Nate's New Phase

And boy, it's a good one! He likes to scream and cry over just about anything and everything. He gets frustrated easily and screams and cries. He has started throwing things when he is mad, flopping on the ground, and hitting me (just me though, usually). I know this all about testing his limits and some of it is frustration with communication and not being able to do the things he wants, but wow, it is exhausting. We have some good moments, like when he's napping, just kidding. It's not really all the time, but in the last week it has become the majority of the time.

We have tried different techniques, but starting yesterday I decided to just ignore him. I don't react and I will leave the situation. I won't give him back his toy/item that he has thrown. This seems to be working. It's a process though. He still cries but eventually realizes that I'm not giving in. Sometimes this realization takes longer than other times, but my hope is that eventually he will get it. And separating myself from him seems to be a good punishment. He hates when I leave him, even if it's just to the other side of the room. He knows that I'm upset and not there to hold him or comfort him.

I just hate that we have to go through this stage. He is such a funny and sweet little boy. I just want him to be happy and play and enjoy life. But I understand it and I know we will get through it and even if I don't get my giggly boy all day long, I know that I will get it small fragments throughout the day. That is enough for me, for now.

Extreme Couponing

I don't know if you've seen the show on TLC called "Extreme Couponing" or not, but basically it's about these people that are very serious about their coupons. They get a large amount of coupons, watch for sales, and buy their groceries and household items for nearly nothing. They stockpile and buy mass quantities of things in order to claim they saved $x on this shopping trip. I don't know exactly how they save so much, but watching the show has inspired me to become a better shopper.

Now, I don't want to be crazy like them. They buy in such large quantities that they have items that will last them past death. I think that is crazy and wasteful. I just want to get the items we normally need but I want to pay less for them. So, I got serious today. I collected all my ads and clipped all my coupons from the Sunday paper and also printed some from the web. I don't have time to shop at all the different stores, so luckily our Walmart ad matches and I can get all the sale prices at one place.

This process took me much longer than I had expected, but I think once I get used to it, it will go much quicker and much more smoothly. After I was done making my list and setting aside the coupons I was going to use, I set off for Walmart. It took me a little longer to shop today since I was checking the prices on things. I don't want to buy things if they are on sale if I can still get the generic cheaper or if a different size is still a better deal. I am also going to start recording the prices of items we buy frequently so that I know when I see an ad price if it is a good deal or not. Hopefully this will save some time in the store in the future.

The check-out process takes much longer too. Thankfully I had a couple of men behind me that were fine with me taking a bit longer than normal and also commented on how much I saved with the price changes and coupons. This is where it gets exciting...I saved $11.38 with my coupons and $35.82 by ad matching for a grand total of $47.20! I couldn't believe it when I did the math when I got home. I feel triumphant!

I don't think I will ever become an extreme couponer, but I would like to think that I am becoming a smart shopper and saving the family some money!

Easter

Growing up, we always had a big to-do for Easter. Easter egg hunts, finding our baskets, scavenger hunts. It was awesome. Although I wasn't raised learning the real reason for Easter. Last year Nate was too young but now he's at the age where I want to start creating traditions for him like I had AND to learn the meaning of Easter. I think the message of Christ's death and Resurrection is a little over his head, so I guess we'll just stick with the eggs and candy this year.

We went to Michael's parents for Easter lunch and the egg hunt. Christy and I went out in the yard (the brief period of time that it stopped raining) and hid the eggs. We put some not so hidden eggs in the middle of the lawn for Nate. He had such a good time running around and picking up the eggs and putting them in the bag. I was kind of surprised that he got it. But it didn't take him long to figure out that these eggs had good things inside. He opened the first one and there was a shiny candy wrapper in it and then it was on! Afterwards he thoroughly enjoyed the chocolate. I wish I had some pictures but my camera is broken and I haven't been able to get a new one yet. :(

Bounce Spot

We took Nate up to Greenwood on Monday for his first trip to Bounce Spot (formerly Bouncertown). It is a place with big bouncers for him to jump on. He absolutely loved it! We took him in the toddler bouncer first, which was just his size. He enjoyed jumping (big shocker there), falling down, climbing, and sliding. We took him to the big bouncers, which he seemed to enjoy but was a bit hesitant. He was doing fine until a little kid (probably a little over 2 years old or so) decided that it would be fun to drop kick and pile drive him. His mom stated that she didn't know the rules about going in the bouncer and just kept saying "no" to him as he continued to jump all over Nate, making him cry. I told her that it would be fine to go in if she needed to get her son out, but she didn't. Nate eventually made his way back out, but was then done with the bouncers. I was pretty upset about it. She had said that he didn't know about hitting because he was an only child and there were no other siblings to hit back. Well, so is Nate and he doesn't go around beating kids up. We took him over to the arcade area and he liked running around and looking at all the machines and the lights. The he found the race cars and was in heaven. We tried to get him to get back on the bouncers, but it took him a little bit. But eventually he gained the confidence to go back and jump. He met a kid (around 4 years old) that started to play with him and they had a blast. This kid was so good with him and it just warmed my heart to see Nate so happy. What a great way to spend a rainy afternoon. Not to mention that Nate had a great nap that afternoon!

Fun with Kids

It seems like some weeks drag on and on, and then there's some, like this week, that fly right by. I cannot believe that tomorrow is Friday and the start of another weekend (I'm not complaining!). The hustle and bustle of the house really seemed to start last weekend. We have been looking for a new dining set. Two of our chairs have broken and the remaining two chairs spend most of their time out in the garage, unless they are in use. Nate has learned how to climb up on the chairs and then up on the table. Irritated with constantly telling him to get down, I decided to just eliminate the problem. So we have been looking for a new dining set with chairs that do not have rungs across the bottom. Everything is either too expensive or not made well so we still have the old one. So while we don't think the weekend was a complete waste looking, as we now know what is out there, we still have the old set. On Monday we went to the gym with Sara and her kiddos. They were so cute all running around and jumping on the trampoline together. Next time I will remember my camera! We also had another play date today with Jill and her girls here at the house. I told Nate that girls were coming over to play and to get ready because this was going to be the norm in the near future but I don't think he understood me. :) And girl or boy, it didn't matter, Nate loves playing with other kids and had a blast. The best part is the fun isn't over yet. Lucas is coming up for a sleepover tomorrow night as well. So much fun with other kids...I don't think Nate will know what to do with himself.

We're Having a Girl!

My ultrasound appointment was yesterday morning. I couldn't sleep at all the night before, like a kid before Christmas. So many things running through my mind, but top were the sex and the health. I don't worry too much about the baby's health, but before this appointment I do. I don't opt for every blood test to check for things, so this is the first chance I have to hear if something might be wrong. Second, the gender of the baby. This is something that we have been wanting to know for, well, from the beginning. And every week that goes by makes it harder and harder not to know. With Nate, I found out at 18 weeks, so having to wait until I was almost 22 weeks pregnant made it feel like a lifetime.

Michael asked me the night before what I really wanted. A girl, of course! I've always wanted a little girl--to do her hair, and dress her up, color and draw, and play with dolls. To have her hate me when she's a teenager and love me again when she's an adult. But a boy? But I would love to have another little boy. I would have a house filled with blues and cars, wrestling and pee splattered toilets. Nate would have a little brother and they would share a room and be best friends. It sounded all so wonderful that I thought maybe I rather have a boy. But, I really want a girl too. So, I guess it really could have gone either way and I truly would have been thrilled.

So I got up on the table, the tech squirted the gel on my belly and it seemed like within seconds she was using the word "her". I was in shock and disbelief (still kind of am really). I couldn't believe we were really having a little girl. So of course I cried and I'm actually getting a little teary eyed now just writing this. Now we will have one of each and it all just seems so perfect. And she's healthy! Well as far as checking for the things that they can on an ultrasound, which is a huge relief for me.

When I was 9 years old I got a little brother that I wanted to be my little sister so badly that I would dress him up and put make up on him. I am finally getting my chance to have that little girl and I am so excited. The challenge now will be not to buy every adorable outfit I see.

15 Months

Even though Nate technically turned 15 months at the end of February, we couldn't get in to the doctor for his wellness visit until today. So I thought I would wait to update until we had all the stats.

The doctor's visit went well. Of course, like every time he goes, he was hamming it up, trying to make the nurse laugh. He will hit himself on the head (we call it 'the Lucas' because his cousin Lucas started doing that to make him laugh and now he does it) or fall down on purpose. His ear infection from last week is all cleared up and the rash is almost gone. She wants to keep him on Zyrtec daily though. His skin is sensitive and with his eczema, she feels this will help keep itching to a minimum. I didn't expect to have my toddler on a daily medication, but he scratches to the point his skin is raw and if this helps prevent that, then what's a little grape flavored medicine each morning? He is 33 1/4" tall (95%) and 28lbs (90%). He's our big guy (and yes, my back can vouch for that).



Now, let's see...about Mr. Personality. He is full of life and character. He loves to make people laugh and loves to be the center of attention. He also likes to make Mommy and Daddy mad by seeing what and how much he can get away with. We are working on this (mostly Mommy working on trying not to react too much so he won't want to do it again). But even with all the testing his limits and my patience, I feel like he really is a good boy. He is becoming very independent. He now likes to brush his own teeth and feed himself. This is still a work in progress too, but he's pretty good with foods like mashed potatoes that stick to the spoon better. He tells me when he's hungry by going to the pantry, fridge, or his highchair. While most of the time he hollers for something he wants, he his getting better about getting up and showing me or pointing. He can also sign "more" when he wants more of something, like a cracker. He loves to play with Sammy (and her dishes), balls, read books, and cars. He loves music and dancing. He loves cartoons, especially Elmo, Jack's Big Music Show, Curious George, Yo Gabba Gabba, among many others. He absolutely loves playing outside and going for walks and now that the weather is getting nicer it is something we can do more often. He loves to swing, walk around the yard throwing a ball, and pick up rocks and hand them to me. He can say 'mama', 'dada', 'uh-oh', 'cracker', 'dog', and 'baba'-'baby'-'ball ball' (which all sound the same). He gets into everything and now the top drawers in the kitchen, so nothing is safe. He climbs on everything, now including the kitchen chairs so that's not off limits anymore either. He recently started pulling his pee-pee out of his diaper to play with it. This one I'm not thrilled with. He absolutely hates getting dressed (I mean hates--kicking and screaming like he's dying) and diaper changes are a chore too. He will not lie still to get a new diaper on. He will cuddle with me for 0.3 seconds after his bath when he's wrapped in his towel. This is the only time I feel like he's still my baby. He does still drink a bottle of milk at the end of the night before bed, which I'm going to cut out here very soon, which will probably make me more sad than him. I feel like he's growing up so quickly and while this is a good thing with another baby on the way, I want to cherish these tender moments that I have with him.