Down...but not out.

So my in my last post I just got finished the "Go Live" of the project I am working on at work, the boys were sick (one after the other) and I was exhausted!
Since then the boys are better, 3 members of my team lost their positions (this I will never understand) , we are down to 2 people on my team, the work is piling up and I am exhausted.

This picture really sums up how I feel right now.


On a happier note...Francesco is working on (and being very successful at) potty training. I will hopefully get some time to write that saga down. If I had only known I just had to wait till he was ready...who knew.

So as the norm has been lately, this may be the only post from me for a week or two. I am a little down, but definitely not out. See you on the flip side.

That's my boy!

"He's our special one."

That's what I hear a lot from a number of people at the daycare where Francesco goes. What I think they mean is, "he keeps us on our toes."

The nursery teacher has recently worked with the children on taking their shoe, shirt, pants, and jackets on and off. They are helping them work on developmental skills. This is one of the reason I am really happen with the daycare.

Francesco tend to take thing to the extreme, now he's decided that he is going to take his shoes off even when he's not suppose to. In attempts to get him to put them back on he has not gotten snack, not gotten to go outside, and not gotten to do other activities. All of these attempts have usually ended with Francesco winning and the teacher putting the shoes back on.

Today there was another episode of shoe removal with Francesco's refusal to put them back on. This time they decided to send him out of the classroom to the Director Office (my 2 1/2 year old is already getting sent to the office). The teacher thought that if he was away from the class he might decide to put his shoe on so he could return.

While in the office, the Director, told him he was not allowed to play with the magnets on the cabinet he sat next. He then tried to play with some toys in the corner, so she told him to move over and not to play with the toys. He was then sitting next to a stack of paper and the Assistant Director Lunch bag.

As she was talking on the phone she heard a rustling sound behind her. She thought when she turned around she would find him playing with the papers. What she found was, my son went into the Assistant Directors bag, into a box of corn flakes and was shoveling them into his mouth.

She couldn't believe it and said all she could do was laugh.

So as I was walking down the hall to a meeting she flagged me down (the daycare is at my work) to tell me the whole story. I went in to see him and asked him if he took his shoes off again today. He proceeded to tell me that he did and in so many toddler words he told me he ate Miss M's corn flakes. Well at least he admitted it.

Let's just say his teacher tells me there's never a dull day and she always has a story to tell her mom when she get home from work each day. I told her, "I don't know what to do, she's the one who taught him to take the shoes off (LOL)".

He's my special one too!

Update

It has been a really crazy week.

Monday first thing my computer took a turn for the worse. I was able to get all my files off and especially my pictures. My husband thinks the hard drive is going. It is still being worked on and I have no clue when it will be finished or if it can be fixed.

Francesco is working hard on being a big boy and walk to and from school without throwing a fit. I am so proud of him. Last week I offered a treat after the "incident" if he could walk to and from school for the rest of the week. He made it all the way till Friday afternoon and then had a melt down. I felt so bad because I really wanted to give him the treat but I stuck to my guns.

He has done really well this week and if he walks out of school today he will get his treat. I have been pumping him up every morning, letting him know he is a big boy and how proud I am of him.

I don't think I give him enough credit sometimes. I really need to assume he understand way more than I think he does. He is going through his language explosion right now which is so fun and exciting for me. To hear him sing "Row Row Row Your Boat" bring tears to my eyes. He walks past offices on his way to school waving and saying "Hi, you guys". Every time he says "thank you" my heart melts. On the flip side of that he gets frustrated when I don't understand him and that can trigger a melt down.

Nicolo is getting big and strong. We started solids and boy does he love it. I had to start adding in some solid food a little early because I couldn't keep up with the bottles. Once I started to give him cereal at dinner he moved into a nice schedule. He is at least double his birth weight now, which was 9 lbs, we will see Monday at his well visit. He has of coarse charmed all the ladies at daycare and they just can't get enough of him. He is so happy to be there in the morning when I drop them off and just as happy when I pick him up.

One good thing has come out of me not having my computer. I actually made a small Scrapbook this week of Francesco (his first 6 months). I had been meaning to do it for 2 years now.

So as soon as my computer is *cross your fingers* fixed, I will post some new pictures. I have been playing with camera settings and PhotoShop. I think some of my picture came out good. Everyone was right, PhotoShop is addicting.

What would I do?

Yesterday I saw my neighbors two girls jumping around in a rain puddle after the storm. They were in their bathing suits and rain boots. They were having a ball. Their mother was right there supervising the whole time just sitting there and watching them have fun.

My first thought was, "I can't believe she is letting them jump around in that muddy rain puddle". My second thought was, "Would I let Francesco do such a thing? No way!" My third thought was, "Why not?"

I could not answer the "why not" right that second. I then realized I probably said no because I wasn't in the mood. I had a million things to do and I didn't have the time to watch him (I couldn't believe I didn't have the time to watch him have fun, how pathetic is that?)

That bring me to today. We went to visit my parents that live an hour away, so we left early this morning. That meant that no laundry got done, dishes were not cleaned or put away, toys were strewed all over the house and the carpet hadn't seen a vacuum in 3 days.

We were getting closed to home when I said to my husband that there were a million things that need to get done and we needed a game plan. Who was going to do what and with who (one kid per parent!). I thought if we had a game plan all of the above would get done and the kids would get feed, bathed and put to bed in a reasonable amount of time.

Well my game plan went right out the window as we got out of the car. The neighbors were practically waiting in the driveway as we pulled up. The oldest announced that they were having a little pool party and that Francesco was invited.

My first thought was I don't have time for this, but my response was "lets get you in you swim trunks". So as we are standing in the yard the little girls from next store tells me they just decided to have a party today. They even strung up streamers and decorations, made signs for the door and blew up the kiddie pool. All of this for no reason what so ever, just to have a party.

When I asked who was coming to this party she tells me just them and Francesco. Then their Dad comes out and hands me and my husband Mango Mojitos (now I am really liking this party). So we sit outside sipping Mojitos, watching the kid splash around in the kiddie pool full of freezing water from the hose for the next two hours.

Now, not one stitch of laundry got done, the dishes never saw water and the toys are still everywhere. I did however get the time to watch my 22 month old have the time of his life.

When I go bed tonight all that stuff still awaits me tomorrow but my mood has definitely been lifted, I like the Mommy that I was tonight (I am not so pathetic). I hope that I can continue to realize it is OK to leave the mess and let the kids be kids. They only get to do it once!

Great Finds

I am not usually one to rave about many of the products out there for kids but this weekend I found a great product for my grown-up independent toddler.

Bubbie has now refused to sit in the high-chair or the booster seat for that matter. We battle at breakfast and dinner on where he is going to sit. He wants to sit in the regular chair but has to get on his knees. He seems to be fine for a short period and then get awful fussy and won't stay int he chair. Then he wants to sit on you lap (which I do not have at the moment) so he can sit on his bottom and finish his meal.

So I was telling my sister how difficult this has been over the past week. She tells me about this "chair booster" found at my favorite store Target. So off I go and get myself a Kaboost. I love this thing. It goes under the legs of the chair, he can sit in the chair like a big kid and as he gets bigger it can get shorter to accommodate.

He is growing up so fast.

On top of this he is also sleeping in his big boy bed for the past 3 nights. Before I know he will be off to college (tears welling up as I think of this).

Baby it's cold outside

This morning was the coldest it has been this season for us. I was extremely lucky my parents brought Bubbie's new coat to us yesterday. Either they knew it was going to be really cold this morning or my Dad wanted to try out his new GPS. (They live an hour away and came by yesterday to drop off the coat) Either way it was a godsend.



Here he is this morning before school:

The Ear (Can you hear me)

Called the nurse on Sunday. She didn't tell me anything I already wasn't doing for the fever. She recommended he be seen by the Doctor Monday morning (he was suppose to start his new daycare Monday morning).

Since I spoke with the nurse Sunday he has been cool as a cucumber, not a fever in sight. We still took him to the doctor's Monday. Fever still gone but his left ear was "red" (this is the extent of the information I get from G when he takes him to the doctor's), now on antibiotics. He has had 3 other Left ear infections in the past. I hope we are not on the path to tubes.

On a lighter note. He did go to daycare yesterday and did great. He really liked the two ladies in his room, there were only two other babies in his room the same age as him. I don't think he even noticed when I left. (I of course had knots in my stomach)

The best part was I was able to go to the center at lunch and feed him lunch. The fact that he is a 3 min (I timed it) walk from me is so comforting. He also did great on the commute. Thank God for car DVD players, Baby Einstein and Toy Story.

New Skills

I love the look on Bubbie's face when he discovers a new skill. It that "look what I did, cool" look.

The other day he was in the bathroom with me and discovered that the cabinets below the sink opened. The first time he did it he gave me that look. He then preceded to open and close the cabinets a zillion time, banging them shut each time.

Guess that mean I have to start seriously baby proofing my parents house. I went to Target and purchase a cabinet lock.

The next day, Bubbie was again in the bathroom with me (no one ever told me I would never again get to go the bathroom in peace when I was pregnant) and pulled up on the cabinet. He tried his new skill of opening the cabinet to no avail.

He gave me this look like "what the heck happen here". I just said to him, "look what mommy did, cool!"

Right before my eye!

I took Bub's for his first "professional" picture last week and now I am sure glad I did.
This morning I was changing him and dressing him for the day and realized he was growing right before my eyes. I swear he just grew overnight.
I almost cried just looking at him. I see my husbands face and expressions. I can already tell he will have a good portion of my personality. G says that if I say he is like him he is "persistent" but if he is like me then he is "stubborn". He's as strong as an ox and definitely has a mind of his own.
I envision his first day of school and my eye's well up with tears. He may never know or realize just what his very existence mean to me.
I use to always read this quote:

To laugh often and much;
To win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children;
To earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends;
To appreciate beauty, to find the best in others;
To leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch or a redeemed social condition;
To know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived.
This is to have succeeded.

I've done a lot of things in my life, but having a child finally makes me feel like I have succeeded.
I am extremely blessed.