Swelling and Shoes

One basic thing about being pregnant is that swelling is almost guaranteed.  When and how badly is so widely varied though that I can't claim you'll be a blimp by week X.  My swelling with Alyssa was minor and only towards the end (I ended up being that most dreaded creature--the Crocs wearing person in December!)  My only excuse is that I couldn't reach my legs enough to put winter boots on instead or tie anything unless my husband was home when I needed to get ready.

To avoid that horrifying month of shoe issues I went on the hunt for some shoes that can be slipped on by a woman who can hardly bend over already without losing breath.  (Dang is this kid hanging out high up there!)  What I found has thrilled me.  Delivered just yesterday in my size and to my door are my new Dr. Scholl's shoes!  I love the free shipping that Famous Footwear offers when they don't have your size in stock....Since I tried on a couple pairs of similar shoes I was pretty confident in my size I needed for this brand/style but their return policy that includes running to the store instead of the post office made me so comfortable with this ordering process!  Here are my new black and turquoise shoes that shipped straight to me:

I love the color combo on this pair of Reni's!

And just because I have a hard time passing a sale I got a pair of shoes in the store that day too.  Aren't they cute?!?  They are a wool/poly blend so some really neat texture that most shoes don't give an outfit.  

They had these Fielding ones in stock for me so I couldn't pass on them...I love sales!

I swear I didn't used to be a shoe girl....I'm not sure what's happening to me!  Maybe this little guy in me is draining that balancing amount of testosterone and I'm only left with shoe-fever-inducing estrogen?  Yeah, I'll go with that for now....Now who has a brand suggestion for some cute boots that fit over wide feet and high arches??  HA!

Coin Chart Update

We have been using our Coin Chart for only a few weeks now and got to our first prize relatively quickly (one day without a sticker) with some extra chances to earn back coins on the rough days.  Today I sit here amazed at the progress my toddler has made in such a short time span.  It is a rare day now that I feel overwhelmed by a strong-willed, independent girl who is trying to establish dominance in the house.  The desire to establish control over her area is definitely inherited (*sigh* from me).  It is a requirement for both her and myself in our personalities to feel like we have control over our lives to feel safe.  Having a two year old in complete control however isn't a safe option either.  This method has given her the control she craves and myself the ability to give her more control but still set boundaries that a toddler needs for real safety.

One of my biggest stubborn controls were over the movies that are accessible to her because they are her movies.  She would drag them out with her feet off the shelf and scatter them around the room without a care for tripping, slipping or breaking the movies either.  This was not okay even more so because she would do this strictly as a rebellion (staring straight at me to make sure I saw her do it).  It would always result in either a power struggle or Momma picking them up while Alyssa sat in a time out.  There were no solutions that I could find myself.  Less than a week into the Coins and she dumped her movies again.  I only had to tell her that either she picked up her movies or Momma will pick them up and she would have to give me a coin for it.  Movies now sit on the shelf and if she tips them over (they are on a lower TV stand shelf) without thinking about it she apologizes and fixes it herself!  This is crazy progress in my opinion.

I love this method and have already introduced it to other parents I have met/know.  We are four stickers away from goal/prize #2 and Alyssa is very excited to count the empty squares she needs to fill before getting a prize.  (The counting abilities in my two year old has improved like crazy with this motivated learning too!  Can we say "side perk"?!)

Local Tourism: Science Museum, Sealife, and Trains

We had such a busy, family-filled weekend!  The in-laws came down to our area for the weekend so tourism was the name of the game.  There was a model train museum, meals out, a science museum and an aquarium not to mention the hotel pool time.  All of this packed into a Friday night and Saturday with a pack of 10 (three being kids 5 and under).

The Science Museum of Minnesota is always a blast for any age that can run around and likes to look at things that move.  Alyssa was the only little one joining us Friday night as the plan was for the Tornado Alley movie going on in the Omnitheater.  This being a dark, loud movie about storms (not to mention Momma's aversion to motion sickness) Alyssa and I opted to go play around the interactive area on the third floor while the others went to the movie.  There were lenses, electrical currents, wave machine, lights, colors and all sorts of other science-y stuff that I'm sure I learned back in junior high with enough detail to pass on some understanding of what we were playing with if we had spent more than 2-3minutes at each station before being toddler distracted by the next neat looking thing!  All of these neat, educational and interactive displays were fun but the biggest joys were the displays of dinosaur skeletons.  I guess it is genetically ingrained in the human species to be amazed by the strange and large skeletal displays of creatures that could have either squashed, smashed or eaten us had they been fleshed out still.

There is a sorry lack of pictures from all these events.  I forgot my camera at home both days and Alyssa wasn't going to slow down in the excitement to take pictures for my cell phone.  Since we love the aquarium and museum I'm sure there will be more chances for pictures in later posts though.

The Sealife Aquarium located in the MOA (Mall of America) is lots of fun though being a local I'd advise a daytime weekday trip to avoid the masses.  Alyssa's favorite part is always right at the beginning--a tank of stingrays who swim around trying to get as close as they can to your hands even though there is a very thick tank between you.  Years ago they had the stingrays in a petting tank and you could 'pet' them (run one or two fingers along their back--no touching of the tails or wings please).  The workers described them like cats.  They loved the petting if you followed the rules.  Of course those rules were broken frequently and people were removed from the aquarium and the petting tank was removed eventually to keep the animals from undue stress thankfully.  If you ever get a chance I do recommend stopping and walking through the tunnel where you can see the sharks and sea turtles and other crazy fish swim over your heads.  Well, so long as you're not afraid of being in a long tunnel with water around and above you...my grandmother wouldn't do well in this tunnel.

The model trains were neat but as the younger kids require constant supervision to make sure they don't try to grab the 'toys' this was more for the teens and adults in our group.  There are displays in two different buildings so don't forget to ask how to get to the other sections!  Alyssa was riding shoulders so she could see all the displays but not get too close to mess them up.  She did really well when she wasn't on shoulders but the constant concern and watching was more aggravating than letting her walk was worth.  There were buttons to press on the side of a lot of the displays to light up various pieces but the trains were running without audience participation overall.  There were tables of wooden tracks for kids to play with and even a couple simple Thomas the Train setups so they could drive some electric trains (with adult supervision of course).  If you make sure to time your trip to your younger child's good behavior times your trip will be very fun.  Final tip:  GPS.  You will have a heck of a time finding this place without one.

Grossness Part 2 (Delivery and Recovery)

WARNING Con't:  If you are squeamish in the least or you like rose-colored glasses concerning the miracle of life, don't read this.  Pregnancy is a messy, painful and sometimes downright gross process to get a cute little baby at the end.

The grossness continues from your pregnancy to delivery and even during your recovery.  Sorry to give you all this 'bad news'.  I will tell you now, I didn't know about a couple of the worst ones and they freaked me out.  I would've loved a TMI moment to prep me for one specific event in the hospital the day after delivery. You'll know better if it happens to you.

Delivery:

1. All in all you probably know what is coming here.  Whether you go into labor naturally or are induced your water will break and it will feel odd and if you're not induced it'll likely be a little grosser than being 'popped' over the garbage at the end of your hospital bed.  If you have a c-section scheduled and nothing happens before then you get to skip this rather odd sensation.
2. You might lose control of a few bodily functions in labor.  While I will be forever grateful that I didn't poop during my pushing, I puked enough to impress my nurse thoroughly.  That was horrible as I hate HATE throwing up.  Oh, you're still stuck on the idea you might poop on the bed/table?  Yeah....that was my favorite discovery from the various research I did prior to our induction.  I was terrified that I would do that--never even thought that I might get sick instead.
3. If no one has clued you in yet, the baby that comes out of you will NOT look like a baby on most TV shows.  (I can hear the majority of you going DUH and I'm right there with you.)  If this shocks you, please turn on some TLC shows instead of prime time hits.
4. Related to #3--it is okay to think your precious new bundle looks like a purple squishball all gunked up.  Since it is entirely possible that they DO look just like that there is no shame in it.  You will still treasure the picture of that gunky squishball on your chest and show it to all those out there who have no interest in a picture of your child until after the first bath.
5. If there were any issues during delivery that required cutting or stitching you're stuck laying there afterwards while you get patched up.  Most of this gets to be done while you are too busy staring at that squishball so you have an excellent distraction.  If you allow your baby to go for the APGAR testing and other things (and depending on severity) you might be there with the doctor long after your baby has even left for the nursery with your partner.  This may not be particularly gross but it can be awkward if you didn't think ahead to that possibility.  I actually didn't really know why the doctor was still down there after my baby was run off (turns out the damage was awful on me but no one told me that day).

Post Delivery:

1. You will BLEED.  Don't think you've bled from a period until after giving birth.  I always had very heavy periods and was amazed at the amount of red that would come out monthly.  This makes you wonder if you need a transfusion rather than another ten pads or so.  I'm told there is just as much blood post c-section.  I'll find that out later and see if I can get by on less than a year's supply of pads (okay, it was more like 4 months) in 2 months this time.
2. Those gas pains during your pregnancy?  They're not gone yet!  This isn't really scary unless you've been told that you had a fourth degree tear (that would be a tear from vag to rectum and all the muscles in between).  You hear that and you become instantly fearful of all farts and poops for months.
3. Here is the one that I wish someone had told me about in advance...on par with the bleeding--I was waddling to the bathroom in my fancy new mesh undies and jumbo pad with my tucks (the joy and relief that can be found with tucks deserves a post all of its own!).  I get to the bathroom and pull down my meshies to sit and something drops.  All I felt was something fall out of me.  I look down at my meshies and here is a glob of deep red jello the size (LITERALLY) of a racquetball ball.  That would be larger than golf and smaller than tennis.  After freaking out and dumping the meshie, pad and glob into the trash I figured out from the nurse that it was a clot of blood and though quite large in size, still normal.  Brace yourselves for any clots of any size and just make sure to tell your nurse so they know that it happened.
4. If you breastfeed the leaking boobs are a godsend and I wish them on you for many many months.  If you don't, start buying up the nursing pads and feel free to double up for a couple days at least until your body gets the message that you're not using those juices right.  I leaked for a couple weeks but only mildly.

Sadly, don't think the grossness ends here.  If you are morbidly curious you can take a mirror and look at the damage but know this--it looks like a swollen red WARZONE.  Your body just did battle with itself and passing the largest thing it is capable of (until your next kid anyways).  There were casualties.  There is a reason I barely felt that clot fall even though it was large....I looked because I was told the day I left the hospital that I had a 4th degree tear and that was why I had needed so much pain meds the last couple days.  Brilliant timing right?  Hey, sign this to be released and by the way you should probably fear pooping for the next 6 or more weeks....I was already scared of the next BM because I was in pain, I just didn't know the extent of why I should fear it.

If you don't go investigating your battle scars, then you get to skip that lovely visual and move straight into diapers, spit rags and general baby messes that can almost put to shame the warzone you didn't look at.  It really is a good thing that those kids are so dang cute!

Grossness Part 1 (Pregnancy)

WARNING:  If you are squeamish in the least or you like rose-colored glasses concerning the miracle of life, don't read this.  Pregnancy is a messy, painful and sometimes downright gross process to get a cute little baby at the end.

I'd love to tell you that pregnancy is nothing but rainbows and unicorns when considering the fact that it is meant to end with a new addition to a loving family and that cherished baby is "cute", "adorable", or "awww" depending on the viewers reaction to the newborn.  I REALLY wish I could tell you that you don't remember any of the discomforts or grossness that can (and does) accompany just about any pregnancy.  Too bad I don't like to lie.

Time does fade the facts of previous pregnancies and not all of them will (thankfully) apply each time you decide to go through it.  Most of my memories of my first pregnancy are of hip pain and morning sickness lasting through more than half of the whole thing.  Of course I also remember lots of internal bullying ranging from kidney shots to rib jabs to MY BLADDER ISN'T A BOUNCY HOUSE!  All I know is that my chiropractor saved my sanity and a lot of tears of pain when it came down to my hip.  I could barely walk without tears sliding down my face by the time I found a chiro in my area.  I was well under the halfway mark of the pregnancy that time around and we coordinated our chiro appts to my prenatal appts (once a month, then every two weeks, then every week).  It was wonderful.  This time my hip has been a lot better though most of that has to do with not working on concrete floors for 8 hour shifts any day that I wasn't walking all over campus getting to and from classes (plus any short shifts after classes).  I still have my days of too-much-to-handle and need to lay down and hope my toddler will be happy with Nick or Disney Jr. shows.  I'd like to note that my morning sickness this time was practically non-existent (WIN!).  See?  There is always hope for the next pregnancy.

All right, time to make that warning work...Gross stuff that they don't tell you in advance:

• You will fart.  A Lot.
• You will leak.  You thought you just scored a break from those pads and tampons...You only get a tampon break really.  Stock up on those panty liners and you may as well be prepared for baby by getting yourself some butt cream now because I had the first "diaper" rash between Alyssa and me.
• You will leak.  Oh yes, you have too many holes to not have this one mentioned in a new and fun way.  Some of us have over-achieving body parts and the boob leaking begins randomly before baby comes.  I especially liked waking up with wet spots on my shirt and bedding too perfectly placed to be anything but boob leakage.  Fix:  get a comfy bedtime bra and buy some Nuk Nursing Pads.  (As a formula feeder I didn't know I'd need these until I woke up to that lovely sight almost a month before Alyssa came along.)
• You will leak.  Another one???  Yes!  In the form of snissing.  Do you love new words?  I sure do.  Start your Kegels now.  I was told much too late about this one.  You will possibly have a horrible feeling come over you just as you sneeze that something has gone wrong.  I really hope you are at home when you learn how to cross your legs and brace yourself (and have already started wearing those pads again!) because without those Kegels, snissing is almost a given.  Did you figure out what snissing is yet?
• You will WANT to fart...or burp.  If you've ever had gas pain before, you have a good idea where this is going.  Now put a foot long (and growing) object on top of your intestines blocking as much room as it can.  Are you holding your stomach and crying yet?  I seriously hope you never have that bad of gas pains that you cry but know that it could happen (and does for some of us).

Those are the main ones that I wasn't informed of until I started looking to see if it is normal or not.  (Kegels I luckily stumbled upon in a pregnancy chat board before I knew I needed them but the crossing legs trick and bracing helps with round ligament pains anyways so use it.)  I might share some lovely (or less than lovely) parts of delivery later...the grossness continues!

Favorite Baby Things

Everyone has this list.  Anyone who has Pinterest and is or is planning to be pregnant has a list pinned (or ten).  Every list is different and every list is both right and wrong.

No amount of lists will have you prepared for Baby.  Embrace that fact and you will feel better about getting overwhelmed later knowing full well that you are allowed to be overwhelmed.  That said, every mother has a list of things she LOVES (and a longer list of things she LOATHES) and an innate desire to share said lists.  I am no exception so here you go!

1. Boppy  --I don't think I've seen a list without this item or a similar one.  I'm not a breast feeder so don't think it isn't for you just based on your feeding method of choice.  First Boppy tip:  Get it early.  You can use it to lay on your stomach for a few minutes of bliss after you've lost the ability to do so without squishing an inside baby into all your soft organs.  After you get too big to use it for that your arms will learn to love it during all those middle of the night feedings when you can't seem to find the strength for lifting a diaper let alone a baby.  Finally it becomes a wonderful pillow for your child as they age.  I've seen some people use it as tummy time practice but I found it a little too big for that purpose until she had her head control down and didn't require the tummy time so much as the propping help to learn to sit.
2. Aquaphor Baby Healing Ointment (butt cream)  --Alyssa was prone to diaper rash.  The zinc based creams dried out her skin which is the point but they did it so well for her that her butt cracked/chapped and bled.  The pediatrician told us to try this brand because it is not zinc based and it was so much better for her bum.  It took a little longer for the rash to clear up but the pain and chapping was no longer a problem.
3. Swaddle Blankets!  I LOVE the Aden and Anais cotton/muslin swaddle blankets that we got after realizing that our newborn was too big for plain receiving blankets for more than a week.  I did NOT love the price tag though.  Imagine my pure joy at discovering the same type (they feel the same to me in store and the material is muslin just like A&A) of blankets being offered by Carter's for much less cost!
4. Baby Einstein Music and Discover Travel Mirror  --This was my car ride savior but I would love if it had a remote start like some different brands do.  I was happy enough with a nice long timer on it though.  Just don't expect to actually see your kid in those mirrors because they aren't mirror quality that really works for more than baby to look into for fun.  It really is the music and lights that make this a favorite.
5. Dr. Bloom's Chewable Jewels  --If your child wants every bracelet he/she can reach, you may want one or two of these.  We did the necklace to keep things from falling to the ground quite so often.
6. Pacifier wipes  --I know, I know.  How dumb that these are on my list.  My original thought was okay, neat, food safe but I can just use a baby wipe or rinse it off.  How often do you think you are actually near a sink or water fountain when you need one?  As for the baby wipe idea that I had....well, you wipe a nuk or a teether down with one and stick it in your mouth and see how that tastes.  I used them mostly during the time period that they had no control over their own mouths and couldn't keep their toys or nuks where they were supposed to be.
7. Hyland's Teething Tablets  --I was prepared for teething.  I had all the orajel one kid could possibly consume during teeth coming in for both baby set and adult set!  Of course this only meant that my child stubbornly did not respond to orajel once.  It didn't help one ounce.  I don't even remember if I found these on the shelf at Target or if I found them on a forum first but they were MAGIC.  (Use what works for your child because I'm told that each one could be different for what works...stubborn kids.)
8. Cozy Cover --This is for babies in infant carriers during the really cold months.  Alyssa--December baby.  Baby #2--January baby (barring any early deliveries that would be TOO early).  Why do I love this thing?  I think you can see why this is a smart (and SAFE) option to keep ittybitty baby warmer/out of of the winter winds.
9. Ear Thermometer  (We got this way later after too many fights over a normal one.  Little did we know that this would make Dr. appointments less scary too for Alyssa!)
10. White Noise Machine  --any brand, any price, any look.  Just get one so you don't become that parent who can only whisper and tiptoe during naptime or bedtime.  Alyssa likes the river and rain settings still at age 2.  Short of colic I refuse to be the parent who says "SHHHH! The baby is sleeping!"  Well, to anyone but the barking dog.  I fully believe that her ability to sleep on the living room floor while three adults converse at normal to just below normal tones is due to that machine.
11. Cloth Diapers  --I love my disposable diapers for the butts but there is no burp/spit rag better than one intended for the other end!  Just learn from me and do not get the gauzy ones because they bunch up faster through washing machine loads.

Lazyhate...New Word!

Source: Uploaded by user via Katie on Pinterest

Pinterest....I'm not even sure what vocal inflection I would put on that word.  It is very much a love-lazyhate relationship.  I love all the ideas and the sorting of things from almost anywhere on the web.  The drawback to this whole process is that I collect crafts because I LOVE so many of them and then what do I do with them?  I sort them into their "Boards" and go back to look at them every so often.  My "lazyhate" kicks in right about here.  I have made a total of ONE craft item (well, I made two of them but only because I had enough supplies to make a second at the same time).  I have HUNDREDS of things pinned that I want to make--THOUSANDS if you look at the organizing projects and recipes and decorating ideas too.  I have lazily accomplished two non-food pins and one happens to be that Coin Chart you have recently seen me talking about.  Lazyhate....it's a good word.  Pinterest is best used by the motivated.

So I'll keep pinning until the day I become that motivated person I would love to be (but haven't been motivated enough to become!).  HA!  I do think I'll dig out a neat crafty pin to play with this week though.  Maybe I can make myself be one of the motivated.  ;)

What I can't decide now is if this would motivate or depress me:

Fitbit Ultra--Product Review

The Fitbit Ultra

This nifty little pedometer does so much more than count your steps for you (which will explain the price difference, I promise!).  This piece of technology as a basic workout buddy seems great to one who does not workout.  It counts steps, elevation (floors climbed!), distance, calories burned, how active you were (it can sense how fast you're moving at different times of the day and break it down into % Sedentary, Mild, Moderate, Active!).  Honestly, these things are neat but not what my primary use for this device is.  I use it to track sleep.

Yes, I took a nice and not-very-cheap pedometer and I track my sleep with it.  No, really!!  It comes with a wristband to do this for me!  How??  Well, if you are in a deep sleep, you don't roll, lift your arm to swat something, bring your hand up under your chin as a pillow, etc.  If you are getting the deep sleep you need for your body to recover, you will lay still much more of the time than tossing and turning.  Seems pretty basic, right?

Over a year ago I had a medical sleep study done.  I spent two weeks with a wristwatch strapped to my arm and you press a button to tell it when you are going to sleep.  You do not press it when you climb in bed but when you turn out the lights after putting away your computer, the tv, your iPad, your books, etc.  You press it only when you lay your head on your pillow and close your eyes in an attempt to sleep.  The watch process was followed by an overnight study in the sleep clinic with wires and electrodes glued to my body and head....lots of fun.  The results however were less fun than peeling glue out of my hair for the next couple days.  I have a sleeping disorder with no discernible cause.  I spend significantly less time in REM than required by the average person.  I can sleep for 16hrs+ and not feel like I have had 4hrs yet.  My brain (according to electrode readings) wakes up an average of 13 times per hour in the night but I remain 'asleep' for them.

All-in-all I am basically constantly sleep deprived no matter how much time I spend asleep.  Fun, right?

Well, I stumbled upon this Fitbit gadget while looking for some neat gym tools for my hubby.  I had no idea something out on the market would measure my sleep like that watch did for the doctors...and I was excited!  I didn't think I'd ever get to track how I'm sleeping on my own short of filming it and watching every night for movements to get some idea of my sleep patterns.

The Fitbit has a thirty day return policy so I decided it was worth a shot to compare how it reads to how I know my sleep roughly goes.  It works just like that wristwatch for the user--press that button when you sleep and when you wake.  That was slick and the wristband that it goes into for nighttime tracking is pretty comfy too so I have no issues wearing it at night (comparatively I cannot stand to wear a watch or bracelet normally even if I'm laying down with my toddler to watch a movie).  When it came to tracking the sleep info, you get that online.  Their site has their trackers free with the purchase of the device (there are upgraded features if you buy the annual membership that seem worth the price if you are using this for tracking workouts and diets too but I figured I'd wait until after my pregnancy to start that stuff and hold off on paying the membership until then too).

I decided to start on the "normal" setting for sleep tracking first to get an idea of how well it tracks.  The first week I used it was interesting in the results.  It said I was sleeping very well.  Every tracking that it registered me as 'awake' I could remember.  That means I was both mentally and physically awake during that time.  A few of them were bathroom trips or rolling over to get my back comfortable again, others were during the time that my hubby was getting ready for work or whatnot.  This was quite accurate but not what I needed from the tracker (but I started loving the pedometer features during this first week too).  I kept it on the "normal" setting until last night and nothing really changed during my "normal" trial time.  I remembered most of the 'awake' times.  Now I am switching to the "sensitive" setting and last night it showed me that it is very similar to that wristwatch!  I am excited (and sad) to say that the results were very similar to those the doctor went over with me a year+ ago.  Now, last night could have just really sucked, or it could be exactly what I'm expecting because I haven't felt THAT different that I could be sleeping with 90%+ efficiency instead of the 50%'s that are typical for me.

I'll let you know how this next week or so goes but overall, I am super impressed with this product and wanted to share it with everyone in case you might be looking for something with any of these benefits...

**This is my own opinion of the Fitbit Ultra and I received no freebies/discounts for a review.  This blog is not affiliated, endorsed, supported, or sponsored by Fitbit or any related companies.**

*I purchased my Fitbit Ultra from Best Buy where they happen to carry almost the whole line of Fitbit products.*

Quick Coin Update

Three days into the Coin Chart experience and day 1 was a good day.  She was very excited to put a sticker on the chart before bed (though it was a last minute opportunity to earn back the final coin).  The next day started out very well and she kept all her coins until after lunch.  She only lost one before nap time.  Then we had meltdown after misbehavior after hitting etc.  We lost all six coins yesterday (day 2) and lost her "my shows" which are basically all cartoons available on TV or movies.  She obviously did not get a sticker and it was not a favorite experience.  She did not do very well because nap time did not involve any amount of actual sleep.  I tried giving her ample chances to earn her coins back and more often she ended up losing another (based on hitting or throwing etc).

We were determined to have a good third day though!  She lost three coins this morning again...Then we were finally (FINALLY) out the door to do our errands and she had an amazingly cooperative time and lunch!  So much so that she earned two coins back, which were returned to her cubby promptly upon our return home.  She was very happy with this and went down for her nap without a real fight (just a little bit of over-tired whining because naughty parents took too long to get home from errands).  That very well might earn her the last coin back because naps and bedtimes have been a struggle for months and I'd love for this good behavior to continue!  We will of course see how she wakes up from nap but that usually isn't a problem.  To start the afternoon (after a good sleep) with all six coins should make for a relatively nice night but those tricky toddlers love to prove a parent wrong so we will have to see.

Coin Chart--Reining in the Challenging Toddler

Can you give me a minute to explain this cazily excited two-year-old?

Some background on our toddler:

She is JUST LIKE ME.  The problem this has is that she hasn't got the filters that are a learned process.  Traits that are hard-wired into myself and now my daughter are our stubbornness, strong-willed, independent, and very certain about ourselves and what is right.  My kindergarten teacher called it "confidence" when telling my parents that it will be a good thing down the road (but a trial until then).

This need for control in our own lives is especially strong for this personality type.  Lack of control is very stressful and oftentimes scary for us.  We rebel to retain our control if we feel that we are losing too much of that precious commodity.

Finding a balance between allowing a two year old to have that control that she needs to feel secure and being a parent in control of that child also, well...that is what we are continuously working on.  It really isn't a one process thing because we are on our first kid and trial and error is the name of that game in every family (and for every child I'm told).

So, that excited kid pictured above?  Trial #3982350895oiwjf02894tyu2498....  So far it looks good huh?

That is a Coin Chart (behavioral reward/consequence learning tool).  **Credit must go to another blogger found via Pinterest**  She inspired me with her process and shared it with all of us so that we could adapt it to our families too which is exactly what we are doing!  The chart in our picture is finished and I will describe it later.

An overview:  I suggest reading the link to the other blog for it to be more developed description but here we go...Your child gets six coins every morning to start.  The daily goal is to have all six coins still at the end of the day.  During the day they have to 'pay' coins when they misbehave.  They have a chance to 'earn' their coins back by behaving well.  If they lose all six coins during the day there is a consequence (tailored to the child) that has to be REALLY bad...no tv, lose a toy, etc.  This consequence starts the instant they lose coin #6 and goes for the rest of the day.  There is no earning your coins back if you lose all six but you start again in the morning with all six coins so just keep reminding them there is a fresh start the next day.

If they kept or earned back their coins so they have ALL six coins at the end of the day, they get a sticker on their chart!  This is the long-term part of the system.  10 stickers gets you a goal/prize.  This means 10 days of having all coins at the end of the day.  (Not 10 days in a row but a total of 10 days...we count good things!)  Goals should be exciting and special and tailored to the child too!  Examples--trip to the zoo, special toy that they wanted from the store, going out for ice cream, etc.  Whatever your kid gets excited about (within reason).  As they get older the original blogger has a money value attached to the goal and they can save up goals to get what they want!  NEAT!

So here is our chart (modified because I'm stubborn like that).  We broke out the Cricut because I wanted it to be really nice looking in the hopes that we can use this same chart for years (just updating the decorations and coins).  While shopping for the supplies Alyssa got to pick out stickers for that side area and she chose Mickey and Friends.  We decided the coins for her based on those stickers since she has a tough time choosing things out of unlimited choices.  Our insanity:  We did Cricut Mickey and Friends for the coins.  A fun project that turned out pretty well but at 2.5" my poor hubby was very challenged to put them together...it took hours because of the small size for the coins.  The coins are 3.25" total diameter.

Mickey and Friends Cricut--Awesome job my hubby did!!

The poster is a full sized poster board that we covered in different papers to make it look less plain.  That white space (later filled by pink and purple) is 17"x20" in case you wanted dimensions for some reason.  If you want complete dimensions from me, let me know.

Our sticker chart piece is removable when full so that we can replace it without gluing more and more layers to it.  I used photo corners and a tacky/removable poster stuff (in the middle) to make it work like that.

The coins, we tried to use wooden circles (available at most craft stores very inexpensive) to give them a little more durability in the hands of a toddler but those are too thick to laminate.  Solution: thoroughly sand the edges to a rounded disk and only laminate the front and back OR don't use the wooden discs and just laminate paper coins.

Day One:  Introduce coins!  This is clearly a very exciting thing to a two year old girl who LOVES Mickey Mouse Clubhouse.

She has lost and earned coins today a few times but we will try our hardest to find lots of good things to earn all the coins by the end of the day to get that first sticker!!  We are going to push the good stuff in hopes that we can reach a goal ASAP to really get this system rolling and fully understood.  I'll keep you updated on how this process works for us.

Consider this a fresh start and a recap!

Wow...Obviously I've been neglecting my blogging.  We are going through some crazy changes around here and it has been a bit of a whirlwind since I last posted.

Hubby got a new job after having been deployed (which you rode along with us here).

Our family is growing in January.  (A baby brother!)

Previously mentioned new job caused a long distance family situation for about 3 months.  Papa/Hubby lived on a friend's couch during this time about 270miles away from us and came home most weekends while we tried to sell our house and relocate...Oh yeah--heavy lifting such as packing boxes and moving them is frowned upon during pregnancy I'm told so that slowed this process down even more being the only adult in our household on a day-to-day basis again.

The sale of the house was delayed by city regulation stipulations being disputed BY A NEIGHBOR...We won't go into details because I don't want to get riled up right now ;)

Sale went through and an offer was placed on a short sale in the new location which took over two months to hear nothing.  Yay....

We are back to living in an apartment but together finally and looking again at houses in the area in hopes we can find the house we need for our growing family!

All this done with our two year old daughter who has discovered that being two is very tough.  I hope to keep up with this blog now (minus whenever we finally do move into a new house--that transition time) that life is settling in again.  Enjoy our adventures in toddlerhood and down the road adventures of dual children houses!