No Tears

Reid’s first couple days at Mother’s Day Out went really well.  He is going two mornings a week to give me a chance to run errands, go to doctor appointments without paying a babysitter, and come January, have some one-on-one time with newbaby. 

Then week two (last week) it didn’t go so well.  Tears from Reid….tears from Momma…we were questioning if having him there was the right thing to do. 

The challenge seemed to be that since he’s in a young class (12-18 month-olds), most of them haven’t been away from their parents before.  Add to that that there was a particularly unhappy and loud kiddo that cried the *entire* time she was there.  (Poor baby!)  Now add in seven more kids who are all in a new environment, and there will be a lot of crying.  I bet those teachers had a serious headache at the end of the morning. 

Today Reid had a much better day, and so did the entire class.  He played with new friends, ate his lunch, and was happily playing when I arrived.  He waved goodbye to his teachers and signed “thank you!”He was really talkative on the way home (shocking, I know. ;)  He told me that Miss Teresa (which sounds like "Me Dur-ne-ta") plays basket ball with him and that Miss Mo ("Me Mo") said "no tears."  Apparently, today was a great day because he followed her advice for "no tears" and didn't cry after the initial “bye bye” to Momma.  All the way home he kept happily chanting "Me Mo say no tears" and "I you, Me Mo” and “I you, Momma."  I think we’ll have to use the “no tears” mantra from now on!

It feels so much better to know that he’s getting comfortable and having fun there.  They've found a way to connect with him and he is responding to their reasoning, which is nice because we talk things through at home, too.

He’s napping now, and I should get a few more things done while the house is quiet…

Potty Talk

Note:  this blog post was written with a few people in mind, other than Jeremy and me.  You are welcome, Uncle Dan, Uncle G, Uncle Pat and Auntie Erin.  Enjoy.

Reid has added a few more favorite words and phrases to his ever-expanding vocabulary.  He loves to say “Okay!”  As in, “Okay! Go Momma car. Okay? Okay. Okay!”  He also talks about airplanes just about any time he is outside.  “Airplane up in da sky!”And of course, we talk about the potty a lot in our house.  (I’d like to tell you that it’s because of the toddler, but most of you know my Jeremy…)  Reid is very interested in the potty, so don’t be surprised if when he sees you going into the bathroom he says, “Go poop in da potty on da big boy potty chair.”  He’s making a helpful suggestion.  It really is a nice chair.

He’s seen a DVD once (once!) about Elmo going potty, and now whenever he sees his Sesame Street books he yells, “Elmo go poop on da potty!” 

This all started about a month ago when Reid started announcing he was, “all done pooping!” And he was.  Since then we’ve been giving him the chance to do his business on the big boy potty chair.  No action.  No success.  Yet.  (And yes, I know he’s really young to be starting potty training. We aren’t pushing it and he is showing many signs that he’s getting ready.)

In the short time Reid has become obsessed with the potty, we’ve been read some really great books that you might want add to your own bathroom collection: My Big Boy Potty, Pirate Potty (my favorite), Where’s the Poop? (Jer’s favorite), and Reid’s favorite, Have You Seen My Potty?

I think the most disturbing new word Reid has right now is his word for dinosaur.  “Dinorrhea.”  The first time he said it, I froze and thought to myself, “How the hell did he learn that word?  And why is he saying it?!  Oh no!!”  Once I realized what he was trying to say, I cracked up.  He loves his dinorrhea books.  His favorite bib is the one with dinorrheas on it.  Want to play with the dinorrhea puzzle?  FUN!  Dinosaur costumes seem to be really popular this Halloween. But I think I’m going to avoid having a walking, talking dinorrhea at our house.

First Day of “School”

Our little guy had his first day at Mother’s Day Out today!  Reid got his first backpack & lunchbox for the school year.  (His backpack looks a little heavy.  Maybe Momma filled it with too many snacks, extra diapers, and sippy cups.  Maybe.  Ya know, just in case…)

Once we got to school, he was thrilled to see all the “big boys” walking around.He walked right in and started playing. While some other kids cried for their Mommas & Daddies, Reid found just what he need in this unfamiliar place. When we left, he happily waved goodbye to the head teacher and said, “Bye-bye Me Mo!”  (Bye-bye Miss Mo!)

He was sacked out before we made it home!Today was hard for one of us.  One of us cried twice before 8 a.m., once on the drive, and another time in the parking lot.  Can you guess who?  Those tears have dried up and were replaced by a big huggle for Momma and a few kisses, too. I you, Baby Reid.  You are my big boy.

Reid’s Sweet Talk

Reid talks.  A LOT.  He’s a motor-mouth, really.  (Gee, I wonder where he gets it from?!?  Hmm…)  His two latest phrases make me melt, so I have to share.

We are all slow risers so we snuggle in the morning.  Its a nice way to start our day.  Reid has combined the word "hug” with “snuggle” and calls them “huggles.”  As in, “Momma!  Huggle pease!”  Or the one that made us bust out laughing a few days ago, “All done huggle!  Down pease!”  This boy knows what he wants.

We say “I love you” a lot around our house, as I’m sure most of you do, too!  Reid has found his own way to say it:  “I you.”  I guess for him, the “love” is understood.  I can’t tell you how much I love that! :)  He says, “I you, Momma”  and “I you, Dada” and “I you, basketball.”  He has a lot of love.

I you, Baby Reid.