One of my favorite authors, Elizabeth Pantley, is having a give-away in honor of Mother's Day. I have her books The No-Cry Sleep Solution and The No-Cry Sleep Solution for Toddlers and Preschoolers. They are fantastic resources for dealing with sleep issues by attacking the root of the problem and creating calming routines rather than struggling to simply deal with sleep resistance.

"Our children bring us incredible joy. Yet, there are times that they can bring out the anger in us. It is helpful to identify the things that provoke your anger so you can make positive changes in your household." ~Elizabeth Pantley from "The No-Cry Discipline Solution"

I find myself struggling with this a lot lately. I inherited my short temper from my mother. (Love you, Mom!) It makes it difficult to have calm and presence-of-mind in stressful situations where Brayden is pressing all the right buttons. I can't recall ever giving my mother problems, but I've watched her for years struggling with Brandon. I see that she has trouble with her anger when he pushes her buttons - which he does often. But here lately I'm encouraging her to try to push through her anger and try a different tactic to deal with him. Now if only Elizabeth would write this book geared toward teenagers!

I really should update

I keep thinking I'll do it later when I have time to play catchup and post a bunch of photos, but I never do. So here I am, checking in. Much has been happening around here. (As opposed to almost nothing happening.) Most notably, Brayden is picking up new words and saying new things at a rather rapid pace considering he's spent the last entire year with a vocabulary of a dozen words - less if you only count the ones he actually uses with any frequency. Anyway, he's picked up a handful just in the last week or two. He's even stringing two words together - mainly 'help me' or 'help please'. It's nice to know he has some manners! Here's a list of his words and phrases:

Go
Stop
Ball
Weeee
Ga Boom (we say this when going down the stairs on our butt to make it seem more exciting)
Up
Down
Don't (as in 'no! don't!')
Boo (he says it with me when we get to that part in "If You Give A Moose A Muffin")
Jump (complete with jumping)
Woah (not the Blossom-Joey kind of woah)
Uh Oh
Oh No
Vroom (yes, this is technically a sound effect)
Roar (this, too)
Rock and Roll (said as we head out the door)
You Rock (complete with hand sign)
Ah Ha! (said with magnifying glass to eye)
Hold On (just added to his vocab today)
Let Go (also added today)
More (he learned this last night)
Tickle Tickle
Yeah
No
Choo-Choo
Chugga-Chugga
Help Me
Please
Momma (yay!)
Daddy
Socks (his most recent obsession - we take them on and off all day.)
Hello
Bye

That's like 30+ words!

In addition to all this, he has started 'helping' me read at naptime and bedtime. He is remembering the words to his books and will supply the ones he remembers at the appropriate times. Last night we were reading the Moose A Muffin book and he said boo, paints, soap, dry, and blackberries. I am amazed that he is memorizing his books as we read them. He is also obsessed with The True Story of the Three Little Pigs. In fact, I read it twice a day for so long that I finally had to hide it because I got so tired of reading it. (It's just too long sometimes.) He's still looking for it under his other books. (I know, I know. I hear you saying mean Momma. Don't think I don't.)

Also, (I know, the mind reels) he is responding to his shows on Noggin like Dora and Kai Lan. He says yes or no when prompted with a question, and repeats the Chinese phrases on Kai Lan. He has picked up mannerisms (like the Ah Ha! and crossing his arms and harrumphing to make his stance known - which is totally cute).

He loves to dance with Mommy. If there's music, he asks me to pick him up and he holds on tight while we dance together. Even if it's just to music on a commercial.

He likes to turn the lights on as we head upstairs each night for bed. Last night they were all already on and he was very offended.

He's growing up so fast now. I bought another potty seat so we could have one in each bathroom and some cool-alert pull-ups. I figure now that he's learning new words, it might be time to try potty-training. We're gonna start this weekend and see how he takes to it. He likes the potty and really likes to flush it, so maybe he'll catch on. And if it doesn't take, we'll put it away for another day.

Alright, I have lots to go do, but I'll check back in in a day or two with some totally cute pictures and stories.

Surprise! What a sweetie!

I have the best husband! Wednesday, he kept Brayden for three hours while I went up to knitting group. And then he kept Brayden last night while I went to my other knitting group. He even made dinner while I was gone. But what was really sweet was what he did after that. I came home complaining about how tired I was. I really didn't think I would make it until Brayden's bedtime. So Eli told me to just go to bed! I was floored that he offered. It was the most romantic thing! (It's sad that as you age your idea of romantic changes so much.:)) Well, I set a timer so Eli wouldn't let him stay up too late and laid out his PJs and then I went to bed! I was very excited.

So, I know it's been a while. I have several updates and lots of pictures, but I'm so busy with these photos I haven't had time to sort it all out and make a post. I will soon.

The Moments I Treasure

Erin tagged me and two other moms and asked us to post the last funny thing our kids did or said.

The other evening, Brayden and I were sitting in his room playing. I was laying on the floor near his bed watching him flit around the room. Little man had pulled the blanket off his bed earlier and he came over and laid it on top of me. Then he made me get his pillow from where he had thrown it behind his bed. I laid back down and made me lift my head so he could put the pillow under it, then he pushed my head back down onto it and covered me back up. He decided I needed Teddy, so he tucked Teddy in with me, too. Then he started pulling at me. So I sat up and he climbed into my arms babbling and trying to get me to do something. I finally realized he wanted me to pick him up so he could turn out the light. After I did, he of course made me lay back down and he covered me back up. After which he grabbed the door knob, shut the door, and left me to go to sleep. He is too sweet! I love his little monkey guts.

Tag

After racking my brain for things to fill out my list of things about me, I have decided that 50 is plenty. My brain hurts and I'm not that interesting of a person to try and come up with 50 more...though I'm sure I could given the time. Anyway, here is my list. I am hereby tagging Michelle, Erin, and Tracy. You have to post your lists of 50 Things About You and pass the tag on. Good luck! And have fun!

50 Things About Me...26-50

26. I am terrified of snakes. And I mean TERRIFIED! If I'm reading a book that has a picture of a snake, I won't touch the picture. (Used to paralyze me in school when I flipped a page in science and realized I had touched the picture!)

27. I hate wearing shoes in the house. I'll never understand people who can keep their shoes on.

28. I can't sleep with socks on.

29. I count stairs. I can tells you the exact number of steps in all the places I frequent. And in what order they are grouped.

30. I hate the beach. It's not really the beach itself but the sand. If it were grass all the way up to the water, I might spend a lot more time there.

31. I want to go skydiving.

32. I want to tour Europe. I want to see the Louvre, Pompeii, the Vatican, the Sistine Chapel...*sigh*

33. I can wiggle one ear at a time.

34. I am still afraid of the imaginary things that live under my bed.

35. I don't like being down in the basement at night if Eli's not home.

36. I hate sodas.

37. I prefer the soft light of lamps to the harsh light of overheads.

38. My favorite flowers are Sweet Peas.

39. I hate scary movies.

40. My favorite band is Dave Matthews Band.

41. I love listening to Classical music in the car.

42. I pop my knuckles...but ONLY the ones at the base of my middle fingers.

43. I cannot draw a circle.

44. I can spell pretty much anything.

45. I know the difference between farther and further and know when to use each.

46. I tend to be a bit of a snob about things of which I have a passionate opinion, like TVs in bedrooms and breastfeeding and hard-soled shoes and baby carriers and lots of other things. Of course, I never force my opinion on anyone.

47. I don't paint my fingernails. Not because I don't like to. I really really do. I love pretty fingernails. But nail polish REFUSES to stick to my fingernails. Seriously. I wash my hands once and it starts coming off.

48. I hate the feel of paper under my hand. Particularly when I'm writing things.

49. I hate chewing gum. I mean that I personally hate to chew it.

50. I love Watermelon Jolly Ranchers.

50 Things About Me...1-25

I'm bored and I got a really neat idea from another mini-blog, so here's my list of 50 random things about me.

1. I can't sleep with the closet door open. It MUST be shut. I can't sleep with the bedroom door open more than a few inches, either. I can 'hear' if it's open too far and I'll get up to push it to.

2. I also CANNOT go to sleep if the sheet and blanket are not PRECISELY even and the sheet smooth under the blanket. Eli, after four years of marriage, has just now stopped complaining about this quirk. (Well, at least not every night.)

3. I hate my chin. I always have. It's the only part of me that I truly hate.

4. I can't have more jelly than peanut butter on my sandwich. Too gooey and sweet.

5. I have an extra toenail on each of my pinky toes. It's really more of a calcium deposit. But it's hereditary - my Mom and sister have it, too.

6. I can do a great Elvis lip. On both sides, even.

7. I cannot roller skate.

8. I also cannot whistle. Eli swears it's just a lack of know-how...but watch him try to teach me someday. It's funny.

9. I cannot stand to have mucus, dried or otherwise, in my nose. And if that means I have to pick my nose in public to make it so, well, so be it.

10. I have a tick in my throat when I'm upset or frustrated or if my OCD's going crazy.

11. I have no imagination. None. It's really quite sad. When I was little, I would pull my Barbies out, dress them, do their hair, and then that was it. They went back in the box for another day. No house, no make-believe, nothing.

12. I obsessively envision the worst thing that could possibly happen at any given moment. Even random things that don't really relate to what I am doing at the time.

13. I hate the movie E.T. I mean hate. As in loathe and despise. (Thank heaven I married someone who feels the same way!)

14. Ballet still makes my heart sing and I would give anything to be able to go back to it, yet I know I never will.

15. I have a complete inability to get over things in my past that made me feel small or stupid. And I relive them constantly - every day.

16. I would rather cook than clean.

17. I love to knit. Really love. I have SO MANY projects lined up.

18. I'm ready for another baby.

19. My favorite color is blue. Followed by purple and green. Then pink. Red, orange, and yellow all pretty lump together in the bottom.

20. When I sneeze, people down the street can hear me.

21. I hate my legs. I refuse to wear shorts or skirts without pantyhose.

22. I love to dress well. I would every day if I had the wardrobe for it. Tailored pants, skirts, well made sweaters, beautiful shoes...*sigh*

23. I can't sleep at night without Eli next to me.

24. There is nothing I love more than when I rock Brayden and read to him until he falls asleep in my arms. I'll probably do this right up until I'm too pregnant for him to sit on my lap.

25. I love to sit and watch the snow fall.