A Rough Patch

Of all my children, Lucas has definitely been the best sleeper.  The boy slept through the night at 2 months (way earlier than either of my girls), has gone down easily for naps and bedtime, and when he dropped from two naps a day to one, that one nap was usually a monster 2.5 to 3 hour nap.  I thought I had hit the child/sleep jackpot!  Then, the dreaded day came when he started climbing out of his crib.  Soon thereafter we moved him into his big boy twin bed.  In addition to his new sleeping arrangements, we also took away his beloved pacifier.  With these circumstances in mind, it is safe to say we have hit a rough patch in his sleeping habits.

Honestly, the pacifier issue is not so big anymore.  It's been almost two weeks and he barely mentions it at all.  I think it is the change of bed that has him in a funk.  He has tasted the freedom of being able to get in and out of bed on his own, and he likes it.

Usually, our night time routine goes like this:  bath, read 2-3 books, turn on lullaby cd, tuck him in, Mom or Dad sits with him and scratches his back for a song or two until he either falls asleep or is very still.  Lately, though, he does not get still.  At. All.  He flips around.  He talks.  He pats my face.  So we nixed the mom-dad-scratch-back routine and decided to tuck him in and say just good-night.  At this point he sometimes begins to scream and cry.  We try really hard to ignore the screaming, and sometimes that is all it takes.  10 minutes of intense screaming will wear anyone out!  But then there are the nights like tonight where the screaming doesn't wear him out.  Instead, he goes to Plan B which is do not stay in bed at all.  He just pops right back up after we tuck him in.  Every time he gets up, one of us calmly puts him back in, tells him to stay in bed and go to sleep, hoping that consistent repetition will get the point across.  Some nights we do this fifteen times or more.  Some nights he isn't asleep until 11:00 or later.  Right now he is just flat wearing me out in this area.

I took this picture at 10:15 tonight.
It's an image we see all too often. 

 It's the "I'm going to peek around this corner and see if I get caught" expression.  

So I'm at the point of opening myself up for suggestions.  What has worked to help your child transition from crib to bed?  What sleep methods have been helpful?  I know that we can get our good-sleeping boy back one day!

Stop, Look, Listen

This has been the warmest winter (so far) I can ever remember here in Oklahoma.  We're not known for being a super cold state, but the brutal skin-penetrating wind and periodic ice storms usually make the winter months pretty miserable.  Today it was near 70 degrees with no wind! People stop and take notice when there is no wind here.  After I went to the gym this morning, Lucas and I decided we had to play outside for awhile.  Who could resist playing outside in such great weather?

One of the things I like to do with my little boy is play "Stop, Look & Listen."  It's very easy.  Just like the name suggests, I will call out "Stop!" which means freeze.  Then I say "Look!  Listen!" and we start to name things we can see or hear.  Today we played several times and we heard birds chirping, geese squawking, & grass crunching under our feet.  We saw the bright sun, the blue sky, "naked trees" and wispy clouds.  Such a simple thing to do, but sometimes very profound.  How often we need to stop, look and listen and just be in the moment.

Stop!

Look! We examined many rocks today.

Listen! We heard several different bird calls.  Sounded like Spring.

So grateful for a warm first day of February!

Big Boy Bed

About a week ago, Lucas learned how to crawl out of his crib-- a skill his sisters learned at about 18 months old, so I am glad he waited until age 2 1/2!  After the girls crawled out, nap time and bedtime became the hardest parts of my day.  And they stayed that way until the girls were 6.  Well, the girls stopped napping at age 3, but bedtime has been a challenge for sure.  I'm telling myself it was because there were two of them.  It's more fun to whisper and giggle and jump off your beds when you have a partner in crime.  I'm hoping that because Lucas will be alone in his room, he'll still fall asleep easily.  In general, he's been a much better sleeper than either of my girls.  Like his mama, he enjoys sleep and understands how wonderful it is. :)

I think I would have kept Lucas in his crib until kindergarten if he hadn't learned how to crawl out though.  I liked knowing he was safe and "stuck" in there.   But alas, he has decided to grow up.  Funny how kids do that! So this weekend's project has been all about turning his baby room into a big boy's room.  This of course began with taking down his crib and putting up his "big boy bed".  My dad had an extra twin bed at his house, so we used that and just bought a simple dark blue quilt at Target.  We still have some furniture rearranging to do as well as curtains and new artwork to hang.  But tonight, the bed is up, and he is sound asleep under the covers in his new grown up bed.  It's a bittersweet night for me-- letting go of the past and embracing the future.

His crib before we took it down today.  

We used this crib with the girls too (we had two, but we gave one away).

Ready to go to sleep!

Leah was excited for him!

Sound asleep

Sweet dreams, my big boy!

While Mike is still working on my new blog header, I am going to play with a few new ones.  Just so you know, this one is just temporary! :)

Little Bear And My Boy

When I was little, my mom read to me everyday.  I loved snuggling up in her lap and listening to her animated voice reading the words on the pages.  It felt safe and comfortable and innocent.  It's one of my favorite memories; one that is wrapped up in both a visual image and a physical feeling.

Now that I am a mom, I love to read with my little ones.  I hope that during the times I snuggle up with my kids, they experience the same wonderful feeling I did as a child so many years ago (well...34 years ago...does this count as "many"?).

Some of my very favorite books were the Little Bear books by Maurice Sendak, illustrated by Else Holmelund Minarik.  I loved the simple stories and the lovely illustrations.  They made me want to jump right into the books and live with Little Bear and his family deep in the heart of the woods.  So I'm thrilled that the Little Bear books are favorites among my crew of little people.  My girls love "The Goblin Story" and "Mother Bear's Robin".  Lucas is just now developing the attention span to move past board books and into some longer stories.  He now asks for "Teddy Bear" books (code for "Little Bear books") each time we sit down.

Today after eating lunch and cleaning up the dishes, he and I sat down in the rocking chair in his room.  The afternoon was cloudy, so the room was dark except for the warm glow of the small lamp beside the chair.  It cast a yellow light down over the pages.  Lucas grabbed his beloved green blanket and we opened the familiar pages of Little Bear's Visit.  I started right in, trying to read the words with as much animation as my mother's voice.  About halfway through, I noticed that Lucas was very still and his head slightly tilted to the side.  I peered down and saw his eyes shut and his chest rising with deep, sleepy breaths.  I closed the book and set it down, wrapping my arms tightly around his little body.  I shut my eyes and breathed in the scent of the top of my boy's head, cherishing the moment for awhile before gently moving him to his crib to finish the rest of his nap.

In the quiet of his bedroom, I tried to imagine a similar scene-- one in which I was was a small two year old girl and my mom was the one with her eyes closed and her arms wrapped tightly around me.  Although I would have been too young to really remember such a thing, I like to think that it happened one day while we were reading Little Bear together on a cloudy afternoon some thirty-something years ago.

This Face

Lucas Gabriel

Sometimes I just stare at this little face and am overwhelmed with thankfulness.  I am so thankful that I get to be this sweet boy's mom.  I love seeing this face when he wakes up in the morning, his hair sticking up in all directions and a huge smile peeking out from behind his pacifier.  "Hi Mama," he says, "I take a good nap!" (He thinks sleeping all night is a "nap").  I love seeing this face after eating his favorite thing-- a chocolate chip cookie.  There is usually more chocolate on his face than in his tummy.  This face is even cute when it is scrunched up in a scowl.  Like when I have to change his diaper (something he hates at the moment).  He looks at me and says, "No!"  I have to fight hard not to laugh just because his face is so funny.  I love to smooch this face and press my cheek up to his when I give him a hug.  Nope, I don't think I'll ever get tired of seeing this face.

My Rough And Tumble Boy

Yesterday Lucas got his first shiner.  He was chasing after a ball in the driveway, but when he leaned down to pick it up, he leaned too far forward causing the ball to roll under his tummy and his face to plant firmly on the concrete.  He cried for a bit, but now he acts like it isn't even there.  What a trooper he is!

Back in the spring of 2009, after having two girls, I was shocked to find out we were expecting a boy! A boy!  I couldn't believe it!  Straight away my mind began to race.

But we don't have any trains or legos or cars or light sabers! 

But we are overflowing in a sea of pink clothes and blanket and bows!

But aren't boys just hyper and crazy all of the time?

But won't he pee on me everytime I change his diaper?

Ahhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I really was excited to know a boy was on the way, but I was nervous too.  We were headed into the unknown. 

Then, a few months (and a few too many pounds) later, I looked into my newborn baby boy's eyes, and I fell head over heels in love.  All my fears about boys just vanished into thin air.  He was perfectly created by God just for us, and my heart was so full and happy it could burst wide open.

So as we've been getting to know this little boy of ours during the two years he's been in our family, we have discovered that raising boys is just as amazing as raising girls (and for the record, I think our girls are simply awesome!).  Yes, he likes to wrestle, kick a ball for hours, karate chop things, and make car noises all the time, but he also loves to snuggle in my lap and read a book.  Or help me make cookies.  Or take a walk with me. Or pat my face and say, "Love you, Mama." He has a rough and tumble side, but he also has a soft and gentle side too.  And I think that is a perfect combination if you ask me. 

Lucas Gabriel

I love this photo.  I sneakily took it while he was watching cartoons this afternoon.  Although at the last minute he turned to see me with the camera, put his finger to his lips, and said, "Shhhh!"  Silly boy.  I love his outfit too-- GI Joe shirt, diaper, and his sister's tennis shoes.  He is one stylish two year old.  Here is what he is up to these days....
1.  He talks all the time.  In the car, at home, everywhere.  He can speak in sentences and is quite funny!
2.  He has several new names for thins.  For example:  strawberries = "strawbees", bandaide = "boo boo banaide", hold me =  "holdy!", horses = "neighs", and sunglasses = "eyes".  There is nothing cuter than hearing a sleepy little boy saying, "Holdy, Mama." 
3.  Over the summer he transitioned from two naps a day to one long nap.  He usually sleeps 2.5 to 3 hours each afternoon, and wakes up with a smile on his face.
4.  We are also phasing out his beloved pacifier, and it is actually going very well!  He only uses it when sleeping.  So when he wakes up in the morning or from a nap, he takes it out, places it on his pillow, and says, "Night Night, Paci!" 
5.  He has no interest in potty training, so we're not going to push it.  The girls potty trained about two months before their 3rd birthday, so it's still a bit early.  He has made some progress though because now he will at least try to sit on the toilet.  This summer if I tried to sit his little hiney on the toilet he would scream bloody murder. Baby steps....baby steps.....
6.  He still is obsessed with balls of all kinds, but especially soccer balls.  He has also developed a new obsession with all things horse related, including cowboys and the Lone Ranger.  This weekend we got him a wooden stick pony which he rides around while shouting, "Hi Ho Silver!" 

He is such a bundle of smiles and joy.  I love watching him grow up!

Nighty Night

I had a great blog planned for tonight, but then a stomach ache sent me to bed early.  It's been awhile since I've felt sick enough to be in bed by 9:00, but it feels good to be getting a good night's rest and hopefully I'll feel better in the morning.  So I'll leave you with a cute picture of Lucas a.k.a "Shark Boy" Galloway. 

Just because.

Nighty Night!

Mother's Day Out Monday

Today Lucas started going to Mother's Day Out.  Last year he attended the same program at the same church, but this year he has a new room and new teachers, so he was a little bit nervous.  Scratch that.  He was a lot nervous.  This little guy is a Mama's Boy through and through.  He is like my shadow at home and he's a snuggler too.  It was tempting to keep him home this fall, but my dad offered to pay for him to attend one day a week, so I decided to keep it up.  By the end of the year last year, he was walking right in to his class with a big smile on his face.  I totally forgot to take any pictures of the big day, sad to say. Just know I was juggling a diaper bag, a lunch box, a blanket, and a very clingy little boy who was not in the mood for a photo.  In fact, his face looked a little bit like this....

Only he had big tears rolling down his cheeks and he was saying, "Mama!  Daddy!  Mama!  Daddy!"  It was sad.  But when I picked him up, he was happy and smiling.  His teacher said he only cried about two minutes after we left, then he played and was "very sweet" all day long. 

So for me, Mondays will be my one day of the week where I don't have any kids and I don't have any commitments.  I'm planning on using the day to: 1.) Catch up on housework, 2.) Catch up on laundry, 3.) Grocery shop, or 4.) All of the above.

OR....if all of those things are under control, then Mondays can be my sit-in-a-chair-with-a-cup-of-tea-and-a-book day.  Or since Mike works from home, we could have a  lunch date on Mondays and go out to eat together to enjoy uninterrupted conversation!  We could try all of those not-kid-friendly places we've been wanting to try....

Okay, I'm starting to really like Mondays!

Just Because

Lucas

August 2010

Just because I was feeling nostalgic today, I went back to my August 2010 folder and found this gem.  I cannot believe how much he has changed!  For starters, he has almost 20 teeth now!  He also rides in a front facing car seat, weighs 24 pounds, can speak in sentences, and has lost a little of that cute baby fat.  But two things remain the same-- his sweet smile and the sparkle in his eyes.  I can't imagine what he'll look like this time next year!

I Am Lukey

Today this boy:

1. Blew raspberries on my tummy.

2.  Performed some killer dance moves in a fairly busy restaurant.

3. Drew pictures with sidewalk chalk and got most of it on his arms and legs.

4. Used his pop gun to "shoot" everything in the house including an Oreo cookie.

5.  Spent several minutes on the floor yelling, "I'm Lukey!!" then laughing hysterically.

I LOVE THIS CRAZY BOY!!!!

Lucas Dancing

I love it when the girls put on music and just dance away in their room.  Today their brother joined them in their fun.  Here he is getting some moves on to a Kidz Bop version of "Paparazzi" by Lady Gaga.  I particularly love the way he throws his pacifier down and moves his arms around toward the end of the video.  I could eat this kid up, he is too darn cute!