Seven Quick Takes in which I talk about Christmas, night weaning, and mini-blinds

1. Night-weaning.  The baby turned two last week and as I mentioned in aforementioned post, I decided it was time to night-wean.  We went cold turkey (it was time...for him and for me).  It has been superawesomefabulous.  I have reminded him about it every night at bedtime (as he still nurses then), and nights have gone ahhhhhhhmazingly well.  The first two mornings he got pretty upset around 5:30a so I just laid with him and comforted him and talked to him and he worked through it.  Since then he just wants me to sit at the foot of his floor-bed if he wakes up and it takes him like thirty seconds to go back to sleep.  One night he went to bed at 7:30 and didn't wake up until 5:30a, at which point he started screaming that he wanted his shoes.  On his feet.  At a quarter-'til the butt-crack of dawn.  Oooooookay.  Aaron intervened for a bit and, well, we'll just say all's well that ends well (read: I am not always the nicest person in the  middle of the night when little people who should be sleeping are loudly making irrational requests).  When he got up for the day Gemma was like, "why is the baby wearing his shoes?"  Don't ask.  My kids are weird.
2. I found a super-quick way to dust mini-blinds that works so well and saves, like, an immense amount of time.  It works especially well on the wooden ones.  I would describe it but believe me I would bore you to tears.  Mini-blinds.  I am blogging about mini-blinds.  My life is sad.
3. We went and looked at some model homes last week on a "date" and as nice as they were, we both came away from the afternoon grateful for the home we have now.  Sure we'd like somewhere bigger someday, but right now there is happiness in our cozy, simple home.
4. The kids are in a Christmas frenzy.  We have been reading The Long Winter and of course this has Gemma planning and plotting all different kinds of wild ideas.  And then today the kids checked a Barney Christmas special out from the library so that really set things off.  They are busily making Christmas decorations at the table as I type.  And the baby is acting like a dog.  He just licked my leg.  Always entertaining around here.
5. I know lots of people like to knock the big purple dinosaur, but I'm just going to come out and say it.  I like Barney.  His messages are sweet without being over-the-top or proselytizing; and for real.  Those kids can DANCE!
6. Often if Aaron is not around for bedtime Gemma will put Kolbe to bed for me while I lay with the baby.  The other night I came in and she was telling him the epic story of Jesus.  It was epic.  And long.  But surprisingly accurate, and seriously, she was talking about GOD.  I couldn't bear to stop her.  But it went on for like 10+ minutes AFTER I came in the room to tell them goodnight.  She prefaced everything (I overheard her while laying with the baby) by explaining the difference between fiction and non-fiction to Kolbe.  I love that girl.  Best part, hands-down, when she talked about the time leading up to Jesus' arrest and said, "and then the bad guys came and talked to King Herrod about arresting Jesus, and he was like 'hold on guys, talk to me after the Passover'."  I had to stifle a laugh. 
7. I can sadly think of nothing more about which to talk (since mini-blinds and getting licked on the leg were so exciting), but I suppose I can always find a book to talk about.  We checked out Miss Moore Thought Otherwise from the library and it was a wonderful picture book about the history of children's rooms in libraries.  I am reading The Fault in Our Stars and seriously underwhelmed.  Why all the hype about that particular teen-fiction?  I have found nothing spectacular about it.

Check in with Jen over at Conversion Diary for more Quick Takes.

Clement is TWO

I thought I would break from the usual Journal posts and give Clem his own little post for his second birthday.

Likes:

• the word "nooooooooooo" (in his defense, when he does say, "yes," it is an adorable "UHH-huh")
• eating strawberries and raspberries
• doing whatever the big kids are doing
• reading books, he will happily sit on my lap and listen to long picture books, by himself or when I am reading to the big kids
• bananas
• giving kisses
• swinging at the park
• daddy.  he is aaron's most enthusiastic greeter when he gets home each evening.
• waving bye-bye to daddy from the front yard.  he stands there waving and yells, "bye-bye daddy-O"
• the color blue, he is very adamant about wearing his blue jammies and blue shirt if they are clean, and is rather irritated when they are not
• trains, he especially likes the little Thomas ones that stick together with magnets (he got a stuffed Thomas, a "James" take-along, and some train books for his birthday)
• his stuffed kitten
• playing Kolbe's "Let's Go Fishing" game

Dislikes:

• being contained
• he used to not really care for black beans, but I think he is eating those now
• milk.  i can not get this child to drink cow's milk.

Things he is doing at two:

• he will repeat almost anything, has probably 3-4 dozen words he uses regularly to communicate, and has starting to string together 3-4 word sentences
• he loves to jump on our little work-out trampoline in the basement
• he can climb and run and slide at the park quite independently
• he has been sleeping on the floor in his room (and still co-sleeping some as well) since March, soon he will move to a big boy bed in the same room as Kolbe.  he still nurses to sleep.
• he recently moved from his high chair to the big table (we had to put another leaf in).  after about a week of this we have decided that a booster seat at meals/snacks is a must. 
• I will come in and add his weight and height when I've taken him in for a well-child visit here soon.  I am guessing he ways around 23-24 pounds.
• he wears size 2T clothing
• he poops on the toilet exclusively and has started showing some interest in potty.  not enough for me to want do any intentional potty-learning with him, but I will continue to encourage.
• he is much less scary on the stairs than he was just a few months ago. I have actually started letting him go down un-accompanied.  But apparently going down head up on his belly is for the birds.  He likes to hold the rail and step down (like a big kid, go figure) or go down on his bottom.
• he has started showing more interest in the television the past four or so months, and will sit down and watch a show with the big kids.  he often holds one of his feet while he is watching tv.
• when I get the camera out he yells, "CHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEESE"
• he is still nursing during the night, some nights only twice, but a lot of nights many more times, for quite long periods sometimes.  it is getting frustrating and uncomfortable for me, and disturbing my sleep (and his) more than I think is necessary at the age of two, so I have decided to night-wean.  we are going to go cold-turkey.  I anticipate several rough nights, but I think if I am empathetic yet firm (vs. being wishy-washy about it and sending him mixed messages) we will make this transition and both come out happier and well-adjusted on the other side.  wish us luck on this journey.  I'll continue to let him nurse at naptime and bedtime as long as he asks, but I may transition him out of that as well when he moves to the big-kid room
• he occasionally skips his nap.  when he does nap it is only for 45 or so minutes.  he goes to bed between 7:30-8pm and gets up between 6:30-7am (typically)

climbing UP the slide at the park

with his backpack, just like the big kids

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DEAR CLEMENT!  WE LOVE YOU!!!