10 reasons why it’s hard being a toddler

While Kyle’s babyhood went by too fast for me, I’ve really enjoyed watching him grow as a toddler.  Especially since he turned 2!  He has such a personality, and his high-energy is so contagious.  Of course, there’s the other side of toddlerhood where I often find Kyle frustrated, mad or crying. This is obviously not a fun moment for either of us, but sometimes I just have to laugh.  If my son could write, I believe this is a post he would write.  So from a toddler’s point of view, here are 10 reasons why it’s hard to be a toddler:

1. I have too many rules to remember. Like, don’t bite your brother, don’t put your hand down your mom’s shirt or down your diapers, no jumping off the stairs, dessert is AFTER dinner, etc…
2. My eye level is aligned with everyone’s crotch.  That’s why I throw tantrums all the time.  You would too!!
3. I’m too short to see what’s on top of the counter. I know there’s a cookie there but my parents are denying it, and I have no way to prove it.
4. I have a younger sibling now and everyone is buying them gifts except I’m the one that truly appreciates presents. I mean, I’m the one that’s ABLE to unwrap them all, not my younger sibling.
5. I’m older than my baby brother but I have to go to bed before he does.
6. I want to do everything myself but “adults” won’t let me, like press the buttons on every machine possible or hold my new baby sibling without help from others.
7. I have to share my stuff with some kid I just met. And this is coming from my parents and I still don’t believe they are good at sharing themselves.
8. While I love playing the drums, I go absolutely nuts if my dad tries to play.  Same goes for air hockey and T-ball.  I can’t really explain it, but that’s how I want things done, so stop asking me “why”!!
9. I love my mom so much that I want to spend every single second of the day with her, including her time in the washroom.  She keeps on saying that she wants “privacy”.  I’m not sure what it is, but what does privacy offer that I can’t???
10. I don’t understand what the big deal is with potty training.  There’s all this talk about using the potty, rewards, being a big-boy, wearing underwear, etc… but come-on, why would anyone not want to wear diapers forever? Besides… I’ve seen those depends commercials.  I’ll be back in diapers eventually, so why bother getting rid of them in the first place???

The worst kids book ever, and not because it’s about the Maple Leafs

Lucky for us, Kyle LOVES books.  He can literally sit down for a full hour and listen to me read book after book.  I actually read the entire page, no short-cuts, from start to end.  If anything, I’m the one that has to ask him if it’s okay to stop reading books because I just can’t continue reading out loud after an hour.

To fill his love for reading and books, I always seek out new exciting books for him to read.  My parents hunt for all Cat in the Hat / Dr Seuss books, and I search for books that relate to his most recent love and hobbies (i.e. anything to do with sports).

We probably own close to 200 children books and they are literally scattered all over our house as we never know when the mood might strike.

There is one book that I purchased that I just HATE.  It is really one of the worst children books that I’ve ever read.  I’m a little embarrassed to admit it because it’s a Canadian book and it’s about the Maple Leafs.  But there’s just no sugar-coating around this one.  It’s a major failure, and here’s why:

Have you seen my son’s pacifiers?

My 27 month old son is obsessed with his pacifierS.  The problem is, they keep disappearing on us.  I don’t know where they go or how they get lost, but they do.  I kid you not, but we’ve probably purchased over 100 pacifiers in his lifetime.  If you’ve ever purchased any before, you know they’re not cheap.  The going rate is $10 for 2 (on average).  So if you do some quick math, we’ve probably spent invested somewhere around $500 on these plastic and rubber gadgets. I know what you’re thinking… “get one of those clips so he doesn’t lose them” or “just stop giving him pacifiers.”   Brilliant ideas and I should know because I’ve thought about doing both of these things, but it’s easier said than done.  First of… my son is smarter and stronger than he looks. He’s pretty up-to-date on what’s in fashion and what’s not, and apparently, the pacifier clips ARE NOT!  He immediately pulls them off his shirt so what we have left is a pacifier in his mouth with a clip hanging down from it.  Not useful at all.  I can’t stop giving him the pacifiers because he’s obsessed with them, and baby #2 is expected to arrive in about two weeks time.  As if I won’t damage this kid’s self-esteem enough (he’s a momma’s boy), to take away his one other true love (sorry Dad) would truly kill him.  Not to mention, I’m pretty sure one’s love for pacifiers are hereditary.  It’s no joke!  My husband John used pacifiers until he was 4 years old!! 

Difference between a first and second pregnancy

As my second pregnancy comes to an end, I had some time (read: sleepless nights) to reflect back about my current pregnancy and my first one.  I realized that there’s a lot of differences actually.  Here’s some of the major ones that came to mind for me:

1. During my 1st pregnancy, my husband came along with me to ALL of my Doctor appointments.  For this pregnancy the count is 0.

My one year blogiversary!

One year ago I came up with a crazy idea to start my blog.  I can’t believe it’s already been a year and I can’t believe people are actually reading my blog.  At the time, I didn’t even know what a blog was; but I had so many stories to share and write about my life as a parent. When I first started, I was hoping that at least a handful of my friends would read my blog and that I would get a few followers (20 to be exact).  But here’s what has unfolded since my idea came to fruition.

• I have written a total of 64 posts (including this one)
• I’ve had over 44,000 unique views on my blog (approx. 3,667 views a month)
• On my best day, I had 4,514 views
• My top 5 most popular blog posts are 1) Communicating through Baby Sign Language – plus a Course Giveaway! 2) The start and end to my skydiving career 3) The church of the flying spaghetti monster?!?! Is this for real? 4) It’s not easy being a male baby model! 5) Is it a boy or a girl? Only the cupcakes know! (the best baby gender reveal EVER!!)
• My post “The start and end to my skydiving career” got Freshly Pressed on WordPress
• Top Views by Country are: Canada, United States, United Kingdom, Australia, India and Israel
• I did a total of 6 giveaways
• I had 6 guest posts (big thanksto all of my guest writers)

My favourite things for newborn babies

I may not be Oprah (okay, I’m nowhere near like Oprah), but I have my own list of favourite things.  Specifically, for newborn babies.  With the holiday season upon us, and the birth of our second child around the corner, it got me in the mood for some shopping! Okay, I’m always in the mood for shopping, but more so now…

Here’s a list of my favourite items (along with some input from my other mommy friends) that I think every parent of a newborn should have:

1. Velcro swaddle.  Kyle was a great sleeper and I attribute this to the fact that we swaddled him consistently.  In fact, we kept swaddling him until he was 6 months old!  A bit longer than most people would like to admit to, but hey, it worked (for all of us). Another one recommended by my friend is the Miracle Blanket.

Awesome work benefits for parents

Prior to my current gig as a stay-at-home-mom (SAHM), I worked for a large, multi-national corporation.  While the pay was decent, the benefits were better.  Specifically, they had some great benefits to assist parents. You know, the work-life balance thing.  Beyond the standard paternity / maternity leave and top-up, and work-life-balance workshops, my work offered a flexible spending account.  We each had $1,500 a year that we could use for any of the following:

• Contribute a portion to your RRSP
• Use for professional services such as getting a Will made
• Use for gym membership or for products that will help you stay fit (shoes, workout equipment, Garmen watch, etc…)
• Use towards other services that will help with your work-life balance such as babysitter, snow plowing or grass mowing services.

Confessions of a stay at home mom (SAHM)

I always imagined that being a stay at home mom would allow me to do some of the things that I didn’t get to do while I was in the workforce. I pictured myself visiting different neighbourhoods throughout Toronto, walking around, discovering new stores and enjoying the fresh air or a nice cup of coffee.  That was all fine and dandy, until reality sank in.  I had Kyle and hardly had time to get to know my own neighborhood let alone visit other ones in Toronto.  Well, here’s a couple of other things I didn’t really expect to experience either, but I’m laying it all out so there’s no confusion about the realities of a stay at home mom (mine anyways).

• I wear the same clothes two days in a row if I know I wont be seeing the same people both days (my husband and son are exempt from this rule)
• I know the theme songs to 10 kid shows (and it’s not because I remember them from my childhood)
• I spend more time in the washroom than I really need too
• I let my 2-year-old get away with more than he should because I don’t want to have a bad day
• Many of my child’s activities include shopping
• I can’t DIY anything 😦
• I look forward to my phone blinking as it’s my way to communicate with the outside world
• I enter several online contests as a way to “contribute financially” to my family
• The iPad is my son’s best friend
• My favorite book to read is “magazines”
• My cleaning schedule depends on when we’re expecting guests
• I know kids love repetition but if I have to read the same book more than 10 nights straight I start to shake (and quickly hide that book)
• I don’t always make my son’s food from scratch
• I don’t buy organic
• I never wear sweatpants because I don’t want to fall into the stereotype
• I don’t always compost because the garbage is more accessible
• After 2 years as a SAHM, my cooking hasn’t improved
• Obtaining my MBA was a cinch compared to being a SAHM
• Even thought I can’t always describe in detail what I do all day long, I promise you I’m busy and exhausted by the time I put my son to bed
• I still prefer being a stay at home mom over working outside the home

If you’re a stay at home mom, what are some of the things that surprised you the most that you weren’t expecting to feel or experience?

Preparing our toddler to become an older brother

While Kyle isn’t great at socializing with kids his own age, he does love playing with older kids.  He also adores babies; and mostly, he’s very gentle with them.  This is a good thing, since we’re expecting our second child in two months.  From the moment we found out I was pregnant, we told our son Kyle about it.  At the time, he wasn’t talking much, so we weren’t worried about him spilling the beans.

More recently, we have stepped up our discussions of the impending birth of our second child and read to him daily one of our “I’m a big brother now” books.  Kyle will tell you that his baby brother is in “mommy’s tummy” and occasionally, he gives his future brother “gifts” under my shirt including his beloved pacifiers.  When I tell him that his brother is kicking he responds by kicking my tummy in retaliation. Clearly, he doesn’t yet understand what that means, but it’s completely hilarious to watch.

When we talk about being a big brother, Kyle gets excited about all of the things that he will get to teach him, including: hopping, touch-down, kicking, home-run, ABC’s, puzzles and hockey.  However, when we talk about helping mommy and dada push the stroller, Kyle immediately responds with a “no baby, Kyle’s stroller” and gets in his stroller even if we’re not going anywhere.  Same goes for his chairs and even though we haven’t gone there yet, I’m sure it will be the same reaction regarding his toys!

I know that issues with sharing is a phase, but I wonder if there’s anything we can do now, before the baby is here to help alleviate some of the stress that Kyle might have with sharing his things and his time with us with his new baby brother.

What advice can you give us to talk to Kyle about now or do now?  What was some of the best advice you received when preparing for the birth of your second (or third) child?

Babymoon in Jamaica + Toddler

Going on a babymoon seems to be the latest trend these days.  During my first pregnancy, it never even crossed our minds.  We were doing a complete renovation on our house, and since Kyle was to be born in September, we spent most of the summer at the cottage.  That made it feel like enough of a vacation for us.

But this time around, I’m due at the end of January.  Which makes it seem like it will be a VERY long winter.  And since we don’t have as much on the go as we did two years ago, I mentioned the idea of a babymoon to my husband.

We found a great deal for a resort in Montego Bay Jamaica (via Selloffvacations.com). And since my husband and I couldn’t part ways with Kyle for a week, we decided that he should join us.  I guess it was a way for our family of 3 to enjoy some quality time together before we became a family of 4.  The resort, Sunset Beach, is family friendly and we upgraded to a beach cabana room with an exit directly to the beach.  It couldn’t have been more perfect.

Of course, a babymoon with a toddler isn’t as glamorous as a romantic vacation for two.  Here’s some pro’s and con’s based on our experience.

Con’s

• You can’t just go to any Caribbean island when you’re pregnant.  Locations are pretty important according to my Doctor.  Dominican shares its borders with Haiti which has a bad bug that apparently flows throughly between the two borders.  Mexico is worrisome because of the drinking water and Cuba was out of the question because of its relations with USA (i.e. we couldn’t get airlifted to the US in case of an emergency).  So we pretty much narrowed it down to Jamaica (Aruba, St. Marten, etc… were much more expensive).
• You can’t really take advantage of the all-you-can-drink part of the all-inclusive when you’re pregnant.  That’s not to say that it’s the only reason I go on an all-inclusive, but it’s nice to have a cold beer while lying on the beach or a nice red wine with dinner at night.  Neither of which I was able to enjoy this time around.
• Most excursions are out of the question because I was pregnant or because Kyle was too young.
• Your only downtime is when your toddler naps; not when you’re tired.

Pro’s

• You’re on vacation at a beautiful all-inclusive resort in Jamaica where the sun shines all day, even if the weather channel is calling for rain.
• The food is amazing and you don’t have to worry about cooking for 7 days.  Same goes for cleaning.
• You get to spend some quality time with your family with no interruptions from the every-day life events, including cell-phones and work related matters.
• You’re getting some much-needed vitamin D to keep you going through the cold winter back home.
• Did I mention you’re in Jamaica??

Other: ensure you have appropriate travel insurance that will cover you in case of premature labour or any other labour related emergency.  Also ensure it covers the cost of an air ambulance as they can cost up to $100,000 if you do require one.

What about you?  Would you or have you gone on a babymoon?  What was your experience?  Would you recommend it to others?  Did you travel solo (i.e. your partner only) or did you take the kids along as well?