Yes, this is what I am dealing with.

The kids and I met up with some friends for a bowling playdate.  Both Ian and Sam love to bowl and it is a fun way to spend the afternoon when I get to catch up with one of my favorite mommy friends.  I knew in advance that Sam was probably not going to want to wear the bowling shoes.  I was mentally prepared for this and waited for her to request the shoes after seeing her brother and friends put theirs on.  I got Sam the correct size and put them on her feet.  Sam was in some kind of mood and nothing was making her happy.  After taking her turn bowling, she flung herself on the floor and picked-up her temper tantrum from where she left off before her turn.  She took off her bowling shoes and  as threw them, she yelled, "I can't wear these.  They are too comfortable." 

Really?  What in the world do I do with that information?  Yes, folks, this is what I am dealing with.  G-d help us all.

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I picked Sam up from school one day and she was wearing different bottoms than what I dropped her off in that morning.  Sam saw me at the doorway and ran, yelling in excitement, "I pooped, Mommy!  I pooped!"  As the teacher explained, she didn't make it quite in time to the bathroom and they had to put her back-up pants on her. 

Before I could say, "Yay" to Sam for pooping, Sam burst into a hysterical cry and I picked her up to console her.  I asked her why she was crying and once she caught her breath, Sam said, "My pants don't match my shirt."

Oh my.

Sweet Summer Fun - Part 8

Last summer we practically lived at the bowling alley. They had a wonderful "kids bowl free" promotion and we took full advantage of it. Ian and his friends LOVE bowling and it was a great indoor activity to do while the heat was a scorcher outside. We found a very kid-friendly bowling alley to go to and felt right at home inside. No smoking is allowed, it is extremely clean and the staff caters to you, especially if they see you with little ones. Throw in a couple bumper guards, a rail to line up the ball to roll perfectly down the middle and everyone is getting strikes and spares galore!

Believe it or not, we hadn't been bowling once this summer. Not sure why, because our favorite bowling alley was doing the same "kids bowl for free" promotion, but for some reason it never came up in our plans. One Tuesday not too long ago, our plans to go to the pool got rained out and we met up with some good friends (Carol and her daughter Madison) at the bowling alley.

I knew Ian was going to have fun, but I didn't count on Sam having even more fun than all of us put together. She had a blast bowling and loved getting to do a game with a big kids. She played two games and carried the ball all on her own, to the tune of 40 times (2 turns/10 frames each game for 2 games). It was quite impressive.

How far we've come, when not even a year ago, Sam was first learning how to walk and was staggering around the bowling alley. This 2nd video is from October 2009.

And, she's off...

At Sam's 15 month well-baby appointment, the dr said if she hadn't started walking in 6 weeks, to call her and she would refer us for physical therapy. Most babies take their first steps around 12 months of age, but have until 18 months before they are considered developmentally delayed. Knowing how long it takes to get in the system, have the evaluation and be recommended for PT, we needed to get the process started. When I spoke to the contact and told her how Sam would take one step, maybe two and then instantly go to crawling, she said it sounded like a confidence problem. How could this be? I tell Samantha how great she is all the time!!

If anyone asks Sam when she really first started walking, she can proudly answer it was in a bowling alley. One of my favorite hang-outs with Ian, we spent the perfect rainy day afternoon at what has got to be the most kid-friendly, sparkling clean bowling alley known to man. As reported back in July "A girl on the go", Sam has been intrigued by the game and does her best to get as close to the action as she can.

Yesterday she proved she can move. Every time I put her down, she would waddle as fast as her legs would take her and make her way to the ball return machine. When she realized I was hot on her tail, she would pick up the speed even more and attempt to go down the alley. Fortunately there was only one other family playing so it was ok for her to feel her oats and see how far she could get. She got a big kick out of it every time I scooped her up and had her start over again. This never-ending cycle must've gone on for over an hour. Not sure who got more exercise, me or her going back and forth, over and over again.

Our appointment with the service coordinator to get Samantha's evaluation is scheduled for November 10th. I have a feeling that in the next week or so, I'll happily be calling Carol and telling her we no longer need their help. Sam has proven in the past 16 months that she is doing everything in her own sweet time, on her own schedule. She needs to be motivated to want to do something, before she will practice the skill. Once she gets the idea planted in her brain, her determination kicks in high gear. While it is refreshing that she is her own person and plays by her own rules, I just wish she wouldn't push it so close to the edge of what is considered 'normal'. Although, I have a feeling that this is the beginning of many worries to come with her. After all, she is a girl.

A girl on the go

My golden girl is starting to lose her shine. Content and laid back are two words I can no longer use to describe her sweet personality. I guess this is a normal progression of developing and growing up. But, it was so nice when she would happily sit in her stroller and watch the world go by. I could count on her, like the sun rising on a summer day, that she would be happy to hang out and be good for easily an hour or two while Ian was doing his thing - playdates, Chuck E. Cheese, library, ice cream breaks at DQ or Cold Stone, lunch at Panera Bread, mall play area, playgrounds, pool, and parks.

Sam has had enough and made her intentions known! She watched Ian bowl one too many times and saw all the fun he was having. She needed out of her stroller and to be put down on the floor so she could reach the destination she had her eye on for some time. Not even tempted by the popcorn that had fallen on the floor, she crawled directly to the ball return machine. She promptly pulled herself up to standing position and tried to lift a 6 pound ball. She was going to bowl and nothing was going to get in her way.

Unfortunately the weight of the ball won out and barely budged. The girl can't even walk yet. What was she going to do with a bowling ball in her hands?!?!?

We've entered a new dimension when entertaining Ian, now we need to make sure Sam is getting treated like one of the big kids too. Hmmm, after close to 14 months she is starting to show an impatient, stubborn, determined side. Could it be genetic? But which one of us? :)

Louder than thunder

I've gotten really good at ignoring my son when he is throwing a temper tantrum in public. In fact, I've gotten embarrassingly good at it.

We had a fun outing planned yesterday afternoon to the local bowling alley with friends. Ian LOVES to bowl. Actually, he loves the whole experience; from getting bowling shoes to picking out a ball, to cheering on his fellow friends when they take their turn. Everything was going great until Ian realized he took his last turn and it was time to put his crocs on and call it a day. Looking back, I should've given him the "this is your last turn Ian" warning so that he could savor it, rather than hitting him blindsided after the fact. But I was having a great time myself hanging with mommy friends and before you knew it, all 5 kids were at the end of the round. We've gotten to the point where the kids can follow the game by themselves and take turns appropriately. It was super cute how they helped each other get a ball and then gather as a small crowd next to the bowler rooting each other on.

Fortunately our lane was located at the far end of the building and nowhere near the other, more serious bowlers. The guy behind the counter must have seen us coming and knew just where to put us.

When Ian was told it was time to go, he promptly asked if he could play one more time. When I said "no, it is getting late and we need to go", his screaming escalated nicely until he had the attention of everyone in the bowling alley. You know you've got a loud kid on your hands when he can manage to top the noise level above bowling balls rolling down the lanes and hitting pins down. Refusing to give into his demands, Ian kept at it. I was not thrown in the least by his behavior and went about my business gathering our stuff and making our way to the bathroom before getting in the car.

I am sure the reason behind Ian's outburst wasn't because he was dying to stay and bowl some more, but that he was tired. He had a full day at camp and gave up taking an afternoon nap long ago. The more tired he gets, the crankier he is. Anyone can see the writing on the wall that he is worn out and needs some downtime. But when he crashes in his bed by 7:00pm each night, I feel like I've taken one for the team by keeping him entertained for most of the day. I just feel bad for others (especially those without kids) who have to also suffer when Ian gets like this. My fingers are crossed these outbursts get less and less frequent when he realizes he won't get his way. Fortunately we tend to only go to kid friendly environments and lively noise from children is to be expected. Who defines what 'lively' means depends on if you have a headache or not at the time.

The funniest part of our bowling excursion came when one of my mommy friends asked how camp was going for Ian. "10 straight weeks, from 9:30am to 1:30pm, all 5 days a week -- how do you think it is going?" was my reply. Guess who started clapping and had a big smile on her face as I gave my answer? You got it, Sam! Even at just having turned one year old, she gets it.