Megret on Motherhood

Gardner's cold is tapering off, thank goodness, but it's tapered into a nasty, dry, hacking cough. This wouldn't be so bad except for the fact that, 1) it keeps him from sleeping well, which makes him irritable when he's awake, and 2) Delsym, the strongest cough medicine over the counter, at the correct dosage for his age and weight, doesn't even touch it. There's nothing worse than to be almost in dreamland only to have that nagging tickle start at the back of your throat, sending you into a fit of coughs that wake you right back up again. I know. I've been there. I wish I could take it away from him, make this trial he's enduring end. There's nothing worse than wanting to sleep and not being able to. (I know he actually wants to nap because he's been in there for over an hour, coughing, but not crying to get out of his crib.) I have been praying over his little self today, and so have several of my dear friends. Due to only 6 hours of sle...

Gardner has been obsessed with plugging in and unplugging appliances lately. It's not a bad thing to learn how to do....but not at 19 months old. I fuss at him and pop his little hand whenever I walk in to see him unplugging his CD player in his room. (We spank only when there could be physical harm to him....time outs for all of the other misdemeanors.) Yet today, I turn around to see him trying to plug an audio-video cable into an outlet. Yikes! I snatched him up and explained that's a BIG no-no. Man. I've heard of bobby pins...even paper clips. I guess an AV cable would be the logical choice for experimentation by a toddler who lives in the 21st century (as well as lives with a Daddy who does video for a living).

Gardner's had an unexplained fever for 36 hours now....no other symptoms except for a runny nose and slight cough (which he's had for several days, which I figured was just the common cold). After a three-hour hiatus from children's Tylenol this afternoon, I put him to bed early, thinking we'd beat this fever thing. He awoke crying thirty minutes later, and he felt warm. Back up to 99. I grabbed him, gave him more medicine, and rocked him until he calmed back down. All day long has been a flood of tears. Gardner, yes, because he felt bad....and me, too, because I hate to see him feel bad (among other reasons; see baby blog for more info). My dad and Ken were both here, hoping to get a hug from Gardner during this clingy phase, but no such luck. Gardner would not let me leave his sight. When someone else held him, he reached back to me and said, "Mommy," in a pitiful, weak, yet desperate little voice. As tired as you are, how can you say no to that? I...

What is "nesting?" I like this descripton: "Around the fifth month of pregnancy, the "nesting" instinct can set in. This is an uncontrollable urge to clean one's house brought on by a desire to prepare a nest for the new baby, to tie up loose ends of old projects and to organize your world. Females of the animal kingdom are all equipped with this same need. It is a primal instinct. Just as you see birds making their nests, mothers-to-be do exactly the same thing. The act of nesting puts you in control and gives a sense of accomplishment toward birth. You may become a homebody and want to retreat into the comfort of home and familiar company, like a brooding hen. The nesting urge can also be seen as a sign of the onset of labor when it occurs close to 40 weeks of pregnancy." (from pregnancyweekly.com) I have hit the nesting phase rather early this time around. Oh, boy, have I. I wonder if it's because I moved, because I'm having a girl this ti...

Gardner's language skills are taking off on us, and we're not prepared for it! It seems like in no time at all he went from a simple "Da-da" to what he's talking up now.... words like bellybutton and dishwasher and hippopotamus. And to top it off, he's speaking in word phrases now, not just single words. Makes me feel like I want to grab time by the collar and say, "Wouldya please slow down!!??" What does come with a greater cognition and recognition of people is an even greater attachment to Mommy and Daddy. Gardner will look up as we're strolling him, or reach out while we're driving him down the road. "Mama, Daddy, Mama, Daddy...." he'll chant, and his blue eyes will sparkle with contentment. Ken and I have hearts that melt all over the floorboard, and we realize (again) that this truly is the life. One of the funniest things we've heard so far as he practices his speech is word morphing. A prime example would be the...

Case in point. Babies and toddlers would rather play with anything but the toys you buy for them. Be it boxes, paper bags, or.... Oven mits. There's just nothing better than the real thing.

I have a myriad of ideas on how to teach Gardner the things he's ready to learn....now, if I could just DO it, that's all! He's already repeating every object we name for him. I know he's nearing the age when he can absorb information such as colors, shapes, numbers, and the alphabet. But I know that if I don't set aside specific time to work on these new skills, it will be haphazard and unplanned. I don't want him to have to depend on a preschool to teach him these things. My aunt Melinda gave me a simple yet indispensible tool....a wipe-off schedule calendar to put on the refrigerator. Now, I am already very planned as far as meal times and especially nap times go. This intends to delve much deeper. Yes, I have seemingly grafted into the pool of soccer moms who schedule every day down to the minute....or have I? Am I simply a mom who wants to know what her day has in store....with a toddler who, with an even greater desire, wants to know what his day ha...

....how difficult it is to keep up with a rapidly growing toddler, meaning how difficult it is to plan ahead when buying clothes for the upcoming season. I have a bag full of clothes I bought that I am considering exchanging for one size bigger. His waist remains tiny and petite, yet his height is growing by leaps and bounds. I remember Mom saying this to me about shoes. I bet she was glad when summer rolled around and she could just fork out $3 or $4 to outfit me in a pair of jellies, which would last me for three or four months, no worries. Maybe it'd be easier if I wasn't so picky about what my son wears. I am a shopping snob (I admit it), yet I am a bargain hunter. Those things together equal one long process of completing a wardrobe.