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There is simply nothing out there like waffling on the precipice of your third trimester of your third pregnancy to put you in full-deal-with-behavioral-stuff-now mode as a mom. I had a great interview with Jamie from Behave Your Best and am working that up, so stay tuned for the expert of all expert’s advice on handing challenging behavioral issues with your child. But in the meanwhile, I have to share that having this next baby on the horizon has encouraged me to address any unresolved long standing habits with both my kids. Nip it now, right? Before my hands are completely full. I’ve shared in the past detailing our lovely toddler behavior battles. A whole section on ’em. A few I need to re-read periodically for myself are the ones on how fear & power parenting doesn’t work, wiggle it out: my spastic son needs to move, helping the emotional little boy find his voice & listening ears, big boy battles: loving discipline for your toddler, two & a half year old terror? that’s my kid, three key steps to taming your tantruming toddler, toddler tantrums abound . . . help! {hahaha–I just laugh when I think about how I thought these were actual tantrums. They were nothing in comparison of what came!} My list of SuperBoy habits I’m working on right now: 1) Discerning the genuinely 3.7 year old melts versus the stinky tantrum. Is he melting down because she took his markers and he doesn’t want to share? Or…
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You make a ton of stuff. In a short period of time. Because pregnant, frenetic women are more productive than when they’re postpartum and just hoping for more than 3 hours of sleep. After my post about how I’m actually doing great thriving at this stage, of course, the pride cometh before the fall, yesterday was one of those why do I stay home I’m a lawyer I could be talking with semi-rational people who don’t need time outs, threats, bribes, diaper changes, or corrective behavioral tips. Well, actually, many of those things I did do as a practicing attorney. Crap. Maybe this isn’t that different after all–aside from bribes & diapers and actual time-outs. Then I remember trying to survive pregnancy with a toddler. HAHAHAHAHAHA. So much easier than this! At any rate, I was ready for homicide or whatnot by the time my husband came home (late because of roads & buses being late). Thank goodness I had a craft night planned with some of my ladies. We inadvertently stayed almost three hours at our sweet hostess’ home! Blabbing about some very hilarious things (pregnant piddling? I brought that up), some very serious things (one friend’s mother passed recently and another’s father almost did), and delicious things like the blondies a friend brought, the amazing cookies our hostess made, and my Ghiradelli brownies from a mega box from Costco. A very tired, but emotionally and verbally validated me hit the hay, hoping today would be better. And it has…
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Sometimes they play happily in my room while I work. Sometimes. Sometimes I lay down–on the rug–or hardwood floors–and they play. Until they fight over their dolls, their blocks, their puzzles, and SuperBoy is highly indignant that his sister would want something he has. Shocker. With a new wakeup time imposed on SuperBoy (can’t leave his room until it’s 7am on his clock, unless he goes potty and then goes right back to bed), and SweetPea being happy and staying in her bed asleep til 8am, I’m lapping up these last few months of no nursing, uninterrupted (semi) sleep (for the past week?). I’m 26 weeks and thinking I can survive 14 more weeks of this. Hopefully. Structure has saved my life. A little inner discipline and kicking my own butt has helped survive this stage of pregnancy. I put things away right away instead of letting them linger & load up in the corners of the house. I do laundry on certain days and actually turn it over all the day long so it’s done at the end of the day. I fill the dishwasher right after a meal and soak the handwashing so the sink isn’t full of nasty crusty dishes in cold water. I make a list of what I have to do that week, and then the night before, try to make a quick list of my day the following day to prep. I decided what to let go of, and what to cling to (showering…
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Do you remember me telling you that getting a serious facelift on our second floor/kids’ bathroom was on my bucket list before baby comes? Let’s do a side-by-side and see how it looks! There’s one thing I have yet to do–recover a stool–that I need advice on. Otherwise, I think we’re in business. Oh, and I feel like the wall paint color is too boring and either needs a stenciled cream something or other, or maybe scrap this color and go with wallpaper? Gimme your thoughts. We removed wallpaper, painted walls, painted wood work, scraped & repainted radiator, replaced lights, faucet, handles, curtains, shower light/fan, and threw in some new towels. My dad is amazing and did the hardest dirtiest parts. Because he’s the best. AA helped too, but we both agreed that Baba wins the award for handiest man ever. Old lights & faucet & wallpaper & eyelet curtains: Making way for the newsies: Love love love these lights. Then came the faucet. The one that was there didn’t feel in tune with our 1914 built home, and the beautiful subway tiles in this bath. So overstock.com came in handy and I found this gem for not-too-expensive! Porcelain handles–LOVE! Don’t mind the dirty part at rim. Ahhh… because I’m a dirty housewife. Don’t you just swoon with that arch? Now let’s talk hardware. These lovelies were a splurge & gift from my mom. They’re hefty and gorgeeeous. That’s the chair that needs to be recovered. Something wipeable or canvas…
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And I mean for when the baby is out–not in. I don’t say pediatrician because you don’t necessarily need one. We saw a ped for the first year of SuperBoy’s life and then made the switch to a family practice doc. She’s fabulous, sees the kids, me, and if I ever get AA to take a morning off to go in, him too. And the clinic is four minutes from our house. With parking. Dream for a mom who’s pregnant and always a tad late. But I digress. When you’re pregnant, if you’re reading all those lists of things to do books or sites, they’ll say, find a pediatrician. Then they’ll give you 50 questions to ask him or her before you actually join their practice. I’m going to give you an abbreviated list from a mom of two. My list is shorter because I’ve learned what’s actually a big deal to me, and what’s not. I also have a doctor for my own dad so that eliminates about half of my office visits because he tells me a) it’s a heat rash or b) the swelling will go down. First time parents, you’ll need to develop your own doctor mom or doctor dad intuition and probably (like me!) call or visit the clinic over things that turn out to be, well, not life & death. I’ll break it down into categories: 1) Location If you have to drive a ton to get everywhere anyway, having your doc’s office a…
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So yes, it’s irreverent to swear, but you’ve seen all those videos and links to stuff that a random group of people says (Crunchy Moms being my personal fav). Well my own kids say insanely crazy things because they’re Catholic and heavily indoctrinated. We participated in the adopt-a-seminarian program with our archdiocesean seminary last year and LOVE our adopted son. He’s also a total hero in the household where my kids think everything church related is the best. Here we go: SweetPea, our precious 21 month old, who is a holy terror and has a fierce temper. : HAPPY NUN! HAPPY NUN! (upon seeing our pastor) : No! CHESUS MINE! (upon snatching our Jesus doll made by this awesome etsy artisan Saintly Silver) : Gwo ta it a da maaatin CHESUS Kyst s burrn (Go Tell it on the Mountain Jesus Christ is Born) : Chesus wuves me dis I know! NO! ME! (not her brother, apparently) SuperBoy, our three and a half year old who plays mass daily, and can turn any normal family event into a sing-at-the-top-o-your-lungs-in-latin-fest. : This is my thurible and I can swing it upside down for incencing. : In the New New Rite: I just say Corpus when I give you communion. : You’re not folding the chalice veil right AND YOU’RE NOT PUTTING IT IN THE BURSE RIGHT!!! : Where do we go potty in Heaven? Wherever we want? : When I’m in Heaven, I’ll be good, but not too good. : Santa came to…
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