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January 12, 2003
January 12, 2003
Collin is 18 months old.
Greetings and salutations! I haven’t much to report this week, In fact I can only think of a coupl things to really mention but to me, it’s better to hammer out a short entry than go weeks with no entry.
*Don’t care how, I want it now!*
We are knee deep in tantrums and fits. I completely understand that this is a normal party of toddler hood but my goodness can it get on your nerves! Collin will be playing quietly, doing his own thing and he’ll ask for more milk. Sure, no problem. I tell him that I will get him more, I stand up to grab his sippy cup and he’ll start spazing out because the milk isn’t in his hand NOW, as in yesterday! When he’s hungry, I’ll tell him I’ll make something but he starts crying and screaming thinking that he’ll starve in the two minutes it takes me to whip something up for him. I try not to make a big deal out of it and I try hard to explain to him that I’m working on getting something for him, but that he’s got to learn some patients. There have not been any throw-yourself-on-the-floor type tantrums…yet. So far just the screaming, yelling crying fits of, “Mom! You’re not listening to me! I want it and I want it now!” I do admit I feel bad for him because it’s got to be super frustrating trying to get your point across when you don’t quite know all the words and ways of asking. Food is the biggest instigator of fits. He’s at the age now where he definitely likes and dislikes certain foods. He’ll run to the refrigerator and practically beg me to open it. When I do, he can’t quite figure out what it is he wants or can’t figure out quite how to ask. We go through a cycle of me offering him just about everything in there until I finally point to the right food. Then he is back to smiles and giggles as if thinking, “thank God, finally!” Morning time is another time for his temper flair up. When he wakes, he asks for milk right away. If I try to change his diaper before giving him milk he has a meltdown and thinks I mean he’s not getting milk at all. I know this is temporary, until he fully understands that waiting a few minutes doesn’t mean waiting a lifetime. I’m pretty good at not making a huge deal over his fits, because that only makes them worse. I’m learning that if I just quickly explain what’s going on and then get him what he asks or needs, things go smoothly. If it’s something he can’t have or doesn’t need (watching Blues Clue’s for the 10th time or wanting another cookie), I’ll explain why, in VERY short terms, and then divert his attention elsewhere. This seems to be doing the trick and I think we are both learning fast. For instance, our morning starts off a lot nicer if I go into his room with a sippy of milk and then change his diaper.
*My banged up boy and there’s no use crying over spilt grape juice*
Collin is definitely all boy and has the bumps and bruises to show it! Collin has been running around the house, roughhousing with Mark and the dog, chasing the cats, getting himself into all the little nooks and cranny’s of the house, and just plain bashing himself around. Last week we were outside and he was running and having a great time. He was also falling and tripping over everything, but it didn’t slow him down one bit. He’d fall, look up at me and say, “BOOM!” and then jump right back up and go at it again. Three days ago he ran into his Bob the Builder tent and came crashing out through the back and bonked his head right into a table. OUCH! Yesterday morning he reached up and grabbed a cup of coffee off the counter and it spilled all the way down his chest, arm, back and tummy. I thought my heart would leap out of my chest! Thank GOD that the coffee had been sitting on the counter for more than 20-25 minutes and that I had just poured in lots of cold milk, cooling the coffee down. It still scared the hell out of all of us; Collin had a good cry while I felt guilty the remainder of the day for being so careless. I babied him the entire day. Now when I mention the word coffee, he gives me a scrunched up face and makes an “awww!” sound.
He’s very interested in grabbing anything off the kitchen counters now so we have to be VERY VERY careful about making sure items are placed way out of his reach. Did I ever mention the time a few months ago where he grabbed an entire gallon of grape juice off the counter? There was Grape juice EVERYWHERE. Our kitchen floor was stained purple/blue for weeks, our cupboards had splatters of juice all over them, the living room carpet had to be steamed cleaned because half of the juice splashed on it. It was a mess. Collin was upset; even though I was telling him it was okay, it was an accident. What upset Collin the most was how cold it was when it splashed in his face and how his dear blankie sat in the middle of it all with pools and pools of sticky grape juice all over it. I immediately grabbed it and stripped Collin of his clothes and threw them in the washer. Collin thought I was killing his blanket and cried the entire time it was washing and drying. Blankie is now gray in many parts due to the staining of the juice. The kitchen floor has sure had its moments lately.
Speaking of the kitchen. Collin is now really into helping with dinner, wanting to stir whatever I’m making, and wash anything I have in the sink. He’ll drag his step stool into the kitchen, position it oh so carefully and climb up to see what I’m doing (I don’t let him do this near the stove, only near the sink or dinner table area and ONLY when I’m in the room with him). He loves to take part in helping out and I can tell he’s so proud of himself. I am too!
Well, that’s all this week. Nothing too exciting to report, just the normal hustle bustle of life.
Have a great week and until next time…
Hugs, Jennifer & Collin
*Collin's webpage: http://www.babiesonline.com/babies/n/nebraskacollin
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