Something to Gnaw On

People are always complaining about toddler's sleep habits, the hard time potty training, the tantrums ... and while a) we haven't had many problems with sleeping except the occasional climbing-into-momma's-bed-at-2:30am and the even more occasional no-nap-on-the-weekend and b) we haven't attempted potty training yet (yikes) and c) tantrums ... no one can prepare you for tantrums --- HOWEVER, why does no one complain or give advice on how to get your child to rinse their mouth out after brushing their teeth?

I can't see that it's possible that I'm the only one having this problem. The Boy (as he's generally known on Facebook, and therefore may as well carry on over here) has no problem brushing his teeth. However, he cannot understand the art of spitting out the toothpaste. I've tried to teach him, to show him - to do it myself and to pour the water in his mouth for him so he can let it dribble out. No go. We switched from baby toothpaste to toddler toothpaste with fluoride, but we then had to switch back because he was swallowing the toothpaste again (an aside: why do they make toddler toothpaste taste like bubblegum? Maybe if it didn't taste like CANDY it might be easier to get them to spit it out???)

He's 30 months old. Do you have any suggestions? How old was your kid when they switched to fluoride toothpaste?

2:30am

The 2:30am feeding is kicking my butt.

I could ignore him a few minutes until my husband hears the stirring and maybe he will get up. Since I'm already awake enough to start weighing those options, I figure I should just get up. Sometimes, like last night, Turtle will try to sleep through the feeding and I'll have to wake him up enough to get an ounce down his throat and then let him sleep until 6:30. Sometimes he'll wake up wanting it early and I'll wake up to this:


But sometimes, like tonight, I will be the only one to hear the alarm (to be fair, it is on vibrate on my side) and the only one to hear him stirring, and then once I convince myself to get out of bed and make a bottle, and FEED the Turtle, he doesn't want to go to bed; he just wants to lay on my lap and stare up at me sweetly and make me feel guilty for just wanting to sleep. God, he's cute.

This face

This face has inspired me to (maybe) start blogging again. Meet Henry Ellis, born Auguest 18, 2010 and henceforth to be known as Turtle. Maybe I'll put Yurtle in his crib - it's too perfect.

My pregnancy was hard, although not as hard as some. My postpartum was hard, although not as hard as others have had it. But my baby is perfect - absolutely perfect (except a weird hammer toe, but that also makes him unique, no?). I could stare at him for hours, except for the next 10 minutes when I'm stealing time to take a shower. He doesn't really cry, and now that we've switched to formula (no judgments please, you don't know what we went through there) he eats well. He has his daddy's eyes and his momma's shape (longer torso, shorter legs - daddy is opposite) and a little more hair than his big brother.

Here's his big brother now:

We need a nickname for him. He's gotten to be both a huge handful and a lot of fun. Before Turtle was born I really didn't think it was possible to love another human being as much as I love this little boy, and I was wrong. They are both so special, and I can't wait to see how they both grow up. And I hope the sibling jealousy subsides soon so that they can be as close as I was to my brother, or closer because they'll be more in the best friends age bracket than the substitute mother bracket as my brother and I were (10 years apart).

Anyhow, grabbing that shower now - toodles!

April ...

hates when Facebook makes me feel like a bad mother. But I can't post that as my status message, so I'm posting it here.

My apologies

I have not been as attentive to this blog as I had planned, but I just haven't been feeling well. Perhaps I'll feel more like writing in my second trimester? Because all I feel like doing right now is sleeping and feeling nauseous (not actually throwing up though, thank god). Anyhow, 'til then!

Can you believe this?

I totally understand closing a day here and there for budget cuts. I'm very understanding, even though I have books on hold and would like to be able to go pick them up today. But the thing that gets me is that they SHUT DOWN THE WEBSITE!! For the day! How does that do a thing for budget cuts? I wanted to browse the catalog and put things on hold, not talk to a librarian. Bull crap. And book drop access! My books better not be late because I couldn't drop them off today. Bah.

Pink or Blue?

So, as the rest of the world is slowly picking up, I must divulge to you, my single reader.

I'm pregnant.

I was getting frustrated because it was not happening as quickly as I would have liked once I made the decision to have another child, now that it's here I think: Why was I in such a hurry? I can never imagine what people are going through who have fertility issues - I have been blessed with a fertile womb and a fertile husband. But why did I get so annoyed when it didn't happen one month in to my decision?

I feel run down, queasy (although not sick, I've also been blessed there), tired, cranky and bloated. My clothes still fit but I feel uncomfortable in them. I have the urge (which I almost always indulge) to wear pjs every second that I am home. I'm hungry all the time and yet also have a stomachache at all times. Why can't pregnancy be happy from beginning to end? Why must your body act like it's rejecting a foreign growth on your abdomen first?

Anyhow, enough of that rant. I'm happy I'm pregnant. Here's hoping for another boy (one that doesn't do Evel Knieval stunts). I'm hungry.