Jonah's First Allowance!

Jonah was very excited to learn that if he wanted money, he could do chores to earn an allowance.  We set up a very simple chart (drawn by Jonah) illustrating two tasks he is supposed to do (but needs constant reminding) every day.  #1: clear your plate after every meal, and help clear the table after dinner.  #2: pick up your clothes every time you get dressed, and help put away your clean clothes from the laundry.

Since Friday, this has been going very well.  Jonah has been eager to help, even to the point of taking dishes from his brother (who thought helping looked like fun!) so he could get the allowance, and not Elliott.

After only 3 days (to set Sunday as payday), we rewarded Jonah with his efforts: one quarter for each task done well.  He was so proud and excited to put his two quarters into his money bank.  At bedtime he was too tired, but told me we would discuss his allowance in the morning.  He's already scheming ways of getting more!  (Apparently doing a good job - even for only 3 days - deserves an extra 25 cent tip.)

Mommy Didn't Take Care of Him

We had a lovely outing at the zoo today, but I was shocked and somewhat alarmed by the small comment that seemed to stick with Jonah throughout the visit and back home.

During our visit, I casually read a sign about a baby kangaroo, who's mother wasn't caring for it in the wild, so they are acclimating it to life at the zoo.  A few hours later Jonah asked to go back to see it.  And at dinner it was the one thing he told Dad about his trip.

I can only image how traumatic the idea would be to a small child, to be abandoned by his mother!  I hope it doesn't cause poor Jonah distress to have this thought in his very impressionable brain.

Terrible 2's?

Jonah has decided to officially act like a two-year-old.  It started with an all out screamfest over getting dressed last week.  Since then, we've noticed some serious rebellion over little things, like the wrong cup.  Oh boy.  I expect it will get a lot worse before it gets better!

Happy Mama Day!

Poor Daddy was feeling unwell today, so Jonah was on his own for giving Mommy a wonderful Mother's Day!

We started at Mass, where Jonah clapped enthusiastically along with "This Little Light of Mine".  Then he took me out to the botanical garden and gave me the grand tour.  We made stops at the turtle fountain, misting fountain, spraying hoses, drainage grate, and hose bibs.  Oh, and there were a few flowers along the way!  ;-)  We even found a porch swing hanging from a tree so we could swing together.

My favorite part was when Jonah took a shortcut and frolicked through a field of daffodils while I took the path to meet him.  The other visitors where slightly mystified by the lone toddler, but quite enraptured by his adorable romp across the waist-high field of flowers.  Jonah also enjoyed walking the forest path and finding sticks taller than him, or helping Mommy push the stroller when I grew tired.  (I should note here that his help is performed while being held up high enough to reach the handlebar!)

Mr. Clean

Jonah really like to make things right when he knows he messed up... particularly after making a mess.  He seems to really appreciate cleanliness, or being a big helper.  Here are a few examples:

1. This afternoon while I was making dinner, Jonah spilled his bag of popcorn all over the floor.  I gave him the Dustbuster and showed him how to use it.  He went around the kitchen and vacuumed up the entire mess!
2. A few weeks ago Jonah spilled his cup of water on the kitchen floor.  Without any intervention, he opened the cabinet, pulled out a dish towel, and wiped up the spill!
3. I wrote earlier about his attempt to help clean up a ferret mess...
4. Jonah will throw out a used tissue after wiping his nose.
5. When a few Goldfish fell out of his Easter egg, Jonah picked them up and threw them in the trash.
6. Jonah helps with his diapers by opening the toilet seat, flushing the toilet (after Mommy has cleaned the diaper), and opening the diaper pail for the soiled diaper.
7. After dinner, Jonah sometimes picks up any food that spilled and puts it back onto his plate - or hands it to Mommy - to clean his tray.
8. Jonah enjoys helping to load and unload the dishwasher.
9. Jonah helps wash the floors by riding on Mommy's hip and pressing the button on the Swiffer wet jet.
10. Jonah loves sweeping, and prefers the big broom to the dustpan brush!  This one is slightly less effective...
11. Jonah loves brushing his teeth with his Elmo toothbrush and Choo-choo toothpaste.  After "spitting" he flashes a big toothy smile to show off his clean pearly whites!

No no no!

Jonah was playing with his food at dinner, so Mommy and Daddy kept telling him 'no'.  Well, he kept at it, so finally I took away his plate.  In response, Jonah waved his little index finger right at me and said, "no no no!"  Daddy and I had to stifle back giggles at the extreme cuteness while I sternly informed Jonah that under no circumstances was it okay to 'no' Mommy or Daddy!

The Enforcer

Any time he sees a ferret accident, Jonah will point his finger, yelling "no, no, no!"  (One might say his attitude towards ferret messes reflects that of his mother.)  Today he even tried to help clean up the mess in the bathroom by grabbing some toilet paper - still attached to the roll - and pulling it across the room to cover the mess.  Then he flushed the toilet.  Just like Mommy does.

I'm a bit concerned that Jonah is going to have reservations about using the potty because of this routine.  At bath time he also points to his dirty diapers yelling "no!" as if he's been a bad boy for soiling them.  I try to encourage him to use the potty after bath, but he inevitably waits until he is off and running around in his birthday suit to find a spot on the floor to pee.  Maybe he is learning more from Starbuck than from Mommy after all!

Playing Well with Other Moms

Please forgive the following, but I need to vent:

Jonah and I were enjoying playgroup when three kids started fighting violently over a toy.  I was the nearest adult and sprang into action, taking the toy away.  One of the mothers says, "we'll handle it".  This didn't register in the midst of the fray and it wasn't until I had removed the offending toy and suggested that the toddlers find another that Alpha-mom repeats, "they're OUR children, WE'LL handle it."  (Oh?  Any of the four adults except me?)  And she proceeded to give her son the first turn with the coveted toy.

Very succinctly, she managed three things:

1. Publicly criticize my response to the situation (and by extension my parenting).
2. Undermine the authority and respect due to any adult in a room full of toddlers.
3. Empower her child to bully the others by acting as his crony.

Way to strike at the heart!  I may have been impressed by the very targeted and calculated attack if I didn't think it came so naturally to her.  I used to give parents a lot of leeway, considering it a parental right.  Now it bothers me, smug moms wielding tyrannical power over everyone under the guise of (authoritarian) parenting.  What happened to "it takes a village"?  And yet I need to respect it.  I'm sure I (unintentionally) do it, too.

I later watched a toddler eat a crayon because I didn't want to intervene.  I only regret the child wasn't hers.

A New Exercise Regimen

I almost gave up my gym membership, since it was getting so little use.  Then I was inspired by a working mom, who I ran into on Saturday at my bi-monthly yoga class.  She is a very happy new member, having switched from the Y, which she found crowded and unsafe for her toddler.

For the past several months, I had only worked out on non-busy weekends.  And I felt guilty for it.  Call it a New Year's resolution if you will, but I have finally decided that I should be allowed to do the things I enjoy and not feel guilty for imposing on Daddy's hobbies (computer gaming) while I pursue my own.  Then I reconsidered my dislike of bringing Jonah to the gym: #1 - on our first and last visit, I had only been a mother for a couple months and leaving Jonah with strangers freaked me out, and #2 - the extra fee charged by the half hour, even though tiny, was a huge dis-incentive.  Hooray!  Both of these have been fixed!  1.)  I am now a seasoned mom.  2.)  The childcare now has a low monthly rate, which is a great incentive to go more often.  And it turns out that one of the things I hated about my gym, having to reserve childcare in advance, has turned out to be a huge merit in making the trips part of our weekly schedule.

No, I don't have any guilt over leaving Jonah for 60-90min. twice a week to play with two adults and a room full of kids.  In fact, at home I would likely be over-working and leaving him to play by himself.  This saves us both from my own vices.  So most weeks I manage three workouts: swimming on Tuesday, conditioning on Friday, and yoga on Saturday.  Self-centered bliss.

Mommy's Lap

Admittedly, Jonah's been a little spoiled over the holidays.  I think with all the visits, family and travel he was a little overwhelmed.  In this regard, he's probably more like his Daddy, who would much prefer to stay home and relax.  He's been very fussy and demanding - always needing to be in Mommy's lap.  I can no longer move so much as an inch without setting off his radar and starting a full-on tantrum.  It's been rather tiring for me to be in such high demand!  Daddy reminds me that in a few short years, Jonah won't even want to be seen with me.  I'd not be so eager to give up our cuddles except I worry that my little Mama's boy is also going to be a spoiled brat.

I made a lot of excuses when he wasn't feeling well or off his schedule, but today we (Daddy and I) were very happy to get back into our routine of work/school.  Jonah fussed all morning and all evening, as if to make up for the middle of the day when he was torn away from Mommy.  I expect he wasn't like that all day, and I like to imagine that school was a great way to give him back some autonomy, which seems to be forgotten when I'm around.  If I ignore him long enough, he does eventually give up and find something else to do on his own.

103.8

I wish that number was the channel of Jonah's radio show, but it was his temperature Wednesday night through Friday.  Infant acetaminophen brought it down to a mild 102 for about 3 1/2 hours at a time, but there was always a spike between doses.  Last Friday, school had emailed home a notice that they had a "confirmed case of hand, foot and mouth disease."  Great.  Daddy and I had talked about keeping Jonah home on Monday, but where does that end?  The next kid gets sick and the room is now a hazard area for another week, etc.  So instead, Jonah stayed home on Thursday with Mommy and a temperature of 103.8.

After two days (and before the weekend), I finally called the doctor's office to get a professional opinion.  I was probably the most calm first-time Mom to call: "my son has a fever... I'm not worried, but I wanted your opinion if we should come in..."  The nurse didn't seem any more concerned than I was, so we were told to wait another day and add ibuprofen to his medication to keep the fever down.  His fever seemed to break Friday night (or was it the ibuprofen?), then rose to the 102s on Saturday.  This brings us to the grey area of a.) not really worried since the fever is down but b.) well into day 3 of fever.  We stuck with our gut, to keep him home, cool, rested and hydrated.  The medical professionals couldn't do much for a virus anyway.

Jonah handled it pretty well.  I took it as a good sign that he was still able to fuss and eat, but mostly he just wanted to be held.  Mommy selfishly enjoyed almost 4 days of snuggling and cuddle naps.  As he recovered a little, he was still too lethargic to play but got a little bored of books.  Mommy downloaded the PBS Kids app and let him watch videos!  (To those moms who pledge off TV entirely, don't judge!)  I don't want this to become habit, but it was a good distraction for a sick kid.  He liked to touch the screen and would jump to the next episode, so we never saw more than 3 min. of any one thing.

I'm not really up on my toddler television programming, but was pleased to see an animated Mr. Roger's spin-off, "Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood".  At first it seemed weird that Daniel, who lives in the world of make-believe, goes into his own dreamlike visions of make-believe... but admittedly, an animated kitten playing is less weird than a grown man with a model train running through his house.  For another show, someone came up with the idea to combine little boys' two most favorite things ever: "Dinosaur Train"!  I can imagine that was the extent of the sales pitch before it went on the air.

Jonah is back to normal temperature (though not completely himself) and I think he'll be back to school tomorrow.  No sign of sores on his hands, feet or mouth, so maybe we escaped that discomfort...

Ferberizing

After the pediatrician and Daddy teamed up against me and Jonah, we decided to try to stop the midnight snack habit.  So instead of me getting up to quietly feed Jonah for 20 minutes and go back to sleep, we've both been kept awake for over 2 hours for a couple nights with a screaming, hungry baby.  We held, rubbed, sang to, and walked him around to try and calm him.  It's exhausting.  It took him an hour or so to get desperate enough to accept water instead of milk, and then another hour to give up entirely.  It's heartbreaking!
Finally, after consulting another mother at work, I found that the best thing for Jonah is to NOT go visit him when he fusses.  He went back to sleep within 30 minutes that night.  And now, the midnight cries have completely ceased.

This week, the role of single-Mom will be played by...

In the wee hours of the morning, Daddy hopped a flight to Japan, leaving Jonah and I to fend for ourselves for a whole week!  I do not envy single Moms... the thought of getting through just 7 days without Daddy is a bit frightening!

We're off to a good start - it was cousin Timmy's 1st birthday, so we spent the afternoon with extended family.  Aunt Cheryl was very thoughtful and held Jonah so that he couldn't see me (the only way he can enjoy being anywhere but Mommy's arms, so it seems!) and I could get a break to eat my lunch.  She also scooped up all the misc. items we left behind and ran them down to the car just before we drove away!  What would I do without someone looking after us?

Sick... again.

Poor Jonah got sick again!  This is by far the thing I enjoy least about school.  Not only is it terrible to watch Jonah suffering, but Mommy and Daddy inevitably get sick, too.

Last week, all the kids at school were coughing.  On Friday, I found Jonah in a sea of dried mucus flakes in his crib in the morning.  On Saturday, he became the star producer in Daddy's lucrative (and imaginary) mucus-export business - out of every orifice: his eyes, nose and mouth.  On Sunday morning, his eyes were sealed shut with dried goo.  He didn't so much like that Mommy was constantly attacking his face with a washcloth to remove excess secretions, and would play defense, batting his hands to protect his face or offence, stealing the washcloth from Mommy.

Jonah also ran a bit of fever Friday and Saturday nights.  I never understood how my mother knew when we had a fever just by touch, but lo, an behold!  It was rather obvious by his flushed cheeks and warm forehead that Jonah was more than 98.6deg.  This lead to an amusing bout of "new-parentness" in which Dr. Daddy tried to administer acetaminophen.  We were well stocked, thanks to Jonah's prepared and thoughtful Aunt Pamela, who gave us a pharmacy of baby remedies.  However, that left Daddy with a few too many choices of measuring implements (do you use a dropper, cup, or one of the three differently-sized syringes?) and vague directions "for dosage under 2yrs, ask a doctor."  Naturally, in this time of crisis, Mommy couldn't be expected to remember what the pediatrician instructed two months ago!  Fortunately Daddy is a doctor and was able to get a conservatively small dose in.  It wasn't until the second night and a little research that Mommy figured out how to get the suspension out and dosed properly.

As Jonah's cold ran its course, Daddy and Mommy each took a turn in their own way.  Daddy with a head cold lasting several days, and Mommy with a fever that came and went in a night.  Poor Jonah had both.