My Toddler Loves Going to the Doctor

I know I have written about this before, but Jelly bean loves going to the doctor. Yes, most kids kick and scream as you drag them, trying to bribe them with a lollipop, striking up your anxiety 3 days prior to actually going, OH the dread!

Not my Jelly bean. She asks to go to the doctor. She will fake a cough and turn to me and say, "Momma, I have a cough, I need to go to the doctor."

Yesterday, as I turned into the parking lot Jelly says, "Is that the doctor?" I replied, "Yes." She yells in pure excitement, "YEAH!!!!!" I say, "Could you at least act a little more sick than that?"

The waiting room isn't really that exciting...she walks in and sits down while I go to the nurse's station to sign us in. And next thing I know, Jelly is singing at the top of her lungs. The nurses begin to laugh. I say, "Yes, you would never know anything was ever wrong with her...she loves to visit the doctor."

Our visit was actually legit, a cough that has lasted 4 weeks...a stomach bug in the middle...wanted to make sure there wasn't anything underlying.

As we visited with the doctor, he asked her, "Does anything hurt?" She replied, "Yes." He said, "Can you tell me what hurts?" She replied, "My belly." The Doctor asked, "Does anything else hurt?" She only offered a blank stare. He asked, "Does your head hurt?" She shook her head yes. I knew where this was going...I asked, "Does your foot hurt?" and she shook her head yes. At that point it was determined that she was going to say everything hurt. So the line of questioning was over.

The Doctor checked her out and gave her the all clear. 12-18 colds a year is normal for kids, unfortunately for my girl...she has had several this past month with a stomach virus in the mix.

And then it was sticker time...Jelly picked her "Sleeping Beauty" sticker and walked out of there proud and satisfied.

I asked Jelly, "What makes going to the doctor so much fun?" She replied, "I get a sticker!"

Even though she has millions of stickers at home -- there is apparently nothing like a sticker from the Doctor!

All I want for Christmas...is sleep!

As new parents, you expect to be sleep deprived. Baby needs fed, baby needs changed...You walk around like a zombie for the first few months until a routine is established or the baby starts sleeping in 4-5 hour increments.

When babies grow into toddlers you begin to experience new sleep-related issues. Night terrors, sleep walking, separation anxiety...Monsters.

Yes, monsters. I have been dealing with the monster-situation now for over 6 months. It seems that monsters are a 3-year-old thing. According to "experts" on the web, this is the time when toddlers begin to realize that the world isn't so nice. It is a phase and if handled correctly, then your toddler's monsters are short-lived. (Apparently, when you handle these things incorrectly, the monsters stick around for-eva! Or, ehem, more than 6 months.)

Here is what they say NOT to do:
Don't brush-off the monsters or say "there are no monsters here."
Don't get angry or yell at your toddler.
Don't punish your toddler for being scared.
Don't avoid talking about monsters with your toddler.

Here is what they say to try:
Try monster spray (fill spray bottle with water and spray around the room or let your toddler spray it).
Lay down with your toddler and look at all the shadows and tell them what is making the shadows.
Get a nightlight.
Make a "No monsters Allowed" sign.
Read them a book about monsters and show them how to overcome the fear. (Where the Wild Things Are.)
Have them draw their monsters and then send them back to the "Monster Factory."
Give them a special stuffed animal to protect them.
When they get up, quietly walk them back to their room, put them in bed, pat their back for a minute and then leave quietly.
Buy them special sheets or a blanket to make their room more inviting.
Praise them when they sleep well through the night.

And if you can do this successfully, you will once again cherish that long-wished for sleep...Of course if you have done all of the above, like us, then think about bribery...'cause some are just too smart for these tricks...

Jelly bean on the phone with her Great-Grandmother..
GG "Did you sit on Santa's lap yet?"
JB "No, I stood by him. I will sit on his lap when he comes to my house. Down the chimney."
GG "Well, you better be asleep on Christmas Eve or he won't be able to leave any presents."
JB "We are working on that."

Yes, my 3-year-old said, "We are working on that."

Bribery my friends...stickers, candy, bracelet, a trip to the museum, library...whatever it takes. I think this is a sign that I am in trouble!

40 years for a perfect apple pie

Tomorrow is "Jelly-Bean and Daddy" day...as I venture off with some friends for a little "me-time." They have big plans, ones that JB helped pick out. They are going to make an apple pie (hubby is a pretty good cook/baker) and they are going to try to go down to this lake nearby and feed the ducks and geese (that should be interesting considering hubby hates geese).

On the way home today, I asked JB if she was excited about making an apple pie with daddy, this is how the conversation went...

JB -"I like apple pie mommy, we made one today."
"You did? Did you eat it?"
JB -"No, we threw it in the trash."
"And you didn't bring me a piece?"
JB -"Yes, here." (pretending to hand me a piece of pie) "Eat it."
"mmmm. very good."
JB -"yup."
"How long did it take to cook the pie?"
JB -"Yours took 40 years. Mine didn't take that long. Just, um, 2 years."
"Wow, that must have been some hard work."
JB -"Yes."

I have a feeling they will be pretty busy tomorrow. Masterpieces take years to make!

Our little lady...

"Mommy, I farted."
"You did?"
"Yes, come here mommy."
"That's ok honey."
"Come here mommy, I want you to smell it!"


Yes that is our little lady.

Who's on Second?

Conversations with a two-year old...


Me: (On the phone with my Aunt) "She is going to be a cow-girl for Halloween."

Jelly-bean "No! I be a horse."

Me: (Still on the Phone, now talking to Jelly-bean) "Horse? No, your costume is a cow-girl costume, you can carry your stick horse."

Jelly-bean "No, I be a horse."

Me: (Still on the Phone, talking to my Aunt) "Yes, now she says she will be a horse."

Jelly-bean "You a cow-gurl mommy. I a horse."

Me: (Still on the Phone, talking to Jelly-bean) "Ok, you be the horse and I'll be the cow-girl."

Jelly-bean "No, I cow-gurl, you horse!"

Me: (Still on the Phone with laughing Aunt) "Yes. She will now be a cow-girl."


Happy Halloween!