A Day of Both Extremes - Fun with Bowling and TANTRUMS

Today started out so well... we went to a mom/tot bowling activity at a nearby bowling alley. You can't beat unlimited bowling (shoe rental included - though they didn't have shoes small enough for Eli so he wore his regular shoes) for $5 for two hours. This is the cost for kids - parents are free!

I love that this place has the bowling ball ramp thing for kids to push the ball down the lane.

Eli had so much fun! He even got a spare and a strike. His total score was 95 - not bad for a 1-year-old, though he did have the bumpers. It was a little tricky helping him while holding Charlie, but it all worked out. He kept doing this sort of cheer kick as he watched the ball crash into the bowling pins.

These pictures look so happy, don't they? We came home at lunchtime and I tried putting Eli down for his nap, and he went BALLISTIC. The kid would NOT go to sleep or stop crying. He was screaming, crying, throwing his animals in the crib, and just being crazy. I went in a few times, tried reading more stories, sang songs, talked to him, tried a few bribes if he did take a nap... he wanted nothing to do with any of it.

Me - "Do you want to blow bubbles outside after your nap?" (he LOVES bubbles)
Eli - "NO."
Me - "Do you want to color with markers after your nap?" (again, he LOVES markers)
Eli - "NO." (more tears)
Me - "If you take a nap, you can have a skittle..." (he loves skittles and doesn't get them very often)
Eli - "NO."

I was getting so frustrated. At least on the days when he typically doesn't nap, he just plays in his crib for a while. Today he was an overtired mess. He kept rubbing his eyes, but was so worked up that he could not settle down for a rest.

Finally I took him out and we played in the family room and he did some coloring. Our neighbors stopped by with some plants that we're going to take care of while they are out of town. Eli was remarkably happy and well behaved...

...until we went down in the basement to play. His toys were frustrating him. The train track kept coming apart, so he threw the pieces. He got upset with his toy vacuum, but I couldn't figure out what exactly was making him so angry and he kept pushing it on the ground out of frustration.

But the final straw was when he took his big dump truck and dropped it on Charlie's forehead (Charlie was laying on a blanket on the floor at the time). He has NEVER done anything to hurt Charlie and I was so upset. I scooped up Charlie, ran upstairs from the basement so I could calm him down in peace, then went back downstairs to bring Eli up from the playroom. Eli again went ballistic and stood at the basement door, pounding on it, screaming, and hitting the doorknob in hopes that it would open (and yelling, "BASEMENT!!" over and over). This went on for 30 MINUTES.

Where did my sweet Eli go?? He never acts like this. I called my friend Carrie for any suggestions - her idea was to give him a bath. I carried him upstairs, put him in the bath, and he slowly went back to his old self, being sweet and playing nicely in the tub. We hung out in the bathroom for an hour (he LOVES baths) and he went to bed at 6:45 p.m.

After we put Eli to bed, I fed Charlie, gave him his medicine, and he promptly threw up ALL over me (and himself). I cleaned us both up, changed our clothes, gave Charlie to Ben, and went to the movies to get a break. Hopefully tomorrow will be less eventful!

Not Napping... Again

I just don't get it. I know I've complained about this before, but my 18-month-old child somehow has the stamina to NOT nap. At all. It's one thing for him not to nap because we had guests around (who left yesterday) or because he has a stinky diaper and it keeps him from falling asleep. But today... there is no obvious reason. He seemed tired while he was eating lunch, we read a few books, and I put him to bed.

Now he's just tired and miserable, not falling asleep. And I am trying not to be frustrated. I kept hoping this was a phase, that he would go back to napping regularly any day now. And when he does nap, it's often long, three-hour naps. I can't fathom how I'm going to function when this new baby comes if Eli doesn't take a nap. I'm not sure how easy enforcing "quiet time" will be either with a child this young. He's not old enough to really reason with or give incentives.

UGH. It's supposed to snow in a few hours. It snowed a few days ago... I shoveled the back walkway from our house to the garage (because not shoveling would leave a slippery path for me to likely fall on going out to the car) and it completely wore me out in my 8-months-pregnant state. Ben came home that night and tried to shovel the front walkway, which was all ice by the time he was home from work, so that wasn't so great either.

I'm not looking forward to the cold, snowy winter ahead of us. Or the fact that Eli is going to be crabby the rest of the afternoon because he didn't sleep...

I'll just try not to be too grouchy! I'll have to post some happy pictures tomorrow to offset my negative post today :)

And to those of you who live in warmer climates, please don't rub it in. Just go outside and enjoy some sunshine for me!

18 Months!?!

Eli turns 18 months old today! Ben and I are often amazed by how much he has grown and learned in his little life so far.

Here are some of his cute (and not so cute) things he has done or is into lately:

• Eli usually says "yeah" when we ask him something but sometimes says "no" - which sounds like a cat ("neoooowww").
• Eli loves to sing songs like Happy Birthday and the Alphabet song (the video below is him chiming in occasionally). He mostly just hums, but sometimes throws the words in here and there.
• Eli loves anything related to trains - the real trains near our house are always exciting, as are Thomas trains or other train sets, along with any other Thomas branded items - balloons, t-shirts, books, etc. We have a few Thomas books, but that's about it so far.
• Eli loves the idea of dogs, but gets super nervous when he's around a real one.
• Eli loves reading books and sometimes pretends to point out the letters (but mostly he just says his two favorite letters over and over - "E" and "I"). He does this a lot too when we're out running errands (he especially loves the Target sign with big red letters).
• He's 50th percentile for his head and height, but weighed in at 22.8 pounds this morning, putting him between 5-10 percent.
• He is being a PILL about taking naps - today marks 4 out of the last 5 days that he has refused to nap. I am pretty frustrated with it, but am still putting him down for the nap each day in hopes that he'll realize the nap is here to stay whether he likes it or not. Today his pediatrician said to keep trying. How many 18 month olds can survive a day without ANY napping?? Apparently, it's not too tough for my child. Little stinker!

Here is a video of Eli singing the ABCs with Ben. He's done it better when I haven't tried getting a video, but this gives an idea of how he chimes in with the letters here and there. You'll see Eli's little friend Katelyn make an appearance too, who we were babysitting last night.

Mr. No Nap

Eli's Victory Face

Face Translation: "I just spent two hours in my crib, yelling, playing, reading, etc. and never fell asleep."

"I am NOT napping today."

I decided not to get mad, but to take some cute pictures instead :) At least I got a nearly two-hour break. And he did sleep until 8 a.m. this morning...

Seriously though, how is it that yesterday Eli also slept until 8 a.m., took a 3-hour nap, and went to bed at 7:45 p.m., and seemed like he would nap again today? The one thing that stood in my way today... he pooped after I first put him down for the nap. After that it was a losing battle to get him to fall asleep.

If this had happened yesterday, when my head felt like it was splitting in half and I was still battling sinus pressure on my face, I would have cried (since I cried through much of the day because I was in so much pain).

This afternoon, I am feeling SO much better that nothing is going to put me in a bad mood.

Yesterday I took my third day's worth of the antibiotic, along with several rounds of tylenol, went to the chiropractor and got some goofy tape spread across my nose and face to open up the passageways, had an adjustment, and went to bed early. This morning I woke up feeling yucky and full of sinus pressure, but took today's antibiotic earlier in the day, along with tylenol, and went one more time to the chiropractor. Now I have that funny tape stretched across my back to supposedly help everything drain down.

Whatever! I don't care what is making it better. I am just happy. And so is Eli - his mom is sort of back to normal.

Today's excitement will include watching the garbage truck pick up our trash. What could be more fun in a little boy's eyes??

Eli's Sounds of Frustration (mixed in with eating a pear)

This video was taken this evening after Eli refused to take an afternoon nap (I tried unsuccessfully off and on for almost 2 hours - he kept pulling himself up to standing in the crib and would cry and cry and cry...). So Eli was pretty cranky and unpredictable by dinnertime.

Some things to mention:

1. We were impressed at the speed at which Eli eats the pear
2. When Eli is frustrated, his whole body shows it (I like the arm movements)
3. His facial expressions are pretty funny too (when he's frustrated)
4. He intersperses quite a few angry sounds in betwen eating the pear - the best is the last 20 seconds.