Friday, March 14, 2014
Thursday, March 13, 2014
Things That Phoebe Actually Said to Me Today
"I think you're getting old." Said after I told her my elbow felt funny.
"I wish I didn't have a mom and dad." When asked why she replied, "Because then there wouldn't be anybody to tell me what to do." I had just told her she had to stay in the stroller and couldn't play in a parking lot.
"I'm so glad you're my mom." Said while she was getting ready for bed.
"Do you want me to read this book to you?" Said while we were on our way to get the boys.
"I'm so sorry for the naughty things I did." Said after she was given a timeout for standing on the chair arms in the van instead of getting in her car seat. When asked what she did that was naughty, "I don't know."
"You're the prettiest mom in the whole wide world and I love you!" Said several times throughout the day, usually because she wants to be told she's pretty too, but also when she can tell I'm getting stressed.
"I wish I didn't have a mom and dad." When asked why she replied, "Because then there wouldn't be anybody to tell me what to do." I had just told her she had to stay in the stroller and couldn't play in a parking lot.
"I'm so glad you're my mom." Said while she was getting ready for bed.
"Do you want me to read this book to you?" Said while we were on our way to get the boys.
"I'm so sorry for the naughty things I did." Said after she was given a timeout for standing on the chair arms in the van instead of getting in her car seat. When asked what she did that was naughty, "I don't know."
"You're the prettiest mom in the whole wide world and I love you!" Said several times throughout the day, usually because she wants to be told she's pretty too, but also when she can tell I'm getting stressed.
Wednesday, March 12, 2014
Self Soothing
None of my kids have been thumb suckers. Sometimes I wish they were so they could calm themselves down. I've written that Sophie is doing a better job sleeping. Some nights are awesome, some nights not so much, but overall we're both getting more sleep.
I took a picture documenting one possible reason why she's sleeping longer than the others did.
She's not sucking her thumb, but she is sucking the palm of her hand. We've stopped swaddling her arms because she would struggle and work until her arms were out so she could get to her hand. She'll make waking-up sounds and then we hear her sucking and off she goes back to sleep.
I took a picture documenting one possible reason why she's sleeping longer than the others did.
She's not sucking her thumb, but she is sucking the palm of her hand. We've stopped swaddling her arms because she would struggle and work until her arms were out so she could get to her hand. She'll make waking-up sounds and then we hear her sucking and off she goes back to sleep.
Tuesday, March 11, 2014
Time's Up
I am a big fan of additional daylight. In fact, the period when our clocks are set to daylight savings is my favorite section of the year.
But the time change is messing with us.
That is all.
But the time change is messing with us.
That is all.
Monday, March 10, 2014
A Little Sketchy
Cooper got a how-to book on drawing for Christmas. He loves art and his current career aspiration is to be an illustrator. Sadly, the book was almost immediately lost. We've gotten some drawing books from the library but had been sad that we couldn't find the one from Christmas.
Guess what surfaced this week? That's right, the drawing book. Cooper found it, of all places, on the shelf in his room. Huh, I guess we do put stuff away sometimes.
Cooper left the book on the chest-of-drawers in his room. During an extended time-out, Peter found the book and decided to do a few sketches of his own.
These are better than anything I could draw. Seriously. Bryan wondered if Peter had traced them. I checked; he didn't. I know he was copying them from a book, but still, I'm impressed.
Guess what surfaced this week? That's right, the drawing book. Cooper found it, of all places, on the shelf in his room. Huh, I guess we do put stuff away sometimes.
Cooper left the book on the chest-of-drawers in his room. During an extended time-out, Peter found the book and decided to do a few sketches of his own.
These are better than anything I could draw. Seriously. Bryan wondered if Peter had traced them. I checked; he didn't. I know he was copying them from a book, but still, I'm impressed.
Friday, March 7, 2014
Anyone Can Cook
Earlier this week Phoebe asked if she and I could make cookies. She specifically requested chocolate mint pumpkin cookies. I told her that while chocolate and mint go well together and chocolate and pumpkin are a good pair, pumpkin and mint aren't a great combination. She settled for chocolate mint cookies.
I hesitated saying that we could make them. Sophie hasn't been feeling well ever since her shots last week and has needed to be fed much more frequently, like nearly every hour or so during the day. I wasn't sure that we would be able to find enough time when I wasn't holding Sophie to make cookies.
Bryan has also been feeling lousy; he has a cold that he can't seem to kick, and on Wednesday he worked from home. Sophie went down for a nap in the morning and with another adult there to listen for her and help if needed, I figured this was our chance for the cookies.
Phoebe was thrilled to be my only helper. She usually has to take turns with the boys when we bake, so she loved pouring all of the ingredients in instead of half or a third of them. I would measure and explain what we were doing and why and she would pour the ingredients into the bowl. At one point she looked at me and said, "Making cookies is special to us, huh?" I hope she remembers that as she gets older.
Towards the end of the mixing portion Phoebe looked straight ahead and said, "See what my mom's doing? She mixing in the chips."
Having dealt with imaginary friends in the past, I wondered if she had created one without my knowing, so I asked. "Who are you talking to?"
She looked at me out of the corner of her eye and said quietly, "It's a show."
And then she narrated the rest of my actions for the invisible home audience. She concluded with, "Thanks, I'll see you next week!" And she waved.
It was awesome.
I hesitated saying that we could make them. Sophie hasn't been feeling well ever since her shots last week and has needed to be fed much more frequently, like nearly every hour or so during the day. I wasn't sure that we would be able to find enough time when I wasn't holding Sophie to make cookies.
Bryan has also been feeling lousy; he has a cold that he can't seem to kick, and on Wednesday he worked from home. Sophie went down for a nap in the morning and with another adult there to listen for her and help if needed, I figured this was our chance for the cookies.
Phoebe was thrilled to be my only helper. She usually has to take turns with the boys when we bake, so she loved pouring all of the ingredients in instead of half or a third of them. I would measure and explain what we were doing and why and she would pour the ingredients into the bowl. At one point she looked at me and said, "Making cookies is special to us, huh?" I hope she remembers that as she gets older.
Towards the end of the mixing portion Phoebe looked straight ahead and said, "See what my mom's doing? She mixing in the chips."
Having dealt with imaginary friends in the past, I wondered if she had created one without my knowing, so I asked. "Who are you talking to?"
She looked at me out of the corner of her eye and said quietly, "It's a show."
And then she narrated the rest of my actions for the invisible home audience. She concluded with, "Thanks, I'll see you next week!" And she waved.
It was awesome.
Thursday, March 6, 2014
Law Abiding Citizen
I recently attended a student-led conference with Cooper. The girls and I went to his classroom with him (while Peter was at a birthday party) and he proudly showed us some of what he's been working on. His teacher knew we were coming so she had prepared his desk with everything he would need. I was given a list of prompts to help Cooper as he went through his box of work.
He read to us from his easy reader. He told us some of their reading strategies. He made up a story problem based on an equation. He told us what he had learned about the classroom pets, some goldfish (that had recently "been sent back to the goldfish farm so another classroom could enjoy them," yes that's what his teacher really said) and a guppy. He read a how-to book that he had written and told me the steps of writing such a book. And he reviewed the class rules and showed his hand print next to the poster that held those rules.
Perhaps the best part was when I asked his teacher if there was anything I should know. She said that Cooper has been really well behaved! She said she thought he had finally gotten the hang of following the rules and was doing a great job. Huzzah!
The second best part was how excited Cooper was to show us everything. He was especially pumped to read to Phoebe in his classroom. She spent most of her time playing with the toy kitchen right next to Cooper's desk, but I think he still got to share enough with her to count.
Thank goodness for positive progress!
He read to us from his easy reader. He told us some of their reading strategies. He made up a story problem based on an equation. He told us what he had learned about the classroom pets, some goldfish (that had recently "been sent back to the goldfish farm so another classroom could enjoy them," yes that's what his teacher really said) and a guppy. He read a how-to book that he had written and told me the steps of writing such a book. And he reviewed the class rules and showed his hand print next to the poster that held those rules.
Perhaps the best part was when I asked his teacher if there was anything I should know. She said that Cooper has been really well behaved! She said she thought he had finally gotten the hang of following the rules and was doing a great job. Huzzah!
The second best part was how excited Cooper was to show us everything. He was especially pumped to read to Phoebe in his classroom. She spent most of her time playing with the toy kitchen right next to Cooper's desk, but I think he still got to share enough with her to count.
Thank goodness for positive progress!
Wednesday, March 5, 2014
Can't Argue With That Logic
This morning Phoebe was singing her same old song about not needing to go to the bathroom. I was already feeling like a broken record with how many times I had asked her to use it when I decided to take a cue from the comment my grandma left on yesterday's post.
Me: Phoebe, princesses use the bathroom
Phoebe: (said in a grumpy voice) I'm not a princess! I'm just a sister.
Me: Sisters use the bathroom.
Phoebe: I'm not a sister anymore!
Me: Everybody uses the bathroom.
Phoebe: Zombies don't.
Touche.
Me: Phoebe, princesses use the bathroom
Phoebe: (said in a grumpy voice) I'm not a princess! I'm just a sister.
Me: Sisters use the bathroom.
Phoebe: I'm not a sister anymore!
Me: Everybody uses the bathroom.
Phoebe: Zombies don't.
Touche.
Tuesday, March 4, 2014
Gotta Go
I haven't chronicled the potty training process with Phoebe the way I did with the boys. Perhaps it's because we never really labeled it. Before school started last year she asked if she could stop wearing diapers. I said yes, but waited until the boys were in school so I could focus my attention on her a little more. She got to pick out princess underwear (of course); she stays dry almost every night, and she is dry most days as well. She's had lots of success.
Mostly.
We've come to a problem recently. She refuses to use the bathroom. She swears up and down that she doesn't need to go, that she can hold it. And really she can hold it for many hours. But she thinks that being potty trained means you can hold it indefinitely. I can't seem to be able to convince her otherwise.
Everyday I remind her that she needs to go and each day she says she doesn't. I've also tried the tactic of not saying anything and letting her figure it out herself. Did I mention that I've cleaned up two accidents today? Yeah, that's not working too well either.
Phoebe is a strong willed girl, which will serve her well if she channels it the right way. But I'm afraid that this is not a good use of that character trait.
Mostly.
We've come to a problem recently. She refuses to use the bathroom. She swears up and down that she doesn't need to go, that she can hold it. And really she can hold it for many hours. But she thinks that being potty trained means you can hold it indefinitely. I can't seem to be able to convince her otherwise.
Everyday I remind her that she needs to go and each day she says she doesn't. I've also tried the tactic of not saying anything and letting her figure it out herself. Did I mention that I've cleaned up two accidents today? Yeah, that's not working too well either.
Phoebe is a strong willed girl, which will serve her well if she channels it the right way. But I'm afraid that this is not a good use of that character trait.
Monday, March 3, 2014
Blue Skies Smiling At Me
We were warned when we moved here that the rain would be unlike anything we had previously experienced. While I think that's an exaggeration, it definitely rains a lot. I looked at the ten day forecast last Friday and saw that it was expected to rain every day.
As we ate lunch today I noticed that the sky was clearing. I have the habit of opening all the blinds, no matter what the weather is like outside. It was a pleasant surprise to see some blue sky between the clouds. I decided that if the rain would stop long enough, we would walk to get the boys from school.
And we did.
We stopped at the park on the way back. Phoebe was wearing her Pacific Northwest-appropriate footwear, so I told her to go ahead and enjoy the puddle. If you look closely, you can see the boys in the background sitting and waiting for us.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
