Papa's Little Helper

I had hoped that since we joined our friends (who have a son just two months older than Gusi who has become his best play mate) for a day at the park and dinner, Gusi would sleep in late. Wrong. He got up at 6am as usual. So, PapaGus stepped up to the plate as he always does and took Gusi for a walk around the neighborhood this morning--both wearing their pajamas. I was too tired to make any comments; plus, I realized that anyone awake at this hour is probably walking around their own early morning riser.

After breakfast and some indoor play time, Gusi and PapaGus got me out of bed and told me they were going to water the plants outside on the front porch. By the time I washed my face and threw on some clothes, Gusi (now wearing Crocs) was at work helping his father. It was really adorable to see PapaGus pulling the hose this way and that so Gusi could water the plants. Of course, Gusi watered himself almost as much as the plants. The race cars on his pajamas should have been hovercraft--that's how much water there was. But doing is the best way to learn and Gusi is eager to learn, so thanks to PapaGus for giving him an opportunity to do.

Stalling Tactics

Gusi is now an expert at stalling before he has to go to bed for either his nap or bedtime. At bedtime he usually keeps signing *more* after we finish a book, or he shakes his head when we get ready to read the last book of the night. Today right before his nap time he cried and said he wanted milk. I obliged him and then took him over to his crib where he cried for quite a while before taking a cat nap and then crying again. He's determined to not nap by himself--he still wants to nap with me by his side--but I've got something else in mind. We'll see who prevails...though I am ready to admit that I wouldn't bet too much money on me this early in the game.

Preferential Treatment

I have read a number of books that say that children at this age will start to prefer one parent over the other. Hmm, yeah, ok. Well in our family it is quite clear who that is and it isn't me. PapaGus is inspiration to all good, fun, play and adventure. I am a distant second on the Gusi hierarchy. Actually, maybe even the two chocolate labs that our neighbors own would bump me down to number four. And while I'm glad that they are starting this great father-son relationship so early, I feel like every meal I make, every song I sing, every Mardi Gras bead I fish out for him from the air vents means little when compared to PapaGus walking through the door home from work.

It kills me that he shakes his head no when his father says let's go find Mama. I'm just no fun anymore apparently. Maybe I'll hang out with the chocolate labs next door more often so I can see my own son smile more without requiring PapaGus' continual presence. Sniff, sniff.

Papa Can You Hear Me?

I don't know how he did it but he did.

After the cell phone-in-pocket-in-pool incident I let the phone dry out and gave it to Gusi to play with. He played a bit but then gave me this look like, lady you aren't fooling me. And so it sat at the bottom of the diaper bag for several days.

Now that PapaGus has gotten a new, fancy, shmancy phone with FM radio and MP3 player (which means I inherit his old iPod since my first generation one kicked the bucket a few weeks ago), I have warned him to not let Gusi play with it. There are toys and there are grown up things which are (expensive and) not for children. Gusi must learn this lesson. We work hard for the things we have and thus we need to take care of them.

So, that meant that when PapaGus was using (ok, playing with) his new phone and Gusi wanted it, we went to the old pool phone to keep him entertained for a few minutes while PapaGus hid his new phone. Well, at one point we saw Gusi fixated on the buttons like he hadn't been in a long time and then heard the music play as the phone came on. Gusi had been holding down the on/off button and brought the phone back to life! It wasn't turning water into wine, but it was incredible nonetheless.

After the shock wore off and we examined the phone we agreed that it was in working order. But we didn't need this phone anymore so Gusi ended up with a nice used cell phone of his very own. He continued to play as we got ready for the day. Then I heard PapaGus call from the bathroom to come get the phone. Huh? Come get the phone. But before I could reach the bathroom a very wet phone came flying out from behind the shower curtain. Apparently Gusi wanted to show his Papa how his new phone was water proof and threw it into the bath tub. The lights flickered a bit and then went away. We're letting it dry out again and perhaps after a few days we'll let Gusi try to work his magic a second time.

Empty Your Pockets

Grandma and Grandpa were visiting us and their hotel had a nice indoor pool which we decided to use. I had already showered and done my make-up so I volunteered PapaGus to go in the pool with Gusi. Before leaving home they were both already in their swimsuits so they could jump right in when we got to the hotel, thus not wasting any precious free time.

Grandma and Grandpa met us in the lobby and opened the door to the pool for us. PapaGus held Gusi and walked down the steps into the pool. It was a small pool but plenty big for Gusi. Then, all of a sudden PapaGus dropped his jaw. My phone, he said. Huh? I said. My phone, he said, it's in my pocket. I blinked and blinked again, you mean the pocket inside the swim trunks you're wearing? His eyes widened, YES!

He chucked it from the other side of the pool and I picked it up. Oh my. Dead, dead, dead. At least now he has a legitimate reason for looking at all those web pages advertising new phones.

Happy Mother's Day

I had a great Mother's Day today. Last year's seems to have been a dry run since Gusi was only a few weeks old, but now I've got it and I like it.

My parents-in-law and my mom joined PapaGus, Gusi and I for brunch at a nice restaurant where Gusi had the chance to explore the wine selection first hand. Then after Gusi had his nap (eventually falling asleep in our bed since he refused to do so on his own) we got the entire household working on our first cook-out of the season. We had so much food that that was all anyone could talk about--that and Gusi of course.

This may be one of the few Mother's Days where Gusi has him mom and the moms of both of his parents with him; he's a very lucky little boy to have three women with him today who love him so much.

Happy Mother's Day to all the moms and grandmas out there from Gusi, PapaGus and myself.

Look at Me When I'm Talking to You

Gusi is babbling quite a lot these days. Every day it sounds like he's just got so much on his mind that sometimes when he *talks* I just nod and go about my chores.

Yesterday he was babbling as I was washing dishes, then he started to babble louder and louder until he was yelling at me. I turned around and asked him what was going on? He had been screaming both with his voice and his hands apparently because he was standing next to the refrigerator making the sign for *milk* which I quickly gave him ending the yelling. Since he can't yet vocalize his needs, his hands serve him well, but only if I'm watching. Another parenting lesson learned.

I'll Have What She's Having

Gusi's pediatrician told us that most toddlers go through a phase that he calls the 48-hour diet. Basically they become extremely picky eaters for two days and then they have this huge meal that keeps them going for another day or two. You can't know what they'll want or when they'll want it and they'll probably be on Cheerios and crackers in-between.

Well, from his mouth to Gusi's ears because Gusi is now a picky eater, except, it would appear, when I am eating with him. Last night we took my mom out to dinner to her favorite restaurant as a thank you for all her help lately. We both ordered things we thought Gusi would munch from; I didn't want to waste food, time or money ordering anything for him that would go untouched or, even worse, end up on the floor.

I got a nice white fish with mashed potatoes and green beans thinking he'd have some potatoes and if I was lucky some green beans. He ended up eating almost the entire fish and some of the green beans leaving me just the mashed potatoes. I couldn't believe it. The child ate practically the entire $22 entrée all by himself. Then when I ordered some bread pudding for dessert he also ate that. I was not only surprised but I was hungry. I barely had anything to eat! I ordered another dessert since that was the fastest thing that would come out of the kitchen and gobbled it up so that we could make it home in time for Gusi's bedtime. Incredible how your priorities change when you become a parent.

If I only knew when the mega-meal was coming I'd be one step ahead with some yummy, nutritious food with enough for both of us to enjoy.

Sleep Training 101

Well, I've started helping Gusi learn to fall asleep by himself. Last night was the first night and it is sure to take several weeks but just this first night has showed me that it's worth it because it's 7am and he is still sleeping.

Yes, he did cry and yes I went in to check on him several times, but I made them very boring visits for those twenty seconds I was there. The objective was to get him to fall asleep by himself and he did achieve that. Then after two hours he woke up. My mom was here and she rocked him to sleep and put him back into his crib. He has been sleeping since. The book was right, the best time to teach them is when they are tired--kind of ironic.

We'll see how tonight goes.

Hittin' the Books

I am now officially at my wits' end. Gusi is just not sleeping in his crib anymore. It seems that every time there is a disruption in his routine we slip into an endless cycle of sleep-wake-search for warm body-cry-cry some more-cry until someone takes him to the bed so he has a warm body to snuggle up against. It's exhausting.

So after talking to Gusi's pediatrician I am reading a book he recommended "Sleeping Through the Night: How Infants, Toddlers and Their Parents Can Get a Good Night's Sleep". Rather, I am skimming through it since there is no free time whatsoever anymore. What I have read looks like it could work but it also says to not try sleep training until things are back to normal. Uh, perhaps I should write the author a letter asking for clarification because in our family that would be never. PapaGus travels for work, we go on vacation, we have friends or family stay over and for this sleep training to get done all of that apparently has to stop--at least for several weeks.

Maybe there's a hidden chapter that I haven't gotten to yet that says something about tickling right foot and scratching left ear at same time in order for him to sleep. I'll keep reading in the meantime. And I thought I had made progress when he didn't need to nurse himself to sleep anymore, boy was I wrong.