You all were right... it seems with our bad morning yesterday, Sawyer got it all out of his system and had a respectably nice day overall. That was a relief to say the least.
So why am I just as grumpy and irritated today, you ask?
I'll tell you why. (cuz I know you care...)
Annoyance of the First:
I spent too long this morning trying to print one stupid picture. Our "great and awesome photo printer" is a great thorn in my side. Number one reason? The thing only has three buttons. One is the power, one is something about the ink and one is something about the paper. I call them Pictionary buttons; there are no word labels or instructions, just a picture/icon on each button. Other than those three totally vague buttons, it does not communicate with me and I cannot communicate with it. Number two reason? It will not print if ANY of the six ink cartridges are too low. And there's nothing you can do about it except replace the cartridge. Possibly all cartridges. At this point I'm not sure because like I said, communication between the two of us is pretty much nonexistent. We ran out of ink before Christmas. We've had ink to replace it since a few weeks after that. I've asked Ryan a few times if he's fixed it yet, I'd like to print some pictures. He says not yet, just use the old printer. Well guess what, the old printer's been running low on ink for a month now too. Only it doesn't shut down like the new one does, it just prints low ink crap. Which is fine if I'm printing out directions, or copies for myself. But today I really wanted to print a couple of photos I've been putting off for more than a month. For someone else. So I attempt to change the ink in the new printer myself. Let's just say that was a bad idea. After messing with it for an hour, I'm still sitting here with no prints and about ready to throw the thing across the room.
Annoyance of the Second:
I may have mentioned this once or twice before, but SAWYER DOES NOT EAT ANYTHING I OFFER HIM FOR MEALS??!!! Sorry I'm yelling.
Annoyance of the Third:
My kids fight with each other waaaaay too much. And Savannah acts like a baby. And Sawyer's just a bully. And that's not a good combination. And that means they haven't been too much fun to be around lately.
Annoyance of the Fourth:
While we were all in the basement and I was tied up in ink cartridges and whacko printers, the kids tested my last strand of patience one too many times and got sent upstairs where I didn't have to hear them fighting. Once up there, they were relatively quiet and I had the gall to think that they had found something constructive to do together. Wrong. Savannah was drawing nicely at the table while watching Sawyer was smashing a whole pack of graham crackers into the playroom carpet. Whole pack.
Annoyance of the Fourth and a Halfth:
I'm on a diet.
Annoyance of the Fifth:
Sawyer's had horrible diarrhea diapers today; three already this morning. The total liquid kind that leaks no matter how soon you catch it. Ugh and Gross. Hmmm... do we actually have a valid reason for his not eating for once??
Annoyance of the Sixth: (and this might be a long one)
We've been toying with breaking the binky habit again. Here are the facts: He's 27 months old. He uses a binky for naptimes and bedtimes only. We actually take it out of his mouth if it's still in there (which nine times out of ten it isn't) when we check on him later in the night and he usually wakes in the morning without it or leaves it in his bed of his own accord when he's done sleeping. So it's not like he has it all the time, or is walking around with it all day. Even in bed, if he's trying to talk to me, I make him take it out saying I can't understand him, that he can hold it while we talk, the binky is only for sleeping, blah, blah, blah.
Savannah had a binky the same way and she gave it up (at our decision) when she was 31 months old just after her baby brother was born. It was no problem for her. No struggles, no crying, not much of even asking for it once it was gone.
So, thinking it is time, for the past two nights we've put Sawyer to bed without his bink. And then we spent two hours listening to crying, putting him back in bed, hearing him whine about it, putting him back in bed, and just repeat all those 30 more times. And I just have to say, I've never heard this kid cry like this. He is genuinely sad and confused and missing an attachment of his. He's had no problem with other "graduations" and weanings in his two years of life. He gave up his bottle at a year, no problem. He moved from a crib to his bed without so much as a blink of an eye. He's never had much of any separation anxiety with us. But taking this binky away is turning out to be a traumatic event. He has loved that thing from day one. Or day two, I should say, when at the hospital he came back from his circumcision with a big green soothie in his mouth! From that day I swear he was always most happy with something in his mouth. He is about the most oral kid I've ever met.
Anyway, today at nap I just couldn't take it. He NEEDED a nap today. I don't know if he's not feeling good with his diarrhea, but I do know at least his butt is raw and sore, he's overtired and I was on the verge of giving in to get him his freaking binky. And then it hit me; Friday we're planning on going out to the Laughlin's house. For bedtime. How the heck am I supposed to get him to sleep there without a binky if I can't even do that in our own house in his own bed? Great planning here, Einstein. Turns out not only am I being a meanie about it when he might very well be sick, but I'm putting myself in an impossible situation come this weekend.
So I gave it to him.
And I don't know. Maybe we'll try again in a couple of months. Maybe when he "understands" better and we can work it into more of a choice he can make himself, saying goodbye to it and all that junk. I guess I just didn't realize how attached he was to it. I know I'm taking the easy way out and I'm probably setting us up for a harder break down the road, but I guess we'll find that out later. It's not something that bothers me; like I said, it's not like I have to look at it hanging out of his mouth all the time. It's more like I just feel like he's getting too old for it.
But I guess for now he's still my binky baby.
Whew! How's that for rambling and venting? Oh well. I feel better now. A little naptime break from the kids and run-on sentence blogging does a body good. :) Maybe I'll do mine a little better and find a good OnDemand workout to do for the rest of naptime now.
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
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5 comments:
oh dear! i am dealing with the exact same situation with the binky. i think that toddler behavior seriously could send some to the looney bin. the graham crackers in the carpet - i'll admit, i was laughing because i've been there before. i had saltines all over my living room floor. :)
My son hasn't ever been fond of his pacifier, so I have very little to add . . . . but I'd give yourself a break . . . I don't know many 9-year-olds who still go to bed with a pacifier, so odds are he will give it up eventually!
I had a friend whose son used a pacifier. She told him that when he turned 3 he became a big boy and that's when he had to stop using it. She told him he could use it until then, but after that he couldn't anymore because big boys don't use them. She talked about it and built anticipation for about two months. It was almost like he was looking forward to the day when he gave it up and he did so without my trouble. It was hard for him to go to sleep for about a week, but she just kept reiterating what a big boy he was and how proud she was.
I'm not saying you'd have to wait until he was three, but you could pick a point in the future and talk about it and celebrate him becoming a "big boy" and make it something positive for him to get excited about. Maybe it would work. Maybe it wouldn't.
I'm not usually one to give unsolicited advice (especially when I've had zero experience with the subject matter), but your post made me think of this.
I am comforted by the fact that all that venting helps you feel MUCH better. Wish I could take those kids off your hands for awhile.Maybe next month... :)XOXOXOXO
I thought we would have THE biggest struggle with Ben. David took it away one weekend when he took Ben to my parents cabin, and no problem. I am still in shock.
Okay...so you have a little pacifier issue. But, I've got a son who cannot go without a bottle before naptime or bedtime...(and okay, maybe during a movie...woops)!! So, now I just lie to his Dr. telling "nope, no more bottle for us" I already know what he's gonna say, so why go through the felling like bad mommy at the Dr.'s....and it's just 2 stinkin bottles a day, is that gonna kill the kid.?? Oh, yeah and not to mention the toddler bed issue....this kid LOVES his crib, we now have the crib and bed in his room, thinking giving him the option would be better....hasn't worked so far:(
So, we've got 2 major issues I'd LOVE to have cleared up in the next year, if not sooner(especially the bottle!!). Needless to say, I think you're doing good with just the pacifier drama!
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