Ego Boosters

Piles of laundry were everywhere, covering almost all of the available space on the couch. Except, of course, for the spot where I had been sitting.

I'd left the laundry all over while I went up to put Sean down for a nap. When I came back down, Meagan was standing there holding a DVD case, asking me to put it on for her. Since I hadn't been watching anything, and it was a movie I liked, I decided to turn it on while I finished the laundry. I was standing at the TV, getting the movie ready, when I saw Meagan head for my spot on the couch. I told her, "Meagan, that's my space, so I can fold laundry. You can share it with me if you want, but I need to sit there to finish."

She sat there for a minute, while I turned around to finish starting the DVD. After a minute, I heard her plead, "Mom, can I sit on the floor? Your bum is big."

The words were bad enough on their own, but the accompanying tone made them worse. It was the same tone of voice she used when asking if she could get up from a time out, like sitting on the couch with me was something to be avoided at all costs.

Oh, but that wasn't all. A few minutes later, Bethany came wandering in. She watched me hold up a pair of jeans to flatten out and fold. Then she chipped in, "Mommy, your pants are big! They're bigger than Daddy's!"

Maybe I just shouldn't fold laundry around my children anymore.

Sean

It seems that my baby is growing up. It seems too soon, but there have been several incidents around the house lately that have been reinforcing that for me.

The first one is that he no longer sits in a booster seat at the table. I'm not sure if this is a good thing or not, but he kind of forced the issue. He started rebelling against his seat. When it was time to eat, if his plate was set at the booster seat, he'd move it over to an empty seat and sit there instead. So I gave in and just took the seat down. It seemed silly to have it sitting empty there, and it was such a pain to clean that I don't really miss it....except when I'd like to strap Sean down. He's enjoying his newfound freedom a bit too much. It's really hard to keep him at the table during mealtimes. I don't really know what to do about that, though, except keep working on it.

The second thing that shows he's growing up is that I converted his crib into a toddler bed yesterday. He's been ready for this for a while; I just haven't been ready for it. My fears proved correct, too. He went down for his nap just fine, and it was nice for him to be able to get himself out of bed when he woke up. I thought it was all going to work out fine. Then came bedtime. He got out of bed at least five times (once accompanied by both girls) before he finally fell asleep. Then he fell out of bed twice during the night and I had to get up and put him back in bed. Most toddler beds have a small rail on the side to help with that, but his doesn't. If he does keep falling out, I may just go get him a toddler bed with a rail, and sell the crib. I'd much rather sleep at night.

I've also been getting indications that he may be ready for potty training soon (shudder!). I hate potty training more than any other aspect of toddlerhood. He's been watching the girls, and sometimes wants his turn when they go potty at night before going to bed. Then a few nights ago, he woke up around 6:00am crying. I assumed that he just needed his diaper changed, so I started to change it. I was surprised that it wasn't really that wet. When I turned around to throw the diaper away, he peed all over the wall, himself and the changing table. It went down the wall and soaked into several blankets that were on the shelf under the table. I was so annoyed. He really hasn't done that very often. The next day, I was changing him again, and in a teasing voice, I said, "Now, no peeing all over yourself!" So what did he do? He let loose all over the table and himself again. If he can go on command, then maybe he really is ready to potty train. I'm not pushing it, but I have let him sit on the toilet a few times. I'm going to take this one really slow.

Sean's first tie.

Sean loves his sunglasses.

Meagan happened here.

Okay, I did this one to his hair.