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June 29, 2002
It’s been a while since my last update. Alexandria is now officially closer to being three than she is two (thankfully!). I am hoping she will be starting to grow out of the terrible twos. We’ve been working with her (a lot) trying to get her to stop jumping on (and jumping off of) our furniture. She just gets really wound up in the evening, and is constantly in motion, jumping all around and wreaking havoc. We do what we can to minimize these “episodes” such as taking our little darling to the park and letting her burn off energy there, but she naturally prefers to be pushed in the kiddie swings than to run around and go down the slide or something else.
Her other favorite activity is what I dub “Destroy the House”. She will rapidly move from one thing to another, leaving nothing but a mess in her path. Taking all of the cushions off of our couch (it’s a hideabed, so there’s 5 to pull off), dumping out her blocks (all 39 of them), dumping out all her Duplo Legos (two boxes worth, we’ve since put them away), and on and on. When she gets it into her head to do this, nothing really stops her, except for the time outs she gets in her room.
Her favorite toy (besides Al and myself) is a cereal box. Yes, an empty, ratty, mangy cereal box. It was a Frosted Flakes box, and it’s getting pretty worn out. Creases all over it, from her bending it, kissing it, and throwing it around. We’ve tried to find a replacement, but I’m afraid we can’t, so she’ll have to keep the gross one. The first thing she asks for in the morning is her “Cereal box!” It’s also an effective weapon. The thought of me taking her precious cereal box away is too much to bear, so if she’s jumping on furniture a quick, “Say bye to your cereal box,” will get her to stop. Sometimes it does have to go on top of the refrigerator for a quick time out, but then she usually complies, and she gets it back right away.
She is such a good eater. I really have nothing to do with this, as my diet is just terrible. I hardly ever eat vegetables, so this is really all Al’s doing. She loves green beans. She will eat green beans and cottage cheese as a meal. She likes to eat peas as well. She likes to pick them right out of the can (green beans) and she can, if she’s hungry, eat over half the can. Of course, she likes ice cream bars and candy (what kid doesn’t?), but I am pleased that she eats her vegetables so well. She eats potatoes as well, and might occasionally eat a carrot, since we hardly ever cook carrots. She doesn’t like fruit so much. Raspberries were a no-go, as were kiwis. Grapes the same. There’s plenty of time to teach her to love fruit, vegetables are the hard one. So, all in all, the kid has a pretty god diet for a toddler. She either drinks water or milk (or chocolate milk, if we have some) and what she can steal of Al’s Diet Coke. I hate her to drink that crap, but Al doesn’t seem to think it matters. Whatever. I usually don’t drink soda much at all. Al lives on the stuff. It’s totally worthless, and he all but encourages her to drink. This is a major bone of contention with me. Even Alexandria’s pediatrician told Al it was no good. Al (naturally) doesn’t like her pediatrician.
And finally, I am now 1 day shy of being 15 weeks PG. Alexandria doesn’t really know what’s going on, though everyone seems to think she should. She’s never been around babies, or many other children, other than the day care she went to a year ago. The memory is fading. So, she really has no idea. I have worked with her to be gentle around my tummy, but that doesn’t always work with a rambunctious toddler. She’s been getting better, and I really was starting to worry that something could happen. I have since had people reassure me that there was really no damage she could do, but to be careful nonetheless. And I am doing that. I cross my arms in front of my when she comes within 2 feet of me (you never know when she’ll leap on your lap like a 30 pound bull frog crossed with a viper). She knows she can jump on her daddy, but not me. She also doesn’t get carried much by me anymore. I just don’t want to carry her, she’s heavy for one. And it bothers my back. I want to break the habit as quickly as possible. Of course, Al can’t carry her either, due to his shoulder. His shoulder is almost all healed, but he’s still a weenie for doing it in the first place.
And then there’s potty training. She will on occasion (very rarely) use the potty if she has to before her bath, but she is in diapers for the time being. We are just not going to mention it, and when enough time has passed, we will start working with her again, once and for all. I may need to ask her pediatrician what we can do to help it along. I am thinking we’ll try some time before I deliver. I would love to have her potty trained before she’s three, but she’s stubborn. Either way, we bought a Hoover Steam Cleaner, so our carpet won’t look like we have pets for long. And as long as she doesn’t do anything like pee deliberately on the carpet, we’re happy. So much of many mother’s feelings of accomplishment (and maybe superiority for some) come from potty training their kids. I have just stopped actually worrying about it. It will happen. It will happen when it happens. Till then, I am not holding my breath.
I get my ultrasound on the 17th of July. I was pretty excited until Al dropped the bomb that he doesn’t want to take Alexandria because he thinks she’ll misbehave. So, is there anyone who wants to go with me? =( Well, I still have time to work on him and her. I really would like them to go, but he seems dead set against it. He’s as against it as I was against having Alexandria in the room when I’m in labor at the hospital. I just don’t think that’s an appropriate place for an almost three year old. I think I really upset him when I said I didn’t want her there, because he just wouldn’t talk about it after a while. I think if he wanted to bring her there, then I would need a doula. There’s no way he can provide the support I need with a toddler in tow. It would be incredibly distracting to me, and stressful, which is *not* what I need during labor. Any thoughts on kiddies in the delivery room?
And, with minimal fuss we got Alexandria to sleep by herself in her bed. I used to sleep with her in there, to get her used to sleeping there, instead of in my bed. Finally, I told her one night I was going to sleep in the “big bed” and she knew where to find me. And she was okay with that. She’s not always okay with it, she may whine a little, but for the most part, she’s good with it. She stays in the room all night, till it’s time to get up, unless she can’t find something of hers (sippy cup, little tap light, Baby Bop, or her cup of Cherrios. We won’t go into the Cheerios). And even better, when I put her down, she doesn’t often get back up to check on me. So, I now have some time to myself, and it wasn’t at all traumatic for her.
Well, I think that’s all I have for now. Alexandria is a challenge, but I think she’s starting to settle down some. And there are times when she just melts my heart (like when she’s sleeping, LOL). No, really. She will often go up to my belly, lift my shirt, and kiss my tummy. She loves to be tickled and to run in sprinklers. She loves to ride in her new bike trailer. She loves to be outside, and to help me water my petunias. She is very good at helping us do things. When she isn’t into mischief, she’s an angel. And I love her with all my heart!
Candace and family
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