Project NoNap

If any of you have been keeping tabs of my Twitter posts, you’ll know that I have been having a minuscule issue with Rt and his “napping”.

Yesterday was plain misery. He chose to play/whine/cry in his crib for over 2 1/2 hours. By the time it was 3:30pm, I decided to go with the “you snooze, you lose” tactic and got him out of the crib. If you don’t nap within this time frame, then you don’t get to nap at all. (Of course, there have been several times I let him fall asleep as late as 3:30pm, but I was tired of him staying up so late because of it.) I continued to be frustrated with him the rest of the afternoon, but had a hard time staying that way with him being quite cute and cheery for having no sleep. After a quick trip to Target and Chipotle, we settled down to an early dinner at 5:30pm.

Moving as quickly as I could, I had him bathed, dressed and in bed by 6:30pm. He began crying within 5 minutes. Motrin in hand, I went in and gave him a dose of “not sure what your problem is, but this should cure it” and went on my way. He was asleep by 7pm.

Rt slept 11 hours straight last night followed by 50 minutes of aquarium listening before calling for me at his usual morning time of 6:50am. YEEE HAW!

I thought my prayers were answered, my ducks in a row, the sun and the moon aligned, until Rt went down for his nap again today. I peaked in at 1:30pm, 30 minutes after putting him down, to see him rolling around with NO music on. I felt he was on his way to slumberville. I checked back in awhile later to notice a particular odor coming from his room. %##&*%$#! So, off I went to grab a diaper to nip it in the bud ASAP!

After a quickie diaper change, and another round of the whining game, “mommy, I need you, I really need you, NOT!, I told him I wasn’t coming back into the room until AFTER he went nite nite. 15 minutes later, he was ASLEEP. At 2:45pm. Greeeeaaat. I am waking him up in 8 minutes, so he can actually have a “normal” bedtime tonight.

Dear “Phase”,

Get your ASS and everything associated with it, and leave town. We are done with you here.

e

toe jam anyone?

I seem to have a fascination with my son’s nostrils and ear canals. If either one is polluted, I have no quams what’s-so-ever about going in and retrieving the “foreign” substance/substances. This morning was no different.

Rt and I were relaxing on the couch, after just waking for the day at 7:00A.M! (it’s about time, mister!) I had a good look into his left ear due to the piercing morning sun coming through the curtains.

After extracting a little somethin somethin, Rt pulled his head back and commented on my finding.

“Booger?”

“No,” I said. “Ear Wax.”

Rt looked at me puzzled, repeated what I said, “Ear Wax”, but then decided I was wrong with my discovery and confidently stated,

“Taco.”

in need of a good ‘ol soap washin

“oh, dam mat.”

“Did you just hear what he said?”

“Hear what?”

“He just said D-A-M-M-I-T.”

“You know where he got that from.”

“Um, ya. That’d be me.”

note to self:

If situation calls for a swear word, say under breath cause this kid is on to you.

e

in need of a good ‘ol soap washin

“oh, dam mat.”

“Did you just hear what he said?”

“Hear what?”

“He just said D-A-M-M-I-T.”

“You know where he got that from.”

“Um, ya. That’d be me.”

note to self:

If situation calls for a swear word, say under breath cause this kid is on to you.

e

Rt style

abc’s rt style from little miss mel on Vimeo
Best invention ever.
Ability to turn video screen around to subject while filming. Brings out the best in the talent…..

e

Nappy Schmappy

Rt has been in his crib for 2 hours now and on his fifth rendition of twinkle, twinkle. I mean I am thrilled beyond belief he is having a good ‘ol time, but come on, NAP ALREADY. And, no, he isn’t dropping his nap, but I do feel I need to look at the sugar content in the fruit spread he ate on his P B ‘n J for lunch. Nah, I don’t think there is a connection, but what gives people????

To update you from last week, Rt did go to sleep once the yappers quit yapping. I woke him up at 5pm after 1 hour 45 minutes of nap and he did go down somewhat normally that evening. Currently, I think the transition back to regular scheduled programming from the 3 day weekend is part of it. Maybe playing in the daycare at the gym for an hour, and a trip to the park this morning got him too razzed up. I think I’ll go with freak occurrence and continue watching a new episode of SuperNanny. All I can say is, I’ve got it reaaal good compared to these people.

This post had a short delay due to continued nap negotiations. It is currently 3:30p.m. and I think he just fell asleep. That means he has already been in his crib for 2 1/2 hours and just now drifting off to slumber. Now what? I just told my gal pal I was getting him up or out rather, and coming over to play. Phoowie. I guess I can complete this wonderful substance post and move on to something more enlightening, insurance inquiries! I do have the dream life!

e

p.s. I do think the dogs are here to stay, but I did not hear them all weekend, so keep your fingers crossed for short term visitors.

born to be a groupie

hubs wrote and recorded this song during his “vacation”.
Check it.

ryan’s game

ryan’s got his cars, yeah
so nice and neat in a row, yeah
lined up this way is what we call the game….

his favorite one’s a charger, an orange 70’s charger
with a hemi engine it’s super fast insane.

from the ottoman to the tv stand,
he won’t stop till it’s perfect man,
don’t mess it up or get in his way,
this is what we call ryan’s game.

cause it’s superfast insane, superfast insane,
superfast like an aeroplane,
this is ryan’s favorite game.

he brings his cars to his parents bed,
at 6am it’s his parents dread,
just 30 minutes more sleep is all they crave

this is ryan’s master plan, to get his parents out of bed, oh yeah,
come take a look at the car display,
this is what we’ve come to know as ryan’s game.

e

Perspective

IMG_2088
Originally uploaded by little miss mel.

Thank you little one for being you.
You make me giggle and every moment
we have together is more precious than the last.

two and change

So, the big day has come and gone, but the pictures of Rt’s bday will always remind me of such a sweet little boy who really enjoyed spending the day with his friends and family and, oh ya, he liked that there were “pancakes” and presents too.

Besides one of Rt’s friends busting open his chin while falling off Rt’s rocket ship, all the kids really enjoyed playing outside with the sandbox, picnic and train tables.

Once again, hubs put together a video of Rt’s 2nd year in the making. It was a major hit with the guests and mostly Rt himself. It is still being requested today. Hopefully I can upload it to YouTube soon and share it will all of you.

e

Ode to 1:20p.m.

I have not been able to fall back asleep since the little one woke me at
5am this morning. This WILL be the longest day ever. Luckily, today is
Ryan’s 2nd birthday.

Maybe this is the only way I can have the time and focus to jot something
down while no one else is awake. Lucky @#$%$^’s.

Having done this same type of letter last year, I can say it has been such a different ride. I am not sure what it is about THE first year of your firstborn, but whoah, that was nuts!!! I have never felt more out of whack than I did that year. Luckily, it’s like a badge, I wear it with great pride and chalk it up to lessons well-learned. Dude, now I am a pro, right? Ha. Yes, I do feel I have embraced the joys and perks of having one child. Wait, you say it totally changes when you add another? Ya, right. (Dear God, please help me out with that one.) My point is, this past year has been filled with more focus on Ryan, than me, which has been completely satisfying.

I have said before the most “ideal” months with Ryan were from 9 months through 15 months. Those times were just sooo quaint. He was learning to be so independent, which I loved, and was able to explore his little world he had yet to truly know. Once the 15 month mark came and he was able to CLIMB up onto everything was when I said, OH NOOOOOO, you mean now he could actually HURT himself if I turn my back for one second? It definitely added a whole other element into the mix. Looking back, each month, each milestone was more precious than the one before.

There is something about that kid, I tell you. He is one of a kind. He amazes me everyday with his thirst for life and determination. He entertains strangers in stores by asking for high-fives. He says goodbye to every checkout person he sees whether we are ready to go or not. He calls out every number or letter he sees, no matter how far. He loves to read or have someone read to him the same 4 Curious George books all day and all night. He loves to line up his cars and his trucks in traffic jam type situations which is quite hilarious and somewhat meticulous. He calls every train he has “thomas”, but he has never seen the cartoon. He could care less what is on the tv, but if I mention his signing video, he immediately runs to the couch and buries himself under the blanket ready for the show to begin. He loves to hear his daddy play guitar. He even loves to strum a few strings himself. Nothing compares to his desire to dance a jig every time the boy is naked. I sing a few bars of some little ditty and off he goes into his hoedown.
Everyday is something new and I would have it no other way.

Having Ryan in my life has made me so aware of who I am and who I want to be. I recognize my strengths and am definitely in touch with my weaknesses. I envelope that knowledge and only strive to be a better person for it. I am amazed at how detached some people are to the “bigger picture”. This truth is what it is about. This truth is what matters most. Everything we all focus on, agonize over, mean absolutely nothing. I have made such strides in truly getting it. Now, what needs to happen is I need to live by this truth in myself everyday. I thank my son Ryan for leading the way to this discovery. I am truly grateful for this gift.

Happy Birthday Ryan. You and your daddy are the loves of my life.

e