So, anyone with kids can probably confirm that it really isn't the "terrible two's", but rather the "terrible three's". Zachary turned 3 at the end of May, and he has hit it will full force. Warning: the following information may offend you and may cause you to question my parenting skills.
About a week after celebrating his big day (and it has been his birthday just about every day since then according to him), baby Avery was born. Now, while preparing Zachary for the arrival of Avery, I would tell him there was a baby in my belly and soon she was going to be out and we could hold her. His response, "I HIT her." "Oh no," I would say, "we don't hit babies, we love them." "No I HIT her." Great. I knew that I would have to keep the baby up on high surfaces out of reach for at least her first year. However, once she came, Zachy softened and has shown nothing but love and affection toward her.
So where did all this aggression go that he was once directing at the baby while she was still safe and tucked away in my belly? I'll tell you where it went, directed toward me or anything else that gets in his way. He recently said he wants to hit God, while we were saying our prayers. He has been (lovingly) nicknamed "the beast" (which we do not call to his face by the way so don't worry). He is so strong willed that I often find myself at a loss as to how to even respond. If he does not want to do what you have asked him he SCREAMS, "NOOOOOO" at the top of his lungs. At the beginning of the summer, I signed him up for preschool. He was to go 2 days a week for about 2 hours a day starting in September. Now, at the time when I signed him up, he was not potty trained. I figured I would work on it over the summer. And so we began. The first day, we went through all the underwear in 2 hours. I figured we try again the next day. Same thing. Day 3, same thing, and this time he would run around soaking wet and wouldn't even care. With the throes of a newborn coupled with the exhaustion of changing underwear and constant sitting on the potty, I said "forget this." So...(insert gasp and bad mommy pointing here) he is still in diapers. And so, he is not going to preschool. I decided to withdraw him because he just didn't seem ready - not only with the potty training, but just overall. He is a bit of a loose cannon and I didn't want his first school experience to be negative, so I'm hoping the year of maturing will make a big difference. I was really worried I'd hear "NOOOOOOO" coming from the school room.
Above you will see him laying nicely at his very first dentist visit ever. He had a great time rinsing and spitting, and picking out a new toothbrush. Things were great, except....they found 2 cavities (insert another gasp and bad mommy pointing here). I immediately began scanning in my mind how much juice he drinks, how much candy he eats, and began to defend my case to the dentist. He told me that his bottom 2 molars have unusually deep wells in them and that it was probably hard to really brush there, hence the cavities. I felt a bit releived, until he began explaining that he would have to fill them and would have to use novacaine, which could only be done if he was given the nitrous oxide first to relax him. So, we made the appointment. It was for about a week after the baby came home. Dan took him, and came home about 20 minutes later. "That was fast!" I said, "Oooooh, no," Dan replied. He wouldn't even let them touch him. Granted I don't think coming at a 3 year old with a "gas mask" and expecting him to sit there and breath deeply is really a feasible way to go about it. So they rescheduled for another time. I took him the second time and tried desperately to get him to cooperate. "NOOOOOOOOOO!" After the dentist, seemingly annoyed, suggested we go to a pediatric dentist, the damage had already been done. Zachy announced he never wants to go to the dentist again. And he really means it. He now has 2 very black holes drilling down into his molars. I am so proud, and can't wait until we see the pediatric dentist. Good times.
He did enjoy our trip to the mountains. As you can see above he was ready to take on the wild while sitting around the campfire. He enjoyed feeding Santa's reindeer at Santa's Village, however refused to sit on Santa's lap to tell him what he wanted for Christmas. "He'll just get me some toys," was his response, after the "NOOOOOOO!" to sitting on his lap. And, as stated in a previous blog, he obtained 2 guns while on our vacation - strategically placed next to him while roasting marshmallows.
Over the summer, he has taken a particular liking to Scooby Doo. He watches these movies to no end and below he is telling a ghost story about the "Yowie Yahoo" Vampire on one of his videos. Again, some may gasp and point at the fact that I let him watch scary movies. Whatev.
The other day, he wanted to watch his Scooby tape. I said, "No, right now we are getting ready to eat lunch, maybe later this afternoon." He didn't like that, "NOOOOOOOOOO!" I should insert here that even with all the no's I try very hard to stick to my guns and be consistent with what I have said. I refuse to give into his pleas and do not condone that behavior. So, after I said "no" to Scoob, he grabbed his plastic golf clubs and began smashing them on the stairs. I knelt down and told him he was going to break them and would not have them anymore if he continued. He continued. I walked away. The Fed Ex man stopped to deliver a package. He walked up on the porch, where only the screen door was open and looked in to see a raving 3 year old smashing his golf clubs by himself on the staircase. What a site that must have been. Zachy saw him, froze, and ran and hid. Below is the remains of the set - which is now in the trash like I told him would happen.
So, to recap, I'm not winning any mother of the year awards with him. He's often so strong willed, I don't know what to do. He threatened to hit the baby, which he thankfully (I guess) has since redirected toward me or other playmates - or God. He is still in diapers. He has 2 very bad cavities. He watches movies about vampires, zombies, and ghosts. He plays with guns. He screams "NOOOOOOO!" at least a dozen times a day. He smashes golf clubs in front of delivery men. Oh, I didn't mention this above, but he still sleeps in a crib (mostly b/c it's the only thing that I can control with him - and I just don't have the energy to keep putting him in bed).
Above you will see him laying nicely at his very first dentist visit ever. He had a great time rinsing and spitting, and picking out a new toothbrush. Things were great, except....they found 2 cavities (insert another gasp and bad mommy pointing here). I immediately began scanning in my mind how much juice he drinks, how much candy he eats, and began to defend my case to the dentist. He told me that his bottom 2 molars have unusually deep wells in them and that it was probably hard to really brush there, hence the cavities. I felt a bit releived, until he began explaining that he would have to fill them and would have to use novacaine, which could only be done if he was given the nitrous oxide first to relax him. So, we made the appointment. It was for about a week after the baby came home. Dan took him, and came home about 20 minutes later. "That was fast!" I said, "Oooooh, no," Dan replied. He wouldn't even let them touch him. Granted I don't think coming at a 3 year old with a "gas mask" and expecting him to sit there and breath deeply is really a feasible way to go about it. So they rescheduled for another time. I took him the second time and tried desperately to get him to cooperate. "NOOOOOOOOOO!" After the dentist, seemingly annoyed, suggested we go to a pediatric dentist, the damage had already been done. Zachy announced he never wants to go to the dentist again. And he really means it. He now has 2 very black holes drilling down into his molars. I am so proud, and can't wait until we see the pediatric dentist. Good times.
He did enjoy our trip to the mountains. As you can see above he was ready to take on the wild while sitting around the campfire. He enjoyed feeding Santa's reindeer at Santa's Village, however refused to sit on Santa's lap to tell him what he wanted for Christmas. "He'll just get me some toys," was his response, after the "NOOOOOOO!" to sitting on his lap. And, as stated in a previous blog, he obtained 2 guns while on our vacation - strategically placed next to him while roasting marshmallows.
Over the summer, he has taken a particular liking to Scooby Doo. He watches these movies to no end and below he is telling a ghost story about the "Yowie Yahoo" Vampire on one of his videos. Again, some may gasp and point at the fact that I let him watch scary movies. Whatev.
The other day, he wanted to watch his Scooby tape. I said, "No, right now we are getting ready to eat lunch, maybe later this afternoon." He didn't like that, "NOOOOOOOOOO!" I should insert here that even with all the no's I try very hard to stick to my guns and be consistent with what I have said. I refuse to give into his pleas and do not condone that behavior. So, after I said "no" to Scoob, he grabbed his plastic golf clubs and began smashing them on the stairs. I knelt down and told him he was going to break them and would not have them anymore if he continued. He continued. I walked away. The Fed Ex man stopped to deliver a package. He walked up on the porch, where only the screen door was open and looked in to see a raving 3 year old smashing his golf clubs by himself on the staircase. What a site that must have been. Zachy saw him, froze, and ran and hid. Below is the remains of the set - which is now in the trash like I told him would happen.So, to recap, I'm not winning any mother of the year awards with him. He's often so strong willed, I don't know what to do. He threatened to hit the baby, which he thankfully (I guess) has since redirected toward me or other playmates - or God. He is still in diapers. He has 2 very bad cavities. He watches movies about vampires, zombies, and ghosts. He plays with guns. He screams "NOOOOOOO!" at least a dozen times a day. He smashes golf clubs in front of delivery men. Oh, I didn't mention this above, but he still sleeps in a crib (mostly b/c it's the only thing that I can control with him - and I just don't have the energy to keep putting him in bed).However, all that to say, is that he is the most delicious, cuddly, funny, handsome boy that I know. I know he is responding to all the changes in the house with the new baby and such. Despite all his toughness, he is soft underneath it all. He loves to cuddle with me, and yells from the other room, "Mommy!" "What?" "I love you." He melts me like no other.
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