Dada!

Today, Abby said Dada! She has been saying Mama for quite some time now, but just hasn't been motivated to repeat the many, many times we have babbled Dada, Dada, Dada....until today. I said, Abby, who's that? while I pointed to Matt. Dada, she replied. Dada. Matt was so happy I thought he was going to cry.

The World According to Jackson

According to Jackson, when will he attend college?
a. Never
b. When he's old
c. In three days
d. After lunch

When Jackson looks into the toilet after going "potty" and sees a big poop, what does he call it?
a. A snake
b. A limo poop
c. Ginormous
d. Nothing, he just laughs

When my friend Amy offers Jackson a treat of crackers, he responds with:
a. Thanks so much Jett's Mommy!
b. Really, cheese crackers?
c. This isn't a treat, chocolate is a treat!
d. These are my favorite and I'm not sharing with anyone!

Much to my chagrin, which character is Jackson currently immitating?
a. Mater from Cars
b. Boots, the monkey from Dora
c. B.O.B from Monsters vs. Aliens
d. Max from Max and Ruby

Answers:
1. Couple of days ago I told Jackson that I was the boss. He wondered outloud when he gets to be the boss. I told him he could be the boss after he went to college. He replied, "I think I will go to college in three days!"

2. Yea, sorry for the poop reference, but that is what you talk about with two kids under the age of four. The other day he actually called me in the bathroom to check out his extra long poop and exclaimed, "Look Mommy! It's a limo poop!"

3. Amy and Charlie came to babysit for the kiddos tonight while I had class and Matt was at report card pickup day. After dinner, she offered them a treat of crackers. He responded with "This isn't a treat, chocolate is a treat!" He later suggested that he look harder for some chocolate treats in the kitchen.

4. Yea, so any of you who have seen Max and Ruby know that Max speaks in only one word sentences. Car! Milk! Balloon. I hate that show. Jackson has started to talk like that too. He has an impressive vocabulary for a three year old, but is running around immitating this dumb rabbit. We deleted the show from our tivo. So long Max!

Two bunnies and Three Elephants?

The day started off so great.
Eggo waffles, check.
Jackson dressed without a fight, check.
Mom showered, check.
Abby didn't refuse her outfit, check.
Second cup of coffee, check.
Off to school on time, check.
Dropped Jackson off to school, check.
That is where my luck stalled, or rather my car did. Abby and I went out to the car after dropping off Jackson and my car wouldn't start. The battery was dead. But what luck....there is a Midas right across the street! Of course they have a Toyota Sienna battery! Of course the nice man will brave the Irving Park Rd. traffic to install it for me! Great! Of course they have lollipops in the waiting room for Abby. No, Abby, you can't have another one. Oh no! This lollipop incident caused a meltdown that you wouldn't believe. And on the day that we forgot elephant at home, of course. I want you to know that I am not exaggerating when I tell you that Abby cried for 45 minutes. 45 minutes! I tried everything....Do you want raisins Abby? NO! Do you want to watch a movie? NO! Look! It's Elmo! NO! Do you want elephant? YEA! Well, I tried to explain that we had left him at home, but it wasn't worth it. I thought she would calm down, I thought she might fall asleep, I thought I could distract her. NO. We drove down Clybourn on our way to run some errands, when I realized that no, Abby wasn't going to stop crying. She wasn't going to calm down without that elephant. It had been just over 30 minutes when I realized that Land of Nod was just a block away. We are saved! We rushed in...Blue Jellycat elephant please. NO. They were out. Of course. They were however so nice as to call another store to check if they had them. Not even another Land of Nod, but another retailer. How nice are they? No luck. I gave up on running my errands and we headed all the way home to retrieve elephant. I ran to scoop him up off the living room floor where we had forgotten him. Abby was asleep with elephant in her hands in less than one minute. Tomorrow morning we won't leave the house without elephant! I promise!
Abby's elephant, check.

The Golden Arches

Am I a bad mom if Jackson recognizes the McDonald's sign blocks away?

No thanks, I don't need any more candy!

Sometime yesterday afternoon, Matt and I discussed the fact that neither one of us would ever want to miss trick-or-treating. We wouldn't want to stay home and relax while the other took the kids out to beg for candy. We wouldn't want to miss out on the one night a year when the kids rushed to each door anticipating what kind of treat they might get or the big smile on their faces while they searched inside that plastic pumpkin looking at all that sugar! Then, last night I had to miss it all.

We went to soccer yesterday morning like we do every Saturday morning. Then, afterward we headed to a neighborhood Halloween festival to fill the morning hours before naptime. We had lunch with Nana & Papa so they could check out the kiddos in their costumes and give them some of their own Halloween treats. Then, we headed home for naps. All seemed to be going to our carefully planned Halloween schedule.

But then Abby woke up from her nap...screaming and crying. While Jackson and Matt rushed around getting ready to go, I attempted to calm Abby. She screamed, she cried and she even squirmed away from me when I attempted to soothe her. Nearly 30 minutes later, she was still crying, and it was time to go...trick or treating awaited. Jackson and Matt headed out to meet up with the Whipples, while I sat on the couch trying to calm Abby in vain. Go ahead, I told Matt....when she calms down, we will meet you there.

Abby continued to cry. I tried everything I could think of. Milk? no. Juice? no. Standing up and rocking her? no. Sitting down? no. Lying down? no. Candy? ( I was desperate!) no. Rubbing her back? no. I sat on the couch and I began to cry. Now we were both crying. After about an hour of this, she finally fell asleep lying on top of me. I didn't move...for 2 hours! Luckily, the remote control was nearby. I went through our library and caught up on the shows we tape but usually never watch. Matt called to check in and I whispered into the phone, "She's sleeping...have fun!"

Then, suddenly, Abby woke up. She looked at me, hair amess, face emplanted with marks from lying against my sweater and giggled. She just looked at me and giggled. She was fine. No more screaming and crying. No more tears. Just giggles. We missed trick-or-treating, but she was fine. We ate dinner and had some Halloween treats while we waited for the boys to return from their trick or treating adventure.

Jackson walked in full of Halloween energy and with a plastic pumpkin full of treats. How was trick or treating, I asked? Great! He replied. Then Matt filled me in on what I had missed. Jackson and Sofia had a great time. Jackson promised to share his candy with sister. House after house, Jackson and Sofia collected their treats and travelled from block to block with the other kids. With a pumpkin full of snickers, lollipops and pretzels, Jackson turned to Matt and told him, I don't need any more candy! Yet, Sofia wasn't ready to throw in the towel. They had to hit up those last couple of houses. When Jackson went up to the last door, he informed the homeowner, "No thanks, I don't need any more candy!" Seriously? Yes....he actually refused the candy. The confused homeowner left for a minute and returned with a plastic stencil to give him instead. He happily took it and trick-or-treating was over.

Sure, Why Not?

We had a day today. I don't know if it was a good day, or if it was necessarily a bad day, but it was a day. We got out the door with relatively little resistance. Oh, except that I had to pick Abby up off the kitchen floor kicking and screaming because she wanted to eat veggie straws. It was 8:30am. We had just finished breakfast. She ate a good breakfast...scrambled eggs, half a pumpkin muffin, half a bagel with cream cheese (she actually ate the bagel too...not just the cream cheese. Although I did have to reload the bagel with a second helping of cream cheese. Still, she ate the bagel.) and some milk. She ate a good breakfast and I just didn't think we needed to be eating veggie straws at 8:30am, just minutes after finishing the above mentioned breakfast. Anyway, we got out of the house...that was a step in the right direction. We dropped Jackson off at school and he managed to write him name in less than 10 minutes while Abby destroyed the little boy's paper who sits next to Jackson, but wasn't there yet. (sorry Jason) It can take Jackson up to 15 minutes to write his name every morning at school. He dawdles, he daydreams, he checks out what the other kids are doing...oh, a K Mommy, sure why not? I can write a K.....and on and on.

Jackson is dropped off and we head to the Y for a workout and Abby's first swim class! How exciting. Except that Abby hates going to the Y. Today, we walked in the door and she started clinging to me and crying immediately. The daycare there is great. They have toys, there are other kids playing, they have tunnels to climb in and they even have cartoons on the tv. But no, Abby cries. Most days I am lucky to work out for 15 minutes before they call me (Attention Irving Park Y Guests: Will Jennifer Olson please report to the amazing kids room?). Sure, why not? I don't need to work out. It isn't like I don't still have 10 pounds to lose from when Abby was born. (She's 18 months old!) Well, today, despite Abby's immediate reaction to the Y, I got 30 good minutes in! Yea! Nice Work Abigail! Then we headed off to the pool.

It seems like a lot of work to get oganized for swim class, get dressed for swim class and get dressed again after for those 30 minutes in the pool....but it is important right? She needs to know how to swim. (Never mind that Jack has never had a lesson!) So we get all organized. I forgot the lock for the locker. We get in our suits. Really, I have to put on a swimsuit, did I mention those 10 extra pounds? We took a shower. (that was Abby's favorite part!) We headed out to the pool. It looked like it was going to be cold. Abby was already suspicious and clingy. We listened with the other 2 moms and kids to the rules of the pool and then 1-2-3 got in. I was right, it was cold. Abby hated just about every minute. She was excited for a minute about the rubber duckie, but then went back to hating it. Out of the pool for another shower, Abby's 2nd favorite part. I also forgot soap and shampoo. ( I still smell like chlorine) Then on to the interesting task of getting both Abby and I out of our suits into dry clothes and ready in a locker room. (That reminds me, we have to wash that elephant!...it spent a lot of time on the locker room floor!) Did I mention that it seems to be a lot of work for 30 minutes of swimming, which Abby hated? 1 swim class down, 6 to go. Maybe we will sign up for arts and crafts next session.

We pick up Jackson at school and head home. No issues in the car, probably because I had granola bars on hand. When we got home however, the dog had gotten into the kitchen garbage. What? you say, the Olsons don't have a dog! That's right we don't. And we won't ever have one. We are however currently dog sitting for Max, our neighbor's dog. He is a nice dog, but quirky for sure. He has been terrified to leave our living room all week because he is afraid of our hard wood floors. Well, he must have gotten over that today while we were out, when I left the garbage out. I usually put it back under the sink, but not today, not the day that Max decided to venture out into the rest of the house. So, there is garbage everywhere. Fun. Did I mention that we will never have a dog?

Lunch goes something like this...I'm not hungry. I don't want grilled cheese. I'm not hungry. But you asked for grilled cheese. I don't like tomato soup. I need ketchup. I'm not hungry. Just eat your grilled cheese. No, I wanted my ketchup in a cup. No Jackson, don't take Abby's ketchup you are making her cry. I'm not hungry. Eat your grilled cheese please. Abby, please don't eat your ketchup with your spoon. Can I go watch a show? Sure, why not.

Nap/Quiet Time goes something like this.....After Abby's first swim class, she was more than happy to take a nice afternoon nap. Not Jackson. Not, "is my quiet time over yet Mommy" Jackson. No, it isn't. No it still isn't. No, not yet. Sure, why not...come on downstairs. I give up.
Me: Jackson how was your quiet time? What did you play?
Jackson: I colored all over my walls. It was fun!
Me: Are you serious?
Jackson: Just a little serious.
So Jackson was made to go upstairs and clean his walls.
Jackson: Mommy, this is more fun than coloring on the walls! (Really?)
Me: No more crayons in your bedroom Jackson. No more crayons in your bedroom.

When Matt came home from work I escaped to the library to get some school work done, so I guess I should get back to that! Tomorrow is another day...maybe it will be a good one.

A Healthy Dose of Self Esteem

Jackson: Where are Nana and Papa going?
Me: They are going to follow us in their car.
Jackson: Why are they going to follow us in their car?
Me: Because they are going to come watch you play soccer.
Jackson: Why are they going to come watch me play soccer?
Me: Because they love you.
Jackson: Why? Why do they love me?
Me: What do you think? Why do Nana and Papa love you?
Jackson: Because I am really cute and funny! :)