The Great Debate- pt. 4

Every parent debates about it...when to take the plug away. Or the thumb, fingers, etc...We didn't plan on Pax having a pacifier. But with the circumstances after his birth (he had to be under an oxygen hood for 2 hours immediately after birth, and they had a hard time getting him to calm down to get his heart rate back to normal), the nurses made a judgement call and gave him one. I'm glad they did; but since he had a plug for hours before I was even allowed to nurse him-he was pretty hooked on it right away. We've gone back and forth (and back and forth...and back and forth...) about when we would take it away. On one hand--after about 18 months, we knew he didn't need it. Once he hit 14 or 15 months, we limited the plug to his bed. He gave it to us immediately upon waking up; no walking around with it in his mouth; didn't have it in the car either (except when we moved up North and I drove with him in one packed car by myself for 10 ours while Adam drove a van with the uha*l attached...but that was a matter of sanity!) We talked about getting rid of it when he hit 18 months- but we knew we were moving, and wanted to keep it for the sake of transition (I'm so glad we did....it was hard enough for him to adjust even WITH the plug!!). Then we thought we'd get rid of it at the end of the summer...and he started potty training himself at 19 months. And the baby was on the way. Too many changes at once are...well, let's just say the boy isn't the best with change. So, I decided I'd rather have him close to or totally potty trained before the baby came than give up the plug. About 6 weeks after B arrived, we started talking about it again- when to get rid of IT. And then-ta-da!! the plug solved the problem for us.
Pax has (had!) 4 plugs-and slowly, one by one, he chewed holes in each of them. Because, at this point, he chewed on them more than he sucked on them...so, slowly, one by one, Pax threw away his "broken" plugs. A week or so ago, we were suddenly down to one. Then last night-the blue plug had a hole in it, too. I kinda freaked out a bit...I mean, was I really ready to do this?? I kept remembering our friends in D-town, and the horrible time they had after they got rid of their daughter's plug...but I knew it was time. *Gulp!* At dinner last night, we talked about different ways to say "goodbye" to the plug...you know, tie it to a helium balloon and let it fly; toss it in the trash like the others; and then my mom suggested having Pax "exchange" the last plug for one of the trains he wants. Which, of course, was genius because of our small son's obsession with trains in general and Thom*s trains specifically. SO this morning I mentioned to Pax that his blue plug was broken (which he knew; he also knew what this meant-trash can.), and asked him if he'd like to trade his last plug for a new train of his choice. I made sure he understood that if he traded it, the plugs were fini and there wouldn't be any more for him since he was a big boy now. His response? "sure!!" (runs into the bathroom with his plug and puts it in the trashcan) "I put pwub in the trash. Let's go to the store!!" Bingo. This might actually work! After all, we've discovered external motivation (ahem-bribery-cough) does work very well with this kid. It worked with the bottle; and, more recently, gave him enough motivation to go back to pooping on the potty, instead of in his pants. Or the tub. But that's a story for another day.

We headed to a train store about 10:30 this morning...I wanted to do nap time without the plug before bed. ( I'm a chicken, yes. Just couldn't stop thinking about Kate, Jill!) I gave him the choice of any train in the store- he picked a dark purple train with red wheels called Charlie. He was SO EXCITED!! couldn't wait to tell Daddy about it when he called at lunchtime.

He's down for a nap now. It was a little hard; maybe 5 minutes of whining/fake crying...I went in after about 10 minutes and all he said was, "snuggle me, Mama,". Not a word about the plug. He totally gets it...smart kid! So, of course, like any good Mama, i rubbed his back for a few minutes as he drifted off to sleep, Charlie clutched tightly in his little hand....and I'll let ya know how tonight goes. A little nervous, not gonna lie. Not really expecting to sleep well the rest of the week. But- He did it. Sniff, sniff... my baby's growing up. Woohoo!!

The great debate, pt. 3...or is it 4?

Along with tacos, chocolate milk, and other VERY IMPORTANT matters, we've had a debate going on in our house for...well....probably the last year and a half. A very important debate, about when we would like to have another baby. Pax was a little surprise package we found out about 7 months after we married, and...we just thought it would be really cool if we could plan the next one. This idea especially appealled to my husband, who is a Great Planner of Life. Or at least he tries to be. Ask him how that's worked out since we got married....:) Anyways. We talked and talked and talked...all thorough the long months of sleepless nights and trying to nurse a hurricane, we debated. Finally, it was decided that we'd love to have a Spring baby next time. May, to be exact. Which would mean starting to try again in August (a concept so compleatly foreign to me, it kinda freaked me out...for those of you who haven't planned kiddos, you know what I mean!). We were compleatly happy with our little plan. Except we forgot one little thing (well, actually, one BIG thing....). GOD HAS A SENSE OF HUMOR!! and so, on our 3rd wedding anniversary, also our last night at theWELL and 4 DAYS before we left Durango...I believe my exact words were, "you're kidding me." when I saw those 2 pink lines show up! Yes, ladies and gentlemen, I am pregnant. 9 weeks today, to be exact. Due around Jan. 22nd, in the dead of winter (winter babies are great! who said they wanted a spring baby??). We had an ultrasound yesterday and got to see the little peanut and its' good, strong heartbeat...crazy, amazing little miracle. Surprise! someone asked me last night if this one was planned...planned? who plans their kids?? (actually, I know who you are..what's that like?) we are so blessed. I know this. I am so thankful for the way God gives us our children...and I can't wait for this trimester to be over :) so. boy or girl? anyone want to take bets?

The Great Debate...pt. 2

For the past month or so, we've been debating the best time to switch Pax into his "Big Boy Bed". Really, this just means convering his crib into a toddler bed using a rail kit...but it's been a big deal! Adam has been wanting to switch it; I kept thinking about Pax getting up during his naps or at 2am and running around his room playing. So I wasn't so keen on the idea. Than Adam had a genius idea of using a clock with stickers on the times he could get out of bed...genius, but our little 17-month old isn't quite there yet. And so it went, back and forth...maybe when we move to Ft. Collins....maybe we'll wait until we are expecting another little one...maybe we should do it now....until this past Monday. I decided to check out the rail conversion kit, to see how hard it would be to take of the full crib side and add the rail; looked like a piece of cake. Then I looked at his bed-it's pretty high for a crib, since it's also a toddler bed. Hmmm....maybe we could just try it and see. We could always put it back on in a few days if the little dude wasn't ready for it yet. So, when Adam came home for lunch, we took the crib side down and put the "big boy" rail up. Pax was soooo excited! He loved that he could jump on his bed, without feeling like he was behind bars; we liked how much easier it would be to change his sheets and kiss him goodnight. And it was a bit too high for our little daredevil to want to climb out of it (see, having short legs can be an advantage!), even with a step. So. We tried it for naptime....he did beautifully! Fell out of bed twice that night (the kid seriously sleeps like a washing machine) but actually slept better in it overall that he has been in the crib! Last night, we improvised a bit longer rail (really just a big blanket rolled up and stuffed along the open side) so he wouldn't fall out as easily, and perhaps learn that he can't flop just anywhere in the new bed. We also put a single-sized camping mat along the side of the bed, so if he did fall again it would be cushioned (you should have seen me fly out of bed after the second thump Monday night!). He did fall out of bed last night, but only once. Half as much! At this rate, tonight should be smooth sailing....PLUS he slept half an hour longer this morning than usual! This big boy bed thing could have it's advantages....

The Great Debate...pt. 1

There are a few topics that inspire serious debates in our household...not so much finances or politics, but things like what is truly the earliest you can make chocolate mint cookies if you're planning to give them to someone on a Friday, and still keep the quality of goodness they deserve; what would be the ideal time to have another baby (if we have any say in it next time...); and tacos. Seriously, tacos have been the topic of a LOT of conversations in the past 6 weeks. You see, Adam is very nostalgic about the tacos his mother used to make when he was a kid...ground beef, grocery store seasoning packet, and all condiments in separate bowls on the side. Onions, cheese, beans, everything. No mixing. I, on the other hand, mostly care about how the tacos TASTE...and in my opinion, the grocery store seasoning just doesn't cut it. SO. I made tacos several weeks ago, a la Kristin--spicy and nicely seasoned, with lots of fresh ingredients (garlic, green chilies, onion, and so forth) thrown in. Adam ate 2. Now, if you know Adam, you know how many tacos he can eat, so I knew he wasn't a huge fan. Although he didn't say anything, I had to ask...and the debate began. Flavor vs. nostalgia. A few weeks later, we had tacos a la Adam-fine, but in my opinion rather bland. What to do?? Seriously, we have tacos frequently enough for this to be a big stinkin' deal! Pax liked them both, so he was no help...how could we come to a peaceful resolution??? We can't be a 2-taco family..."Ahh, mooooom.....I like DAD's tacos!" "Dad's tacos AGAIN?? when will mom make them?" we could picture the catastrophic division having 2 different kinds of tacos could bring to our future (seriously...this is the stuff we have loooong conversations about at our house). BUT...tonight. I made tacos, since the recipe I was trying to make in the crock pot just wasn't done...and tried a compromise. Taco seasoning packet + some extra flavor thrown in. Condiments on the side. SUCCESS!! Adam loved them, and ate at least 4...always a sign that he does, indeed, like them. I liked them, too, and Pax....well, Pax just likes good tasting food. TADA!! Great Debate #1 solved! tune in next time for more random debates from the Bleger household....