More Cake!

Guess what we did again this weekend? We celebrated another birthday. This past weekend it was my mom’s birthday. We had some Chinese food and a cake made by my sister. We’ve noticed that Nicholas’ appetite has changed a lot in the last few weeks. He’s really not eating as much as he used to eat. I’ve noticed his tummy is starting to slim down a bit too.  The rest of us took care of his portion though. ;)


Nana’s birthday wasn’t really all about Nana though. Nicholas got a little present of his own. Actually, it was a present for all of us.

Waiting for his surprise

A wagon! My mom figured that we could pull him around and our purses and bags when we’re out and about. He enjoyed being pulled in it. But, he also liked pulling the wagon himself.

He also was trying to do some tricks on it. I’m actually trying to encourage him to be a little more daring. Like I’ve said before, he’s a little cautious, so it’s nice to see him try to climb on the wagon and balance himself.

One thing I’ve learned in parenting though is once you feel like things are going well, a new issue appears. Sometimes it is an issue that was once resolved. Right now we’re struggling with some adjustment issues. Evan’s new job is probably going to require overtime, maybe even a lot of overtime. We’re not exactly sure how much yet, since he’s still being trained. Today he started his regular hours, which is a later start time and thus, a later end time. Evan and Nicholas had their first breakfast together this morning. We don’t know if he will be home in time for bedtime. Nicholas has been prepped about this issue, which is why we think the problems are starting.

Nicholas no longer wants to take a nap or go to bed at night. Previous to Evan’s longer hours, Nicholas cheerfully went into his bed each time. He would yell through the door as we left: “Wait until Mommy comes and gets you! Good night! Love you!” That’s not the reaction I’m getting any longer. Now it is crying before we even reach the upstairs. It’s a little screaming once I leave the room just to let me know he’s unhappy. We’ve talked about it with him. I’ve prayed about it with him. But, it’s going to take time, so I’m being patient.

Today Evan called two minutes after I put Nicholas down from his nap. He got the “joy” of hearing Nicholas scream, “I don’t want to take a nap! I want my daddy!” At least, Evan felt wanted. It breaks my heart, but I’m not going to give in and let him stay up just because he cries or screams. He usually stops after a couple of minutes anyway when he doesn’t get the reaction he is looking for.

Initially getting Nicholas to go to naptime and bedtime easily was a lot of hard work. We had to persevere and be so consistent. I know we’ll get through this adjustment period. It’s just never fun going through it.

For now I’ll savor the good times we have during his waking hours. We went to the library today for almost an hour and he was well-behaved. We also went to the store afterwards. I let him help me carry our basket and even pay the cashier. The time was enjoyable and stress-free. These are the times to focus on and not dwell on our times of frustration.