Little J is Starting School!

I signed Little J up for preschool! He will be attending summer session for two weeks, then Vacation Bible School for a week in mid-August, and then 'real' preschool September 10th! On our way to the school, J asked me if he should bring his dinosaurs to show the other kids. We met the school administrator on Friday morning and Little J didn't want to leave! He asked me if we could stay because the kids looked like they were having 'so much fun'! I explained that we couldn't stay, but he would be coming to play with the kids very soon.

While I filled out forms and talked, Little J sat at a table and colored. Mayhem pushed a chair against the table, climbed on it, laughed, and threw a toy to the ground. At least this woman had a preview of the child who will likely pass through her doors in a year or so! After we were finished talking, Little J pushed his chair in and cleaned up the toys on the table. I was proud of him already!

When we went to the neighborhood pool this weekend, J was desperate for the kids to play with him. I can tell he's ready for school. He's ready to expand his horizons. I told him to say, "Hi, I'm J. What's your name?" and to ask "How old are you?" Hopefully, he will make the conversation work! And if he is ready, then I am ready. I know it will be really exciting for him to be able to play with other children his age. I am a nerd and I always liked school. It seems that J will follow in my footsteps- and I can't wait to share the fun with him!

Enjoy this post, from Honest Toddler!

My Scary Saturday

On Saturday at 2 am, Baby Mayhem had his second febrile seizure. This time, we knew what was happening- but it didn't make it any easier to deal with. I heard him moaning in his crib. It wasn't the usual cry, and when I walked in his room I immediately knew something was wrong. He didn't sit up to greet me, and pick up his blankie like he normally does. Instead, he was bright red, shaking, and stiff. It was heart wrenching. I picked him up carefully, and tried to hold him. That's when I realized he was drooling and flaming hot. I ran into our bedroom, handed him to Daddy and ran downstairs for the Baby Tylenol and thermometer.

I was afraid to give him Tylenol until he stopped seizing, because I didn't want him to choke on it. The doctor told us to put him in the middle of the bed, turn him on his side, and 'let it happen'. If it lasted more than 15 minutes, we could be concerned and call someone. Easy to say, easy to hear, hard to do. It was absolutely awful. When he came around, he only wanted me. He was scorching hot, so I wanted to keep him away from my body heat. But he wouldn't have it. We ended up with a cool damp towel draped over him (he didn't like it, but couldn't really fight it) and I just held him. Once he responded to my voice, I felt better. But I could tell that he was miserable. The poor child. What scares me is that his first one was only two months ago! I hope he doesn't have these frequently, I can't handle it! Saturday night wasn't much better, I was afraid to really fall asleep. But he seems to be back to normal now... although he's still snuggly...

Infant/Toddler Survival Guide

 

After another especially challenging weekend, I wanted to share some thoughts on what to have in your house at all times when you have a young child. Some of these items may seem obvious, others you wouldn't think of until you need them at 2 am on a Saturday... 

[caption id="attachment_598" align="alignleft" width="150"] www.sephora.com[/caption]

1. TWEEZERS. On Friday evening, as we were settling down for the night, Little J stood up and winced.  I immediately took him to the bathroom, put him up on the counter and saw a splinter. After trying to calmly remove it, and being punched, kicked and screamed at.... I called for help. As I pinned down my toddler (I'm not proud), my husband removed the splinter. Have a good set of tweezers on hand, and know where they are- just in case! Tweezerman is the brand that we have, and the sharp tip really helped grab the splinter. They come in a variety of colors, if you prefer.

2. A good thermometer.Until your child has had a fever, you may not

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think of needing one of these. If you have, you can be sure that you have the wrong one. I had a thermometer, but when I spoke to the doctor about Mayhem he told me I needed to have a rectal thermometer. Really?! Because the child is already miserable, I don't want to do that to him. There are a variety of types: ear, digital, rectal, oral, and my favorite- pacifier thermometer. Use what works best for you, but when you give the doctor the temperature make sure you tell them what kind you have used.

3. Baby Tylenol/Children's Tylenol. Having this on hand for fevers is a must, in my humble opinion. If you don't, know where a 24 hour pharmacy is so you can get it at a moment's notice.

4. Extra set of sheets/bedding. I can't tell you how many times I've had to change sheets in the middle of the night. Starting when they are newborns, children have a variety of ways to force you to do this- diaper blowouts, spit up, sweat, drool, etc. Also, having the ability to change the crib sheets while not awake is a helpful skill.

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5. Coffee. While it would be great to have a coffee shop in your house, you need to know where the closest one is and how early it opens. I'm completely serious. Unless you are one of those people who I don't understand, that can live without coffee. I'm pretty sure that the only reason I survived this weekend was espresso.

Is there anything I've missed? What do you have in your 'survival kit'?

 

Memorial Day 2012

I wish I just had cute pictures of the boys, in their matching flag t-shirts and plaid shorts... but instead I have a Mollie story. The long holiday weekend started out innocently enough, I had lunch with a few girlfriends and cleaned the house. Saturday morning, Daddy took Little J fishing. Little J told me, "We tried really hard to catch a fish, but we didn't catch any." I was happy- I wasn't exactly looking forward to having smelly fish in my clean house.

[caption id="attachment_574" align="aligncenter" width="360"] Fishing on Lake Mission Viejo[/caption]

Then, we went food shopping and when we returned home I noticed a (mostly) empty Ziploc bag in Mollie's dog bed. There were a few chocolate chips left in it. I knew they had been in the pantry forever but I wasn't sure how much chocolate was left in the bag. So I asked my husband how full that bag was, "It was a Costco size bag of chocolate chips. Did she eat all of those?!"  She seemed ok, so we figured there wasn't much left in the bag. Then, after we got the boys to bed- we sat down to watch a movie around 9 pm, which is MUCH later than we are usually awake. Mollie seemed to be breathing fast. I mentioned it to my husband, and then... she started vomiting. and vomiting. and vomiting. Poor thing, she just couldn't stop. We finally got her to go outside, where she continued the pattern. When she stumbled back inside and went to get some water, she fell over- and my husband immediately went to get the leash to bring her to the animal urgent care. I called and explained the story, so when they got there the doctor was ready and waiting for her.

They gave her medication to stabilize her heart rate, because she was in danger of going into cardiac arrest. Then they gave her something to clean out her system- and then put her on an IV and EKG all night. My poor hubby had to open a line of credit, deal with a thousand questions that he didn't know the answers to, and sign papers about what kind of CPR he wanted them to do if she went into cardiac arrest. He came home at 2 am, without Mollie. The doctor told him to keep his phone by the bed, in case they needed to ask him something before the morning. Right as we were drifting to sleep, the phone rang- our hearts jumped out of our skin. It was the doctor, "You should probably transfer Mollie to her regular vet before 8 am so you don't get charged the emergency room fees."  OK, great, thank you for scaring us!

So, we tried to sleep. Mayhem was teething, and around 4:30 am he was having a terrible time. So I ended up on his floor for about an hour, trying to get him back to sleep. Then, of course, Little J was up and ready to go by 7 am. Long story short, Mollie missed our barbecue but returned home around dinner time. She had shaved spots, and was very thirsty and clingy- but OK! The vet said she'd never seen a dog eat that much chocolate and live. Add that to her resume. We had a wonderful Sunday, and spent Monday by the pool. Then, hubby took off to Anaheim to buy me this:

[caption id="attachment_584" align="aligncenter" width="360"] My new ride: 2012 "True Blue" Dodge Grand Caravan[/caption]

Yes, I am now a minivan momma. I drove it for the first time this morning, so I'll have to spend some time with it and get back to you on how I like it.

But, most importantly, we have our Mollie back.

Great Post from MODG!

REBLOG: 5 steps to a successful flight with a toddler. And 1 mini step about not killing your husband. All valuable.

http://www.modgblog.com/2012/05/22/5-steps-to-a-successful-flight-with-a-toddler-and-1-mini-step-about-not-killing-your-husband-all-valuable/#comment-45883 

We will be travelling to New Jersey over Labor Day weekend with the two boys. I am not excited about the plane trip with Baby Mayhem.

Toddlers and iPads - Is it OK?

For Mother’s Day, I received a new iPad. I am a very lucky mama, and not because I received an iPad (though, I can't say I wasn't super excited)!

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I should not have been surprised when Little J asked to ‘play with the new phone’. It is very similar to my phone, which he knows has Angry Birds on it. I don’t like to use the phone to entertain him, but there have been times where I let him use it (i.e. restaurants, airports, etc.). My husband instantly downloaded a few apps to the new iPad, including one that Little J can play. I have mixed feelings about sharing my new device, and not just because I don’t want grubby fingers on my beautiful, clean, new screen. iGame mom has posted about child-proofing your iPad, her very helpful article is here .

But more than that, I consider it ‘screen time’ and wonder if it affects his developing brain in a negative way. A variety of research has suggested that the more screen time a child experiences early on (in the formative first three years of life), the more likely they are to develop attention issues. A recent Wall Street Journal article discusses whether or not an iPad is different. It clearly engages a toddler’s attention, more than a TV would. Does that mean it is better for them, and they can learn from the educational apps? Or does it mean an iPad is worse- because it demands their attention?

I am sure the answer is that it is a mix of both good and bad. “Everything in moderation” As long as Little J is not engaged in screen time for hours and hours each day, regardless of what kind, I’m sure he’ll be just fine. Yesterday, we spent an hour in the backyard splashing in our water table and digging in the sandbox. Then, we took a bath to wash all of that off! After Mayhem went to bed, we stamped sugar cookies with Lightning McQueen and Mater from Disney Cars. But no TV or iPad!

I do know that for our family, the iPad means FaceTime with Grandma and Grandpa, or Auntie Kim and Uncle John. That means it is a very valuable piece of technology for us, since they are across the country! Do you let your kids use your phone/computer/iPad? Do you worry about how it affects them?