Having a toddler is tiring. Really, really tiring. It's tiring having to repeat yourself numerous times to get your 2-year-old to listen to you. It's tiring chasing after your 2-year-old when she won't listen to you unless you bribe her with ice cream or pizza. It's tiring hearing your own voice say "no" or "come here" or "stop it" over and over again.
Being a toddler must be tiring as well, especially when you spend half the day crying, whining, running around and NOT listening to your parents. It's also probably tiring when you decide to wake up before 7 am for 2 straight weeks and don't feel like going to bed until much later than normal.
Thankfully, there is light at the end of the very tiring tunnel. Today, my little 2-year-old made up for 2 weeks of early wake-ups with a miraculous 9 am wake-up. Presumably after sleeping for 13.5 hours, she will be in a better mood today and more apt to listen to her mother. I can only hope that the next few nights, Abby's overtiredness will not extend to me since Jason is going away for a few days and will leave me to take care of Abby, Sadie and myself all alone. I will try to hang in there but I will be rather happy when I have another set of hands back at the end of the week and I can get some much-needed sleep!!
Monday, August 17, 2009
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Terrible Twos or Teething?
Whoops, it's been close to a month since I last had any good Abby updates or stories! Bad mommy! So I'll give you the download on this past weekend's events which caused me to wonder: is Abby going through the Terrible Two's or Teething (or both)??
Friday afternoon, we went to Abby's cousin Matthew's 3rd birthday party and then to a BBQ at his house. That evening, Abby was in a good mood but we came home and discovered she was running a low fever - around 99/100. We gave her some Motrin and sent her to bed, only to be woken at 1:30 am as she was throwing up in her crib. We dreaded a stomach virus - the last one was not exactly pleasant and getting her to eat or drink anything was a challenge. The next morning, she woke up with a fever but insisted on drinking her milk, which is a big no-no for an upset stomach. We took our chances and she gulped down 6 ozs and it stayed down - whew. The rest of the day was pretty low-key - she napped for 4 hours, had a fever on and off and was pretty tired and cranky.
The next day, Sunday, she woke up without a fever and ate and drank normally. I couldn't believe that this "virus" was so short-lived. After an unusual early morning nap, Abby woke up and was beyond cranky. She whined or cried at the drop of a hat, and was only happy the few minutes she was on the swing at the park, eating ice cream or in the pool that day. I figured she was just being a good ol' "terrible toddler" and chalked it up to a bad day and I went to bed early.
Monday rolled around and she felt and acted much better, though was still cranky. It finally crossed my mind that perhaps the fever/throwing up/crankiness (and a slightly runny nose, by the way) were all a result of teething, since a virus usually lasts much longer. She still had her top two molars which had not come through yet, so perhaps they were the culprits of her behavior over the weekend. Low and behold, Tuesday night as I was brushing her teeth, I saw one of her top molars poking through.
While Abby is generally a very easy-going child, I realize it is normal at her age to have tantrums and breakdowns, but I am relieved to know that this one, at least, had a good reason and now she only has ONE more tooth to pop through until she has all 20 baby teeth!
Friday afternoon, we went to Abby's cousin Matthew's 3rd birthday party and then to a BBQ at his house. That evening, Abby was in a good mood but we came home and discovered she was running a low fever - around 99/100. We gave her some Motrin and sent her to bed, only to be woken at 1:30 am as she was throwing up in her crib. We dreaded a stomach virus - the last one was not exactly pleasant and getting her to eat or drink anything was a challenge. The next morning, she woke up with a fever but insisted on drinking her milk, which is a big no-no for an upset stomach. We took our chances and she gulped down 6 ozs and it stayed down - whew. The rest of the day was pretty low-key - she napped for 4 hours, had a fever on and off and was pretty tired and cranky.
The next day, Sunday, she woke up without a fever and ate and drank normally. I couldn't believe that this "virus" was so short-lived. After an unusual early morning nap, Abby woke up and was beyond cranky. She whined or cried at the drop of a hat, and was only happy the few minutes she was on the swing at the park, eating ice cream or in the pool that day. I figured she was just being a good ol' "terrible toddler" and chalked it up to a bad day and I went to bed early.
Monday rolled around and she felt and acted much better, though was still cranky. It finally crossed my mind that perhaps the fever/throwing up/crankiness (and a slightly runny nose, by the way) were all a result of teething, since a virus usually lasts much longer. She still had her top two molars which had not come through yet, so perhaps they were the culprits of her behavior over the weekend. Low and behold, Tuesday night as I was brushing her teeth, I saw one of her top molars poking through.
While Abby is generally a very easy-going child, I realize it is normal at her age to have tantrums and breakdowns, but I am relieved to know that this one, at least, had a good reason and now she only has ONE more tooth to pop through until she has all 20 baby teeth!
Monday, June 29, 2009
PB success!
5 days after Abby turned 2, we gave her peanut butter for the first time, and...SUCCESS! We have a peanut butter lover who is not allergic and we've added another food group to Abby's palate!
This is particularly exciting for me because I despise peanuts (or any nuts for that matter), peanut butter or anything nutty, so as a child I would eat jelly sandwiches at camp or school (which are quite delicious but not all that healthy). I am happy that Abby doesn't have any nut allergy issues, which will make her life at school, camp and playdates much easier, not to mention it's an easy and relatively healthy meal or snack. Yay!
This is particularly exciting for me because I despise peanuts (or any nuts for that matter), peanut butter or anything nutty, so as a child I would eat jelly sandwiches at camp or school (which are quite delicious but not all that healthy). I am happy that Abby doesn't have any nut allergy issues, which will make her life at school, camp and playdates much easier, not to mention it's an easy and relatively healthy meal or snack. Yay!
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
The Birthday Weekend Round-Up
Well, my little girl is officially 2! And Abby had quite a weekend of festivities to celebrate. We started out the morning of her birthday by giving her a new play kitchen, compliments of her grandparents. We then went to Stone Hill Farms to check out the sheep, chickens and cows with her friend Justin and his mommy. Following her nap, we headed to the park with Justin where she enjoyed the swings for what seemed like forever. In the evening, our little 2-year old enjoyed a "delicious" cupcake at home and her Grammy Sheryl arrived.
Saturday was her birthday party at Little Scoops, an old-fashioned ice cream parlor in Rye Brook. She actually enjoyed being the center of attention, though I wasn't really sure she quite understood what was going on and why all of her friends and family were there! But she played nicely and enjoyed her cake and ice cream, and then promptly fell asleep on the way home from all of the excitement.
For Father's Day the next day, we enjoyed dinner at Grandma and Pop-Pop's country club, where Abby and her cousin Matthew had the best time playing together.
Monday morning started off with a 2-year check-up at the pediatrician, where Dr. E answered all of my crazy questions. Abby weighed in around the 20th percentile at 24 lbs and measured in at 32 3/4", which is about the 30th percentile. There is hope she will be at least 5'0" or taller! Whew! And we got the thumbs-up to try peanuts, etc...so if she likes it, we might have a new food group for her.
The last day of the "weekend" (because I took off work this whole time) was also Grammy's birthday, so we went to the Bronx Zoo to check out all the animals on Tuesday. Abby loved seeing the peacocks, elephants, deer, zebras, giraffes, gorillas and more. She really had a great time and it's wonderful to see how much she understands, especially compared to when we went for her 1st birthday. The afternoon ended with a cup of ice cream and a 3-hour nap - a great day for all :).
All in all, it was a wonderful birthday weekend for Abby, my mom and me. And I am thrilled that we have nothing planned for this coming weekend so we can enjoy all of the fabulous gifts she received!!
Saturday was her birthday party at Little Scoops, an old-fashioned ice cream parlor in Rye Brook. She actually enjoyed being the center of attention, though I wasn't really sure she quite understood what was going on and why all of her friends and family were there! But she played nicely and enjoyed her cake and ice cream, and then promptly fell asleep on the way home from all of the excitement.
For Father's Day the next day, we enjoyed dinner at Grandma and Pop-Pop's country club, where Abby and her cousin Matthew had the best time playing together.
Monday morning started off with a 2-year check-up at the pediatrician, where Dr. E answered all of my crazy questions. Abby weighed in around the 20th percentile at 24 lbs and measured in at 32 3/4", which is about the 30th percentile. There is hope she will be at least 5'0" or taller! Whew! And we got the thumbs-up to try peanuts, etc...so if she likes it, we might have a new food group for her.
The last day of the "weekend" (because I took off work this whole time) was also Grammy's birthday, so we went to the Bronx Zoo to check out all the animals on Tuesday. Abby loved seeing the peacocks, elephants, deer, zebras, giraffes, gorillas and more. She really had a great time and it's wonderful to see how much she understands, especially compared to when we went for her 1st birthday. The afternoon ended with a cup of ice cream and a 3-hour nap - a great day for all :).
All in all, it was a wonderful birthday weekend for Abby, my mom and me. And I am thrilled that we have nothing planned for this coming weekend so we can enjoy all of the fabulous gifts she received!!
Thursday, June 18, 2009
One more day of the one's
I am saying goodbye to the ones - in about 12 hours, Abby will turn TWO! What a mix of emotions I'm feeling - excitement for the next phase and seeing what she'll learn and do and nervous for the challenges this stage of toddlerdom will bring.
My hopes for her this next year (in no particular order) are:
- to love and prosper in preschool
- to become potty trained
- to sleep in a big girl bed (later rather than sooner)
- to learn colors (seriously, not everything is "red"!)
- to learn to share
These tasks seem minor in comparison to what she learned to do this year, including walking, talking, feeding and dressing herself!
In the meantime, we have her birthday party this weekend and then her big 2-year check-up at the doctor on Monday. Grandma Sheryl is coming in town and Abby's friends will all be able to help her celebrate this milestone.
Happy Birthday, sweet pea! Mommy and Daddy love you so much!
My hopes for her this next year (in no particular order) are:
- to love and prosper in preschool
- to become potty trained
- to sleep in a big girl bed (later rather than sooner)
- to learn colors (seriously, not everything is "red"!)
- to learn to share
These tasks seem minor in comparison to what she learned to do this year, including walking, talking, feeding and dressing herself!
In the meantime, we have her birthday party this weekend and then her big 2-year check-up at the doctor on Monday. Grandma Sheryl is coming in town and Abby's friends will all be able to help her celebrate this milestone.
Happy Birthday, sweet pea! Mommy and Daddy love you so much!
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
"I love you!"
I am in denial that Abby is going to be 2 years old in 10 days. She went from a 6 lb, 2 oz helpless newborn with peach fuzz and big blue eyes to an independent, curly-haired, big blue-eyed little girl practically overnight.
In the past month since my last post, Abby has increased her vocabularly and associations and is starting to put more and more sentences together. She has moments of loving kindness when she kisses everything, embraces us in bear hugs and says "I love you" (sounds like "I la you") and other times she's a typical "terrible twos" toddler, having a screaming fit because she wants something which we won't give her or throwing her food down when she doesn't want it. Fun times all around!!
In the past 12 months, Abby learned to walk (and run), form sentences which are actually understandable, count to 12, say most of the alphabet, distinguish between sandals/shoes/boots and pants/shorts, partially dress herself and her dolls and is off to preschool in just 3 months. I'm amazed and in love with her more and more each day, and while she does give me a hard time, she is the greatest gift I have ever received.
I hope her next year is filled with much more excitement (including, but not limited to, learning colors, shapes and letters), growth (physically and emotionally) and FUN!
In the past month since my last post, Abby has increased her vocabularly and associations and is starting to put more and more sentences together. She has moments of loving kindness when she kisses everything, embraces us in bear hugs and says "I love you" (sounds like "I la you") and other times she's a typical "terrible twos" toddler, having a screaming fit because she wants something which we won't give her or throwing her food down when she doesn't want it. Fun times all around!!
In the past 12 months, Abby learned to walk (and run), form sentences which are actually understandable, count to 12, say most of the alphabet, distinguish between sandals/shoes/boots and pants/shorts, partially dress herself and her dolls and is off to preschool in just 3 months. I'm amazed and in love with her more and more each day, and while she does give me a hard time, she is the greatest gift I have ever received.
I hope her next year is filled with much more excitement (including, but not limited to, learning colors, shapes and letters), growth (physically and emotionally) and FUN!
Friday, May 8, 2009
No Want It!
Alas, as the "terrible twos" approach in just 6 weeks, Abby has a newfound favorite phrase: "No want it!" Which, by the way, she uses a minimum of 20 times a day! Sometimes it's specific: "No want shoes" but most of the time it's a general statement of defiance and trying asserting her independence. Today it was first used when our nanny asked Abby if she wanted more milk and her response was: "No more milk. No want it." Ok then! The good news is that she is also saying "yeah" or "yes" more frequently, so we are at least pretty confident when she says no, she MEANS NO!
I just hope that her learning how to assert herself early on means she'll be confident and independent later in life!
I just hope that her learning how to assert herself early on means she'll be confident and independent later in life!
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