Story of the (Other) Day

I walked by the office (at home) the other morning and saw Copper under the desk with Melvin. She had his fetch stick and appeared to be trying to play with him. Her diaper was off since it's our lazy way of potty training her. I headed into the bathroom to brush my teeth. Shortly later Copper came walking into the bathroom with a little something in her hand. She said, "Poop. Toilet." Sure enough, that little something was a small turd. She lifted the toilet seat and dropped it in.

Let the Terrible 2s begin!

 Copper Jo turned 2 yesterday!

For a few reasons we didn't do anything big for her Birthday, but we did go out to eat at Macaroni Grill and even ordered off the kid's menu (which we never do since Copper only eats about 2% of one of those meals) and then at home she opened her presents from Aubrey and I and her Great Grandparents Jaci & Phil, and then we ate cake. Copper even tried to blow out her own candles (I have video and will try to get it posted soon). It was a nice night and she'll be able to celebrate a mini Birthday at Thanksgiving with Derek & Lisa, and Grandma Cindy & Paca Dave.

She's taking turning 2 very seriously. We went to the playground today and she is hell bent on doing everything by herself. She went down all the slides be herself, including the big spiral tube slide, and climbed all the ladders. If I touched her she would push my hands away and say no. She's getting so independent and physically and mentally capable of so many things. With the maturity of a 2 year old, she has recently been pretty good at entertaining herself. It's about freakin' time. She can work the iPad, brush her own teeth (sort of), run, jump, somersault, communicate what she wants, and look mischievous while doing things she knows she's not supposed to. She's started to draw faces and holds the pencil like a big kid. She knows some of her colors. She has started to pretend play with her toys. She can say "I don't know" and combines it with a great shoulder shrug. 

We have an amazing little girl. 

Cop-per

5 day ago, Copper said her name for the first time. She's only said it about 4 times since then, but everytime it's ridiculously cute. She starts with the first syllable "Cop" and then wait for it, wait for it, finishes with the last syllable "per." The pause in the middle is awesome. When asking her to say her name, she has thrown out "Drew" and "Mommy" as options. We'll keep working on it.

"Too"

When Aubrey tells Copper "I Love You" at night before bed, Copper responds, "too." Even though it's not the full "I Love You" it's still really awesome that she can tell us that she loves us too.

Big Trip!

Copper Jo is going on her first plane ride tomorrow and it just happened to require a passport. (We're heading to Mexico for my cousin Ben's wedding.) The iPad is charged, she has a new backpack, new coloring books, new pencil bag, new Matchbox cars, new notebook, new mini coloring book, new small puzzles, new swimming Barbie, new My Little Ponies, and a few other new toys. We've done a lot of trips, but this is our first international trip and our first one that involves a 3 hour flight. Thus I feel the need to be over-prepared in the entertainment department. She'll probably just watch endless episodes of Yo Gabba Gabba on the plane, but I want to  make sure she's not an obnoxious toddler (for both the other passengers sake and our own). I'm super excited to be able to bring her on a big trip. I'm sure that staying at an all inclusive resort is going to keep some of the adventure out of the trip, but we'll do our best to have a great time and provide her with some wonderful experiences.

Quote of the Day

From last Friday. Moving day #2 at Derek's.

Copper: "Mama, mama, mama, mama, mama, mama, amam, mama, mama, mama, mama, mama, mama..."
Chris Bush (Lisa's Brother-In-Law): "Can someone pull the battery out of that thing."

Thanks "Monster Mama"!

Thanks to the book, My Monster Mama Loves Me So, Copper no longer calls me "Dum" and now calls me "Mama."  She's called me "Dum" (I'm intentionally leaving off the "b") since she was able to call me anything. After a few rounds of reading this great book over the weekend, I now here "Mama" about a thousand times a day. "Dum" was really cute and funny.  How many moms can say that their toddler call them "Dum"? Aubrey would say to Copper, "Go get mom." Then I would hear, "Dum!" Okay, I do miss it a little.

"Medication" Follow-up

This post is a tad belated, but wanted to show you what happened after Copper's 4 days of fever. Kellie actually told me exactly what to expect when I told her what Copper's symptoms were. With confidence she said that Copper will get a rash. Both of her kiddos had the same symptoms and both got a rash. It was a common virus with nothing to do for it. Sure enough the day after I talked to Kellie, Copper's fever broke and in it's place was a rash. It didn't seem to bother her, but it was pretty crazy looking. (The flash washed out the redness a bit.) It was pretty nice knowing what to expect and not needing to worry about it. Thanks Dr. Kellie!

So Smart

A couple weeks ago Copper and my dad were out back and Copper wanted to swing. The swing was hot from being in the sun and my dad told her the swing was too hot. That was all he said. So Copper went back into the house, grabbed the hand towel from the kitchen, and went back out to give it to Paca to put on the swing. We were both amazed. My mom had used a towel a couple weeks before that when the swing was hot. It amazes me everyday what she understands and remembers. Even though we don't understand much of what she says, she understands most of what we say to her.

Another example...Copper had a mechanical pencil and tried to write on Aubrey's arm. It of course hurt and we told her that was "ouchy" and that she needs to write on paper and not daddy's arm with mechanical pencils. So she left the room and came back a minute later with a piece of paper from the desk drawer in the office. So stinkin' brilliant!

Negotiations

About 2-3 weeks ago we realized that we can negotiate with Copper. Generally when she loudly and insistently requests to get down from her chair while eating, we'd just have to get her down and then try to get her to finish her food later. Now we can say, "Eat these 3 blackberries and then you can get down." Quickly the blackberries are in her mouth.

Medication

We had to give Copper Jo medication for the first time in her life tonight. She made it 19 months and 7 days drug free. Copper had a really good day today with minimal fussing. She was super laid back and content to just lounge around. For a good part of the day she was super hot though. It was also about 100 degrees out today. Finally at about 7:00 we took her temperature and sure enough she had a fever. 101.5. We willingly gave our little lady her first dose of Advil and an hour later her temperature was back to normal. I kind of liked her fevered demeanor though. It was a nice break from the crazy needy baby I'm used to.

18 Months and 12 Days

Drum roll please...

Copper went to bed for the first time in her life without nursing first! I'll give you a minute to let that sink in.

It's true. I went to dinner to celebrate a friend's recent engagement and Aubrey was left to fend for himself with the kiddo. I planned on leaving by 8:00 to get home and nurse and put Copper down, but our food didn't even come out until 8:10. I got home a few minutes after 9:00 and Aubrey was sitting in the living room watching the monitor as Copper quietly tossed and turned in her bed (a regular occurence every night). A little while later she was asleep.  It went well for him too. No fight. No crying. They read books, watched a short video on the iPhone, hugged, and then she laid down. Easy peasy. If I try to lay her in her bed without nursing first, she's signs "more" and points to the chair that we sit in every night.  It's both an exciting and a sad night. Exciting because she went to bed without me! But on the flip side it was sad because she went to bed without me. It was the first time I haven't been home when she went to bed. I don't know if I'm ready for her to be boob free at night. I love that time with her. And she loves it too. As freeing as it would be to not always have to put her to bed, I would really miss our special time together. But for tonight, it was great. Well done, Daddy!

Yes and No

A few days ago Copper started to shake her head "no" when you would ask her a question. She actually means "no" about 75% of the time. The other 25% she's just shaking it because that's how she likes to answer a yes or no question. It's really cute at night when I'm nursing her and I ask if she's ready to go night night and she shakes her head no. The past couple days she has slowly started to say "yeah" when you ask her something that she wants to do. Along with answering yes and no, she has taken a bit of an interest in trying to repeat more words. Not with much success, but she's definitely making some strides with communication.

1st Haircut

Last Wednesday I gave Copper her 1st haircut. She didn't have the standard issue toddler mullet that prompts most "1st" haircuts, but rather these super random, super long strands of hair. While the majority of her bangs didn't even reach her eyebrows, she had about 10 strands of hair that went past her nose. So the cut was really more of a quick trim. Lose the freakish long strands in the front and clean up the back a bit. There wasn't even a lock of hair to save. Just a few dozen ultra fine wisps of hair laying around that you could barely even see, let alone gather together and bind with a rubber band. The result is crazy cute, even if most people would never be able to tell the difference in her before and after shots.

Books

Copper loves to be read to, but only certain books. We have a lot to choose from, but she only wants to read the same 10 books over and over again, day after day. I have some of them memorized. Last night I told her to get the book "The Very Silly Shark." She walked over to her book case, looked for it for a few seconds, and then pulled it off the shelf. When we asked for 3 more books by title, she knew exactly which ones we asked for. It's easy to forget how much kids her age can understand just because they can't talk to you.

16 Months Old

This tall little lady turned 16 months old two days ago. This past week whenever I look at her and watch her walk around with such confidence, I am amazed at how big she is. She's not a baby anymore, she's a full fledged toddler. Her sausage feet and lego hands are both gone. In their place are beautiful, slim toddler feet and hands. She has 8+ teeth which she hates me brushing. She can (almost) pull her pants down all by herself. She likes to go down slides and climb up and down steps. She loves playing outside. She still doesn't talk much (other than some pretty serious babbling), but says "dumb" all the time. She knows the signs for "bubbles," "more," "ball," and "music," and would know even more if I taught her. If you ask her to go and get something she'll do it. She knows where her eyes, nose, mouth, teeth, hands, feet, head, hair, and ears are. She's still way freakin needy and loves more than anything to hold on to your finger and just walk.

3 pounds

About 3 weeks ago I stopped Copper's morning nursing, which brought us down to two nursings. I have since gained about 3 pounds. I easily lost the baby weight after Copper was born and even lost an extra 5 for hell of it. I can take no credit for the weight loss. It was all boob. The whole 500 calories a day burned while breast feeding is no joke (at least for me anyways). I've barely been working out and pay absolutely no attention to calories. All that has come to an end. Apparently my boobs have gotten lazy. Two feedings a day is nothing for them and they no longer need any calories to do their job. Now I'm back to the real world where my hearty appetite must now be paired with daily exercise.

Learning

Copper's brain is a little sponge. Her skills may be a bit rudimentary, but she takes in everything. The other day my mom was holding Copper and using a toothpick in her mouth and then set it down. When she wasn't looking Copper picked up the toothpick and started poking at her mouth with it. This picture is from about 2 weeks ago when I was recovering a chair. I used a screwdriver to remove the old staples and when I wasn't using the screwdriver any more, Copper would pick it up and stab at the chair with it and rotate her hand back and forth. Here she's attempting to use the staple gun. I love seeing her copy the things that we're doing, but it also is a bit scary. Time to be on our best behavior.

Only 2 Times!

Copper only nursed 2 times today! We eliminated the morning feeding and she didn't even notice. Nap time and bed time are left. Now if she would just drink enough milk out of her sippy cups to make up for the decrease in booby milk. With nursing (at 3 times a day) and what I can get her to drink from cups, we're probably right around the recommended 16 ounces. She's going to need to step up her big girl drinking in order to cut back any more on the breastfeeding.

Forward Facing

On January 15th we turned Copper Jo Jo around. She officially became a forward facing passenger. We're well aware of the current advice to not turn your child around until they're 120 pounds or 14 years old, but we felt that Copper's freedom to look out the front window was worth the risk.

1 or 2?

Not only does everyone ask Aubrey and I if we're planning on having another kiddo, but we ask ourselves that same question daily. Copper is a very needy child and it's rare that I feel that I have my shit together. So adding another little devil to the mix doesn't always seem like it will make my life better. But that's strictly from a logistical stand point. Logistally, I can't imagine having a second kid. Going to Target with two, getting two ready to leave the house, nursing one while trying to make a meal for the other, going for a hike with two, paying for dinner for four, airline tickets for four, traveling with two kids...it just doesn't sound fun. I think that this is because I'm engrossed in the baby stages of things, when they are very needy and dependent. I know how much Copper requires of my time and I just can't see how I could have enough time for two. Then we have those great days where Lucy is around and Copper finally lets go of my leg and sits mesmorized by her cousin. She doesn't whine or cry or beg to be held. She just watches and tries to play with Lucy. We had Lucy at our house Friday night and for the first time since Copper was born, I thought that it just may not be that bad having a second kid. We went swimming, ate dinner, took a bath, and got ready for bed and it all went super smooth. It was more work taking care of two, but way easier because Copper was always with Lucy instead of in my arms or attached to my legs. Having a sibling, I have a hard time imaging what it would be like for Copper to be an only child. I can imagine what our lives would be like (mother-daughter backpacking trips, traveling across the country molding a pro motocross racer, etc.), but I feel that I would be letting her down by not giving her a brother or sister to play with, pick on, talk to, and grow up with. Derek and I always did things together as kids and continue to do things together. I want to travel and provide a lot of experiences with Copper, but in a way I think that she won't get as much out of those experiences if she doesn't have a partner in crime to explore with. For selfish reasons I would like for Copper to be an only child, for non-selfish reasons I would like for Copper to have a sibling. I have a feeling that the non-selfish side will win the battle, but for now I'm just going to be thankful that I only have to take care of one little devil.

My name is mommy and I have emotional breakdowns

If you couldn't predict from my last post, I finally had a breakdown. It's only my second major one since Copper's been born. (Kellie and Shelly got to witness my 1st one about a month after Copper was born.) The event that finally set me off, but was merely the icing on the cake, happened while I was dusting the shelves in our living room. As I dusted Copper removed books from the shelves and tossed them on the ground. I told her over and over not to do that and removed her from the shelves about 4 times. I know that it doesn't seem like a very big infraction, but I'm a bit tired and Copper has been very needy lately. So I finally lost my cool. I picked her up a bit roughly but not enough to cause her concern and intended to head to her room to put her to bed since she was supposed to be sleeping anyways. Aubrey saw the expression on my face and took Copper. I then spoke passionately about how I can't ever finish anything that I start, I can't do anything without Copper being right there, I can't go anywhere without her, I can't, I can't, I can't...Some of the root of this outburst comes from the fact that Copper is very needy of me. Aubrey can do pretty much whatever he wants around the house and he never has to worry about Copper because she is always glued to me. The kiddo's with my every day all day, so I get why she wants to be around me, but I need a mother f'in break every once in a while. When she cries I have to hold her, when she needs to go to bed I have to put her down, when she's hungry I have to feed her, when she needs a diaper change I have to change her. That list isn't always on me 100% of the time, Aubrey does help, but it's not too much of an exaggeration. Part of the problem is my own fault because I don't ask Aubrey for help. I'm also so used to doing things myself that I don't give Aubrey the chance to do it first. Like a woman I just expect him to read my mind and do things without me asking. Does that work? Of course not and I know it. Today I learned that I need to communicate better with Aubrey and ask him to be with Copper when I don't want her help emptying the dishwasher, cleaning the bathroom, dusting the bookshelves, washing the dishes, giving Melvin a bath, cooking, peeing, walking through the kitchen, eating my dessert, doing laundry, emptying the litterbox, working on the computer, etc. I need to remember that he is capable of taking Copper to the store by himself, feeding her an entire meal, getting her from her bed in the mornings on the weekends, changing her diapers, picking out her outfits, putting her down for a nap after she refused to go down after nursing (which he did today without me asking him to it), and entertaining her while I do things. I also need to remember that Aubrey is capable of housework and that I don't need to do it all. My next post should be about happier moments. This is a blog about raising a kid and this shit has been hitting me hard this past week.

Note: I am getting a housecleaner starting in February. Cleaning the house is really f'in hard when a 1 year old is clinging to your leg or screaming because you're not holding her. I have many other things that I would rather be doing in my very precious, very little spare time.

My name is mommy and I put my fingers in my ears

For a majority of my time with Copper I am 100% happy. There are times though when her cries make me want to put my fingers in my ears. Not just want to put fingers in my ears, but I actually do it. I don't feel good doing it, but it does dull the pain. I try very hard to be understanding and patient and sensitive. She is only 14 months old (Happy 14 Months today!) and she cries when she needs to. I get that, but it doesn't mean that I can always handle it. I need about 9 hours of sleep a night. Without that, I am not the mommy that I want to be. Granted I haven't thrown her against a wall or violently shaken her, but I have shut down when I'm with her and she is having a fit for whatever reason. Today was one of those days. I'm coming down with something and didn't get as much sleep as I needed last night since Copper woke up an hour early today. Apparently we were both suffering from that lost hour, because she was a super turd today. I'm a bit sensitive to noise and Copper can make a lot of noise. I feel bad when I feel that I need a break from her when she feels that she needs me most. But damn, she can be a little shit. When I'm well rested I make the extra effort to make her happy again. When I'm tired, I make smart ass comments, don't make the extra effort, and long for a few minutes/days to myself. Then as soon as she's happy again I feel guilty for wanting to check out. When I look at her sleeping in the monitor before I go to bed, I can't wait to see her in the morning and spend my day with her. I once heard this story of a woman who related parenting to being on a diet. She said that every day she starts out with the best of intentions, but with dieting she can at least make it to noon. Basically this post is just my way of asking for a couple comments about how horrible you've been to your child, and that really I'm a super mom even at my worst moments. And that my child will not be scarred from my lack of compassion when she is clinging to my leg screaming her head off for no reason other than I'm not holding her.

4 Feet

On Tuesday, December 27, Copper Jo took her first 2 steps. It happened in the kitchen at Aubrey's grandparent's house. She had pulled a small bottle of olive oil out of a lower cupboard and holding it with her little baby hands, she took two small shuffle steps. I don't think that her smile was as big as mine, but she knew what she was doing was something special. Aubrey was at the grocery store when it happened. The following Friday she took 2 real steps of the kind where her feet actually left the ground. That happened in the kitchen at my parent's house. Over this last weekend she took 4 and 6 steps with Aubrey in our basement. Last night she walked over 4 feet. Aubrey, Copper, and I were in our kitchen. I stood about 2 feet away from Copper holding out my hands encouraging her to walk over to me. She tentatively started towards me and then veered off to the right and walked over 4 feet into the dining room. Aubrey and I gave her a standing ovation.

Follow-up to "3 nights...and counting"

Copper officially has a new bedtime routine. She nurses, sits up, gives me a big long hug, points to her bed, snuggles with a stuffed animal, and then peacefully falls asleep all by herself. This is how it is done every night.

Note: There can not be a light on outside of her room or she will point to the bright light coming in the crack of her door. Her humidifier needs to already be started. If I push the "on" button while she is watching she will point to the humidier to touch it. And then all bets are off. She will refuse to go down without a fight.