Days of the Week Underwear

We decorated the “U” with one of the Little Critters in a rain outfit with an umbrella.





We colored a picture of Ernie with an umbrella.



We circled all the words that began with “U”.



We also watched the movie “Up”. Nicholas’ attention span still isn’t that great. I think he watched 25% of it. But, Evan and I enjoyed it. It was a nice, clean movie with a very cute storyline.

“U” could also be for “uncomfortable”. That is how Nicholas and I felt at the library this past Thursday. We happen to be there during Story Time, so we thought we would give it a shot. It started out with a song, which he enjoyed dancing and doing the motions. Then, it was time to sit for the first story. He sat on me, next to me, stood by me. He just couldn’t sit still. After that story, the librarian had a little activity based on that morning’s theme – pockets. She read a little riddle and then the kids tried to guess what was in each pocket. Nicholas correctly identified the pocket that contained the item that helps put out fires – Fire truck! One of the other pockets contained a pretend cheeseburger. Boy, I wish that wasn’t in there. All of a sudden, Nicholas realized he wanted a cheeseburger for lunch and he didn’t want to stop telling me about it. We sang one more song and then she started the second story. Again, Nicholas became antsy. I sensed that he had to go to the bathroom, so I took him and we never returned!

I’m sure he wasn’t really making a scene. I’m not one to enjoy the spotlight too much, so sometimes I get a little embarrassed by the things that he says or does. I just think that we need to work on sitting and listening at home. There were some 3, 4, and 5-year olds in the room that could sit. Then there were some new walkers that just toddled around the room. We’ll try it again the future though.

Evan and Nicholas also played a couple of games of Uno. The kid’s version really does help with number and color recognition. Evan doesn’t let Nicholas win on purpose, so when I hear, “Nicholas wins”, I know it’s because he actually beat Evan. Luckily, we’re still at the age where it’s okay when Daddy wins too.





Finally, Nicholas wore his big boy underwear all week. Each pair had on a different day of the week. So, each morning I would tell him what day it was, so he can start to learn the days of the week as well.

We’re at the point where Nicholas knows all his letters, so we tend to do less activities surrounding the letter and work on other skills. This week I let him help me make dinner. We were making a crustless quiche. He helped me pour in the milk and the dry ingredients. Then we took turns stirring before pouring it into the pan. I could tell he felt a sense of accomplishment. Evan and I made sure to praise him and thank him for dinner as we ate.



We also worked on role playing with his toys this week to help him with his sleep issues. We have a toy train and a toy snow plow, which are two of the things that wake him up at night. We demonstrated what Nicholas does when he hears them. Then we showed him how we would like to see him handle it. We don’t expect it to work miraculously. In fact, early that next morning, the snow plow came and he acted the “old” way. But, that morning he went down to his toys and role played what he was supposed to do, including praying.

We think we figured out what is going on with him and waking up to these noises. He is usually in a light sleep portion of his sleep cycle. He is woken up and has genuine fear. We come and comfort him. He then makes a decision. Usually it is to continue to get attention and see if he can get his way. He will keep jumping out of bed. A lot of time there are fake cries. But, we think we can tell that the initial fear is gone and he is just acting out of his own will. Eventually, he realizes he must stay in bed.

I was reading a book that says we naturally all wake up at some point in the night. Most of the time we don’t remember it or we just know how to instantly fall back to sleep. Kids that are Nicholas’ age do not always know how to fall back to sleep. That is why they get up in the middle of the night. This usually happens for us around 4:15 AM. I just have to go to Nicholas (who is in a very quiet and calm state) and tell him it’s time to get back into bed. He will go and then let out one or two fake cries. He will often test me one more time, but I shut the door and he goes to bed.

It’s not easy and we talk about whether we have enough compassion. But, we feel that FOR US, the right thing to do is to put him back in his own bed. And, thankfully, he has slept soundly the last few nights.

In closing, even with all the trials of this last year, we continue to trust in God’s provisions for us. It’s not always easy, but He continues to remind of us how He has taken care of us. In fact, I was just stressing over Evan’s unemployment this week. Things have been okay, but of course, we want him to have full-time work. Well, we had made an appointment with an accountant to have our taxes done nice and early this year. We had all the paperwork, so we were ready to see what she could do. I usually do them myself, but with this year’s adoption credit, I decided to pay a professional, and I am thoroughly glad I did. She was reasonable and she got us a tax return far better than I could have imagined. It came at just the time when I needed to see God’s provision.

Sometimes I picture God saying, “Kristin, I keep telling you that I am with you, but you keep wavering in your trust. Let me show you once again.” He doesn’t always show me with a check in the mail. Sometimes he provides Evan with some side work for awhile. Sometimes it is just something I read from His Word. But, I think He knows the exact time to remind us of His faithfulness.

Sometimes I wonder when everything will be easier. But, it may never be “easy”. But, I think each trial we go through makes us a stronger person. We’re more equipped to handle what may come our way down the road.

Kristin

“When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. For I am the Lord, Your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior...”
Isaiah 43:2-3a

Dry Days

Thank you to those people who sent me e-mails of encouragement. I’m doing a lot better. Training is constant and it seems like we have our good days, but when we have bad days, we have BAD days. But, the last couple have been good days.

Today was Bible Study day. Nicholas really looks forward to it because he loves to run in the gym. However, today was different. Nicholas had proven himself ready for a big test. He wore big boy underwear to his class, and he kept it dry! I think it may be time to say it – He’s potty-trained during his waking hours!!! Finally, everything clicked and we have taken him out several times with no problems. We’ve also started working on naps. I was ready to give up after Day 1, but he’s actually doing really well. I don’t really have to ask him much if he has to go. I’m already smiling about the money we will save on diapers. We really only need one diaper a day for bedtime.

I thought it would be fitting to give you my Wednesday report. I don’t get one every week from his teacher at church, but when I do, I mark another thing down on my list that we need to work on. Today it was that he tried to pull the hair clip out of a little girl’s hair. He caused her to scream and cry. He’s just a curious little guy. We just have to work on not touching other people and their property.

I do want to bring up an issue that we do have a problem with right now – Stranger Danger. I’m going to make a request and I don’t want anyone to be offended. If you are not a close friend or family, please do not ask my son for a hug. The reason is that he doesn’t know the difference between you and a nice man that smiles at him and says “hello”. Today the church’s janitor waved to him as we were leaving. Nicholas must have “met” him earlier because he smiled and ran to him as the janitor held open his arms for a hug and lifted him in the air. I was speechless and should have stopped it. The janitor must have sensed my displeasure because he started telling me that he has nieces and nephews and grandchildren. But, I don’t know him and therefore, he shouldn’t have hugged my son.

Nicholas is naturally friendly. The child with the biggest smile in the baby home got the attention. He still uses that today. I’m okay with “high fives”. But, it is always best to check with me or Evan if Nicholas has never met you or barely knows you. I just want to teach him in case real strangers come along. I don’t need him walking off with just anyone. So, thank you in advance for honoring my request.

Well, it’s all quiet in the house. We’re thinking about another library visit tomorrow. Nicholas seems to love it, so we’re trying to go once a week.

Kristin

What’d He Say?

Lately we’ve noticed that Nicholas is speaking a little clearer. There have only been a handful of us that could be called “Official Nicholas Interpreters”, but it seems like more and more people are starting to understand him now. Also, he is working hard to try and speak in complete sentences. When you ask him a question, you can tell he’s searching for all the right words to say. Sometimes he even puts his finger to his lips to show you he’s thinking. Not too shabby for only speaking English since July.

Just Saturday, he told my sister, “Amy, Look me.” He left out the “at”, but she got the point. I think he learned that one from me. Sometimes I need to know he is listening to me when I talk to him. Yesterday he schooled me though. I told him, “There’s a car in your basket full of letters.” He replied, “No car! Choo choo.” He then proceeded to walk over to his basket full of cars and told me as he pointed, “This cars!” I apologized for calling the purple train a car. Apparently, we have to work on giving grace for each other’s mistakes.

Last week he got a haircut and halfway through he started talking Meredith’s ear off. He told her how he goes pee pee on the potty. Then he said, “Mommy pee pee too.” Of course, Meredith congratulated me as well. Then, when she was done cutting his hair he said, “Thank you, Mer.” After about seven haircuts, he still volunteers to sweep up his own hair. I am still in the process of negotiating a reduced haircut for his labor. ;)

With the good, there are still the trying times too. Nicholas is strong-willed. This does not have to be a bad thing. In fact, I’d love to train him to use that strong-will for good – to stand up for what he believes in and not back down. However, we are at the stage where he still believes he can do and say whatever he wants. The majority of the time he does not win. However, I consider it a loss for me when I don’t remain calm. It doesn’t happen too often, but about once a week, he’ll just test me more than it seems like my patience can handle. Instead of giving myself a “timeout” in the other room, I sometimes raise my voice or get mad over the petty things instead of the important ones.

I can get pretty down on myself when that happens. Just this morning I had negative thoughts that I am a bad mom. We tried a new method to get him to stop sucking his fingers at night and it didn’t work. You may notice in the pictures that he has a nice, red dot on his cheek. That’s from scratching his face as he sucks his fingers. We have gotten close to having it healed many times, but then he re-opens it again. Band-aids get ripped off. Last night’s method of socks on the hands was very poorly received and led to lost sleep for everyone, which in turn, has led to me going with my bad mood, rather than fighting it.

I did exercise at 5:20 this morning though, trying to get some of my frustration out. But, his disobedience and anger continued after that time, which just made me more angry and frustrated. I haven’t acted like a loving mom. I have been distant and annoyed, and I hate when I allow myself to go down that path. I know the answer to these problems. They require forgiveness, repentance, patience, grace, and time. And, I’m not talking about just from Nicholas.

I know all mothers deal with these frustrations, but sometimes it feels like I am the only one. These are lies. I am not perfect, but I will continue to turn to the One that is perfect. It’s the only way to survive days like these.

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I think I need to go give Nicholas a hug.

Kristin

Too Many Pictures?

“T” has been another letter that Nicholas already knows really well. So, I decided to expand our letter week into testing him on some new skills.

But first, we decorated the “T” with triangles.



We colored a picture from PBS’s website of a tree and also a picture of a tooth and toothbrush.





We went to the library for the third week in a row, so Nicholas could play with the train table before we picked out some new books to take home. There are actually a lot of bullies(or train hogs) that hang around that train table. Thankfully, Nicholas hasn’t been one of them.



I also helped him trace a straight line and some triangles with a pencil. I didn’t expect perfection. I am just letting him practice holding a pencil. He actually did pretty well following the lines, but usually added his own embellishments at the end.





One activity that Nicholas really enjoyed (so much that he asked to do it again the next day) was to count chocolate candies. I gave him one at a time. Each time I added another candy, he would count them. He actually had pretty good self-control and did not eat them until the end. Now, I didn’t say that he didn’t ask me several times if he could eat them, did I?



Later in the week we did more work with the pencil. He had to match the teapots, find all the triangles, and circle the items that begin with “T”.







We also worked on an activity from his Highlights magazine that I remember fondly from my own childhood. We tried to find the hidden objects. Once he got the concept of the game, he did pretty well.



Finally, we got all of our foam letters on the table and put them in order. I asked him each letter and he correctly identified them. Then, I got the camera out so I could record it. That’s when my little ham began to identify them incorrectly on purpose and move them around. He thought he was so funny. I finally convinced him to do it correctly for the camera. He does look a little bored though.





To be honest, I’m going to be glad when we are done with the alphabet. Once this subject is over, we’ll be having different weekly themes until “school” is over in May. “U” is coming up and I actually have a couple of ideas.

Kristin

Mr. Independent

I told you in my last blog that Nicholas wants to do everything himself. Yesterday that desire actually made my life a lot easier. I was debating whether or not I should exercise during Nicholas’ nap since I wasn’t able to that morning. He usually sleeps 1-1 ½ hours and he was already at the hour mark, but I figured I would do it anyway. About five minutes into my workout, I heard, “All done!” At first, I ignored it. Sometimes he will just lay there and talk to himself while he waits. Not this time. He really wanted me to know that he was done.

I didn’t want to stop my workout either. Once I get started I just want to finish it. So, I called up to him and told him he could come out. I also told him to grab his underwear out of the bathroom. He is still in diapers at nap time, so we just change him back into underwear when he wakes up. Next thing I knew, he was downstairs with his underwear in hand. He then took off his diaper, threw it in the trash, put on his underwear, and put on his pants. I was impressed.

So, I exercised my way over to the kitchen to grab him a quick snack, which kept him occupied until I was able to finish. As much as I sometimes grieve what I missed about Nicholas’ first couple of years, I am enjoying the fact that I can talk to him and he is able to do some things for himself.

Speaking of being a big boy, his birthday is less than 2 months away and he is ready. Right now he wants an Elmo cake. We also need to have balloons as well. He probably mentions his birthday at least once a day. I hope we can make his first American birthday special.

In closing, I want to show you what it really looks like to “dance in your underwear”. Please excuse the white legs. I’d like to use winter as my excuse, but they pretty much stay that way all year.



Kristin

SLEEPY

We started off the week by decorating the “S” with stars. It got messy, so we took off his shirt halfway through.





We also colored some pictures that started with an “S”. As you can see, Super WHY! made an appearance at the table.





Nicholas also glued and colored a picture of himself in a star that said: “Nicholas is Super!”





We have been working on some other skills as well. Nicholas is working hard to dress himself with just a little assistance from Evan and me. He can put on his pants and his underwear. He can also put on his shoes and is starting to learn how to put on his socks. I also taught him a fun method to put on his coat. He is definitely at the stage where he wants to do everything himself.



Finally, we worked on some review. I found a site online that makes up BINGO boards with different topics. We did a review of his letters. I think in the future I will print off the numbers and shapes boards since they probably need the most review.



Now onto my blog title . . . We’re tired. See, last Fall we made a very big mistake. We took Nicholas to a clam bake right next to the train tracks. These trains were way too close and loud for his comfort and resulted in sleep issues that started all the way back in October. So, if he is in a light sleep and hears a train whistle, he immediately gets out of bed. We’re not sure whether he’s still 100% afraid of them or if he uses the train whistles as an excuse to get out of bed. We’re praying about it to see the best way to handle it.

Last night was the first night he didn’t wake up all week. The other nights it was at least two times. Call us heartless, but if he wakes up in the middle of the night, he still stays in his room. We may come in to talk about the issue, but he is not sleeping in our bed. That’s a decision Evan and I made before Nicholas even came home. We know that if we give Nicholas an inch, he’ll take a mile. We are trying to teach him how to fall asleep on his own in his own bed. Everything is a process, but we are persevering until he learns.

Even though we’re losing sleep, we’ve been having some fun too. We got to go to the library again this week and check out more books. Nicholas surprised my sister and me by counting higher than he ever has before. He’s also really into talking on the phone and is starting to converse a lot better with the person on the other end of the line. He really looks like a natural when he is talking.





Finally, I decided to make exercise a priority in my life. It’s not a New Year’s resolution. It’s just something I’ve wanted to do, but was too lazy to get started. The first time I came downstairs in my shorts and tank top, Nicholas laughed at me. I tried not to take it too personally until he felt my legs. I responded, “Sorry if I missed a day or two.” Then he laughed at my shorts and said, “Mommy underwear.” I want to go on record to say that I do not exercise in my underwear. Nicholas is notorious for telling everyone what goes on in our house. They are shorts, so do not believe everything you hear from him.

Anyway, Nicholas likes to put his shorts and tank top on too now and exercise with me. He calls it dancing. (Note: I don’t dance in my underwear either!). So far, I’ve kept it up a week. Sadly, that is longer than I ever have. I plan on not living by my emotions and exercising whether I feel like it or not. With that said, if you don’t hear Nicholas talk about me dancing in my underwear then you probably need to confront me and ask me if I’m still exercising.

Kristin

Weekly Rewind

So, I had my typical letter pictures taken for the week. We colored the “R” with only the colors of the rainbow. He colored a Sesame Street picture with an “R” and a rabbit. I took him to the library so we could find some books to read. I had pictures of all these events. And then, I accidentally hit “delete all” on the camera. So, you get to enjoy the end of our week instead.

He did enjoy a reddish meal, including using a red light-up spoon. I had every intention of making everything red, but the week got away from me, so it is close enough.





We also made a robot out of rectangles. We made sure that Nicholas had his robot sweatshirt on in the picture as well.







Not too exciting of a week. I think the library was the highlight. They have a pretty good children’s section at our local library with a train table and a playroom. I picked out just a few books for him because I want to teach him to treat library books gently before we bring a big pile home. Another highlight is that he stayed dry at the library and even used the bathroom there. I’m finding that if he’s in underwear all day, he does better. For instance, we weren’t his teachers at church this week so I put a pull-up on him, which later got changed to a diaper since pull-ups like to break easily on the sides. Yesterday afternoon, once he was back in underwear, he had accident after accident. I think he was confused by the inconsistency. So, I’m going to consider whether I should just bring a change of clothes and let his Wednesday and Sunday teachers ask him if he has to go to the bathroom.

Nicholas continues to show us that he is growing up though. Yesterday we had a play date after church at McDonald’s Playland. I have found in my playland travels that there are different calibers, and today we were at the higher end. When Nicholas came home in July we couldn’t even get him to go into a playland. Each time he becomes more and more brave. Imagine our surprise yesterday when he was in the tube above our heads waving to us. He had just been climbing the same two steps a few minutes earlier and then, there he was. I think what I love best was his face when he returned to the table. He had a big grin and you could tell he was so proud of his accomplishment.

Well, we’re off to have a Super week. He is starting it off by watching "Super WHY!".

Kristin

O-H . . . !

My Bible study started back up Wednesday. It’s nice to start back and to have my weekly time with my mom and sister as well. Also, Nicholas is back in his class, and we started the New Year off with another fun story from Nicholas’ teacher. You may have remembered that last year he had a little sip of bubbles in class. Well, Wednesday he tried something new. The class gets taken to the church’s gym to play games and run around. Apparently, one of the teachers brought her purse and set it down on the floor. When she wasn’t looking, my darling son got into it and found her eyeliner. He proceeded to draw all over his face. I didn’t know whether to laugh or apologize when she told me. I guess we’ll have to blame “Muppets Take Manhattan”. In that movie, Miss Piggy and Joan Rivers put make up all over each other’s faces. He always loved that scene. I guess Nicholas is just doing a good job of keeping everyone on their toes and making sure they keep everything in a safe place away from little hands.

Our little Nicholas has spelled his first word, thanks to Evan. If you live in Ohio, then you’re familiar with a little cheer that Buckeye fans say. One person says, “O-H!” and the another person is to respond: “I-O!” Evan’s worked very hard and he has found his partner to cheer with him. Here’s some video. Please ignore the clutter in the background.



Our one cat, Isabella may not like Nicholas (she’s made that very clear), but we found out the other day that she obeys his commands. Evan and I were talking in the kitchen when we heard Nicholas yell, “Up!” Isabella proceeded to jump on the ledge. Nicholas then said, “Good girl”. As he walked away, she took a swat at him just to let him know that she still doesn’t like him and that she may not listen the next time.

One thing I am learning about motherhood is that it is okay to have some time for me. Actually, I NEED time for me. After many weeks of togetherness I was finally able to get out of the house. My mom and I spent some quality time on Friday. My mom and I love to read, so now Nicholas has a couple new books in his library. One day I’ll have to do a book review or two of books I feel that both kids and parents will enjoy.

Today my parents blessed us again by watching Nicholas for a few hours so that Evan and I could have a date together. Now we both feel much more refreshed and ready to go. Thanks, Mom and Dad!!!

Kristin

6 Months!

Nicholas has been home for six months! He celebrated by playing out in the snow again. I was thinking today about some of the new things he has been doing. First, he’s been wearing big boy underwear during all his waking hours at home. We even ventured out three or four times without a diaper and are happy to report that we have been accident-free for at least four or five days. He even asked to come in from playing outside to go to the bathroom (Which seemed to be more work for me than him. You’ve got to love all those layers). I won’t say he’s officially potty-trained yet, but he’s doing really well.

Yesterday I heard him in his room over nap time “reading”. I recognized the words he was saying and realized he was looking at the book, “Hop on Pop”. I’ve only read it to him a few times, but he seems to have soaked it in. I am hoping that we can have more reading time together during the day. Now, if I could only pull him away from all his new battery-operated toys.

He says his name correctly all the time now. In fact, he speaks in third person all day long. As far as the alphabet goes, he’s ahead of me. I used to introduce the letter each week, but now he tells me. He also knows all of his colors.

Nicholas continues to be an excellent helper. He offers to help wash the table after meals, dust, and even helps vacuum. He is also very kind and compassionate. He is quick to offer a kiss if he sees you have a boo-boo, or just because.

He’s grown about four inches in six months and will be turning three very soon.
I’ll leave you with two pictures. The first is from six months ago when he was “mowing” the lawn. His size 24 mo. shorts were so long on him and his hair was so shaggy. The second picture is one taken last week where he is actually looking at the camera. I can’t wait to see what the next six months bring.





Kristin

Quite a Difficult Letter

Well, “Q” week is over and I am happy. There just aren’t a lot of words that kids know at this age that start with this letter. We did decorate our “Q” with q-tips.




We played a game of “Duck Duck 1-2-3” and we talked about how a duck says, “Quack, Quack”.




He also received a quarter for each night that he stayed in his bed all night.




We had quiche for dinner one night, but I’m going to spare you any pictures of it. I thought about making me “Queen for a Day”, but I’m not sure if anyone else was interested (ha ha). We’ve got some good letters ahead until we get to our next doozy “X”. I’ve got some time to come up with some ideas before then.

Nicholas went to his very first New Year’s Eve party this past week. There were several kids there so he got to run around the basement with them while we socialized with the adults. I didn’t know how well Nicholas would do since he goes to bed between 7:30 and 8:00 most nights, but he seemed to have endless amounts of energy. Around 10:15 he looked like the fun was taking a toll on him, so we made sure we got him home. He fell asleep around 11:30. I was pretty sure that he would wake up at his normal time, but he surprised us by not getting up until 10 AM!

Then we celebrated the New Year with Chinese food! We’re not really into pork, but Nicholas does like sweet and sour chicken and wonton soup. It will be nice to get back into our routine starting tomorrow though. We have a birthday party this afternoon for our niece, Haley, and then we’re done with sweets for awhile and late bedtimes. Time to detox!

Kristin