Zach goes to the dentist

So...have any of you taken the kiddies to the dentist yet? Oh my gosh. I knew taking Zach to the dentist wasn't going to be fun but never in my dreams was I prepared for what was to come. Zach fell and chipped one of his teeth so I wanted to take him to the dentist. I know that you are supposed to take them once they turn one but well Zach doesn't like for me to brush his teeth. I knew the dentist was going to be a nightmare so I put it off as long as I could.

He is so independent now. He loves to brush his own teeth but he doesn't want me or Joe to do it.

So we walk into the dentist and there are a bunch of toys. He was having a great time. I'm thinking great...this isn't going to be so bad. Well then they call us back. I keep telling him how much fun it is to go to the dentist and what a big boy he is now. Again fine...well then they decide to take an x-ray of the chipped tooth. This involves me holding him down while they put the x-ray vest on me and him and then try to get him to bite down on that little thingee. Yeah, this didn't work. The hygienist kept telling me to wrap my legs around his, hold his hands with one hand and his head with my chin and tilt his head with my other hand. (Yes, I did feel like a contortionist). If any of you have tried to hold down a kicking and screaming baby you know how well this worked. The hygienist then decides she is going to have another tech hold him while she takes the xray. They asked me to stand behind his chair so he couldn't see me. He kept screaming "mommy, mommy". Needless to say I'm crying at this point. I'm such a wimp. I knew they weren't hurting him but still it is awful to hear them like that. Finally the dentist says it is ok to skip the xray, which I was about to walk out of the office with Zach at that point so it couldn't have come soon enough.

The rest of the visit was bad but not as bad. I had to hold him on my lap with his legs around me for the cleaning and examination. More crying but nothing like the xray. I know that no permanent damage was done because as soon as they were done he was blowing all of them kisses goodbye and giving them High Fives. The hygienist told me that in her seven years she has never seen a stronger kid. Joe was very excited about this compliment but I'm not sure that is a good thing.

I'm not sure what I could have done to make this a better visit. I talked about the appointment for two weeks before hand and explained what was going to happen. I would love to hear any suggestions for the next time.

Joys of motherhood

It is amazing how all of the little things are the things you enjoy the most. If you would have told me two years ago that the highlight of my day would be just sitting and watching a toddler I couldn't have imagined it. Zach is turning into a little person.

I can't believe he is going to be two next month. It is so cliche but seriously time goes by so fast. He is doing so much now it is amazing. He is such a sponge. You don't realize how much they pick up on.

Zach is singing now. Since he could throw a ball I've always counted one,two, three, well about three weeks ago he counted to three when he was going to throw the ball to me. It is so funny how it seems like over night they figure something out. He can now count to 10 and sing the ABC's. He doesn't always get all of the letters or numbers but he loves to sing them. Just don't ask him to do it. He wants to do it when he wants to do it.

My mom always told me that before she had my younger sister she was so worried that she wouldn't be able to love a second child as much as she loved the first. I always thought she was insane. Why would she think something like that? I totally understand how she felt now. I love Zach so much. I know once baby #2 comes along I'll love them just as much but it just doesn't seem possible.

Every day is an adventure and every day he is doing something new. I love waking up wondering what is in store for today. He is such a lovable little guy now too. He is always hugging me and kissing me and saying luv you.

Ok, I think I'm done bragging now. I know all of you other mother's can appreciate what I'm saying though.

Bilingual Baby and Baseball

Last week when I was in Target trying on some new workout clothes Zach picked up my shoe and handed it to me and said "zapato". He said it as clear as day. It completely caught me off guard. Could Zach have just talked to me in Spanish? It was amazing. All of the woman at Zach's school speak Spanish. I know most of them speak English too but his favorite speaks hardly any English.

I took three years of Spanish in high school so needless to say my Spanish is not that good. Since then I've noticed Zach saying other Spanish words. A couple of days ago when he wanted more grapes he said "mas mas". Usually I can understand what Zach is trying to tell me, but sometimes I'll think he's just babbling but he looks like he knows exactly what he is saying. Could it be he is talking in Spanish and I just don't know what he is saying?

Last night we took Zach to his first baseball game. He absolutely loved the atmosphere. I'm not sure he watched 2 seconds of the game though. He loved walking up the ramp to our seats and all of the steps down to our seats. He is such a people watcher so of course all of the people around us kept him amazed for most of the game. The Marlins hit quite a few homeruns and he loved the fireworks after each one. I promise I'll post pictures.

During the game his shoe fell off and he again busted out with his Spanish. Mommy zapato...zapato. Well the people in front of us (Spanish speaking) heard this and thought it was hysterical. Then the woman started talking to him in Spanish. "Donde esta el zapato?" He bends down and hands her his shoe. How amazing! My little Zach is going to be bilingual. I guess I'm going to have to start working on my Spanish.

Dilemma????

When I went to pick Zach up yesterday from daycare I informed the owner that we were starting to potty train Zach. I wanted to let her know so they could help in the process. I also wanted to know if I could bring his "potty" in or if they had one he could use.

She told me he was too young to start potty training. To young...maybe but that is my decision right, not hers. I do think he is "young" but he is showing the signs. I don't expect that he'll be completely potty trained this week or maybe even this year but you have to start some where.

I would think they should support what I want to do. I love all of the teachers at Zach's school but that really made me mad. I'm sure it is more work for them once they start potty training but that is what I'm paying them for. What do you think?

Oh those sleepless nights...

Zach didn't sleep through the night until he was 6 months old, but with the exception of a few teething and illness related nights he has slept through the night ever since.

Well we got a cold this weekend. I don't know if it is because I'm sick or I'm out of practice of staying up all night but the past two nights have been a real challenge. My poor little man hasn't been able to sleep because he can't breathe well. We put a humidifier in his room last night and that seemed to help a little bit. He just wanted me to hold him all night. I think when I hold him he can breathe better than when he is laying down. While it was hard without any sleep I actually sort of miss those late nights with him. I loved our quiet time together where it seemed like there was no one else in the world and he totally needed me. I wish he wasn't sick though.

The worst part about him being sick is he can't blow his nose. I know he would feel better if he could just get it out. He actually is learning from watching me but he hasn't quite mastered it.

The potty training has been postponed. Melissa watched Zach on Monday since she was home so I stopped by Target to buy a potty. Wow...decisions, decisions. There are talking and singing potties and potties that turn into step stools and potties that even have flushers. We ended up with a potty that turns into a two step stool so he can use it when he gets a little bit bigger. I was a little afraid of a singing toilet so I wasn't sure how Zach would respond to it.

I want to wait until I'm home with him all day and he is feeling 100% before we begin the training so we'll probably start this weekend.

Hooray for potty training

So I am going to go and buy a potty chair tonight. Zach and I were sick this weekend so we didn't get to go shopping. I'd been talking about going potty on the big boy chair for two weeks now to get him ready for it.

Pampers website had some good info on how to start potty training including the signs that they are ready. Zach is doing all of the signs so hopefully we'll be ready.

It is amazing how fast he is growing up. Every day he learns a few words. His vocabulary has tripled in a week. He even is starting to put small sentences together like "Get the ball" and "want milk,juice, etc.". The get the ball was very cute but after about 450 times it is starting to lose it's cuteness just a little. We have wood floors and a couch that "eats" anything that comes near it including tennis balls. We have bought him large bouncy balls that don't fit under there but if he happens to see one under there it is all over. I love that he is getting so smart though and knows how to find things.

I'll keep you posted on the potty training progress. Any advice would be great.

What the heck

Many of my friends have websites or blogs and since everyone is so far away I love to go and check up on them by checking out their pages. I figured what the heck...why not let everyone know about us too.

I'm not sure how much of this I'll do but I'm going to give it a shot.