"Constant Questions"

Today I had to teach Christian what the word "consequences" means, after he was having naughty behavior much of the morning and then wanted a story before his nap. I explained that a consequence of his behavior was that I would not be reading him a story.

So at dinner, I asked him, "Do you remember what word Mommy taught you today before your nap?"

He replied, "Yes, 'constant questions.'" LOL! Good enough for me! :)

The Setup

I put Christian to the test today.  Okay ... I set him up.  I'm not going to "candy coat it" - pun intended!

Today Christian came home from school with some plastic eggs filled with jellybeans.  We don't give him candy at home, so jellybeans are a real treat.

He wanted the bag in his room for naptime, and I declined.  He asked again, I declined.  He insisted ... and I caved in.   Getting little sleep for the past three months is somehow all catching up with me today and I just didn't have the energy to fight him on this one.  Pick your battles, they say.

So I decided to make it a learning experience.

I sat him down and explained that his bag was to stay on his beadside table.  He wasn't to touch it, wasn't to open any eggs.

"Do you understand, Christian?"
"I understand, Mommy."

Let the test begin.

As he often is these days, he was full of energy at naptime and simply wasn't sleeping.  But he's still really good about staying in his bed until I tell him it is time to get up.

So time passed and I heard his door shut ... and I wondered ...

But I'm just to tired too tired get up and investigate (weekend, come quickly!).

A bit later, I heard some paper crinkling.  And it kept crinkling ... and kept crinkling.

I walked in to find he'd taken off his shirt, and in the darkness I could see the sticky, colorful remnants of jellybean "juice" (read "spit") all over his face, chest, belly and hands.

"Christian, did you eat your jellybeans?"

"No."

"Christian, tell Mommy the truth. Did you eat your jellybeans?"

"No, Mommy.  I didn't eat my jellybeans."

I explained to him that I knew he ate them because he was all covered in stickiness - and becuase his breath smelled like candy.  I looked in his hand and saw a small bag of candy that he'd been unable to open.   Crinkly noise explained. :)

I explained that he must always tell Mommy the truth and I said, "Christian, did you eat jellybeans?"

"No, I ..."

"Christian, tell Mommy, 'Yes, Mommy, I ate the jellybeans."

"Yes, Mommy, I ate the jellybeans."

"Thank you for telling me the truth (big smile).  I feel very happy when you tell me the truth."  (Christian definitely understands the concepts happy and sad nad he knows that Mommy and Papa "feel happy" when he listens ... and "feel sad" when he doesn't).

A made sure my response was very pleasant and with a smile so that he knows I won't flip out when he tells me the truth (ask me again in about 10 years after he's come to me with some terrible, gut-wrenching truth ... I might not be so cordial in my reaction).

As I got up to leave and take the bag with me, he said, "Mommy, can I have jellybeans after my nap?"

*sigh*

He asked me to leave the bag in there, and I obliged again.  We'll see if #1, he can resist the candy and #2, if he can't, if he owns up to eating them.

So yep ... I set my four-year old up twice. :)

By some miracle, he's asleep right now - even with all that candy in his bella.  And I'm willing to bet that when he wakes up, he's not feeling so good.  That happeend in Valentine's day when he ate way too much candy, cookies, etc.

Sometimes lessons learned are painful ... and come with a bit of vomit.  (eeew!)

First Official Portrait Together

I had a dream.  My dream was that my children - dressed in carefully selected matching outfits - would take an amazing "first portrait."  I wanted a baby blue dress for Scarlett, and a Polo shirt for Christian that had some blue.   I found his shirt first, and when I couldn't find a blue dress for Scarlett, I bought a fluffy white dress with blue flowers across the waste.

The first thing Christian said to me that day, "I don't WANT my picture taken."  And he wasn't kidding.  He was truly upset at the idea.

Fortunately, somebody at school was able to get his picture taken care of while I got Scarlett ready.  And that picture turned out great (see post below).

But when it came to posing with Scarlett, Christian somehow got stage fright.  And the more the photographer tried to cajole Christian into posing with Scarlett, the more upset Christian got.  We were begging, pleading - BRIBING - Christian to just hold her for a moment.

But when his eyes filled with tears, and his voice cracked with a bit of panic, I knew we just need to leave him alone.

But one more attempt got us the picture above.   I didn't care for Scarlett's dress being fanned out that way, and I was irritated that Christian's face wasn't visible.

But when I step way from my "Type A" desires and see the picture in print, I think the picture is really charming.  Don't you? :)

Christian's Spring Photo

The Date Night That Almost Was ...

This is the tale of the date night that almost was, and then wasn't ... then almost was again ... and then kind of was.

Confused?

Christian's school offers "Parent's Night Out" about four times a year.  The last one was in December, and we haven't had a date night since the baby was born.

Tonight was Parent's Night Out again. The plan was to drop Christian off, and keep the baby with us as we went out to dinner somewhere.   But then Jonathan had a daytrip to California and wouldn't be home.  Drats!
I still took Christian to school ... and then the baby and I headed to JCPenney.   Jonathan texted to say he'd arrived, and was at the airport and he'd get in touch with me as he got closer to where I was at.   The implication was that we'd meet up for dinner somewhere.

Well, Miss Baby Girl started to get fidgety, so we left the store.  Still hopeful that Jonathan and I could have a date, I pulled into the parking lot of a nearby hospital, found a good spot and fed Scarlett.  Funny, I probalby would not have done such a thing with Christian when I was a first time mom.  I problaby would have just gone straight home.

So I fed the baby and started planning to where I'd drive until Jonathan arrived.  But, alas, baby got fussy and I decided home was the best place to go after all.

Jonathan arrived home about an hour afer his initial text.  He and I took the baby to Main Street and walked around with her for a few minutes - smelling burgers and pizza in the air and wishing some of that food would find itself in our bellies.  But there was no time for dinner at that point.

So we picked up Christian and came home.  Another exciting night with the Luceros!

It is important to keep things in perspective, though.  While we didn't get the date night we envisioned, I got to take Chrisian somehwere for a few hours while I got out and about.  And even though I wasn't out for very long ... I was out.   And sometimes a mommy's just got to get out, you know?

Wordless Wednesday - March 14, 2012

A Walk to Main Street

Today we took a walk, as a family of four, to Main Street - and back home again.  If you've been to our house, you know that is quite a walk ... especially with a newborn.  But I'm very happy to report that we MADE it - even with Christian in his tricycle.

Christian Makes the School Newsletter Again

Our lil' guy made the school newsletter this month! :)

Today's Visit to the Dentist

Twas that time of year once again:  another exciting trip to Christina's dentist.

We dread these visits.  Christian doesn't handle them well ... at all. He gets very upset from the moment we turn down the street the dentist's office is on.  And the cleaning and exam?  He's absolutely hysterical and has to be held down.  Each time, we desperately hope he'll do better ... and hope that the hygienist is extremely patient.

We have spent months periodically telling Christian about how nice "Dr. Kelly" is and how dentists are nice people who help keep our teeth clean and make them shiny, bright and white.  He's got it all committed to memory.

So when we pulled up and he didn't get upset, I was thrilled. I think he was even somewhat excited to show Dr. Kelly his teeth.

Christian was even okay in the waiting room.   And he was okay when the hygienist called us back.  He was even okay for the first few minutes hanging out in the exam area while we waited for her to get everything all set up.   But as the minutes passed, he started to get a bit anxious as he realized what was about to happen.

When the exam started, it was "business as usual."   He was absolutely hysterical and Jonathan had to hold him down and I tried to distract him.  He was screaming blood murder ... but for a few moments at a time, he'd calm down considerably, which was really surprising.

And then it was over.  And he was back to his happy, gregarious self.  He got to pick a toy and got a balloon ... and plenty of praise from us all for doing so well (relatively speaking).

The very good news is that he had no decay and no cavities.  We're always concerned we're not brushing well enough ... especially given Christian's obsession with applejuice.

Maybe, just maybe, he'll be even better at our next appointment in six months.   You never know!!

When we got home, Jonathan took Christian to "Main Street" for a muffin and to walk around (which is where the above picture was taken).    A well-deserved treat for our little lad!

I Vowed ...

I vowed I'd never, ever take a cranky child to the store.  I made that vow several years ago ... before I got married, before I even had my first child.

And each time I saw a parent with a cranky child in the store, I vowed once again that I wouldn't do it.

But I had to break that vow tonight.   I was out of my prescription and knew that once Jonathan got home in a couple of hours, our evening routine needed to start and I wouldn't be able to go.

Christian woke up from his nap and I immediately told him we'd be going to Target.  He loves Target, so I was certain he'd be excited.  But he woke up cranky ... really cranky.   Scarlett was cranky, too ... she had been trying to get to sleep, with no success.

But I needed my prescription.

I loaded both kids into the car and thankfully, Scarlett fell asleep very quickly (this picture was taken at the store - I was so happy she'd fallen asleep, I had to capture the moment!).  At the store, Christian had perked up, but was getting impatient at waiting in line at the pharmacy.  He wanted to look at toys ... and made sure I knew it ... over and over and over again.  "That's not fair!" he'd proclaim.

I let him look at toys and books and kept telling him that is Scarlett woke up, we'd need to leave.

And of course, she woke up.  I told Christian we needed to leave NOW and he wasn't happy.  He trailed about 15 feet behind me through the entire store, hunched over, whining that he was hungry (he knows there is a Pizza Hut at the front of the store).

But it didn't end there.

We finally got out to the car, and Scarlett was absolutely hysterical.   It was very upsetting to Christian, who was frantically trying to cover his ears, and was pleading with me to help Scarlett.  I told him that as soon as we started driving, she'd calm down.  But a four year old doesn't have that kind of vision.  Christian began to cry.

It was a sort of cry that rarely happens with him.  It was the same cry he had when visiting me at the hospital and was told he was leaving to go home (without me).  It is the kind of cry that makes me want to scoop him up, hold him tight and never, ever let him go.  It is a cry that absolutely breaks my heart.

And through his intense sobs, I heard him say, "It'll be okay, Scarlett."

Awwww ... my little man loves his baby sister so much!  I see it on a day-to-day basis with all the affection he showers onto her.   But the way he reacted to her being so upset showed me that he's developed a bond with his sister.   And while I'm terribly sorry Christian got so upset, I'm just so proud that he's so connected to Scarlett.

Link from Christian Parent Hub - Christian News Aggregator

You never know what you'll find on the internet ... or who will find you.   Today I noticed that a link to one of my blog posts appears on a website I've never head of

CHRISTIAN PARENT HUB- CHRISTIAN PARENT NEWS AGGREGATOR

The best sites and articles about Christian Parenting aggregated for you!- don't forget to click to read the whole article on the original site

http://christianparenthub.com/2011/12/another-lesson-learned-monsters/

Hmmmm ... interesting!  I have no idea how my blog post made it to their site.

Goes to show that if you put something on the web, anybody can - and will - find you.  So be mindful of what you write.

Valentine's Day 2012

We went to a "Valentine's Day Cookie Decorating Playdate" in our community and had a great time.  We were among the first people to arrive and Christian had to excercise a great deal of patience as we waited for other children to arrive and the decorating to begin.

As you can see, Christian went far beyond simple decorating.  He added an entire candy store to his special cookie.  And that doesn't include all of the candy he consumed in the process.

I look back with a sigh as I remember the days when we didn't give him candy - ever.  And now it is everywhere - school, playdates ... heck, even people at stores like to give him lollypops.  So I just gotta go with the flow.

Christian also enjoyed showing off his new baby sister!  He thinks she's awesome and wants everybody to know.

Hiking Up the North Face

We live a block or so away from the mountain, and so lately the Lucero Men have been going on some nice hikes together.

There are lots of "summits" to conquer and each has its name:  Matterhorn, Christian's Mountain, Neverland Mountain, etc.

Before they go hiking, Jonathan and Christian fill up a backpack with "provisions" so they can have a snack and a drink when they reach the top.

Christian LOVES to go hiking with his Papa and requests those adventures regularly.   And I'm glad they are able to spend time together ... especially now that we are a family of four.  It gives the men something to do without the prissy women of the house being involved. :)

Christian is looking up and admirning the summit from which he just came down.

Christian loves ... LOVES ... dirt!

Christian and his "provisions." :)

Christian made it all the way from our house, to the summit he's sitting on.

I wish I had that much energy!

Quote of the Day

Qoute of the day from Jonathan:

"Christian said, 'Needles are like the cactus on Papa's face,' as he's feeling my goatee."

Ha ha ha ha!!!

And then there's Bella ...

I have been remiss in sharing anything about Bella lately.  Sure, she's a dog ... but she was our first child, after all.  Those of you who have dogs know what I'm saying. :)

We live a block away from the mountains, and lately Christian and Jonathan have been hiking up the mountains together.  Bella even got to go along, and sat there admiring her accomplishment when she reached the top.

I'll be posting pics of Christian, too, from this hike.  But, I wanted to give Bella a shout-out.

So, how has Bella handled our newest addition to the family?  Just fine and dandy!  If she's in another room when Scarlett is crying, she comes running to investigate.

She's also been up on our bed a lot more since Scarlett came.  I think she's trying to get her scent everywhere so we know she's still around and still needs attention - ha ha!

Hairy and Chicken

Somehow, I just came across Christian's daily report from school for January 5th - the day before Scarlett was born.   I had a good giggle:

Memorable Moment:

Ms. Mandee:  "Christian, what rhymes with 'dairy'?"

Christian:  "'Hairy,' Miss Mandee!"

Ms. Mandee:  "Christian, is Mommy having her baby tomorrow?"

Christian, "Yes, she's coming out with Dr. Oland to have chicken!"
Ah ... my little comedian!

The "Big Baby"

We've not pulled out all of Christian's baby gear - the mini-gym (shown below above Christian), the bouncy seat and the swing

Fortunately, he doesn't remember these items ever being his, so he's not territorial about Scarlett using them.

However, Christian has told me, "Mommy, can I be a big baby?"  And then crawls into the min-gym and acts like he's a baby, too. :)  It is cute for the moment, but we'll see where this desire to be a "baby" like Scarlett takes him.  

This might be a "and so it begins" moment.

Wordless Wednesday - February 1, 2012

Jonathan, er um, Christian ... er, um, Jonathan

As I've mentioned in the past, a lot of people comment that Jonathan and Christian look alike, but I don't see it.

I don't see it until I come across photos of Jonathan as a young child.  And I had to do a double-take on this photo, because wow!  It could be Christian in that photo!



Another Lesson Learned: Monsters

I've come to realize that parenting is all about lessons learned.  Our most recent lesson learned:  monsters.

Christian loves Disney movies and so we recorded Monsters Inc. the other day after he caught a few minutes of it on TV by chance, and seemed really interested.

He does, indeed, like the movie ... but there are some scary parts - like when Boo is in the room when Scully is being really scary - and Boo goes running out in tears.   The movie shows monsters in bedrooms with sleeping children, monsters under the bed, etc.

So naturally, Christian is concerned that there may be monsters in his room, hiding under his bed.  Jonathan and I have both done what we can to tell Christian that monsters are pretend and just in a movie on TV and there are absolutely no monsters in his room, or in our house.

Fortunately, Christian isn't terrified, just concerned.  He continues to sleep through the night just fine, in the dark as always.   But we have to answer several questions about monsters before we can leave the room.  And that is fine - we'll spend as much time with him on the topic to ensure he feels safe.

Since Christian can read and see that Monsters Inc. is part of our DVR lineup, we've removed it so he can't request to watch the movie and be reminded of his concern over monsters.

Christian has got some big life changes in store for him in the next few weeks, and hopefully we can put this issue of monsters behind him before those changes take place.

Lesson learned:  no more monster movies, no matter how happy, funny and harmless they may seem to be.

We Three Luceros

My sister got some great photos of we three Luceros ... look for more to come!

Wordless Wednesday - November 30, 2011