A bit of an update on the Aaron and his schedule. Thanks to everyone who commented on my post the other day. I am doing my best to get him on and keep him on a schedule. I realize that I have to give up certain things for myself to do what is best by my son. Yesterday, I declined lunch with a friend as it fell during nap time. Her daughter is only 6 months old so she can flexible. I am going to focus on one thing at a time. My first focus is going to be Aaron’s sleep schedule. I am going to try to have bed time and nap time at the roughly the same time every day. At the moment he wakes up between 7-8am and his nap is between 12-2pm. I shoot for 1pm. yesterday he slept nearly 3 hours! He hasn’t done this in a long time.
For me I am taking the stance that bedtime is bedtime and this is when he is put to bed. If all his needs are met, including extra cuddles, he isn’t allowed out of his crib unless it’s for cuddles with me in the rocking chair. The moment he tries to get off of my lap its back into the crib. Sometimes he needs me to rock and sing to him to calm him but I don’t rock/sing him to sleep.
Our normal bedtime routine is a bath followed by a snack and quiet time in the living room with the lights dimmed and TV off. Sometimes he/we read books other times he does puzzles or plays with his cars. I try to avoid noisy toys and horseplay. I notice his activities through out the day will play a role on his level of energy I try to do something in the morning (usually playgroup) and an afternoon/after dinner activity which is a usually a walk to the park.
At the moment he is fighting his nap. He was ready for a nap at 12:45 but I wanted to him to eat as he didn’t eat a very good breakfast. He ate his lunch of macaroni (organic white cheddar opposed to our usual KD) and grapes. I gotta say my kid loves pasta and grapes!
As for the formula, I am going to do 50/50 mixture of formula and milk, he went for this yesterday and get it to 75/25 and eventually get it to 100% milk. He doesn’t care for milk very much. We drink 1% milk in our family I hope this has enough fat in it for him as he is over two now.
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I am stoked! While I was in Vancouver I was able to complete a reading and writing assessment at a college I want to attend. I got my results, and I passed. I didn’t do as well as I had hoped, but I am above the cut off and don’t need to take an English course. What is so shocking about this, I wrote the test after a few shit nights of sleep sharing a room with Aaron at my dad’s. I nearly bagged off the writing portion of the test as I couldn’t keep my eyes open. I did manage to scarf down an apple strudel, banana an peanut bar in the 10 minutes between tests as the cafeteria happened to be open.
The person who marked my test wrote “Well done” on my essay portion. I wonder what s/he was smoking. I thought it was complete crap! My paragraphs were unorganized, but I must have done something write. I chose to write about how my life was changed by technology. (Hello! This was up my alley) I did 3 sub topics car, computer/internet and cell phone. I guess longer was better in my case as I rambled IMO.
I want to take a Unit Clerk course and it may work out to take in Vancouver next year if we can time it while Eric is deployed. I am still not sure where we will be as a couple in coming weeks or months. But I am still planning for my future.
I want to go back to school and am in the process of trying to upgrade for nursing. The Unit Clerk program is 8 months and is filler, something to fall back on. Apparently there is a hiring freeze at the moment so I really will think if I take the course.
Once I upgrade I want to get into nursing. I am trying to do Biology 12 online which is proving to be hard as Aaron isn’t on a schedule and by the time he is sleeping/napping I need to sleep/nap/clean myself. To any young person that may be reading this, let this be a lesson to you. Don’t chat your ass off to your BFF’s in high school when you get the chance to learn, USE IT. I regret this dearly. You’ll regret it later. (If only I could drill this into my 15-year-old nieces head)
So we will see where my professional life/school life goes in the next dew months. I need to bang off biology, math and chem to upgrade for Nursing. God help me!
Showing posts with label Toddlerhood. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Toddlerhood. Show all posts
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Scheduling???
Parenting a toddler is friggin’ exhausting at times. It is very apparent today. Parenting a toddler solo is even harder. What is even more difficult is when Eric gets home from sea and steps in and takes the tough parent approach and we butt heads on parenting. Aaron hasn’t been the easiest lately. He doesn’t eat, he fights sleep, he has a tantrum the second something doesn’t go his way (this is what toddlers do, I know) and is always pushing our buttons.
For me the most frustrating thing about Aaron is the fighting sleep and the no eating. I went to our doctor two weeks ago to discuss Aaron’s eating habits and I was told that I needed to take him off of formula pronto. I give it to him because he’s eats so poorly. My doctor said that toddlers are smart and they will hold out for that bottle. I haven’t cut the bottle (formula) out completely as I don’t do things cold turkey with Aaron. He still gets a bottle before bed. I am doing my best to get him on a schedule. I’ve resisted it for so long being a stay at home mom to a non school age child allows for me to be flexible with our days. I realize that this isn’t in Aaron’s the best interest and am trying to rectify this.
Today I attempted to feed him breakfast of cheerios, fruit juice and a peach, at 8am. He barely ate anything. On the way to play group he had some grapes, and some bread. He didn’t have a snack there as he grazed. I tried to feed him lunch at 12-1230 of rice pilaf with mixed veggies something he eats as well as yogurt. Both went untouched. I had to force the first bite of yogurt on him as I often do have to force him to taste something then he realizes “Hey I like this.” And then he’ll eat it on his own. Today he got so pissed off at me when I did this and made a horrible exaggerated gagging noise that my ears have never had the displeasure of that noise befalling them. I don’t know what his problem the yogurt was sweet enough for his palate.
I don’t force him to eat, I am not that parent. When he is older I will not force him to eat his dinner before he is allowed to leave the table. If he isn’t hungry he doesn’t have to eat, but I will expect him to sit at the table until he rest of the family is done and he won’t be allowed to eat anything else until he eats what he was served for supper.
So I am trying to put him on a schedule… it isn’t easy at the moment he is fighting his nap. He was lying on the floor before lunch with his blanket and soother which he does when he is tired. I wanted him to eat first and he didn’t. I am beginning to wonder if I should’ve put him top bed then, but that doesn’t help him getting on a schedule. I know he wants a bottle, but I am trying to get away from this.
He goes to bed at 9pm. I know this is way too late, and we are trying to whittle it down. Sometimes when he is lying on the ground at 7-730 so we start his bedtime routine, and his bath perks him up. And then by the time we put him to bed he fight sleep for an hour or two. By the time he is asleep I am exhausted and don’t get to do what I intended to. In the last week I have wanted to complete a unit in my biology and apply for a job that requires more effort than hitting submit of an email with my cover letter and resume attached. I’ve done neither.
Said job looks as though is were tailor made for me, and I want it. I think the time has come for me to go back to work, I am just waiting for the right the job and I am being choosey. When I was in Vancouver last week, I applied for 3 jobs off of CL and I had an interview. The job market in Vancouver more penetrable than here. I never took the job nor was offered but it never hurts to have interview experience.
Bottom line is I need this boy on a schedule so I can have my life in more order. If anyone has any advice/assvice pertaining to this or how long it takes to put a strong willed two-year-old on a schedule please enlighten me.
For me the most frustrating thing about Aaron is the fighting sleep and the no eating. I went to our doctor two weeks ago to discuss Aaron’s eating habits and I was told that I needed to take him off of formula pronto. I give it to him because he’s eats so poorly. My doctor said that toddlers are smart and they will hold out for that bottle. I haven’t cut the bottle (formula) out completely as I don’t do things cold turkey with Aaron. He still gets a bottle before bed. I am doing my best to get him on a schedule. I’ve resisted it for so long being a stay at home mom to a non school age child allows for me to be flexible with our days. I realize that this isn’t in Aaron’s the best interest and am trying to rectify this.
Today I attempted to feed him breakfast of cheerios, fruit juice and a peach, at 8am. He barely ate anything. On the way to play group he had some grapes, and some bread. He didn’t have a snack there as he grazed. I tried to feed him lunch at 12-1230 of rice pilaf with mixed veggies something he eats as well as yogurt. Both went untouched. I had to force the first bite of yogurt on him as I often do have to force him to taste something then he realizes “Hey I like this.” And then he’ll eat it on his own. Today he got so pissed off at me when I did this and made a horrible exaggerated gagging noise that my ears have never had the displeasure of that noise befalling them. I don’t know what his problem the yogurt was sweet enough for his palate.
I don’t force him to eat, I am not that parent. When he is older I will not force him to eat his dinner before he is allowed to leave the table. If he isn’t hungry he doesn’t have to eat, but I will expect him to sit at the table until he rest of the family is done and he won’t be allowed to eat anything else until he eats what he was served for supper.
So I am trying to put him on a schedule… it isn’t easy at the moment he is fighting his nap. He was lying on the floor before lunch with his blanket and soother which he does when he is tired. I wanted him to eat first and he didn’t. I am beginning to wonder if I should’ve put him top bed then, but that doesn’t help him getting on a schedule. I know he wants a bottle, but I am trying to get away from this.
He goes to bed at 9pm. I know this is way too late, and we are trying to whittle it down. Sometimes when he is lying on the ground at 7-730 so we start his bedtime routine, and his bath perks him up. And then by the time we put him to bed he fight sleep for an hour or two. By the time he is asleep I am exhausted and don’t get to do what I intended to. In the last week I have wanted to complete a unit in my biology and apply for a job that requires more effort than hitting submit of an email with my cover letter and resume attached. I’ve done neither.
Said job looks as though is were tailor made for me, and I want it. I think the time has come for me to go back to work, I am just waiting for the right the job and I am being choosey. When I was in Vancouver last week, I applied for 3 jobs off of CL and I had an interview. The job market in Vancouver more penetrable than here. I never took the job nor was offered but it never hurts to have interview experience.
Bottom line is I need this boy on a schedule so I can have my life in more order. If anyone has any advice/assvice pertaining to this or how long it takes to put a strong willed two-year-old on a schedule please enlighten me.
Friday, June 11, 2010
Horticulture Anyone?
Who needs a gym membership or to go to hot yoga when you have a toddler to chase after or a big backyard to mow? Aaron was looking out my bedroom window and I was getting after him to not pull our curtains towels down which is ghetto but it’s in the back of the house so no one sees them but us. (When we first moved into our old place we spent $100’s of dollars on window treatments only to move 10 months later and not have them fit) My neighbour asked if he wanted to go play in her backyard with her kids.
I gladly accepted. It was a good opportunity to mow the entire back yard and front yard. And did I sweat. I am not talking about a few inches of grass but at least half a foot. Mowing the lawn is typically Eric’s job, but seeing how he is not here, it falls on me.
I didn’t stop at mowing the lawn; I broke out the hedge clippers and went to town on my front yard. My ward looked like a jungle before I went to town. Now it just looks unkept.
We are renters and our house is a POS, but in a good neighbourhood. Our land lady has let the place go, and there haven’t been any upgrades to the house since it was built some time in the 1950’s. We live here because the rent is a steal, and it was the first viable option when we needed to get out of our old place lickety split.
Typically, I don’t care about a rental as I would if I owned, but I am sick of the curb appeal or lack there of and I want our place to just fit in with the rest of the houses on our street. So I’ve slowly, been trying to get the place looking decent. I haven’t done yard work in my adolescent or adult life! Clearly, horticulture isn’t not my forte I just snip what looks gangly, I don’t take a few snips then stand back check/admire my work as one does when they decorate a Christmas tree. Which I only started doing this two Christmases ago (What do expect from a girl who was raised by a man?) when Eric pointed out that I decorated the tree in clumps and I needed to stand back and check my decorating as his mom taught him. Who knew Christmas trees didn’t just come out looking good when so much thought and care was put into the decorations?
I don’t know the point of this post, but my toddler is in bed which means I can wash away the grim from a day of travelling and yard work and go to bed myself.
I gladly accepted. It was a good opportunity to mow the entire back yard and front yard. And did I sweat. I am not talking about a few inches of grass but at least half a foot. Mowing the lawn is typically Eric’s job, but seeing how he is not here, it falls on me.
I didn’t stop at mowing the lawn; I broke out the hedge clippers and went to town on my front yard. My ward looked like a jungle before I went to town. Now it just looks unkept.
We are renters and our house is a POS, but in a good neighbourhood. Our land lady has let the place go, and there haven’t been any upgrades to the house since it was built some time in the 1950’s. We live here because the rent is a steal, and it was the first viable option when we needed to get out of our old place lickety split.
Typically, I don’t care about a rental as I would if I owned, but I am sick of the curb appeal or lack there of and I want our place to just fit in with the rest of the houses on our street. So I’ve slowly, been trying to get the place looking decent. I haven’t done yard work in my adolescent or adult life! Clearly, horticulture isn’t not my forte I just snip what looks gangly, I don’t take a few snips then stand back check/admire my work as one does when they decorate a Christmas tree. Which I only started doing this two Christmases ago (What do expect from a girl who was raised by a man?) when Eric pointed out that I decorated the tree in clumps and I needed to stand back and check my decorating as his mom taught him. Who knew Christmas trees didn’t just come out looking good when so much thought and care was put into the decorations?
I don’t know the point of this post, but my toddler is in bed which means I can wash away the grim from a day of travelling and yard work and go to bed myself.
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