Fussy Caitlin

Caitlin hasn't been herself today. Fussy in the store, wanting to be held a lot, not eating well, etc. After going to bed tonight, she woke up screaming after she had been asleep for an hour. Not crying, but screaming and clutching at me.
I sat down in her chair, snuggled her up to me and then she puked all over me and the chair. I don't know yet if it is from teething or from a virus. Really hoping it is just teething, but we'll see.
And, Conall was refusing to go to sleep (this was sometime after 9) and of course had to come see what was happening, where she puked, what it looked like etc.
Ugh! What a night and I bet it isn't over yet.

What Happened to Child Resistant Lids?

Oh yeah, they aren't Conall-resistant are they?
Caitlin has been super fussy all day -- not at all like her self. At one point I saw her chewing on something, noticed how much she was drooling, assumed it was from teething, and gave her some Tylenol. Enter the children's Tylenol container sitting on our kitchen table, which in the midst of trying to calm Caitlin down, I forgot was there. At dinner time, daddy was napping on the couch, Caitlin was in the high chair and Conall was at the table waiting on me to clean two strawberries and cut the tops off (just two!). He said something that triggered my radar. I came running into the room because he had grabbed the bottle, opened it, and drank some of it. After my freaking out, he told me it was two lids worth -- which I measured to be roughly 1/2 tsp., which is less than his normal dose would be. He got a long lecture about medicine, etc. and I thanked his very busy guardian angel for taking care of him.
But seriously, aren't those d*** things supposed to be child-proof? I even sometimes have trouble opening the lid.

Old McCaitlin

I was playing kids music on the computer for Caitlin when she went over to the computer chair and started dancing. It was so cute that I had to video it.
The video quality isn't very good on this one due to the lighting. It was cloudy outside and Caitlin wasn't close to any light sources. And, it is sideways. When I try to edit the video to put it upright, it also does something to the quality that makes it really not worth watching.
Oh well, at least you get to see how cute she is while she's dancing. Just turn your head sideways or something.

Related to Conall's Room

Forgot to tell you all a funny thing about cleaning Conall's room. Caitlin was in her high chair when I started bringing boxes of Conall's toys into the living room and taping them up. She had a fit and kept waving her arms at the boxes. I think she was trying to stick up for her brother! She didn't like me taping them up at all.

Cleaning Conall's Room Post2

Conall was so excited when he got home and saw that his room was clean. He kept saying "you cleaned my room, you cleaned my room mommy?" Then he asked me for one of the toys I had taken away last night and then he asked for his bed tent back. I tried to explain where everything was, but he was either ignoring me or didn't quite understand. Next, he went and sat at his desk and was really excited that he could sit there and read.
Conall played in his room most of the night. He also used the train tracks on the wall, which he hasn't used in a long time.
He fought us big over eating his dinner. After dinner, he tried to stall about cleaning his room. Once daddy took one toy away, he got the idea and cleaned it. Then, when I put him to bed, he kept saying "my room is clean, my room is clean" and "I can walk in here now." We'll see how tomorrow goes -- no school tomorrow. It will probably be a very long day.

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies Part 2

I was wrong -- he loves them! He ate two of them when he came home from school. They tasted a lot better after they cooled and got harder. I couldn't really taste the banana or zucchini then, but the texture was more like what you would expect from whole wheat flour.

Cleaning Conall's Room Post1

We're trying to teach Conall to clean up his room, among other things. This seems to be one of the things he is most resistant about. He will go in his room and dump all of his toys on the floor. Then, when it is time to clean, he never finishes it. He starts cleaning, either gets overwhelmed or distracted, and then starts playing. He has a fit when we tell him he has to clean it.


Yesterday, I picked him up from school at 2:30 and had him start cleaning as soon as we got home. By bedtime, his room was still a mess. I told him that anything that was left on the floor and not put up in a bin or drawer at bedtime would be taken away tomorrow. He didn't believe me.


Now, we have tried just about everything else. We've helped him clean. We've given him clear directions and a goal "put all of the trains in this bin" or "have this bin full by the time I come to check on you" "put all of the stuffed animals on your bed", etc. We have rewarded, when he is cleaning, with what our strong-willed parenting class called "attending." We have rewarded with a sticker chart. We have rewarded by offering for him to stay up late and watch a TV show he wanted to see. We have taken things away -- no stories at bedtime, no TV, shower instead of a bath, etc. We've tried time-outs and even spanking. Nothing seems to work!


So, once I got home from taking him to school today, I started cleaning his room. Anything left on the floor and not put away got packed up to take to our storage building in the back yard. Before you feel sorry for him, notice all of the toys still in his room. These are the ones he put away, so he got to keep them. The rest is in the pile in front of the china cabinet.


I'm not sure that this will work either. I'm not sure he'll even notice that anything is missing until he starts to look for it. I think on first glance Conall will just think I cleaned his room and he got out of having to do it. But, we had to try something else. I really hope it works. More later.

Here's all the stuff I packed up. Hard to believe ALL of that was on the floor, isn't it?

His bed after I cleaned the room

His clean room!

All the toys he has leftMore toys left
And don't forget he has the storage drawers under his bed!

I bet everyone remembers these pictures the next time they think about buying Conall a toy!

Sleeping Angel (Complete With Cat)

Here's a picture of how Conall fell asleep tonight -- with his stuffed cat, Rusty, on his head. Although you can't see his face, I think he looks like an angel -- well, at least until he wakes me up tomorrow morning, hitting me with a pillow saying "wake up, Wake Up, WAKE UP MOMMY!"

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

I made the oatmeal cookies from the Deceptively Delicious (DD) cookbook tonight. They are still cooling, but I don't think he's going to eat these. They are made with whole wheat flour (see the chocolate chip pancakes post) and the texture is just a little too different. And, they look grainy, too.
They are cooling as I type, but I could definitely taste the banana in the dough. We'll see -- wish me luck! Conall will probably make some comment about how he wants the kind he made with Pop Pop instead.

Window Shopping

Caitlin loves bags and purses! She will carry them around, fill them up, empty them, refill them, etc. She also likes to look out the window and get into the curtains. Here's a photo of her looking out the back window at the dogs with her purse on her arm. She looks like she's window shopping.

Mutts and Mooch

Caitlin may have a new nickname soon. She has learned how to say "yes" (instead of yeah) except she says "yesh" like Mooch the cat in the comic strip Mutts ( http://muttscomics.com/ ). It really is cute. If Mooch had a nicer name I think we'd already have given her the nickname.

Blueberry Oatmeal Bar Update

Conall asked for one of the blueberry oatmeal bars tonight after he had eaten his dinner. I believe Conall thinks they are a "treat" and that he likes them. Maybe we have a winner!

Of course, he also kept asking me to make him some "raisin oatmeal bars." Luckily, the cookbook has an oatmeal raisin cookie recipe (with hidden banana and zucchini).

Oh how I hope, hope, hope this is going to work (and keep working). I'm so happy to think that he ate spinach and got a nice dose of iron and vitamins.

Thank You Grandma and Jessica Seinfeld

Grandma told me about a cookbook that Jessica Seinfeld wrote called Deceptively Delicious ( http://www.deceptivelydelicious.com/site/ ). It features recipes for kids that have hidden ingredients. Seinfeld developed it with the help of a nutritionist and chef and it has been featured on a lot of morning talk shows, etc.

At this point, I'll do almost anything to get Conall to eat, and especially to eat something healthy, so I checked the book out from the library. The pictures of the food looked really good, so I thought I'd give a few of the recipes a try. I was hoping that Conall would eat them, but I wasn't going to hold my breath.

Last night I made Blueberry Oatmeal Bars for Conall to eat for breakfast. They have lots of things in them that he likes, including oatmeal, sugar, cinnamon and blueberry preserves. They also have spinach puree in them.

I steamed and pureed the spinach. I pureed it 3 times the amount of time the recipe called for, hoping to get rid of any texture. I packaged and froze the extra spinach and mixed and baked the bars. The whole time I was thinking how much effort this was for something that only Stu and I would end up eating.

It was a hit! He ate all but one bite of his breakfast bar before he went to school this morning. That is an overwhelming success for Conall. Now, the true test will be if he'll ever eat it again. But, I managed to get him to eat one.

Oatmeal Blueberry Bars

Conall's Concert

Conall went to see a play Friday night with Grandma. She told us that he kept trying to get up on stage (I'm not at all surprised). Ever since, he's been even more interested in "performing".

On Saturday night, we were playing with the kids on the couch, tickling them and goofing off. Conall decided he'd climb on the back of the couch (which he knows not to do) and sing the song "That's How You Know", from the movie Enchanted
(http://adisney.go.com/disneyvideos/liveaction/enchanted/ ), at the top of his lungs. However, he sings it "that's how you love." He did it so many times that I finally grabbed the camera and made a video. It is hilarious!

Playing in the Pool

Here's a video of Caitlin playing in the pool and telling me her favorite new word "car car".

Water Play and Siblings

I bought a cheap inflatable pool at Wal-mart today for the kids. I thought they both would love it and it would help with some of the summertime boredom. After much excitement about buying it, inflating it and filling it up, Conall spent about 5 minutes "fishing" in it. That was it -- he was done with it. Caitlin loved it!

I keep looking for something they'll both enjoy and that will keep them out of trouble, but I keep missing. It seems like it is guaranteed that if one of them likes a toy that is for both of them, the other one won't. Now, if one of them has an age-appropriate toy of his own, the other one wants it! I just don't understand siblings!

Caitlin having fun in the pool

Black Widow Spiders

Stu found two black widow spiders in my rose garden this afternoon. One of them was really big. Scary!

Conall getting a lesson about black widow spiders (and how dangerous they are)

The bigger of the two spiders

I Love Rock n Roll

We were driving back from Wal-mart this afternoon and I Love Rock n Roll by Joan Jett came on the radio. I was driving and singing along and looked back and saw Caitlin in the back seat. She was dancing in her car seat and singing along. Conall told her to "stop screaming in the car" and was quite annoyed with both of us.

I love rock n roll

So put another dime in the jukebox, baby

I love rock n roll

So come an take your time an dance with me

You can hear the song here: http://www.emusic.com/album/Joan-Jett-and-the-Blackhearts-I-Love-Rock-N-Roll-MP3-Download/11216124.html

Yippee for underwear

The night before last Conall decided that he didn't want a pull-up for bedtime. I asked him if he was sure and got him dressed, knowing that I'd be up at some point due to a wet bed and wet Conall.

I had trouble going to sleep that night anticipating this, and sure enough, just as I dropped off to sleep around 3 a.m. I was awakend by a very wet, cold and very upset Conall. I got him changed and dressed (he insisted on a pull-up once again) and we were back to bed. No more wetting that night.

The next day (yesterday) he kept telling me he was sorry, although I told him it was ok and just an accident. He wanted a pair of underwear again last night at bedtime instead of a pull-up. Before I went to bed, I prepared a fresh set of sheets and comforter where I could easily get to them in the middle of the night. But, he didn't wake me up (Caitlin did, what do they say, no rest for the wicked? meaning me). He didn't wet the bed or his clothes or anything!

I am so proud of my big boy. All day long, we've been praising him for this. He is so excited! Mention it to Conall next time you see or talk to him and help us encourage this new behavior.

Baby Kisses

We kiss on Caitlin all the time. She is such a sweetheart and she's still young enough that she likes it. We kiss her face, her hands, her feet, her tummy, etc. You get the idea -- lots of love. Lately, she's been trying to imitate the kissing sound when we kiss her. Today she started making the kissing sound and then kissing me. It was the sweetest thing. She is such a lovable little girl!

Red

While I was throwing away Caitlin's stinky diaper, she came crawling out of her room with a pair of pants that she'd taken out of her drawer. She was saying "red, red." Sure enough, the pants were red! Wow, I didn't know she knew any of her colors yet. She's cute and smart, but we already knew that.

Daddy's Girl

I think Caitlin has figured out the "daddy's girl" thing. Daddy likes to put her to bed at night and hold her and rock her and generally spoil her. For quite some time, she would go to sleep in his arms and he could put her in the crib and she'd stay asleep and sleep all night. Well, lately, she has been waking up when he puts her in the crib. She will sleep as long as he (or I on occasion) holds her. Right now she is back in her room screaming "dad, dad, dad." It is almost funny, except that I hate to hear her cry -- it kills me. Of course, she knows that. That's how she got so spoiled.

Better Doctor Visit Today

I took Conall in for his check-up today and to get the doctor to fill out the paperwork for him to start school in the fall. We saw our regular doctor. I told her about Caitlin's check-up last week with the other doctor and she rolled her eyes at much of what that doctor had said and tested for. She checked Caitlin's weight, and although her percentage of growth had gone down (not her weight), she didn't seem to think there was anything to worry about. She said we'd keep an eye on it, but that most likely it was normal for this age, when they begin walking, burning more calories and losing some baby fat. We still go back for a weight check in a month just to be careful. Our doctor also said that she would "respectfully choose not to comment" on the doctor we saw last week, but that she agreed with me (in other words, she didn't think much of him either). She said that there was no need for him to mention the extremes that he did (hospital, feeding tube, etc.). She also said that as long as Caitlin is walking by 18 mos. there is nothing to worry about.
And, for the first time I can remember, Conall is in the 25th percentile on height and weight! Yippee! It isn't very high, but I think that's the best he's ever been. And of course, she reminded me that the charts are based on kids who were full-term babies. She was really happy with everything healthwise for him overall. Her only recommendation is that we get him in to see a dentist since he is old enough now. Won't that be an ordeal?

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY

Happy Father's Day Stu! We had homemade pancakes for breakfast, which everyone seemed to enjoy, including Conall. Conall actually ate 2 of them! Here's a photo of Stu and the kids at breakfast.

The Sprinkler

Yesterday was so hot that we bought the kids a sprinkler. We had to try a couple of stores before we found one. I got the kids all suited up and ready to go. And, we turned the sprinkler on. Caitlin was terrified of it. She kept screaming and climbing up my leg. I had to take her inside and give her a bath, because she got so dirty trying to get away from it. Conall didn't do much better. He ran away from it (into the street). Once I turned the water down a little, he played in it for a few minutes. I asked Stu to get some photos or video of him playing in it while I cleaned Caitlin up and calmed her down. As soon as Stu turned on the camera, Conall ran over to the faucet and turned it off. So much for my bright idea! I told Stu that I think we have the only two children on the planet who are terrified of a sprinkler.
Anyway, here's a video of Conall playing with the sprinkler (turned off). He also played in the dirt and sand left by the construction company. He told Stu that he was making a road and the banging is him flattening it out.
You'll notice that he has his socks and shoes on. He has this new weird obsessive-compulsive thing about always wearing socks -- he even wants to wear them in the tub (which is the one place I won't let him have them). It started the day after the tornado hit our neighborhood. He won't tell me what it is about, but he did tell Stu that wearing socks had something to do with his guardian angel. We think he thinks that as long as he's wearing socks, a tornado won't get him. Leave it to Conall.

The Rock Dog House

Here's the video of Conall making the rock dog house. He kept asking me to make a movie of him and his dog house. When I started recording, he got really quiet and wouldn't talk without being prompted -- not at all like Conall. I don't think he was being shy -- I think he was just busy.

According to Conall, the dog is in the dog house looking out the window. Of course, you can't see the dog or the window, for that matter. Just use your imagination -- Conall certainly uses his!

Playing Outside

Conall has been a terror the past few weeks -- especially on the days he hasn't had preschool. So, yesterday I took the kids outside in the morning to try to combat Conall's boredom and bad behavior. It worked for a little while (while we were outside). Here are some cute photos of them playing.

Playing so well together --really nice for a change

Isn't she just a doll?

She's wearing an old pair of Conall's shorts with her pink shirt.

Caitlin kept standing up and pushing on the bench. She was fascinated that it moved with her. It was so cute!

Conall making a rock dog house for his toy dogs. We have a video of this that I'll post later. I don't know how he comes up with these things. After we came inside, he asked me to go out and get his dog out of the dog house and bring him in.

Creativity and Train Tracks

Conall is still wanting to make "movies". He made a really creative train track, tunnel and wall out of oversize Lego's after he cleaned his room last night. A photo wouldn't have done it justice. I also wanted to encourage him to use his imagination and creativity with things he's supposed to have -- toys -- not things like the bathroom sink, the toilet, his sister's crib, etc. So when he asked if we could make a movie of his train track, I said yes.

The Construction

As most of you know, the gas company has decided to move our gas meter from the back yard to the front. They also dug up our gas lines and replaced them. Conall has found all of this fascinating.

In the process, they've dug up part of our driveway, which they replaced this afternoon. Conall was trying to watch from the front window. I figured that there aren't many chances for a kid to see a cement-mixer truck (sorry if I got the name wrong Aunt Amy) in his driveway, so we headed out front to watch. The only condition was that Conall stay next to me on the sidewalk. Although it was hot and we were in the sun, both kids were fascinated and stayed in one place. Here are the photos.

Conall watching the concrete being poured -- he is such an intense little boy!

Watching the workers smooth everything out

The source of fascination

Helping Mommy Make the Bed

Here are some cute photos of Caitlin helping mommy make the bed this morning.

The helping begins ...

Little Miss Curly Top

Looking out the window was more interesting ...

Doing that pointing thing that Conall does ...

Inkspot, Inkspot, kitty cat, kitty cat

That was fun. The bed is made, the cat is on his heating pad, all is right with the world, I'm done now.

For those of you who pray ...

Please continue to keep my Aunt Dorothy and her family in your prayers. She's recently been diagnosed with liver cancer.
Also, please pray for Nate, Tricia and Gywneth, thier blog is listed in our "Blogs We Read" under Confessions of a CF Husband. Tricia has Cystic Fibrosis and as many of you know, Stu has a friend whose daughter has CF. He often does artwork to help with their fundraisers. Gywneth was what they call a "micro-preemie." She was born much earlier than Conall, and her family still has many challenges to face because of it. So, even though we don't know these people, they are dealing with two issues very close to our hearts.

Ride-On Toys

Caitlin has gotten the hang of ride-on toys. Unfortunately for her, and us, the ones we currently have are Conall's old ride-on toys. They are the perfect size for her. Conall has outgrown them, but they are HIS and don't you forget it. Every chance she gets, Caitlin climbs onto Conall's yellow ride-on Hummer. She likes being able to ride it and move on her own and she likes to push the buttons that make noise.

This afternoon when she climbed on it, Conall actually tolerated it. He let her play with it for a little while before he had a fit. She sat on it and held down all of the buttons, fascinated by the amount of noise she could make. When she climbed off, I told Conall it was his turn. Caitlin promptly grabbed his legs, trying to keep him from climbing on it. I think we may have to get Caitlin her very own very soon.

Caitlin climbing on and pushing ALL of the buttons.

Riding -- she is just the happiest little girl.

Thinking about climbing off.

I wasn't done! No, you can't climb on there -- MINE!

Conall tolerating her very well. I think she thought she'd just climb on with him.

The Things You Celebrate as a Parent

Yippee! Things are looking up. Caitlin had her first firm poop since this diarrhea started. The things you get excited about as a parent are sometimes just downright disgusting! Oh, well. I'm just glad she's feeling better.

Walker in One Hand, Chalk in the Other

Rosemary Tree

Yesterday and Sunday were long, long days. Yesterday I had a migraine all day and Conall took full advantage of the fact. Thus, no posts yesterday. He's in school today, so I have a little more time. On Saturday, while I was changing Caitlin's diaper, Conall got into the Rosemary I was drying in the closet. He called it a tree and planted it. Here's a photo of how he planted it.

Icky, Icky Day

Good news -- we found out where the water under the house is coming from. Bad news -- Stu has stuff torn up and I can't use the kitchen sink, dishwasher or washing machine until sometime tomorrow afternoon or evening. Bad news -- the air conditioner broke down this evening. We finally decided to pay the exorbitant weekend fees and have them come out and fix it tonight. We were really hoping it was something our warranty covered, since it isn't even a year old yet, but of course, it wasn't! Between the water and the air conditioner, Stu spent most of the afternoon and evening in our crawl space. He has the scrapes on his knees to prove it! Bad news -- Caitlin has really bad diarrhea, the worst she's ever had. I think our bad news is outweighing the good! And, it is 11 p.m. and Stu and I just ate dinner. So, no cute stories about the kids tonight -- most of the day/night was spent trying to keep them out of everything, especially trouble! I do have a cute photo of Caitlin eating her very first Flavor Ice frozen treat. Which is surprising since Caitlin normally doesn't like cold things. She is teething pretty bad, though, so she really enjoyed chewing on it.

Conall's Laundry

Conall decided in the middle of the day that it was time to do his laundry. He didn't tell anyone, he just brought all of his dirty (and some of his clean) clothes into the hall. I walked to the end of the hall and this is what I found.

Princess Shoes

Grandma bought Caitlin a pair of "princess shoes" since Caitlin liked Aunt Jackie's shoes so much. She loves them! She wants to wear them all of the time. And, she will scoot over to her walker and start using it on her own while wearing them. She also seems to really like the sound they make on the hardwood floors -- kinda like tap shoes. Here's a video of her wearing them and walking around listening to them tap.

Still learning

Caitlin is still working on mastering walking on her own. She just really isn't interested -- she can scoot anywhere she wants quicker than she can walk. To make a long story short, she had her check-up yesterday and our regular doctor wasn't in. We saw someone else who freaked out about her not walking yet (among other things -- that doctor was something else!). So, we've been trying to work a little harder with her on it, which we hadn't done before because we didn't want to push her. Here's a cute video of her using her Hippo walker to walk down the hall. You can tell how much fun she's having by all the squealing you hear.

Wrapped

Caitlin has both her grandpas wrapped around her little finger. Po Po is so bad that he let Caitlin throw water on him over and over and over again, just because she was having fun playing. She lifted the boat up and threw the water in it behind her and onto Po Po -- over and over and over again.

Caitlin's 'Do

Everywhere we go, someone comments on Caitlin's pigtails. Although they are cute, they are also practical -- she can't get the rubber bands out. She's been able to pull out every other thing we put in her hair. Her hair is just long enough to cover her eyes, but not long enough to put behind her ears. And, if it is down, she grabs it while eating and gets lots of stuff matted in it.
Here is Po Po's variation on her hairdo. She actually left it alone for a little while before she pulled the leaves out. I think she was too busy to notice.

Rusty the cat

On the way to school today, Conall informed me that he didn't want his cat to be named Sassy. The cat is now a boy and is named Rusty. Conall took it to school again today. Yesterday, he took the cat to school and last night he told me that he washed it in the toy sink and used "pretend" water and "pretend" soap to wash it.

Crackers

I left the room to put a few pieces of laundry away. When I came back, both kids were sitting on opposite ends of the couch, eating crackers. I grabbed the camera and these are the photos I got. I was so proud of them for sharing and especially proud of Conall for being so good with Caitlin. I wasn't very happy about the mess -- I think we'll have cracker crumbs in our couch forever!

This is how it started. You can see Caitlin's pile of crackers at her end of the couch.

Caitlin is after a cracker! Now I know how she got the crackers.

Sharing crackers

Caitlin decided that they could share crackers better if she sat in her brother's lap.

The cracker mess they left behind!

Grandma and the kids

Grandma sent me some photos in the mail a few weeks ago, but despite her label on the envelope, the post office bent them anyway. I stuck them in a book, hoping to flatten them out. I ran across them today and this photo was so good that I scanned it in to post on here. Isn't it a great photo? It was taken the day we all went to the Greek Food Festival.