BAD with a Capital B!

The things you learn about your only child from his daycare teacher. At home, with no competition, he is typically well-behaved, with some moments of defiance and meltdowns. The meltdowns that, a year ago were intense, are even generally short-lived. Then he has to peacefully coexist (and play) with a dozen other 3-year-olds and that's when the problems begin.

SHARING

First off, Little Man has been having major issues with this. At home, he is the KING. Nobody to share with. Nobody to take his stuff—unless you count the dog, who often tries to steal his snacks. He can put a toy down and go back to it later and nobody else has taken it. That's a big part of the problem. Little Man is used to things being HIS and now he has to "take turns" and "share" and when he doesn't, he has a major meltdown.

Generally he isn't mad, he is heartbroken.

"I NEED the toy!"  "It's mine!"  

Or he takes what he wants and doesn't realize the consequences.

We are working on rewarding him for good behavior rather than reprimand him for bad. If he does share, he gets praise and a sticker or something small. I am trying not to punish him for what he does at school, but ...

Then we had absolute REFUSAL to do ANYTHING his teacher asked him to do.

No coloring.

No sitting for story time.

NO I DON'T WANT TO!

Oy.

Thankfully this isn't happening every day. And a lot of it is because... HE'S THREE!

Apparently three is a rough year. Pro-blogger "Scary Mommy" shared a funny blog post entitled: 10 REASONS AGE THREE IS MORE TERRIBLE THAN TWO and it's mostly true.

I just want the good days to greatly outnumber the BAD ones.  Is that wrong?

Oh, in other news... Little Man will be in big boy underwear starting on Saturday. Wish us luck. He's done really well in pull-ups this week. Barely any accidents and he's even waking up dry. It just "clicked" for him, like many said it would. I'll let you know how it goes in the next day or so.

The "Poop" on Little Man's Adventures in Potty Training

Now over the  years, I've sporadically blogged about my only child's development and various random thoughts. And then I go months without writing. I'm not sure why, since I quite enjoy blogging and writing. But there you go. Now it's a new year--albeit several weeks into it--and I want to be more accountable to myself. I won't promise a post a day, but I am making a concerted effort to blog weekly. I'll go from there. I have a few friends who are really eloquent and I am going to get ideas from their blogs. So, ladies (finally Mom, Aitchie J and Peeper) I'm going to be blog stalking. OK?

But back to the topic I gave this post.  Here's the POOP on Little Man's Potty Training.

Just before he turned 3, this past Summer, he seemed very interested in the potty. So we were  having success having him pee in it and, for 4 days in a row, he pooped in the potty and earned a shiny new Bucky Pirate Ship from Jake and the Neverland Pirates. After he got the toy, he stopped pooping in the potty. And then began flat out REFUSING to pee in it.

My husband and I were very frustrated. He even went as far to say that Little Man would NEVER be potty trained. I didn't agree, but I was becoming too involved and upset, so we took a step backwards and just let him be--happily in diapers. We planned to do the 3 Day  Potting training boot camp deal over Thanksgiving weekend, but both of my sisters-in-law talked me out of it. So I let it go. Then I started my new job the first week of December and Little Man started daycare full-time (he'd gone 3 mornings per week previously). And he started peeing in the potty. His teacher actually told me, after a few weeks, that his diaper was frequently dry. I guess peer pressure isn't always a bad thing. It also helped him feed himself, which he often refused to do at home.

I need to remember that my child is developing at his own pace. He is a typical child with some sensory issues (hypersensitivity to certain stimulus) and some proprioceptive dysfunction where his brain doesn't always process the input from his muscles and joints about body position, weight, pressure, movement and position in space. It's why he often stumbles or actively seeks to press against me. He's seeking input. It doesn't mean anything is wrong with him, but I have to take that into account. So I figured I shouldn't push for potty training and that's a good thing. He finally seems to be ready.

For the last week or so, he's been peeing in the toilet regularly. He occasionally asks to go. Sometimes he's too busy playing with his toys. So my husband and I have set timers on our iPhones to remind him. And the big one... he's been pooping in the toilet too! He's had some accidents. And a few times he's just gone in his pull-up (we aren't in underwear quite yet). But for the most part, he seems willing to use the toilet. Last week was huge. We were at a doctor and he had to go and actually pooped in their restroom. No potty seat, with me balancing him so he wouldn't fall in! Then again at my husband's aunt's apartment. He actually went into her bathroom and said he had to poop. And did! And, in fact, last night he asked for PRIVACY to do his business. It worked. He was struggling to go when we were in the bathroom with him. But the minute I left, he pooped.

So I think we'll move him to underwear the 1st week of February. We'll keep with the Huggies Pull-Ups for the next week during the day. But then it will be underwear and several changes of clothes for daycare. I think that now, at almost 3-1/2, Little Man is ready to be potty trained.  We'll tackle night training after. Mostly because he still wakes up with a super wet diaper and I want to wean him off drinks of water before bedtime. But we're moving along and I'm hopeful that we'll be done with Pull-Ups soon.

Hello again, my friend.

Hello again, hello
Just called to say 'hello'
I couldn't sleep at all tonight
And I know it's late
But I couldn't wait
Just called to let you know
I think about you every night
When I'm here alone
And you're there at home
Hello

And maybe I'm to blame
But I put my heart above my head
We've been through it all
And you loved me just the same
And when you're not there
I just need to hear
It's good to need you so
It's good to love you like I do
And to feel this way
When I hear you say
Hello

Just called to let you know
I think about you every night
And I know it's late
But I couldn't wait
Hello


Hello, my friend, hello
Maybe it's been crazy
Hello, my friend, hello
Hello, my friend, hello

---

So I have a new computer and I can finally blog again! More details to follow!

Song is "Hello" by Neil Diamond from The Jazz Singer, which was my favorite soundtrack when I was 10 years old.

November into December

Much has happened over the last month. I've been quite busy but that's no excuse for neglecting you, my blog, again. I am not sure if I should return to where I've left off... voting... hmm... to be honest, I was not happy with how the vote turned out. I know that I am in the minority but I don't like the direction our country is headed fiscally. I hope things turn around, but I am not that hopeful. I do hope you all don't think I am crazy political. I am not. But that's my two cents on that.

Now November was a busy mix of sadness and change. The sadness was due to the effects of Superstorm Sandy. My extended family and friends had no power for two weeks. And while I was able to offer some comfort to a few, family circumstances hindered any more help. It's too complex to get into and probably I should not anyway. But I felt such sadness seeing images of parts of my home state of New Jersey decimated and parts of New York, as well. My niece's 5th birthday party had to be postponed due to the power outages. It was just a stressful time.

But there were some good things. My sister-in-law hosted Thanksgiving after getting her power back and I had a wonderful time with my husband's side of the family. Little Man adores spending time with his cousins. And he played so nicely with them. It's such a difference from his first Thanksgiving, at 3 months of age, when I was so worried about his head shape (before he got his first DOC Band) and he slept most of the day in my Baby K'tan carrier. Now he is 3 and is so big and talking up a storm—just one year after being in Early Intervention for a speech delay!

Also, I had several interviews for a marketing position. Now I've never worked in marketing and was apprehensive but I gave it my best shot. The Managing Director of the company must have seen something in me, because ... I got a job offer on Black Friday! It's interesting... I found out I was pregnant on Black Friday and now I got a job. Next year I have to play the lottery on that day.

So about the job... it's not for the marketing position I interviewed for. I think my new boss decided to change gears after interviewing me, as I was not really a great fit for that position. So I was hired to be the Executive Assistant for the company. I started on December 3rd and I am doing a lot of different tasks so far. It's interesting work and it's a good step in the right direction for our future.

Now getting that job did prompt some other changes. Little Man is now in daycare full-time. He's doing really well and seems to have adjusted instantly. He even naps again. I miss him immensely, but I do like the time away from him. I'm still adjusting myself, to the new schedule and commuting and coordinating drop-offs and pick-ups. But I'm getting there.

Otherwise, things are going well. My kiddo has a ton of new toys to play with and I'll give a Chanukah update (with photos) in a few days. I really am looking forward to 2012 ending and hoping that 2013 is a better year.  As long as the Mayans were wrong.

VOTE!!!!

I don't care who you vote for (OK, maybe I do, but don't let that stop you) but VOTE.

Get out and make your voice be heard.  For all levels of government. Not just for a Presidential election.

VOTE!

 

Superstorm Sandy

Honestly, there hasn't been much going on the last two weeks. I spend countless hours on Indeed or Monster futilely applying for jobs (though I did have a phone interview and a follow-up request for in-person next week). And I play with Little Man. Help my mom. Survive my sibling. Spend evenings with my husband. Routine.

Then came Monday, October 29, 2012.

SUPERSTORM SANDY.

She started out as Hurricane Sandy. Headed right to New Jersey.

That never happens. Really. We don't get direct hits from hurricanes this far North too often. I haven't Googled to see when it last happened before now, but I know that this storm was unique and caused the most damage New Jersey (and New York, particularly New York City) has ever seen.

I'm not going to "borrow" pics that countless people have shared, but I'll pass along a link to a site that have lots of photos of the destruction in the area:  NJ.com

WE WERE LUCKY!!!

When Sandy hit near Atlantic City, and the Jersey Shore was decimated, we just had 70 MPH winds and some downed trees. Lights flickered a lot and I was certain that we'd lose power. But remarkably our house is on a strong power grid and we are one of the lucky ones. We never lost power (or cable or phones or internet). But my sister-in-law and her family are in the dark. Four nights and counting. They've been told it could be 2-3 weeks.

Yesterday when we stopped at the supermarket to get a few more things (last week we only sparsely purchased food, in fear power would fail and it would spoil), we noticed a LONG line at the Costco gas station.  And when my SIL's family came up, we had lunch at the Mall and waited in line at the food court. Hundreds of "refugees" from the area were camped out, happy for a warm meal (even if fast) and plugging power strips into every available electrical outlet.  Kids dressed in costume and trick-or-treated in the Mall shops. Trying to have just a bit of normalcy.

Halloween was cancelled yesterday. Postponed by Governor Chris Christie until Monday 11/5.  Though my down also issued a curfew for trick-or-treating, so the kids must be done by 6 pm. I will take Little Man out and about. And now I am very grateful that I took him to the town's "Trunk or Treat" on the 21st. He got to dress up and say "Trick or Treat!" for the first time. I mean, last year we had a freak snowstorm with nearly 2 feet of snow and Halloween was postponed then for similar reasons (no power, downed lines, trees, etc.).

Here is my Junior Space Ranger from the 21st. He'll wear the same costume tomorrow, at his preschool's postponed Halloween parade.

It will be weeks before my area of NJ is back to normal. It will be months for others. And years before the Shore is anywhere near where it once was. Be grateful for your health, for your family, for your homes. Whether you rent or own, it's the basics that matter.

Peace.

Wordless Wednesdsay