Category Archives: Early Childhood

From the Mouth of Babes…

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The other day, as I drove to deliver cookies to my friend for her birthday, I saw my reflection in the rearview mirror.

“Oh,” I said aloud. “I forgot to put on makeup this morning.”

Paul’s response: “Uh oh, Mommy! Go home and get makeup! Uh oh!”

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As I lead Paul upstairs for bed, Paul likes to bid farewell to everything he says.

Paul: “Bye bye cars! Bye bye books! Bye bye fridge! Bye bye flowers! Bye bye stairs! Bye bye Jesus [in a picture]! “

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If my prayer gets too long, Paul helps me out.

Paul: “In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen. AMEN! AMEN!”

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Paul has a new favorite word. From the sample conversations below, see me if you can figure out what it is.

Mommy: “Do you want to sit on the toilet?”

Paul: “Icky toilet!”

Later: “Let’s change your diaper!”

Paul: “Icky poop!”

Later: “Daddy might come home tomorrow!”

Paul: “Icky Daddy!”

Later: “Do you want some goldfish for your snack?”

Paul: “Icky Goldfish!”

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Paul is a very compassionate two-year-old. If I bump my arm against something (for example) and exclaim “ouch,” he runs to me and kisses it better. When he sees the picture in his book of Cookie Monster crying (because the onions made his eyes water), he gives him a hug and a kiss. Paul has compassion on everyone and everything. When his cars crash against each other, he kisses them better.

Toilet Training Success Stories Wanted

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Given Paul’s interest in Baby Doll’s toilet training, I’m considering beginning his own toilet training come the first of February. But I’d love to know your ideas for helping it go well. No promises I’ll try your method, but please share away!

Of course, that would assume there are people still reading my bog after months of silence. If not, I understand. My life is only so interesting, as this post demonstrates.

Baby’s Doll’s Toilet Training and Other Adventures

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My son has a doll. You met him in December in an adorable picture last month. I think it’s about time I share his story.

Baby Doll joined our family back in May. I attended a local garage sale with Paul in tow, and when Paul saw the doll on the edge of a display blanket, he immediately was taken in: “Baby! Baby!” One dollar later, and Baby Doll had joined our family. We took him home, changed his clothes (because the pink was a bit too girly for Baby Doll’s preferences), and Paul promptly forgot about him.

Throughout the summer, Baby Doll occasionally appeared. “Baby!” Paul would say, rocking the doll for a few minutes before dropping him on the floor.

In early November, something changed. Paul started walking around with Baby Doll. We had not at that point given the doll a name (after all, Paul mostly ignored it) but Paul had no problems calling it Baby Doll or Doll. “Doll” does rhyme with “Paul” so it probably seemed natural for Paul to have a little friend with a name almost like his own.

Around Thanksgiving, Paul made a new discovery: if he pulled off the clothes, Baby Doll did not have a diaper on! Oh no! He was very upset, and we had to add a diaper so he wouldn’t be so upset. I think Paul had entered a new stage of his own awareness at that point, so it seemed appropriate.

But a few weeks after that, Baby Doll entered yet another stage of life: toilet training. Paul occassionally sits on the toilet. Sometimes he’s excited to do so. Sometimes he is successful. Sometimes immediately after wetting his diaper he runs up to me saying “Toilet! Toilet!” But he has not been interested in being “toilet trained.”

Baby Doll, however, has been toilet training since December. Some days Doll forgets completely and stays in the toy chest. Other days, Baby Doll must sit on the toilet every five minutes all day long. Paul is the spearhead of this endeavor. Baby Doll is always successful, even sitting on every toilet in the house every five minutes for four hours at a time.

It’s a very rewarding thing to help Baby Doll. Paul loves to cheer “yeay!” when Baby Doll let the pee into the toilet. I always ask “do you want to sit on the toilet too, Paul?” The answer is normally “No.” But I’m feeling hopeful.

Paul likes to change Baby Doll’s clothes. This began when Baby Doll’s other clothes fell in the toilet and I had to go find the box of baby clothes to change him (because, of course, Paul was upset that baby doll had no clothes on). Paul gets upset when his little 3-year-old nursery friend comes to visit and takes off all of Baby Doll’s clothes (and diaper!!). He cries and wants Baby Doll back. Then, of course, he forgets about Baby Doll for days.

Paul realized a few weeks ago that Baby Doll has marker on his head. He doesn’t understand why we can’t wash it off, since all of our markers are washable.

Baby Doll doesn’t have a different name. As I said, “Doll” rhymes with “Paul.” Any name at this point would be bit affected, I think.

So, how do I take Baby Doll’s toilet training and make it Paul’s toilet training? I’m calling for success stories at my website. I’d love to hear your ideas!

(Nearly) Wordless Wednesday: Snow Day

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Day one in the snow: 30 degrees, 1/4 inch. Running, playing, delighted. Inside after 30 minutes (and kicking and screaming) for a cup of cocoa. Out again in the afternoon for more.

Day two in the snow: Awoke saying “Play! Snow!” 10 degrees, 4 inches. Overwhelmed, cold, wet, unsure what to do, even on the top of his play area. Asked to go inside with a whine.

Whew. I was afraid we’d be outside twice a day. Mommy was cold on day one!

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photo taken December 9, 2009

(P.S. fun snow day = sinus headache, cough, and cold this week. Poor boy!)

How I Save the Day by Paul

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“I want toast for breakfast,” says Mommy.

“By the way, there’s no more peanut butter,” says Daddy.

“There is peanut butter in food storage in the basement,” says Mommy.

“Well, I didn’t want to go down there,” says Daddy.

I am wearing my FIRE CHIEF hat. I can save the day!

I go to the basement.  Mommy turns on the light for me. She thinks I’m going to go play! She does not know I will save the day.

I walk downstairs like a real fire chief. I am getting really good. Mommy says she can’t watch me because she thinks I’ll fall. I haven’t fallen down the stairs for a few days now!

I open the door to the Dark part of the basement. I see the peanut butter on the second shelf, and I have to reach for it. Then I crawl back upstairs with it. It is hard. The peanut butter jar is big and awkward!

Mommy sees me and is very surprised. She didn’t know I could save the day!

Daddy says, “Thank you, Paul! Good job!”

“Oh dear,” says Mommy. “We need a child safety lock on that door!”

“Yes,” says Daddy.

Words and Songs for Everything: A Lesson in Patience from a Two-Year-Old

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A friend in my ward had her baby last week, so I offered to take them dinner last night. She lives on the other side of the ward, so she’s 15-20 minutes away, but I figured I’d get there before 5 and be home long before 5:30 so we could eat our own dinner.

Paul is a great sport in the car — he loves looking for buses and trucks and cars in general. But I hadn’t remembered that we’d be driving through down town Algonquin at rush hour. We ended up not leaving until about 4:40, and so by the time we were driving through down town again, dinner delivered, it was long after 5:30. I was tired of sitting in traffic, and I was starting to get hungry. I kept thinking of the two-year-old still strapped in the back seat. (He often says, “Stuck! Stuck!” as we drive and he tries to squirm, so I know he doesn’t like the car seat part of driving.)

I clutched the wheel tighter and stared at tail lights. I’m sure my frustration was in my voice.

“A few more minutes, Paul! Everyone’s going home right now, so there are lots of cars. We’ll be home soon.”

As I simmered in frustration, staring at tail lights in yet another backed-up stop light, I heard a little sing-song voice from the back seat. I turned to see Paul looking out the window, rocking his head back and forth. He was singing with unintelligible words, but the up and down sounds were familiar and his hands were signing “waiting.” Paul was singing the waiting song!

When his food isn’t ready and he’s hungry, when Mommy’s trying to get the laundry moved before we go to the store and he’s impatient to go now, and any other time that I need him to wait, I sing the waiting song in a  little sing-song voice:

“Waiting! Waiting! Little Paul is waiting! Waiting! Waiting! Paul knows how to wait! Paul knows how to wait!”

Now, here he was, sitting in (what I’m sure is a very uncomfortable) car seat for an hour, waiting for his dinner, and he initiated the Waiting Song.

Sure enough, he has the words. He has a song. Little Paul can wait!

Can Mommy?

Two Years

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Two years ago, I awoke at 3 a.m. with the realization that my three-day overdue baby was finally going to come. At 3:13 p.m., he arrived, 3116 grams and squirmy and blue, eyes open, trying to see the world.

His eyes are still open as he tries to understand everything about the world around him. And now he squirms out of my arms to run play. “Play!” is his first word every morning when I go in to greet him.

Has it really been two years? I love that little boy, even though sometimes I’m impatient. I love the precious moments I get to spend with him as a stay-at-home mom.

I’ve thought a lot lately about the day he was born and the early days of his life. I was so overwhelmed with the sense of responsibility: this is a child of God! God entrusted him to me! And yet, my birth experience taught me that I can be a mother, that I am what he needs on earth.

As I think about this blog, I realized it is the posts on motherhood that I enjoy the most.

I am so grateful to be a mother!

Birthday Boy!

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Paul began his second birthday with a request to use the toilet (“Toilet! Toilet!”). While he’s rarely successful, I’m always eager to encourage this new obsession. I think it bodes well for the next year.

We’re low-key birthday people around our house, so I have tried to avoid making it a huge deal and spending money unnecessarily. In fact, so far, including the cost of the cake, I’ve spent less than $15, and Paul has loved his celebrations!! I think it just goes to show that kids don’t need a lot; I certainly did not want any more big toys right now. That said, I rarely buy Paul anything (thanks to our recently being added to my friend’s “hand me down” list!) and he’s a great kid, so he deserves something. I did give him some gifts on Sunday, but I know he loves stores, and he loves opening presents. (Apparently, he didn’t need any instruction this time around! Sunday, he was the present opening pro!)

So we went back to Dollar General today, and then I came home and wrapped everything up. He picked out a new car. I got him some more play-doh, too, because he’s really taken to that, and I also got some of those beads you put in the water that grow into shapes. I’m so excited for his bath tonight! He loves cars and trucks and trains!

And then I got him some magnetic numbers for the fridge. He brought me the number 8 saying “EIGHT! EIGHT!” and I thought he was a genius!

And then he brough me the number 4, saying the same thing. Ah well. At least he knows EIGHT is a number!

I did give him some fun things the other day too and I’ll talk about his other birthday “parties” in a later post. (I’ll try to be good at getting things up!)

So far, one of his favorite parts of the birthday celebrations is the cupcakes. He ate two on Sunday. Then Monday he saw them on the shelf and pretended like he was blowing out candles (yes, he did) to ask for more. We had one each Monday, Tuesday, and today. I may let him have a second today, since after all, it is his actual birthday.

What will he do next week when I’m not giving him wrapped up toys and letting him eat sweets?! The poor kid will be in withdrawl!

Has it really been a month since I updated this page? Ooops! I have pictures of Carl’s August wedding to post, I have (a few) pictures from my trip to Utah to post, I have some pictures of Paul’s birthday celebration from Sunday to post. I’ll try to get to them in the next few days.