Happy Birthday Baby Girl!

I know this is late but, better late than never. The end of July brought a big day in our house. Our little baby became a toddler. Olivia turned one! How is this possible? Where did the time go? I spent most of the day reminiscing about what I was doing a year ago on that day. Getting to the hospital, getting prepped for the c section, getting to our room and getting to hold her. Now, she's taking steps, uses a sippy cup and points at everything. She even looks like a toddler now instead of a baby. I kept thinking about how little she looked as a newborn and all the changes over the year. I love seeing all the new things she's learning and doing. This is one of the most exciting times and I love having a toddler. At the same time, it's bittersweet as now the time of babies in the Ross-Boon house is over. No more formula, bottles, or newborn clothes. We're on to bigger and better things.

Olivia had a great birthday party. She enjoyed being with her friends and family. And she enjoyed her chocolate cake a little too much. Poor girl got sick at nap time. Too much food! Thanks to everyone for their cards, presents and well wishes. They were much appreciated. Next month it will be Aidan's turn.

Potty Training Update #2

Well, potty training hasn't gone swimmingly. We took a couple days off after our dead stop. When we started again we still had accidents but, at least there was more time between them. We haven't actually had any success since last week. We've had playdates and things that have made it hard to devote all morning or day to it. Aidan is starting to grab his diaper and say he's peeing or pooping. Although he still gets the two mixed up. There' s plenty of time. He'll get it eventually.

Potty Training Adventure Update #1

Last night, Aidan went pee in the potty three more times. Of course there were more accidents too but I'm focusing on the positive. Daddy coming home sort of distracted us and threw us off our groove. However, this morning Aidan pooped in the potty for the first time ever! Very exciting! Daddy promised him a rubber bug toy that he wanted from Walgreens if he did so, we went and picked it up today. Aidan now will tell me when he's going even if he has a diaper on. In fact, he seemed confused when I put one back on him this morning. Not so much warning me before he goes but at least he's recognizing the sensation of going. I guess we're taking baby steps. Stay tuned!

Our Budding Fisherman!

I'm not sure why, but lately Aidan has really gotten into fishing. We went to Suson Park for a St. Patty's Day playgroup and he was more excited about everyone there fishing. Unfortunately, we were unable to fish at that moment as he demanded but, I told him we would talk to Daddy about it. So, as he cried because we had to leave and couldn't fish, we called Daddy and explained the situation. Daddy came home a little early that day with a new fishing rod and tackle box in hand, just for Aidan. Aidan was ecstatic! After further thought, Daddy decided the rod he got was too big and he would get a smaller one when he got some bait and a fishing license. Aidan is the proud owner a Spongebob fishing pole. He picked out but, I have no idea why. He doesn't watch that show. Anyway, they were off and Aidan had a great time. They didn't catch anything but Aidan was happy just to have his line in the water and talk about how he was fishing. All week he's demanded to go again. We decided to go as a family yesterday. So I made some Sloppy Joes and packed them up for the park. This time we took some hot dogs for bait, as our worms had died. Oops. :) Apparently hot dogs are a big hit with fish. Not even five minutes after we cast Aidan's line in the kiddy pond, he caught his first fish. He was upset that he had to reel it in and didn't want help, although he needed it. I guess he thought fishing was sitting around with the pole and not doing anything but watching the water. (Actually that's not too far off.) But when he saw his fish, he was excited. It was tiny but he thought it was great! He even wanted to help throw it back. We decided to move onto the big pond so Daddy could fish too. And sure enough, Aidan got another one! This one was a little bigger and Aidan was excited to see another fish. We threw it back so it could "find it's Momma" in the pond. About this time, Aidan was done with fishing for the night. Why not, he caught two and put all the adults to shame. :) So we ate our sandwiches and headed for some playtime at the playground. All in all, it was a great evening. What great memories!

A Long Week for my Sickly Buddy

What a long week. Ugh. Poor Aidan has been so sick. First, the fever that yo-yoed all week. Then 3am Friday morning, he woke up with a temp of 104. Luckily, some Motrin and cold compresses helped and in 30 minutes his temp went down a whole degree. But, I also noticed he had hives on his face and neck. As his fever went down, the hives got lighter though. So, ER trip averted. Off to the pediatrician's in the morning. In the morning, Aidan was bushed and not happy about being looked over. He was especially unhappy about the swab for the strep test, which came back positive. The doctor warned that strep can cause hives in children, hence the hives the night before, and especially if they are sensitive like Aidan seems to be. Which , I did not know and found was good information to have. We went home with a prescription for amoxicillin, a sticker and a bag of goldfish (from the doctor's office.) Aidan was so wore out, he feel asleep in the car. After the first dose of medicine, Aidan looked better, had more energy, and the fever was gone. I thought we were in the clear. We went to bed and that was that for Friday.

Then, Saturday morning happened. Julien got up with Aidan and immediately brought him to me. (Saturday is my morning to sleep in.) He was covered with big, red hives. He had never had anything close to these. The back of his neck looked like a big sunburn and it was swollen. His right eye looked like it may swell shut as it had a big hive above and below it. Soon they spread and he had them all down his back, on his arms, and even on his bootie. His ankle got swollen and red from a big hive on it. We gave him benadryl right away. Nothing happened. I thought, it could be the strep, he needs his antibiotic. Halfway through giving him his dose, I happened to be reading the info card that came with the medicine to see that hives are a sign of allergic reaction. Next to that it said in big letters- CALL YOUR DOCTOR IMMEDIATELY. Great. So, a call to the office's exchange to page the doctor. Since both things could be the cause of the hives, it's almost impossible to say which it was. Out of caution, the doctor called in a different antibiotic to use to be sure. Other than that, the hives will go away when they go away. So, all day Aidan looked like he lost a fight. He played and whined like normal. But, I felt so bad knowing there was little I could do and I couldn't make the hives go away. Tonight he started his new antibiotic. And the hives on his face started to lighten and a couple went away too. Hopefully tomorrow he can actually leave the house. Today was a beautiful day and he had to spend it cooped up with us. Keep your fingers crossed that he continues to improve tomorrow. He has to be tired of being sick. Lord knows I'm exhausted from it.

My Sick Little Buddy

Last night while cuddling, I noticed that Aidan seemed a little hot. Lately, he's been the healthiest of us all. He's had a nice long stretch of good health. I guess our luck has run out. We sent him to bed with some motrin and he took his temp when he was asleep. His temp was fine. Then this morning, he was hot again. This time his temp was 101.6. I hate when he gets sick! So, more motrin. For awhile he was fine. No fever, eating and drinking, and playing. Then after nap, he was hot again! Sigh! His temp by this point 102.2. So, more motrin. He ate dinner and played all right. Then he wanted to cuddle and we put on a movie. (We watched Igor, which was good.) The motrin didn't seem to help this time. He still had the fever and seemed to get the chills, complaining he was cold. So, I gave him so Tylenol staggered in the middle of his motrin dose and put him to bed. I'll have to check on him later and see if the fever is getting better or not. I was hoping to put a doctor's trip off until Friday but, if things don't improve tomorrow morning, we may just go then. I hate when he gets sick. I feel so bad for him. And I feel a little useless too. Let's hope tonight goes well and his fever breaks on its own. Oh- and that I don't catch what he has. :)

The Challenges of Parenthood

Some days, I don't know how I get through without pulling all my hair out. I love my son more than anything but, boy can he frustrate me! Aidan has always loved bath time. In fact, he has cried because it wasn't bath night and he wanted to take a bath. That was until this weekend. All of a sudden now he doesn't want to either take his diaper off or take a bath. There have been a few things that have happened lately that may have contributed to this. Such as.....The other day, it was bath night and we were getting ready to get in. I asked him if he wanted to try to potty before getting in the tub. So he sat and sat and sat. Then he refused to get up. He never actually did anything but, he for some reason wouldn't get up. He eventually got in the tub for a quick bath, but really wasn't interested in it. Also, Daddy has been trying to get rid of Aidan's fear of water in his face by what I refer to as "tough love." Like dumping a bunch of water over his head without warning, turning the shower head on while Aidan's taking a bath without warning, and he's also turned on the facet in the tub while Aidan's in the bath and noise scares him. Now, Julien would tell me I'm coddling him and he'll get over it eventually. I tell him that of course it's the right course of action because he's been so successful with it. (He never appreciates my biting sarcasm.) Tonight, Aidan cried that he didn't want to take a bath and that he didn't want to take off his diaper. I tried to convince him to get in for two minutes then we'd get out. I told him that I'd get in too if he wanted. He cried and screamed so hard that he broke out in hives. I didn't know that could happen. Apparently it can. I got half of him washed and then pulled him out. Once he started to calm the hives went away. In fact, he calmed down once he got a new diaper on. Now about the diapers....Lately we've been encouraging him to try and use the potty. We got him a potty seat that sits on the big potty. He's gone to friends' houses and watched them potty training. If you ask him while he's getting a diaper change, don't you want to use the potty, he'll say , "No, want a diaper change." He's no fool. He couldn't be any less interested. Julien wants him to be potty trained by the time the new baby comes. I'm starting to think that we need to back off and not force a timetable on him. It's frustrating when you know kids that aren't 2 yet and they pee on the potty and your almost 2 1/2 year old won't even sit. I think Julien, as a Dad, is even more susceptible to the pressure to get your kid on the potty. I think though that it's starting to take a toll on Aidan. He doesn't want his diaper off at all. Today, if I took off his diaper to change him, he wanted a new one right away. And he doesn't want it off for bath time. Urgh..... Is it the age he's at? Is it the new baby coming? At this point, he knows that things are changing and it must make him stressed to some point. Maybe he's trying to hang on to some kind of dependence on Mommy and Daddy. Maybe he's just having a bad week. I talked to my mom about it tonight. She said, in her infinite wisdom, in so many words "this to shall pass." She said not to make a big deal out of the bath thing and sponge bathe him until he gets comfortable again. She reminded me that the bigger deal I make out of it the bigger the battle will be. If he says "no" to bath night, just say "ok. we don't have to." Eventually he'll calm down and things will get back to normal. She also reminded me that when he's ready to potty, he'll tell us. He'll know before we will. It's always reassuring to talk to Mom. She's like the voice of reason. Some days, you just need the moral support of someone who's been there. So, tomorrow we will start with a new attitude. We will be more laid back. If he puts up a fight, just let it go. Some battles aren't worth it.

Toddler Art Class

Today was another playgroup day. This time we were off to the Magic House in Kirkwood for Toddler Art class. I have to say, if you have kids and are in the St. Louis area, this is a must! It is the greatest Children's Museum! They just opened an expansion so now they have 50,000 sq feet of space. It's incredible! We have a membership so the classes are discounted, which is nice. Today was Toddler Art and our first time at any of their classes. Aidan had a blast! He was so excited to paint. We really must use our easel at home more often. We played with home made play clay, made a stamp picture, did shaving cream fingerpainting, and played with "clean mud" made from soap and toilet paper. Aidan made so many pictures that we couldn't get them all home as they weren't dry yet. At one point while Aidan was painting, we were discussing the colors he was using when he looked at his painting and told me, "it's needs more blue." He's a Picasso in the making! It was so funny. The staff was really nice and helpful too. It makes the class even better when you have staff who obviously love what they do. After the class was over, we followed the other playgroup kids out to the preschool part of the Magic House. That was the only part that was open before noon. But that meant time at the water table, which was all that Aidan cared about. In fact, he just about ran over a staff member to get to it. Talk about enthuisam. While he played with the water, I was able to talk to the moms. I met a new mom to the group who's husband is overseas for a year. We talked about being in military families, as I can relate from our past experience. I can't imagine moving and then being alone for a long time. At least she has fmaily near, but still. I don't envy her position but give her full credit. After being at the Magic House for an hour and a half, I was able to drag Aidan away with the promise of french fries for lunch. When we got home, we ate and then watched some Caillou. At that point he told me that he was ready for nap ( which hasn't happened all week!) and went to sleep with out a peep. That's a relief considering the last couple nights. Aidan is my sleep lover. Always has been. Then things got a little out of sorts with being away for Christmas. We seemed to return to normal when we got home. He'd ask for a light to be left on though, which was unusual. Then that last couple of nights have been difficult. He'd cry he didn't want to go to sleep. Then he'd want the light in his room on. Then he'd cry that he wanted to see Daddy again. Then he'd just cry for a while. He'd lay down at 8:30 and not fall asleep until 10:30 or 11:00. Not like my boy at all. I think he's bored with Mommy telling him she doesn't feel good. He isn't getting enough activity apparently. After today's excitement and a 9:00 bedtime, he hasn't made a peep. He asks for Daddy often during the day. He even asked if Daddy was coming with to Toddler Art. I think he needs time with Daddy doing fun stuff and playing. He knows Daddy likes to do things and play rough and he needs that right now. Mommy being out of commission is stressful for him. I hope for his sake and mine that I get my energy back soon. I'm getting really tired of feeling exhausted and never getting anything done. My house desperately needs some attention. Tomorrow probably won't be any better. I have my first round of bloodtests, including my first one hour glucose test. I'm sure that I'll fanastatic after that. :) Wish me luck!