Month: May 2016

Because of Peppa Pig I Didn’t Think My Daughter Was Really Sick (its not as bad as I made it sound, at least I hope not)

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Because of Peppa Pig I Didn't Think My Daughter Was Really Sick (its not as bad as I made it sound, at least I hope not)So this has been an interesting couple of weeks!  We went through sickness, and potty training all at once.  As I am writing this, with the wonderful feeling that this season has passed, Chris is now coming down with a cold.  Poor guy, I hope I’m not next!  By the way the potty training was for Arwen, not Chris or myself.  Just in case you were wondering.

Almost two weeks ago Arwen randomly woke up saying she didn’t feel very well. I was a complete jerk, not to her, but in my head I didn’t believe her. Not because I am mean mom, but she saw an episode of Peppa Pig, where Peppa says she doesn’t feel very well, and ever since then, Arwen says that at least 5 times a day, so I thought this was 1 out of the 5 times I was going to hear it that day.  I just said “I’m sorry.” I scooped her up and brought her into my bed because it was super early for her to be up (that should have been my first clue).   Within 5 minutes I found out very quickly that she wasn’t playing, because she started throwing up.  At the first moment of what I heard was coming I grabbed her so quickly and tried to rush her to the bathroom, we didn’t make it, but I was super impressed with my speed.  Poor little thing, it’s the worse to see her sick.

A few months ago we all got the nasty flu that was going around, and it was going through all of our friends as well.  To keep this flu under control we decided, even though her fever went away and she was herself again, that we would be staying home for a week to hopefully not have this cycle of everyone passing to it each other again happen.  For me, staying in the house for more than a day is torture to my soul, but I wanted to make sure she was healthy so staying in is what we did.

It’s funny, I am home with Arwen all the time, and we bond, but staying in and not hanging out with anyone else besides each other, except of course my husband when he got home, was an amazing bonding experience for us.  There was no going out, doing things outside of the house (with the exception of a few trips to the store).  With not having anything breaking up our quality time together we really bonded.  That is funny to say since she is only two, but she has some great thoughts, and such a great personally, which I already knew, but there were no interruptions with our time so I got to experience it even more with my attention not being on driving, or shopping, or making sure she doesn’t go touch dog poop on our walks (she is obsessed with poop), I really just got to sit without feeling guilty of  not cleaning and spending time just on her. This was a great week, well not her being sick, but the time together.

The first day I discovered she is a lot like my husband.  My husband is very tidy and isn’t a huge fan of messes, were I can kind of live with it a bit better.  But Arwen is the same way, which I knew to an extent.  If she is done eating she HAS to put her dishes away (most of the time), and I am sure that won’t last forever.  When Arwen was getting sick I had her throw up in a bowl, which I was surprised to discover she is a pro at!  There was one time we didn’t make it the bowl in time, and she was so angry about it, she kept just yelling for the bowl.  I was super impressed with that.  We watched “Frozen” at least 4 times, and of course “Peppa Pig.”  We talked, and just played.

The next day she was so much better, and since we had decided that we would be staying in the next few days anyways, we decided to potty train.  I got her charts ready, stickers, prizes, bribes and everything ready to go.  She did such a great job!  We only had a few accidents in the first two days.  I am happy to say she now does not wear a pull up, except to bed, and she has only had two accidents.  That accident unfortunately for our friends Peter and Janiele, were with them.  Just when we thought she was all better, she got a horrible cold just as we were going to step back into the world of other people, so were stuck being home for over a week.  It was totally worth it so she would get better, but by the week mark we both felt very bonded together and were both ready for other people to enter our lives again.  With that, Chris and I needed a date so our friends watched her for us.  I was a bit too confident I think, and let them know that there have been no accidents for 5 days.  Within an hour of our date I got a call about the couple accidents that had happened.  Although I know that’s a part of learning to use the potty, the way they explained one of my daughters accidents, it’s like she did it in rebellion to us going out.  I do get it, I think she wanted to go out too, she is like me that way and can’t be in the house too long.  Knowing that about her I took her to the  zoo that day, so maybe she just wanted to be animal, who knows.

All that to say, it was sad to see  her sick, but to see her so proud of herself for her new accomplishment in life of using the potty is wonderful.

P.S. I did realize I love the stuff that toddlers can say and get away with.  An upcoming blog will be the discoveries I have made saying the same stuff to my friends that my daughter says, and some strangers and their reactions.  Such a double standard that it is socially acceptable to announce  you “pooped in the potty” as a toddler, but frowned upon when you say it as an adult 😉

Holiday

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-We are going on holiday.-Sorry that I haven’t recently blogged.  Chris got a new job, so before he started we were spending a lot of family time together.

We were able to go on “holiday” which is what Arwen calls a vacation since that is what Peppa Pig calls it. Who am I kidding? Chris and I call it holiday too because of Peppa Pig.  It was really a “workcation” for Chris though.  Chris recently got a new job and was training and Arwen and I were able to tag along with him.

My husband had been off work for 2 months, and we really enjoyed having him home with us. It was an adjustment to remember that I am used to having Arwen all day by myself.  It almost felt like we were starting over and Arwen and I were both trying to remember how we used to be by ourselves without Chris.  If we were going to start relearning this, doing it in San Diego was the place to do it!

We had found out there was a pool and we were so excited to pretty much hangout by the pool all day. Literally the week leading up to our “holiday” we talked about the pool, got a swim diaper and a vest for floating (for Arwen, not myself in case you were wondering). Sadly,  when we got to the hotel though the pool was being renovated so my plans of splashing in the pool quickly went out the window, or down the drain I guess we could say.  Trying to explain that plans change to a toddler that can see a pool, yet you are saying it’s “broken” and she can’t go in it, while on the ground screaming, is interesting, especially when you feel the same way she does, and you also want to be on the ground screaming.  I then knew we had to get creative quickly.  Luckily there was an aquarium close by so we had fun.  I also had a lot of fun conversations with Arwen.  She wanted to know the name of the street we were on, each time we were on a new street, and play “I spy” while driving.  Every time I guessed the correct item she would say “no, that’s not what I spy,” and then 8 guesses later she tells me what she was spying with her little eye, was what I said in my first guess.  While driving the song “God Blessed The Broken Road” came on, which is a special song for Chris and I.  I told Arwen that her daddy and I love this song, and she said in the sweetest voice, “awww that is so sweet.”  That made my day for some reason. Anyways, it seemed to be the same conversations in a different location, which made it all even more fun than usually. Well really, I love hearing what is in her head, so it’s always fun.

Our friends had asked when we got back if we were able to relax.  The answer was “NO WAY.” Not that we won’t do it again, I will do it over and over, but trying to entertain a toddler in an apartment is one task, but to try to entertain them in a Hotel room is another, and it’s tiring.  We were all in bed by 9pm, which is crazy for me personally.  Luckily she made tons of friends with all of the workers at the Hotel so that kept us both entertained for awhile.

Arwen is small, but LOVES food, so it is only natural that she became quick friends with the manager who ran the breakfast buffet.  The sweet lady would bring her snacks for the day, and brought her donuts.  Arwen takes after me with her love for donuts.  She then would talk to all the people at the front desk, and try to get them to take off their shoes so she could steal them.  She has an obsession with shoes, especially high heels.  You may think I am stretching the truth when I say this, but she walks better in high heels then I do.  Sadly that is the full truth.  I don’t even mean high heels that are meant for little girls, I mean adult high heels.  There is so much I can learn from her!

When we were leaving from San Diego, Chris had to leave around 6am to make sure he made it on time to the training, and since check-in wasn’t until 3pm Arwen and I left later in the day.  I am used to being with Arwen all day (minus these last 2 months), and it’s normal and fine, but there was something so different and scary to be in a new place, on my own with her (you know, for that half a day).  When we go on “holiday,” Chris is the master packer.  He can pack our car perfectly.  This time I had to do it, while explaining 459454958 times to Arwen she had to stay on the sidewalk because cars can’t really see her and I don’t want her to get hit by a car.  She would then ask “why?” 459454958 times and the cycle continued until I had that silly car (which is named Carl) packed up.  Once we got to the hotel, the same cycle happened when I had to unload the car and explain 459454958 times why she had to stay by me in a parking lot.  I had her carry things while I pushed the luggage rack to our room.  While trying to do this, I got stuck trying to turn corners, I got stuck trying to get on an elevator and trying to get Arwen on the elevator at the same time. The couple in front of us could see the struggle was real, and I probably still wouldn’t be in our room if it wasn’t for their help.  We finally got to our room, thanks to that nice couple I am so thankful for them!

Arwen and I also left a day earlier from the Hotel then Chris did, due to a commitment I had, I also had to pack all our stuff and get it back in the car, but this time I put Arwen on the luggage rack with the items, and we both realized what an awesome idea that was.  I still struggled and jammed the cart into door frames, but at least I didn’t also have to keep telling Arwen to not try to take off peoples shoes, and to stay next to me in a parking lot.  When we were done, we both giggled and high fived because I felt that was such an achievement, I think she did too.

This achievement of course is so silly, and there are parents out there who do this stuff on their own 24/7.  Can I just tell you, I really admire you, and you are awesome!  I did it by myself for maybe half a day, and I am used to doing it half days, but going to a new place was a challenge, and I just kept thinking of anyone who has to raise a child by themselves for whatever the reason, you are amazing.  AMAZING!!!

Did I mention you are AMAZING?

“Can I See Pictures of Baby Arie?”

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but I still need my

 

Like a lot of parents, I seem to post an overload of pictures of who I feel is the most beautiful daughter in the world (if you were wondering, I mean Arwen, my own daughter). To me everything she does is a moment to capture either on video or with pictures.  I feel like I can’t get enough, and I am realizing I have created a monster.  Arwen is used to so many pictures being taken of her that when she is bored she will ask anyone with a phone (so everyone), if she can see pictures of “baby Arie.”  She asked the lady at the store to show her picture of baby Arie, and I had to explain that not everyone has pictures of her, so I am realizing I have created a bit of a monster.  She asks this so much that my husband I got her a photo album full of pictures of her with the people she loves so she can look at pictures whenever she wants. That still didn’t help much.  She will ask me now to take pictures of her, and I gladly oblige.

The other day Chris, Arwen and I were rushing out of the house, and I realized I forgot my phone. Instead of running back to get it I decided Just being with the family was enough and anything else can wait.  Arwen was doing something that I thought was photo worthy and then I realized that I couldn’t capture it.  There was so much freedom in that!  I think I feel like I don’t want to forget a moment that I ended up living behind my phone to keep the memories, instead of living in the moment of what is happening.  There was something so freeing that I could just enjoy the time and not feel I have to capture everything.  Don’t get me wrong, I will still be capturing many moments, but I also realized I need to live in the moment.

I am going to challenge myself to at least once a week not touch my phone for pictures and such.  I may even do this a bit more than once a week, but I really did enjoy the freedom of not having the pressure I put on myself to capture everything.  I think my husband will be happy about that, then I can’t capture him wearing pretty things and singing songs from Frozen.