Aedan: 27 Months, Week 1
Ben worked from home on Tuesday this past week because he had plans to be out at a work dinner that evening, so he figured it would be a good way to be around the kids and me more throughout the day. We had swim lessons in the morning, and then I actually took Roscoe to the vet that afternoon because he was having trouble with his eyes and putting the ointment in wasn't helping any. He had a lot of yellow-green discharge that would build up in his eyes on a daily basis. The whites of his eyes were bright red, and he was really sensitive to me doing anything around his eyes or trying to to clean the discharge up. The vet wasn't able to get a good look at his eyes either, but by the looks of the discharge and what I described to her, she said that Roscoe had something called keratoconjunctivitis sicca (KCS) which is the technical term for a condition called dry eye when they aren't producing enough tears. She prescribed eye drops for us to put in both of his eyes twice a day and said that the film covering his eye was because of this condition, not his cataracts. So maybe that was why Roscoe was having such a hard time walking around the house without running into walls or falling down the stairs. We know that Roscoe is old, probably about 14 or 15, and he has had a good, long life with us, so we aren't going to be spending a lot of money on him as he gets older, but if there was a simple fix to his problem to help his eyes feel better and help him see better, I figured it was worth the money to visit the vet.
That evening, after dropping Daddy off at his dinner meeting, the kids and I ran a couple errands and then went to McDonald's for dinner so they could run around and play for awhile before going back to get Daddy. (These are the times when it is a little tricky having only one car.) We used to not be a big McDonald's family because Samantha always preferred the nuggets at Wendy's, but now that we have a McDonald's with a play place in town, and we discovered that we can get apples and go-gurt instead of fries (since our kids don't eat them anyways), we have been there a few times already since we moved here. After Samantha and Aedan finished their dinner, they were allowed to go play, and they had a great time. Samantha was great with Aedan, helping him climb up the steps he couldn't do on his own by pushing his bottom up or pulling him by the arms. They were so cute running around the play place together, laughing, sliding, and climbing. This will definitely be a good place to come play in the winter time as well.
Samantha helped Aedan get comfortable walking over the netting to reach the tall orange slide, encouraging him every step of the way, and then saying, "Yay, Aedan! You did such a good job!" and giving him a great big hug when he finally was brave enough to go across. She is such a kind and loving big sister, really always looking out for her little brother. She is the world to Aedan, and he is so much happier when she plays with him. In this picture below, Aedan went down the slide first, and then he stood at the bottom with his hands out to catch Samantha. He was so adorable standing there saying, "Catch you, Sissy!"
In this video I love how Samantha is chanting, "You can do it, you can do it." Then, the thrill of rushing down the slide, and Aedan catching Samantha at the bottom. Then, both of them running to the other side to climb back up with Aedan shouting, "Again, again!" I couldn't help but sit and smile at my kiddos that evening. They are such a blessing to me.
Mornings are some of the best times with the kids because they are well-rested and ready to play. They are really cute together, and Ben captured this little interaction between Samantha and Aedan on the couch as they sat and played with their little smiley faces together.
I can't remember what night this week we did this, but one night after dinner I decided it would be fun to take a family bike ride to Dairy Queen and let Samantha ride her bike with training wheels. We filled up all the bike tires with air, got Aedan buckled in the bike trailer, and got Samantha settled on her bike with her helmet on. It was a pretty long trip for Samantha, longer than she has ever done before, but I figured it would be good for her to practice riding for a longer trip over different types of terrain. It was much easier for me to pull the trailer with just Aedan in it, and Samantha really did a good job riding there. The kids were super excited about eating their ice cream, and Aedan got covered in ice cream drips and sprinkles since it was pretty warm outside.
However, as we were finishing up our ice cream, Samantha started whining about having to go potty, even though she had just gone before leaving the house. We were a little frustrated with her because there wasn't a restroom at Dairy Queen that we could use, but she was freaking out about needing to go and not being able to hold it until we got home. Daddy took Samantha across the street to the Walgreens to use the restroom, while I amused Aedan at Dairy Queen. By the time we were on our way home, Samantha had stopped listening well and was having a lot more trouble on her bike. Whenever she got to uneven pavement or bumps, she would let her bike tip over and fall off. It was taking much longer to get back home than it did to get there, and Ben was getting frustrated with Samantha because she wasn't listening and wasn't concentrating on riding her bike properly. We didn't get back home until around 8:00, when she should have been in bed long before then since she didn't nap that afternoon. Samantha really does a good job until a certain time of night, like 7:30 or later, and then she just can't think through her actions. I think this is something we need to be more cognizant of in order to keep meltdowns at bay.
Our house does not have air conditioning, and most of the time that is okay since it doesn't get overly hot up here on a consistent basis. However, Thursday was one of those days were it was a high of 87 or 88, and it was humid, so it got up to about 85 in our house that afternoon and it was very sticky. Ben went grocery shopping that morning, in preparation for my parents coming to visit for the weekend, while I took the kids to swim lessons. On days when it is really warm in the house, we are very glad that we have a basement to cool off in. After eating lunch, I set up Aedan's pack and play in the bathroom and put Samantha's mattress in the office for her to take her nap. Last time we had hot weather we had her sleep out in the play room area, but I think the noise of the dehumidifier bothered her sleep more than she let on, so I figured trying her in a quieter room might help.
As I mentioned earlier in this post, Samantha has been having issues going to the bathroom way more than normal. So after putting Samantha down for a nap that afternoon, I was upstairs doing a few things before going back down to work on my computer and attempt to finish watching these training modules in order to become a substitute teacher. (I have decided to put my name in for subbing on Fridays since Ben does not teach on Fridays. That way I get to make some money, get out of the house to do something different, and get my name in the schools for when I decide to go back to teaching full time.) However, when I got downstairs, Samantha was standing in the doorway of our bedroom, crying, saying she had to go to the bathroom again, so I took her upstairs to let her go to the bathroom, trying not to make a big deal out of it. I had her go back in the room to nap and a little while later she was in the room calling for me, saying she was done napping, but really it was because she had to go to the bathroom again. I was so frustrated with this, she was crying and whimpering so loudly that she could have woken up Aedan, and I only get this one hour of free time a day to actually get any of my own work done, which makes we even more frustrated, especially on a day when I know she is tired and needs to nap. I spanked her and put her in time out, trying to get myself calmed back down as well. I had no idea what was going on with her, and why she was needing to go to the bathroom so much, going three times in less than 40 minutes. She was so tired, and it was after 2:30 and she still wasn't asleep. She did end up falling asleep and sleeping past 4:00, which was not ideal, but at least she took a nap.
That afternoon certainly was not one of my proudest parenting moments. I let my anger and impatience get the best of me, and I got more upset with Samantha than I want to be ever again in my whole life. I was so ashamed at how upset I got, that instead of working, I took most of the rest of her nap time reading the Bible and writing out my thoughts and prayers to God in my journal. I read verses on anger and forgiveness, and really clung to this one: "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness." Man, was I unrighteous in my thoughts and my actions. I felt so bad that I treated my little girl like that, and I cried as I asked God for forgiveness. Over the last year or two, I have really prayed about how I let my anger get the best of me at times, especially with my children, and I really have done pretty well, but I can see Satan tempting me again, pulling me back down, and breaking me down so that I give in easier. I thank God for the grace and mercy that he gives me every day to cover these sins that are inexcusable to God. I love Samantha so much, and I am so blessed that God gave her to me, that I am her mother. But I certainly don't act like that all the time. I know that God forgives me as soon as I ask, but it will take me a while to let this one go for myself. In fact, I had to sneak back into the room to see Samantha while she slept. She was so innocent and peaceful, and I want her to always know that I love her, and to always treat her as the special little girl that she is and look forward to the wonderful woman that she will become, with God's help and direction. I love you, my little darling Samantha.
Friday was the last day of swim lessons, and the kids were really excited because it was safety day, which meant they were going to wear life jackets in the pool, learn how to float on their back and their stomach, and learn what to do if someone needed help in the water. The kids got to swim back and forth the entire length of the pool, even Aedan, which he thought was pretty cool. They also let the kids jump off the diving board, and both Samantha and Aedan wanted to do it. Samantha jumped off the diving board last year at swim lessons, so she wasn't too nervous about it. Aedan, however, said he wanted to, but I figured he would chicken out as soon as he got to the edge, especially since I wasn't in the water to help catch him. I walked with Aedan out to the edge of the diving board, and he was ready to jump right away. I helped kind of lift him out over the edge when he jumped so he didn't hit the board, and he fell right into the water by Megan, the instructor. He didn't cry or anything. I couldn't believe how brave he was, and I so wished that someone would have been there to take a video of his first time jumping off the board, especially when he is so little.
From there, the kids were taken back to the other pool so they could play in the water, jump in, and float around on these big inflatables like a large duck, shark, whale, and swan. Aedan couldn't wait for this part, and he could have floated around on the duck for the rest of the lesson. In fact, he got pretty upset when I told him it was someone else's turn and he had to get off. However, he had fun just floating and kicking around the pool with his little Puddle Jumper. Samantha road on the shark a couple times, but it was slippery and she kept falling off. Then, at the very end when it was almost time to get out of the pool, she wanted to dive in one last time. It was something new she had just learned the day before, and she felt like a pretty big kid being able to do that. So I took her life jacket off, and helped her bend over and go in head first. It was a great day to celebrate everything they learned in swimming lessons over the past two weeks through a little pool party.
After dinner we decided to take them to the locks to see the big freighters go through. After all, it is the big tourist attraction for Sault Ste. Marie. Grandpa and Grandma really enjoyed seeing the locks and watching the boat get ready to pass through, but our kids didn't find it that amusing, especially since we were just there last weekend as well. Plus, Samantha was getting really tired as it was past 7:00, and she didn't nap that day, so it is at that point where she starts losing her ability to think about her actions. Plus, just like the rest of the week, she had issues with needing to go to the bathroom a lot. She went right before we left the house, and then as soon as we parked to see the locks she had to go again, so we let her go in the public restroom in the park. Then, while we were in the observation tower, she started whining about having to go again. We got pretty frustrated with her because we tried to be nice the first time and let her go without making a big deal about it, but then when she had to go again 15 minutes later, we didn't know what to think. We don't know if she has that frequent daytime urination thing called pollakiuria that she had back awhile ago in Oxford, or if she was simply bored because the adults were doing something she didn't enjoy. Sometimes it seems like she goes a normal amount when she is doing something fun that she wants to do or playing, but when we ask her to do something or she has to wait on something she deems boring, then she all of a sudden has to go to the bathroom all the time. However, we don't know how to handle it because she will whine and whimper and hold herself, making it seem urgent, that if she doesn't go she will pee her pants. We, of course, don't want to make her pee her pants or pee in her car seat or pee in her bed, but how do we know if she really has to go or if she's just being disrespectful? It has been a frustrating last week knowing how to handle this issue without getting upset about it or just not knowing what to do. Ben and I feel pretty clueless and confused.
After getting back to the house and getting the kids to bed, we enjoyed watching the opening ceremony of the Olymics with my parents. It was funny because we actually remembered that they were in Bloomington visiting us during the opening ceremony four years ago as well.
On Saturday I went back and forth about what to do together, thinking of possibly going to Mackinac Island for the day, because I knew my parents would enjoy that. However, I decided that we would just stay in Sault Ste. Marie and go to the Downtown Days festival. It seemed like there would be some fun kid-related activities, and then my parents would get a better sense of what our town looks like and what it has to offer. Part of Ashmun Street was blocked off and the first thing we came to was lots of vintage cars parked along the road. The kids found this mildly entertaining, although it was hard for them to understand why they couldn't touch the cars or get in them. Grandpa and Grandma really enjoyed this part, I think, because they noticed cars that were popular back when they were born or when they first got married. I like looking at how technology has changed, how much bigger cars were back then, and also how some didn't even have seat belts, let alone places where you could strap in a car seat. I told my mom that she was probably carried home from the hospital in her mother's arms, no buckling a baby into straps. Now, I am grateful for the extra protection to keep us safe if we are ever in a car accident, but sometimes it would be nice for the kids to have more freedom to move around in the car, especially on longer trips.
Both kids said hi to Seymour, Lake State's mascot, but Aedan wasn't interested in standing next to him for a picture.
Then, we finally reached the area where there was a small petting zoo. This was definitely Samantha's favorite part. She just loves animals that she can touch. (It's a shame our dog is so grouchy and old, and the kids can't pet him for fear of getting snapped at.) There was a turtle...
After eating sandwiches for lunch, we got Aedan down for a nap and just let Samantha have quiet time in her room, with the deal that she was going to have to be in bed early that evening. Then, after a little while Ben and I left to go out on our date. It's so nice that my parents offer to watch the kids for us every time they visit so that Ben and I can go out on a date with free babysitting. We decided to go over to Canada to see a movie at the movie theater in the mall, and then go out to dinner at an Italian restaurant. There really are no Italian restaurants in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan. We got to the mall and walked around a little bit before the movie started. There is no mall on the Michigan side, and this one is decent, although there are quite a few Canadian stores that I didn't recognize. Then, we went into the theater to watch Jason Bourne. I know we have seen all the other Bourne movies in the past and enjoyed them, so I figured this would be a good show to see, one that we would both like.
From there, we walked to the Italian restaurant and discovered that it was closed because they were catering an event. In Canada they charge you a lot for using international data, and we didn't want to just pick a random restaurant and have it not be any good, so we decided to just go back to the States and eat at a restaurant called Karl's Cuisine. Ben went there when he was up here on his campus visit and said good things about it, but it really is not too suitable for young children. It was a good place to go just the two of us where we could talk and enjoy our meal together. Our food was very good, and we even split a brownie sundae for dessert. With the kids around, we don't have much of a chance to have a conversation. So, it was really enjoyable just going out to eat together, talking about our new town, and our new life and schedule once the semester begins. We discussed how we can prioritize things like both of us finding time to exercise on a daily basis, as well as making sure to read the Bible every day, things that have been lacking in both our lives as of late. It's amazing how much more complicated things like this become when you have kids because you have so little free time or time to yourself. Plus, now that Samantha will need to leave for school by 8:00 every day, Ben and I will need to get up early and be ready to go ourselves by 7:00 so that we can help Samantha get ready and have breakfast before 8:00. Our life will certainly be different once school starts. No more staying up too late and sleeping in on some days. We got home once the kids were already in bed, so then we were able to just hang out with my parents some more. It was a nice break that day for us, and they enjoyed time alone with Samantha and Aedan. They took them to McDonald's for dinner and let them play in the play place. We got a great report about Samantha's behavior, how helpful she was with Aedan in the play place, and how she didn't fight going to bed at all. It was a good day for Samantha, and I'm glad that she was so respectful for them.
My parents usually leave on Sunday after lunch when coming to stay for the weekend, but they decided to take an extra day off so they could stay longer and make the longer trip more worth their time. So on Sunday we had a good morning playing and reading books at home before going to church. It was fun to be able to share our new church with them. They enjoyed the service and were impressed with how much the kids enjoyed their classrooms and teachers.
We tried a new recipe for a chicken, rice, and vegetable crock pot dish for lunch that was really yummy and made our house smell very good. Then, we got Aedan down for a nap and let Samantha have quiet time. I took my parents out for a driving tour of the town, and while I was gone Ben said that Samantha got up three times to go to the bathroom. She was hard to keep calm and wanted to nap, but it was already too late and she had been in her room for over an hour already. Ben told her she could lay down if she wanted, so when her alarm was going off to let her know her quiet time was over, he went in there and she was fast asleep in her bed, snoring, and sleeping right through the alarm. He turned the alarm off and tried to sneak out of her room, but the creaking of her door ended up waking her up. She is very confusing sometimes. I was hoping that she would be better adjusted to not napping at this point since school starts a month from now, but it seems like she can go a couple days without napping but then her body is just too tired and needs to rest. I hope that the adjustment to kindergarten isn't too rough on her or us, and that her body will get used to getting all her sleep at night without that daytime break.
We decided to wake Aedan up from his nap slightly early so that way we could take Grandpa and Grandma to the lighthouse that is not too far from our house. We had not been back since the first time we visited, and the kids really enjoyed it so were excited to go back again. My parents had beautiful weather for their visit, and once again, I'm so glad it wasn't super hot or rainy while they were here because it made it so easy to go out and show them the many beautiful locations around where we live in the U.P. Here are some pictures of our time at the lighthouse.
We spent a long time on the beach, letting the kids throw rocks in the water and play in the sand. It was definitely a fun outing, and I'm glad we decided to take them here on their last night in Sault Ste. Marie.
After leaving the lighthouse, we stopped by Walmart to get Samantha a lunch box and a new water bottle, before going back to the house to eat pizza we picked up from Guido's. After that it was a quick shower for the kids before getting ready for bed. We all had a big day the next day and needed to get some good rest.
On Monday, August 8, Samantha had her first day at her summer camp at Bahweting. It went from about 8:15-12:30, and Samantha was SO excited about it. She got her clothes ready the night before, and got right up in the morning to get dressed and brush her teeth. I think she was ready by 7:30 that morning, which is the fastest she has ever gotten ready to go in the morning. She was excited to take her lunch to school in her back pack and to ride the bus home at the end of their morning. Ben, Aedan, and I all took Samantha to school that morning so that we could drop her off and see where she would be spending her morning. Here she is waiting outside her school, ready for her first day.
Grandpa and Grandma stayed for most of the morning, leaving just before noon, so Aedan had lots of time to play with them one-on-one. We played together in the basement, and of course he wanted to play outside quite a bit and ride his new tricycle. Aedan and I made sure to be done with lunch before Sissy would be dropped off at our house around 12:45. Aedan was thrilled to see the bus pull up in front of our house, and he ran out down the driveway to greet Samantha with a big hug. Samantha had a great first day. However, she did not eat much of her lunch (which I figured would happen), so I let her sit up at the counter to finish her lunch and tell me all about school. Aedan joined her, and it was no time before they got back to their silly ways together. I think they both missed each other. :)
That evening after dinner, we decided to go over to campus to let Samantha ride her bike and Aedan ride his new tricycle. I had Christy get one for me off a website where people sell their used items, and it was much cheaper than buying a brand new tricycle from Walmart. Samantha never really got the hang of riding a tricycle when she was Aedan's age, so we didn't really think much of getting one for Aedan. However, he was really enjoying the tricycle that Ema and Papa had in Upland, so I figured it would be fun for us to have our own for him. He picked it up very quickly, pedaling all by himself and even steering himself without any help. I was amazed at how good he was, and he really enjoyed pedaling around campus like a big boy, trailing behind his big sister. It's so fun living so close to campus and being able to just walk across the street and enjoy riding bikes or take a walk. We definitely need to do this more often.
As the kids rode around, Ben and I were able to actually carry on a conversation, which made our evening outing even better. Samantha found this big rock to climb on, and we had them both sit on it because it was a pretty cool view with the International Bridge in the background. Man, these two kids are so great, so cute together, and they love each other so much, you can just see it in Aedan's face in the second picture. What a great way to round off a great day!
(Blog about August 2-8, 2016)
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