Musings of a tired mommy

I love my son dearly and I wouldn't change being his mommy for anything in the world...but please someone tell me the constant battles over every teeny tiny little thing will one day stop? Like before I'm old and gray and rocking my grandchildren? LOL.

We've reached the stage of "No..I DO IT!" and I'm all for encouraging his independance. But when you have to leave the house and you've been trying to get him dressed for 45 minutes and you somehow have a child running around the house laughing and screeching and wearing nothing but socks...and shoes (don't ask)...you start to wish for the days when they wanted you to do everything. He's extremely independant and wants to do it all alone but also easily frustrated and prone to meltdowns of epic proportions when he realizes that as much as he WANTS to do it alone he just CAN'T do it alone.

Then we have the whole potty issue. He hates the pull-ups. He complains they're uncomfortable. He wiggles and squirms and screams he has a "diaper wedgie" and he hates the inconvenience of having to lay down and get changed. However, when asked about big boy undies and using the potty all the time he'll inform us "No...I really don't think so but thank you for asking" Almost three going on forty this one. So we wait, offer encouragement, and be patient. Although we may have a breakthrough. His new best friend at school...Emily (wejust love love love Emily) wears undies. His cousin Megan...partner in crime and all time favorite cousin...wears big girl undies. He's very distressed to think that he seems to be the only one wearing pull-ups and not underwear and told me today he wants underwears tomorrow and no pull-up anymore. So we shall see.

Bedtime has gone from easy peasy to a major war every night because he no longer thinks bedtime should be a requirement. His opinion is that bedtime should be optional and is a bit offended that we feel differently and insist he go to bed when told. Horrible mean ole parents that we are torturing our poor child so.I know a toddler's listening skills are slim to none most of the time and it's typical of the age but I swear I must speak some kind of foreign language because he either doesn't listen to me at all or looks at me like I have no clue what I'm talking about and goes on his merry way.

Then there's the constant debating. I swear he's either going to be a lawyer, a politician, or a car salesman because he negotiates everything...and I do mean everything.
An example:
"Miles, you can have two cookies for snack" and he's given the snack.
"Umm, Mommy, how about I have four cookies?"
"No Miles, I told you TWO and I gave you TWO and that's it"
"But Mommy I really think I NEED to have four cookies"
"No Miles"
"Ok Mommy, how about three cookies. Can I have three cookies?"
"How many did I say you could have?"
"Two"
"How many did I give you?"
"Two"
"So what does that mean?"
*big sigh for effect*
"I want four cookies, I tried to get three cookies, and still onlygot two cookies"
*and after a brief pause*
"But maybe I can get you to give me three or four next time"
At which point he begins to munch on his cookies and flop back into my chair mentally wiped and vowing to work on my debate skills so I'll be ready for the next round...which I know will be coming soon.

Must run...it's time for the how many bedtime snacks can I have, how many George and/or Scooby Doo episodes can I watch before I have to go to bed, and do I really REALLY have to go to bed nightly ritual.

Time flies...

Hard to believe some days but Miles is almost 3 years old already. We're planning his birthday party with a Curious George theme and he's already very excited. I keep telling him he has to relax because it's still two months away.

Our other big news is Miles starting preschool. We all have an orientation on September 3rd and then he starts on September 8th. He'll be there three mornings a week and I can't even imagine having three mornings a week with a quiet house. I think he'll have tons of fun at school and he'll really benefit from having kids his own age to play with.

We gave him an early birthday present last week...we took him to Philly to see The Wiggles. He was tired, hungry, and cranky by the time we got there and got settled so the afternoon was not without challenges and meltdowns but in general he really enjoyed himself and I'm really glad we took him so he could experience it. The only problem we have is that now every other day he asks if we can go back and see them again.

A Sticky Situation

Ok, so as some know and some don't I spend my nights curled up in a chair with my feet on an ottoman. It's the only way my pain-filled body is able to get any sleep. Laying down is just not comfy and I can't sleep for very long if I lay down. So I'm zonked in my chair as usual this morning when Miles gets up and comes downstairs. Miles loves lollipops...specifically the little dum dum pops. We keep a bag of them in the car because typically the only place he's allowed to have them is in the car. I brought the bag in to refill it because it was running low and Miles got his hands on it when we were sleeping this morning. Most of what was left was the "mystery" flavor pops. Well apparently he wasn't overly fond of the flavors he discovered and when I woke up this morning there were once-licked lollipops all around my feet stuck to the ottoman. Nothing like waking up in the morning surrounded by sticky lollipops with a sticky faced son staring at you telling you the lollipops were yucky and asking for favorite flavors. Needless to say I wasn't inclined to go get him new lollipops at 8am, especially after waking up stuck to the castoffs all around me.

Ick!

Being sick is NO fun...especially when your spouse is grouchy and your kiddo is sick too. As if a two year old isn't enough of a handful now we've got a sick and very moody two year old. Fun fun fun! I'm still trying to get a handle on all these mobility limitations I have now so getting sick is the last thing I wanted to deal with. Oh well...one day at a time. Hopefully the meds knock out the infections asap and I can go back to my normal un-sick train wreck self. :) Hopefully I'm feeling better before my sleep study in a couple weeks. I'm not looking forward to a night in the hospital/sleep clinic but I am allowed to bring a book and dvd so at least I won't be laying there staring at the walls the whole time.

Miles has entered the "why?" stage...ackkk...I'm not ready for this! He was climbing up into the window today from the back of the couch and when I told him to get down he asked me why. When I replied "because I said so" he turned around and looked at me and said "but why you said so?" This one is gonna keep me on my toes.

Yikes!

Ok, so the plan was to keep this blog up to date and now it seems I haven't posted anything in two months. So much for that plan...lol. Things have been a little crazy here the last couple months. Miles has been a toddler tornado and we've had our hands full. My health has been steadily deteriorating and I've been a bit preoccupied with that...hence the lack of postage for the last couple months. But here I am with some new info and pictures. Since my last post I turned 34...ick...and Joe and I celebrated our 7th wedding anniversary. In a few days we'll be celebrating our 9 year anniversary as a couple. Time sure does fly by. Miles went to the doctor last month for his 2 1/2 year check-up and he's doing great. He's now 32 pounds, 37 1/2 inches long, and has completely outgrown size 3T clothes. He talks constantly and his vocabulary continues to grow daily. We enrolled him in nursery school and he'll be starting in the fall. He'll be going three mornings a week and he's already asking if he can go to school yet. Guess that's it for now but I do promise to try to keep the blog updated more often!

Life without naps....

It seems Miles is wanting to give up on naptime and he really still needs that naptime...and so does mama! He refused to nap today and then totally crashed around 4:15 and took a 45 minute power nap. He would have slept longer I'm sure if grandma hadn't come over with McDonalds for him. I'm still in my boot cast and while I'm better at getting myself around I'm still struggling with doing that while taking care of the kiddo. Today was my first day home alone with Miles since my accident and it's been a very looooooong day! Right now he's behind me playing with Christmas window gel clings while I get a little computer time. Yes folks I still have my tree and Christmas stuff up. I had planned on having it down by the end of January and just didn't get it done and then I fell and just can't do it. Oh well. It'll get taken down eventually. I've been keeping busy with stationary activities...liking taking super cute and silly pictures of the kiddo.

a couple new pictures

Not just a sprain...

Saw the orthopedic surgeon today and I don't just have a sprain I have an ankle fracture. Seems when I rolled my ankle the ligaments pulled and pulled away a piece of bone. Apparently it's better that than having the ligaments tear and require surgery. So I'm in a big ole boot for a couple weeks and then I can try the air cast/brace again and start some physical therapy. Fun fun fun!

Ooops I did it again....

Go ahead and laugh, roll your eyes, etc (if I wasn't in so much pain I'd be laughing too)...but guess who got hurt again. I went to a country club for a christening party for the newest member of Joe's family yesturday. When we were leaving I tripped over a crack/uneven pavement in the handicapped parking lot and fell. Badly sprained my ankle, tore my knee all up, and whacked my head. I have to follow up with the orthopedic surgeon in a few days to have him review my films and verify nothing is broken and find out how long I have to wear the aircast and be on crutches. My mom wants to wrap me in bubble wrap to keep me from getting hurt anymore.

Guess you have to take the bad with the good...

First the good.....
For the fifth day in a row Miles has gone pee pee on the potty! Today after giving high fives he told me "I proud of self!" So far it's only once or twice a day and he's still going more in the pull-up than on the potty but considering the fact that he's not even 2 1/2 yet I think he's doing a super job. I don't want to rush him or place any pressure on him and I think letting him set the pace is the best way to go. I have a feeling it won't take him long to be diaper-free.

Now the not so good.....
My blood sugar has been bouncing around all over the place and the endocrinologist has decided to put me back on insulin full time which I kind of expected and I know it's for the best. What has me really upset is that she's also putting me back on Actos which caused me to gain over 40 pounds the last time I was on it. She says the blood sugar control is more important than the weight and trying to control my weight at this point is kinda like closing the barn door after the animals have escaped. So the 50+ pounds I've worked SOOOO hard to lose and keep off will most likely be piling back on. Talk about depressing. I just can't win. Between that, the constant pain I'm in, the frustration of not being able to do the things I want to do because of that, and the aggravation of not having any doctor LISTEN to me and understand what I'm going through has me feeling lost and depressed. Not even Miles telling me "mommy pretty" is enough to cheer me up these days.

Potty time!

We had a major breakthrough today on the potty front. Not once but twice today Miles told me he had to go potty, sat on the big potty, and actually peed in the potty! Yay Miles! This is the first day we've had twice in one day and he's actually associating the fact that he has to go and that he should go on the potty. He was VERY proud of himself! I think this may be the beginning of full speed ahead potty training. Way to go Miles!

To train...or not to train....

Our little man can't decide if he wants to be a big boy or mommy's baby. Is it time to use the potty and wear big boy undies or stay in diapers? Miles swings between Mr. Independant who will FREAK if I even suggest helping him with something and heaven forbid I tell him he's not old enough to do something and being stuck to me like glue wanting me to do everything for him. He's still allowed to have his bink but only at naptime and bedtime. Well lately he's been sneaking it downstairs and popping it in his mouth when he thinks I'm not looking. I've seen him smuggle it downstairs in his pajama top sleeve or tucked in his waistband. I don't know if he senses that we're getting ready to get rid of it completely and he's getting as much of it as he can now or if he's just going through a phase where he needs the comfort it gives him. I guess it's tough being a toddler and being so frustrated. He's one smart cookie and he struggles daily with the battle between what he CAN do and what he THINKS he can do. He amazes the women on our cleaning team that come every two weeks with what he knows. They were quizzing him on his colors last week and he named every single one they asked. He can identify certain letters of the alphabet, he knows that CAT spells cat, he can help "read" some of his favorite books, and with help can rote count to 10 as well as being able to rational count up to 3 items. He's been speaking in full sentences lately and his vocabulary grows by leaps and bounds every day. He has taken to mumbling lately and using his own words for things which I'm not super concerned with at this point because that seems like fairly normal behavior for his age. We took MamMom out to lunch last Friday and he was charming all the staff and patrons of the diner we went to, as he usually does whenever we go out. I took him to the bathroom for a quick diaper change and everyone was telling my mom how cute and smart he is and what a lucky grandma to have such a little doll for a grandson. I told my mother he was using his company manners and he isn't always that well behaved...lol. I'm hoping to snap some new pics of him in the next day or two and when I do I'll post some new ones.

Toddler Blues

I love my son but oh boy what a day we had today. It started off with him waking up around 3am and not going back to sleep. I finally had to put him in bed with me and snuggle him close and he finally settled in for the rest of his night's sleep and was out cold until Joe woke us up at 9am. Starting from wake up time at 9am his behavior was off the charts ALL DAY long! He's 2 and 2 year olds are not known for their spectacular listening skills. So I don't expect miracles in the listening department. But today he didn't listen AT ALL and in fact went out of his way to push my buttons and have the most horrible behavior ever. I have never been so frustrated in my life. After a day of being tackled, pounced, kicked, climbed, biffed, and bruised I wonder if I have the strength to make it through the tough times. Then he smiles at me or tells me he loves me and it's all worth it. He still sometimes likes to be cuddled and rocked at night and tonight he fell asleep in my arms. Looking down at that sweet little face I could see both the precious little baby he once was and the handsome little boy he's becoming. I know when he's in high school and getting ready for college I'll think back on the terrible two's and miss those times. Ok, so maybe I'll miss all the times except the terrible two's...lol.

Yuck...I hate being sick!

Well, I had planned to watch the Superbowl last night, not to mention my usual Sunday night shows on VH1. But 8pm rolled around and I was struggling to stay awake so I decided I'd do the smart thing and go to bed. I figured all my lack of sleep was catching up to me and I was just overtired. Then I woke up this morning with 101 fever. So much for just being overtired. Hopefully it's just the same bug Joe was sick with last week and not the beginning of another bad infection. Thankfully my husband is blessed with a great understaning boss who doesn't care if he works at home so Joe can be here to help with Miles and I can get some rest.

My sneaky little man...

I'm happy to report that my missing wedding and engagement rings have been found! I lost them a couple months ago when recent weight loss made my fingers smaller. I of course was totally devastated to have lost them, not to mention feeling like a total idiot for having lost them. We were searching the old couch for toys before hauling it to the curb for special garbage pick-up because a certain little toddler we all love likes to hide his toys in the reclining sofa that has all kinds of nooks and crannies for stashing toys. Imagine my surprise and delight when Joe pulled my rings out of a back corner, from a place that they wouldn't have just fallen to if they'd come off my finger while I was sitting on the couch. So it seems Miles must have come across them and stashed them in one of his favorite hiding places. I'm too happy to have them back on my finger to be too annoyed with him for hiding them. At least they were safely stashed away in the couch and not loose on the floor to be vacuumed up and lost forever or lost who knows where else. Thankfully the new couch has no such hiding places. :)

Miles (December 2007/January 2008)

Miles (end of November 2007)

Hello and welcome....

Well, here it is...my first post in my newly created blog. I figure so many people have blogs these days what the heck I might as well have one too. Let's see what's been happening in the Mucchiello house these days. Well for starters Miles is growing like a weed. He's been in size 3T for a while now but things are starting to get snug. He's already outgrown a couple outfits and shirts and is outgrowing his jammies now too. It's hard to believe he's over two years old now. Where has the time gone? He's in the process of potty training now. So far he'll sit on his potty seat on the big potty but has only actually peed once. He really wants to wear his big boy undies that Santa gave him for Christmas but he knows he can't wear them until he's using the potty all the time. He loves cars and probably has way too many...lol. He also LOVES the kitchen and all the kitchen goodies that Santa gave him for Christmas. He's spends a good portion of his day playing with his kitchen and making us all kinds of culinary creations that we happily "eat" and enjoy. He also loves books and loves to be read to. We read many books over the course of the day and some of them he can recite by memory while others he can identify the pictures and tell you his own version of the story using the pictures. He's so darn cute but SO stubborn and temperamental. Not much going on these days other than a broken reclining couch. We had to go furniture shopping last night to buy a new couch. Nothing reclining this time...just a couch with matching ottoman. Hopefully I can convince my rowdy son not to jump and rough house all over this one. I guess that's it for now. As soon as I get his most recent pictures off the camera I'll post some Miles pictures.