Monroe Parenting

By Shawna Schmitt, sschmitt@monroenews.com

It seems that every morning, without fail, I wake up with Caitlyn in my bed, plastered to my side like a second skin and causing me to lose all feeling in my arm. It’s not that she doesn’t like her own bed, but I think she just feels safer in mom and dad’s big bed. Most of the time we are major pushovers and just let her climb on in (if we’re awake enough to realize that she is helping herself to our bed).

But last night we heard the pitter patter of little feet shuffling across the room and then we watched her appear in our doorway. I had gotten up to straighten the blankets and while I was up she curled up in a ball in my spot.

I asked her, “Caitlyn, could you please move over?”

Without missing a beat, she said, “No, Momma, I layin’ here.”

I looked over at my husband and thought “Oh no, she didn’t!” He took the hint and carried her back to bed. Less than five minutes later, we heard Keegan start to babble through the baby monitor. In response to her brother waking up, Caitlyn decided to start whimpering. I looked at Dave and said “Do you think God’s having a good laugh over this??”

At least we had a sense of humor about it.
It was about 6:30, so it was still early, but it was too late to hope that both kids would go back to sleep. Keegan wanted his breakfast bottle and Caitlyn wanted to snuggle.

Dave took the baby while I laid down on the floor next to Caitlyn’s bed and hoped like crazy she would fall back to sleep. Yeah, that wasn’t happening. I eventually gave up and just brought her back to bed with me. I guess I should have just let her stay in the first place. We all might have gotten more sleep that way.

By Shawna Schmitt, sschmitt@monroenews.com

Why, why do toy makers need to tie down every single piece and part of a toy with those stupid plastic twist ties?! Are they afraid that the doll’s hair just might move a fraction of an inch? Is the toy going to kick its way out of the box if it’s not firmly secured to the cardboard? And, if it’s not bad enough having about 18 of them per box, each one is wrapped around and around a million times and then covered in packing tape! I have battle scars from trying to rip the cardboard up just to get to the twist tie, only to discover that nothing less than a machete will be able to cut through them.

And, speaking of impossible boxes, what is with the hard plastic cases that only open in small increments and are as sharp as shards of glass? Scissors won’t cut them open (unless you’re one of the lucky few who got electric scissors for Christmas) and if you stick your hand in the box before it’s completely open, you’re very lucky to end up with a gash from knuckle to wrist. I guess that Dora doll looks pretty good from behind plastic because darned if I know how to get it out of there.

By Shawna Schmitt, sschmitt@monroenews.com

Is it me, or does it seem like every single child’s toy requires batteries?! We did buy some rechargeable ones and a charger a couple years ago, but even with that we can’t keep up. I was taking the batteries out of my TV remote just to get some of the Christmas toys moving for the kids … geez.

A co-worker was telling me this morning about a woman in Ohio who refused to buy rechargeable batteries because they’re “too expensive” and yet she spends about $25/month on Akaline batteries. Hmmmm….. I wonder if she realizes how much money she would be saving herself in the long run if she would just suck it up and buy the rechargeables? That just makes me shake my head.

By Shawna Schmitt, sschmitt@monroenews.com

Anybody planning to leave cookies out for Santa tomorrow night? Caitlyn has been talking about it non-stop, but I never got the chance to make Christmas cookies this holiday season. Although, I think I may still have some black and orange Oreos left in the cookie jar from Halloween……..

By Shawna Schmitt, sschmitt@monroenews.com

My husband’s work Christmas party was held last night in Livonia, so my mother agreed to keep my kids for a few hours. After I found out that I needed to come to work even earlier than usual this morning, she agreed to keep them both all night since we didn’t know what time we would be getting home.

As excited as I was for a “grown up night out,” that was the first time I have been away from Keegan all night since he was born. Caitlyn has stayed at “Grandmudder and Papa’s house” too many times to count, but due to circumstances and sickness, Keegan has always been tucked in the crib in his room.

So, as I waved good-bye to my little ones and jumped in my car, I was excited for the chance to stay out a little later than usual and the opportunity to have no one to feed but myself. (Ever tried eating out while propping a bottle up with one hand and forking up a toddler’s food with the other?) I was picturing a nice, sit-down shindig with holiday fun and games even though I didn’t know anybody but my husband. Our mantra for the night was “Free food, no kids.”

Well, the “Fabulous Shingdig” turned out to be held in a tavern complete with a buffet of bar food and a couple of pool tables available through a smoke-filled haze. Perhaps I’m getting old, but the bar scene really isn’t my idea of fun anymore. But we ate our free food, people-watched for 45 minutes, did the courtesy hello to Dave’s boss, and then high-tailed it home. The time? 7:45 p.m. What party animals we are!!!!!

We made it home before 9, and, after a quick shower to get rid of the smokey smell, settled in for a night of watching movies. Oh, wait. We never made it to the stack of new release videos I brought home from the library. Oh no. We decided we were too tired to make it through a whole movie and instead settled for reruns of “The Daily Show,” which we fell asleep watching only a few minutes later.

I guess the most exciting thing about having a night away from the kids is being able to sleep all night without any interruptions.

By Shawna Schmitt, sschmitt@monroenews.com

The other day, Caitlyn was doing some Christmas crafts with my sister and they decided to make a card (a la construction paper). Caitlyn wanted to write in it what the people in her family wanted for Christmas. So, here are our Christmas lists, according to Caitlyn:

Daddy: wants chicken nuggets and pop (and please keep in mind that my husband is a vegetarian and would never eat chicken nuggets)

Mommy: wants a new bed because Keegan spit up all over her old one

Caitlyn: wants a pair of Dora cowgirl boots, Silly!!!

Keegan: wants more chunky monkeys (I think this refers to the plushy Curious George rattle that he loves to carry around???)

I’m so glad that she cleared this up for everybody. Otherwise I would never have known what to buy!!

By Shawna Schmitt, sschmitt@monroenews.com

Amazing that no matter how stressed out Keegan can make me, one fabulous smile from him makes it all go away. What a happy boy.

By Shawna Schmitt, sschmitt@monroenews.com

It never ceases to amaze me how different my two kids are. I’ve heard that every child and every pregnancy is different, but after having Keegan I’ve had it confirmed firsthand. Caitlyn was a very well behaved baby and Keegan is pretty easy going, too, but what worked for one, doesn’t work for the other.

For example, the methods of calming them are completely different. Caitlyn always loved her baby swing and would take nice long naps in it. Or we could put her in the stroller and push her around the house until she drifted off to the tunes of classical music.

The one thing that she absolutely hated though and would have no part of was the bouncy seat. She only sat in it twice for a very short time. We actually thought about getting rid of it after she grew too big for it, but thank God we didn’t!!! It is pretty much the only thing will calm Keegan down and usually the only place where he will take a nap. I don’t know if it’s a combination of the vibrations and the bouncing or what, but it works like a charm.

As for the swing — forget about it. He doesn’t want anything to do with it. He could care less about the fancy lights and different water noises and dangling sea creatures. Nope, just give him his bouncy seat and he’s happy.

Another big difference is the pacifier (also know as binky, nuk-nuk, bink-bink or sucky thing). We finally got Caitlyn to give her’s up around 18 months old after a trip to the Build-A-Bear Factory when it was placed inside a stuffed Cookie Monster. (We told her Cookie Monster “ate it.”) Keegan on the other hand wouldn’t take a binky right from the beginning. I think we got him to use it for a few minutes or two in the days after we brought him home, but he always spit it right out and showed no interest. I suppose that’s a good thing, but it sure would be nice to have something to put in his mouth besides a bottle to comfort him when we’re out and about.

Also, the methods of getting them to bed at night are totally different. Caitlyn had to be held or rocked to sleep every single night before we could put her in the crib. As for Keegan, I think this past weekend was the first time I have ever just held him and rocked him to sleep. I know, it sounds weird, but when he gets held he’s too busy studying faces and looking around and trying to scootch over your shoulder. He likes to be held, but he’s so darn active that it doesn’t usually induce sleep. But I have done it a couple of times since then, and he’s enjoying it so far. Or perhaps he’s just amused by mommy’s off-key attempt to sing Christmas carols. Who knows?

By Shawna Schmitt, sschmitt@monroenews.com

Last night, as I was wracking my brain to come up with something for dinner, Caitlyn said “Mommy, I help you cook.” So I thought, “sure, why not?” Cooking with Caitlyn is a great way to show her how different meals come together and it also gives her a chance to be a part of the process. (Plus, it keeps her from pulling every single toy out of her toybox in boredom. Amazing how long a bowl and spoon will keep her busy “stirring and stirring and stirring it up”.)

Now please keep in mind that I’m not the best cook in the world, but with a little help from Chef Boyardee and cooking shows on the Food Network, I can come up with some pretty tasty concoctions. Last night was no five-star meal, but just plain and simple pizza. Caitlyn loves squishing her fingers in the dough, sampling the sauce and sprinkling the cheese. (It’s also a fabulous way to get her to eat some veggies since green pepper pizza is her “absolute favorite in the whole wide world.”) I’ve also discovered that getting her involved in the kitchen often means that she’ll be more likely to eat something because she helped make it.

Another easy way to make pizza is to put sauce, cheese and any toppings that tickle your fancy on an english muffin and cooking it for 8-10 minutes at 350 degrees. Caitlyn likes to stack on pepperoni or green peppers slices and count them as she goes. (I guess I like to sneak in a little math in addition to the cooking lesson.)

If anybody has any favorite kid-friendly recipes that they would like to share, I would love to hear them!

By Shawna Schmitt, sschmitt@monroenews.com

As I was taking my kids to my mom’s this morning, Keegan wasn’t a very happy camper because he wanted his milk and he wanted it NOW. Usually a little music will calm him down so I started flipping through the stations and my CDs trying to find something. The “Cars” soundtrack didn’t work, although Caitlyn enjoyed hearing the “Lightning McQueen” song for the thousandth time. I thought perhaps a little “Toe leg Knee” by Jim Gill would do the trick, but the screaming just got louder.

As I was flipping past a country station I suddenly heard silence from the back seat. I couldn’t believe it. Of all things Gretchen Wilson’s “Redneck Woman” had the amazing power of soothing my son. Now I was stuck in something of a conundrum — he liked the song and it was keeping him quiet, but it does have some mild profanity in it. What to do??? Well, I did what most mothers in that situation would do … I sang along loudly and changed the lyrics during the offending parts. “Hell yeahs” became “wooga boogas.” I know, it sounds crazy, but hearing mommy sing “wooga booga” just threw Caitlyn into a fit of giggles and pretty soon Keegan was babbling along as best his could with his fingers in his mouth.

Another crisis averted.