When in doubt, tweak it.

I learned, or, relearned, rather, this lesson about two months ago.

As I have written many times, sleep has been an on-going issue for us. I have felt like it is hard to find a solution. I don’t want to be the permissive parent who cannot set boundaries, but I am not letting her cry it out either.

One day, after spending quite a while trying to get Amor Chiquito to nap, it clicked!

As a parent, there is no black and white. There is lots of gray. I need to be ok with that.

There are various parenting styles and various plans we could follow to get Ari to sleep the way we wish she slept. I was forcing myself to choose between no crying or crying it out.

What about saying “ut-oh,” leaving her room for 15 seconds, returning, giving her a hug, singing the song, and putting her down?

Why the hell didn’t I think of that sooner? I wish I had because it worked that time, it worked today, and it will probably continue to work in the future.

There is no need to leave her alone for ever in our case. 15 seconds is enough time for her to get the message that there are boundaries.

Today, Ari used all her old tricks and some new ones to avoid napping, despite the fact she was sleepy and yawning. She asked for socks, said her hands were cold, said she needed to go to the potty… She also tried this strange, fake cry! I could not decide if I was angry or if I wanted to laugh! It was clearly completely fake!

I left for 15 seconds. I went back in and gave her hugs. Six minutes later, she was asleep!

Moral of the story: don’t obsess about following x philosophy completely. Tweak it. Get creative. Do what works for your family. In the end, you and your little one’s health and happiness is what matters.

Moving up in the world...

Today was the first time we bought Ari a kid meal. Nothing big, I know. For some reason, I want to remember her first everything, though!

We went to Bertucci’s, an Italian restaurant. Ari enjoyed one of their rolls with olive oil, about 2/3 of her mack and cheese dish, and some tiramisu, of course!

I love when she eats like a horse!

Oh, when Ari and Daddy finished their tiramisu, Ari picked up the plate and licked it multiple times! She loved it, no doubt about it!

We have three-word phrases and verbs!

We are moving up in the language world!

Amor Chiquito started saying three-word phrases about two weeks ago.

Her first three-word phrase: I yo you.

She has been saying it for over a month, but we did not count it because we figured she just learned it from us. She was not putting three words together herself.

Her second three-word phrase: no ‘ouse me.

Lately, when she realizes we are driving home, she says “no ‘ouse me, no ‘ouse me, nana ‘ouse, nana ‘ouse!”

She loves Nana, but Nana is two hours away, so we cannot just go see her. But Amor Chiquito does not understand that yet!

Her third/latest three-word phrase: no night-night me.

Last night, Amor Chiquito used all her tricks to avoid going to sleep: go to the potty, ask for milk, ask for socks, say she was hot… When nothing work, she sat up and said: “no night-night me”!

For what it is worth, she said “no night-night me,” but she stayed in bed, waiting for me to say yes or no. It could have been worse! She could have simply gotten out of bed, opened the door, and left her room.

Back to language, we are also hearing more verbs. When Amor Chiquito was re-evaluated for early intervention, about a month ago, she only had two verbs, which was disconcerting for the speech pathologist. Now, she has about seven verbs: eat, open, close, play, write, cut, clean, and, perhaps, some others I cannot remember right now.

We are making progress.

It is so cool to be able to communicate with our daughter better and better every day!

Dreams and Nightmares

Amor Chiquito has been having dreams and nightmares lately.

Her dream a few days ago:

“No, please, no, mine, my pen, my pen…” At that point, she reached for her pen and slapped me without meaning to!

She loves to write. Don’t you dare steal her pen, not even in her dreams!

Unfortunately, Amor Chiquito is having nightmares too. She keeps waking up crying. It seems like, at first, she can’t wake up. I hug her and tell her everything is ok and it does not help for the first few minutes. It is as if she does not hear me, as if I was not there. Some nights are worse than others. On some nights, it does not happen at all.

Any suggestions? Do you handle your children’s nightmares differently?

Mischief, bright and early...

Sleepy me went in the kitchen for a cup of milk. I noticed Amor Chiquito was very quiet.

Me: Ari, what are you doing?

Amor Chiquito: Booboo bum.

She is correct; she has a rash.

Amor Chiquito took her diaper and clothes off. She got a hold of the hydrocortisone and applied some on her “booboo,” on the rest of her butt, on her back, and on her arms.

I am sure she would have done her legs had I shown up two minutes later!

When a two-year-old is quiet, something is most definitely going on!

Another baby?

Ari will be 27 months this Friday. Obviously, there is no deadline as far as by when we must decide to have or not to have another child. But, for some reason, I keep feeling like it is almost time to decide. Silly, I know. I do have a tendency to obsess about things! I am trying not to.

We have no idea right now. Lately, I am feeling that our family is perfect as is. But, at the same time, I don't feel like our decision is final at this point.

I wonder if being an only child will be good for Ari. Any thoughts on that? I wish I could meet multiple people who are only children and are healthy and happy adults. All the only children I have met seem to be clingy and dependent. Is it a coinsidence? Or, is it that growing up as an only child changes one's life for ever in a negative manner?

I found an article about things to think about when considering trying for another baby:
http://www.pantley.com/elizabeth/advice/0809228475.php?nid=360

I plan on researching the impact of being an only child.

Thoughts? Feel free to share!

Klean Kanteens on Sale

I posted a while ago about Klean Kanteen stainless steel water bottles. We own several of them and love them. They are currently on sale at backcountryedge.com, if you are interested.

http://www.backcountryedge.com/klean_kanteen-water-treatment-bottles-and-hydration.aspx

Sad, yet beautiful story...

Just came across this article:
http://www.cnn.com/2009/LIVING/12/01/marquette.moms.nursing.moses/index.html

A mother passed away 12 hours after her baby was born, leaving behind her husband, newborn, a 2.5-year-old, and two older children. Twenty mothers came up with a schedule so they could breastfeed the newborn around the clock.

And now I am done before my husband continues to drive me bananas! I know it's midnight, I get it!

If you need a laugh, this is a must-read!

Warning: This blog is far from PC. That being said, I love it! She is an awesome, super funny writer.

This post is about her baking cookies with her daughter:
http://dooce.com/2009/12/08/featured-community-question-accompanying-wacky-antics

The transition to crunchiness continues...

I have been looking for recipes for tasty and healthy breads, cakes, and cookies (banana bread, carrot cake, oatmeal cookies, etc.).

Last week, I made carrot cake and everyone liked it. I did not mention the fact that 1/4 of the flour was wholewheat flour to certain people. They still ate it and loved it. Success!

Next time, I'll try having 1/3 of the flour be wholewheat flour.

I might also try using honey instead of sugar.

Lastly, I will be substituting half of the oil or butter with apple sauce or apple butter.

If you have any suggestions, any websites you like, anything... Please share!

Mischief I could have done without...

The other day, we were at my mother's and Ms. Mischief figured it would be a good idea to wash her and her cousin's toothbrushes. Very sweet, right? Except she used the toilet bowl to do this!

I could not help sounding like a teenager! Eww, eww, eww!