Last night's timeline...
8:15 - Elliot asleep
11:30 - me asleep
2:30 - phone service goes down, prompting security system to start beeping rapidly and requires a button to be pressed to stop the beeping.
3:15? - me asleep
4:00 - phones go down again. more beeping. Jay and i both up. call phone/cable/internet provider from the cell phone. are told "no reports of any outages in your area. how about a service call Tuesday afternoon?"
4:15 - more beeping. call security company. after they determine that the phone lines haven't been cut and the interruption is most likely due to maintenance on the line, we ask if we can bypass the no-phone notice beeping for the night . are told "ummm, i don't think so, how about putting a pillow over the keypad?"
RRRRRRRRRRAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!
Monday, August 27, 2007
Tuesday, August 21, 2007
August 21, 2007
We're taking Elliot for his first dental check up. my dentist doesn't see kids until they're 3 ...but he's making an exception because there are discolored pits on El's top front teeth. Pits which are now on the bottom front teeth as well, grrr.
hopefully it's just developmental pits that only effect the look of the enamel and not early childhood caries, which will be really bad for Elliot - lots of decay and many dental visits.
~~~~~~~~
i'm so proud of my boy!! he was very good and there was no biting or crying or screaming or having to pin him down!
i sat on the chair with him in my lap and the dentist put the chair down so Elliot and i were both reclined (Elliot loves being upside down, so this calmed him instantly) then they brought over the big light (Elliot is also fascinated with lights). the dentist could see the big pits on the top teeth but had to bring over a little pointy tool to get at the bottom ones. we had to hold Elliot's head still, but he didn't struggle!
so the verdict is: as long as we keep the pits and Elliot's teeth very clean (brushing 1-2 times per day and wiping his mouth after meals) and don't put him to bed with any bottles and limit his juice intake, we should be fine and nothing else needs to be done. if they get bigger, however, or seem to be causing him pain, we will have to have them bonded - a simple procedure involving cleaning and drying them and applying a fill to the wholes (like crack filling a wall!) of course, that requires Elliot to stay perfectly still for at least 3 minutes. something i don't think my son is capable of!!
the dentist told me i have a good eye - apparently he couldn't see the pits in El's bottom teeth until he brought over the light and that tool. but they're very obvious to me - especially when filled with peas!!
hopefully it's just developmental pits that only effect the look of the enamel and not early childhood caries, which will be really bad for Elliot - lots of decay and many dental visits.
~~~~~~~~
i'm so proud of my boy!! he was very good and there was no biting or crying or screaming or having to pin him down!
i sat on the chair with him in my lap and the dentist put the chair down so Elliot and i were both reclined (Elliot loves being upside down, so this calmed him instantly) then they brought over the big light (Elliot is also fascinated with lights). the dentist could see the big pits on the top teeth but had to bring over a little pointy tool to get at the bottom ones. we had to hold Elliot's head still, but he didn't struggle!
so the verdict is: as long as we keep the pits and Elliot's teeth very clean (brushing 1-2 times per day and wiping his mouth after meals) and don't put him to bed with any bottles and limit his juice intake, we should be fine and nothing else needs to be done. if they get bigger, however, or seem to be causing him pain, we will have to have them bonded - a simple procedure involving cleaning and drying them and applying a fill to the wholes (like crack filling a wall!) of course, that requires Elliot to stay perfectly still for at least 3 minutes. something i don't think my son is capable of!!
the dentist told me i have a good eye - apparently he couldn't see the pits in El's bottom teeth until he brought over the light and that tool. but they're very obvious to me - especially when filled with peas!!
Thursday, August 16, 2007
August 16, 2007
Elliot has really taken to this walking thing! Still has lots of falls and often prefers to crawl, but he can cover a lot of distance walking!
in other news, Elliot has learned a new trick...i've started giving him whole milk in a sippy cup with his afternoon snack. the sippy cup we usually use pours quickly and he discovered that by tipping it upside down, lovely wet white stuff appears on the floor for him to play in. so i started holding the cup for him, or taking it away after he had a drink (not a good learning tool, i know)... so then what does he do?
the second i take the cup away, he tips his face forward and spits whatever is left in his mouth on the floor!!! he does this EVERY time i take the cup away. little stinker!!! it's quite cute...
in other news, Elliot has learned a new trick...i've started giving him whole milk in a sippy cup with his afternoon snack. the sippy cup we usually use pours quickly and he discovered that by tipping it upside down, lovely wet white stuff appears on the floor for him to play in. so i started holding the cup for him, or taking it away after he had a drink (not a good learning tool, i know)... so then what does he do?
the second i take the cup away, he tips his face forward and spits whatever is left in his mouth on the floor!!! he does this EVERY time i take the cup away. little stinker!!! it's quite cute...
Monday, August 13, 2007
August 13, 2007
How does "Crying It Out" actually help them to self-soothe???
if Elliot screams blue murder and i go check on him and shhhhh him and lay him back down and tuck him in every 5 minutes or so only to have him pop back up when i start to leave the room and we do the whole thing over again, how does that teach him to self soothe? if he cries himself right out, how is that teaching him anything?
it's been 30 minutes. almost 15 minutes were all out angry screeching, with me going in every 5-6 minutes to re-settle. of course, me leaving again just made him madder. Jay finally came upstairs and made me leave. when i left, the screams had finally died down to moans and fussing. i know his soother is on the floor. i know his little face is all red and his nose is running. i know i just want to be holding him.
but i know that me rocking him to sleep isn't working any more. he wants me to hold him but he's starting to arch away. he wants me there, and doesn't want me to leave. i know me going in after 5 minutes of screaming and picking him up and rocking him again will put him to sleep, but i also know that it only teaches him to scream until he's in my arms.
how does CIO actually teach them to go to sleep? will he get to the point where he will not even bother crying because he knows i won't pick him up and will just lay there until he falls asleep? i know that my 10 year old won't need me to rock him to sleep, so why shouldn't i continue rocking him now, until he's a bit older? he's bound to learn on his own someday - maybe when he can talk and i can reason with him? (yeah, yeah, you can't really reason with a toddler, i know, i know.)
Jay keeps saying he needs to learn, he needs to learn and it's our job to teach him. but how is this working? how is screaming until he gags helping him learn anything?????
i'm drinking wine and crying. my poor little boy. i feel like such a shitty mom. i hate CIO. we've done it before, when he was 7 months or so. i hated every second of it, but it did work well for him. now that he stands up it's added a whole new dimension, and it's worse.
he's crying again....
if Elliot screams blue murder and i go check on him and shhhhh him and lay him back down and tuck him in every 5 minutes or so only to have him pop back up when i start to leave the room and we do the whole thing over again, how does that teach him to self soothe? if he cries himself right out, how is that teaching him anything?
it's been 30 minutes. almost 15 minutes were all out angry screeching, with me going in every 5-6 minutes to re-settle. of course, me leaving again just made him madder. Jay finally came upstairs and made me leave. when i left, the screams had finally died down to moans and fussing. i know his soother is on the floor. i know his little face is all red and his nose is running. i know i just want to be holding him.
but i know that me rocking him to sleep isn't working any more. he wants me to hold him but he's starting to arch away. he wants me there, and doesn't want me to leave. i know me going in after 5 minutes of screaming and picking him up and rocking him again will put him to sleep, but i also know that it only teaches him to scream until he's in my arms.
how does CIO actually teach them to go to sleep? will he get to the point where he will not even bother crying because he knows i won't pick him up and will just lay there until he falls asleep? i know that my 10 year old won't need me to rock him to sleep, so why shouldn't i continue rocking him now, until he's a bit older? he's bound to learn on his own someday - maybe when he can talk and i can reason with him? (yeah, yeah, you can't really reason with a toddler, i know, i know.)
Jay keeps saying he needs to learn, he needs to learn and it's our job to teach him. but how is this working? how is screaming until he gags helping him learn anything?????
i'm drinking wine and crying. my poor little boy. i feel like such a shitty mom. i hate CIO. we've done it before, when he was 7 months or so. i hated every second of it, but it did work well for him. now that he stands up it's added a whole new dimension, and it's worse.
he's crying again....
Wednesday, August 8, 2007
August 8, 2007
Elliot has started laughing when i tell him no. whether it's "no kicking the fruit" (we went to the grocery store and the heavy bag of peaches, etc, was strapped to the stroller at his feet. normally, he's content to have his feet resting on whatever is propped there. today, he wanted to kick the hell out of it.), "no biting mommy's toes" or "no, don't touch that - HOT" he laughs and does it more.
ARRRGH!
where did my good little boy go??? i keep saying it over and over (when the situation warrants it), in a stern voice, but there's no response anymore.
ARRRGH!
where did my good little boy go??? i keep saying it over and over (when the situation warrants it), in a stern voice, but there's no response anymore.
Wednesday, August 1, 2007
First steps!
We were in the library yesterday with my friend and her kids (13, 9 & 1). her oldest son was playing with Elliot and then put him down on the floor standing up, as he expected him to be fine like that (since his little sister is walking now). Elliot took 2 steps before he reached out to hold on, then another step away from him. it was beyond adorable!
tonight, Jay was bracing Elliot up on the couch and having him "walk" to him,which consisted mainly of Elliot death-launching at him at warp speed. but then El took a few steps. so i sat down with him and we got him to walk back and forth between us. he would take 2-3 steps then go into launch mode. so cute!!
tonight, Jay was bracing Elliot up on the couch and having him "walk" to him,which consisted mainly of Elliot death-launching at him at warp speed. but then El took a few steps. so i sat down with him and we got him to walk back and forth between us. he would take 2-3 steps then go into launch mode. so cute!!
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