Bye Bye Paci - Day Two

So, um, mission aborted!

Holy Cow - Carson loves his paci. He wasn't just mad, he was freaking out. We've never seen him express that kind of behavior before. Just to clarify -- he only gets his paci in his crib, so all this happens during bed/naptime. But we now realize we need to find a way for him to get some closure -- and our next attempt won't happen during an already busy weekend (I painted the living room and we were stressed out enough w/o a screaming baby).

Bye Bye Paci - Day One

Tonight we wean C off his paci. I feel pretty gutsy writing about this, because now if we don't follow through, you'll think that we're weak parents and stink at child-rearing ... won't you?

Any who, he cried for only about 20 mins before falling asleep ... for an hour and a half. Then he was up again, this time screaming like we've never quite heard before (maybe b/c there was no paci corking his mouth). So now he's been up for an hour -- we just finished watching Kung Fu Panda and he's calm. He'll probably sleep up w/ us tonight.

Night Night.

Mother's Day at Kemah

On a whim, my grandparents texted us last week to see if we'd want to meet them in Kemah for Mother's Day. It was a long shot as we aren't so much the spontaneous types. But lucky for me, Dan was at a loss as to how to make the day special, so he was up for the trip ... And the day was very special! As always, we neglected to take pictures of pretty much everything other than Carson, but here's how the day went for him:

A little sheepish at first. He's not used to big crowds of people who don't know him, so it took a while to get comfortable


His first carousal ride. (We also went on a train, but no documentation.)



This was easily the highlight






After getting squirted in the face, Carson wanted his Bee-ba to go in with him.

What we've been laughing at lately

You'll have to click on the picture to make it bigger - and it's worth it.
How does a photographer manage to terrify/confuse 6 toddlers, and make 1 laugh?
On a Roberts' family note: we can now identify this as Carson's "what the what?" face. He looked like this for 10 straight minutes on his first train ride at Keemah yesterday. --- awesome!

A Confession

"How's Carson doing?"

My most common responses of late: such a pill ... wit's end ... obstinate ... frustrated ... fire station (as in leave him there)

Yes, my son has reached his "terrible 1 and a halfs" and being primary care provider to this guy has been downright exhausting. True there are good days and bad days, but by the end of the bad days, I can hardly stand up.

My nearest and dearest have only heard lately of these predicaments I face, and have truly responded w/ grace and encouragement. However, they fail to realize I'm looking for a solution -- not endurance.

So I'm driving the other day complaining to myself ... and God (because I believe He's listening) ... but mostly to myself. Like my close friends, I've found that God generally encourages me in the "endurance" area, and I've already tried to explain that I'm a quick-fix kind of gal.

So with this hardened heart, a Word still breaks through and I'm reminded "to not be surprised by the trials you face as though something strange were happening to you." (1 Peter 4:12). I'm not trying to take anything out of context and realize this message was originally written to those who are suffering for the sake of Christ and I'm merely subject to the wrath of a toddler. However, (and here's my point) I guess I've realized this week to not freak out when being a mom gets hard. This isn't strange, and it shouldn't surprise me. And I suppose that if I will endure, and stop threatening to take him to Kyle Field and let him work with Daddy for the day, then there might be a little refining in it for me.

I also have to extend my deepest gratitude toward the women in my life who listen to me rant and don't roll their eyes as I dramatize my most recent problems. In fact, Pam, Donna, and Barbara, Lisa, Debbie, Mommy -- you've been so faithful to me, I must name you! Oh and I'd be remiss to not mention my husband who doesn't benefit from any efforts on my part to hide my frustration or even exercise civility on those previously mentioned bad days.

Escape attempt #1

This morning I woke up w/ 45 minutes to spare (meaning, C wasn't due to get up until then). These are the precious moments I use to shower, fix my hair, make lunches, and mentally collect the sanity needed for my day. Well 5 minutes into this self-proclaimed "me time" I hear the little guy crying.
"Well, he's just going to have to wait 20 mins b/c today is not going to be a pony-tail day." I told myself.
So my morning soundtrack was Carson crying/whimpering every so often. Then, the whimpering turned into all-out screaming.
"That's fear/panic." This mom knows her son's screams ... perhaps I am a little too well acquainted with them.
I rush into his room, and Carson is hanging over the front rail of his crib. His weight is perfectly balanced, and he's stuck! Head and arms on one side, butt and feet on the other. His paci on the ground under his head. At the moment, I was horrified, running to hold and comfort him, but all he wanted was his paci, and once it was back in his mouth the screaming stopped.
Since then, the picture in my head has only prompted laughter. And for your viewing pleasure, I've attempted to recreate the scene.



Oh and for those of you who are wondering, (which I presume is everyone) today was an excellent hair day.