This year's summer toy

I set the timer and let Eddie play with this toy. We are trying to save water, so the timer is a must. Here is Eddie playing with his toy. He loves to play outside!

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Week night, living room shenanigans

We may not all be kids, the 3 of us. You can even say, we don't really speak the same language. But we all love to do this at night :D

Saying goodbye to Camila (Eddie's cousin)

Eddie had no idea this was the last time he was going to see his current favorite person in the world, and cousin, Camila. She will be back, but probably in about a year. Eddie just thought that when he came back from pre-school, which is where he was going, that she would be here still.

We'll see if he asks for his cousin in a day or two....


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Camila! (crying for his cousin)

Eddie loves his newly found cousin, Camila (9 years old.) She is staying at grandma's, along with her family, visiting from Mexico.

Eddie is so loving his fun cousin, Camila. He loves that she plays with him and does what he says, like when he tells her to run, she runs super fast. He just adores her. She is so sweet and not to mention, super pretty!

This morning, Eddie must have been dreaming about her (or having some sort of a nightmare) because he woke up crying asking for her. From there, he would not let us go back to sleep. He woke up asking for her and asking us to take him to her right away. He just wouldn't stop asking for Camila, who he calls "Camina."

I recorded a short clip of him, throwing a bit of a tantrum, demanding that I take him to see Camila.



He is going to be sad to see her go :(

By the way, in the video, when I ask him if it's "throwing time" it's my way of warning him that if he keeps throwing things, I am going to take his toys away. That's an accomplishment that should be noted. Before, he would have continued with the tantrum. We are doing good for now! Listen to him say "All done throwing!" Which means, he gets it and is going to stop his tantrum.

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"Snuggle Bunny" another one of Eddie's books

Dad has better video of Eddie reading this Snuggle Bunny book. Hopefully, he will upload it. In this video, Eddie isn't saying the story as well as he can, but I love to watch him enjoy it and remember some parts of it.

The story goes:
Snuggle Bunny's tired,
He's had a busy day.

It's time to finish playing,
and put our toys away.

Snuggle Bunny yawns,
and rubs his sleepy eyes.

"Do your eyes feel sleepy too,
Before your beddy byes?"
(Fake excited scream)

Now, let's clean our teeth,
as bunny's bedtime nears.
(Eddie inserts caterpillar here lol)


Can you lend a helping hand
to brush his fluffy ears?
(Eddie says "can you brush his ears please?"-Fake excited scream)

Snuggle Bunny loves a hug and gentle tickles too
If you ask him nicely, he might hug and tickle you.
(Eddie says: "ask...hug and tickle you" then, he hugs the bunny and tickles himself in the video)

Snuggle Bunny's cozy, (Eddie skips this part and instead says "Snuggle Bunny's tired....")
he's tucked in nice and tight.

It's time for you to snuggle too,
sweet dreams and kiss goodnight.
(Eddie kisses the bunny and says "Good night")

In the video, Eddie starts the book all over again, by announcing "Snuggle Bunny time!!!!"



If you watched this whole thing and followed along, thanks :)

Eddie's sense of humor

Here is Eddie being funny with mama.


The background story is, dad reads this book called "Snuggle Bunny" to Eddie, every night.

Embedded in the book is a bunny hand puppet. In the book, there are certain questions *asked by the bunny* and tasks given to the child reading the book. The bunny, for example will ask if the child can help brush his fluffy ears. The bunny also asks the child, "Do your eyes feel sleepy too before your beddy byes?"

Eddie would get so excited when dad started reading this book, that he began to scream whenever the bunny would "ask" Eddie a question or give him a task. This may make no sense, but to Eddie it's his way of expressing his happiness and excitement. It has now become part of the book reading ritual.

I will post a video of that soon.

I recently quoted a part of the book and Eddie silenced his typical scream only to find that it makes mom laugh. So now, whenever I quote the book, he will turn on his inner clown and do what he does in the video, just to make me laugh:

]


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Close your eyes

This is a game that Eddie "created" and currently likes to play. He will approach me and ask me to tell him to close his eyes.

I enjoy playing with him and I am really enjoying Eddie at this age. He is just so creative in his answers to my random questions and in the games he comes up with creatively.



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Eddie's sayings-At the pool

I am aiming to log the funny things Eddie says, more and more. By the way, I got this first scenario on video, the 2nd time he did it. I want to upload it to this blog.

Scenario:
Eddie and swim instructor in the pool. Swim instructor puts Eddie on edge of pool and wants him to dive in.
Swim instructor: "Eddie jump!"
*Eddie pauses for a second*
Eddie: "To infinity and beyond!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
*Jumps in*


Scenario:
Eddie comes out from under the water a little scared. Looks at his swim instructor and asks:
Eddie:"Are you ok?!!!"
Swim instructor: "I am ok, are you ok?"
Eddie: "Are you ok, EDDIE!!!?"


Scenario:
Swim instructor: "Eddie! Throw the toy! Eddie throw the toy!
Eddie: "All done screaming"

Scenario:
Swim instructor stands Eddie up near the edge of the pool
Swim instructor: "Ok, Eddie jump!"
Eddie *looks at the cement around the pool*
Eddie: "Hi ants!" *Makes a hissing sound at instructor to "mimmick" bug sounds*
Instructor: "Yeah ants! OK come on, JUMP!"
Eddie: *points somewhere else in the garden* "Hi Snail!"

Scenario:
Swim class is over. Swim instructor lets him out of the pool to walk toward me.
Eddie walks toward me.  I pick him up and wrap him in a towel.
He pokes his head out of the towel.
Eddie: "Bye Brittney! I'll see you!"
(Brittney is his swimming instructor)

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How do you spell Eddie?

Stuck in traffic, I asked Eddie:
"How do you spell Eddie?"

He replies: "E-D-D-D-D-E-I? E!"
Me: YAY!



We're getting there ;)
Eddie is 2 yrs and 4 months old (or 28 months old)

Learning right from left

Sometimes he gets it 100% right. Sometimes he does this. Either way, it's fun to watch Eddie grow and do new things  :)

Eddie's tantrums update

There are few things that we have been working on to help reduce his tantrums.

Tantrums are not gone, but they have been reduced from being 5 minutes long, to being nipped  before they grow and to being somewhat controlled.

I've learned that a tantrum starts long before you can see evidence of it. I've learned that if I catch it before it blows up, I am somewhat successful.

Here are some methods that have worked for controlling or reducing his tantrums-

Teaching expression of emotions:

One thing that would really get Eddie going was frustration. Not being able to do something or manipulate an object. I've taught him to use the words, "it's so tough" and to make a struggling face. I often pretend I cannot do something and I say these words "So tough!" while making a frustrated expression as well. He actually finds it very funny when I can't do something. I'm happy to say, I've heard him use these words  when he can't do something. Some days this method works, some days it doesn't. Lately, it has worked about 5 out of 10 times. This is better than 0 out of 10 times, which is where we were before.

Consistency:
Always, and I mean ALWAYS having the same consequences. For example, he throws something in frustration, we take it away and he can't play with it anymore. He throws his toys out of anger in his room, he cleans every particle after he's cooled down. So far, it hasn't removed these bad reactions, but it has greatly reduced them from every time, to maybe only around nap time when he is tired. Also, mom is supportive of dad and dad is supportive of mom, so he can't run to one or the other for a different rule!

Communication:
I don't listen to him when he screams or cries (unless we are in a public place) I ignore him. He will kick, scream, cry and then he remembers the magic words "Quiero_____" or "I want_____"
He still does it, but I've learned to distinguish his cries. I know when he truly needs my help and when he is only screaming for my attention. So far, he loves to see me agree to give him things he wants when he asks for them politely.
On the flip side, when he didn't want something, he would hit his head. Example: if you were tickling him, he would hit his own head to get you to stop-It always worked. Now, if he hits his head,we just keep tickling him, until he says either "Stop!" or "No, no, no!" That's when we stop immediately.
Of course, this has backfired on us a few times, like when I am bathing him. I am pouring water on his head and he'll grab my hand and politely ask me to stop. I stop, but then I explain to him that I have to rinse the soap off his head.

Preparation:
I aim to tell him where we are going. Not to ask for permission, but to help him anticipate what is going to happen. Especially, if we are going to a new place. He cries if we go outside of our routine. But by telling him where we are going and what fun things we are going to see, he calms down a bit and is ready for a new event.

Diet:
Sometimes I forget how important diet is to Eddie. I am not one of those parents who is like "No sugar!  No junk food! No crap food!" I do allow him to eat foods like french fries, chocolate milk and stuff like that. But there is a limit and a place for each food. I especially know not to give him foods high in sugar, right before an event where I DO NOT need him to be hyper or easily frustrated.
Example: If we were at Disneyland and he wants ice cream, I would allow it because if he got hyper, I could just let him play in the playground andlet him burn it off. But, if we were going to a funeral for example, I know not to feed him foods high in sugars. Overall, I prefer to feed him foods that are not processed and that are natural. They have best effect on his mood.

Naps:
Oh boy! Naps have killed our social life. We cannot do anything because our days revolve around his naps.They are so important to us, because they almost determine what kind of mood Eddie will be in.
Also, when Eddie sleeps well, he is so bright, happy and cooperative! When he sleeps off schedule or we have to wake him up before he wakes up naturally, we are sure to pay the price with a huge tantrum later.
So, making sure he gets enough sleep is super important to help control his tantrums.

A threat:
Though I KNOW a lot of people do not agree with this one, this is our "BIG GUNS" (so to speak.)
Eddie is terribly afraid of the roomba vacuum. Though we would never do anything like chase him with one, we do threaten to turn it on, when he blows up uncontrollably-We don't really turn it on. He quickly calms down and obeys. I know it seems like a terrible thing to do to him, but if we do not plan to spank him, we need something for him to fear. We don't use this threat often, but we do use it when he has gotten out of control and nothing else we do to try to calm him, works. 
Example: One time, telling him there was a roomba in the street, stopped him on his tracks when he was running away from me toward the street. So far, Eddie is not the type to ALWAYS obey when I ask him to stop something dangerous. This is the method we are using temporarily, until Eddie's ability to obey commands when he is angry, matures.

Note: My next goal is to start telling Eddie I am going to take something away, if he doesn't obey. We'll see how this works. I know we can't use roomba forever.
Challenges:
Our biggest challenge right now is sharing. Eddie DOES NOT share and is VERY possessive of all of his things. I know it's all due to the fact that most of the day, whether he is at grandma's or at home, he is the only child-Everything is for him. The solution is to get him around other kids. Grandma is taking him to a pre-school and we are hoping this will help him learn to share.

It's been tough, but I think though Eddie is not completely over his tantrums, we have made some progress. We love Eddie so much and though the progress is slow-moving, spanking him is not an option. Lots of love, sympathy and the above is what we use for now.  It's what works for Eddie as an individual. I know we are not 100% right, but it's the road we are taking that seems to give us results.

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Swimming classes!

We had a last minute opportunity to be squeezed into a private swimming class for Eddie. They catered to my previously requested schedule; to go on the days I work half days. They originally only offer classes M,W,F for Eddie's age group. I work half days W,TH, F. So, I was happy to accept and take Eddie.

Today was his first class. He did pretty good. There was a 3 year old boy there, who did really well on his first day (Monday) and was freaking out today. All that little boy did for the entire 30 minutes is cry and scream for mom!!! The instructor said that is typical and may happen to Eddie tomorrow.
Oh boy!

For the first 5 minutes, Eddie kept saying "Bye bye agua!" and "All done agua" and "Quiero mama" all which mean, he wants out of the water now! But the instructor was really good- She didn't acknowledge his pleading and just kept playing games that included, songs that he knows and loves. She sang twinkle little star, and the ABC song to him as she played with him in the water.

I wasn't able to take good footage because every time he saw me, he would ask for me. So, I hid behind bushes and towels to record him hahahaha! Also, I was using my iphone camera from a far distance-The quality is not the best. But you can get the gist of the class.

I also want to mention the view from this pool is amazing. It's on top of a hill!
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