January 15, 2012 ~ Grandma Got Run Over By Billy

If you read the post for Saturday you'll see that Daddy and I went to the game today. It was a big deal. Baltimore is a football town and it's rare that a play-off game is at home. It was a special day and the first real date Daddy and I have been on since Billy was born. We've been to dinner a few times and a few big events (weddings and such) but this was planned by us for us.

Grandma agreed weeks ago to watch Billy during play-offs. There was no way we weren't going.

I went to Grandma's last night to grab some winter clothes and prep her for a full day with Billy under foot. It's a monumental task to take on a toddler for a full day if you're not used to watching kids. Billy is especially active for a toddler, according to his daycare ladies. He runs circles around everyone.

When Grandma got here this morning I walked her through meals, gates, activities. It's a lot. Fortunately for Grandma, Billy has been extra tired and is prone to taking 3-4 hour naps when he is. I figured she'd get to watch most of the game before he woke up and then she would be able to half watch the rest of the game while she chased him around.

In a perfect world, we would have left at 11 while she was feeding him Second Breakfast. Then he would have played for an hour to an hour and then had lunch. Shortly after lunch he would have gone done for a 3-4 hour nap, so somewhere around 1-4pm. Perfect for a 1pm kick-off time. Then he would have gotten up and had a snack, followed by a bath. Then we would get home and it would have been a fabulous day for us and a fairly easy day for Grandma. We don't live in a perfect world.

We managed to get out of the house shortly after 11, but I didn't have Billy in his high chair eating Second Breakfast on the way out. He apparently refused to eat for her. She put him down for his nap but he only slept for 45 minutes. Then she tried to feed him again but he apparently wasn't hungry. Somehow, however, he managed to get Grandma to give him cheese and crackers- his favorite snack. He had no problems eating that. Grandma also went to feed him lunch, but she was so frazzled chasing him from one end of the house to the other that she couldn't find it in the fridge. It turned out she got confused with me telling her where his lunch was and me telling her where HER lunch was in the fridge. Lucky for Grandma, Great Aunt Sheila stopped over to help. Between the two of them they were so frazzled with a toddler running circles around them that they couldn't figure out how to get the gate installed, or how to turn off my ipod, which Billy had navigated off of the main screen. He snuck more snacks from Sheila and managed to steal her coke and try some- a feat never accomplished before. He's not allowed anything with caffeine, since the drug is dangerous for little ones and soda is very unhealthy for kids under a certain age. But he ran them ragged. They were very happy when we got home.

After Grandma left I figured out what was going on. I had gotten him dressed in a super cute sweater that I thought Sheila would like. It has a puppy on it. Now, I cooked the den up nice and warm for Grandma because she is always cold, and it was very cold here today. He was too hot. Therefore, because he was overheated, he didn't want to eat. Grandma said he was super thirsty all day long. He wasn't feeling good because he was hot, so he was drinking to hydrate. Also, because he was too hot, he couldn't sleep. I stripped the sweater off of him and he woofed down 2.5 times his normal dinner portion and ran around like a very happy toddler. He went to sleep, no problem.

I can't blame Grandma. These are the things that a mother might notice, but if you're not with the kid every day you don't see where the trouble is. And if you are cold yourself you probably wouldn't think that a little guy could be super warm. But my little man twice walked outside barefoot today and had to be dragged back in the house. It was so cold that the ice in my soda at the game never melted, so that my coke I bought at 12 was chilly and not watered down 4 hours later. Yeah, that cold.

But, no worries. After a few minutes he was back to his old antics. He was spinning in circles, pushing his cars around and singing. He even learned how to moonwalk! Yes, he moonwalked several times and was so impressed with himself. He also discovered that a napping Daddy is an awesome play toy. Daddy should never nap in Billy's reach. He might get attack hugged a few (ten) times.

Look, Ma! I put two binkies in Daddy's glass!

January 14, 2012 ~ Purple Impaired

Not once since I started this blog have I missed a post. Nope, not once. Well, until today. I apologize. All I can say is that I was Purple Impaired.

It's an affliction sweeping the town. Many are affected. It's all-consuming and you soon forget everything else except: Purple Passion.

It started when Daddy bought playoff tickets. Yes, that's right. The UBER rare home play-off game tickets. I didn't stand a chance.

Saturday was consumed with preparation. Hey, you can't stand outside in 30 degree weather for 5 hours and not be prepared. Daddy went off to the store to pick up supplies and I prepped Billy for a day without his parents. I made all of his meals and got activities ready for Grandma to watch him while we went to the game. After he went to bed I laid out every warm piece of clothing I owned.

I was so excited that I clear plum forgot to post. That has never happened. I even remembered to post on Christmas. Yup, totally Purple Impaired.

Sunday morning I had the jitters- equal to the jitters I had on the morning of our wedding. Yes, that excited and nervous for the game. It's playoff fever and I've got it bad. I love football, but play-offs? OH YEAH.

So, my apologies. The good news? There aren't any more home play-off games. The bad news? There aren't any more home play-off games!!!!

The Star-Spangled Banner, played just minutes from where it was written 200 years ago!

At the game, decked out in purple.

Here come the players...

GO RAVENS!!!

January 13, 2012 ~ Friday The (lucky) 13th

Lucky Billy!

Daddy got Indian for dinner- a Billy favorite. We made a picnic on the coffee table and all sat around in our purple (go Ravens!) eating Indian. Billy was shoving pakoras in his mouth like they were going out of style.

He loves spicy food. Bland is blah. It can't be too spicy, he has his limits, but he would rather his food be spicy. I sent to daycare white rice with butter and salt and pepper and he apparently didn't like it. They had to add more spice to get him to eat it. Can't blame him for liking things with flavor.

Or course, he refused to eat off of his plate. Daddy's didn't work, either. Only Mommy's plate will do. He ate most of my dinner- tiki masala. And during dinner he kept giving me big hugs and kisses and wanting to cuddle. It was very cute. And I have tiki masala all over my dress shirt now. Awesome.

He had a good day and now he's off asleep with a very full Billy belly.

I know a lot of people believe Friday the 13th is unlucky. Not in our house. It's always been a good day for us. Daddy and I had our first date on Friday the 13th of January many years ago. We also got engaged on Friday the 13th many months later. We laugh in the face of the fates.

So here's wishing you a lucky day!

January 12, 2012 ~ Don't Leave Mom!

Billy is in the clingy phase where he doesn't want Mommy or Daddy to leave. Now, he'll tell other people "byebye" when he's finished visiting with them...often long before Mommy and Daddy are ready for guests to leave. But every time I have to leave him, it's a fight.

Every weekday morning I drop Billy at daycare. This comes with the inevitable part where I have to leave. We've had to come up with a special routine at daycare to keep him calm. I bring him in and we say hello to all of the kiddies already there. Then I hand off his bag and coat to the ladies. At this point Billy knows what is coming and clutches to me with both his hands and his feet, shoes and all. He looks up at me and pleads, "don't leave me, Mommy!"

So, I sit on the floor and pull out some toys and we play on the floor, me in my winter coat with keys in hand. He clings to me, even when attracted by a toy. It takes multiple toys to distract him enough to pry myself from his fingers. Then, when he isn't looking I slip out the door. Sometimes, like today, he sees me and runs at the door screaming, "Mommy! Mommy!"

I always have an extra hug for him, but I can't prolong the process either. It disrupts the class and makes me late for work. I always promise to see him later, but today I had to work late so I didn't see him before bed. It's hard when I want to comfort him, but I also can't have him clinging to me all day and night.

Because he didn't see me this evening I'm sure he'll be extra clingy tomorrow. And I know as soon as I grab his coat in the morning to get ready to go he'll start crying, "don't leave me, Mommy!"

Drawn In Thursdays: Binky Wars, Episode 2

Click to enlarge

January 11, 2012 ~ A Bipolar Post (Not me, just the post!)

This is going to be a bipolar post, and you'll understand once you've finished reading.

This morning was another attack of the Terribles. Billy wanted my comb. Now, Daddy often lets him play with my comb and carry it around the house, which, of course, means that when I need to comb my hair I can never find my comb. I have one simple rule: it stays in the bathroom. Simple enough, right? Nope. I don't get it. Daddy loves my comb and steals it from me. Billy steals it from me- loving it for entirely different reasons I'm sure. It's an old plastic comb that Grandma bought for me long before I could drive. It's missing a tooth in the middle. And in this house you would think it's the Holy Grail of Combs.

Anyway, I didn't want it wandering so I took it away from Billy. He asked for it back and I told him no. I was holding him at the time. So, he ripped the binky out of his mouth with force and then tried to shove it in my mouth with equal force, I guess to silence me. It was actually quite funny. He still didn't get the comb.

This evening was more Precocious Billy. He tried to eat a handful of dog food. (Hey, if Buddy likes it, it must be good!) He hugged and cuddled with the kitchen garbage can. This is not an exaggeration. They cuddled. It wasn't cute. Thank God I keep the can clean. Yuck! Then I asked him to give something to Daddy. He hid it behind his back and ran away, keeping his back turned from Daddy. Yep. It was that kind of night.

And now to switch gears.

I read on facebook today about a friend of mine from college. She's not a friend that I've kept in touch with, but we are fb friends. I learned today that her infant girl died. I'm heartbroken for her. This woman is a sweetheart. I can't imagine the pain she is in. Her child was here long enough to fall in love and then to lose. It's terrible. But I haven't written to her and I probably won't. We haven't communicated since college and now is not the time. I wouldn't know what to say. Only that I shed a tear for her.

I just finished reading a book in which the author describes losing her baby sister. It's a true story. She talked about walking into the baby's room and the sheets still smelling of baby, of the empty crib, the toys that would never be played with again, the clothes laid out. I had a very difficult time reading those chapters. That baby was 1.5 yrs old and accidentally drowned. She talked about her mother losing herself into the bottle.

It's hard for me to comprehend the grief and I don't want to. I hope to never know. I hope YOU never know, either. But so many mothers (and fathers) do. So tonight I hope you will join me. Say a prayer, have a thought, or whatever you do. Send some prayers to the parentss who tonight have empty cribs and for their children who won't get the joy of growing up.

January 10, 1012 ~ Herding Cats

You may have heard someone refer to an impossible task as "herding cats". I bet herding cats is pretty difficult, but probably no where near as difficult as getting a toddler to sit still.

I wanted to get Billy to pose for some Christmas photos (yeah, I know it's the middle of January.) I need to take the tree down, so I had to get the photos in before I did that. It just wasn't on the priority list.

Anyway, I gave him a bath and got him all dressed up in his Christmas outfit so we could take some photos. But trying to get a toddler to sit still long enough for a portrait photo is a lot like herding cats. And trying to get a toddler to smile for a posed photo is well, like herding cats on speed.

The picture I wanted was a nice standing pose of Billy in front of the Christmas tree. Here's what I got:

Forget the cats. Sometimes it's like herding toddlers.

January 9, 2012 ~ Oh My Goodness, Daddy's Guinness

If you ask Billy, any bottle will do. In fact, anything that was originally Mommy's of Daddy's is clearly better than his. So, Daddy's (beer) bottle is clearly cooler than Billy's (milk) bottle.

A few months ago Daddy was foolish enough to sit his beer bottle down while he was grilling dinner. He turned his back for less than 30 seconds and Billy grabbed his bottle and tried to drink from it. Luckily, Daddy was right there and caught him before Billy got any. Daddy hasn't left any beer within reach since. Billy is also always after my soda cans. I don't drink beer. But he waits until I turn my back and goes straight for them. I guess he figures that if he can't have it, then it must be something good.

Daddy doesn't drink beer very often, but he had one tonight while cooking dinner. Of course, Billy wanted Daddy's bottle rather than his milk sippy or his water sippy. Since he was taking an interest in the bottle, Daddy decided to demonstrate how it can be a musical instrument. He took a sip and changed the pitch and tried again. Billy was fascinated by the strange noise, and a little trepidatious.

When it was empty Daddy gave the bottle to Billy to attempt to create the musical sound out of the bottle. Billy took the bottle and held it up to his nose for a long time, getting a good whiff of the former contents. Suddenly, he pushed the bottle away and turned up his nose.

After all that time of wanting Daddy's Guinness he finally had his hands on the bottle, only to realize he really didn't want it after all.

Our thoughts and prayers

go out to our Uncle Charles.

May you have a speedy recovery

and may your long road in the hospital pass quickly.

Much love from your family. 

January 8, 2012 ~ The Terrible (Not Quite) Twos

Well, I'm not finished yet with the Daycare Plague sent home to me over Christmas break and have been struck down again by another Daycare Plague. The stomach bug that caught Billy on Friday has now happily taken up residence in Daddy and myself. I keep asking the daycare to send home just the kid and not the plague, but we catch everything that Billy catches. For Daddy, when he gets a cold he gets the sniffles for a few hours and coughs for a day. I get it for at least a week. Billy too. Daddy woofed down Chinese food today with his stomach virus. I had toast. Lucky Daddy.

Because we weren't feeling good we put up the baby gate. It's a rarely used item that I bought only for just such occasions. Billy hates it. He is restricted to the kitchen and den, so that we don't have to chase him all over the house. This plus the stomach bug had him in a less than pleasant mood today.

By naptime Billy had already bitten me on the leg in anger. He didn't get his way. Normally, he just throws his binky on the ground and shouts, "Oh, no!" Sometimes he bites. Sometimes he hits. I cannot convince him out of any of these. Every time he bites I make him sit in the Naughty Spot for ten seconds. He's too young for time out, but I hope that the ten second Naughty Spot can evolve into time out.

He also decided to get into trouble with the dog water today, since he was trapped in the two rooms and the dog water just happened to be in reach. I found him in the kitchen with a collection of fridge magnets in the dog bowl. He had a spoon in his hand and was stirring the magnets like they were in a pot. I was laughing so hard (inside) that I had to get Daddy to come over and punish him. He knows better, but it was really hysterical to see him mixing up his bowl of dog-slobber color kid magnets.

In the afternoon we when over to Grandma's. Daddy was installing a new ceiling light for her. Billy, Buddy and I just went along to see Grandma. Of course, Billy was obsessed with the steps at Grandmas, particularly launching himself down them. He thought it was very funny as I grappled to keep him from falling. They are only a half-flight, so I was letting him practice some, and hold him as he fell down so that he could learn the consequence of jumping down the stairs. I don't think it worked.

But after awhile I kept him away from the stairs and this made him angry. He decided to head-butt me. Usually, I duck and miss when he tries this, but I didn't see it coming. He split my gum open and knocked my two front teeth loose. Suddenly, all that anger over not getting his way had real consequences, not just time out.

Back at home I explained to him how he hurt Mommy and why that's very naughty. He came over and gave me a big hug. I don't know how much he gets and how much is just the lovable little guy being himself. The tantrums are all the time now, and that lovable little guy quickly turns into a momentary demon. I'm hoping he got a big dose of reality today and might have learned to reel it in. Anger is part of growing up and having kids means getting some cuts and bruises along the way.

I was just hoping he might make it to two before the really bad tantrums started...

January 7, 2012 ~ Trikes and Chopsticks

After not eating much yesterday Billy started off this morning with a lot of food. Let's review:

2 waffles
5 mini sausages
cup of grapes
cup of raspberries
sippy cup of milk

I don't eat this much for breakfast.

After nap I took him outside to enjoy the unseasonable weather. I pushed him around on his Green Piece of Awesome, that trike he got for his birthday. He preferred pulling it around behind him.

We stayed out until dark playing with the trike. I had to drag him inside. If he had his way we would live outside.

But we had to go in because I wanted to take him shopping. First, all of his binkies are at daycare. This is a catastrophe of epic proportions. We have one binky, one back-up binky, on horrible binky that he hates (it's very cheap), and a broken binky in my pocket. Yeah, so we had to go get a pack of binks to get us through the weekend. Mark this in the "reason to quit" column.

I also wanted to get more pjs. All summer Billy wanted to sleep in just a diaper or a shirt and diaper. Even in the fall he would get too hot in more than a short sleeve shirt with sleep pants. And, all of a sudden he has outgrown half of the footed pjs I have. So, on the hunt for pajamas.

Binkies were not a problem. I know where to get them and I know they have plenty. But pajamas? The big baby store didn't have any in his size. ANY. It's not like he was the only baby born last year. C'mon people. So I went to another good place to buy baby clothes. They had only 2 pjs and they weren't footed- 2 piece only. So I bought one, just to have. It's kind of ridiculous. I was told to go online. Greaaaaaaaaaaat.

When we got home Billy had some rice for dinner.

That's right. He tried out chopsticks for the first time. He thought they were awesome and that it was just too funny to eat with sticks. He wanted rice only from Mommy using the chopsticks and not from the spoons.

After dinner he was sleepy so we played on the floor in the den with cartoons on the TV. He curled up on a pillow to watch the TV and I snuggled in beside him. He wrapped his arm around my neck and fell asleep right there.

There's nothing better than a Billy cuddle.

January 6, 2012 ~ Angry Billy Belly

Poor little guy. He's having a terrible day.

When he woke up there was a big mess. Let's just say...he was wearing footed pajamas. I"ll stop there.

At 11am I got a call from daycare. He threw up the entire contents of his belly. They sent home a bag of his soiled clothes. His shoes were in that bag. Yeah. That bad.

When he got home this evening he was not a happy camper. I plied him with crackers, cheese and a sippy each of milk, water and juice. What he really wanted was Cheerios. He pointed to the box until I got it down for him. Then he shoveled handfuls of the little o's into his mouth.

Normally, I push nutrition with the little guy, but I know when I'm not feeling well there are very few things that I can handle eating. Actually, I usually can only stomach Utz Ripple chips. Whatever works, right? So if Cheerios make him full and content, then I'm not going to worry about nutrition today. I didn't even bother with dinner. He ate so many Cheerios that dinner would have just gone to waste.

He was an unhappy camper, but it wasn't all bad. He laid on the floor while i rubbed his back and he giggled the whole time. I also coated him in kisses and gentle tickles and that got me smiles and laughs.

In college I was in a group called Clowns For Medicine. Maybe you remember the movie Patch Adams about a true story? The group was founded by a student of his. The motto: Laughter is the best medicine. I go with this theory. So when he doesn't feel good, it's my job to make him laugh. Doesn't matter how- tickles, toys on my head or teasing the dog. I got him laughing and by bedtime he was his old self and wanted to stay up.

I have no doubt, however, that Billy's belly is still angry with him. I just hope that it forgives him soon.

WooHoo!

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January 5, 2012 ~ Box of Buns

Billy started his morning by being woken up early so I could take him to the doctor for a wellness visit. Those are the routine check-ups every few months, in case you don't know the lingo.

He doesn't mind going to the pediatrician's office, he's been there so many times. But, he's learned. As soon as I stripped him down he started grabbing me like a monkey. He knew what was coming. The second I laid him on the table for the nurse to take his length measurement he started screaming, thinking that the later part was here. Nope. First, the doctor had to check up him out. He's in great health. Tall and skinny. Developmentally on track, more maybe a little ahead. But, we of course, have to come to the part he knew was inevitable: the shots.

It took two of us to hold him down so he could get his three shots. Poor guy. I hate shots. He has no idea what we're doing to him. I at least know what's going on when I get a shot. Must be so much scarier not to understand.

So the doctor told me that he should have 3-5 words. Let's review the words he knows and says:

Mommy
Daddy
Bubbub (Buddy)
Gammall (Grandma)
caca (cracker)
cock (quack)
duck
dog
cat
moo
baa
nana (banana)
juice
baabaa (bottle or sippy)
moon
vroom
truck
yay-yo (yellow)
hey-yo (hello)
bye bye
look
no/nein/nyet
yeah/yes
sock (learned today)

I think this might be a bit more than 5.

He also has a new word that I am not sure of the meaning. Manya. When he waves he sometimes says Manya. Comment if you have a clue what this means. He says it without prompting.

Daddy and Billy went to the grocery store after school so I was home before them. When they got home it was dinnertime so I immediately plopped Billy in his chair and gave him food. Daddy tried to get him to eat some pasta salad (he loves pasta usually). But he spit it out and gave his "yuck" face.

Ah, but Mommy has a plan. I showed him just how much I LOVED the pasta salad. Ok, it's a decent salad, but not THAT good. Nevertheless, I played it off. And what do you know? He decided he liked it and ate it up. Ha ha! Mommy 2, Billy 0 (Let's not forget the raspberries that are now his favorite, which he hated last week.)

After dinner I got him dressed for bed, including his new bathrobe (too cute!) and we played in the den. I brought in the box of his grilling set (grill not included) and set up a little plastic picnic on the coffee table. No Go. Nope. BUT... the box of buns was a big hit. No joke. A cardboard box filled with plastic hamburger buns. Yep. Not even the box the stuff came in- it's a clamshell shoebox that I repurposed. Apparently, nothing's more fun than a box of buns. When he accidentally spilled the contents, he laughed at himself, picked up the pieces and hauled around his box of buns some more.

Never underestimate a box of buns.

Drawn In Thursdays: Binky Wars, Episode 1

Click to enlarge

January 4, 2012 ~ To Bink Or Not To Bink?

When I was pregnant I was pretty much dead set against giving my baby a binky. I could hear my grandmother's voice in my head saying, "now don't go putting a pacifier in that child's mouth!" Unfortunately, those were her parting words to me and I cannot uphold her belief in anti-binkyism.

Despite my reservations on the bink, I insisted on buying one to have on hand, you know, just in case. I figured I would return it after the baby was a few weeks old and clearly happy with nipples and thumbs. I planned to toe the line of anti-binkyism.

But then again, there is the case of my dear friend. I went to see her when her baby was 4 days old. By that time her nips were so sore that she dreaded having to feed her sweet little girl. The little thing was just soothing herself and not eating, so she was constantly crying for the boob. Someone had given my friend a binky at her shower and I made her give that child a bink. It solved the problem and mother and baby were both happy.

Enter my own baby. He made it just fine in the hospital without the binky. After one day at home we could not stop his crying. We tried everything. In the middle of the night Daddy got fed up and stuck a binky in Billy's mouth. Problem solved. Well, symptom solved. It turned out I wasn't producing milk, so he was starving. So, by the third day home he was getting a binky and formula- two things I swore I wouldn't give him. C'est la vie.

Now, at 15 months Billy is throwing his binky in tantrums. The truth is that he doesn't need it anymore, except maybe to sleep. Despite the 12 or so binkies floating around our house we hide most of them from him and he spends the majority of each day without them. But...and this is a big but...when he is without his binky I often catch him sticking his thumb in his mouth. The binkies he has are designed to prevent needing dental work from sucking. Thumbs=braces later on.

So the question remains: going forward do we bink or don't we?

100th Post!

If you can believe it, this blog has been active for three months now and we have officially reached 100 posts. Readership is up and I look forward to a long and continued run with this blog.

Thank you for reading my blog!



You might have noticed some changes going on. I am constantly updating and adding new features. If you have a suggestion please let me know! Some new features to check out:

~ The Forum: Now you can make your own posts and join the conversation.

~ Links: You will now see links to blogs and sites that I like. If you have a blog or site that you would like to see listed, please email the link to me.

~ Email and Comment Form: At the bottom of the blog you will find the form. Want to send me a private comment? Submit it there!

~ YouTube Channel: Yes, there will now be Billy videos too.


Look for new features to be coming out, including a giveaway. :)

January 3, 2012 ~ Daddy's Devil Grin

If you've met Daddy, then you probably know that he has a boyish devil-may-care grin that let's everyone know he's up to no good. Now, when I say "up to no good", usually he's hatching a plan to go on an adventure, stir up some fun at a party or say something silly. It's the boyish charm that melts hearts and causes ladies to swoon.

Billy has his Daddy's Devil Grin and he knows how to use it.

This isn't a good photo of it, even if his eyes are "devilish". That little smirk comes and goes so fast I can't get it on film (or pixels...whatever.)

Today Billy would put on that Devil Grin and then throw food at Billy. We kept yelling at him to stop, but he decided he was just too gosh-darn-cute to stop. I have to admit, he was making me laugh so hard I had difficulty punishing him. He smile that smile, give a little giggle and then, "Whoosh!" Away goes the food.

In the bath he broke out the Devil Grin again. He wanted to drink the bath water by dipping his head into the bath and lapping it up. He thought this was just too funny and would come up laughing. I yelled at him to stop (mind you- not "yell" but "acknowledge bad behavior"). I kept trying to get him to stop, but he just knew that he was so cute and causing harmless trouble.

Great. Now, not only do I have to combat Daddy's Devil Grin. Now I have to avoid succumbing to Billy's Devil Grin too!

January 2, 2012 ~ Let's Haul Some Dog

No matter how much you love your kids, when they are whining their heads off for no reason at all you sometimes just want to kick their bum. Billy is still very tired and sick with the Daycare Plague. I think he may be working on a tooth as well, but there's no sign of it yet. Regardless, he was extra fussy today.

By mid-morning he started with his new habit of crying when I put him down AND crying if I hold him for more than a minute (squirming to get down to get a toy). Any rational adult will see that I cannot hold him for less than a minute without putting him down. After a half hour of this I explained to him that this is the kind of behavior that signals to me that he needs quiet time and took him to bed. It was too early for nap, but he got some quiet time with his lovies and was a happier baby for awhile.

Billy showed off his new love of bibs to Grandma when she came over today. He can now put the bibs on himself and insists that he be wearing one while in the highchair, even if eating something like cheerios that aren't messy. I wish I could say that it's him trying to keep clean, but really it's that he likes hiding food in the pocket.

In the late afternoon Billy, Daddy and I went to Wal-Mart to get some storage supplies. Enter the return of Fussy Baby. He got so angry that he threw his binky on the floor in a fit of rage and broke it in half. Yes, irreparably damaged. And...it was my favorite binky! Now I have to go to Babies'R'Us to buy a new one. He cried all through Wal-Mart, in the grocery store for a quick run, picking up carry-out dinner and the whole car ride to each of these places. Luckily, I brought a back-up binky and a back-up back-up binky so we managed to keep him quiet part of the time.

When we got home he got dinner and afterwards was happy as a clam with his new toy...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WBvdkS1gdKg

Billy, that's not really a toy. He hauled it around with two binkies and a dog bone for the better part of an hour.

Then Daddy had the great idea to put Buddy in the toy tote. Buddy gets a hug for playing along.

Then Daddy had the great idea that Billy should haul Buddy around in the giant toy tote.

Here's Billy hauling the 40lb dog in a giant tote. I'm impressed that Billy could pull that much weight. Daddy did have to help with a gentle push here and there, but Billy was able to do it on his own.

You would have thought with all of this exercise that Billy would be whipped and ready for bed, but he managed to stay up an extra 45 minutes past bedtime even though he was in his crib. He kept asking to go back to play and if not to cuddle. After 45 minutes I informed him no more cuddles, no more play, just sleep. He's sleeping. Phew!

January 1, 2012 ~ Sleepy Baby & Ravens Good Luck Charm

Until now, Billy has hated raspberries. I've tried, but he just doesn't like them. But at breakfast when he refused them again, I popped one in my mouth and showed them how tasty I find them. I didn't think he'd care and I was only giving him a few to continue to encourage broadening his taste buds. Apparently, the Mommy Seal of Approval meant that he now likes raspberries. He ate half of the container for breakfast and i had to put them away because he wanted more.

Today has been an exercise in exhaustion. Billy is over-tired and just wanted to either sleep or lay about. He laid on his back and played with his blocks while laying there. He watched the majority of Tangled sitting there, not running from one end of the house to the other.

Billy took two naps today- one very long one and a shorter one. We were watching the Ravens game together with Daddy, but Billy became very tired by the end of the 2nd quarter. So I put him down for the second nap. Then the Ravens started losing their big lead and weren't playing so well. By the fourth quarter I woke Billy up, against his wishes, so he could eat dinner. Then the Ravens started scoring again all of a sudden and playing well. Clearly, Billy must be a good luck charm for them. At least a fan, who knows the touch down symbol.

After the game Billy helped Daddy cook dinner, but he was so tired that he went to bed early. He didn't even complain, just straight to sleep. His first day of 2012 was certainly a sleepy one.

December 31, 2011 ~ Happy New Year!

First off, I would like to apologize for not having posted earlier. I was up all night, but unlike most people who were up all of last night drinking, I was up with a sick baby and I'm a sick Mommy too.

Billy is getting a new molar and is a miserable little soul. That tooth is torturing him. He also has the Daycare Plague, this one with a bad cough that keeps him awake, aka not getting enough sleep. So, he was very unhappy and fussy all morning. I didn't think that we would be going out at all for the evening's festivities given his mood.

He wasn't in a people mood, either. We had friends over for lunch and after awhile he started saying "bye,bye". He was trying to get them to leave. But, he got part of a burrito that my friend so kindly shared with Billy, and that changed his mind for awhile.

He did get a decent nap in and I made him take quiet time later in the day, hoping to improve his mood. Of course, I am also feeling miserable from the Daycare Plague. My version comes with nasal inflammation, so I cannot breathe and can't sleep because I can't breathe.

Well, he was in better spirits after dinner so we decided to take him to a party. They had a very lovely set up with piles of candles on the coffee table and bowls of food laid out. Of course, Billy tried to set a few things on fire, nearly knocked all of the candles over and basically found every bit of their house that isn't toddler-proof. Daddy and I didn't really get to enjoy the party because we had to chase or hold him the whole time to keep him from burning their house down. Once Billy's good friend, T, was tired though, we headed over to T's parent's house.

Our good friends invited us to come over for a much quieter party at their house for those of us with little ones. Their T is a very good friend of Billy's, and Billy is used to sleeping at their house because we are there often enough. The boys played until almost 11, wound up from the first party, excited to see each other. Billy is in awe of T, who is two years older. Billy wanted to do everything that T did. When we put Billy down for the night he didn't want to go and he could hear T playing and getting ready for bed. It took a long while to get him to settle.

We stayed until 2, ringing in the new year quietly, we parents. After enough partying, Daddy and I brought Billy home to sleep in his own crib. Only, the coughing fits started and he was up all night in misery. I couldn't sleep anyway, so I rocked him gently and soothed him. Here's to a quick end of this round of the Daycare Plague.

Happy New Year and here's to 2012!