Sunday, March 14, 2010

19 Months

This past month in my little boy's life has been one of the most challenging so far. It's as if turning a year and a half flipped on a switch somewhere inside him to become quite the handful!

Colton now almost runs and since he still isn't the most coordinated kid, many times he trips over his own feet and lands flat on the floor. He is also climbing on EVERYTHING. A few weeks ago, he figured out how to hoist himself up onto our couches. Colton then goes from the arm of the couch to the television stand and sits on it while turning the tv off and on. Once he's up there, he'll always gesture for his remote (an old one we took the batteries out of). He's also been climbing on our kitchen chairs and is not content just to sit on them- no, he gets up onto the table as well! If we don't strap him in his hook-on chair, he stands up in it and climbs onto the table from there too. It makes me want to pull my hair out!!

During the month Colton cut at least six new teeth (that I can see): both upper and lower molars, and two incisors. Teething never seemed to affect him before, but this time it really took its toll. My poor little guy had a lot of diarrhea, which caused a nasty diaper rash, along with a fever of 101 degrees. The fever only lasted 24 hours, thank goodness. The day Colton had it, he was definitely not himself- crying over the smallest things, whimpering like he was in pain, not eating, not playing with his toys. All he wanted to do was cuddle with me. That night he woke up almost every hour, crying. By the afternoon he was pretty much back to his normal self. It was an awful and scary thing to see him go through though.

Colton's receptive language has really taken off. I'm surprised at all of the things he is able to understand now. He responds to requests and commands almost all the time- unless he's deliberately disobeying us. Sometimes he gets confused, like the other day I asked him to give me the bowl I let him play with and he gave me the ball instead. He's been pretty good about picking stuff up and putting it away when I ask. I've been making him clean up after himself when he makes a mess, such as dumping out his toys all over the floor or throwing handfuls of dog food.

Colton is trying to imitate some new words too, like "juice" and "spray" (for the handheld water spray we use during his bath). He's been saying "hi" a lot lately. For a while, his favorite word was "no". Last week it was nice outside so I took him for a walk in his stroller, and he said hi to everyone we passed by. He also says it when we arrive at somebody's house and when he hears the Skype dial tone, since we do video chat with Gregg's mom. When we're getting ready to go out somewhere, Colton will go to the hall closet and start reaching for the coats. One night before Gregg came home, I asked him where Daddy was and he went towards the front door and said, "go?" He also found an old set of keys somewhere one day and immediately went to the door to "try them out". He doesn't say much (at least that's intelligible), but he sure picks up on everything!

His temper is getting worse, as to be expected. He's started throwing and occasionally hitting when he doesn't get his way. I try to communicate that this isn't acceptable behavior, either by giving him a one- minute time out, or putting right him down if I've been holding him and then walking away. I say "no" a lot also, but I don't think it's nearly as effective. I'm trying really, really hard not to lose my temper when he gets out of control, but it isn't easy. I know he doesn't have the communication skills to express his frustration yet, and I want to teach him how to deal with it appropriately. On the flip side of the tantrums, Colton gives me and Gregg kisses, even without being prompted. Generally, he is still such a sweet little boy and I am so pleased to be his momma. :)

Tuesday, March 02, 2010

Spring Come Quickly

I have never been more ready for spring to arrive. We just got another three feet of snow last Thursday and Friday, on top of the snow from earlier in the month that hadn't melted yet. Today was 41 degrees and it felt like a heatwave! Only three weeks until spring officially starts...

So other than snow, snow, and more snow things have been going well around here. My mother-in-law is generously letting me use her car while she's down in North Carolina watching Gregg's sister's kids for the next six weeks. Lori and Adam are currently in China for stem cell treatments on Adam to improve his vision. He is legally blind, diagnosed with Optic Nerve Atrophy as a kid, and has never driven a car or seen his kids' faces clearly. They had to raise about $40,000 to go over there and they were able to do it in less than 9 months! So while she's in NC, my MIL is driving Lori's SUV and offered to let me have her car which I am really grateful for. :) I've been going to MOMS Club activities, visiting with a friend from church, and shopping with Colton a few times. That is, when it hasn't snowed!

On February 15, Colton had his 18 month well visit and was 24 lbs. 6 oz. and 31 1/2". He's in the 25th percentile for both height and weight now. My chunky little baby isn't so chunky anymore! Everything else looked great at the appointment and he received three more shots, during which he screamed his head off. Colton has been cutting his molars and lower lateral incisors for the past couple of weeks too. Last week he had a lot of really nasty diapers, and pooped five times in one day. His poor little bottom was so rashy, and I felt horrible for him. It seems to have cleared up now, though. I think the diarrhea was caused by the teething, but I'm not 100% sure. Gregg seems to think it's a reaction to a new bottle of vitamin drops that might just be bad. I was also giving Colton blueberry yogurt and oatmeal for breakfast, along with assorted fruit (strawberries, pineapple, etc.) throughout the day when the problem started, so it could be a reaction to the food. We started eliminating one thing at a time to try and figure out the source, but don't have any definite answers yet.

That's pretty much it for now. Taking care of a house (okay, condo) and a child is all-consuming. I'm being challenged daily by my toddler whose frustration tolerance is about zero. It seems no matter what I do during the day, it is guaranteed that he will have a tantrum over something a half hour to an hour before dinner. I am always so frazzled by the time we sit down to eat. I can't wait for warmer weather so I'll be able to take a walk with Colton in the afternoon. A lot of days I just don't know what to do to occupy his time between when he wakes up from his nap and Gregg comes home. Motherhood is so much fun! (insert sarcasm)