Wordless Wednesday -Napping with Daddy!

Daddy and Lucian snuggling close while taking a nap at Grandma's house! They were both so tired!

Lucian is little out of it as he wakes up and wanders the house. Can you tell? I love the "dazed and confused" state right after a nap so I couldn't resist a few pictures.

Where am I? What is going on? Did I miss anything? What is up there?

Love the crazy hair! Cuddling with Daddy under a big blanket sure does make a little guy's hair wet. I actually had to change his shirt!

For more Wordless Wednesday check out 5 minutes for Mom , 3 Kids and Us and 7 Clown Circus!

What's in a Name? {My Lucian}

Naming your child can be one of the hardest decisions you'll make when becoming a parent. If you were like me you devoured baby name books and kept your eyes and ears open when reading books or watching television to get a new idea for a name. Trying to find a name that both my husband Joe and I loved was also a challenge. We both didn't want names either of us thought was just ok. We both wanted to LOVE it and we didn't want it to too common which I think is fairly typical.

To make it a little tougher, we didn't find out the sex of either of our babies. I just couldn't give up that glorious surprise at the end of labor to find out. I love surprises and don't like spoilers, even though the practical side of me was dying to know. (I could buy so much baby stuff on sale ahead of time if only I knew!) And so while we easily settled on a baby girl's name the boy's name was not final by the time I went into labor with my firstborn. This is why, I'm sure, we ended up having a boy. We waited until everyone cleared the room and it was just Joe, myself and our new precious gift. Our wonderful, perfect little boy. And somehow we just knew that he was Lucian. While we had talked about the name before as an alternative to Luke, (which we loved but was more common than we had wanted) we weren't sure it was the right name. Neither of us had ever known a Lucian. What are the possibilities in school for teasing? Would people know how to pronounce it? Did it fit well with our last name? Is it too uncommon? Are we using our obsession with the HBO series Rome and its main character Lucius Vorenus to name our child? But we just knew. After telling people the name of our new baby we got what was obviously a love or hate opinion of the name. Sometimes it was hard to know who was telling the truth and who wasn't when you got canned, "Oh that's nice" often times in a tone that sounds fake.
My husband and I love the name and know Lucian was meant to be our first son's name. When choosing a name you can't please everyone, only yourselves. The thought that certain people look at that name in horror and want to ask me, "Why would you ever name your child that?" does bother me slightly but I just might look at your child and the name you've chosen and think the same thing. You know what, that's ok too!

I encourage everyone to wait to tell anyone your baby's name until they are born like we did. You will then have no outside influences to change your mind since there will always be someone who thinks you've chosen the wrong name. Nobody dares say much when you've already named them! I can't even imagine Lucian being named anything else. It suits him don't you think? And if you don't, please feel free to keep those comments to yourself! :)

This post was inspired by the warm fuzzies that I got when I read MckMama's blog, My Charming Kids and saw my son's name on her list of names she loves salivates over! Thank you MckMama!

Wordless Wednesday - Water Park!

Nothing says Memorial Day fun like hanging out with Daddy at the water park!

(Lucian is on the right in the picture above)

It took a bit for Lucian to be brave enough to go down the slide but once he did he couldn't stop!

Warming up in the hot tub for a minute. (It gets cold!)
Wonder what they are talking about or thinking???

As Lucian would say, "Here comes big bucket! SPLASH!"

For more Wordless Wednesday check out 5 minutes for Mom and 7 Clown Circus!

Totally Talented Tuesday - #5

Talent can be anything from anyone you know! Did your child do great at baseball this week? Did you reorganize your kitchen? Post about it! To read more, click HERE

Yesterday morning over breakfast (note the Cheerios on the floor) Lucian suddenly stopped eating, got down and said, "Look mommy, I do yoga, I do yoga!" Nice tree pose, honey! Now that's talent!

Row Row Row your Boat ~ as sung by Lucian

Rope, rope, rope your boat, gently down STRING

Mary Mary Mary life is (pause) dream!

~by the always entertaining Lucian (and yes, that is Lucian drinking both his milk and B8 V8 at the same time. Why? Why not?)

Wordless Wednesday - Fun at the Park!

There is really no better way to spend the afternoon than going to the park with the boys. The fresh air always works to burn off some energy and they take great naps later. It feels good just to get outside, especially after a long Minnesota winter. I also love how easy it is to get fabulous pictures of the kids. The playground is a great backdrop and the kids are so thrilled to be there that it isn't tough to capture happy faces. (Can you tell I love hats?)

The only hard part is trying to get them into the car when it is time to go. Just one more time down the slide!!

For more Wordless Wednesday check out 5 minutes for Mom and 7 Clown Circus!

We Love Bubbles!

Both of my boys just love bubbles. Last summer Lucian had a huge fascination with bubbles and would get so excited at the mere site of them. You can see some video of his cute reaction to bubbles below.




Warren has also started to show a love of all things bubbles and it became one of his first words. Imagine my surprise to hear a 12 month old pick a word like bubble, or as he would say, bub-o.




Are bubbles a big hit in your house too???

Tips and Tricks-Good Eating Habits Part I

Meal time with a two year old can be quite trying and even entertaining. Lucian has had many quirks with eating that developed around the time he turned two. His younger brother is better but I’m sure that his days of eating whatever I serve him will be over as soon as he decides to exert his own will over what goes into his tummy. Perhaps he will go through any number of these stages that Lucian has gone or is currently going through.

Mommy’s Essential Guide to Meal Time by Lucian (age 2):

1. I will only eat one food. This only food is not what you want me to eat and probably not what you planned on serving. I will decide what this food is at the drop of a hat. You need to be a mind reader on what that food I want to eat is. If you guess wrong I will be very upset and demand that this favorite food be served. If you do not bend to my will I will protest very loudly to get my point across which may include tears. If you do happen to guess right on this one food I may decide to change my mind at any time.
2. I am not hungry. I decide when I want to eat. I do not want to eat at meal times. Instead I would like to eat more at snack time and skip meals altogether. I hope this does not cause any problems with your schedule because I live within my own schedule. This schedule is subject to change without notice.
3. I have decided that sweets are the best foods ever. Why can we not eat candy for dinner? I like candy. Can’t I have M&Ms? I got those once, remember? I had four M&Ms a month ago and I haven’t forgotten. I would like some more. I really like the green ones. Just because I don’t see candy in front of me I know we must have some in the house somewhere. If I can’t have candy, how about some cake, Mommy?
4. You made me what you thought was something I liked. Today I have decided that I don’t like it. I may have liked it last week or even yesterday but today, not so much. I won’t eat it despite your attempt to try and make something you think I already like. Nice try, Mommy but I don’t like that today. Try again tomorrow.
5. Mommy, I want you to place that certain food you are trying to serve, right there! (pointing) This is a very specific spot mommy and it won’t be as good on the other side of my plate. I have decided that “right there” is the best place for that to be. Please don’t even consider putting it “over there” because that is NOT where it goes. Thank you, Mommy.
6. Mommy, I have decided that my hand works better than my plate. I will simply gesture for you to put said food into my hand so I can skip the plate altogether. Mommy, can you please put that peanut butter in my hand? What? No, because it is greasy? I don’t mind Mommy. I’ll lick it off. Then I will use the back of my shirt to wipe my hands. It goes right there. (gesturing with cupped hand)
7. I really like to eat certain foods in different ways than they were intended. Can I have a scoop of butter? (It goes on my plate right there.) I will scoop up my ketchup and eat it like it is any other food on my plate. I love ketchup. It is like tomato soup. I would also like a whole bowl of parmesan cheese, please. I can’t get enough. A little sprinkle on my pasta doesn’t do it for me, Mommy. I need more. I need BIG parmesan. Mmmm…parmesan.
8. I need to stuff everything into my mouth at once. I will not listen to reason as to why it is important to take bites. I like to stuff it and make a really big wad in my mouth. The harder it is for me to chew, the better. I don’t mind if this makes me start to gag and I have to spit it out or if it takes me 5 minutes to finally swallow. I like having a big gob of bun in my mouth, Mommy. That is just how I like to eat. You can try to cut it up but I don’t mind filling my mouth with multiple pieces at once.

Does this sound like your child? I can’t be completely alone. Please share your own child’s guide to meal time. I’d love to hear your funny food stories.

Next week I will post some tips to make meal time a little smoother and to encourage healthy eating.

Wordless Wednesday-Blinding Sun

Something about this picture just makes me chuckle.

Farwell to My Kate Spade Bag

Yesterday my little boy Lucian got sick. It happened so suddenly that when he didn't really want to eat lunch we didn't think much of it. Soon we knew why when he vomited all over our dining room rug. The spray was amazing but even more amazing was the off chance that my purse was sitting on the floor in our dining room. We often keep our laptop there and less than an hour before I needed my purse to pay a bill online.

Lucian is doing much better today and I'm so happy. There is nothing worse than seeing your child sick and miserable. Unfortunately the same can not be said for my Kate Spade bag. It is part canvas, part leather. I did clean it up as much a I could but I'm not sure if the smell will ever go away. The authentic bag was a bit of a splurge so I'm certainly not going to immediately replace it, even if I can get a good deal again on Ebay.

So this post is my farewell to a great bag. Goodbye. I hope to be carrying another Kate Spade bag when I can justify the cost. If anyone has seen the quality of her authentic bags you will understand what I mean.

Has anyone else ever lost anything in the daily ride of motherhood? I would love for you to share!

The Test of a Two Year Old...

Lucian is my adorable two and a half year old who up until about a month ago rarely acted out and who took naps without much fuss. He has always been polite and loving.

Where has my sweet little boy gone?

Three weeks ago my boys started at the new daycare because our previous provider gave birth. It was a much smaller home daycare with only two other kids. At first Lucian was thrilled because he is very friendly and social and loved the newness of it. That changed quickly because he couldn’t seem to nap there. I think he is used to it being quieter (we use white noise at home) and because he is napping with so many other kids in the room. For the first few days he wouldn’t nap and anyone who has a two year old who doesn’t get a nap will know that was bad, very very bad.

While he is now sleeping some at daycare he is more prone to outbursts at home and very stubborn. He seems tired a lot and therefore very emotional. He will cry one minute if I don’t hold him or scream and yell because he didn’t get juice when he demanded it.

My husband Joe and I are totally on the same page. We never give into what it is that he wants when he does this. We usually try to give him two other choices. For example if he wants candy we will give him two other options for a snack such as a banana or cheese. We always try to offer him foods we know he really likes. Of course we usually get a snotty “No, want candy.” Then he doesn’t get anything. If he continues or starts to throw something we give him a warning and then a timeout if necessary. We never give into what the demand is but we do bend a little to try an offer something he can have. These tantrums seem easier to handle because I know exactly how I want to handle it. Unfortunately it isn’t always so cut and dry.

Last night Lucian had a total meltdown at dinner time. It could have been because he was hungry and tired. I did give him a small snack when we got home (two pieces of cheese) to tide him over until dinner was ready. Normally my husband or I will take turns making dinner while the other one is in the living room with the kids since we don’t have an open floor plan. Lucian decided he wanted up to watch Daddy cut vegetables. My husband offered him a chair next to him but all Lucian would accept was to actually be held by Daddy. Of course he can’t both prepare dinner and hold him at the same time so he was forced to come back to the living room with me. Then it really went south.

He started screaming and kept trying to get back into the kitchen. Forcefully opening the gate and shutting it again since he has now figured that thing out. (Darn!) I gave him a warning and then he got sent to timeout. He wouldn’t stay in his timeout chair like he used to so Joe eventually brought him into his old crib (he sleeps in a bed now) and shut the door to let him take a breather and calm down. That only made him madder. When supper was ready Joe went and got him and he seemed calmer. Perhaps we just should have left him there because it just continued to snowball.

Joe got him into his booster seat but he pushed away all his food angrily and just sat there screaming and crying. So my husband turned his chair to face the wall to calm down. It didn’t work. We ignored him for a while. Later we tried numerous times to find out what he wanted and using toddler speak. Short, emphatic sentences in hopes to show we understand. “Lucian mad, Lucian very mad. Lucian want out. Lucian want out now. Lucian wants out, out, out, etc.” That didn’t even do the trick like it used to. So we switched gears and tried to help him calm down as he is practically hyperventilating in his booster. Finally I was able to distract him with some very basic questions about stuff in the room. “Look at that ball, Lucian. What color is it? Do you remember the sign for ball?” That brought him out of it. At that point I think he was exhausted and looking for an excuse to stop his rant. I don’t even know what he was upset about and I don’t think he really did either. I only know what “triggered” it.

Before kids I would have just said ignore it and eventually he will learn not to throw these fits anymore. Easier said than done.

Is trying to help him calm down giving in? I don’t want to give him attention when he is like this but I want to help him to get control of himself when it extends to a long period of time. I don’t want to use force like hold him down and I don’t want to make him go to bed without having eaten any dinner since I could tell he was hungry. (I call him my camel. One time he’ll eat a whole lot and very little another, even with foods I know he likes.)

Looking back now I think I might have just brought him back to his crib and let him stay there until he had control of himself and then see if he wanted to eat his dinner.

I think our son is testing boundaries. Now that he can talk more he likes to be able to tell us what he wants but isn’t yet able to fully deal with us saying he can’t have what he wants. That in combination with the daycare transition and being tired just makes it worse.

I would love to hear any constructive advice. I’m not looking for any harsh comments but instead suggestions on what might work better. Have you gone through this too? Should we just ride it out doing what we are doing?