The Night Owl and the Early Bird

My older two boys could not be any different when it comes to bedtime. TJ is asking to go to bed by 8:15 p.m. (school wears him out!). We get him in bed by 8:30 and he is out as soon as his head hits the pillow. Sam goes to bed at the same time, but he is not at all tired. He can sit in the dark for an hour, singing, yelling, and just generally having a good time. TJ sleeps through all of the racket, and Bill and I ignore the vast majority of it.

In the mornings, my early bird wakes up at the crack of dawn. We've finally trained TJ to not get out of bed until his clock says 7:00 (or has he says, "Seven zero zero"). This morning, I heard him in the bathroom just after 6 a.m. Then he wandered in my room, upset. He wanted to get up, but the numbers on the clock were all wrong ("no sevens on the clock, Mama!"). I told him he needed to learn to roll over and go back to sleep. He was rather put out with me, but did climb back in bed. I asked him later when he woke up for the day. His reply? "Seven zero one". I hope he went back to sleep for that last hour. Otherwise, he'll be a zombie by supper.

Sam, on the other hand, sleeps in. He tends to wake up shortly after 8:00. He is capable of climbing out of his own bed, but for some reason, won't do it unless someone else is in the room. He sits in his bed and calls out "Hello! Morning!" as soon as he sees me pass his door. He cracks me up.

TJ has been in school for almost a month now, and is thoroughly enjoying it. I really like his teacher, and he just adores her. She said he occasionally will tell her that "my mom says I don't have to do that", but she says it's nothing to fret over. She looks at the big picture--most of his class is still only four years old, and cooperation takes awhile. Yes, it does!

Anyone know?

Why is it sometimes my pictures don't show up? There's just a red 'x' where the photo should be. The next time I open the blog up, the pictures have mysteriously re-appeared.

Is this just a blogspot flaw, or is it a problem with my computer?

Seen and Heard

TJ, sitting on the toilet, doing his 'business', swinging his legs and singing,

"I am special, I am special, so are you, so are you..."

I didn't dare laugh. He usually refuses to let me hear him sing.

Nolan Robert, Fashion Icon

Check out this stylin' little man! His diaper cover matches the flowers on his shirt! And his silly Mama just had to take a picture of it! Yes, the shirt is a wee bit big, but it was a gift and summer is almost over.

And look at this! Someone has finally outgrown his fear of baths! He still won't splash or play, but the smiling is definitely better than the screaming and shaking in fear!

Ridin' the Train!!

On Saturday, Bill took TJ and Sam out for a very special treat--they went for a ride on the Coopersville train (http://www.coopersvilleandmarne.org/). We are very fortunate to have an operation like this so close to our home. It's a bit pricey, so rides on the train are a very special privilege indeed! None of us are too fond of the Pumpkin Train (check out the link), so they went last Saturday as the Pumpkin Train starts next weekend. It's rather nauseating, and you have to pay extra for the torture!


Sam fell asleep on the train, and TJ fell asleep on the way back home. But they were still thrilled to have ridden the train and had lots to talk about.

Maggie

I have a new niece. Margaret Ruth arrived yesterday, September 17, at 4:24 p.m. (I think). She weighs 8 pounds, 3 ounces, and was 20.5 inches long. She has a TON of dark hair. I think she could wear her big sister Suzy's barrettes already!


I always refer to Nolan as tiny, but Maggie is definitely smaller! She doesn't have Nolan's over-sized head (sorry, sweetie, you've got a big noggin). Nolan met her tonight, and didn't seem too impressed. I'm sure the days of them torturing each other aren't too far away!


Congratulations, Eric and Kristi (and Suzy, too!)

Today's Deep Thought

Most of you with young children either own or have seen an exersaucer. I currently have my sister-in-law's, since she had an extra, and have lent mine to another sister-in-law. These things are so big and awkward to store! It's much better to share than to buy your own.

Anyway...why is it that they have a snack compartment and a spot for a juice cup? Think this through with me....I was under the impression that most babies used these between five months and one year of age. As soon as they are mobile, they don't want to be in them anymore. I suppose some kids don't use them once they are crawling. Now, maybe my kiddos are oddballs, but I don't give five- to twelve-month olds a snack and a juice cup while they are playing in the exersaucer. One, that would mean they are most likely eating unsupervised. Pretty dangerous for a baby, in my opinion. Two, my kids were eating a few fruit puffs and cheerios at that age, but really not that many. They really got into snack-type foods only after they were through the exersaucer stage.

Has the weight problem in our society really gotten so bad that we refuse to believe that even our babies can play without having food and a beverage nearby? (rolling my eyes here)

If you think I'm way off base, feel free to leave a comment!

TJ: Train afficionado and You Tube fanatic

Most of you know that TJ has loved trains since around the age of 2. Rather than outgrow it, his obsession has only deepened. I tried to hide news of the train crash in Los Angeles from him, but he caught the end of the news tonight, and had lots of questions. I have no problem answering his questions, but he tends to be a nervous kid, and can dwell on scary stuff. We'll see what happens there.

Anyway, Bill (for some reason) decided to show TJ that there are lots of videos of trains on You Tube. TJ, of course, was fascinated and wanted Bill to show him one after another after another. Bill got bored and explained to TJ how he could click on related videos off the to right once the current video is done. So, this is TJ's big thrill. He has Bill get him started and then will sit here for up to an hour watching videos. (We use this as a privilage for him, and we do limit how much time he spends on here.) I don't really worry about him seeing anything inappropriate. You Tube is pretty well moderated, and besides, if TJ ever clicks on the wrong video, he immediately starts yelling. The other day, he somehow got stuck on a Tiger Woods video. Not sure how he got there, but Bill thought it was pretty funny.
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I've got to get some more pictures up! I have some new family pictures I need to scan in first, and I also have to see if I have the capability to post video. You haven't lived until you've seen video of Sam 'dancing'!

Last Night

Hooooo boy! Am I glad Bill is coming home tonight! Here's a brief summary of my all-too-brief night:

*TJ is catching a nasty cold and had trouble sleeping. Rather than get up and tell me he needed more medicine, he would lay in bed and moan loudly. He was up at 10 p.m. and shortly after 6:30 a.m.

*Sam has amazing willpower. That little boy can sit in the dark for over an hour and entertain himself. I put him in bed just before 8:30, and I could still hear him singing after 9:30. Thankfully, he does not keep TJ up, and when TJ needed medicine at 10 p.m., Sam was dead to the world. However, TJ did wake him up at 6:30. Grrrr.

*Nolan was up at midnight, 4:30, and 5:30, and then up for the day at 6:15.

Why is it none of my kids want me to sleep? I can hardly wait until tomorrow. Bill always let me sleep in on Saturdays ('sleep in' means 8:30, but that sounds wonderful at this point!)

I'm not too worried about TJ's cold. He always bounces back after a day or two. I'm just hoping Sam doesn't get it. It can take him two full weeks to get over a cold.

Cuddle Up Time

Cuddle Up Time started tonight at church. I absolutely love this program. If you aren't familiar with it, it's similar to Kindermusic. It's geared for infants through age 3. Tonight, we sang, danced, beat drums (coffee cans), waved scarves, and shook 'jingles'--little bells on a stick. Each child has a parent (or two) with them. I think I'm the only mom juggling two kids. Anyway, it's so neat to watch the kids learn and grow. Sam couldn't even walk when he started Cuddle Up Time last fall. Tonight, he had all of us marching to a song and he was beating his own drum for the first time without my help. The kids get to pick how we dance, where we bang our 'jingles', etc. Tonight was Nolan's first time to Cuddle Up Time. Holding him made it a bit difficult to dance with Sam, but Sam didn't seem to mind and Nolan was enthralled with everything. He was really tired from being on a nap strike all day, but he was still fascinated with Cuddle Up Time and just kept smiling.

My favorite thing about Cuddle Up Time is that it wears the kids out! It is nice and quiet at the Baron household tonight! TJ's preschool program doesn't start at church until October, and that's fine. He's too tired from school to notice. Hopefully, in a few weeks, he'll have his new sleep schedule down and be functional until 8:15 p.m.

Miss Cookie, the children's ministries director, does a wonderful job. In fact, she does a great job with all of the programs she heads up at church. All 3 of my boys just love her. Whatever they are paying that woman, it isn't enough!!!

Happy Ho-Hum Birthday

I turned the big 3-2 today.

I am of the opinion that once you turn 25 and can rent a car without being hassled, all of the good birthdays are done. Now, I am simply getting older. That doesn't mean I don't enjoy birthdays, it's just that I don't anticipate them any more.

Today's birthday was pretty boring. It's Monday, for starters. The main reason it was boring is that Bill is gone all week. He's in Chicago for job training. He still made a great effort, though. I got a card and flowers Saturday night, along with a multi-head screwdriver (yes, I asked for that, as he is always losing the other screwdrivers. This one is all MINE!). He called me today, too. I got other phone calls, cards, and e-mails. One was even from my best friend who is notorious for forgetting my birthday (way to go, Elisabeth!). And my Mom had us come over after supper for a brownie and ice cream. TJ insisted I needed two candles stuck in the brownie, because there are two numbers in my age. He also wondered if I had grown any taller.

I suppose the very best part of my birthday was that I got to go grocery shopping all by myself. My mom put the boys to bed for me.

I just feel a little lonely. Birthdays are no fun when your favorite person is gone. My mom dealt with this all the time when I was growing up, since my Dad was traveling so often. I wonder if you ever get used to it. I hope I don't need to find out.

"Bump the Corn, Mama!"

I have to blog about this, before I forget.

For the most part, TJ now uses the corrects words, even verbiage, when he's talking. But he's still not quite perfect. The other day, we were driving out of our driveway, and he shouts, "Bump the corn, Mama!". Now, we do have a cornfield that starts on the other side of our neighbor's house, but I have NEVER attempted to bump the corn, touch the corn, pick the corn, etc. It's feed corn...it's icky.

So I asked TJ what he was talking about. And he said, "You know, scare somebody. Bump the corn!". It then dawned on me. Last week, while at Papa Tic-Toc's house (as TJ refers to Grandpa Baron), TJ found the horn on the minivan and started honking it. I told him to knock it off because he was scaring the neighbors. To TJ, "Bump the corn", means "Honk the horn"!

I drove down to his bus stop today to pick him up, since it's raining out. On the way back, he says, "Don't forget to bump the corn!" Funny boy. Kids should come with free translators!

Middle of the Night Epiphany

As I was not sleeping last night (Nolan can take the credit), I realized that Sam's issues may not all be due to the Terrible Two's. He's cutting his two-year molars, and it just occurred to me that he may not be feeling well. He cut his second bottom molar sometime in the last week, and now he's working on the top two.

I put his amber teething necklace back on. He hasn't had it on in about a week. How long has he been misbehaving? Yup, about a week. He did much better until right before supper when he had one meltdown after another. He sat in time-out twice, and then I gave him some Hyland's Teething Tablets. No more outbursts or incidents all the way until bedtime. I even sent him to bed with his necklace on, hoping this will help him sleep better. I could hear him fretting in his sleep last night.

Poor guy. He needs a mama who thinks of these things a little faster.

As for Nolan, I ate some cheese last night. He had a terrible tummy ache during the night. Even Bill was up with him for awhile. I really think I need to cut out dairy from mid-afternoon on, or it seems to bother him. I have milk on my breakfast cereal, and that seems to be okay with Nolan.

TJ survived his first week of school. He definitely seemed worn out tonight. We had several episodes of tears. He wasn't naughty, just weepy. He wanted to go play with his friend Chad so badly, but I think it'll be better if he gets a good night's sleep first. Chad's mommy doesn't need a crying visitor on her hands!

Where did Mr. Sunshine go?

No, I'm not talking about the weather. I'm talking about Sam. Sam, my dear sweet little boy, who has been a ray of sunshine ever since we fixed his tummy troubles. Someone has taken my sweet Sam away.

In his place, they left a loud, grumpy, violent two-year-old. I do not know who this child is, but he head-butts, throws things, and screams loudly whenever he doesn't get his way.

If you have seen Sam, please return him. You may have the creature who has been sleeping (or not sleeping, since it's more fun to cause trouble) in his bed.

I hate the Terrible Twos. Never did I think Sam would test me. Well, I'm pushing back with a firm hand. He's going to be sitting in time-out every time he sticks a toe over the line. Hopefully, he'll knock it off and Mr. Sunshine will be back.

On the other hand, TJ seems to be doing beautifully at school. No naps, so he's absolutely exhausted by bedtime. He goes right to sleep and ignores his little brother's antics. Whew.

First Day of School

TJ started school today. He headed off with no tears, only smiles:

We left for school a little later than I wanted to. I think that was a blessing in disguise, as the rush gave me no time to get choked up. TJ just gave me a quick hug and disappeared into his room. With that, one era of our lives ended. I know TJ will love school, but I'm his Mom, and today I reserve the right to be a little sad.

Here he is getting off of the bus. The bus was a bit late (which is to be expected), but he seemed quite pleased with the experience. Two other little girls in our neighborhood also got off, so at least he isn't alone. We appear to be the last stop.

Five months old!

Can you believe it? Yesterday, my little peanut turned five months old! He has only slept through the night once in the past two weeks (probably because I was bragging about it!), but he's still just as sweet as he can be. And so tolerant of his overly-affectionate big brothers.

I understand from my in-laws that my niece Audrey can roll over completely (Nolan can only do tummy to back). But Audrey only rolls to the right. Good girl, Audrey, good girl!!!

A Busy Few Days

Labor Day weekend, but was fun, but busy!

On Friday, my mom and I took the boys to John Ball Zoo. Bill and I had taken them two weeks earlier, but we didn't get to see everything. Besides, it was free the entire month of August if you had a Children's Museum membership (thank you, Steve and Cindy!). So, we went twice. It would have cost us $20 each time, so it was wonderful to just walk right in.

Here are a couple zoo pictures:

Yes, Sam went behind the dreaded red line to pet that goat, but the zoo volunteer was too busy smiling at me to notice!
TJ opted to play on the wooden train, instead of petting the goats.
"What are you looking at, lady?"

TJ managed to give himself a black eye while at the zoo. We were in the penguin exhibit, and he ran up to the glass, full-throttle. The only problem is, when you look at the glass, you can't see the outer layer, only the inner layer, and it's about six inches thick. So, TJ misjudged where the glass started and slammed right into it. He was really upset for about 30 seconds.

Sunday, we visited my grandparents at Covenant Village, and my mom took TJ swimming in the indoor pool. The pool is almost 90 degrees, so it's like swimming in bath water. TJ is doing really well with swimming. He wears his life jacket at all times, but is learning to kick and to feel comfortable without his feet touching bottom.


Yesterday afternoon, Bill and I took TJ and Sam to Grand Haven State Park to swim. Well, TJ and I swam. Sam and Bill sat under an umbrella and filled up buckets with sand. Bill does not like to swim, and Sam is afraid of the water this year. TJ was quite fearless and marched out about fifty feet from shore. The sandbar was really shallow this year. I stuck right by him, as I do not think he understands how dangerous Lake Michigan can be. Again, I was so grateful for that life jacket! Unfortunately, I forgot the camera, so I have no lake pictures!