HELP!!!

My boy is 2. Ok, he is almost 3. He will be 3 at the end of April, and he STILL. HAS. A. BOTTLE.

I need help with this. I don't know how to get him off of it. He knows only 'babies' get baba's and he knows that he is a 'big boy' and all day long he will tell me he doesn't need a bottle and he is a big boy and so on and so forth.

Then comes bed time. HE FLIPS OUT. Like, seriously, flips out like I've never seen before. I already have TONS of sleeping problems with this boy... as in, he has nite terrors some nights, and he wakes up anywhere from 2 to 5 or 6 times a night, EVERY NIGHT. I think he has slept through the night maybe 10 times since his birth and THAT. IS. IT.

I need a break. I need to get this bottle away from my ALMOST 3 year old. I need some sleep. I could get him to go to sleep without the bottle eventually, and that wouldn't be so hard on me, it's the 12am, 3am, and 5am wake up that I could't just shove a bottle with some water in it in his hand and he shuts up and goes back to sleep that are going to kill me.

Any suggestions?? I really am taking any and all advice! Here he is today all snuggled up with his baba. AAAWWWW!

To prove it's not Stale...

I turn 30 soon. UGH! Really. 30? When did this happen? Where did the time go??

I had a birthday party this weekend, put on by my husband. It was AWESOME. These are some of my best girlfriends and me. (That pic up there...)

I guess there is no better time for reflection than when I am panicking because I am getting older and there is nothing I can do about it.

I quit smoking this past year. I guess that is probably the most noteworthy thing that happened to me in my 29th year. Best thing I ever did for myself. And for my son.

Oh, I bought my first home in my 29th year. That is a huge accomplishment in itself these days. People all over are losing their homes, and I bought my first one. On. My. Own. Not even with the help of my husband. That makes me smile.

I guess looking back, 2009 or my 29th year of life was a good one. Quite possibly a Great One.

Makes me happy on the inside.

Christmas

I spoil the kids. Too. Much. Stuff. Slayder was ticked he HAD to wake up to open presents and we told the twins they couldn't go down stairs till he got up. He DID NOT want to get up. Took us about 30 minutes, then I carried him down crying. Right up till he saw this...

Then he stopped. And. Was. HAPPY.

Best Christmas Yet.

Thanksgiving and The Christmas Spirit

Wow, it's been a while!! So here is where we are. Thanksgiving was lame. It always is for me. I am VERY Thankful for all that I have and my family and yada yada yada, but the Holiday itself is just lame to me. I didn't even eat one bit of Turkey at all on Thanksgiving, that's how lame I am! Slayder and I went over to my momma's house and hung out with the family while Sam stayed home and fed all the stragalers that didn't really have a place to go. I was okay with that, really I was. Shoot, if they stayed at my house, that meant I wasn't bringing them to my moms! LoL So Slayder and I had a good time hanging out with the Family, we went to show everyone the new house that my mom just bought, he ate Turkey and the fixins, and played with all his cousins. He had fun. I guess that's whats important right!

And so we come to the Holiday Spirit. I recently found out some not so good info about my health, that has really stepped up my 'Christmas Cheer' I suppose you could say. We've got our tree, it's up and decorated, and the decorations are all up around the house. I know that's not a huge deal to anyone else, who does all that no problem the day after Thanksgiving, but usually we do it like a week before Christmas. I am a Scrooge. Big Time. Was. I am no longer a Scrooge. I am enjoying that Slayder loves the Tree this year, that all's he wanted was to help cut it down, and decorate it, and is totally gaga over the collection of robots (nutcrackers) my grandma gave me this year. He is so easily pleased. That makes me happy too. I'm pretty sure this is going to be the best Christmas yet. Yep, almost positive it is.

His First Real Halloween

His first Real Halloween. I was quite certain he would have nothing to with the whole trick or treating part, but I did think he would love wearing a costume. I was wrong. On both of em. I bought him a Pirate Costume... Ofcourse he said he wanted to be a Pirate because he has a Pirate Dora movie and he is obsessed with it.

Nope. Did NOT want to be a pirate. Did NOT want to be anything for that matter. As far as he was concerned, he was NOT dressing up in and anything and going anywhere. I forced the Pirate outfit on, simply for the pics, and I thought since his big brother and big sister were dressing up too, he would be all excited. NOPE. Exactly 2 minutes after the pictures he tore the costume off and said he was taking a nap. I told him we were going to a Trunk or Treat and that he would get lots of candy... He. Said. NO. So the twins, my cousins and I went!

Then we got to the evening. ((When we are suppose to actually go Trick-or-Treating)). I had run into K-mart for some face paint for the twins and come across the Dino outfit. I figured it would be better than the Pirate, plus he has a Diego Dino movie and is currently obsessed with Dinosaurs. ((See the trend...?)) So I take it home, stuff him in it, and take some pics. Exactly 2 minutes after pictures, he tore it off and said he wasn't wearing it. I'm not sure exactly what his deal is with dressing up? Maybe it's the whole, he prefers to be naked thing. I mean, why would he want more clothes on to just have to take off when he decides it's naked time? I guess I can see his point.

I put his costume back on and snapped a quick shot of him and his cute little cousin Jordyn ((She LOVED her costume!), and then off we go.

He was chewing gum (it's the one thing that makes him quit crying), when he went up to the first house...

He got to the door...

The lady put a piece of candy in his pumpkin...

He turned around spit his gum in my hand and said...

"MOMMA! I GOT CANDY!"

It was over from there.

He did really good leaving the candy in the bucket till the end, and at one point I yelled at the older kids for leaving the younger kids behind, but once Jordyn and Slayder (both 2) realized what was happening, they were leaving the big kids in the dust.

I'm glad he liked it. Plus, he forgot he had on that stupid costume... until we get back to the truck!

A Haircut...

Have you ever noticed how, when it comes to your kid(s), you would basically cut your arm off and hand it to them if they needed it? There is no love, like the way you love your child. That brings me to, WHY DO THEY HAVE TO GROW SO DARN FAST?? I got Slayder a haircut this past weekend... and NOW he looks like a little man. WHO DOES THAT? When it's longer, he looks more like a baby, more like he should look. Forever. (If it were up to me ofcourse)! But then I tried to give him a mohawk, and boy that didn't turn out for me... lol Either way, he ended up with a reverse mullet and I had to take him to get it fixed... PRONTO! I mean, I'm all for the mullet, if that's how you wanna wear your hair, but for my boy? Nah! and Reverse, NO NO NO! I had me one of those once... and I liked it! lol

Here are some before, mullet, and after pics...

These were all taken within a week of eachother. Yet to me, they look like 3 totally different boys! Right!? Wow.

It Kills Me...

Ya know, sometimes I wanna just wake up in the morning and not worry about what time it is. I want to roll over, look at the clock and say 'shoot, it's only 8:30', don't have anywhere to be today! I want Slayder to wake me up when he gets up and climbs in my bed to 'cuddle' and watch 'hanny manny', as he calls it. However, that is NOT how it goes. Okay, for 2 morning a week, that is how it goes... but the other mornings go something like this:

• 6:09am - hit the snooze
• 6:18am - hit the snooze
• 6:27am - shit, I'm going to be late.
• 6:30am - Get me up, brush teeth, throw on clothes
• 6:35am - Get slayder up, put him on the couch (where he tries to stay asleep)
• 6:36am - Get stuff around for day
• 6:38am - Get Slayder dressed (as HE SCREAMS) and get out the door
• 6:48am - Turn onto McDevitt street in Vandercook to Slayder saying 'me no go to Aunt Casey's today mommy, me stay with you.'
• 6:49am - Explain to him for the 1,000,000th time that mommy has to go to work and that I will be back to get him when I'm done. He says 'no go work today mommy, please...'

It absolutely breaks my heart. Like seriously, a small piece of me dies each day. I am waiting for the day, I can be like... wait, I won't have to be like anything, cause we'll be snugglin in bed watchin Dora climb a mountain with her helpful little backpack!

Anyone who gets to be a stay at home mom, appreciate it, because some of us aren't that fortunate!