete rest of the day. And, that takes priority over this; obviously. :)
We have had a few changes in our routine the last 11 days. I have recognized that I need my time in order to be productive with my children. I need my space; it honestly rejuvenates me. I also need to work out. This has brought change to our routine by introducing Pierce and Carter to the child watch program at the YMCA. I had been waking up at 5 am to go to the gym, and while that is a nice and quiet time to go, it was killing me in the sleep department. I had been hesitant up to this point to do Child Watch, since Pierce is a bit reluctant to be with anybody but Mommy. It took a few days of tears, and me stopping my workouts early, but he finally realized the last day that I am not going to come back just because he is crying. I will come back when my hour of ME time is up. I know to an almost 3 year old, an hour of mommy being gone can feel like a month to us. However, the staff that he has there to watch over him is amazing. He finally has decided that he likes it, and asked to go today. To me, that is progress. Carter, on the other hand, from day 1 just says bye and takes off to play. That is Carter; Mr. Social. Can my children be any more different?
Pierce has also come to the conclusion, that naps are for "babies." As you are probably guessing, Pierce does not consider himself a baby, and don't ever say he is anything but a big boy to him. This has left me with trying to create projects that do not require my guidance, and encourage independent thinking so I can still get the cooking, laundry, cleaning, and my own shower accomplished everyday. After about 4 days of frustration and searching on Pinterest, I took the boys to our local thrift shop looking for bookcases that I could fill with quiet baskets. We found a 3 tiered basket shelf, and Pierce helped me fill it with quiet and independent toys. He knows those are the ONLY toys he can play with while Carter naps, and has explained that to everyone in the house. Now here is the dilemma; with Pierce not napping Carter is fighting me all the way about napping every day, since he wants to be just like Pierce. I have attempted to let him stay awake, but that always ends horribly around 3:30. So for now, I just drive until he falls asleep in the car. And very carefully transfer him inside. But my question is how long can I do that for? And gas certainly is NOT cheap at $3.97 per gallon.
I have also been working on having the boys do Yoga, Pilates, and deep breathing when they start getting upset. It has worked really well thus far. I do not even have to say anything to Pierce anymore; if he gets really upset, he will stop and take a breath most of the time. Sometimes he still resorts to hands, and he has also realized that will no longer be accepted for even a second. It is a straight to your room consequence in this house without a chance to pass Go or apologize. Carter is a bit too young to catch on to the breathing aspect, but he does like to do downward dog and attempt the tree pose.
Dan and I took the boys last Sunday for the first time to an open skate at an indoor hockey rink. Carter hated every minute of it; it was far too cold for him, and he kept asking for his cousin Natalie. Pierce liked it, but was fairly overwhelmed. Tonight I took Pierce for a mommy date to the open skate, and he did so much better. We are talking no hands, moving skates back and forth, and then holding a cone and spinning in circles. I am so very proud of him, and although it took a couple of tears and a lot of boosting of his confidence to try, he was smiling ear to ear by the time we left.
The final big thing in the last 11 days was taking Pierce to check out a preschool in Terryville. He was very hesitant at first (again, a typical Pierce behavior) but after about 30 minutes or so, he was in love with the place and he didn't want to leave. Carter thinks he is going to school as well, so this could be interesting come drop off time in September. I cannot believe my oldest child is going to be 3. I often wonder where the time has gone, and if I am truly doing the best job possible to raise a confident young man that will contribute to society. I am strict, and I hope that will lead to a productive citizen that understands responsibility. I have also realized that I spend a lot of one on one time with Pierce (with him not napping) than I do with Carter. That is not fair to Carter, and I need to make a better effort at spending more one on one time with him. Carter is not getting any younger either, and I really want to foster the same type of bond with him that I have with Pierce. Oh the parenting dilemmas that we find ourselves in.
Now I need to go help convince Pierce it is time for books and bed. Between swimming with my mom, Carter, and myself today and skating, you would think this child would be tired. Carter is exhausted from swimming and no nap. He actually stayed awake through Ice Age and cuddled with me instead of sleeping. I enjoyed talking about the movie the whole time and just holding him while Pierce took his first nap in 11 days (he fell asleep in the car, and this mamma is tricky when it comes to transferring him to his room). To my boys, I will love you more than you will ever be able to understand. You have both come so far in such a little amount of time. I could not be happier to call you my sons, and I am proud of every accomplishment whether they are big or small. One day I am sure you will be thankful for my strictness, just as I am now thankful that my parents were strict. You are my light, my stars, my world. Thank you for being my sons. I love you.
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