One Step Forward, Five Steps Back

Remember my last post, when I said that swimming went so much better? Yeah, just forget about that. Today's class was not so successful. He screamed and cried the whole way through. But we hung in there. Our instructor Laura was very patient with us. She told me to keep working with him on it, but Sutton was just not in a swimming mood today. In his defense, the water was really salty today (they have a salt-water pool, to avoid using chlorine) and it was burning my eyes, and I didn't even go under the water. We did a couple of submersions and Sutton DID NOT like it. He started crying even harder.

I think he was a little scared of swimming today. This past Sunday, we went to the pool at my mom's house and he fell under the water. It was in the baby pool, but he couldn't get his bearings and stand up properly. Luckily, I was close enough by that I could grab the back of his swim shorts and haul him up. To be honest, it scared ME more than I think it scared him. As I went to sleep that night, I kept seeing Sutton floating facedown in the water. That is the very reason he is taking swimming lessons. So if he ever falls in, he knows what to do.

Another problem that we're having is that he would rather play in the water, than actually try to learn anything. He HATES floating on his back. HATES IT. We're supposed to float them on their back, with their head on our shoulder. But he tries to jackknife his body up, and he is STRONG!

I know it's because he doesn't like being held down, when he doesn't want to do something. It's the same thing with changing his diaper, brushing his teeth, putting on sunscreen, etc. You know, those everyday things. He thrashes, screams, struggles, etc. Dave and I have just learned that it's easiest to hold him down, do it quickly, and distract him as soon as it's over.

I'll give you an example. Last week, Sutton had a dentist check-up. The technician asked if they were any problems we were having. I told her how we have to fight Sutton to brush his teeth. She made some agreement noises, but didn't say much more. When the dentist came in, she attempted to clean his teeth. I say "attempted" because Sutton put up such a fight. He kicked, screamed, thrashed, cried, and made such a struggle that I had to hold his hands down on his chest, so he couldn't grab the dentist's tools. Then the technician says to me, "You weren't kidding!" I said, "This is what it is like every night!"

We've tried all sorts of ways to get him to brush his teeth. If we let him do it himself, all he does is chew on the brush and suck the toothpaste. So we have to bite the bullet, so to speak, and do it for him. And then we limp away to lick our wounds, and do it all again the next night.

I know this is normal, but it really can be painful.

OMG You Guys-SO Much Better!!

Based on all your comments from my previous post, I decided to do something about swimming lessons. I called the facility and asked to be switched to a different class. It's at 10 am, rather than 11, and it has a female instructor. I hoped that it would be a good change of pace for us.
We're very lucky this week to have my mother-in-law in town. She hasn't seen Sutton since Christmas, and she has been having such a good time with him. She came with us today to class, too.

When we got there, the owner was chatting with us, and asked how it was going with our lessons. I told her, "Well, we've been struggling." When she asked why, I explained that I felt that our previous instructor was too impatient with Sutton. She apologized, and explained that he was only 19, but that he may need to work on his patience level. But when I told her what he had said ("Wow, he's really a crier, huh?") she turned a little red. She said to me, "Well, he shouldn't have said that, and I apologize for that." Now, I'm not a person who wants to make a big deal out of something, but when it comes to my kid-I'm TOTALLY that person. Who knew?

Our new instructor is named Laura, and she has a kid around Sutton's age. She was so upbeat, and cheerful. All the kids in the class were around the same skill level, so Sutton felt more comfortable. There was even one kid who screamed and cried the whole way through, so I didn't feel so bad. I even think they egged each other on a little.

BUT-Sutton did great!! Yes, there were some tears, and some "Stop It! Stop It!" But he did the monkey crawl on the wall (where they hang on to the edge of the wall) The teacher said to me, "Wow, he did that so fast. How many times has he done this?" I told her, "Never. This is the first time he has felt comfortable doing it."

So, I feel so much better for having spoken up and doing what I think is best for my child. I will never doubt a mother's intuition again.

We also discovered a great Middle Eastern grocery store next door to the swim place, and they have amazing hummus and pita bread. I can totally see that being our weekly routine now.

After swim class, my mom came over with my little nephew Jonas. I got a few pictures before my camera died. Here they are.


He's such a cute little kid.

Water Woes, Part Deux

So today was the second swimming lesson. I had to work last Thursday, so I wasn't able to take Sutton to the lesson. We just skipped a week.
We left the house around 10:20, and we got there WAY early. The place is only 10 minutes away, so I drove around a little to kill time. And Sutton fell asleep in the car AGAIN. So he was cranky AGAIN. So the lesson did not go well AGAIN. He cried or whined the whole time. AGAIN.

Which leads me to my dilemma. Do I just cancel the lessons, since it upsets him so much? I feel like the instructor is frustrated with us. There were more kids in the lesson today, and he spent more time with them. He told me that I needed to do a better job of holding Sutton away from my body, so he wouldn't want to cling to me so much. Any time he would try to work with Sutton, he had a crying toddler on his hands. At one point, he said to me, "Is he always this timid?" Are you kidding? This kid is fearless sometimes. I almost feel like he doesn't like the instructor; maybe that's the problem.

I feel so frustrated and upset. If I'm spending the money each month for these classes, I want it to be worth it. I don't to force Sutton to do swimming lessons, but living in Arizona, you need to know water safety. There are swimming pools everywhere. And I myself didn't learn to swim until I was almost 10 years old. To this day, I still don't like to put my face in the water. I don't want that to rub off on Sutton.

So what do I do?

Sutton

My co-worker reads my blog, and she said to me the other day, "All you do is talk about the negative stuff." That comment took me aback a little. This blog is meant to be an outlet for me. A way to vent some frustration. A way to express what I'm feeling, and know that other moms feel the same way, and have gone through the same thing. I don't want Sutton to read my blog entries one day, and think that I always trash-talk him.

So, in honor of Mother's day tomorrow, here are a few of the things that I love most about my little button.
1. How he loves our dog Auggie. He always calls for him, and wants to hug and kiss him. It's cute to watch them lying side by side on the rug together.
2. His developing language. I love to hear him mimic what we say. As he was eating his dinner tonight, he yelled "Auggie, eat your kibble!" Of course, in his language, all I could really hear was "Auggie....kibble!" But I could put the rest together.
3. His passion for electronics. This started from an early age. He has always loved remotes, and stuff like that. At about one year old, he could turn on our DVD player by himself. Today, he turned on Tivo, and selected the show that he wanted to watch. Dave and I just stand there with our mouths open.
4. His little face.
5. His smile.
6. His sense of humor. He cracks me up sometimes, with his silliness.
7. How cute he is with his little friends at school. He runs down the hall to see them, yelling "C'mon Mom! Let's go!"
8. How he LOVES to watch movies and snuggle in our bed. He climbs up, and covers himself with the covers. Then he leans back with his hands behind his head, and waits for us to start the show. So stinkin' cute.
9. How crazy he is about my mom. When she walks in the house, he's so excited to see her. He yells "Bubbie!" And he constantly asks me, "Mom? Where Bubbie?"
10. His love for his duckie and blankie. It's adorable to see how these items comfort him. He rubs his face in the duck, and that's how I know he is tired.

Of course there are lots more things that I love about my boy, but those are just a few that I can think of off the top of my head.

Happy Mother's Day to all the moms out there!

Water Woes

I signed Sutton up for swimming classes and today was the first lesson. I was kind of excited to have an activity that guaranteed that we would get out of the house. Like his dad, Sutton is perfectly content to lounge around the house, watching TV, eating snacks and hanging out in his jammies. But when you only have one day off during the weekdays, you try to pack as much as you can into the day.

I bought a new swimsuit, because I only have tankinis, which I didn't think would be appropriate for a little kid swimming class. Sutton is in level 2, which has the parents get in the pool with them. So I got a black one-piece from Old Navy, and figured I was set.

This morning was the big day-first lesson!! We left the house pretty early this morning, since I wanted to run some errands before the class. I picked up some Mother's Day stuff at Target, and we headed over to the swim center. Wouldn't you know it, on our way there, Sutton falls asleep in the car. Now, when you wake a sleeping Sutton, you get a grumpy Sutton. Sure enough, as I park the car, he wakes up and starts crying. I haul my purse, our swim stuff and a crying Sutton and go inside the swim center.

They give us a brief tour, and I get a key for my locker. I quickly change clothes (how hard is it to change clothes or use a public restroom when your toddler knows how to open the door!!) and get Sutton changed. The center requires that non potty-trained kids wear reusable swim diapers, not the disposable ones. So I bought this one that looks like a little pair of swim trunks. But they have a swim diaper lining. So cute!

By now, Sutton is a whiny, clingy mess. He only perks up then he notices the HUGE box of Dum-Dum lollipops by the check-in desk. Of course, he wants one. As he put it, "Want one NOW!" I tell him that he can have a lollipop after swim class. Cue the crying and mini-tantrum.

Finally, it's our turn for class. There are only two students in the class-Sutton and another little girl. The instructor tells me that Sutton can walk down the steps into the pool, until the water reaches too high for him. That was as good as it got. After that, Sutton refused to let go of me. The entire time. He cried and whined the whole time. In between whines, he told me, "Stop it!" (I was holding him under his arms, as per the instructions. Sutton kept telling me that it hurt.) At one point, he told me, "Want go home!!"

The other little girl? Floating on her back, kicking her legs, blowing bubbles, etc. Sutton? He just wanted to squirt me in the face with the water toys. That is, when he wasn't clinging to me like a spider monkey. I asked the instructor, "Do you think he's too young for this?" He told me "Nah. He's probably just a crier. We can work through that." Thanks for telling me that my kid is a whiner. Appreciate that.

After 30 minutes, the class is over. We get out, and shower off. That part-Sutton liked. He liked the water spraying him in the face. Go figure. Oh, and he LOVED the lollipop at the end.

And my swimsuit? Epic FAIL. When Sutton was scared, he tried to climb my front. His foot got caught in the neckline of my swimsuit and he pulled it down to my stomach. Classy.

I'm A Big Kid Now!!

So, we've been dealing with Sutton's nighttime routine for some time now. And it's getting easier. It's by no means EASY, but we're getting down a routine, which is important for Sutton. He's a slave to his schedule, as most kids are at this age. But now we come to a new hurdle.

Potty-training.

A question to you moms out there-how did you do it? I had a co-worker who had success with the potty-training boot camp. Letting your kid bare-bottom it for about three days or so. He swears that his kid was potty-trained in a weekend. But here's the problem. You have to wake your kid up an hour after they went to bed, so they can use the potty. If I wake up Sutton after he's gone to sleep, he's up for the rest of the night. Which means that I am up for the rest of the night. Not the best solution for me. So, I mentioned using Pull-Ups. Which my co-worker informed me, negates everything you're teaching your child.

So, what do I do? He can now tell me, "I make poopie." Which, sure enough, he pooped his diaper. Then he lets me take him into his room, he lays down on the floor, and I change his diaper. He watches us use the toilet (I know, awkward) and he says "Mama go pee-pee." Or "Daddy go potty." So, he knows what it is. But anytime we try to pull down his pants, or get him to sit on the little potty, he FREAKS out. Crying, and trying to pull his pants back up.

How do I get him to get over this fear?

I wanted to show some pictures of Sutton's bathroom. It turned out so cute! We went with a Dr. Seuss theme, to coincide with his room.
We got these adorable towels from Pottery Barn Kids.
We got the larger one with his name on it! Cute, huh?
The next picture is my favorite. I found these amazing little paintings on Etsy. The shop is named "Meandmypaintbrush" and she makes Dr. Seuss themed paintings for the bathroom!If you can't see it very well, they say "Wash Face" "Comb Hair" "Brush Teeth" and "Wash Hands." They are so cute, and really make the bathroom complete!!

Transition

There have been a lot of changes in the MacDonald household lately, and I think it's taking its toll on all of us. But especially on Sutton. He's growing up so fast, and I think all the new stuff going on in his life scares him a little.

When we first moved into our new house, we immediately tried to make Sutton's room as normal and familiar as possible. We hung up his pictures, and we put his books into his little bookcase, and pulled out his comfort items. (I call them the "trifecta"-his blanky, his binky, and his duck) But nighttime was still hard for Sutton. Whenever we would put him into his crib at night, he would cry for about five to ten minutes, then settle down and fall asleep.

Then he learned to climb out.

He's tried to climb out of the crib before, with no so good results. As Dave puts it, he learned that gravity is a constant and a bitch. But this new house has carpet in the bedrooms, where our old house had wood laminate floors.

So I get a call at work last Friday from Dave, who tells me that Sutton woke him up. I say, "You mean with his crying?" "No," Dave says. "He came into the room and woke me up." Uh-oh! Sutton's crib is a convertible crib, so it can be switched to a toddler bed. But Dave wanted to wait until Sutton did it more frequently. Uh yeah, for the next three mornings, Sutton climbed out of his bed and came into our room. Time to switch the bed over.

So, on Sunday, we changed the bed to a toddler bed. And that's when it became a LOT harder to get Sutton down for bed. Usually, he went down anywhere from 7:30-8:00. Now, it can take up to two hours for us to get Sutton in bed.

It's a struggle of reading books, playing with his toys, rocking in the rocking chair, etc. Like last night. It was my first time putting him to bed by myself. Dave had put him to bed on Tuesday night, and said that Sutton cried for an hour. Luckily for me, Sutton was very tired due to a full day at school. He snuggled with me on the rocking chair, then agreed to lay down in the bed with me. I stroked his forehead and rubbed his back. He turned over to his tummy, which was a good sign that he was ready to go to sleep. Which I love, because that's how I sleep. Like mommy, like son.

But when I left the room, that's when Sutton started crying. Sutton's room doesn't have a real door, it has two folding doors. So Sutton can push them open at any time. So we had to start putting a baby gate on the other side on the door. But the noise of setting up the gate wakes him up, and he starts screaming and crying. We're trying to get our landlord to let us put a regular door on his room, but so far no luck.

All you parents out there, please tell me that this transition gets easier. Right now, I hate how upset he gets. I know he thinks that we're leaving him, and he is still not used to his new room. I hope he;ll get over this. Oh, and now, he's showing signs that he's becoming ready to be potty-trained. He tells us when he's pooped. Only he runs in the other direction when we try to change his diaper. One big boy thing at a time. So we'll wait a little longer before we start potty training.

In closing, here are some pictures of Sutton's room.
This is the view from his doorway.
His little toddler bed, complete with the guard rails.
Another view of his bed, with books on the floor.
His adorable Dr. Seuss bedding, which my mother-in-law got for him.
The other side of his room. See the horse on its side? It was a present from my dad and step-mother. It whinnies and neighs when you press its ears. He loves to play with that horse. So much so that we had to cover it with a blanket and tell him that horsie was going night-night, and he had to too.