More Avery-isms

“Sure”

“I did it! Yay!”

*use of possessive pronouns – “I hurt me” “my race car” “Avery’s cereal”

“I pee pee in the potty! I got a chocolate treat!”

“I’m sad” – Avery’s word for being hurt is “sad”, then he asks for a sticker (=bandaid), talks about going to the doctor, or kisses his wound and says “allll better!”

"Momma (points to his mom), Dadda (points to his dad) and Avery (points to himself)"

tells us if something is a "boy" or a "girl"

"I don't know"

"Momma, play race cars?"

likes to sing songs to himself "John Deer Gree, on a hot summer nigh, babybohlov Charlee"

Big Boy Bed Wows!

Avery is officially now sleeping successfully in a "big boy bed"! We bought him a toddler size bed that has a Disney "Cars" theme in which he really likes. A day or two before the bed arrived, our family spent an evening watching the "Cars" movie. Then, we also showed Avery a picture of his new bed on the internet and really talked about how cool it will be when he gets to sleep in it. Avery even got out his toy drill to help his dad assemble it. After the bed was put together, we said "bye bye" to the crib before Clint helped it find another home.

Big Boy Bed woes

This past week we have also tried putting Avery down at night with the railing off one side of his crib. We excitedly told him that we were proud of how he is becoming a "big boy" and that big boys don't need to sleep in beds with the side railing.

The first night this occurred, Avery was confused. He pointed to the railing as if we were forgetting something. "No, sweetie. You don't need that. You are a big boy (smile), and big boys don't need the side rail." He pointed to the railing again as if he were saying "No, you are the ones who are confused. We always use the rail. You are forgetting to put on my railing."

Avery is an active and sometimes talkative sleeper. Every since he was an infant, he would do "laps" in his bed while asleep. He is never in same position that we put him down in. Since we predicted that this might be a problem with having the railing off, we bought a cushioned body pillow and placed it at the foot of his bed where the side railing would be removed (the bed sits low to the ground, so landing on the body pillow would just soften his fall on the carpet).

Sure enough, Avery accidentally rolled out of bed (he wasn't hurt, nor did he cry) while sleeping - four nights in a row. However, since Avery is very disoriented when he wakes up naturally, he had a hard time getting back into bed by himself. Luckily, we can hear him across the hall and get up and place him back into bed.

The fifth night, Avery got down on his knees in fetal position and WAILED that we did not remove the railing. He tried to drag it out and put it on himself. I was reminded that no matter how much children fight to test their parents boundaries, they secretly are desperate for them. Avery wanted the protection and security of the railing, which surprised us because we thought he would embrace his newfound independence.

So, we felt sorry for our little guy and decided to put the railing back on for now. We will need some time to think about how to help Avery make the transition, but it was clear to us that perhaps pushing it now, while potty training, wasn't the wisest course.

Like Father, Like Son

I love my husband very much, and Avery sometimes gives me little glimpses of what Clint might have been like as a boy.

When we were first dating, there was a period of time where Clint accompanied me on my morning workouts. Sometimes, much to his roommates chagrin (who also hated to wake up early), I would give Clint a phone call before coming over before our run. It wasn't until after we were married that I understood how much Clint detested waking up early. Normally, requires at least 30 minutes to adjust before he is able to comfortably carry a conversation. He jokes that those early morning workouts was just part of his ploy to "win me over" and I was easily fooled. On the other hand, I am a morning person and enjoy going to bed early and waking up early.

Our son tends to take after his father in this area. Averybear is pretty cranky if he is awakened not at his choosing. Since we are potty training him at this time, we have tried to take him to the potty right after we wake in up in the morning or at naptime since his diaper is usually dry. We know he probably has to go.

However, we've also learned that Avery needs a little time to adjust, sitting in his room, drinking a cup of milk by himself before he interacts with us. Otherwise, it is a heated battle. So, we hand him his milk and leave. This usually works as Avery will eventually wander out into the living room looking for us to take him to the potty.

So, as his mother, I will need to remember to give him space and grace in the mornings like I do for his father. I'm glad that the time I've taken to get to know and understand Clint in our early years of marriage is giving me insight on how to parent our little boy.