Inherent Boy Stuff

Until about two weeks ago, Noah could not have cared less about cars - other than to take rides in ours and go somewhere. He was all about throwing around balls. We had a couple of different sized cars in his room, and a couple of matchbook cars. He finally started playing with them. It's interesting to see that inherent boy programming kick in.

He also loves to point out school buses and big trucks when we're driving. I tried to find him a little school bus at wally world yesterday, but no luck. I got him a couple of little construction type trucks instead.

Now if he'd just stop throwing all the cars and balls down the stairs.

The Problem

I think we know what Noah's problem is every night between 2:30 and 3:30.

When he was a baby (sigh, he's still our baby, he isn't even 2 yet) we would simply put him in his bed, walk out of the room, and he'd go to sleep. Then, sometime after he turned 1 or so, at night he started wanting Nerdstar to sit in there with him a while. Of course, then I had to start sitting with him while he fell asleep for his naps. Now, all of this was fine, until it snow-balled.

It started taking him longer to go to sleep at night. But even then, when he'd wake up in the middle of the night - like we all do - he'd hit his glow worm and go back to sleep.

Until about two weeks ago. Then he decided that when he wakes up in the middle of the night he wants someone sitting there in the room while he goes back to sleep. This can take 30 - 45 minutes. And if you try to leave the room too soon, he cries and it all starts over.

Poor Nerdstar broke out the extra pillow and blankets and just slept in his room from about 4 a.m. on last night.

This is not going to be an easy thing to fix.

We're headed to Atlantic City this weekend, where he will get to have his crib in the same room with us. (The only good thing there is maybe we'll get to sleep!) So, we can't take this weekend and do lots of staying up the second half of the night and letting him scream until he's hoarse.

The following Friday my 11 year old nephew is coming for the four day weekend. The good side might be that Noah is too worn out to wake up, or hell, we'll let my nephew sleep on the floor in there.

So I don't know when this will get resolved.

Tired

If you've been following along on fb, you know of Noah's complete sleep bullshit - hence, this post.

I am so tired of being tired, sleep deprived, brain dead, overly emotional.

I am tired of all of Noah's books, and the way he just flips through the pages instead of letting us read it.

I am tired of the "ah ah ah" sounds he makes instead of saying words.

I am tired of feeling like an asshole for yelling at him because I'm too tired to deal with anything.

I am tired of not having anyone to reach out to when my brain goes black and I feel like I can't take another minute.

I am tired of not having anything left at anytime to do more for Nerdstar.

I am tired of telling the damn dog to "move" all day every day.

I am tired of feeling like I suck at the one thing I really wanted to be good at.

He's Still On Meth

We can only assume Noah is in another growth spurt. It's that or he's just evil. The kid won't go to sleep. He just wants to play and play and play. He wakes up around 8 - 8:30 in the morning. He takes maybe a two hour nap starting between 1:30 - 2:30 or 3:00. Then he stays up until 10 or 11.

Now, I know that sounds like he's sleeping. But it's wearing us out. He's a very busy boy.

He's also eating (the same 10 things) every three or four hours. Plus diluted apple juice and 3 or 4 bottles of milk - 4 oz at a time.

Part of what's so bad about his not sleeping is that I've been trying to do a work from home job and have to do 3 hours a day, 7 days a week. It was supposed to last for seven weeks, but it looks like it'll end a week or so from today. It's just impossible to work when the boy is awake. So, now instead of getting some down time or cleaning up a little while he naps, I have to work.

All of this means I'm more tired and grumpy than I'd like to be. This morning I almost told him "I don't want to beat you today, but I will if I have to". What sucks about that is, it's not really him - he's the same happy, busy, into everything boy every day. It's me.

None of this will last forever. It might not even last a year. But I tell you what, this being a SAHM is for much younger women!

Big Boy

Noah has apparently made an executive decision that he now wants to sit in one of our regular dining chair and not his high chair anymore.  It's fascinating how he just decides these sorts of things.  We went and got him a little booster seat for it, but I have a feeling he won't want/need that for too long.  Now if we can just work on getting him to feed himself better!

Another Haircut

Before:


After:


It's such a shame we can't donate his hair - there is so much of it and it's so soft. So, yeah, this is his fifth head shave in under two years.

Sweetness

Of course, you know how cute Noah is. (Probably a couple of new pics on Sunday before and after we shave his head again.) This post will be about how sweet he is and how that does and doesn't work out in public.

At home, he used to not like it when I'd hug on Nerdstar. Then, we got him to come and do group hugs with us. When we're in different rooms, he'll run from one to the other and give us hugs. He also hugs on his Pooh bears and says "eeeeee" - his version of "sweet" which we say when he hugs us or Pooh. So sweet!!

When things get interesting is when we're either out in the neighborhood walking around or at a playground or other place with kids. If there is a boy from ages, say, 5-11, he'll start off watching them, and then get closer and closer and either reach out and touch them or hug them or lean up against them. There's a sweet boy across the street who's been very patient and let Noah hug on him a couple of times. Today, we were in a little shop and there was a boy and Noah went right up and give him a light hug. Yesterday, there were two brothers at a play area, I'd say 8 and 10 years old he took an immediate liking to. They weren't so big on the idea of being hugged by Noah. When they went to sit on a bench, he climbed right up and sat between them like he was a big kid, too. It was so cute.

Now, what's interesting to me is seeing the different reactions of the different kids, usually boys. (He's hugged a girl once or twice at play areas.) Some are really sweet, and Nerdstar or I are fairly close by and we tell them he's just saying Hi and he can't talk yet. No one has been anything near mean to him, but some looked a little disturbed. I wonder how much of that is the "stranger danger" that's drilled into kids. I wonder how much of it is a little boy hugging boys. (I have no idea of girls would react different to girls hugging them - probably not.)

But, I'm also interested that the parents are usually aloof or sort of ignoring the whole thing. I'd like to think when Noah is older and if some little boy comes up and hugs on him we'd at least say, "Oh, be nice to the sweet boy."

Anyway. I hope it's a long time before our boy learns too much about personal space and boundaries.