Zero Tolerance

Joshua has been getting more and more unruly. He has been hitting and kicking when either frustrated or just because. We had been counting to 3, giving time out and then giving a quiet time in his room if the time out didn't work. None of it was working. So, we have turned to 'zero-tolerance' policing. If he hits then he gets two minutes in the time out chair or on the step or whatever happens to be close by wherever we are. The ironic thing is that I was discussing this and suggestions with another mom when Joshua walked up and kicked me in the shin. It is hard not to just shake your head and stare in awe of the audacity. He got a time out.

Other than the normal ups and downs, today was relatively good. He didn't get a nap (he went to bed and just wouldn't sleep) but was very good about walking with me around Ikea this morning. He held my hand and explored all the fun things there were to see. His bathroom issues have been pretty under control recently, too. I got the book 'deceptively delicious' out of the library and have been having fun incorporating more veggies in our meals. We are all eating more vegetables and I think that is a good thing. I can even get Jason to eat squash and cauliflower now (unheard of!)

Finger Update

Joshua's finger, although still a little swollen, seems to be healing fine. The Dr. said that kids have an amazing ability to heal themselves and it is true. We had to stop taping Joshua's two fingers together because they were rubbing and causing sores which were very uncomfortable. He seems to be using that hand again for the most part and we are just keeping an eye on it.

Joshua is deep in the throws of the terrible twos. We love the creative things that he comes up with like tonight when he told us he had 'ice cream face' and then when I asked him how he knew he had ice cream face (he hadn't seen a mirror) he replied 'cause you just know!'. But then, he very defiantly answers no to everything else you ask him driving us up the wall. He is just chock full of emotions that he doesn't yet know how to handle and we are trying our best to help him with that without going crazy ourselves. :-)

A week in review

Last Saturday, we enjoyed an afternoon at Memaw's house celebrating Nanny-Grandma's 88th birthday. Joshua had fun playing with his cousins. Tuesday & Wednesday Memaw was out to visit/help again. Jason has been off Friday-Monday. He and Joshie went to story time Friday and read books about cowboys. They boys also had fun shoveling snow and sledding. It snowed last Thursday and Joshua got to use his new sled from Santa. He loved it! The pictures are already up. This weekend, since Daddy has been around he and Joshua have had lots of time to play, read and hang out together.

Never a dull moment

We went out for my dr appt this evening then out to dinner as we have been doing since the beginning of Nov. It was a nice dinner and Joshua ate really well. Then, when we were cleaning up and Jason was taking Joshua to the bathroom to wash his hands Joshua put his hand in the door to the bathroom on the hinge side. I heard them coming back to the table before I saw them as Joshua was screaming a scream I didn't recognize and Jason was sure he had broken his middle finger on his right hand.

We drove to the nearest hospital's ER which also happens to be the hospital Joshua was born at and the one I will be delivery this baby at. We were in and out in less than an hour and a half and received confirmation that the finger was indeed broken. Joshua had calmed down before we even left the resturant's parking lot but all of the interactions he had with hospital staff (weight, temp check, blood pressure/pulse, wrist bracelet, x-rays, application of splint) sent him into hysterics.

We are home now and Jason is up putting Joshua to bed. He is already adapting and using his left hand. He is back to his antics of running around, climbing and just getting into trouble. Nothing slows the child down! We'll be following up with an orthopedic dr in the next day or so since it is a fracture to see how to best ensure the finger heals properly.



And no, this event didn't send me into labor although it is funny that it should happen within the first hour of me getting off of bed rest. But I guess it's good that we were in the right place!

Onyx found a new home

Today, we adopted Onyx out to a new family. The father in law of our pet sitter. We had always known that this day may come and recently she had been getting along less and less with Joshua. We thought about the decision a lot and prayed over it. The man that will be her new parent is a single, older person who can devote all his attention to her. I think she will be happy and I hope that we will receive updates periodically. We sent her off with her bed and some treats. She got right into the car of our pet sitter, which she usually does not do without assistance. It was very hard to see her go. I hope that this makes the care of the animals easier, especially with the new baby on the way.



We told Joshua about Onyx leaving this morning over breakfast so that there was not a lot of build up to the event. As she drove away, he asked, 'Where is Onyx going?' and we explained again. Then he, Jason and Jack went for a walk. They are just getting in now and Jack seems to be touring the house looking for Onyx. It will be hardest on Jack, I think. But I worry that Joshua and Jack both will feel that that are next.

Legos

Joshua and Jason have played legos the past two nights while I cooked dinner. They sit at the kitchen table, Jason with his Star Wars Death Star Destroyer and Joshua with his Thomas Duplos. Last night, they built for about an hour and a half. Tonight, Jason had Joshua help him find the pieces he needed for his project and Joshua helped him place them together.





Although the testing continues on a 24x7 basis, I feel like the past two days have been calmer. It is so easy to react with "NO" as the first response but that quickly escalates into lots of time outs and quiet times and frustration on everyone's part. We have been redirecting, giving Joshua the opportunity to make the right choice and helping him remember the rules. It seems to be working better but requires a lot more thought at the time.

Happy New Year, 2008!

Wishing everyone the best in the coming year. Joshua and we have a lot to look forward to this year. Obviously, the first being the birth of baby #2 but then we also have home projects we are working on, Jason's graduation, a trip to Mini Meet East in Maine, camping and Christmas at Grandma & Papa O. Joshua and I are both thrilled to have Jason around a lot more making family activities possible again.

We rang in the new year last night with friends, Ron & Christine, Yanna and Val. Joshua has slept over at their house before but always in a pack-n-play. Last night, he slept for the first time in a sleeping bag on the floor. He went right to bed without any problems. We are so proud of him! We were able to have a nice evening with friends and were home in our beds by 2.

The Rest of Christmas

So, we opened presents on Christmas morning with Grandma and Papa watching from the video chat. Joshua wanted to open and play with each present he unwrapped at first but then he was just tearing through things to open more presents! He received an easel/desk set from G & P and liked the little bins and places to put things. He also received books, clothes, a computer game and lots of Thomas items. He is really into trains. But, a highlight of the morning was when I opened my gift from Jason. He had wrapped an envelop in a big box filled with packing peanuts. Joshua just jumped right in the box and had so much fun burying himself in the peanuts and tossing them out. We all were giggling just watching him. It was great!

Next we got dressed and packed up and headed over to Memaw and Grandad's house. Josh was tired but didn't fall asleep in the car. He ate lunch when we got there and then we started round two of opening presents. You really had to keep an eye on him because he wanted to open every present he saw. It was chaos with everyone opening at once. But, lots of fun. He received more clothes, books and Thomas train items plus paints, a scarf and slippers AND a new 'little blankie' just in case. After presents, Jason attempted to get Joshua down for a nap. The girls had woken up by this point and it was a challenge to get Joshua to sleep with everything going on but just when we were sitting down to Christmas dinner he fell asleep in the middle of a tall, full sized bed with no rails... He didn't fall off though! We had a very nice dinner and Joshua woke up in time to eat and enjoy desert. Then it was back to playing with Stephanie. Jason built legos with Dylan and played a round of chess that he lost. Dylan is quite the opponent these days! The kids were really enjoying themselves playing together and with Aunt Jill, Aunt Tara & Aunt Amy. Eventually, Josh and Stephanie ended up in front of the tv watching Elmo. Josh was almost catatonic by this point. He was so pooped!

On our way home Joshua spotted the very bright moon and stars and enjoyed watching them through his window. On the radio we listened to Christmas music and stories. 'The Night Before Christmas' came on the radio and Joshua finished every verse with the narrator. It was so wonderful to hear his little voice joining along! He also wanted to hear "Jingle Bell Rock" again but we had to explain that radio was not the same as listening to cds. He was awake when we arrived home but went to bed easily. Jason and I unloaded the car, tried to make sense of the tornado state we left the house in in the morning and then headed to bed ourselves. It was a full and magical day.

Merry Christmas!

It is 10:30 pm and I could probably just fall asleep on the couch here. Water is boiling in the background to make tea for Jason and myself in a little while. I think this Christmas has to rank up there with best Christmases ever. It has been fantastic. Not for one major thing that we have received but for all the little magical moments. Joshua at age 2 understands so much more about what is going on and is excited about it.

Yesterday, we had a fun day of preparations. We colored Santa pictures and cut out shapes to glue on them. Jason and I wrapped presents. Jason did a bit of food shoping with Josh and ran another errand or two. In the evening, we sat down for a nice family dinner. We read the story of Jesus' birth in the Bible. Jason toasted to our family and we ate. After dinner, we chatted with Josh, Trina, Kirra and Cathi on the video chat. Josh was 'showing' toys and books to the camera. Kirra was talking and wiggling around. It is so fun to see her growing! After our chat, we watched Rudolph until it was Joshie's bedtime and then he prepared cookies, milk and a note for Santa. He asked for Santa to bring him cookies. Then it was off to bed for Joshie. But we did get a bunch of really cute pictures of Joshua writing his letter and putting out the goodies. Then Jason and I set to work preparing last minute items for Christmas morning. Jason baked his mom's banana bread while I worked on a project on the couch. When he was done, he assembled Joshua's gift from Grandma and Papa so it would be ready in the morning. We put out our presents and then headed off to bed so Santa could come.



In the morning, I went downstairs first so that I could get Joshua's reaction to Santa's arrival in the night as it happened. Jason brought Joshie down and the first thing he said was, 'Santa ate the cookies! Santa drank it all [the milk]'. We found a note that Santa left for Joshua thanking him for the cookies and crumbs that were left from the cookies. Joshua was excited to see his stocking filled and grabbed out matchbox cars from it. He opened one present, track for his Thomas trains, and we opened our stockings then we had breakfast. Jason cooked up eggs and bacon which we enjoyed along with the banana bread. Joshua was so good and ate breakfast while playing with items out of his stocking. He had already had two pieces of chocolate from Jason's stocking. He swiped them and hid behind me while he ate them. But his expression was so adorable as he gobbled up the chocolate. He knew he wasn't supposed to have it and had the most mischevous grin on his face!

After breakfast we broke into the presents. Grandma and Papa watched from the video chat.

I'll have to continue tomorrow... the sleep monster beckons!

Visitors

Joshua enjoyed a visit from Aunt Jill & Aunt Tara Friday-Sunday. He got in lots of running and tricycle riding time while they were here. He also enjoyed snuggling several times on the floor with lots of pillows, blankets and books to read. It was wonderful to have them here and Joshua took right to them without hesitation. Wish they could stay all the time!

New tricks? Joshua for a little while now, has been able to reach the water and ice in the refrigerator and likes to get them himself. He can also get his own ice when he hurts himself. If you ask him if he wants a kiss on his boo-boo, he kiss it himself. LOL. He is so independent, Aunt Tara thinks he could survive on his own for at least a day.

We have been talking to Joshua about Christmas and Santa coming. He has had some practice opening presents as they come in. It is great when only he is opening and he has only one or two items to open. He gets really excited. But when there are lots of presents he doesn't understand that they are not all his! We asked him what he wants from Santa and he has said presents, cookies and a Thomas Video at varying times. We'll see what he says today.

If I don't get a chance to post again tomorrow .... Merry Christmas!!

Fasteners

Joshua received a fun puzzle from Kim, Ryan and Ellianna for his birthday that he is just loving right now. It lets him practice buttoning, zippering, snapping, buckling and all the other fasteners. He is getting really good at it and likes to put turtle, bunny and Duncan McCloed (his Scottish bear) in the pieces.

Right now, he is out with Daddy running errands. He likes that daddy is around a lot more now and can play games and puzzles. Joshua is also looking forward to the arrival of Aunt Jill & Aunt Tara a little later this afternoon. We are busy preparing him for Christmas. He thinks that Santa rides a fire engine but that is ok for now. There are no presents under the tree at the moment because he would open them but we put his toys under the tree and that is working well.

Happy Birthday, Dylan

Joshua and Jason went out to celebrate Dylan's 11th birthday yesterday. Memaw and Aunt Amy watched the little ones while the guys all went bowling with Dylan and his friends. It was a really fun time.

Today, we are hoping to put up the Christmas tree and decorate it. I think that Joshua will enjoy that. He can help hang the ornaments. Joshua is enjoying having time with Daddy now!

We've been working on a lot of different skills using Joshua's puzzles, which he enjoys. He is learning his letters, colors and numbers. He has taken a new found interest in the alphabet bus we have and the baby leapfrog reader.

Visit to see Santa

Godfather took Joshua downtown this evening to see Santa. He, Josh, was a bit nervous and didn't actually make it to Santa's lap without tears but he did see Santa. Ellianna and Kim & Ryan were there, too. Afterwards, he picked out his ornament for the year, a train, of course. Then it was home to bed.

First Snow

Today it snowed a couple of inches. Joshua went out in the morning with Memaw and rode his trike while it started snowing. Then in the afternoon Alex took Joshua outside to play in the snow and go sledding for the first time ever! We didn't have a sled so they rode on the top of a rubbermaid tub which worked just fine. Judging by the fact that they were outside quite a while, I think Josh liked it.

Joshua has also learned to button. He has a puzzle that has zippers, snaps, buttons, buckles, ties and other fasteners. He was able to do the zippers and snaps before but now he can also do the buttons. He is so good at detail stuff!

His vocabulary is exploding and he is picking up phrases all the time so we just crack up at the things that he says. But, he has also become very ornery and is challenging us at every turn. I guess it comes with the territory. He is very excited about all the Christmas music, videos and decorations. He even rode around the neighborhood in the dark on his trike the other day with Memaw to look at Christmas lights. What a treat!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Joshua and Jason are just now going outside to enjoy the glorious day. It is in the 60's and sunny so they are going for a little bike ride. Joshua is very excited about going to Memaw's house. It has been a long time since we were out there and he loves seeing all his cousins. I can't wait to see how he likes Thanksgiving dinner. He is enjoying eating regular foods now and I bet he will love the Turkey and all the treats! We will hit the road just after Josh wakes up from his nap. I can't wait!

Photo Upload

I finally uploaded the pictures from our trip to Vegas. Yes, the one in Sept/Oct. I uploaded the pictures as a set since there were 91 :-) I also put up a few views from the coach, photos that I have taken of the mischief maker in the past couple of weeks.

Dylan and Memaw are back for the next week days. Amy and the gang were out last night and brought dinner, yum yum! Joshua likes all the visitors since he gets to PLAY!

Little Helper

Joshua has his moments. Sometimes he is completely wound up and unmanagable. Having people come in and out every few hours is challenging for him. He tends to get excited everytime there is a new face and takes a little while to calm down. However, on the flip side he can be REALLY helpful. He will take trash to the trashcan, empty dishes to the table and bring me mail. Of his own accord, he even took the cheese we were done eating and put it back in the refrigerator. It is amazing to watch him. Right now, he is playing with Alex, our neighbor, he loves time with Alex.

Riding my tricycle

feeling so free....Jason took Joshua down to the park and Joshie rode his trike most of the way. He peddles like a pro these days. It has gotten quite cold and so we are digging out the hats and mittens. They are especially necessary on the times that Joshie spends an hour out running and playing and riding. Alex came over yesterday to entertain Joshua while Jason did homework. Josh had a blast while he and Alex play trains and then later went outside to play. It was a really bit help to have Alex here.

Watching Joshua

I think I need to keep my camera with me on the couch. Watching Joshua with Memaw is a lot of fun. He is certainly keeping her on her toes. They read on the fireplace, ride his trike outside and play, vacuum, play trains and run errands. He is doing a good job with all the changes and even helps some with taking things to and from mommy and picking up items up off the floor for me.

Things Change...

Ah the joys of pregnancy and motherhood :-) Joshua, although he has a cold, as been great. I guess this is when the crossover between pregnancy and having a family occurs. As of last night I am on full bed rest until further notice. I will see my primary OB on Monday and hopefully get a better picture of the plan and timeline. I am at 25 weeks and having preterm labor.

Joshua is handling it as well as can be expected. He doesn't understand why mommy can't get down off the couch, why she can't pick him up or play with him. But, Memaw is here and that is an immense help. I imagine the days when I don't have a helper are going to be very challenging but we will get through. We have a lot fantastic family and friends who have already been offering very generous help.