Santa is Coming to Town

The holiday season can be stressful even when you’re not carrying a bowling ball everywhere while planning for its arrival and chasing his older brother around. Every parent wants to create picture-perfect moments for their children, especially during this time of year. As a parent, you get to see the magic of Christmas come alive again through a child’s eyes. Participating in all of the traditions and activities can be so much fun! It can also be exhausting.

Between shopping, decorating, wrapping, and planning, I signed up for the annual “Breakfast with Santa” event at the community center. My family already had the perfect Christmas photo at the park for our holiday cards. Now, all of my friends were posting adorable Santa photos with their children on Facebook, and this would be a great opportunity to allow Toddler B to sit on his lap, talk about his Christmas list, and smile for a picture I could look back on years from now and admire his adorableness. In the past, our photos looked like this:

I just knew this was our year. With two Christmases under his belt, B would finally be comfortable enough to willingly sit and smile and receive a gift as a reward for his photogenic behavior. The event included breakfast, crafts, cookie-decorating, and or course, a meeting with Santa.

There we were, watching family after family lead their children up to Santa, snap a photo and create that perfect moment- tiny people in tiny sweaters sitting on the big guy’s lap, smiling with joy. Soon, it was our turn. We escorted our toddler to the platform on which Santa was perched. But that’s as far as we got. As we bent down to pick him up, Toddler B wrestled out of our arms, practically tearing off his own shirt in the process. He ran across the room, unable to be convinced or swayed. “No!” he said, with a decisiveness well beyond his two years. He never got close enough to sit on a lap, talk about his Christmas list, or get that pinterest-worthy photo. We calmed him down and sat back at our table and decorated cookies. He had a great time and it didn’t matter that the point of it all had been missed.

In reality, I’m the one who missed the point. If all of this effort was for him to make holiday memories and have fun, what did it matter that I didn’t get to post a perfect photo? On the plus side, I don’t have to worry about him getting kidnapped by a guy in a red suit with a white beard.

Later in the week, we started a new holiday tradition. In lieu of the annual “Santa photo” we’re going to do a letter. I helped him write his first one.  He wants three very specific hot wheels cars from the movie, “Cars.”

Of course the best gift will come 8 weeks later.

Last Trip as a Family of Three

In just three months, our family of three will become a family of four! I am officially in my third trimester and still feeling very well, although it’s getting increasingly difficult to tie my shoes.

Bringing a new addition to the family comes with a few mixed feelings. We are of course ecstatic about our new baby, but juggling an infant and a toddler will have its challenges. Before we add to the chaos, we wanted to take some quality time to enjoy our little family of three. So, we packed up our Highlander and headed to the happiest place on Earth- Disneyland!

Toddler B was beside himself with joy meeting Mickey Mouse, driving a car in the Autotopia ride, seeing the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse show live, and so much more! There’s nothing like going to a place like Disney and seeing it through the eyes of a child. The experience was truly magical.  But, we didn’t stop there! Our road trip continued to San Diego, where we met up with B’s Grandmama and Abuelo.

We visited the San Diego Zoo, toured the U.S.S Midway, saw the seals at La Jolla Beach up close, and more! It was so much fun to be able to enjoy a California vacation with B’s grandparents, who got to spend quality time and capture every moment of the adventure. And when traveling with a toddler, it’s always an adventure…

The California coast has been unseasonably warm lately, so while we were at La Jolla Beach, I let B take off his shoes and socks and put his feet in the water and splash around a bit. He was about shin-deep in the water with daddy and I was standing by the shore when all of the sudden he just started removing all of his clothes. ALL of them.

Holding in laughter, I had to convince my naked child to put his pants back on in front of dozens of tourists as he argued that he needed to go swimming. Turns out, two older boys had jumped into the water nearby and when he asked if he could, daddy responded, “you don’t have your swim shorts.” In response, B just did what he thought was practical!

His fun sense of adventure, flexibility, and positive attitude will certainly come in handy when his little brother comes along. 

Familiar Voices

At 24 weeks, I’m still feeling good but looking bigger! The baby weighs a little more than a pound and is kicking up a storm, getting more active and itching for more room each day. He can also hear the sounds and voices around him, which means he will definitely be more than familiar with his chatty older brother when he arrives.

We have been talking to toddler B about his new little brother, and reading stories that we hope will help him adjust to life with a new baby. Aside from his reaction during our gender reveal party, (when we asked him if he was excited about a new brother he yelled, “no!”) he has shown a lot of excitement and interest in the new addition, and he’s definitely noticed my changing belly.

Toddler B has always been talkative, and never at a loss for words. Sometimes he takes me by surprise. One evening, in an attempt to stall during bedtime, he called me into his room and said, “I want to say goodnight to the baby.” He proceeded to touch my belly and tell me babies take nine months to grow, quoting a book we read that night. Overcome by adorableness, I have now been duped into letting him stall whenever he wants, because now he knows he will have success being so sweet.

B showed another surprising side recently when I was trying to decide what to wear to a formal event and all but 2 of my dresses no longer zipped. As I shimmied into a form-fitting but stretchy evening gown, I walked into the bathroom bracing myself for what I was about to see in the mirror when all of the sudden I heard a small voice say, “mommy you look beautiful!” He was beaming, and ran over to give me a hug. I didn’t even need to look in the mirror. I wore the dress.

Unfortunately, not all of B’s observations are so sweet. More like sweet and sour. One day walking home from the park we passed a woman pushing a stroller so I pointed it out and said, “did you see the baby?” B put it together right away. He made me stop and touched my belly and sweetly said, “there’s a baby in there.” My heart melted! For a second…

Then, he walked around to my backside and said, “there’s another baby in there!”

You’ve got to appreciate the naiveté and brutal honesty of a toddler. It keeps you humble.

Oh, Boy!

As I reach the halfway point of my pregnancy, it’s hard not to try to compare it to the first time around, two and a half years ago with Baby B. During my first pregnancy, I felt like I was constantly starving, I craved red meat and hearty meals, I had morning sickness, severe fatigue, and as soon as I could feel him move he never seemed to stop. This time around has been the complete opposite. With very little nausea, relative comfort, cravings of fruits and vegetables, and a baby that seems to be sleeping during most of the day, I was sure that baby had to be different. By different, I assumed a girl.

Then, we saw the ultrasound. We didn’t find out the sex during our appointment and chose to look away while the tech wrote the results down in an envelope so we could keep it a surprise. But, after getting a look at that tiny growing baby, I wasn’t so sure anymore. The next morning we found out Toddler B is getting a little brother!

We are so excited to get to know our baby a little more, and to be halfway to meeting him in person.

We started to brainstorm some names during dinner, but haven’t come up with anything we can agree on yet. When we asked Toddler B what he wanted to name his little brother, he gave a confident and… unique answer: “One-Hundred.” 

Baby “One-Hundred” is about the size of a banana and weighs about 12 oz. He is starting to hear sounds outside the womb, and definitely responds to the world around him. During the anatomy ultrasound, we saw the windup and felt the kick! He did not like getting nudged around by the camera. 

Baby Bautista: Take Two

In just six months, we will be adding a new baby to our family! Toddler B is getting promoted to big brother, and though he’s not entirely sure of what’s going on, over the coming months it will start to be clear that something big is happening. That something big will be my belly… even though right now it’s barely a glimpse of what’s to come:

I’ve heard that every pregnancy is different and that’s definitely true in this case! This time I’m chasing a toddler around. Napping every time I feel fatigued and exhausted is no longer an option, although I’ve taken advantage of B’s naptime. This time around the first trimester nausea was almost non-existent aside from a few bad mornings. The cravings have been completely different. Instead of tacos, red meat and comfort food, I’ve had a hard time resisting any kind of fruit or vegetable. Maybe I’m having a vegetarian?

I’m not going to speak too soon but so far it’s been as easy and pleasant as anyone could hope for. Baby is about the size of an avocado and we have a ways to go before it’s a watermelon, but we are so excited about our growing family!

If Adults Had Toddler Problems

One of my favorite phrases is, “Don’t sweat the small stuff, and it’s all small stuff.” In a toddler’s world, the opposite is definitely true. It’s all big stuff. A few of B’s biggest problems lately had me thinking if the roles were reversed, how would the world operate? If the problems of toddlers weighed on adults, productivity, society, the economy- it’d all go out the window.

An adult would walk into work an hour late and have to explain to their boss, “two of my Golden Grahams were stuck together this morning so I had to spend twenty minutes wailing in agony at the kitchen table until mom poured me a new bowl.”

At lunch, they’d spill food on their shirt and have an absolute meltdown because “My shirt is wet and I don’t want to wear any shirts that don’t have Thomas the Train on them.” Not to mention, it’s pajamas. That they’ve been wearing for nearly 48 hours.

They’d go to the bathroom and later cry inconsolable alligator tears because “mommy flushed my poopy before I could show daddy.”  Yes, that happened. And it was both tragic and hilarious at the same time.

Countries would be torn apart over the concept of having to share toys. Regimes would fall at the notion that a leader should put on his socks. We would sooner go to war than eat a vegetable, and no one would ever sleep because that would require a bedtime.

Isn’t it good we all grow up? Or, what wouldn’t we give for those problems to be the biggest in the world.

B is 2 and a half today, and though his problems may seem small, he is such a big boy. His personality, his energy, and his love are larger than life. He makes us laugh every day, even if it’s the kind of laughter I have to hold in while consoling a boy who just wanted to show daddy his poopie.

At 2.5, B likes: trains, planes, cars, building, running, swimming, snuggling, his cousins and friends, mommy, daddy and max, and most of all, cereal.

He dislikes: bedtime, broccoli, and having to wait.

Potty Training

Toddler B is now officially two and a half, and this past weekend we decided to level up and potty train. Since I had 4 days off for the 4^th of July weekend, we declared independence from diapers on Friday and went straight to regular underwear (if there’s anything regular about underwear with Thomas the Train all over it) without looking back!

I had a three-day plan for potty training, written by a very reputable mom with a gazillion kids who says she potty-trained all of her children this way and it worked for every one. I also had a potty-training set that included a handbook for parents, a board book for a toddler boy, and best of all- sticker charts. Equipped with the tools of the modern first-time mom, B and I embarked on our adventure, and I subsequently embarked on cleaning every floor in the house. And a sofa. And my bed sheets. And his bed sheets. And 16 pairs of tiny Thomas the Train underwear.

Yeah, the first day was a little rough, but what got me through it (aside from Swiffer wet pads and a bottle of oxy-clean) was B’s positive attitude. He was such a go-getter and he tried so hard that he earned a couple of stickers just for his enthusiasm. The following day, we had a couple of successful trips to the potty! We even had a dry, uninterrupted night’s sleep. Sunday, we only had a few accidents! And another night of dry, uninterrupted sleep! Monday was July 4^th, and it started out just fine. But let’s just say we felt more like the British than the Patriots by the end of the night.

There was an accident immediately after his nap on the bedroom floor, and another accident during the festivities that evening. When we returned home an hour past his bedtime, we discovered someone else had an accident on our bed- the dog. We don’t know if he was afraid of the fireworks or if he was simply re-claiming all that had been peed on during the past few days. Either way, between the toddler and the dog and losing count of the loads of laundry, I was getting defeated. That night B didn’t want to go potty before bed, and I discovered that no matter how hard you try, you just can’t make someone do what they don’t want to do. Your only hope is to make them want to do what you want them to do. He wasn’t having it. Then, at 4am, we all got a wake-up call. It was Toddler B screaming “I’m peeing!” from his crib.

Today is day 6 of the 3-day potty training plan and after a rough start to the week I think it’s looking up. He was dry all last night, and earned another sticker tonight right before bed. I just know he'll get it soon.

As George Washington once said, “Perseverance and spirit have done wonders in all ages.” Toddler B has both in spades. Even at two and a half. 

First Trip to the Dentist

Growing up, I had a love-hate relationship with my dentist. I hated him because it seemed he loved torturing me. Now I realize that when he once told me I was his worst patient, he wasn’t necessarily being mean, he was just telling the truth. This week, Baby B had his very first trip to the dentist. Afterwards, I called my mom and apologized.

We try not to project our own fears and concerns onto our children. But it leaves me wondering if some fears and concerns- like most people and their dentists- are only natural. I tried to prepare B the best I could. When Drew scheduled a dentist appointment last week, I asked if B could go along and watch, so he could witness how painless and positive the experience could be. Notice, I didn’t invite him to any of my appointments.

Two days later when it was still fresh in his mind, he had his first appointment. We went into the waiting room and he played with some toys. We read a book about how great the dentist is. Then, we were called back into the office by the assistant. B refused to sit in the chair, so I sat in the chair and he sat in my lap. B refused to smile and take a photo for his patient portfolio, so I had the assistant sneak a snapshot over my shoulder of his sulking frown. He refused to pick a new toothbrush, even though they came in several awesome colors with pictures of Transformers on them.

Despite how smoothly everything went with the assistant, when the dentist walked in, B refused to open his mouth. The only tool on the premises was that harmless mirror on a stick, but no matter how much we reassured him that everything was fine, he wouldn’t back down. Then, I saw the tears. Oh, those crocodile tears. The drama! The Horror!  This strange man he’d met two days prior was going to stick that mirror into his mouth and look at his teeth! It was awful! The dentist got a quick look while B’s mouth was gaping open mid-scream, just before he scrambled up my body onto my head, reaching for anything that would take him away from this strange man.

I don’t think you really know parenting until you try to calmly speak to a medical professional with a child wrapped around your face.

Luckily, the dentist seemed satisfied to find that B’s teeth existed at all, and that was the end of the appointment. B gladly chose a toy airplane on his way out of the office, and I’m sure the dentist and his staff will gladly wait half a year before his next visit. 

Carpool Karaoke

Anybody who knows me knows that I love to sing in the car. I usually have the radio tuned to a top 40 station and as I drive around town I belt out Taylor Swift, Maroon 5, Bruno Mars, and whoever else happens to have the latest catchy tune that’s fun to sing and pass the time while driving. Sometimes I forget there’s a little guy in the back seat listening to every word, remembering every note, and on occasion I hear him chime in at the top of his lungs during the chorus. And it’s hilarious. But, after a recent lunch just the two of us at a pizza place occupied primarily by burly men on their lunch break from the nearby auto repair shop, I realized I may need to alter my driving habits. Or at least my choice of music.

The pizza place had their radio on and as we were eating, suddenly out of nowhere, B must have felt moved by the music. “Is it too late now to say soooorrryyyy” he blared without using his inside voice, loud enough for everyone to hear and start snickering around me. Oh, that just egged him on. Before I knew it, I was stifling my laughter while my little showman entertained the whole restaurant with his rendition of Taylor Swift’s Wildest Dreams. There’s something about a two-year-old singing the lyric, “handsome as heelllll” in his little toddler voice that’s completely adorably wrong. I was near tears I was laughing so hard, and my face was red as I uttered, “ok, mommy is going to have to pick a new favorite radio station.”

I’m sure one day I’ll embarrass him in a public place, maybe even more than once. He better hope it doesn’t involve singing.

In the meantime, I’ll be picking up the latest copy of Elmo’s Greatest Hits for our next car ride.

Big Boy’s Busy Month

This past month has been a whirlwind of fun and adventure! First, we had a visit from Toddler B’s cousins, my brother and his family from Virginia! We visited the zoo, children’s museum, playgrounds, and stayed busy doing laps around the kitchen. Maybe that last one was just the kids. It was great getting all of B’s cousins together. I love watching all of them play.

Next, we hopped on a plane and traveled to Florida for our friends’ wedding and some beach time! We had a blast spending time with our best friends and soaking up the sand and surf. (Arizona has enough sun, but we really missed the water!)

April wrapped up with my birthday as I turned the big 3-1. But, while I may be the one hitting a new year, B is the one taking major steps into “big boy” territory.

This week, he got rid of his pacifier. We told him he was a big boy and didn’t need it anymore, and he threw it in the garbage can himself, proudly saying, “Bye paci!” He seemed fine! And he was, until seconds before I put him in his crib that night when he asked, “can I have a different paci?”

For the next half hour over the baby monitor we heard him sadly talking to the darkness, saying, “I want another paci.” “Is there another paci I can use?” Holding back tears, I tucked him in again and again, telling him he didn’t need it. During the last tuck-in of the night, he looked up and said, “I don’t need my paci anymore.” That was Monday night, and he has gone to sleep just fine without it since.

As with all of his major transitions, I had prepared myself for several sleepless nights and endless crying. And, as with all of his major transitions, he took it in stride and adjusted quickly with very little protest. I only cried a little... when I tucked him in tonight without his paci and realized, he really is a big boy.

Red Apron

Anyone who has followed this blog from the beginning (hi mom!) knows how adventurous I am in the kitchen. They would also know how overly ambitious, experimental, and accident-prone I can be. Honestly, it’s a wonder I haven’t burned anything down (though there’s been no shortage of contained fires and the occasional burned hole in a pot) or chopped off a body part. I’m happy to say that’s still the case, but I did come close. It all started when Drew signed us up for Blue Apron.

Blue Apron is a service that sends you recipes and all of the measured, fresh ingredients to make them. We got three meals for our first week and after making some pretty excellent salmon, I was confident that the Saturday before Easter would yield an even better calzone. I love cooking because we’re all in the kitchen together working on little pieces that come together as a whole. We get B to assist in simple tasks like stirring or ripping lettuce. On this particular night, I chopped all of the produce (successfully!) and was opening a can of crushed tomatoes when my pinky got caught in the lid and sliced right open.

Now, I’ve also mentioned on this blog that I’m not a doctor. It’s not just because I can’t pass an advanced biology class and my eyes glaze over at the mention of any scientific name. I can’t stand blood. The second it happened, I ran over to the sink and it was just everywhere. Cringing, I asked Drew to look at it because I thought I needed to get to an Urgent Care. I was right.

One of the interesting things about being a parent is that we feel the need to look invincible in front of our children. Don’t let them see you worry, don’t let them see you sad or in pain. I’m not sure why, but it’s in the handbook, so what I did next came perfectly naturally. I slapped a smile on my face, turned to B and said, “Sweetie, mommy has an owie. We need to go to the doctor so they can fix it. Can you find your shoes?”

Minutes later, B was walking confidently into the Urgent Care with his shoes on the wrong feet, chatting about how mommy was going to get a bandage. During his most recent check-up he received the book, Doctor Dan the Bandage Man, so he knows all about putting on bandages. Drew filled out the paperwork and I scribbled some semblance of a signature with my left hand, my right pinky still wrapped tightly in a paper towel. I went in to see the doctor and got my first stitches. I'm not going to lie, it hurt and I was terrified. Luckily, I didn't sever anything important so it will heal "better than new!" as Doctor Dan would say. When I walked back into the waiting room with my bandaged finger, B smiled and said, "Mommy, you're all better?"  "Yes! Look at my bandage! All better!" I said, gritting my teeth into a smile. We picked up a new can of crushed tomatoes on the way home and finished cooking our calzones. They were delicious.

This week our second Blue Apron box arrived and tonight we cooked enchiladas. I chopped the produce, Drew opened the can of tomato sauce, and we had a wonderfully uneventful dinner.

The Opposite of Atkins

When it comes to food, Toddler B is as healthy and adventurous any toddler. Which means, I’m pretty sure he’s surviving on cheddar bunnies and food I tell him not to eat off the floor. I remember when he first started eating solid food and I started him on peas, moving on to squash, pureed kale, spinach, broccoli, carrots, sweet potato and more. It was my plan to make him fall in love with vegetables. What happened was a little bit different.

I guess it was inevitable. He discovered cookies. And chips. And crackers. And pasta. And bread. Basically, my toddler eats like he’s carb-loading for a marathon. Which I guess makes sense considering the fact that he spends most of his waking hours in motion, running, jumping, climbing and hurdling all over the place.

I did develop a few tricks to get the occasional green food into this rambunctious boy, like making home-made squeezers with some of his favorite fruits while sneaking in kale or spinach. I also found that he’s more likely to eat vegetables if he’s involved in the cooking process, like the night we made mashed cauliflower together and he cleaned his plate! This weekend at the grocery store, a genius idea came over me- why don’t I let him pick his own produce? We strolled through the vegetable section and he selected avocados and a green bell pepper. I don’t know who was more excited about that pepper, him or me!

During lunch the next day, I cut the pepper into “sticks” and arranged it carefully on his plate with a dipping cup full of hummus. He took one bite of the pepper and I heard him say under his breath, “…yuk.”  He immediately gathered up all of the pepper slices and moved them off of his plate onto the table, saying, “Just chips please. Just chips.”  I was actually too busy laughing at his meticulous and oddly polite request to be upset about it.  I handed him some tortilla chips to go with his hummus instead. And a squeezer.

At two years and one month old, B is officially 35 inches tall and weighs in at nearly 30lbs. His new favorite toy (his own words) is his Blaze monster truck. He loves pretending, racing, playgrounds, playing with his cousins, and so much more. He dislikes bedtime, being interrupted, and of course, vegetables.

Terrific Two

Two years ago today, our lives changed for the better forever. It’s been filled with more love, learning, and above all, laughter. As we celebrated Toddler B’s second birthday this weekend, I couldn’t believe how quickly he’s become a running, jumping, problem-solving, chatting, joke-telling little boy. He understands so much about what’s going on around him and has a curiosity that just can’t be quenched. Occasionally, I’m taken aback by what he says or asks, or the way he raises an eyebrow while putting a puzzle piece in its place.

He’s observant and honest, and has the vocabulary to express it now, which can make for some interesting interactions. Last Friday, we were eating lunch at our usual pizza place when a man sat down at a nearby table and started eating. The next thing I know, B is pointing and telling me (with his usual lack of volume control,) “Wow, that guy is hungry!”

In another restaurant while eating dinner, B felt the need to inform our table that the lady walking by was “going to the potty!”

And, when we saw a mud-covered truck in a parking lot with the driver’s side window open, B loudly proclaimed, “That car needs a chug-wash!”  I can only hope the driver wasn’t as familiar with the phrases coined by the show Chuggington as we are. Parents of preschoolers- you understand.

Other times, he surprises me for different reasons. This week we sat down at our kitchen table to eat dinner and before I could ask the same question I never realized I asked every night, B turned to me and said with my exact inflection, “How was your day?”

I paused for a second, and then smiled. “It was good. How was yours?”

“Good mommy.”  Then, he started eating.

I’d just had a conversation with my baby boy. Of course, he’s not such a baby anymore.

Happy birthday to our terrific two-year-old!

Watch how he's grown!

Planes, Trains, Cars and Christmas

We can’t believe 2015 has come to an end. It was a year of milestones, learning, playing, and fun family outings. The latest was a trip back East to spend Christmas with Toddler B’s grandmamma, abuelo, papa, nana, auntie, uncles, and three of his cousins.

We had so much fun enjoying the holidays in warm weather. Wait… what?

That’s right, it was warmer in Virginia than it was in Arizona the entire trip. So much for a white Christmas! Despite the unseasonably warm temps (and unseasonably cold back home) our holiday spirit stayed strong as B helped grandmama bake cookies to put out for Santa, enjoyed Christmas Eve dinner at Papa’s house, and opened presents enthusiastically Christmas morning. His excitement grew with every gift as he tore away paper to reveal matchbox cars, v-tech cars, a fire station, etc. One of the boxes was met with a little less enthusiasm as he threw off the wrapping paper, the tissue paper, and the clothes it contained and stared at the empty box inquisitively, saying, “cars missing. Where cars go?”  I wish I’d gotten that on camera.

During our trip we even had the opportunity to go into DC for a day to check out a new section of the Museum of American History. We rode the Metro (or, “train!”) and B was over the moon. Though he loved the train ride and the museum, the highlight for me was taking him and the cousins with my brother to ride the carousel on the National Mall that we used to ride when we were little. B has always been a big fan of watching, never riding the carousel, but that day he changed his mind. He got on the horse by himself and smiled ear to ear the whole time. My big boy.

Overall, we had a wonderful vacation and B was a champ during the cross-country flights as usual.  Our good little traveler will turn two next month.

As 23 months, B likes… trains, planes, cars, playing pretend, building blocks, playgrounds, playing with his cousins, singing the alphabet, running, jumping, and so much more.

He dislikes… nap time and bed time.