Poop Emergency

There is a law that exists in the world of Trish. This law states that whenever one of the kids has a huge poop (and I'm not talking about any poop, just the ones that are out of the world!) I am out in public (always in a mall or store) and I am alone! So the very first time that it happened with Bulldozer I was out downtown at a mall. Some crazy guy showed up and decided to sit down at the table right next to me and start up a conversation on our medical system. Oh no. About twenty minutes into the conversation Bulldozer (when he was just a little guy) starts to cry and I try to give the guy who won't shut up the subtle hint that it's time to do just that. No such luck. He continues to talk even though I am now ignoring him and I pick up Bulldozer to soothe his wails. Without looking (oh have I learned my lesson since then) I hold him up to my chest only to realize that's he's completely covered in poop and look at that, so am I! I put him back down in the stroller (much to his protests) and throw a sweater on top of my poop covered shirt which of course doesn't cover the stench of the bowel movement that's claimed the whole front of my precious yellow shirt. Finally I get to a washroom and change Bulldozer because of course I have a change of clothes for him... For the next 1/2 hour I walk around the mall covered in poop trying to find a place that sells an inexpensive shirt. Hubbby shows up just before I complete my task and do you know what he does? He howls. Yes, in the middle of the mall he laughs at me like there's no tomorrow.
This time it's not Bulldozer that gives me a present. I'm walking through Toys "R" Us with the boys and I smell a very distinctive odour coming from the Wee Little One. After ten minutes of fighting with Bulldozer to go to the washroom and leave all the toys behind, I am surprised to realize that my previously clogged up baby has suddenly unclogged himself! So to make a long story sort of short the clean-up process included an entire roll of paper towel (thanks again Toys "R" Us!), a box of wipes and a very strong Trish that insisted on rinsing out the brand new outfit because it was just too cute to waste. Upon meeting my Hubby later, he shared his feelings that saving the outfit (never mind washing it out in the sink) was dispicable and disgusting! Maybe a little bit of that Dutch is shining through in me!

P.S. I washed the outfit and behold, it's as good as new! Take that Hubby!

New Beginnings

Our new landlord is great, I can't believe that he actually gets work done! The bigger things that need to get done, for example the laundry room, are being completed at such a fast pace. I could never have asked our previous landlord for anything, never mind the smaller cosmetic-like details. Today we had our landlord over for supper after he worked all day on our home and we mentioned some small things. He's decided that he's putting in a new toilet paper holder/hand towel holder, can you believe it? I know it may sound stupid to others but it's those little details that make a house a home. We're also getting another latch on our door to make it baby safe which is a relief because Bulldozer's able to unlock and open the door himself. Cheers to a wonderful landlord!

Powering Through

Potty training is going fantastic! Bulldozer is powering through the process and I'm so proud of him! He yells "Peepee Poohpooh" when he's ready, we both run to the bathroom, he climbs up onto his stool and then sits on the potty seat that attaches to the toilet. The only slight problem is that he likes to watch his pee or poop come out which leads to a few messes! We've had a good number of days without a single accident. Next step (but probably not too soon) would be to get him going out of the house without a diaper. That part I am not too excited about!

Side note: Sometimes I don't realize how much Bulldozer can actually say! We had just woken up from our morning nap and he started naming all the "Cars" characters. He knows how to say "Lightening", "Boost", "DJ", "Sheriff" and "Doc". Then he pointed to my nose and said "nose". So I continued to ask him the names of the different body parts and he knows how to say mouth, nose, eyes, ears, belly, cheeks, legs, feet, arms and hands! And his new saying of the day was "(Bulldozer) help Daddy" because he was helping Daddy clean up some spilt milk. So cute.

Now Is Now

Bulldozer's new word of the day... "NOW".

One has no idea what impact this makes on the life of parents when their child has learned the significance of the word "now". Imagine this, "That sippy cup of juice isn't for right now, it's for your trip out with Daddy." Wait for it... "No, now!". Or "(Bulldozer), are you hungry? We're going to have supper soon." Then he responds, "NOW!" EVERYTHING is now. Supper, playtime, snack time and apparently we can't get him his potty rewards fast enough because he's always running after us and exclaiming NOW! About the only time that something isn't "now" is when it's later (which he hasn't quite learned to say yet) and that's usually bedtime!

The second word(s) that he's learned are a lot less demanding and a lot more cute! Yesterday I was playing on our bed with Bulldozer. From the other room the Wee Little One started crying and Bulldozer's ears perked up, his little finger raised as if to say "I heard something..." and he climbed down from the bed. He held up one finger and said, "Wait One". Wait one minute! He holds up one finger to make his point and then the little legs start pumping and off he goes to check on his little brother. So adorable. I could see "Wait One" being used for not so caring purposes but for the meantime his expression is just shy of the cutest thing I have ever heard! I love this stage when they just speak what's on their mind without the filter that we are bred to have.

A Real Dutch Boy

I am really proud to announce that Bulldozer is a huge fan of sauerkraut! I believe this is his Dutch heritage shining through!

What Is It About Toddlers And Not Listening?

So the title says it all. Our oldest does not listen to a word we say, or so it seems some days. We can threaten taking away his most precious toys or send him to the time-out corner but it doesn't seem to make a difference. Some days (okay lets be honest, all days) I am frustrated beyond belief. Our conversation goes something like this... "(Bulldozer), can you please pick up that toy you threw? We do not throw toys." Then he makes the face that lets me know that he is not listening to a word I say! Blank stare and unmoving facial expression. "(Bulldozer), get off of your brother! We do not sit on him." I then become on the receiving end of some really evil looks, including the sullen stare that says, "I don't have to listen to you." Every once in awhile he listens to my instructions or commands without argument. At those times I wonder what I've done right at that moment and try to replicate it so I can achieve success next time. It never works... I know that he isn't the first toddler to disobey his parents but really, is it this hard for everyone to get their little one to listen?

Packed Up

We worked hard and we managed to pack up a good part of our house. Boxes are crammed into every closet so it actually doesn't look that chaotic! We even cleared out Bulldozer's room (well except the necessary stuff of course) and we were worried when he came home that he'd freak out... instead he was super ecstatic! Do you know why? He had room to race his cars clear across the room and crash them too! What a kid.

The Sleeping Bear

Bulldozer did not take a nap today. I feel like that should say enough but I will elaborate anyway.

He fought and he fought and he fought. Finally at about lunchtime I gave up trying to get him to sleep and fed him instead. Then after lunch he seemed energized but he still fought not to sleep so I left it and figured we'd just put him to bed right after supper. Didn't quite work out that way. Just as we were about to start making supper he asked to brush his teeth and go to bed. We didn't want him to fall asleep for a nap and then wake up at like one in the morning ready to go again... so we said no. Big mistake. First the screams. Then the flailing. Then the screeching that encourages neighbours to call Child Services! Finally after arguing and arguing and getting absolutely nowhere, we let him go to bed. He climbed up on the couch, started reading a book and then in like thirty seconds he was out! It's funny though, once he was asleep it was like all that ugly toddler behaviour just melted away! He was serene and peaceful. I wanted to hug and kiss him but alas I did not want to wake the sleeping bear!

Learning Time

So the big news of the week:

One, I believe Bulldozer is well on his way to being potty trained! Yes I said it. Maybe this will come back to bite me in the butt but we're two weeks into the process and I'm so excited! I foresee a day without diapers, hopefully sometime before he hits kindergarten! It seemed like such a lost cause because he kept starting and then he would flat out refuse to continue after a few days, I have to admit that I was quite discouraged. However now we have a schedule going and I'm desperately hoping that moving in a month will not mess it up...

So our schedule consists of Bulldozer changing into "big boy underwear" in the morning and the only time he gets to wear diapers is at nap time and if we go out. After all it's only been two weeks so I'm not going to trust fate and go out without the comfort of a nappy YET. We'll see what happens in the future.

Yesterday while at his Grandmother's house he actually went potty on the big toilet! He asked to so I held him up and he made a huge poop! Why do I feel like writing all of this is going to make him hate me later on in life?!?

On another positive note the Wee Little One is making great progress on the crawling front. He doesn't get into the "traditional" crawling position but believe you me, he makes progress moving from point A to point B! He sort of drags his little body on the floor with his arms in front of him and squirms with his hips to propel him forward. This morning he was doing so well, it brought tears to my eyes!

Side note... I went shopping at my favorite second hand store yesterday and bought four new (used) shirts. I also purchased a pair of really nice jeans, a black sweater for when it starts to cool down (if ever) and a belt. Almost a whole new wardrobe! I had so much fun shopping sans children!

A Good Night

Here's hoping that Bulldozer goes to sleep without a fight tonight. It's been rough lately, he's lapsed back into fighting us tooth and nail to stay up. It wouldn't be so bad if he was using his crafty ways to try to convince us but instead he screeches, screams, kicks and throws himself all over the floor! I think that our neighbours probably wonder what goes on behind closed doors! ... Well Hubby just came out of the room and except for one more attempted escape things are going pretty well. Even the Wee Little One is dozing in his rocking chair and all feels right with the world. I am very tired tonight and my back hurts so I'm looking forward to an earlier night and some rest to face the week-end ahead. There's a lot to look forward to! :) More to follow...

As a side note I'm very proud of the Wee Little One! He is making great progress in the transportation department, meaning the transportation of himself. He's not quite crawling yet but he's getting pretty close. Go Wee Little One!

So Very Tired...

A day without a nap is like a day without a sense of normalcy. From start to finish today was a spiral of ups and downs, crazy outbursts and severe mood swings! At about 9:30AM Hubby sent Bulldozer for his morning nap. Not even twenty minutes later while Hubby was outside hosing down Dexter's cage (he's our resident rodent, the "invited" one) and I of course had to be on the phone dealing with customer service personnel, he came out of his room bawling. I frantically called Hubby back upstairs and finished off my conversation about fifteen minutes later to a still awake child. He did not want to go for his nap. He pulled the potty card and managed to waste a whole bunch of time by sitting on his potty so he wouldn't have to go for his nap. Finally at 11AM I told Hubby that it was pointless to send him to bed since we were leaving in an hour to go to the Montreal Jazz Festival. So no nap it was. Then as we were leaving the house I told Bulldozer that if he wanted to enjoy a day out then he'd have to do a "sleepies" in the stroller. "Yes!" he replied. Ya right. In all fairness he did eventually fall asleep (pretty much when we got to the Festival) but he only stayed asleep for half an hour! Then he was up, peppy and ready to go. What's the problem with that you ask? Well his good natured attitude wore off and come the end of the day, he was filled with the venom of a child who had not slept! On the bus ride home he did not amuse us with screeches, spitting, scrunchy noses and just plain ole' not listening to his parents techniques. To make matters worse we didn't get him to bed until 9PM! No that's a day. A hot shower, a Hubby massage and then all I want to do is sleep.

My heart dropped out of my chest last night and I didn't have the energy left to talk about it. Hubby and I were watching "So You Think You Can Dance" and right at the end of the show there was a huge crash and bang. Hubby flew from the couch before I could even react... I followed a few steps behind him. All I could think was that something fell on Bulldozer and he wasn't even crying in protest. By the time I reached the door Hubby had thrown on the lights in Bulldozer's room and was in the process of going to check on the Wee Little One. I felt sick to my stomach. All I could think about was the crib and maybe it had collapsed... Thank god no one was hurt and everything was okay. Surprisingly even though Hubby had said that Bulldozer had opened his eyes when he turned on the lights, he must have done so and promptly went back to bed! When I peeked my head in he was fast asleep so I turned off the lights and closed the door. The Wee Little One didn't wake up from all the commotion either. There was something about the crash that left both Hubby and I drained of all emotion; left feeling raw and empty. We had a good cry and then headed off to bed.

Oh by the way it was a big plastic frog that holds Bulldozer's bath toys that had fallen off the wall.

Everything seems to be coming together for the big moving day. I am happy and very much relieved. We have transportation ... we have manpower ... we have a baby sitter. All the important areas have been covered. I can only hope (although I may be pushing my luck) that the day will be sunny (or overcast, just not raining) and not overly hot. I plan to park my butt at the new house and spend the day directing traffic, cleaning up and unpacking. It's going to be quite the day!

My only worry about the move pertains to Bulldozer. The last time we moved he would cry whenever he saw a box because he thought we were going to pack away his toys, etc... Now he's a little older and I can't help but wonder if that's a blessing or a curse. He's also a little more verbal so he might actually be able to tell us what he thinks! I told him about two weeks ago that Mommy, Daddy, Bulldozer and the Wee Little One were going to be moving to a new house. He keeps saying "yup!" So much enthusiasm but I'm afraid he really doesn't know what moving means. No more seeing his old house or sleeping in the bedroom that he's been in for the last year or so. Not the same buses or stores or even neighbours. I can only hope that he transitions well. We're not the only parents who have decided to uproot their children and move to another house! So here's suggestion time, what can I do to make the move a little less traumatizing for him? I appreciate the comments!

Super Mom Gone Down

So for payment for such a great day yesterday, today was the absolutely horrible. Before I awoke at 7:30 Hubby had already given Bulldozer two time-outs! On top of that it was my bright idea to stay up till 1:30 in the morning trying to finish the novel I was reading and as you can imagine I was very tired today! It's almost eight o'clock at night and I still don't think that I've woken up! However aside from the wee little one's unhappiness due to the later hour of the day, Bulldozer is fast asleep in his bed and some order has been restored. I am waiting for my Dad to show up with our washing machine and dryer that we bought online. Him and his friend so graciously offered to pick it up for us.

Oh no! As I write I keep hearing our Swiffer vacuum/broom contraption making this pathetic, dying noise. That is not good. What else is going to pick up all of Dexter's turds so efficiently? A broom and dustpan are just not as easy.

F1 Festivities

We spent the day taking in the sites and sounds of downtown Montreal. We've sort of laid off of visiting high traffic areas because it can be a disaster with a stroller and a very slow-walking toddler! It went well though. We saw the race cars, took in some free beer, collected free boxes of Trisquits (a total of three!) and then the best, Bulldozer got to take a picture with the F1 girls! I know, I know. Tacky you might think. However when the three scantily clad girls (really were they even eighteen yet?) picked up our son to pose for the picture it was the look on his face that was the highlight of my day. A sly grin with a hint of shyness (which we all know doesn't really exist!) that made them swoon but not enough shyness to prevent him from posing for the pictures! Golden.

Kids Say The Funniest Things!

So up until today I thought that the funniest thing that Bulldozer had ever said was the answer to a question that I had asked him. "(Bulldozer), who's cute?" I say. Bulldozer responds with his own name. Then I ask him, "who's vain?" Bulldozer smiles and says, "DADDY!" So true.

New funniest comment... Hubby is standing at the window waiting for the butcher to deliver our meat package. He's getting impatient so he says, "Where's my meat?" Bulldozer turns around and points to me! Uh oh.

Bzzz...

This morning we were sitting at the table for breakfast and all of a sudden I hear "bzzzz" which actually sounds a little more like "pssttt". "Bzzzz" is not a good thing, in our house it means that Bulldozer has spotted a spider. If Hubby was around he'd probably would have jumped three feet in the air! Well the source of the "bzzzz" was actually a fly that had landed on the table. I had to laugh because Bulldozer kept flapping his arms like wings, making the little "pssttt" sound and then saying "bye, bye" every time the fly would relocate to a new place! At one point he was so frustrated with the fly so he was "scolding" him; he was shaking his finger back and forth and talking up a storm with the limited words he knows! If only I had videotaped it...

A No Post Day

Yesterday was a no post day. I guess between the stress of having to find a new place to live in two months (yes we are moving), the emotional roller coaster ride of having both of my grandparents diagnosed with diseases/having to be placed in nursing homes and now finally, the straw that broke the camel's back, the ultimate meltdown that Bulldozer had last night, I've had enough. The last thing I wanted to do was write.

We've been having a lot of trouble with Bulldozer and his bedtime. I know there are probably parents who are rolling their eyes because most toddlers fight going to sleep. It's above and beyond that. His screams have turned to shrieks and it's bad enough that we keep getting complaints from our neighbour. He screams and shakes and cries and sputters and flails (ask Hubby since he got a pair of feet to his groin yesterday)... We keep bringing him back to bed and he keeps running out. We've tried bedtime stories, sitting in his room, letting him choose a toy to bring to bed and last but not least, letting him do absolutely everything associated with the bedtime routine like getting his ice and water for his sippy cup, washing his hands and brushing his teeth. The last idea has to be the absolute worst. He throws the whole ice cube tray of ice onto the floor when he's frustrated and then shakes and screams when the ice flies everywhere. Brushing his teeth often results in a meltdown too because he doesn't want to let you brush his teeth, he just wants to do it all himself. Unfortunately that doesn't work because that's why he's only two and has a cavity already!

Well all this to say that today we're going to try to switch his nap time to the morning hours since he's been falling asleep mid morning. We will see if that means that he will do more in the afternoon and then be tired enough to fall asleep at night. That or he'll have meltdowns because he's TOO tired...

A Tourist In My Own City

I woke up at the ungodly hour of 5:30 this morning so we could get everything together for our visit to the Montreal Biodome. It was Montreal's free museum day so you can only imagine what the line-ups were like! Surprisingly the HUGE line to get into the museum only took about a half an hour. However once we were inside the Biodome it was a whole different story. I have never met so many rude, pushy people before. Every time I went to take one step with the stroller another person would butt in front of me and I would be stopped dead in my tracks. By the time we made it to the penguins I had enough of all disrespectful people. On a positive note the animals were adorable! Bulldozer spotted a monkey swinging from a tree and squealed "eh eh eh" (you know the sound that monkey's make!) We also saw a sloth high up in a tree, seagulls (seriously?) and penguins that kept posing for pictures! My absolute favorite animals were the river otter and the puffins. This one little guy (a chubby puffin that I named "Rollie") kept swimming into this jet stream only to be pushed back out by the current, sometimes belly-side up! So comical... Even though the huge amount of people aggravated me (although what do you expect when it's free museum day?) I had an amazing time and it was all worth it to see the joy on Bulldozer's face! His smile lit up the room. We ended our tour by buying him a plastic snake (now that's good parenting considering I am TERRIFIED of snakes!) and a little stuffed penguin.

After the Biodome we headed downtown and went out for breakfast/lunch at a diner. Next in line was the Montreal history museum which probably again would have been more enjoyable had there been less people. The problem was that every time I would start to read one fact sheet a clog up of people would prevent me from moving on to the next one. So the actual Montreal history portion on the first floor was somewhat of a blur, I basically looked at the pictures and then moved up to the less busy second and third floors. The second floor was my absolute favorite with artifacts (everything from old cigarette boxes to a wringer washing machine) and information about the companies that made them, etc... The third floor was a dedication to Dr. Norman Bethune and the impression that he made on Montreal. I have to admit that by the time we reached the third floor I had lost interest in the museum because I was getting tired. I have to go back another time to really enjoy the experience, this time without kids and not on Montreal's free museum day!

After leaving the Montreal history museum we caught a bit of the international street festival and dined on coconut juice, mangoes and sugar cane. Mmmm... Since I am such a suck I felt my pride swell for our city and I was overcome with emotion at one point. I love the city that I live in!

Last but not least, actually one of my favorite attractions, was the Notre Dame Basilica. The stained glass windows were GORGEOUS, breathtaking actually. The woodwork was rich and in such great amounts, I loved it! Finally after Bulldozer decided that the Church was really actually quite scary we left to go home. After ten hours of being on our feet you can only imagine that the kids had enough and we were exhausted. It was back home after an absolutely amazing day as a tourist in my own city.

A Storm In The Making

Out of nowhere a storm blew in tonight. The rain was coming down sideways, the tree outside our window was bending and swaying (an understatement) in the winds and eventually hail littered our driveway. Bulldozer was terrified. He kept pointing to the black sky and repeated "ray, ray, ray" (his words for "rain"). Poor guy. I don't know if it was the storm or just his usual antics but he kept coming out over and over from his room trying to avoid going to bed! He even tried the potty card, you know he's desperate if he offers to go potty.