Hot Fun in the Summertime

Outdoor movie night! Michael Dean wasn't too sure about all the crazy moves of Jack Black, I mean Kung Fu Panda - but he did enjoy just being outside and watching 3 trains go by during the movie.

My mom recently had my dad's workshop fixed up. It was re-painted to be the exact colors my dad painted it years ago. It's a beautiful little building in the back of my mom's home that's got a great front porch for sitting.

Yes, we were "those" people sitting on the side of Hwy. 29 watching the Monster Trucks for free! Hey, MD didn't care. He loved it.

Nana got MD his first big-boy 4-wheeler. He's still not quite sure about it, but does have fun when his foot accidentally slips on the pedal that makes it go.

Um, this thing will do...

Bulldozer fun with Papa

All suited up and ready for his (MD's, not Donnie's!) first boat ride. Donnie's parents have some connections at Lake Norman so we were invited along to join in the lake fun. MD, of course, couldn't have cared less about the lake. But, he really enjoyed the boat ride.

Chillin'

His favorite seat that day - on mommy's lap. Well, until he found the driver's seat...

Papa LA let MD take over driving the boat. Seriously. He was even more excited when he found the horn!

Funny how MD learned pretty quickly that you wave at other boat-goers as you pass them by.

Good times.

Wish Us Luck

(Got it. And it's Filterless!)

Now's the Time to Comment!

So, I've got tons of fun things I could write about - our recent boat trip, a good potty-training experience, and 4-wheeler fun - but that stuff's gotta wait. I need help from all you seasoned mommies out there.

Now, I know a lot of you are smack in the middle of a 1st day at (or back) to school, but maybe you could spare me a few sentences. I am in desperate need of a good, filterless cool mist humidifier for Michael Dean.

I'm on my 2nd one right now. The first one was an American Red Cross one that needed filters that could only be found ONLINE. Seriously. So, I quickly got rid of that one. My humidifier now is that Vicks one you can find anywhere. But, the filters get dirty really quickly and I can't afford $6 a pop - each week - to keep replacing the stupid things.

See, MD has been coughing, at night, for months. But, the past few weeks have really been torture - on us both. I think coupled with the exit of the paci, he's become a little too reliant on mommy at night. I swear it's like clockwork. Each night around midnight and 3am, he screams for me and won't go back to sleep on his own. I've tried to let him cry-it-out (which sucks!) but all he does is get louder and coughs harder.

The mommy in me tells me something, medically, is wrong - we have a doctor's appointment Friday. So, I've yet to really let him cry it out - since he's coughing so much and his little nose is so full by the time I get to him.

So, I am on a mission to get his room as un-cough friendly as possible. I dust/vacuum each week. I replace his bedding each week. I've cleaned the air vent in his room. And I run the POS humidier - which needs to change, though.

OK, long-story-short (kinda) I need your advice on a good, inexpensive (none of those expensive humidifiers you can only buy from an in-home salesperson!) humidifier. Go.

Working with Mommy

Since we've been paci-free now for almost 2 weeks, that means Michael Dean's also been long-nap-free for almost 2 weeks as well. He still takes naps, thank goodness, but now needs a book to fall asleep (like at daycare) and doesn't sleep as long as he used to. So, my work days at home on Mondays have started to become a challenge. Mommy has to get a bit creative.

I can typically distract MD with a few episodes of Mickey while I work. But, he'll quickly realize mommy's not sitting on his spidey couch with him, so he wanders in the kitchen - where I'm doing my work - ready to get mommy back. And, since I have to work I can't play. (All work and no play makes...)

So, this past Monday I broke out the camera and stickers. Well, he really likes my computer mouse too - I think he just likes to roll the little scroll wheel.

I do cherish my Mondays at home with my sweet one, but man are they tough!

Day #4

Well, I guess you could say today is Day #1 - at daycare without a pacifier.

This past Saturday, we "threw away" Michael Dean's pacifiers because they were "broken" (mommy's first strategy to cut the tips didn't quite work!) and "dirty." See, since MD is now 2 he will be moving up to the 2-year olds' class in about a month or so. And, in that class pacifiers (and sippy cups - I know, stupid - but that's another story!) are NOT allowed. Yikes!

My philosophy about this whole pacifier thing has always been to not worry about it. (I have enough stuff to worry about!) That thing got us through a lot of tough times and I never feared MD walking into kindergarten with it still in his mouth, so I just figured it would go away at some point. When the timing was right. No pressure.

Well, in steps daycare. I could go on for days about the cons of daycare. (Don't get me wrong. There are some pros. But, I still believe that a good combo of staying at home with mom and pre-school a few days a week would be the optimal schedule for us.) Anyway, I was told by MD's teacher that we needed to start working on getting rid of the paci since his next class wouldn't allow it.

So, I came home Friday ready to start the process since I can't stand for things to linger. Thinking that MD would handle the "broken" solution pretty well, since he loves to throw things away, I cut the tips off 2 of his pacis. Well, that just p---ed him right off! I ended up giving in very early Saturday morning and gave him a "not-broken" paci.

Because of that, I woke up ashamed and determined Saturday morning to get rid of the pacis completely. So, I had MD throw both the broken and non-broken ones away - which he did very willingly. Come naptime, though, he was not so willing to go to bed without them. He screamed and yelled and I cried. It sucked.

But, after reading online that going cold turkey is the best way and the typical kid will get used to it after 3 days, I decided to stick it out. Sunday went great. Yesterday was OK. I am so nervous about today - his first day at daycare without one.

His teacher knows I don't want him to have a paci so she's not going to give him one. Ugh!! Will 3pm ever get here today???

Good luck, my sweet little boy. Mommy's not trying to be mean. She's just following the rules.