Ear is the problem

It’s been a long time since Dom has had an ear infection. He used to get them all the time, so much that the doctor had talked to us about the possibility of tubes in his ears. Poor cub I had heard that once a child hits two years old, they kind of grow out of them and that seemed to be the case for Dom.

Rob was in Phoenix this weekend, so of course that was a perfect time for Dom to get an ear infection. Saturday morning started out fine. He and I went to the gym as we usually do and then ran a couple of errands. He was in good spirits the whole time. I do remember him saying that his ear hurt as we were cruising the isles of Target, but he dropped it right after that so I thought he was ok.

Once we got home and it was nap time, I laid him down in his bed and he fell asleep pretty fast. 15 mins later he woke up crying. I checked him on the video monitor and he was lying in his bed, holding his left ear. Uh oh. I went in to console him and see if I couldn’t get him back to sleep, but it just wasn’t going to happen. I wanted to wait a little bit to make sure it wasn’t a once of thing before I took him to the afterhours doctor. As the hours went by, he was more upset. We were at Shirleys baby shower when he started getting a fever and was so irritable that he wouldn’t let me put him down, even for a second.

We hightailed it out of there so I could get him to the doctor and get him the meds I knew he needed. The whole way there he was crying, one hand holding his ear with his other arm outstretched to me. Kill me now. That is the worst feeling. The second worse feeling is realizing you’re gas light just went on. Damit! So I had to pull in to get gas, while Dom is crying harder and harder. I managed to quickly pump $12.00 worth and get back on the road. Thankfully there was no wait at the doctor and within an hour, he had his first dose of meds.

It sucks so hard to see your kid hurting and not be able to do anything about it. One of the many times I wished that I could have the stupid ear infection instead of him. But it’s all part of life I suppose. Thankfully he is feeling much better.

Goal!

Dom is so excited to be playing soccer at school. They have a company that comes to the school on Fridays at about 9:30am and teaches the kids that are enrolled the basic principles of the game. Oh ok, they just kick the ball around for 45 mins. But Dom LOVES it. Every Friday when I pick him up from school he tells me “Mama! I kicked the ball in the goal!” I don’t know if he is really doing that week after week, but I love his enthusiasm.

Getting Kids Organzied

From Left to Right: Parents.com, Martha Stewart, iheartorganizing.blogspot.com, modpodgerocksblog.com, coryconnordesigns.com, Martha Stewart, Ohdeedoh.com, Martha Stewart, icouldmakethat.org, Real Simple, iheartorganizing.blogspot.com, Martha Stewart, The Container Store (white elfa kids' workstation), iheartorganizing.blogspot.com, Real Simple, & Centsationalgirl.com
■Mon.-Fri. Closet Organizer – Have a week’s worth of school clothes picked out and ready to go. As a kid who always had her clothes laid out the night before, I LOVE this idea!

■Mailing Tubes for Art Storage – Label, roll, and store the endless art projects that are no longer on display in mailing tubes.

■Closet Bins Labeled with Pictures – Great idea for younger children who can’t read; separate various items with images instead of words.

■Closet Hooks Labeled with Sizes – Perfect for the closets of nurseries, growing kids, or shared siblings

■Wagon as Bookshelf –An adorably clever way to display and organize your kids’ books!

■The Fridge Chore Chart – an oldie but a goodie

■Nursery Organization Bins ‘Burp, Bathe, Bundle’ – Great way to keep your rags, towels, and blankets separated.

■Photo Paperweight – Add a little joy to your work with photo paperweights of your kids!

■Playful Jars for arts & crafts storage

■3-Ring Binders for school papers, report cards by grade, etc. – With so many brilliant ideas out there, it’s still hard to beat a 3-ring binder for school organization.

■Create a Household Binder to keep track of finances, babysitters, schedules, EVERYTHING. Don’t miss the step-by-step instructions and other genius suggestions at iheartorganizing.blogspot.com!

■Wall Book Shelf to keep books on display and out of the way

■Kids Workspace – If you have the space, provide your kids with their own organized workspace for crafts, schoolwork, and activities. Modify for their ages and likes, but remember to leave room for growth.

■Lego Organization – Legos are incredible toys for learning, but I have discovered that they are organization’s worst nightmare! Keep them under control with labeled bins by color. Include designated bins for the boards and the character pieces.

■Mudroom Central – Love the shoe organization, clear calendar, and wall storage!

■Planters as Wall Storage for Toys

Mustaching Around

I almost can't stand how cute this photo is. the wink, the mustache, the little hands. My baby boy...always making people laugh:)

Snuggle Bug

Sometimes you just want to climb onto the couch, snuggle up with your Daddy and a good blanket and watch "Toy Story 3" for the hundredth time:)

Packed Lunch

Dom absolutely loves preschool. He’s adjusted beautifully and is even doing great with this potty training. It’s such a relief to know he’s happy there. When we pull up he says “Yay preschool!” He has a “best favorite” named Justin and one kid who is not his best favorite called Ryan.

He takes his lunch to school every day and eats at the table outside with all his friends. I’ve tried getting some things other than chicken nuggets or turkey dogs in there, but it usually doesn’t go so well. He has eaten peanut butter and jelly sandwiches at both Nonnie and Ms. Carol’s house, no problems, no questions asked. But when I made it for him, he made sure to let me know he wasn’t a fan. “Mommy, I no like sandwiches. “ Really? How could he not fall in love with the cuteness of the little PB&J dino’s I made with such love? He had taken a couple of bites, so I have to give him credit for that. Maybe I’ll wait a while and try it again, see how that goes. In the meantime, we are on a rotation of mac n cheese, chicken nuggets and turkey dogs with sides of grapes, cucumber, tomato, string cheese, raisens, pickles (Dom’s request,) carrots etc. And every day he opens up his Spiderman lunchbox and shows me how he ate it all.

He’s a lot more hyper when he comes home now. All fired up, chatting away about his day. I still can’t believe he’s in school now, but as usual, time is flying by. We still have him in his crib, and I’m scared to DEATH at moving him over to a big boy bed. He can pretty cheeky come bed time and most nights I am holding him down while I try to strap a diaper to his butt. I can only imagine what would happen, given the freedom of being able to step out of bed. I know it’s the next logical step, but maybe just a few more months of the crib?

Toy Story on Ice

Look how happy Dominic is in this photo. Look at him beaming. I love that little smile. I love that he loves his family that much. Oh wait, it may have something to do with the fact that we were at "Disney on Ice, Toy Story 3" and he was so excited, he could hardly contain himself.


Rob got us tickets to go and in true Rob style, we were sitting practically on the ice. He's so good to us! All the characters were there and Dom was in total awe. I've noticed that he likes to sit quietly for the most part, but don't take that as he's not enjoying himself. No, he's loving every second. But he's taking it all in. Very quietly looking at all the different characters, the lights, the stage, the crowd, the guys walking around selling popcorn and glow sticks. As soon as a song finishes, he clapped his little hands and then settled down, eyes peeled for the next number.

On the way home, all Dom could talk about was how he wants to see it again and how he wants to go to Dinseyland to see Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Goofy, Pluto and Daisy. Huh? I had no idea he knew all their names! He then informed us that Buzz, Woody and the rest of the Toy Story gang lived there also, so he had to go see them.

Is it wrong that we have never taken him to Disneyland? Here's why. #1, it costs a fortune. Unless you have a house to take a second loan out, it can wipe you out financially. #2, How long would he last? So we pay an arm and leg to get inside, only to have Dom last 2 hours before he's over it or needing a nap. #3, would he get it? Would he understand the magnatude and magic of the experiance? I think he might be ready for it. Not an all day experiance, but at least half day. He should be tall enough to get on the rides and I know he'll love that. Plus, he's free until he's three, so we might as well get in there now before we need to sell a kidney to buy him his ticket.

HAPPY NEW YEAR

Handbook for 2012

Health:
1. Drink plenty of water.
2. Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a beggar.
3. Eat more foods that grow on trees and plants and eat less food that is manufactured in plants..
4. Live with the 3 e's -- energy, enthusiasm and empathy
5. Make time to pray.
6. Play more games
7. Read more books than you did in 2011 .
8. Sit in silence for at least 10 minutes each day
9. Sleep for 7 hours.
10. Take a 10-30 minutes walk daily. And while you walk, - smile.

Personality:
11. Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
12. Don't have negative thoughts or things you cannot control. Instead invest your energy in the positive present moment.
13. Don't over do. Keep your limits.
14. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
15. Don't waste your precious energy on gossip.
16. Dream more while you are awake
17. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need..
18. Forget issues of the past. Don't remind your partner with his/her mistakes of the past.
That will ruin your present happiness.
19. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone. Don't hate others.
20. Make peace with your past so it won't spoil the present.
21. No one is in charge of your happiness except you.
22. Realize that life is a school and you are here to learn. Problems are simply part of the curriculum that appear and fade away like algebra class but the lessons you learn will last a lifetime.
23. Smile and laugh more.
24. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree...

Society:
25. Call your family often.
26. Each day give something good to others.
27. Forgive everyone for everything.
28. Spend time w/ people over the age of 70 & under the age of 6.
29. Try to make at least three people smile each day.
30. What other people think of you is none of your business.
31. Your job or businrss won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends will. Stay in touch.

Life:
32. Do the right thing!
33. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.
34. Love has healing power.
35. However good or bad a situation is, it will change..
36. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.
37. The best is yet to come...
38. When you awake alive in the morning, be thankful for it.
39. Your inner most is always happy. So, be happy.

Big Boy School

Yesterday was a big day in our lives...Dom's first day of pre-school! Woo hooo!! I was a nervous wreck of course, worried that he’d feel abandoned all over again and have a hard time adjusting. When we walked up, he was a little unsure of the unfamiliar surroundings. He clutched his hand a little tighter when we walked into the classroom and met Ms. Caroleena, one of his teachers. It was such an inviting environment with music playing and a few kids scattered around the room. I explained to Ms. Caroleena that Dom does much better with some affection so she opened up her arms and gave him a big hug. I loved that. There are some schools where you can’t do that anymore for fear of “crossing a boundary” but my son needs that kind of emotional openness. It calms his fears and makes him feel no so scared.

Once he was securely in Ms. Caroleena’s arms, Rob and I said our goodbyes and headed out the door. One thing I have learned is not to linger too long. If you hang out too long, and then try to leave, it’s extremely difficult on the kid. We made a quick get-a-way into the hallway and waited to see if he started crying. Luckily, the only tears were my own. Rob asked if I was ok, put his arm around me and then I just couldn’t help it. Once me head touched his shoulder, I did break down a little bit. I was just so worried that he would be scared and think we just left him there. We hung around for about 10 mins and then his teacher popped her head out into the hallway to let us know he was just fine and was doing a puzzle. Phew! What a relief!

At about 1pm, I called the school just to check on him. I was worried about him eating his lunch that I packed for him (he’s never had a packed lunch before) and taking his nap in a strange place. Thankfully I was told he was doing great. He ate all his lunch (victory!) and was taking his nap right at that moment. I had packed his new toy story blanket from home, so hopefully that was comforting to him.

I arrived back at the school at 4:45pm to pick him up. I crept into his classroom and there he was, sitting in circle time with the other kids. They were singing a song and having fun. When he saw me, he broke out into a big smile and said “hi Mommy!” His teacher showed me the pages he had colored and said that he was a very good boy, very well behaved and rather quiet. I had to laugh because my kid, quiet? Ha! But I know once he warms up and gets to know everyone he’ll be more himself.

On the way home Dom couldn’t take fast enough about his day. “Mommy, I ate all my lunch! And I took my nap! And I did a puzzle! And I met new friends!” I can’t describe the relief that washed over me at that moment. He likes pre-school! YES!!! He had an awesome time and was extra hyper the rest of the day. I’m so proud of him for making such a big adjustment with such ease. Hopefully his enthusiasm continues today and from here on out.