Toddler Bed

I mentioned our learning experience about transitions from a crib to a toddler bed here, but there are also some other things about a toddler bed that changes how we do things...
Gradual is better. There were times when Micah would specifically ask for one bed or the other. The more time he was, the more often he would want the crib. It was comfortable for him. If he didn't ask, we would do toddler bed for naps and crib for bed. But we gradually adjusted that to where we were often doing crib for naps (he couldn't get out this way) and toddler bed at night. The gradual process helped greatly, until we were eventually doing all bed (except some time-outs or over-tired instances).
Another thing: It used to be pretty easy to send micah to his room for a "time out" in his crib. Just don't give him his pacifier and he knew he was in trouble. And we would generally leave him there until he calmed down (which sometimes meant he fell asleep). Easy enough...
But it's a little tougher to regulate when he can get out of his bed. The main difference is just taking him to his room and leaving him there. Not actually putting him in bed, so he at least realizes it is different than a nap. Often, when he calms down he finds a book and then gets in his bed to read quietly. Not all bad, just not quite as simple.
The other tough part is putting him down for naps and then often hearing him get in and out of the bed (we have all wood floors, making it very easy to hear what he is doing) most of the "nap." In a way, it is very good for him to have this "alone time" and it can often refresh him just as much as a nap will. Other times, I can tell that he really needed to sleep but he gets distracted. Mostly by books and clothes.

For some reason, he only empties out the middle two drawers of the dresser. Not the bottom ones that would seem easiest, but the middle one that would normally have the pajamas and shirts. The first two times I neatly folded them and put them all back. Then I realized this was his favorite nap time activity. So I stopped.

Sometimes it's all over the room. Sometimes it's all in his bed. Not sure if he sometimes naps with it all in the bed. I know he loves to have ALL the books in his bed...

Yep, there are blankets, shoes, books, clothes and a pillow in that bed. Looks like he kicked the dog out of bed this time. And there he is, right in the middle of it all when we go in to get him.
So far, just telling him that he cannot get out of bed doesn't really seem to work. At least not all the time. Maybe it works better when he is really tired and wants to sleep. Maybe the other times that he is asking for a nap it is really because he is tired of playing with me and he just wants to go to his room to play by himself! I'm okay with that...
So, there is some excitement about him moving to his big bed. There are also some challenges, but I'm sure there will be the ups and downs of many other situations we will eventually deal with.

Transitions

Hopefully this lasts, in spite of me putting it down in writing...
Judah has officially transitioned into the crib. We did not buy an extra crib when we had Judah. We had him in the bassinet and then in a pack n play until we felt Micah was ready to move to his toddler bed. So far (in the past 24 hours!) Judah seems to really be enjoying the extra space and comfort that the crib provides...
Micah took a bit more time transitioning...and I'm sure this is quite normal for the age and for the freedom that changes with a toddler bed.
The first time we ever tried Micah in the toddler bed, Matt decided he would just go cold turkey. It was bed time, he moved the crib out, moved the toddler bed in, and put Micah to sleep for the night in a brand new bed! We were surprised at how well he seemed to go to sleep. We put the bed against a wall and then put some shelving on the other side so he would be less likely to fall out. He is a mover and I wasn't sure how partially opened sides would affect this. I heard some noise, like maybe he kicked the wall, but then it was quiet...for a couple of hours...the Micah woke up screaming. I mean, really screaming. This is not something Micah does. He doesn't scream. And he doesn't wake up during the night unless something is really wrong...
Matt went up first and just tried to leave the light off and feel around the bed to comfort him. When I got in there, he was still doing this but couldn't find him. So I turned the lights on. And we heard where the screams were coming from...UNDER the bed!! We still don't know quite how this happened. The bed was still against the wall, and the shelves were still on the other side of the bed where we left them. But Micah was UNDER the bed. I think the noise I heard was him falling down somehow, but then staying asleep or falling asleep under the bed. And since he is such a mover, I think he tried to move around and felt trapped (for obvious reasons!) and then got scared. And screamed!

We got him out of bed, calmed him down (with Judah's help), and then I suggested we move the crib back in his room and have some time with both beds in his room so he could gradually get used to the toddler bed while still in the comfort of his room, and with the ability to also sleep in the crib as needed. The rest of that night he slept in the crib!

Working together

I find it so amazing, and interesting, and enlightening, and fun, and sometimes even scary how much Micah (and soon Judah) wants to do and say everything we are doing and saying. Taking my computer into the other room and setting it up at a table made Micah want to create the same environment for himself. It was cute to "work together" for a day (or at least a few minutes!).

Green Stuff

I have recently found the best, most efficient way I know how to get green stuff into Micah's diet. I find it easy to get into ruts with what he is eating...sometimes it's just easier to fall back on things that he is familiar with, he is asking for, and that are easy to prepare. A new one of these "fallbacks" for me is a "green smoothie." It doesn't look good, so don't decide whether you want to try it based on looks. I don't really have a specific recipe that I follow, but we got a new blender recently when our old one broke and it works so much better at actually blender. Imagine that! Needless to say, I find it easier to throw a few things in and give Micah a drink for a snack. And he loves them. To be honest, they are actually really good.
I started with this recipe, and then I started making my own alterations based on what I had on hand and what seemed like it might be good...
So, here's what I do...
Take some frozen fruit (either fruit that I froze or out of a bag that I bought) whether it is just one fruit, like strawberries, or a mixture of a bunch of fruit doesn't really matter. Sometimes I add fresh fruit too, but the frozen helps the drink to be more smoothie-like without just adding a bunch of ice and watering it down.
Add some liquid: juice (sometimes frozen concentrate, sometimes juice that was in canned fruit that I didn't need, etc), or water, or milk, or yogurt, whatever floats your boat and maybe whatever goes good with the fruit that was added.
Then add spinach. I've used fresh and frozen and definitely think the fresh works better in the smoothies. I add a bunch. A bunch like a LOT, not like a little "bunch" that fills my hand.
I try to make it so that each "serving" I give Micah has close to a cup of spinach! The spinach doesn't really have much flavor, so it definitely changes the look of the smoothies, but not so much the taste. And the yogurt or milk usually tones down the flavor (and color) even more if that is what you choose to add.
So, I don't have exact measurements, I do it a little different every time, and sometimes we drink them with Micah...but all in all it is a very healthy snack and a great way to get some green veggies in his diet at a time in his life where he is quite picky about the food he eats and what it looks like...

Pure Enjoyment

I think someone was enjoying his time with his chocolate chip cookies. I think he did actually get some in his mouth, although it doesn't really look like it...

Thinking the worst...

I have a tame kid for the most part.
But he is 1 1/2 and he is a boy, and this tends to take my thoughts to a certain place...especially when he gets quiet and is in another room than me...
I was doing the dishes the other day and he was wandering around playing with toys and such...it got quiet for a bit. And once I realized it had been quiet for too long, and he didn't answer me when I called him, I went looking...
And this is what I found...

So adorable, just sitting on the couch, reading books...
Sorry I thought the worst of you, son! You are so cute and sweet sitting here...

Playing Together

Since Judah is only 5 months old, he can't really play with Micah yet. At least not in a way that Micah expects of him at this point. But Micah figured out a way.
I put Judah in a pack n play, one that still has the "bassinet" part in it so he is higher up in it instead of all the way on the bottom. Anyways, I left him there and went about my business for a bit. I thought it would be okay since Micah wouldn't really be able to "get to" Judah...
But Micah found a way to include Judah in on his favorite toy/game. Balls! Micah decided that he wanted to let Judah "play" with the balls too, so he proceeded to add all the balls he could find (not half of what we actually have around the house) to the pack n play so Judah could join in the fun. What a kind, considerate, sharing brother!

Roly Poly

My little Judah is rolling all over the place now! put him down and he immediately rolls over, no matter what direction it is! Gotta keep a close eye on him...or an even closer eye, I should say...
Here he is trying to roll out of his little play mat...

And just as happy and content as could be...

Getting cuter each day!

Black Eye

Does it sound bad that I was disappointed that Micah's latest fall didn't turn into a black eye? I mean, not that I wanted him to get injured, but if he was going to get hurt near the eye, now's as good a time as any to have his first black eye! He is a boy. It's bound to happen sometime soon.
Micah fell on a toy (not in my care, for once!) and got a little bruise and a little swelling as a result. Here he is trying to remember and show me where the boo boo is:

almost, but not quite...

not there either...oh well...

I had a hard time fully capturing the redness, bruising, and swelling, so this was the best I could do. It's not that bad, but probably seems a little worse since it is on his face and since his legs are more bruised than normal right now from learning to go down our outside (sharp-edged) steps backwards and knocking his shins on the edging...poor little guy! I promise it's not us!!

Talkative Boys

Judah is much more "talkative" than Micah ever was! I think a part of this is because he is constantly hearing Micah talk and he wants to do the same. I think part of it is just the difference in his personality... he is babbling a lot, especially when others are talking and he wants it to be known that he is in the room too!
Micah has been a great "repeater" of words. I don't know what is normal, but he tries to say everything we say, and although it may not be quite as clear as we would say it, in context we can understand most everything he tries to say. And just last week he decided that he was going to start forming sentences. They are only two and three words, but it is so cute! "Kick the ball" and "Throw it mommy" are so sweet coming out of his little mouth. He's such a smart little fella.
In other news...I think Micah might be a pro soccer player one day. Either that, or a swimmer. He has picked up both really well...and I don't mean in a 19 month old sort of way...I mean, he really has some good form. and skill!

Tough Boy

Micah is getting faster. Running. Fast like I sometimes have a hard time catching him when we run around the house...
And as he gets faster, the falls get harder...
I think this might be the worst yet. Granted, a little distraction can calm the crying rather quickly in situations like this, but I think it was the hardest fall, the most blood on a knee, and the most crying for a fall...so far...

Right after it happened. Well, after the crying had stopped and he was distracted with a peanut butter cookie and a girl.

The next morning, as he was showing it off. We have helped him learn to love a good boo-boo! This is before he fell on the carpet at church and opened it up again. Poor guy. Then on the way out from church he fell again, opening it once again as well as scraping the other knee...he tends to fall a lot when he gets tired...

First Love...

We had some friends over for dinner who have a 3 year old. Micah was a little shy at first, as is the norm. But he warmed up quickly, and once he did, I think he found his first love. A little older...A little taller...A cute little blonde with curls that drew him in...as they sit and eat dessert together, he doesn't notice the rest of the world around him...

They eat together. Laugh together. Play together. Slide together. Run around in the rain together. And then he makes his move. In the middle of play time, in the middle of the rain, and slightly out of nowhere, he reaches out to grab her hand...

He is determined.
She is desperately looking for her mom to save her.

And then she turns. And walks away. With no regrets. He chases for a minute. Then he sees the slide and forgets about the girl. "Sliiide!"
And so goes his first love.
And his first rejection.
All in the same day.
All at a very young age.
We'll see if he learned anything from this one...