toddler aggression and punkin's first tick!

Punkin has been being aggressive with other little kids lately. So far it's the only thing he's been giving a time-out for, and then sparingly. It's pretty critical to break him of this behavior however, before he actually hurts someone. So far he has succeeded mostly in scratching and scaring them.

I also found a tick on him today after we were out playing in the backyard. I have plans to look up the symptoms of all the local tick-borne diseases - Lyme Disease and Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever being the only two I can think of at the moment. If he gets a cold in the next couple months I will probably be convinced it's a serious tick disease instead.

Things are going well in general. I think he's learning some new words. We no longer have boobs at night and sleep much better as a result. The no boobs during the day project is taking longer. Punkin is generous with the hugs and the kisses. He hates it when anyone leaves the room. He definitely does naughty things to get attention, and then smiles at you crookedly to see if you figured it out. He also runs from any threat of tickles, of which there are many.

the terrible two's are a misnomer

Because they definitely start around 16 months.

Toddler frustration is here hard-core. Punkin wants what he wants dammit and he will not be deterred! Of course when what he wants is something which a sharp blade, to be allowed to eat the orange peel, boobs for the millionth time, or to hit people, he is denied and becomes very unhappy. Screaming has become a regular part of our day. You'd think he'd get over it after he figured out it doesn't actually make me do what he wants. But no such luck.

Other than that, he climbed out of his crib last week and landed on his head, so it has been converted to a toddler bed. The trouble with this being that he now has absolutely no reason to stay in it whatsoever.

punkin plays soccer with mama & ben

punkin's email to mama

Punkin is visiting his grammy and poppy for a few days. Here is his email to mama!

Dear Mommy,


I really miss you and want to see you and please let me stay at my Grammy's for another day. I am playing and writing and drawing and have marker all over my face, hands and clothes. Grammy said you wouldn't mind if my green pants got all blue and red.

bv;x;bzdbb
She let's me eat as many cheerio's as I want and even gave me some ice cream yesterday.
She takes me outside and let's me run in the grass.....we even got to watch the birds this morning.!!

When she dropped the sifter on my head.....she even put ice on the bump...SHE IS THE GREATEST GRAMMY IN THE WORLD.

I have to go now, I gotta get ready for my disco lesson
I love you mommy and will see your real soon.
.vl;Si9f-12r asdfvv

LOVE, ELIAS cgven j


IUHU787880-HCX [;;\
B


vcsvg p[j234pg[




HI[MV V

adventures!

Punkin locked himself in a closet yesterday during a film showing at a community center. He walked in and shut the door, and the thing was locked from the inside. We had to go run and find the woman with the key. Luckily there was a grate in the door so we could see each other, so neither of us really flipped out. And it was a food pantry, so there wasn't anything real dangerous in there that he could get to. Still, it freaked out his mama. We're going to have to work on this doors business.

We also started sleep training last week. I'm really tired of nursing him all night long. He wakes me up at least 3 times a night, and it's just getting exhausting. My goal is that he will sleep through the night on his own by 18 months (about 5 weeks from now). He's doing pretty well. He responds OK to being in his crib as long as i'm right there next to him. I think I can keep nursing for longer as long as I don't have to do it at night. I'm starting to get this really restless antsy feeling whenever I'm woken up or stuck in the bed because I'm giving the baby a boob. It's stressful though, because he cries when I put him in the crib and I have to stay there and calm him down. I also miss him in the bed. I haven't been able to sleep very well until he's with me.

the talking continues

New things punkin has said that have been more or less intelligible to some people.

1. Yummy yummy!
2. Thank you
3. Hello
4. See you later!
5. I love you!

By more or less intelligible I mean, thank you comes out as "taaannnkoooooo" and see you later is "seeeeuuuuulaaaaaaarrrrr" but you get the general idea.

punkin is sick

Punkin got sick today. :-(

He threw up 3 times. The last time was a lot too. He threw up all the milk he had drank an hour before. I think it's just a tummy bug but mama is nervous. He's never been sick like this before. I want someone to fix him, dammit.

Sick baby = no good.

tales from punkinland

So, just the usual here in Punkinland.
One molar has arrived and three more are on the way. This had led to a distinct decrease in sleep and increase in biting. In fact the little one has been placed in his crib at this very moment as he has been biting his mama. We are spending more time outside since it's warming up out there (yay!). I am now allowed to brush his teeth with a toothbrush as long as he is allowed to play with it before and after the brushing. We flipped his car seat to face front, which has greatly reduced the number of car-ride breakdowns. Punkin has said some new words including "good" "doggie" and "baby". When asked "how are you doing?" he will sometimes respond "goooooood!". Monday we went on a trip to Barnes & Noble and Punkin was a big fan of the escalator. We bought a couple new books and an extra copy of his favorite book, "I Love You Through and Through," because he has almost destroyed it. I'm not sure why this is his favorite book, but it has been since we got it. We have decided to move at the end of May and will be figuring out how to do it, hopefully by employing lots of volunteer labor.

QUACK!

The worst thing happened today in Punkin's Kindermusik class. There is a little girl in the class who is about a year old, and she looks like a duck. She has a long, wide, curved mouth that is inescapably ducklike. Today another little girl in the class who is about 15 months old pointed at her and said "QUACK!" Her mother was confused and was like, quack? Do you see a duck? I don't see a duck. Then she saw who her daughter was pointing at, and she got real quiet. The rest of us pretended not to notice, but everyone did. It's the kind of funny-awful that you feel bad laughing about but still can't keep yourself from laughing. Her poor mother!

a future musician at work