Schooled by a Polite 3.5 Year-Old

We've been working really hard on Parker's manners, but so far all it's taught my three and a half year old is to talk back politely.

Me: "Will you bring me your juice cup from upstairs, please?"

Parker (sweetly): "Will you go get it, please?"

Me: "I asked you first, buddy.  Besides, I brought it up to you, so the nice and helpful thing to do would be to bring it back down to me."

Parker (even more sweetly): "Yes, you brought it up to me, so you may bring it back down, too."
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"And as you wish that others would do to you, do so to them." - Luke 6:31

My Three Year Old is Reading!

For some time now I've noticed Parker reading, but I had a suspicion that he was just memorizing words and not actually able to sound them out if he didn't recognize them.  Lately he has been reading words to me in different stores that I know aren't terribly familiar to him.  Then last week he was on Starfall.com and started reading the stories on there aloud to his Grandma and Grandpa.  I think I was more impressed than they were because I knew that I had never read those stories to him before!  Usually I let him go on the computer to play and he just goes for it while I clean or do something else.  I've touted that website before, but had to mention it again. 

Today I asked Parker to read on video so I could show Grandma and Grandpa.  First he read from a book that my friend Sara gave to him recently that I suspect he's mostly memorized because there aren't many words.  Then I pulled out the big guns.  He has a big reader that my dad sent him awhile back that we rarely ever pull out because Jake and I think it's extremely boring, and it's looong.  Not good for bedtime.  I was so impressed that he did as well as he did!  I couldn't put everything on here because it would be too big of a file, so I took a few clips that really showed how he was trying to sound out unfamiliar words and strung the clips together for your viewing pleasure.

I'm also going to post the full video of Parker reading "That's Not My Dinosaur," just because I think Sara would enjoy seeing how much Parker loves the book she gave him. 

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"May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world."  Galatians 6:14

Bottling Moments

I've had some precious moments this morning already that I wish I could bottle up and keep forever.  Since I can't physically put them in a bottle, I decided to put them on this blog so I could go back to cherish them years from now. 

I am twenty weeks into my pregnancy, and I have still been taking Zofran to help inhibit me from throwing up.  It has now been 2.5 days since I've taken the medication and I managed to keep everything down until just a short while ago.  That's the longest I've gone without medication and not threw up in over 14 weeks, so things are at least looking up.  The nausea is worse without the medication, but I'm trying to work through it with food and prayer. 

The one good thing about the nausea is it had me up before Parker nibbling crackers and drinking Sierra Mist.  While doing so, I figured it was a good opportunity to get in some Bible study.  Right now the mom's group I'm in is going through one of Beth Moore's 9-week studies.  It's really helping me get a clear picture of my faith and encouraging me to ask God for more.  I had a moment of reflection this morning where my mind was flashing through events throughout my life and realizing now how God was working in my life to bring me even to this day.  This was bottle moment number one.  It makes me excited to see what He has in store for me for the future.  I know there will be trials, but I feel good that God will see me through them if I continue to believe Him and exercise faith in what He can and will do. 

Bottle moment number two was when I went upstairs to get Parker out of bed:
Me: "Good morning, Love."
Parker: "I'm not Love.  I'm Parker." 
A little while later...
Me: "I love you, buddy.  Oh wait, you're not buddy, you're Parker.  Right?"
Parker (hugging me): "I'm your buddy, I'm your Parker, AND I'm your love."  Aww...

Bottle moment number three was Parker playing hair dresser on me.  He narrated the whole process beautifully to make sure I was comfortable (and following his directions).  He used his toy drill as a blow dryer.  He curled my hair with a screw driver.  Then he "flattened" it with a nut stuck on the tip of the screw driver, "Now keep your eyes closed.  I'll be very gentle."  I sat there quietly like a good client and thought, "How sweet my little boy is.  Who needs a girl when you have a boy like this, anyway?"  Then, as if he read my mind, he took his saw and cut open my head to see what was inside.  LOL!  Fortunately, he took his hammer and nails and nailed my head back together.  Then he went through the whole process of fixing my hair up again.  I think he did a good job of hiding the scars.  :)

Bottle moment number four is after breakfast when Parker wanted to snuggle with me on the couch.  He pretended I was a bed and my hand was his cup holder.  We were listening to Elton John.  When "Crocodile Rock" came on, I started moving to the beat a little.  When Parker said I couldn't dance because beds don't dance, I said, "But doesn't it make you want to dance?  It's so hard not to dance when music like this comes on."  Parker replied, "That's because this is rock 'n' roll!" 

Since my tummy is starting to gurgle, I think I'll leave bottle moment number five to pictures:

Proud of his tower building skills

 

Then joyfully knocking it down!

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"... but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint."
Isaiah 40:31

Oh... almost forgot!

I just realized that maybe I should have posted this before my last post... oops!  It's a BOY (obviously)!

I think I'm in love!  Feeling very blessed today.  God is good.  :)

Conversations with Parker: "Anatomy Lesson"

With me being pregnant, and Parker being an inquisitive three year-old, a detailed anatomy lesson was bound to happen sooner rather than later.  This is the last part of our conversation during lunch today:

Parker: "Where does the name 'Mama' come from?"

Me: "It is short for mother, and a mother is a woman who has a child and takes care of it."

Parker: "No, I take care of YOU, Mama!" (proceeds to crawl into my lap and give me a hug).

Me: "Aww, yes, you do."

Parker: "And you take care of Dada, and Dada takes care of me!"

Me: "Yes, we all take care of each other."

Parker: "That's nice to take care of each other."

Me: "Are you going to help me take care of the new baby when he comes out?"

Parker: "Yes, but is he going to come out now?"

Me: "No, we want him to get bigger first.  Right now he's about this big (showing with my hands), and we want him to get this big!"

Parker: "And THIS big! (spreading his arms wide)"

Me: "Well, he can get that big AFTER he comes out."

Parker: "But how does the baby come out?"

Me (doing a mental 'uh-oh'): "Well... there are two different ways he could come out.  See this line in my belly?  The doctor cut open my belly and that's how YOU came out.  The other way he could come out is through my vagina."

Parker (thinking about this): "But if you go pee-pee, the baby will fall into the toilet!"

Me: "No, my pee-pee doesn't come out of my vagina." 

Parker (looking confused): "But how come your pee-pee doesn't come out of your vagina?"

Me: "My pee-pee comes out of my urethra which is a part above my vagina.  I know that's confusing for you since your urethra is inside your penis, so your pee-pee comes out of your penis."

Parker: "But what happens if the baby falls into the potty?" 

Me: "That won't happen, I promise."

Parker: "But what happens if it DOES?"

Me: "Well, then I'd have to rescue him."

Parker: "But what happens if he goes down the drain?"

Me: "That won't happen Sweetie, he'd be too big to go down the drain.  Maybe if he came out now he might, but we want him to come out when he's bigger and he'd be too big to fit down the drain."

Parker: "Maybe we should wait until your vagina gets bigger."

Me (laughing): "Yes, we should probably wait for that, too."

Parker: "But I want to see your... your... your etha."

Me: "You want to see my urethra?"

Parker: "Yes, I want to see it above your vagina."

Me (not liking where this is going and filling with doubt): "OK, maybe the next time I have to pee I'll show you where the pee comes out."

Parker: "But how about now?"

Me (sighing): "OK, I guess I do have to go potty."

And yup, you betcha, I (very briefly) pointed out where my urethra was and then quickly sat on the toilet.  Fortunately, that ended the conversation (for now).  Eek, though!  At least we haven't gotten to the, "but how did the baby get in your belly?" question, yet!

Thankful Thursday

I'm thankful I managed to keep my cool upon hearing a ripping noise and turning to discover Parker had just torn the back cover of one of my books, and I'm thankful for his 3 minute time out so I could type this.  :OP

I'm Alive... (just barely)!

Whew!  So much has happened in the last five months and blogging has taken a back step to (barely) living.  We bought and moved into our first home, the holidays came and went, I got pregnant, Parker turned 3 and stopped napping, and I've been spending the last 11 weeks trying to stay sane while puking, eating, sleeping, and trying not to blow up at Parker every second of the day. 

A lot of people told me that every pregnancy is different, but it was said with the intent of convincing me that I wouldn't be sick like I was with Parker.  OK, so this round has been better in the aspect that the anti-puke meds I take are now available in generic form and I can get more than 9 pills a month, so I'm actually gaining weight (a lot) instead of losing it.  At 17 weeks today, I'm still nauseated and still puking (albeit far less often) despite my daily med regimen.  Poop on the people who gave me hope, including my OB.  Yes, especially poop on her for telling me that I'd stop puking after 12 weeks.  I hope I have a vaginal birth this round so I can try to literally poop on her. 

In case you haven't already gathered as much, here's another difference with this pregnancy than with Parker: mood swings.  With Parker, I was unusually calm.  I could care less about all the worrisome stuff going on around me at work.  My whole focus was baby, baby, baby.  This time around, all I care about is food and sleep.  Everything else annoys me (including the baby inside of me) and the littlest stress will set me off. 

Here are some examples: 1) Yesterday Parker ate crackers in my bedroom and dropped crumbs everywhere.  This bothered me, of course, but it was him purposefully stomping on the crumbs that made me blow my top.  2) Since we don't have TiVo or anything, my husband and I have to compromise on what shows we watch.  My husband enjoys Glee.  I don't get it at all, but sometimes I enjoy the music at least.  Last week it was so cheesy and the music was so terrible I wanted to throw something and break the TV so the torture would end.  Fortunately, I was too lazy to do anything about it.  This week I just went to bed early and avoided that particular annoyance.  3) The town home next to us was empty for several months and it was complete bliss.  All of our neighbors have been quiet and friendly.  Until a few weeks ago.  We got new neighbors and they smoke and party late (but just on the weekends), and don't pick up their dog's poop.  This last Sunday I started cursing loudly (God, forgive me) when cigarette smoke started drifting into our windows.  I'm not usually prone to cursing, so this says something.  I stomped upstairs and poured over the association rules to see what rights I had to get them to stop.  The nice and reasonable side of me wants to make them cookies and ask them politely to stop messing up my feng shui.  The pregnant side of me wants to just report them to the association and never attempt to be friends with such people (could I sound any more snobbish?). 

I could go on, but I'm sure you get it by now.  I don't really like the new pregnant me, and I've been trying hard to pay attention to my emotions and stop and pray and ask God for strength when I feel the hormones start raging, but they often get the best of me (and bring out the worst in me). 

Oh, and one more thing.  If you were one of those people who tried to convince me this pregnancy would be better, POOP ON YOU!

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On a more serious note: "That is why we are not discouraged. Though outwardly we are wearing out, inwardly we are renewed every day. Our suffering is light and temporary and is producing for us an eternal glory that is greater than anything we can imagine." 
2 Corinthians 4:16

Lessons From Parker

Hello Out There....

Wow, it's been a month since I last blogged. Where has the time gone? I went on a little trip to visit some family and somehow just never got back into the swing of things. Parker was whiny and clingy most of the trip and I didn't deal with it well (to put it nicely). To be quite honest, I was a BEAR. This picture tells all:

We did manage to have some fun in spite of that...

We played in a big box.

We read books.

We got hurt.
(Oh, Greg, you're gonna love watching what happens to your wife)

We watched A LOT of TV.

We went to the park

One of our big goals was to take the kids to a pumpkin patch to get some pumpkins and take pictures of them in their costumes. We couldn't find a pumpkin patch, but we did find haystacks on the side of the road....

We visited my aunt and uncle and completely forgot to take pictures. Except when my little sister stole my camera (oh yes, my family bought me a new camera for an early Christmas present!) and shot these (LOL):

(Apparently my aunt has a cool chandelier. Leave it to artistic Sarah to notice.)

And we "sang" karaoke.

Ah, yes, when we gals get together, it can get a little... crazy. Gotta love family!

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"Only be careful, and watch yourselves closely so that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen or let them slip from your heart as long as you live. Teach them to your children and to their children after them." Deuteronomy 4:9

My Head is Going to Explode

Yes, I have some weird allergy/ear thing going on giving me headaches and dizzy spells, but that's not why my head is going to explode. It's going to explode from spending the day "communicating" with a toddler.

I was reminiscing today on Parker's baby days. You know, back when he would cry and cry and cry and I would wish he could talk so I could know what he needed right away. As a first time mom, I guess I didn't fully realize the implications of that wish. I decided that (as Parker finally finishes eating breakfast) I would share with you what a normal day is now like since Parker can talk (bear in mind I've already had to get up twice three four times to serve help Parker in the two fifteen minutes since I've started writing this).

So earlier this morning Parker was taking a bath after waking up soaked with pee, even after being wrapped in two overnight diapers (off topic question - at what age do kids usually stop needing a diaper/pull-up at night after they've already been potty trained? I'm seriously thinking it might still be worthwhile to invest in cloth diapers if P's still going to need something at night for awhile).

Back to the bath. He's in the bath playing with a toy shark while I'm sitting on the toilet drinking some tea. The shark he's playing with starts talking to me in a deep voice.

P: "Hello Mama. What are you doing today?"

Me: "I'm drinking some tea. What are you doing?"

P: "I'm just fine."

Me: (I bust out in a pathetic explanation of the difference between "how" and "what")

P: (still in shark voice) "Mama, how are you today?"

Me: "I'm OK -- a little tired though. How are you today?"

P: "I'm fine. What are you doing today, Mister Mama?"

Me: "Well, after I drink my tea, I'd like to eat breakfast, read my Bible, get dressed and then go grocery shopping."

P: (Reverting back to Parker) "No, I don't want to go! I want to stay here with Dada and play!"

Me: "Sorry, Bud. Dada went to work. It's Monday (start singing a lousy rendition of the Mama's and The Papa's song)... Hey, don't drink that water! It's soapy!"

P: "It's not soapy."

Me: "Yes it is. I just washed you with soap. Look at how cloudy it is!"

P: "Sharks like dirty water."

Me: "They do, huh?"

P: "Yes."

(A minute or two passes while Parker sings "Monday, Monday" and then he pauses to pick his nose and flick his prize into the water.)

P: "I put boogies in the water. Water boogies!" (He laughs like he made the best joke ever and proceeds to dig for more "water boogies.")

Me: (Clearly annoyed) "Are you ready to get out yet?"

P: "I don't want to go to the store! I want to stay here and play!"

Me: "Don't worry, Bud. You'll have time to play. Look at me. I'm not ready. I still have to eat breakfast and get dressed."

P: "I want to eat breakfast, too!"

Me: "OK. What do you want for breakfast?"

P: "Hmm... maybe nothing."

Me: "How about oatmeal?"

P: "Hmm... maybe juice."

Me: "You can have juice if you get out."

P: "OK. I want juice Mister Mama. I want to stay here in my warm towel and YOU get my juice."

Me: (Tempted to bow) "OK, fine." (Proceed to take him out of the bath and then get his [mostly water but don't tell him that] juice.)

P: "I want to go pee-pee, Mama!"

Me: "OK. Stand up, please, and let's go on the potty."

P: "No, I want to sit down on the potty."

Me: "OK, but you need to stand up first, Dude."

P: "I want my towel on. Put it on my back and make sure it doesn't get pee-pee on it. (After peeing) I want to go poo-poo, Mama. I need a magazine."

Me: (Thinking) Oh man, this is going to be a loooooooooong day.

In my prayer later: Thank you, Lord, for my son's ability to talk. I know I complain, and please forgive me for that, but I do appreciate his whiney cute little voice and his demanding sweet demeanor. May he live a long, full, blessed life. Amen.

Thank goodness God has a sense of humor (I hope).
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"Every word of God is pure; He is a shield to those who put their trust in Him." - Proverbs 30:5