The Kiddos

This week, Ethan fell asleep on his floor next to his door. He typically runs around in his room after we put him to bed, and apparently one night, he just got too sleepy before making his way back to his bed. He must have rolled over and hit the door, which is how we heard him. AJ went in and moved the little weirdo back to his bed.

He also proved that he is, without a doubt, our child. When the football game was on the other night, we weren't really watching it. We flipped to see the score for a minute, and he asked what it was. We told him, and he replied, "I don't like the Steejers." We told him we don't either and quickly changed the channel :-)

He has been quite the little stinker this week, both at home and at Christine's. We are experimenting with ways to get him to listen to us. Telling him 'no' doesn't work. In fact, he usually laughs as if we are egging him on. Time outs work rarely. Threatening to take toys doesn't work well, but actually taking the toys works very well in pushing him into total meltdown mode. Swatting his diaper works occasionally but makes us feel bad. It will be a long, changing process to figuring out what works for him and our family. He throws fits at Christine's about sharing his toys. He's been told that if he won't let Cassie play with his Thomas trains, he cannot bring them. We'll see how that goes tomorrow! He needs toddler boot camp.

To end on a good note in terms of our first born, he has done very well with potty training this week. He is getting much more consistent in going at Christine's, and we've even had some success at home. He went twice one night! He is hilarious. His potty makes music when he goes, which he thinks is pretty cool. As soon as he starts to go, he'll say "I'm peein', Mommy." When he's done, he gets up, looks in the potty, smiles, then jumps up and down before asking to flush it. Not long after flushing, he asks for a sticker. If he's feeling particularly good, he'll ask for a prize and to call someone and tell them. Goofball.

His stickers from the week

In Baby #2 news, I am hanging in there with the already insane-enough-to-wake-me back aches. I will ask my doctor about them when I go in about a week, but until then, I'm trying the usuals: Tylenol, heating pad, posture, etc. One recommendation to solve this problem I've been slacking with is exercise. And, I shouldn't. I broke out my beloved pre-natal yoga dvd the other night and felt great. I should make that more of a habit. Granted, the effects only last a short amount of time, but anything is a step in the right direction. But, I did find that by adding an 8th pillow to the 7 I normally surround myself with, I can get a semi-comfortable night's sleep. This has helped me to wake up pain-free, but the work days put a quick end to that feeling. I think hunching over my desk to grade stuff at work is the problem. Now, if we could only come up with our million-dollar idea, I could just stay home.

My work neighbor is calling that the baby is a boy. Apparently, I just 'suddenly looked pregnant one day', which is exactly what happened to his wife (a mother of two boys). We've bet each other candy bars. We'll see what happens. Hopefully I'll be enjoying some chocolate next Friday! I've been obsessively comparing my Ethan belly to my current belly to see any differences or similarities. I've been scouring the internet looking for ways to determine gender. The Chinese Birth Calendar says girl; it was right with Ethan. The heart rate leads more towards girl, too. Who knows! It's enough of a surprise waiting until 20 weeks - I can't imagine waiting until the actual baby came! I have been feeling all along that it's a girl, however, my neighbor has planted the seed of doubt. Wednesday morning, I woke from a dream where I delivered a LARGE baby boy. If that happens, can I still buy dresses for him??

Regardless, I told AJ to help me with something. If it does turn out to be a boy and I get some absurd notion that I might eventually like to have another baby (A GIRL), he is to make sure I don't change my mind about having my tubes tied after this baby. He has been instructed to remind me of how sore and tired I am right now, not to mention how yucky I'll surely feel in the coming months. Thinking of this back pain should do it! Two children are definitely enough to complete our family.

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