Lessons Learned in Mom School

Math:
The smell emanating from Nick's diaper is inversely proportional to the size of the turd residing in it.

Reading:
It is entirely possible to "read" your son's favorite book to him in the car while driving. He will correct you if you "skip a page".

Science:
Popsicles and fruit snacks cure just about all ailments. A bump on the head hurts much less if Collin is sucking on a popsicle.

Physical Education:
Mommy makes an awesome horse and and equally awesome airplane. Collin loves to climb on my back for a few trips around the living room or get lifted up in the air until he runs into turbulence and comes back down for a "crash landing".

Geography:
Thanks to the Little Einsteins the Eiffel tower is where Melody's ticket for the musical pet train is found, not a monument in Paris.

Music:
Even 2 year olds know when you can't carry a tune in a bucket. Every time I sing in the car, Collin tells me to stop.

Foreign Language:
Collin sings Frere Jacques in French because I don't know it in English. The last time I saw my cousins he was singing it and they asked if he was singing in a foreign language or if they just couldn't understand him. He really was singing in French.

Art:
Windows make especially good canvases for crayon. So do doors and walls. Fortunately, Mr. Clean makes the magic eraser which cleans things up in a snap because Collin loves to draw.

Reflux, Teething and Potty Training SUCK!

I think pretty much in that order too, or at least they did today. Poor Nick has reflux just as bad as Collin did which means he yaks up everything he eats. Bless his heart, he does it with a smile though. I'm not kidding, if he gives you a huge grin, you better watch out because in another moment you'll be wearing whatever he ate last. He spent most of today puking all over everyone who held him. It doesn't help that he's teething so he's drooling all over the place and incredibly cranky. He just wants to be held and sometimes, that doesn't even make him happy. Now on to his brother. Collin is really just starting potty training and we haven't really forced the issue too much. Tonight I was changing him before we headed home and I asked if he wanted to use the potty. He said no so I finished dressing him and, of course, as soon as I finished he changed his mind. Great! We run to the bathroom, pull down his pants and I get his diaper off. I start to take him out of his pants (he sits on the big potty and he can't spread his legs far enough if I leave the pants on) and he begins to pee. I let out a yelp because I'm right in the line of fire. Unfortunately, he thinks this is funny so while my yelp startled him and he stopped for a moment, he begins to go again. Now a smarter Mom would have scooped him up and dropped his little butt on the toilet and let him finish there. I make no such claims. All I could think to do was try to catch it in my hands before it was all over everything. I wound up with a handful of pee, pee on my pants, pee on his pants and pee on his sweatshirt! Then after I dumped the pee in the potty and washed my hands, Collin sat on the potty and peed some more. I really can't wait to be done with potty training!

Lessons Learned

When Collin tells me he has to pee but sits on the toilet and doesn't go, its a bad idea to then put him in big boy pants. I tried this tonight hoping that he would recognize that they felt different than a diaper and he'd tell me when he was going to go but all I accomplished was changing wet underwear and pants. He did tell me right away though so maybe it wasn't such a bad idea?

Lessons From The Dinner Table

Last night we made pasta Alfredo because I know its something Collin will eat. What's not to like about Alfredo sauce? In an attempt to get him to eat some vegetables, I asked Tim to toss some peas in the sauce too. It did eventually work. Collin ate all his pasta first and then, after a bit of coaxing, almost all of his peas. The lesson I learned was that I have to watch Collin like a hawk. He didn't sit at the table the entire time. When he finished his pasta, he got up and wandered around a bit. Nick was sitting in his bouncy seat on the floor right next to us so we could eat as a family. I should have been paying more attention to Collin because the next thing I knew Collin was standing by Nick telling me that Nick likes peas! I have no idea whether or not Collin actually managed to feed Nick a pea but he (Nick) was none the worse the wear for the experience. Collin and I had a long talk about how Nick is too little to eat what Collin eats and that the only thing Nick can eat is Mommy's milk or formula in a bottle. I don't think he really gets it. I did promise him that as soon as Nick is old enough to start eating real foods, Collin could help me feed him. I'll probably regret that statement latter because I can guarantee Collin won't forget I said it. As I was doing the dishes, I looked over and realized that Nick had a pea stuck to his face right next to his nose! I'm not sure if Collin tried to feed him another pea or if Collin dropped peas on Sadie and she shook them off and one landed on Nick. Whatever happened, Nick smiled through the whole thing. From now on, I will not take my eyes off Collin at dinner time.