Allergies... The boy hates them...

William has had a hard time with those allergies this year. And just like last year it's started to induce coughing... again! The worst part is that with his dr. saying he has asthma it can induce an attack. Luckilly we haven't had that problem and they were short coughing spells. One time we used the inhaler with that. So after consulting with his pediatrician she wanted to see him and so I took him in. Reluctantly on a friday I had to work and only because she wouldn't be in the office until 08-18-08 after this friday opening.

Poor kid, we get there and he's asleep in the backseat. No, nothing new there. He was exhausted and not the least bit happy with me over having to wake him up. According to grandma he didn't even want to go and told her that he would "stay home instead". After getting in there right away, literally we just walked over there, said hi to the fishies, and they called his name, we were met by a nice medical assistant/nurse. I can't remember which title she had, but she was very detailed in what she wanted. My little guy got weighed, which he is now a hefty 39 lbs fully clothed, had his temperature taken, and they got his pulse and oxygen levels. Which was a little nerve racking for me. I know he generally doesn't have a problem breathing. He's always had good oxygen levels. It was kind of a shock to see him at 93-95% just resting and breathing like normal, when he's always been at least 99% at his worst.

After some questions about what's been going on, where we live, etc. his ped. checked him out and listened to his lungs, and checked his nose for the allergy stuff. Turns out the little guy has some inflammation in his nose and lungs, which is mainly from the allergies. Could have something to do with all the farms, nurseries, orchards, vineyards, etc. out there where we live. She added two new medications on top of what we are already doing. One is a preventative for asthma and one is preventative for allergies.

I am having some issues with the asthma one as the container it is in for the inhaler piece doesn't fit in his spacer and so it makes it harder to see if he's actually getting the correct dose. We have tried by mouth and he doens't like it that way. I guess we will just have to find a way to get it going right. The one for allergies is a nasal spray and while he tolerates it, I feel bad, as I wouldn't do that to myself and I'm doing it to him. I hate nasal sprays, eye/ear drops and can't do them to myself. I can't believe that I am doing that to him. Poor kid.

However, so far, so good, and if all continues this way hopefully he won't have to use his inhaler at school. I'm hoping that once August goes and September is here that those allergies will be a thing of the past and we can get rid of a few medications for a while.

He's a big kid now!!! (officially)

After feeling like we've been potty training forever, my once reluctant boy is now, officially, a big kid! Sounds so strange and kinda corny like in those Huggies Pull Up commericials "I'm a big kid now!"... lol... But it's true. One day he just sorta took off and he's been accident free ever since. There's no arguing, well most of the time, and he's fully aware of what he needs to do. The only time he's in pull ups at all is at bedtime, because unfortunately I'm just not brave enough to do night time training, just yet. I'm not made of laundry detergent and sheets, ya know!

Most of the time he wakes up dry, I'd say at least 99.99% of the time, and we haven't had to buy a new pack of overnight pull ups in at least a month, so we are doing well. I don't think it will take him long to pick up on the night time training at all. He is so proud of himself and outside of a dumb mommy moment where I left him in overalls and he couldn't get them off by himself, he's been totally accident free. That was the one time he had an accident and now we are trying to do pants that have no buttons or hooks. But can someone explain to me why you can't really find pants or shorts for little ones now without buttons, hooks, or snaps????? I have been on a hunt for them and have found 2, count them, 2 stores that have pants or shorts without anything on them.

The best part of this whole thing is that I am no longer changing diapers. YAY! One less expense!!! ;) I guess as frustrating as it was, it was bound to happen. I've heard most mothers say that one day it just took, they did it on their own. I'd have to say, however, that having to wait until he was almost 3 1/2 to be fully potty trained was exhausting.

I guess I can mark one more thing off of my mommy check list with him now. ;)

preschool...

PreSchool... ask any parent about that and you will get mixed feelings. For some preschool is a great start for their children, giving them a headstart on kindergarten and learning things essential to their everyday lives, like ABC's, 123's, sharing, and other important skills. For others preschool is an unnecessary thing for their children. The idea is rather silly as they can learn all that at home, right?

Well ask any little one like William and the answer is clear... Preschool is vital. In William's case he wants to go, infact he can't wait to go. He loves the thought of riding the school bus, coloring, making friends, learning, playing, and most of all just going to school. Preschool for him is going to be an entire experience to be enjoyed. The learning and growing he will go through is immense. We had visited the teacher and he had started to interact with the other children, okay starting to interact is an understatement, he just dove right on in to what they were doing, coloring, cleaning, playing, etc. She told me right away he would have no problems joining in and that he seemed like a very social child. Which all of that is correct.

For me, however, preschool is just one more of those things that takes him from being my "baby" to being my "big grown up boy".... I am not ready for him to go off to preschool and a lot of that is me not wanting to let go of my "baby" and the other is thanks go a special little girl.... Samantha... She never got the chance to go to preschool let alone kindergarten or anything else. She is the reason that I want to treasure every moment of William growing up... I don't want to miss anything. I want him to experience being 3 and 4. I hate the fact that he is just overwhelmingly excited over this new venture in his life. One that will lead him on to 12 more years of learning, growing, changing and ultimately figuring out who he is, what he feels is right and wrong, what his beliefs are, and ultimately showing me how I did as a parent.

I am sure that things will be interesting, full of laughs, tears, frustrations and celebrations. Right now my ultimate goal is making through his first day of preshool, droping him off, without crying or making a scene. Chances are I will cry, but hopefully not infront of him. School is a big thing whether it is preschool or kindergarten. When he was born in January 2005, I always pictured school being so far away, but now July 2008, I am looking at 1.5 more months of summer and freedom from schedules and hectic days, to a September where everything changes. My "baby" (as he will always be to me) will be heading off on a big new journey, sometimes rough, but full of surprises and I'm sure lots of new friends along the way..

potty training....

Potty training has been somewhat of an up and down struggle as of late. William has been doing so well and then all of a sudden, these last 3 days, he has had 2 accidents. One of those has been more of a not wanting to go more than an accident. He was given the choice today by grandma that if he has one more "accident" he can lose all of his big boy things and be treated like a baby, in diapers, taking 2 naps, drinking from a sippy, etc. or he can be a big boy and use the potty every time. He's chosen to use the potty, which for me, is great because I am not buying diapers or pull ups. He has overnight pants, the ones for big kids who still wet the bed, but he doesn't like those all the time. Several times he has asked why he has to wear those at night and not his underwear. Trust me, if I wasn't opposed to washing bedding more than once a week and I had more bedding for him, I wouldn't mind a crash course in overnight potty training. However, I understand we are going to have accidents, we are going to have times where he doesn't want to go. My frustration is over these "accidents" that aren't accidents. He is going to be going to preschool in September and granted they are wonderful, they aren't requiring these kids to be potty trained, they have pull ups, etc. there and ask for a change in clothing in case of accidents, but I want him to be potty trained before going. His teacher, the one we met during a visit, has said that it's amazing how many of her kids go in not potty trained at 3 years old and within a few weeks of starting school they are going regularly. It's like peer pressure in a good way, I guess.

I just wish that he would be more consistant, I guess that's the word I want, more self-reliant in that area. He for weeks has been going consistantly and had been rushing to the bathroom when he felt he needed to go and only had slight accidents (damp underwear when trying to pull down his pants, or starting to poop while running to the restroom), but had always managed to get there and finish without it being a big deal. I know that potty training is a journey and it can take a long time. I am in the midst of this long journey and while he's been a handful at times and I've heard over and over again the excuse, "cuz I didn't want to!". I am hoping that all this frustration, laundry, and the toddler urge to be independent & his stubborn need do things themselves, will all end soon and we will be through with this long transformation!

I guess this is just one more long, but temporary journey, in William's transformation from baby to toddler to my big kid! One more journey that reminds me the changes that have transpired from his birth 3 1/2 years ago and the changes I have made in those 3 1/2 years from just being me to being someone's mommy! It's amazing being this person called Mommy.