Major 'tude

The boy has always been strong-willed. I knew that within the first few weeks. But lately, he's developing a bit of a 'tude. And temper. Oh my gosh. It's hard to capture in words, but, oh, what the heck. I'll give it a shot. Ornery. Foul. Vindictive. You can't even look sideways at the kid without getting a nasty scowl from him, and usually he'll reach out and swat you just to get his point across. Charming. It'd be kind of funny if it wasn't so exhausting and maddening. We're disciplining him only to stay in the game. We've given up on the idea that it will actually change his behavior. Disciplining him just ticks him off and makes him up his game. It doesn't actually change his behavior. Brice entered the terrible twos around 11 months. I remember trying to redirect him and he scowled at me and tried to hit me. I called my mom and asked if it was too early for him to have a temper and she just laughed. Great. I hear things start to even out around three years old. So, we're halfway to normal. Wish us luck!!

Smiling and sitting up (sorta)

The Pink Streak

Today, after I cleaned Brice up from lunch (no small feat), I set him on the floor in only his cow diaper and let him roam free while I did the dishes. He popped behind the couch for a second, but that didn't raise any red flags. I just figured he was taking care of business and I wanted to give him a little privacy. No less than 30 seconds later, I hear him laughing hysterically and turn around in time to see a little pink streak fly through the kitchen, bounce off the wall and run down the hallway. I ran after him and saw his little pink tush and in his hand? His cow diaper. Uh-oh. What to do? The majority of his diapers are velcro and all disposables are velcro. I have 5 diapers with snaps. This is not good. I thanked my lucky stars the diaper was only a, shall we say, #1 diaper. But what happens if he gets out of #2 diapers? What then? I'm beginning to understand why old cloth diapers had pins.
[side note: this is an old pic of Brice; just used it to show the aforementioned cow diaper]

Train don't run outta Witchita...

In homage to one of my favourite lines from one of my favourite movies, I shall blog that my husband is gone tonight. His first night away, abandoning me with the two rotten children he has saddled me with (just kidding; and apologies for the poor grammar), he is, as the title suggests, in Witchita (no idea of the correct spelling and who really cares, anyway?). So, perhaps the trains don't run outta Witchita, but apparently the planes do. The boyz and I managed to make it through the evening, each throwing a tantrum of their own, but I survived. My trusty friend/sitter Heather came over to help man the ship and she danced with Brice and kept him generally entertained. I took Harry to Target to get a new mop and learned how fast you could empty an aisle when you had a SCREAMING infant with you (less than 1.5 minutes). Harry took his first non-raging bath tonight. Lovely. Now I am dead tired and thinking of turning in to face the morning. I bought a new NYT crossword puzzle book that i'm tempted to crack, though. I think I will. I know i'll hit a wall (what's up with the Peer Gynt clue that's in almost every NYT puzzle?) and throw my pen across the room within 15 minutes, so what the heck... Ok, here goes the first night alone. Me, Brice, Harry, and Will Shortz...

Anything for a good night's sleep...

This picture would, I think we can safely assume, give any good pediatrician (or mother) a heart attack. How many times did I hear "make sure you don't put any blankets or pillows in the crib. And if you have a bumper, make sure it's thin and breathable." This is a testament to the lengths you will go to make sure your child/YOU get a good night's sleep.
Seth took Brice to IN to go to his grandmother's funeral. They stayed in a hotel that was nice enough to provide a crib. No bumper though. This is a major issue for us, as Brice LOVES his bumper. I know it's a no-no, but the child sleeps all tucked into the corner, usually his face pressed into the bumper. I check him before I go to bed and he's always breathing. Is it a problem when they're this old? I don't know. But this picture made me chuckle when I saw it. Good lord!! I'm sure Brice was in heaven, and Seth was doing the best he could. But don't you think this is going just a wee bit too far? I don't think the AAP would approve.

Guess who dressed Brice this morning??

Yummy!!!