But I Was Only Trying to Help

Well, we've made it through the rest of the week. Can you believe it? I wasn't sure how it would turn out after Monday's turn of events. Jacob cried and whined off and on for two days because he wanted Mr. Monkey's cousin, but I never gave in. His most prized posession was returned to him last night, just before he went to bed. Jacob has had his moments since Monday, but things have been better...a little bit. He calmed down for the most part, but the time-out corner is still on his list of most frequently visited places. People keep telling me things will get better...eventually. That is definitely encouraging. :)

Earlier this week, after the horrible day, there was an incident for which I could not punish him. Heath was at Lowe's, buying a replacement bulb for our bathroom. He called and asked me to check the wattage to make sure he was buying the correct one. I climbed up onto the counter, removed the burnt out bulb and walked over to the computer desk in another part of the house. Jacob and Annabelle had followed me into the bathroom and they followed me out...or so I thought.

Jacob was in the living room, but while I was on the phone with Heath, Annabelle walked over to me and handed me a little piece of toilet paper. I turned around and saw a trail of toilet paper which Annabelle had unrolled and pulled through our room, the living room, the foyer, and the dining room. We're talking half of a roll of toilet paper here. As I noticed the toilet paper, I also noticed an unpleasant aroma. Annabelle needed a clean diaper, so I decided to change her before I picked up her paper trail. While I was changing her diaper, Jacob came in the room with a huge pile of toilet paper. He had picked it all up and was going to dispose of it for me. "Thank you," I said. "Please throw it in the trash can." He said, "Ok" and ran off. After Annabelle was taken care of, I looked for Jacob and found him in the bathroom standing over the toilet with the toilet brush. "I'm trying to push it down, but it just won't go.....I'm trying to push it down." He decided the toilet paper need to be flushed rather than thrown away. After all, it was toilet paper. Of course, the toilet was clogged. But I couldn't really get mad at him. He was only trying to help; however, I did tell him to throw it in the trash can, not flush it.

A few more Jacob moments:

One day last week while we were eating lunch, Jacob made me laugh so hard. I don't remember what we were talking about, but all of a sudden he said, "Yeah, that's how we do it!" I realize that statement may not seem very funny, but it was the way he said it that made me laugh. It also made me think of that 90's Montell Jordan song...you know the one I'm talking about. So, I started singing that and had a serious laughing attack. All the while Jacob kept asking, "Mommy, what are you laughing for? WHAT ARE YOU LAUGHING FOR???"

We were listening to a childrens' radio channel a couple weeks ago when a kids version of Twist and Shout came on. Jacob and Annabelle were dancing and singing to the music when Jacob grabbed his sister, shook her a little (she giggled) and said, "shakin a baby now!" Obviously, he misinterpreted the lyrics. Jacob, I believe the correct words are "shake it up baby now."

Spaghetti was on the dinner menu for the Duncans last week and I had bought some of that sprinkly parmesan cheese. Jacob asked if he could have some.

Jacob: "Can I please may I have some pwapa john cheese?"

Me: "What?"

Jacob: "I want some pwapa john cheese."

Me: "Papa John cheese?" (starting to laugh)

Jacob: "No...not Papa John cheese....PWAPA JOHN cheese!"

Heath let Jacob listen to the Imagination Movers on his ipod the other day and Jacob was so excited to use the earphones. I was in another room when I heard Jacob say, "Can I go show Mommy how cool I look?!?!?!" Wow, Jacob. You were cool already, but with those earphones and that ipod, your coolness factor just jumped off the charts!

Wanna listen Anna-bay-uhl?

As much as he beats up on her, Jacob does love his sister and the sweet moments seem to happen almost as often as the "others." I've mentioned before, he loves to share food with her...even the good stuff. I couldn't believe it, but he was more than willing to share his ice cream. I don't think I even asked him to share. He did it all on his own.

Chubby Bunny Anyone?

With a toddler, each mealtime turns into a game of chubby bunny -- except other foods are substituted for marshmallows. If I were to play Chubby Bunny against Annabelle, she would win...hands down. That girl can stuff an unbelievable amount of food in her mouth. She doesn't play around. Whatever I put on her tray goes straight into her mouth. I'm telling you, she can clean off a tray full of food in a matter of seconds. Amazing. Especially for such a tiny little girl with such a tiny little mouth.

Don't mess with me while I'm having my banana.

Yes, I realize this is a choking hazard. I watch her closely and I've learned to put only a few pieces of food on her tray at a time. Although, she objects to this and screams at me, reaching her hands out for more.

Much like a chipmunk, she also stores food in those little cheeks of hers, saving it for snack at a later time. I have occasionally found her chewing on something only to discover that "something" is a small piece of ground turkey or vegetable or noodle that we had for lunch an hour earlier. I guess it's easier this way. Since she can't really talk yet, if she keeps food in her mouth all the time, she never has to communicate to me when she wants a snack. She's already got one........gross.

Now Let's Find Those Eggs!

Easter is just around the corner now and the events that come with the season have already begun. Last Sunday our church held the annual Spring Social and Easter Egg Hunt. We were all praying for nice weather and since Saturday had been absolutely perfect, things were looking good. But, alas, our warm Hilton Head sunshine turned into gray skies and drizzly rain, and our "just right" temperatures changed to "a little cooler than we would like." Even though the weather was less than desirable, we still had a great time. The egg hunt was simply moved indoors. No big deal. :)

Jacob still doesn't get the concept of hunting eggs. He understands the part about hunting for them, but he doesn't understand that one should hunt and pick up eggs quickly or the eggs will be picked up by other fellow hunters. When the egg hunt began, Jacob was excited and ran into the room, basket in hand. But when he found his first egg, for him, the egg hunt came to a halt. He was focused on that one little egg and what might be inside. Never mind the chaos surrounding him. Heath pushed him along and Jacob eventually did pick up several more eggs. He had a great time and that's what counts.

Annabelle enjoyed herself too. She walked into a room where eggs were almost completely covering the floor. She sat down in the middle of them, and much like her brother, picked up one egg and played happily, trying to get it open. As I attempted to teach her how to pick up the eggs and put them into her little basket, the room was ambushed by several preschoolers, who successfully wiped out any and all remaining eggs in about 6.2 seconds. And after they ran out of the room, what was left? Annabelle, her bunny basket, and her two prized eggs, which she calls "balls." She held up an egg, looked at me with a big grin and said, "bah!" (her word for ball). I actually thought it was cute. I realize, one day, she will be very upset if she comes away from an Easter egg hunt with only two eggs, but for now, she couldn't be happier. :)

Last year, on the way home from the egg hunt, Jacob fell asleep and took a nice long nap. That nap allowed me to go through his eggs, take out the majority of the candy, and refill them with other snacks like cereal, raisins and goldfish. I realize some of you may think I deprived my child by doing this, but Jacob was so excited about his findings when he opened those eggs. He was two years old. I filled them will all his favorite snacks, so of course, he was happy.

This year, I wasn't quite as lucky. He was intent on opening those eggs and he was a little faster than he was a year ago. I was nice and let him open all his eggs before we left church. Besides, little did I know, he would get in trouble the very next day and all his candy would be thrown into the garbage can. Sad.

I knew both Jacob and Annabelle would fall asleep on the way home. It was only a matter of minutes before their eyes closed and their thumbs dropped. Hunting eggs is hard work, you know.

Oh, boy.

It's been one of those days. One of those "Hmmmm...would I really be a horrible parent if I locked the three year old in his room for a few hours?" kind of days. Nah, I would never REALLY do that, but I'd be lying if I said the thought didn't cross my mind. What led me to such thoughts? Let's see....

He slammed his little sister's fingers in the door...on purpose. Twice, he ran into his bedroom with his basket of Easter candy and locked the door behind him. The second time, I didn't realize he had the candy with him. I also didn't realize his sister was in on the fun. When I yelled for him to unlock the door, there he was, mouth full of candy. And there was Annabelle, chocolate all over her face, with a mouth full of not only chocolate, but hard candy and bubble gum. After the candy escapade, he asked for juice. "Absolutely NOT" was my answer. While I wasn't looking, he opened the refrigerator, hid behind the door and drank the orange juice directly from the carton. I caught him in the act, orange juice running down his face and shirt. By the looks of him, I'm not sure how much juice actually made it into his mouth. Later, he sat on his sister, trying to ride her like a horse. In between those little incidents we had the normal, day-to-day not listening stuff -- I ask him to do something. Jacob ignores me. I tell him to do something. Jacob ignores me. I yell at him to do something. Jacob ignores me. And off he goes to the time-out corner. And here comes the temper tantrum. Repeat about a million times. I have only one word for this: e-x-h-a-u-s-t-i-n-g.

Now that both kids are in bed, let's tally up the punishments: several spankings were administered, (yes, I am one of those parents), approximately 49 three minute time-outs were spent in the corner (Just kidding...he didn't have 49 different time-outs. It was probably more like 54), all remaining Easter candy has been thrown into the garbage can, and Mr. Monkey's cousin has been taken away...until Wednesday...night. The only problem now is that taking away Mr. Monkey's cousin is the ultimate punishment. I no longer have the option of using that threat. God, please help Jacob to be a perfect angel over the next couple days...please....PLEASE!!!!

I wonder...is this just an age thing? Does every three year old act like this? Did I act like this when I was three? (Note to my parents: That last question...it's meant to be rhetorical. I mean...I know I was a perfect child. Me? Throw a temper tantrum? You must be joking.)

Despite the utter exhaustion, there are always funny moments, like this one: Tonight, when Heath arrived home, I told him about the events of the day. Even with Daddy there, Jacob continued to act like a wild child and he was sent to his room to sit on his bed and calm down. Well, wherever Jacob is, Annabelle wants to be also. While Jacob sat on his bed crying and throwing a royal fit because he wanted to get down, Annabelle stood beside the bed crying and yelling because she wanted to get up on the bed with him. I had to laugh.

Annabelle usually joins her brother during his time-outs, too. As soon as she hears me send Jacob to the time-out corner beside the front door, she runs over and sits in the opposite corner across from him and smiles at him as if to say, "It's ok. I'll sit here with you." Of course, I can't let her stay there. If I do, they end up playing together and it's not really a time-out when you have a playmate.

So, now that the day is over, all I can do is hope and pray for a more relaxing, uneventful tomorrow. God, help me!!

Daffodils

Spring is coming and the daffodils are in bloom. I love daffodils. They're so pretty, and to be perfectly honest, I just think "daffodil" is a fun word to say.

Glorious daffodils!

The weather was beautiful yesterday morning -- sunny, breezy, cool -- a perfect day to pick daffodils. It had rained the night before, so I was worried the field might be a bit muddy. The lower lying areas were a little soggy, but most of the field was surprisingly dry.

Jacob and Annabelle had the best time running around picking flowers, exploring the dirt, collecting sticks and finding crickets. I was so happy the field was dry because with Annabelle, when there is running, there is also falling. Lots and lots of falling. I was smart to choose a dark colored dress for her that day.

Jacob became an expert at picking flowers, breaking the stem at the bottom instead of just under the bloom as he did at first. Unfortunately, he was also very good at destroying the daffodils, tearing the blooms to shreds. I'm not sure who was better at this, Jacob or his little sister. They were both experts when it came to flower destruction.

Finally, I get to hold the basket! Catch me if you can, big brother!!

Our lovely daffodil bouquet. Somehow we managed to make it home with a few that weren't totally destroyed. Jacob says they smell bee-ya-ful (beautiful).

Woo Hoo! The big 2 - 0!!!

These boots were made for walkin'......

G-L-A-M-O-R-O-U-S

Well, she finally made it! Annabelle now weighs enough to face forward in the car! Hooray! I could hardly believe my eyes as I saw the number "2" pop up on the digital scale at the pediatrician's office. The numbers bounced around a while before coming to a stop at 20 pounds and 3 ounces. I cheered and Jacob, Annabelle, and I had a brief celebration to commemorate this long awaited weight gain. So long, baby car seat!
The reason we were at the doctor's office wasn't so thrilling. Annabelle had been up much of the night crying and screaming, so we knew something wasn't right. She had a cold (still does) and I feared an ear infection had also set in. I was right. Then, on top of the cold and the ear infection, she developed a rash as a result of the vaccines she received the week before. She is one pitiful baby right now.

Of course, when one child gets sick, so does the other. Jacob has a cold too. It seems our family can only go about two and a half weeks before one of us comes down with something. Ugh. Come on spring! I'm praying for a nice, healthy spring with NO ALLERGIES!!! Is this possible?

One teaspoon of Benadryl + a little green chair = an unexpected morning nap.

Back to our doctor visit.....For some strange reason, Jacob loves phone books. He will spend an hour+ looking through the yellow pages, the white pages, and everything in between. I now keep a phone book in the car, so we'll have one available to him at all times. It has definitely come in handy at the doctor's office. It is the only thing I have found that keeps him from running wild through the building. The doctors and nurses crack up every time they see him walk through the door with his phone book. Then, they laugh even more as he thumbs through the pages and tells them about certain restaurants and places he has or hasn't visited. He recognizes logos very well. For instance, one day, while flipping though the yellow pages, he found an ad for First Federal. He said, "Hey, that place has an elevator!" He was right. When I was pregnant with Annabelle, Heath usually met me at the doctor's office, which was in the First Federal building. While there, he and Jacob usually rode the elevator up and down a couple times. Jacob does enjoy a good elevator ride. :)

So, after charming everyone at the pediatrician's office with his adorable smile and vast knowledge of the phone book, Jacob took it a step further and doted on his sister a little. When we walked up to the checkout counter, the lady looked at Jacob and said, "Oh my goodness. Aren't you cute!!" Jacob pointed at Annabelle and said, "She is a sweet one." The lady looked at me. "Awww! Did he say that about you?" "No," I said. "He's talking about his sister." Jacob chimed in with, "She's a little sweetie pie." Of course, everyone just oooohed and aahhed over that one. "Awwwwww, do you love your sister?" they asked. "Yes. I love her," Jacob replied. Then, they gave him a sticker. I'm sure Annabelle was thinking, "What is going on here? I am the one with the ear infection and HE gets the sticker???? NOT FAIR!!!" Oh well.

Jacob has actually publicly expressed his love for his sister several times lately. It is sweet to hear him say such nice things, but when we get home, the love fest comes to an abrupt halt as he pushes her to the floor when she grabs one of his toys. Aaahhhh. I guess this is what brotherly / sisterly love is all about, huh?
They had another sweet moment yesterday. We had a tiny bit of potato salad left and, much to my surprise, Jacob wanted it for a snack. I gave him the container and a spoon and told him he could have the rest. As soon as he situated himself on the kitchen floor, Annabelle toddled over to join him. He shared his potato salad with her, feeding her with his spoon. There they were, sitting side by side on the kitchen floor, passing their cold germs back and forth on a spoon; but, it was just so cute, I couldn't stop them.