Transitioning

When I first converted Ellie's crib into the toddler bed, everything went smoothly. She loved her newfound freedom! She went to bed without complaint! She slept in! I silently congratulated myself on having such an adaptable child. Until three days later and she was refusing to get in her bed or Disney couch at night. Tom and I would go through her nightly routine and then leave the room, firmly shutting the door behind us. Ellie would happily play alone in her darkened bedroom until she would fall asleep curled up in the corner among her toys. Night after night, I would sneak into her room and gently carry her to her bed (after taking some adorable pictures first, of course). This new sleep arrangement was working, but we noticed that Ellie has been really difficult lately. She throws temper tantrums over the slightest things and refuses even the smallest requests. Tom and I quickly realized that she is just too tired. She stays up late playing in her room every night only to be awakened at 6:00 every morning to go to school. Tonight, Tom had a track meet, so it was just me doing the nighttime routine. An hour went by and I could still hear Ellie playing in her room. I slipped into her bedroom and curled up onto her crib/toddler bed. She soon joined me, dragging her blanket along with her. It was so peaceful, just lying there next to her, faces inches apart, while she pointed to various parts of my face and whispered, "ear, eyes, nose, hair." Before I knew it, I was fast asleep...and so was Ellie.

Big girl bed - Take II

Getting a head-start on the terrible two's

Saturday was a really busy day for us. Ellie and I ran errands in the morning, then we went to watch Tom’s track meet (when I say Tom’s track meet, you know I mean watch Tom coach his team at a track meet, right? Cuz he isn’t really running. Just wanted to clarify.). Tom is convinced that if Ellie watches enough track meets then she will want to be a runner, too. Anyway, after the track meet, Ellie and I went to the big new HEB (whoop!) to pick up an ice cream cake for my friend Steph’s baby shower. I stupidly parked the cart too close to the cakes while I was waiting for the cake lady to write “I vote Hudson” on Steph’s cake. I looked over just in time to see Ellie grabbing several mini cakes from a nicely arranged stack. I sternly told her, “No, Ellie, put them back.” She gave me a defiant smile and then swiped her arm, deliberately knocking over ALL of the cakes. Onto the floor. In a big cake-y mess. I was horrified. The cake lady was really nice and brushed aside my offers to pay. But you can bet I was wishing there was a nice corner in that grocery store to put Ellie into time out.

Ellie has been such a little stinker lately that I was really relieved to put her to bed early and leave Tom at home while I went to the shower. Steph is so cool. She had her baby shower at a coffee house/ bar/ lounge. Then everyone went to watch Guy Forsythe perform, but I was too worn out from Ellie to join them. Still, it was nice to have a night out with the girls and forget about being a mommy for awhile (even though a lot of the talk was about cloth diapers and pumps and whatnot, it still didn’t feel like a baby shower).

Big girl bed?

Track star in training

After school today, Ellie and I went to watch Tom and his team at their track meet. Ellie loved climbing up and down the bleachers and clapping for the runners. Tom said he could hear her all the way across the field yelling, “Running! Go! Hi, Daddy!” He was able to take a break in between races to come sit with us. Ellie graciously shared her crackers with him.Unfortunately, those crackers reappeared on the way home. I heard the noise from the back seat, you know the sound, the one we all dread, and looked to see Ellie covered in vomit. Is there anything worse than trying to clean puke out of the nooks and crannies of a car seat? Buckles? Ugh. I’m keeping my fingers crossed that it was just a combination of motion sickness and too many crackers instead of the stomach flu. Poor kid.

Ellie is still doing great without her crib, although she insists on sleeping on her little Disney couch each night. Also, we had an incident the other night where I went in to check on her long after I thought she was asleep and I couldn’t find her. Then I heard a noise coming from the closet. Yep, she was hiding out. So naughty.

Newborn essentials

One of my favorite people (is that grammatically correct?) is having a baby! She went to Target to register, but grew too confused by onesies to get the job done. She asked me for the top 10 things she would need for a newborn. I emailed her back a few, but I thought I would pose the question to my fellow mommybloggers: What is the one thing you could not do without?

My choice? The Boppy.

Not only was it a lifesaver for nursing, but it had many other uses as well (but it's really not supposed to be used for sleeping!).

Big girl bed (updated)!

Ellie woke us up this morning shouting, "Mommy, help me!" But since she can't say her L's, it sounded more like "Mommy, hep me." Tom went in there to find her straddling her crib rail. She was pretty high up considering I had turned her crib around in a vain attempt to keep her from climbing out. I decided not to risk a broken arm/leg/head, so I converted her crib into a daybed (will post pictures tomorrow). I was a little worried about her playing in her room instead of sleeping, but when I put her down for her nap she slept for over two hours! She had slipped out of the bed and was sleeping on her Disney princess couch that unfolds into a little mat. It was very cute.

In keeping with the new big girl theme, we bought Ellie her own meal when we went to dinner tonight. Normally, Tom and I just feed her off our plates. Then, we went to Barnes and Noble where I bought Ellie a new book using my educator's discount (whoop!). We kept her out later than we normally do in hopes that it would be easier to put her down. Sure enough, she happily lay down in her new big girl bed after we did her nighttime routine and I haven't heard a peep from her since. Surely, it can't be this easy, right?

Update: Not only did Ellie sleep the whole night in her actual bed, but she slept in this morning later than she ever has before!

Rants and cupcakes

Valentine's Day should be banned at high schools. Today has been awful. I had an incident with a kid during my first period class. It got to the point where he was causing such a disruption and was refusing to leave the room that I took out my cell phone and called his mom. Yes, I called a high school kid's mother right in the middle of class. Unfortunately, she didn't speak English. The rest of my classes weren't much better since the kids were all jacked up on candy.

Usually, I like teaching. I teach the at-risk kids and they are challenging, but for the most part, I think I have built a good rapport with them. But then I have days like today and it makes me really, really miss my old librarian gig.

So, after dropping off cupcakes for Sabrina and Rosie, I came home, put in an Elmo DVD for Ellie, and proceeded to eat THREE cupcakes. I really meant to only eat one, but there were three in the container and, you know, I just had a bad day.

Ellie mania and heart-shaped cupcakes

I am exhausted. Ellie has been waking up screaming the past few nights. Nothing we do seems to calm her except taking her out of her room and rocking her back to sleep. But when we try to put her back in her crib? The whole process all over again. I'm praying tonight will be different.

Nights aren't the only problem around here. Every morning it is a struggle to dress Ellie. She thinks it's a game and runs giggling away from me. I pretty much have to tackle her and maneuver her wriggly body into her clothes. Don't even get me started on the shoes and socks. This morning I grew frustrated and informed Ellie that she could either put her pants on or go to time out. She happily walked over to her time out chair and sat down.

Tomorrow is Valentine's Day! I tell people that I don't get into V-day, but if this is true, then why did I spend my whole evening baking heart shaped cupcakes?

Clearly, I have no cupcake decorating skills, but let me just tell you, these cupcakes have a cream cheese/chocolate chip center that is amazing. Mmmmm. Happy Valentine's Day!

Sunny days and first haircut

We finally took Ellie to get her first haircut! The place was a bit ridiculous. Every square inch of wall space was covered with items for sale. Total marketing ploy. But Ellie enjoyed the waiting area, reading books and playing with Legos. When it came time for her actual haircut, she did surprisingly well. She doesn't normally like people to mess with her hair, but once she was situated in the car and watching Elmo, she didn't mind the haircut too much. She did protest a little about the blow dryer and I had to bribe her with a bagel at one point, but other than that, I was pleased with the results. Her hair actually looked better today than it did yesterday after the haircut. Instead of being all straggly, her ends were even and curled under on their own. The salon took a Polaroid and attached a lock of her hair in a card in honor of her first cut. Very cute.

We have has such beautiful weather lately, warm and sunny. Tom, Ellie, and I tried to spend as much time as possible outside this weekend. It was a nice change of pace. Often on weekends, I am usually so worn out from teaching unruly teens all week that I like to just hole up in the house and play with Ellie. It was reviving to get out and enjoy the sunshine.

Track Wives Unite

The past two days, Ellie and I have been hanging out with Sabrina and the cousins after school. Today we went to the playground at the elementary school. The kids had fun sliding, swinging, and climbing. Ellie managed to fall off a swing and a slide. By the time we left, she had mud on her cheek, hands, and clothes. Plus, her mullet was all snarled and in her eyes. She looked like a child whose mother doesn't take care of her properly.

Sabrina and I have to stick together because we are the Track Wives. Now that track season is in full swing, our husbands are abandoning us on a regular basis. We should start a Wives of Coaches support group. But nobody would have pity for us during the summers.

Snippets

Ellie had her first taste of pizza last night. She loved it. Usually when Tom and I eat pizza, we wait until Ellie is fast asleep so we can enjoy it without her begging. Not that I wanted to deprive her, but I always wanted to avoid the mess. Sure enough, Ellie had marinara in her eyebrows by the time she was through.

Alex came over to watch the Superbowl with Tom. As soon as he walked in the door, Ellie was demanding that he "sit" and kept patting the couch next to her. She then forced him to read her Elmo book to her. Ellie seems to like boys a lot better than girls (except for me, or course). I wonder why?

We discovered a new park on our way home today. It had two climbing slides that Ellie loved. Plus, it was spacious enough that I could play on it, too. We spent almost an hour climbing and sliding and hanging. Good times. Am I the only one that likes to park-hop?

Ellie is talking up a storm. Seriously, nonstop chatter and I am actually understanding a lot if it. But my favorite so far is "love you." This makes me so happy.

Ellie-belly!

Still rockin' the mullet

I lied. Ellie did not get her first haircut his weekend. Tom had to work a swim meet on Saturday and I was too tired from being up all night coughing up a lung that I just didn't have the energy to take her. Plus, Ellie is all snotty and coughy, too, so I didn't want other parents worried about us contaminating their children. I feel like Ellie and I will never get over this marathon cold we have. Maybe it's the weather. One day it is all warm out and we are playing in t-shirts and the next day it is cold and rainy and we are wearing jackets. Freakin' Texas.

Sorry

I tend to be a bit clumsy. I have been known to accidentally bump Ellie's head as I am putting her in the car or knock her over as I am trying to pull a shirt over her head. When these sorts of things happen, I naturally tell her I am sorry. Soon, I started to notice that Ellie would start apologizing for me. I won't even know that I have hurt her, but she will turn to me and say, "Hurt. Sorry." Then, it progressed to where if she fell down or somehow hurt herself, she would then apologize to herself. The other day, I stubbed my toe on my hope chest. Ellie was right behind me with her "Hurt. Sorry." So, I don't think Ellie quite grasps the concept of sorry, but it is so cute how she apologizes for each and every hurt, self inflicted or not.