Toddler brain

Most of us know this already: When you become a parent a lot of things will change and life becomes more interesting.

Ah, no kidding, eh?
For example (and I have mentioned this before), most moms experience (suffer from?) some kind of "mommy brain". So do I.
As a consequence us moms have to write everything down or we will forget it. Instantly.

Here is an example:
The local supermarket around the corner from my office is currently running a promotion where you get a free coffee with your purchase. When you pay for your goods the cashier will ask you if you want one, so that she can put it into her system.
Of course I don't say No to that. (I mean it's FREE coffee!)
Too bad that last time, I had already forgotten about my free coffee the second I had put away my credit card. So I grabbed my bag and left the store.
I realized this 2 hours later by the way.

Why is this happening?
- Because there is so much going on in our mommy brains.

Mine basically looks like this:

Yep, there is a lot happening here...

During the day I am basically hopping from one thought to the next. (No wonder I am always so tired at the end of the day.. lol)

That I always have a lot on my plate at work doesn't help either.

So I am always carrying a notepad around wherever I go. That does the trick for me.

Enough said about that though because what I discovered in the past week is that our counterparts have similar "issues" - only they don't really care that much.

What I am talking about is this: Toddler brain.

Since the kiddos don't think about it and have no worries, it must look pretty much like this:

Don't be fooled by the cuteness...

Just imagine it going a 100 miles per hour.
For 12 hours straight.

Of course this gives them plenty of opportunities to come up with crazy ideas on how to entertain themselves.

Ace's new favorite:
Sticking objects into body cavities.
It started with un-eaten pieces of carrot in his ears. Now he has moved on to corn kernels up in his nose.
The latter he tried for the first time on the weekend.
We had microwaved popcorn as a snack while watching TV and he decided to grab the bag to help himself. Suddenly it got quiet and we knew one of two things were happening:
1. He got tired or 2. He was up to something.
Of course it was number 2.
He had grabbed the corn kernels that hadn't popped and stuck one into each nostril.

Great. Exactly what you need on a Sunday night at 11.15 pm.

We started to think about heading to the ER, when we got lucky. One just fell out and the other one Ace was able to dig out himself. Phew.. good for us.
No 3 hour wait at the hospital.

Well, fast forward to last night.
You know how kids always find everything?
Well, of course we didn't give Ace any popcorn bags anymore, but he still managed to find a single corn kernel somewhere... and of course he stuck it up his nose.
No panic on our side here as we had already been through this before, but when an hour passed and the thing still had not come out I got a tiny bit nervous.
It didn't help that Ace didn't want to cooperate and declined to blow his nose. :/
Eventually I ran out of options, so I did what I always do when I don't know anymore:
I ask Google. (Mommy brain's best friend!)
And I was not disappointed cause apparently there is a CPR-like technique you can try before heading frantically to the ER.
(Read here for more info: How to get that thing out of your kid's nose)

Long story short:
I got lucky cause Ace thought this was a game where mommy gives kisses so he had fun and was holding still.
2 min later that damn thing popped out and passed my cheek with lightning speed while I ended up with toddler snot on my face.
But you know what - I could not have been happier in that moment. The kernel was ginormous. No clue how he even managed to get that in.

I can't wait to find out what he will come up with next.... :P

Not everything goes as planned

When you become a parent you quickly realize that there are tons of decisions you have to make just to get started:

Breastmilk or formula? Scheduled feedings or on cue?

Cloth diapers or disposables? What brand?

Stroller or baby wearing?

Vaccinations? All of them? Some of them? Delayed or on schedule?

Your general parenting style? Traditional or Attachment Parenting?

And those are just a few...

Some were no-brainers. 

There was no question that I would breastfeed and that Ace would wear Pampers. Being a working mom, I was more than happy to hook myself up to a pump every day at work to collect food for my baby, but I was absolutely unwilling to deal with soiled cloth diapers when I came back home. Especially since we didn't have a washing machine, but were laundromat customers... 

Other decisions certainly took a bit of time and relied on trial and error. And adjustments were necessary as time went by. 

For example we bought a running stroller, but Ace was too small to sit in there. 

But guess what, his infant car seat fit perfectly in it, so we would just use that combination to go out.

Or we bought a Snugli baby carrier, but in the beginning again he was too small for it.
So I got a baby pouch sling to carry him around for the first couple of months. 

(By the way that also solved the problem with noisy strangers trying to touch him. People often thought it was just a hand bag... lol)
And eventually when he was over a year old and had gotten a bit too heavy for the Snugli, I bought a sling wrap so that I could hip carry him.

Of course then there was also the sleeping situation...

While I was pregnant I thought I had it all figured out: I had insisted on buying a bassinet, so we got one and had it set up next to our bed. 

My idea was: I am close to the baby when he needs me, but he is still sleeping in his own bed. This will make it easier to transition to a crib later when he sleeps through the night.

Yeah, it didn't quite happen that way.. *cough*

Once he was born the midwife gave him to me and told me to keep him close since he would need my body heat to stay warm and so that we could bond as well. So for the next couple of days I would hold him (except when Markus had him, of course) at day and night time and by the time I was ready to let him sleep in his bassinet, Ace wasn't having it anymore. 

He would be fussing and was just so unhappy in the bassinet that we continued to take him with us to bed. And before you knew it, the Laibachers had become a co-sleeping family.

Something I had not really planned on, but I might have been the one benefiting the most from it since it turns out that breastfeeding while co-sleeping is so much easier than having to get up in the middle of the night in order to feed your baby. ;)

Fast forward to today. 

Ace is 20 months now but our sleeping arrangements haven't changed. 

For a while we tried to get him used to sleeping in the PNP but the results were just so so and eventually we just let it go. And it's not like that we aren't enjoying it. It's really nice to be able to be there for your child the second he needs you... and all the cuddle time we get because of it is just wonderful. Also our bed is king-size with plenty of room for all of us, even now that Ace has grown so much. That is: Usually. 

Cause there are the days when even a king-size bed doesn't seem to be enough - especially when you have a child that hates blankets, but loves to steal your pillow:

Oh, the things we don't mind doing for our kids... ;)

Potty training readiness

Lately potty training has been on my mind a little bit. 

A few of my online mom-friends (Facebook group) who have kids the same age as Ace, have started with potty training.

If cats can learn how to do it, I'm sure Ace will as well..

And then I know a few other friends who are now slowly starting this as well, so of course we are discussing it.

I already read a bit about it.. what signs to look for to find out if your child is ready to start potty training, etc. But today I stumbled over a proper checklist. Nice. 

Since Markus is home with Ace these days I just forwarded this list to him as well. 

For reference cause I know we are not there yet. 

However to my surprise, I already got the list back since Markus has taken it on him to answer each point. 

Please find below the interesting responses I received (in kursiv and red):

Potty training readiness checklist:

Physical signs 

□ Is coordinated enough to walk, and even run, steadily. 

- Fluctuating!

□ Urinates a fair amount at one time.

- How the heck should I know? I am NOT measuring with a cup.

□ Has regular, well-formed bowel movements at relatively predictable times. 

- What the heck is a well-formed bowel movement??? IT’S A FRICKN’ TURD!
- Predictable times? Sure: DAILY 

□ Has "dry" periods of at least three or four hours, which shows that his bladder muscles are developed enough to hold urine.

- Nope

Behavioral signs 

□ Can sit down quietly in one position for two to five minutes. 

- …while watching TV! Easy peasy.

□ Can pull his pants up and down. 

- Way too often! Mainly DOWN!

□ Dislikes the feeling of wearing a wet or dirty diaper. 

- He couldn’t care less.

□ Shows interest in others' bathroom habits (wants to watch you go to the bathroom or wear underwear). 

- Or hands you the toilet paper! Yeah.
- Especially the watching part is kind of creepy.

- Yes, he often wears mommy's underwear - ON HIS HEAD!

□ Gives a physical or verbal sign when he's having a bowel movement such as grunting, squatting, or telling you. 

- He is too busy trying to climb on you.

□ Demonstrates a desire for independence. 

- What? By writing the Declaration of Independence? Sure.

□ Takes pride in his accomplishments. 

- Big time!

□ Isn't resistant to learning to use the toilet. 

- How the heck should I teach him? Sit him down until he wants to get up? He doesn’t get the concept quite yet.

□ Is in a generally cooperative stage, not a negative or contrary one. 

- In the washroom? During lunch? WTH?

- He is extremely cooperative when I do what he wants me to do.

Cognitive signs 

□ Can follow simple instructions, such as "go get the toy." 

- Sure. But doesn’t mean that he is going to do it, though.

□ Understands the value of putting things where they belong. 

- He does it sometimes. How the heck should I know if he understands the value?
Ask him??? The answer is always the same: ‘Da…deeeeeee.’ SO GO FIGURE!

□ Has words for urine and stool. 

- Nope.

□ Understands the physical signals that mean he has to go and can tell you before it happens or even hold it until he has time to get to the potty.

- Dream on!…

No candy for babies

Sometimes I can't understand people. (Yes, you are assuming right - this is going to be a little rant.. :P)

I am bothered because lately too many people have tried to "mean well" when it comes to Ace.
Apparently we have now reached some magical age where people think it is appropriate to hand out candy.
On several occasions AND in different countries people have come up to us and tried to give him sweets or lollipops.

Of course we said No every time and earned surprised looks.
The last incident happened approx. 2 weeks ago when Markus and Ace were off to buy groceries while I was at work.
It has been reported to me that Ace was not pleased when being seated in the shopping cart, so that he started to complain and whine loudly. In response an elderly lady came up to him and tried to give him a candy to calm him down. Markus intervened and thanked her but said politely No. And wait... here it comes: The woman was offended cause she gave him the look!
Excuse me??

First of all: You are a stranger. And while I appreciate your intention to console my toddler (who will be calming down in 2 minutes anyways) and I understand that you just mean well - I still don't know you! So please don't give him anything without consulting me or Markus FIRST.
Secondly: You are trying to give him candy! And all I can think of is: WHY?

Remember, Ace is 19 MONTHS old. He is barely out of the baby phase, being a toddler now. Which means he has no frickin clue what a candy is. Cause he never had it. (gasp)
Yes, I am one of those evil moms who withholds sweets and other unnecessary crap from her son.
Why? Because he doesn't need it. I can assure everybody that Ace will eat enough chocolate, candy, sweets and other junk in his life. Heck, I do it. I certainly love my chocolate.. but I think a child that age does not need to have those kind of "treats". My motto is "If he doesn't know what it is, he doesn't need to eat it." Cause he doesn't miss anything. I can eat treats at home and he won't ask for any of it.. cause all he wants right now is a third banana or second yogurt since that it what he likes to eat. That's a treat to him. Markus and I feel very blessed because of that.

So I don't understand how people can complain that their children don't want to eat their fruits and veggies when they are okay with grandma letting them feed candy.
(Hint: There might be a connection here... I am just saying..)

So ya.. Sometimes I don't understand people.. but then maybe it's just me being weird again... who knows... :P