2 year 8 Months Update

Holden is thirty-two months old and is as cute as ever. He is funny, creative, and quirky. His newest thing is to pretend we're different people and make-up names for us. He'll say, "I'm Chris and you're Lollipop, OKAAAAAYYYY?? Hi Lollipop!" Of course, I'll reply, "Hi Chris!" and he'll bust up laughing. The names change every time but we're always having to pretend we're someone else.

He's learning a lot at school and enjoys the friends he has there. He talks about his "best friends" all the time, and the best part is he can now tell me what happened at school. I get all the juicy stuff - who had time-outs, who hit who, who pooped in their pants. It's great. He had a hard time the month of September adjusting to the new school routine, but October has proven to be much better. His classroom started a behavior chart with ladybugs (good behavior) and spiders (bad behavior), and I think that has contributed to his improved behavior. Most of September we picked him up to find between one and three spiders on his chart for things like running around at circle time, not settling down at nap time, yelling and waking up his friends during nap time, and messing around in the bathroom. Now we're picking him up and his chart is full of ladybugs - so much nicer!

He can spell his name HOL-DEN, and can recognize the first two letters. He finds H's and O's everywhere we go....on street signs, tool chests in the backs of trucks, cereal boxes, I mean everywhere. He'll say, "Mom there's an H for me!" Or, "Hey Dad, there's a big red O!" I've been pointing out L's but they're just not sticking like the H and O's. He's learning sign language for each letter at school too, so he's always showing me hand signs and saying, "What letter is this?" I'm having to learn right along with him. He knows his birthday - February 24th- and my birthday - March 19th. Daddy's birthday is not sticking. He knows all of his colors. I don't really know how high he can count, but he conceptually knows up to three items. He can look and say, "There are three stickers right there". He can do the same for one and two items.

Holden's newest thing to say is, "Mom, I like you, but I want Daddy." Finally, one day I told Trey he said that, and he said the funny thing is when Holden's with him he says, "Daddy, I like you, but I want Mommy." I think it's funny, nothing ever comes of it, but I love that he's trying to see our reaction.

He learned about nocturnal animals this month at school. One night while I was putting him to bed, he said, "Mom, horses are nocturnal." I told him they weren't, horses slept at night like us. He argued that they were. We went back and forth. I know he still has dreams about horses coming into his room, so I knew what he was getting at, but I couldn't convince him. I finally had to tell him to ask his teacher at school if horses were nocturnal - she, of course, said no. He hasn't asked about it since.

Holden's eating is changing. Early in the month, the childcare director suggested we start packing Holden a high protein lunch to see if his behavior would improve. Of course, it did. We eliminated all sugar based products from his diet - no juice, cereal bars, granola bars, or yogurt at all during any part of the day. He is still pretty selective with his food, but surprises us sometimes. This week I was having a bowl of Kix cereal, and he asked for some too. I put some dry in bowl, as that is the only way he will eat it. If we put even a drop of milk in it, he acts as if we are trying to poison him. Well, when I handed him his bowl, he asked for milk too. I asked if he was sure, and he assured me he was. He ate the whole bowl of Kix with milk. I was amazed. Just like that, he was eating cereal with milk. This week, he has been a hungry boy. School said he hasn't even been talking at lunch because he's so focused on his food. I never thought dinner would end on Thursday night - he kept wanting more and more and more.

We've not done much with potty training since his behavior and sleep have been so off. Oh, sleep......

Sleep at home got much better when we implemented a sticker chart with Handy Manny stickers for staying in his bed. He stayed in his bed pretty much all month. This week he has regressed and is getting out of his bed when we initially put him down again. After we put him down for the second or third time, he'll stay in his bed, but he'll be in there awake for up to 2 hours before falling asleep. He's not been falling asleep this week until 9:00 (even though he's going to bed at 7:15), and is waking up between 5 and 6 am. I do have have to say I'm grateful he's not waking in the middle of the night anymore, but the kid is clearly sleep deprived. I've eliminated his afternoon tv show, Handy Manny, when he gets home from school, and have moved up our dinner and bath time. All to no avail. I picked up yet another toddler help book today, and will be implementing "Holden's Sleep Rules" tonight:
At bedtime we.....
1. Stay in bed.
2. Close our eyes.
3. Stay very quiet.
4. Go to sleep.
We'll be making a poster when he gets home today. I think I'll post the sticker chart next to it too. Our new mantra is down is down- no getting out of bed until morning. If he gets up I'll do a silent return to sleep - no talking, no emotion. I'm prepared for a long and exhausting night tonight. Well, kind of. How can you ever be truly prepared?

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How our new plan went down:
We stopped by my classroom on the way home to get art supplies for our new sleep rules poster. We made the sleep rules poster as soon as we got home. He decorated it with ball stickers. We went over the rules probably 15 times between making it and bedtime. We also made a rewards/privledges chart. If he follows the rules he will get a happy face ball, a cereal bar, and will get to watch Handy Manny.
Tucked into bed at 6:45.
Around 6:55, he climbed out of his crib, turned on the light, got a book, turned off the light and got back into bed.
7:00 Calling Mommy, Moooommmmyyyyy, but quieted down after two times. He's yawning but still not alseep.
7:03 Opening and shutting his crib drawer that is underneath his bed, and is fake crying.
7:05 Calling me again. Fake cries for a while.
7:08 Chanting "Mommy, come here" over and over. Fake cries intermittent with Mommy, Mommy, Mommy.....
7:12 Yawning, he's so tired but continues to call me, howl, fake cry, babble.....
7:15 Legs over the railing, head on the mattress and he's rocking the railing back and forth, back and forth while standing on his head.
7:20 Yawning and rolling around. I think he's slowing down. He hasn't called my name in a while.
7:21 He's still and quiet. Could this be it?
7:22 Nope, calling me again while kicking the side of the crib.
7:26 He dropped his dee-dee out, but seems to have successfully retrieved it without getting out of bed. He's calling me. Anyone exhausted just reading this?
7:32 Real crying that turned into a half-hearted fake cry pretty quick. Crying and calling for me.
7:37 Real crying - it's so hard to listen to. I hope this burns him out. My heart is breaking. He's just standing in his crib crying.
7:40 Still crying. I had to turn off the monitor so I can't hear it so loud and clear. He's laying down now.
7:41 Laying down and quiet. Please let this be it........
7:45 Yawning, quiet, and still; but definitely still awake.
8:07 He's asleep. This has been the earliest sleep time all week. Though the past hour has been pretty painful, he didn't come out of his room once tonight. I'm impressed. Next task: conquer nap time tomorrow.