Quick Before I Get Sidetrack'd

It would seem that we are entering a season of change around here. There are cosmetic changes like the Sidetrack’d reindeer dashing away to make room for the lovely new wintery look. There will be changes around the house like cleaning out the storage room (bedroom #3) and creating a room for baby Boo. Then there are the life changes to come like welcoming a new child into our lives and home.

We began this weekend with a pretty significant transition: on Saturday morning Matt converted Little’s crib to a toddler bed. She is really pretty young (17 months) to move out of the crib, but with baby Boo on the way we decided to move her sooner rather than wait until he arrives.

Overall, she has done very well with the change. At naptime and bedtime she lays down in her bed with her pile of “dees” (blankets), stays in bed, and goes to sleep with no problems. The problem comes with keeping her in bed.

Her convertible crib doesn’t have a rail on the fourth side when it is made into a toddler bed. Therefore, when she wiggles to that edge she falls out. [aside: I know that bed rails are the solution to this problem, but we are having a bit of trouble finding them locally.] On Saturday night she was out of bed by 10:00 when Matt and I went to bed; I was able to put her back on her bed and she slept there the rest of the night. On Sunday night she fell out of bed sometime between 9:00, when I checked on her, and 4:30 Monday morning when Matt got up for the day; she was sound asleep on one of the pillows in her floor when Matt found her so he left her there. She slept all night long in bed Tuesday night.

Monday night and last night she required middle of the night assistance. On Monday night/Tuesday morning I heard her cry out and say “uh oh” around 2:00. When I went in to put her back in bed she was standing beside her bed with her head laying on the bed sucking her thumb; she was grateful to get back in bed and quickly went back to sleep. Last night Matt heard her say “da-da. uh oh.” about 2:30 and went to check on her. She was once again standing with her head on her bed, a dee under her head, and her thumb in her mouth. Matt said she looked like she was resigned to sleeping the rest of the night standing that way.

So, only one night out of five has Little has made it the entire night without falling out of bed. She is capable of climbing back in by herself; I think she must be disoriented and still asleep enough that she either doesn’t think about it or doesn’t have the energy to pull herself back up there.

I know it is something she will get past pretty soon, but she sure looks pitiful standing there in the middle of the night sucking her thumb!

Little has reached the age where she wants to help with lots of things around the house. She is very good at getting a diaper from the package and throwing away wet diapers. She helps with the laundry – her favorite parts are putting laundry back in the hamper after I’ve sorted it and closing the dryer door (because what better sound is there to little ears than a loud slam?).

One of her favorite tasks is helping to load and unload the dishwasher; she runs to the dishwasher anytime she sees – or senses – that the door is open and usually wants to play in the dirty silverware and knives (exactly what she needs to be doing, right?). Matt and I try to load/unload at times when both of us are home – so one can keep Little distracted – or while she is eating and strapped into her booster seat.

Today, however, I didn’t get everything unloaded before she finished her lunch. She immediately made a beeline for the dishwasher and began trying to get the bowls out of the rack to hand them to me (silverware tray had already been removed). It is really cute when she is actually attempting to help and I didn’t have much left to unload, so I let her continue to “help”. After we had emptied everything from the racks, Little shut the dishwasher door (see comment above about dryer door – the girl enjoys closing doors) and I thought that we had completed the task.

I was on the phone with my Mom and continued to talk and to work on something at the kitchen counter. When I heard the dishwasher door open again I didn’t think much about it; it was empty, not a big deal. The next thing I know I look down to see her pushing the bottom rack of the dishwasher across the kitchen floor! Apparently she thought it was a good idea to remove it from the dishwasher and go for a joy ride. She rolled it into the living room, stayed in there for a minute, and then brought it back into the kitchen.

And all I could do was laugh because she just looked so cute (and funny) pushing the dishwasher rack around the house!

Wow, where has this week has gone!?  I’m a wee bit behind on my Giving Thanks days, so I will play a bit of catch up here and cover days 3 through 8.  Some of these may be a bit superficial, but they are, none the less, things that evoke gratefulness.

Day 3, Saturday: A fresh laundry room – My wonderful husband spent Saturday afternoon painting our laundry room the loveliest shade of green.  It is called “pea pod” although Matt refers to it as “grass”; that should give you an idea of the color since I was unable to get a good picture.  The best part is that he did all the work while allowing me to lie on the couch napping.  I’m telling you, he is a great catch!

Day 4, Sunday: A beautiful day –  The weekend and Monday were gorgeous days.  We had clear blue skies, temps in the 70s, and a nice little breeze blowing.  It was a great weekend to be out and about running errands and playing.  Although those won’t be the last days in the 70s here (it is supposed to be warm again this weekend), they were wonderful days before our days in the 50s on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Day 5, Monday: A healthy girl –  Little had her 15 month check-up on Monday and got a great report.  All of her milestones have been met or exceeded, she’s grown an inch and three-quarters since her 12 month check-up, and she is gaining weight (although she is still on the small side based on growth charts, oh well, she’s been consistent).  Right now she is fighting a yucky cough, but we have no long-term health or developmental concerns, and that is a great blessing.

Day 6, Tuesday: A stay-at-home Mom – I am so blessed to be able to stay home with Little – and baby Boo in days to come.  I try to step back from time to time and realize that I am only able to do this because God has blessed Matt with a good job and Matt and I have been committed from the start to me being at home.  I love being home, and even though the days get long and hard from time to time, I wouldn’t want someone else to enjoy all the fun that Little and I get to have together.   I am also grateful for my stay-at-home friends with whom we can hang out.

Day 7, Wednesday: Smoke without fire –  Yesterday afternoon I was very thankful that there doesn’t have to be fire for there to be smoke.  I was preparing to make a chicken pot pie for dinner and thought I could boil the chicken while Little and I went outside to play with the neighbor’s children.  Apparently I did not watch the time closely enough, because when we came home I opened the front door and was greeted by smoke and a nasty smell.  The pot had boiled dry and the chicken was quite burnt, but fortunately, it had not caught fire.  I immediately took the pot off the stove and put it outside, and we spent the next hour or so trying to air out the house with windows and doors open.  We are dealing with a lingering smell, but no serious effects.

Day 8, Thursday: Tiny little movements –  I’ve begun to feel the first tiny little movements that let me know Boo is kicking and doing okay.  This is so reassuring for me during the time between morning-sickness subsiding and the big ultrasound.  We go for the ultrasound a week from Monday, and I’m so excited to see this little one for the first time.

For all of these things and so many more I thank God.  He has truly been good to me.

My baby girl is growing and learning every day. It’s hard to believe how much she has changed in just the last few months. A couple of recent activities from her growing repertoire of skills…

~Yesterday evening she was playing in the dining area (we have an eat-in kitchen) while Matt and I finished eating dinner. We have a chest against the wall behind the table and beside the chest was a gallon can of paint (eventually we’ll get around to using it in the laundry room). I looked up from taking a bite of dinner to see Little climbing up to stand on the paint can. She had decided to use it as a step-stool to reach something she wanted on top of the chest.

~This morning she wanted some dried fruit to eat. I told her it would take a minute to get her snack because we needed a bowl. I preceded to reach into the cabinet to get a snack cup, and when I turned around Little had opened the Tupperware drawer and retrieved one of her small bowls. She was standing there sweetly, holding out her bowl for me to pour her fruit into it.

~And falling into the “makes me laugh” category – a couple of weeks ago she was standing near the baby-gate at the hallway leaned over where her head touched the ground, reaching backward between her legs to grab the gate bars, and shaking the gate.  I wish I had a picture, but, unfortunately, I missed it; so all I have to go on is the description Matt gave me.

You never know what that little girl is going to do next, but it sure is fun to see.

Little is no longer allowed to wear clothing that doesn’t have a piece to cover her diaper (i.e., pants, one piece outfits, fancy pants). She has figured out how to undo her diaper tabs and that when she does her diaper comes loose.

Which leads us to a few minutes ago when I got her out of her crib after nap only to feel her bare bum under her dress instead of a diaper! Needless to say, her dress, her blankets, her bear, her sheet, and her mattress pad were soaked.

She is an inquisitive child which is fun because you can almost see her mind making connections as she learns new things.  However, she is quickly becoming too smart for my good.

Off to do a load of laundry…