Helicopters, Independence Celebration, Cribs, PP&P, Swimming, Somersaults, New Babies, Date Night and Bedtime Battles - Oh My! - Part I

Phew!  From the title it's pretty obvious this will be a long post.  So much is flitting about in my head it's crazy!


I'm watching Tate on the video monitor do his very best to not go to sleep.  I'm about to go upstairs and see if rocking him helps (it usually does).


Helicopters!


Wednesday morning we hung out here at the house being lazy.  Tate played trains, and I just hung out sometimes joining in, other times laying on the couch.  Around 9 I decided we should head over to the  playground to run off some of his energy before it got too hot.  (it was already 90 degrees)  I also took his Strider bike and helmet in hopes that he would finally want to ride on it.  We played a bit at the smaller playground, and it was just the 2 of us for the 15 minutes we were there.  He ran around laughing and having a great time, and we swung (ok he swung) for a bit.  We then (ok I) opted to venture over to the bigger playground which always has lots more kids.  This bigger playground has a couple of signs that state that it was designed for kids 5-12 years of age, but Tate usually has a blast and there are many, many kids younger than him who play on it as well.


I convinced him to ride his bike back to the car.  For all of 2 feet.  Sigh.


We got to the cool, big playground; Tate had a snack and then hit the play area full force.  I hung back like I normally do, kept an eye on him and tried to stay in the shade.  I even sat down at one of the covered picnic tables while watching him.  I engaged him by talking to him, being sure to let him know I was watching him as he raced about, climbed up, slid down and raced about some more.  Took some videos and pictures.  And as I took those videos and pictures I noticed something...


I was one of the very few, and by a few I mean maybe 1 other, parents who wasn't on the equipment with their child.  If the kids had both parents with them, there was usually only one on the equipment, but the other hovered about as well.  The majority of the kids out that day were about Tate's age, with of course some younger and some older.  Even the older kids' parents were giving suggestions about what to play on or slide down.  I simply don't do that with Tate.  I figure he knows what he likes or he can find something he likes (with the exception of encouraging him not to go down the slide that was obviously right in the sun, so would be extremely hot on his legs).  I am also sure to nix him climbing any apparatus that is not age-appropriate.  Otherwise, he's on his own.  The constant hovering was just ridiculous to me.  Kids fall.  Kids argue and jostle for position in 'line'.  They usually work it out. And when I see Tate giving in as he is wont to do...my child, the people pleaser like his mama...I do step in on occasion.  Just like when I see him jumping ahead as well...I tend to give him one chance to make it right, then I say something.  Helicopter parenting.  What happened to parents sitting down enjoying a respite from the child-raising?  What about all the people who talk about how they take their kids to the playground and they (the parents) make friends with the other parents?  Ummm...when does that happen if you're on the equipment with your kid making sure they don't run too fast.  I can count on one hand the number of times I've interacted with other moms at the playground.  I even saw some of the helicopters look at me with disdain when they weren't busy trying to squeeze up the equipment steps!  


Maybe I'm not a good mother.


Nah!

Independence Celebration!


So after an hour of playing in the heat, we returned home to cool off and eat some lunch.  Oh and to nap.  Tate had actually asked to take a nap at 8:45 that morning...that was ixnayed!  No way was I having a grump by 6pm.  (then again I never know if he's serious as his yeses and noes are seriously out of whack)  Anyway, after lunch I told him it was time to take a nap nap (as we call it).  He was more than willing.  But he wanted to take his nap in the car.  One hundred percent seriously wanted it in the car.  I've set this up for myself.  Naps were starting to become really difficult here at home right before we left for Germany.  The last two weekends he had napped in the car as we went places.  And in Germany once he started napping they were all in the stroller because we were out and about and once he took an extremely long one in the car!  So now this is his new bed of choice in the afternoon.


I didn't feel like arguing.  Into the car we went.  The lullaby CD was turned on;  Tate had his beloved hippo and Sue-Y bear and he went straight to sleep within 5 minutes, no muss, no fuss.  Such a funny little boy :)


My parents came over around 1, and once Tate woke up about an hour after he went down we headed down to the Bayou Bend Independence Day Celebration.  Yes it was over 100 degrees.  It was hot.

But Tate had a really good time, as did my parents.  I soooo love watching my parents with Tate especially my dad.  He always asks Tate "Who's your buddy?"  To which Tate will promptly respond with glee "PAPA!!"  They adore each other.  



The grounds at Bayou Bend are just beautiful.  Though we were sweltering we wandered around and heard a little Yankee Doodle Band play, saw a demonstration by some Revolutionary War wearing soldiers about the artillery used during the war, watched Tate make a couple of crafts (which he in good toddler form had to refuse to do initially, and then thoroughly enjoy), ate some jello for the first time, green jello that is...not a fan apparently.  And Tate ran around the grounds laughing and giggling.

Run...

Tate...

Run!!!

My little firecracker!!

Buddies!! 

My sweet, hot, little boy!

We were back home by 3.  My parents offered to have us come over for burgers and dogs, but Tate declined, saying he wanted to be at his home.  


He loves being home.  


I was craving some American burgers, but gave in.  Lindsey came over to return some items, so I headed out to the not-very American Pei Wei to get some take-out for the 2 of us.  She had low key plans for the evening as well...just hanging with friends at their place watching fireworks from their roof tops.  That's what happens when July 4th is on a Wednesday!


And I've never been a fan of battling the crowds to see fireworks or the heat or the mosquitoes.  Maybe I'm an old fuddy duddy, boring person, but I find that to be 100 times less than fun.  It's like New Year's Eve almost to me...all this hype and hoopla...and then crash.  And I'm even less than likely to take Tate with me.  Ugh.  I cannot imagine.  Though I see tons of kids of all ages from birth to 100 out there with their parents eating, drinking, hanging out and having what looks like a blast.  (see it on the tv) I did want to take Tate to a 4th of July parade, but I didn't think of that until Tuesday night, so yeah that wasn't happening.  But I'm going to have to suck it up.  Deal with an overtired kid.  Put up with the mosquitoes and the crowds.  And take him to see the fireworks next year.  I do love fireworks.  And next year I think he'll be old enough to enjoy them.  So, I'll let him stay up (save me now).  


Oh yeah...his sleeping or lack thereof is the biggest reason we didn't go.  The bedtime battles are a nightmare.  And Wednesday night was no exception.  It was not pretty in our house when it was time to go to bed.  And he should have been exhausted.  And maybe that was the problem...he was overtired.  The very thing I do my damn best to prevent; maybe the only napping 50-60 minutes at home is doing this.  (but how do I get 90 minutes out of him?)  In any event, I plopped him in the crib with him crying and me furious on Wednesday night.


Bedtime Battles!!


Our bedtime routine takes a little over an hour these days.  And maybe that's our problem.  I usually go upstairs after telling him I'm going to start his bath water and ask that he come up in a few minutes to take a bath.


Amazingly, he always complies.  He's upstairs within less than 5 minutes of me going up.  So I know he understands.


From that point on it's a battle.


He wants to play more.  "For just a little while Mom-my"  He doesn't want to go potty.  He wants this train or that train to be on the tub beside him...in only the manner he puts them down in.  Heaven forbid I try to move this along, as touching his beloved trains to move them about is tantamount to torture.  Most of the time he doesn't fight taking a bath, and we do a bath every night.  Between the sunscreen and bug spray he has on every single day, not to mention the little boy sweat, this child needs a bath.  And it does relax him a bit.


For about 10 minutes.


I lotion him up and put his pajamas and overnight diaper on while on the bathroom floor these days.  Until about 4 months ago, I did this on the bed, but he was getting way too riled up during the 2 second walk from the master bath to the bedroom.  I would put him down before getting on the bed myself and he would pop up and jump or wiggle about, fiddle with the covers, play with the pillows....anything to not get dressed.  I was beside myself.  Dressing in the bathroom alleviated alot of this.


We then move to the bed for flossing and toothbrushing.  I usually get a good flossing in and I brush.  Sometimes he will then want to brush.  And he wants 2-3 turns, no more than 30 seconds each time because he always wants more toothpaste.  Which I usually oblige.  


We then read books...used to be I would read 4 or 5, but ugh now he wants to read some and then have me read some.  Amongst all this he hops around the bed, jumps up and down, squirms about laughing when I try to grab him.  He wiggles and bops and all around drives me insane.  So I've cut the books down to 3.  Yet he still wants to read them himself first;  I'm loathe to try to stop that because I so want him to enjoy reading and love books.  Yet he loves being read to, so I follow up reading the same books.  Needless to say it takes him some time to 'read' to me.  


Used to be we'd then get in the rocking chair, rock 10 minutes or so and I'd put him in the crib.


No more.  He never wants to be rocked initially.  In fact we read the books on the bed now, whereas before we went to Germany I'd read the books in the rocking chair.  He abjectly refuses that now.  Sometimes we'll rock maybe 1 minute, but he's pushing on me to sit up, refusing to snuggle in, struggling to get down, so I've pretty much given up on the rocking to relax him for the time being.  We do now lay down on my chaise (my fainting couch), but he squiggles about and kicks and all around turns what used to be a time to connect while I sang to him into a wrestling match.  But we always say prayers even if he's hopping about.  I always sing "You Are My Sunshine" whether he's hiding under the chaise or not, and he knows that song is the cue that he's going to be in the crib imminently.  He'll start to cry or complain.


And then I put him in the crib.  It normally takes him about 40-45 minutes to fall asleep.  Sometimes I do go up to help him about 20-25 minutes in by rocking and at that point he's amenable to the chair...very much so actually.  He'll immediately put his head on my shoulder as I take him out of the crib.  He just seems to need some down time...to throw everything out of the crib or just toss and turn.


But the running around the room and the jumping up and down on the bed no matter how many times I say don't and the squirming and the kicking and the not listening are driving me up the wall.   The last thing I want to do is put him in time out at bedtime...that seems to defeat the purpose...I'm increasing the time he doesn't have to be in the crib. Sigh!   I'm afraid to put him down at 8:30 (which is when he usually falls asleep) for fear he'll piddle about in the crib until after 9.  And part of the problem is that he probably doesn't need that 2 hour nap he gets at daycare, though I get this same behavior 7 days a week,  1 or 2 hour nap.  And he normally goes right to sleep at daycare.  So maybe he makes up for some of the missed sleep when he's there.


But the fight to get in the crib...(oh yes, I forgot!) which now includes "I have to go potty" right after  'You are My Sunshine' adds even more fun to the equation.  And he always pees (not usually willingly) before he takes a bath.  But somehow, someway this kid manages to hang on to some of his pee and has a nice little trickle every. single. night. right before I put him in the crib.  How? How? How?


Sigh.  This too shall pass.  But no way in hell am I putting him in a big boy bed anytime soon.  Which brings us to the crib.


But that will have to wait.  I am going to go fold some laundry and head off to bed.  I did end up going upstairs and rocking him almost to sleep tonight.  There is something so precious about holding my sweet baby against my chest that just puts me at peace.  And it seems to put him at peace too...he wants to have his head right against my heart.  He is so very much fun these days!  And I know that he's changing and growing up and we're a work in progress.  Though I feel like I need a construction hat for this work in progress... :)  


So I'll leave us with a few pictures of my beautifully sleeping baby!

I love seeing him all curled up like this...reminds me of his newborn days!!