McDaniel Family Journal

Well, once again, the past few weeks since I wrote up your last update have flown by in a blur 😉  Probably the most notable event worth mentioning is the addition to your very first “big boy bed” to your room.

A few weeks ago, Daddy and I decided that you were ready to move out of your crib and into a real bed. I got online and looked at all different types from toddler beds to twin beds, but stopped the search when I found a “Lightning McQueen” toddler bed. It is perfect. You absolutely LOVE Lightning McQueen and the Cars movie, so this bed was a slam dunk!

We hyped it up while it was being shipped and by the time it arrived, you were very excited about your new “big boy bed”. We put it together on a Saturday afternoon, you took a nap in it, loved it, and haven’t slept in your crib since. It was a seamless transition.  You go to bed so well anyway.  That was one of the reasons that we had decided it was time. Every evening at around 8:30 we tell you it’s time for bed and you just give kisses and walk down the hall to your room. Once the new bed was put up, that routine didn’t vary much. A couple of nights you have refused saying “I not tired, mommy”, but in both cases you walked back there on your own accord about 10-15 minutes later.  Not a big deal 😉

To keep the theme going, I also got you Lightning McQueen accessories like: a bedding set, stickers for your wall, a table cloth for your nightstand, an awesome lamp in the shape of Lightning McQueen, and I got fabric to make you some matching curtains. You absolutely love your room, and with all the new decor and space, you play in there much more often.  I am so glad that everything went well.  You are such a good kid!

Everyday that goes by your speech is more and more conversational. You answer questions in complete sentences, like I’ll say “Do you want milk?” and you’ll say “No, I want juice. I don’t like milk.” Or you’ll say “I want watch Little Einsteins, please”, and I’ll say “what episode” and you’ll “Sphinx!” or “Huff and Puff”. Those are currently your favorite episodes and you know immediately when they come on if I’ve put in the right one or not. You are too funny!

School is also going well. A teacher told another parent the other day, with me standing there, that you were incredibly intelligent, spoke very well, and were the sweetest and most polite child. She said that you could pass for a 4 year old 😉  The conversation started when they saw your most recent school pictures and said that you looked much older. It was very nice to hear that she thinks so highly of you. The teachers mention constantly how polite you are with all of your “please, thank you’s and your welcomes” 😉 I always joke that we’re trying to raise the most polite child ever 🙂  Your daddy and I just think that it’s very important to get you in the habit of using those words now, instead of when you’re older.

Your third Halloween is in just a couple of days, and this year you are going to be…Lightning McQueen! I found this awesome costume that hangs on you and makes it look like you’re driving a car. As of today, I can’t get you to put it on, so we’ll see how it goes 🙂 I don’t have a back-up costume, so you either wear it or you stay home 😉

We also took you to the pumpkin patch again (your third trip) and got a couple of good pictures. I’ll have to upload them to the gallery to share. This weekend I am attending a scrapbooking marathon session of sorts that Tammie is hosting. It’s from 10-7 and I’m going to work on your digital scrapbook. I realized a few months ago, that my perfectionist ways will not allow me to do traditional scrapbooking. I have to do digital to be able to align things just so and re-do sections at will. I’m excited to be done and get something printed for you to look through 😉

Well, I think that’s it for now. It always so hard to wrap everything up into one nice entry! I feel like you do funny and amazing new things every day.  You are growing up so fast and changing every single day. It’s hard to keep up!

Oh, I know…you are throwing some mad-crazy tantrums lately! That’s new! You did just throw like 2-3 a week, and I swear for the last couple weeks it has been 2-3 a day! I come home and I’m not sure what mood you’ll be in.  Your dad and I have started telling each other to “tread softly” if you’re particularly touchy or just had a huge meltdown. The only thing we can think to do is be consistent.  The first thing you think to do when you are mad is throw whatever is in your hand or nearest to you. That’s always the first sign of trouble 🙂 We immediately tell you that throwing isn’t nice and don’t do it again, or you’ll go to your room. Then (because you always do it again) you get marched to your room. No more discussion. You stew in there, screaming for 1-2 minutes, and then either come out and are good, or you slam the door in our faces and stay in there until you are ready to come out. Sitting for a timeout doesn’t work for you at all. You love an audience, but there are times, like in the mornings when you don’t want to get dressed, that we just bundle you up kicking and screaming and take you to school. I cannot wait for you to grow out of this. Eventually you’ll have to realize that regardless of what you want, you have to do what we say…right? 🙂  Like I said, we’re consistent…that’s all that we have going for us at this point. At least you know what your consequences are! 🙂

Okay, now that’s really it. I’ll post some pictures and work on your scrapbook this weekend. I can’t wait to see what I have to write about next month! I love you!

Filed under: What Brighton is up to now on October 29th, 2008