Nap time

Since coming back from Brian's grandmother's funeral last month, Sam has been really fighting us about staying in his bed. We finally decided to put his pack and play up in his room and tell him that if he can't stay in bed, he has to go in the "baby bed." So what did he decide? That he WANTED to be in the "baby bed." So for the last 3 days and nights he has been sleeping in the pack n play for nap and bed. That is, until today. Today he wanted in his big bed for nap, so we put him in the big bed and didn't hear a peep out of him for about 45 min. At that point we checked on him and he was playing in his bed with his car (totally fine by us). He saw Brian and asked for more cars, which Brian brought him. About 30 min later we decided to check on him again. Brian listened at the door but couldn't hear anything, so I opened it a crack and heard him talking, when I peeked in, he was standing in the middle of his floor "blowing" his nose on a massive wad of wipes. I opened the door more to see the entire container strewn around his room. So, we cleaned up the wipes and told him if he got out of bed again we were going to put him in the baby bed, assuming he wouldn't like it since he had asked for the big bed today. Well, 5-10 min later he was out in the hall asking for dad. Brian picked him up and put him in the pack and play and Sam didn't seem too happy about it. We figured all was well and good, until about 30 min later he came out of his room! HE CLIMBED OUT OF THE PACK AND PLAY. AND he destroyed his room. So, we've been putting him back in his room, and even tried putting him back in the baby bed a few times in case it was a fluke, but he keeps climbing out and coming out. So we've decided to take it down since functionally it is now no different from a bed. Any suggestions on how to keep a 2 year old in bed? He needs the nap. He has a nasty cold and I don't want it getting any worse, and it seems like every time we have sleep issues he gets sick (its what I think led to the cold in the first place), which says to me he still needs the nap...and when he does sleep he is much much happier in the afternoons as well.

My Midterm Project

Here is a picture of my midterm project for my pattern-making class. I designed it, made the pattern for it, and sewed it. It is half scale (American Girl Doll-ish size). I am really pleased with the way it turned out. It looks just like it did in my head.

Birthdays, Birthdays Birthdays

I just wanted to say thanks for all the birthday wishes on Monday to all my family and friends. I appreciated the calls/texts/emails/facebook posts. We celebrated my birthday Saturday night with Brian, Sam and I and Brian's sister Katie and her family. Brian bought me a chocolate ice cream cake. While he and Sam were out shopping, I was getting my hair cut and huckleberry picking in the mountains with a friend. I guess when Brian told Sam they were going to get a cake for mom, Sam said, "Mom cake?" Sam calls Ice cream "num num" (and why shouldn't he? its supper num nummy), so when Brian decided on an ice cream cake he asked Sam if he should get an ice cream cake, and Sam said, "Num Cake." So all night long we kept asking Sam to say ice cream--"Num num" and them ice cream cake--"Num cake" just because it was so darn cute.

Sam's birthday is coming up next month, and in case anyone has been pondering what to get him, here is a list of ideas:

Fall/Winter clothes in size 3T
Toy Chest
Matchbox or Hot Wheels Cars
Anything Cars or Lightning McQueen
A Great Day For Up by Dr. Seuss
Bearanstain Bears books
Puzzles where the pieces have handles or pegs (Wooden puzzles like Melissa & Doug are excellent for little hands)
Hooked on Phonics for toddlers & Pre-K

Just some ideas.

Our Little Techie

Sam now has his own computer. I found some free toddler games at www.kneebouncers.com, and since I let him try them once, he insists on playing games whenever mom is on the computer. So, we go out our old laptop, ran an Ethernet cable from our router to the kitchen (the wireless doesn't work on this laptop), and away he goes! All he has to do is press a key, any key, and he learns colors, shapes, letters, etc. I think this may be one of those things that I have to limit him on, because so far he hasn't ever let on that he's getting tired of it.

6 Years

So today marks six years of marriage for Brian and I. It really doesn't seem at all like its been that long. We're so comfortable with each other that its hard to picture life any differently. I was thinking last night about how well we fit together, and we really do. I'm so lucky that I found someone I am so compatible with. I think its because we're both so easy-going and laid back that it works so well...and yet we have a pill of a time getting anything done that isn't completely urgent for the same reason :p Oh well, I guess that's life for you. Here is to the rest of forever together, can't think of anyone I'd rather spend it with!

Easter and More

Sam had fun doing his first Easter Egg Hunt. The Easter Bunny also brought his a book about the first Easter.



We finally sold our van (which was bittersweet) and got our new (to us) van. We were able to get just the right amount out of the old van to buy the new one. Its a 2000 Honda Odyssey and we're pleased as punch with it!



A few days after Easter, Sam pulled out my big stock pots and was trying to climb in them. We thought it was a great photo opportunity:

Its a Sammy Stew!

Quitting Cold Turkey

No, none of us are chain smokers. Sam is going sans binky! I must admit that this has been more of a struggle for me than for him, it is such a nice little crutch for a mother to lean on. However, it has been three nights and two naps now where Sam has slept without the pacifier. The first night he screamed in his crib for maybe 10 min before falling asleep. He was extremely exhausted as it was, so that helped. The next night he cried off and on for a half hour. Both of the naps he has cried for at least 15-20 minutes, and at one point during the first nap I made the mistake of going in his room because he had stopped crying so I assumed he was asleep but he wasn't. He saw me and immediately stood and stretched his arm towards the shelf where we usually keep the binkys and cried with huge tears, "Mama...jeejee...jeeJEEEEEEE!" (jeejee is how he says binky) and continued to cray for quite a while. I almost lost my nerve and caved...but Brian is thankfully stronger than I am. Its a good thing we started this on a weekend when Brian was home otherwise I never would have followed through on the naps. The first two nights and the first nap were shorter than I would like, and he was a bit cranky as a result, but his nap yesterday was almost 2 hours and he didn't wake up this morning until 7:30. And the most wonderful of all, last night Brian laid him down after reading him stories and he didn't even ask for his "jeejee". He looked a Brian and said, "bye" and we never heard another peep from him again. No whining, no screaming, no crying. MIRACLE!!!

So, I would like to say "Thank You" to my wonderful husband for making me go through with what I have been threatening to do for several months now. Otherwise, Sam might have grown up to be a thirty-year-old with a pacifier problem because it would have been more convenient for me.

So I know this is a little late (especially the Halloween pics), but I just hadn't had the time until now to put up so many pictures...and it doesn't help that they kept compounding. So, without further ado, here they are: