Meldowns

Not sure where to start maybe I'll work backwards. Not sure if Alex is leaving two with a bang or giving me a view of what three will be these last couple week. Today was a doozie. He had fun all morning with his playgroup friends. And even though I was frustrated this morning he was just being typical and moving on toddler time. That I think is just par for the course. let's just say before Quin I usually gave us a 15 minute lead time to get out of the house. I'm finding that doubling it to deal with two kids isn't enough, at least right now it's not. Looks like I have to quadruple it. I fed Quin, got socks and shoes on Alex and me, bundled Quin up and got him strapped in the infant carrier. Just as I'm going to get coats for Alex and me, he tells me "diaper change" now this doesn't nessecarily mean what he's saying any more. Some about half the time he says it before he goes. So I get him in the batheroom to the potty. He'll sit there 5-10 minutes then say he's done, even though he hasn't gone. Then he'll go in his diaper. So he's getting closer. So he did that this morning. We ended up leaving the house 5 minute before we were supposed to be at playgroup, which was being held a twenty minute drive away.

Because of all this I forgot my coffee which was sitting in a travel mug on the counter, my cell phone which was sitting in the charger, and the dish from the last dinner made for us by one of the playgroup moms. No coffee meant by the time we left playgroup I had a migraine. The ride back I kept telling Alex it was nap time once we got home. Usually if I give enough warning he protests but goes up and lays down with out too much trouble. Not today, it was nuclear meltdown. One good thing is he seems to have gotten past the "make myself sick" part of meltdowns. He was literally just sitting in the middle of his bed screaming at the top of his lungs and nothing would calm him down. I left went down stairs took three advil gathered his "cars" and brought them up he's calmed dow to the uncontrollable sniffle stage. I read to him a little and tucked him in. Usually after that he sleeps like the dead.

Quinton hadn't woken from the drive, so I left him in the carrier and lay down on the couch for a nap myself. An hour and a half later Alex is screaming at the top of his lungs once more. I get upstairs and he stops just as I open his door. He won't tell me what's wrong, won't let me comfort him, screams a few mre times, then pulls his blanket over his head and turns away. But as soon as I go to close his door he starts screaming again. I leave it open with the gate still up and go back downstairs. I hear the occasional scream over the next 10 minutes then silence. Ken calls around 4:15 saying he'll be late. I let Alex get up at 4:30 just after Quin woke up.

I get dinner started and both boys are being pretty good. Ken got home just in time to entertain Quin as he got fussy. I feed him a little before we sit down to eat but he still fusses most of dinner. As we're eating I give Alex his bedtime announcements. He needed to go to be early because I'm pretty sure he didn't really nap today. We got the presents from my mom and sister today and I let him open them while dinner cooked. The one from my mom was a set of pajamas with Cars on them. So at bedtime I asked if he wanted to wear those or his Thomas Pjs. He said "Cars" We're trying to get everyone upstairs, Quin needed a bath. So as Ken is ushering Alex to get what he wants to take with him. he freaks and throws his pjs at Ken. He told him he can't wear them now and carries him upstairs. Meltdown commences. I get Quin settled in his bath as Ken gets Alex dressed for bed, crying and screaming the entire time. He closes the door to Alex's room and comes into the bathroom and takes over with Quin. By that time Alex has calmed enough for me to read the rest of his book to him, sing our songs and tuck him in.

Maybe it's his cold maybe he's still in the terrible twos or maybe three is going to be worse than two. Though I have heard if two is bad three is better but the reverse is also true, if twos are good threes are horrendous. And of course I've been back at work three weeks now and he started school last week so everyone but Ken has a cold. Fun fun fun, noses leaking everywhere. I shouldn't complain too much usually at this point in the year I've already had a couple colds.

I think Alex is going to be a bit shy in school for a few weeks. His first day, last Monday they said he cried a couple times, just for a couple minutes, when he realized he wasn't at home. Wednesday he participated in class and seemed to do well. Friday he just stood back and watched everything. This week he didn't go Monday. I mean when Quin wakes up before Alex it means he's not feeling well. Sunday he ran a slight fever but the doctor told me last time we were in that they tend to run a small one the first day or two of a cold. Alex didn't wake up until 8:30, I called the school at ten of eight to say he wouldn't be in. He was himself except for the runny nose all day Monday and Tuesday. So Wednesday he was back in school. The one teacher made a comment when I picked him up because he was chattering away to me about his day. "That's the most I've heard him say all day" I guess he's still being shy. She did say he went up to the other teacher at the end of story time and said "Uhoh" when Goldilocks ran into the woods.
Must remember to bring in a G item for show and tell tomorrow.

Thursday is my usual talk with mom night and we were talking about schedules. Seems my kids are a lot like my sister and I were. I was up at 6am and Karen between 8 and 9. My mom said she never wanted to force us to be something other than we were so she worked around two very different schedules at least until we went to school. She did just what I do now. I let Alex get up and go downstairs around 6:30-7:00 am get him dressed and settled with some cereal and Playhouse Disney. Depending on the day I either get dressed or lay down on the couch. If it's a school day, I get Quin up after I'm dressed, get him changed and fed. Get Alex's backpack and lunch together (he takes his cars to school). By 8:00 am everyone is bundled and in the car ready to go.Other days I let Quin sleep until he's ready to get up. Like this week Tuesday was almost a lounge around in pjs all day for all of us.

My mom told me she did something similar with my sister and I. She let me get up at 6am got me a bowl of cereal and turnedon the TV, which I watched with the volume so quiet you could only hear it if you were sitting a foot away. Mom said she had some long mornings because she had to start all over when Karen woke 2-3 hours later. We didn't turn out so bad so I guess things will turn out right for my boys.