Reconditioning

I did it! Today I made it through an entire day without watching a single episode of Blue's Clues or Sesame Street!

I used to be so good about limiting Wesley's "screen time." We didn't even have a TV until Christmas so it wasn't that hard to not let him watch TV... He does of course love a good YouTube video. Anyway, even after we got a TV we still rarely turned it on. Then the farther I got into pregnancy, the less energy I had to play with Wesley and keep him engaged in better activities. I started letting him watch more shows out of necessity more than anything.

Once baby Reese showed up, I knew Wesley would need something distracting and engaging that didn't involve me so that I could nurse her. Here's a pretty standard conversation between Wesley and me:

Me: Wesley, Reese needs to drink her Mommy Milk now. Would you like to watch Blue's Clues?
Wesley: Treat.
One time I gave him fruit snacks during his BluesClues and now he asks for it every time. This one time I was also trying to get him to leave Eric's office door and he was in the heat of a tantrum. What can you do?
Me: No, not a treat just Blues Clues.
Wesley: Yeah Baloo-kloos

Then it got to where if I sat down with Reese and a burp cloth, Wesley would say, "Reesey Mommy Milk. Watch Blue Clues."
sigh. What have I done? (Some days I wish I could just go back to not having a TV. It really was easier in a lot of ways).

This is one of the many things I inadvertently conditioned him to do. (As a result of all the road trippin we did last summer he's still conditioned to want a cracker anytime we drive anywhere). So now I need to figure out how to un-condition him. Did Pavlov ever get those dogs to STOP drooling at the sound of the bell? That's what I need to know.

I've mostly been trying redirection whenever he asks for Blues Clues or Elmo Show (Sesame Street). So when I sit down to nurse Reese I'll say something like, "Where did your monster truck go?" Sometimes he'll respond with, "No! BlueClues!" but sometimes he'll smile, put his hands out, and say, "Monna truck go?" And then run off to find it.

He used to play with his vast collection of toy cars every morning. As soon as he was done with his cereal he would get the box of cars and line them all up on the arms of the sofa, slowly drive them around inspecting the movement of the wheels, and rearranging them. I honestly don't know how/why he's so fascinated with that. I sorta get bored when I try to play cars with him. Anyway, the past few weeks he's barely played with the cars at all and instead spent all his time either watching Blues Clues or begging to watch. Or begging for treats. That kid has a sweet tooth like none other. But that's another topic...

So today was a tiny triumph. I made it an entire day without turning on the TV or computer for a single show. I have to thank Music Makers and Costco for filling our day so I didn't have so much time at home to redirect. Here's hoping I can stick to my goal of putting an end to my lazy parenting and getting Wesley back into cars, books, and bugs like a good boy should be.

I think I used to be kinda smart once...

Even though I am used to be blonde, I've always prided myself on not being an airheady blonde. I had a friend growing up that was truly airheaded. Her blondey mishaps were always hilarious, but I was glad it wasn't me. Case in point: We were at a party once drinking lemonade out of dixie cups. She needed to pull her beautiful blonde hair (she did have great hair) back into a pony tail so she held on to the dixie cup (filled with lemonade mind you) between her teeth while she did this. Then she flipped her head over to put her pony tail up, dumping lemonade all over her face. It still makes me laugh, years later. I never understood how she could have forgotten that she was holding a cup of lemonade in her teeth after only a few seconds of placing it there.

Flash forward to now. Ever since Reesey was born, I have felt like a total airhead. Really, airhead is the perfect word to describe me right now. I feel like I can't think of anything clever to say, complete a sentence, or carry on a conversation. Eric has to explain simple concepts to me over and over. Its embarrassing. I mean, pretty sure I have a college degree-- I shouldn't be as dumb as I am right now.

A friend pointed out that I can probably attribute my newfound idiocy to lack of sleep. I think she's right. This week I've gotten even less sleep than usual thanks to Wesley's unsolved mystery fever (I thought it was probably teething but there are no signs of those 2 year molars and the fever is gone... weird), and I had a seriously airheaded moment tonight.

Tonight as I was taking my shower, I accidentally started washing my face with hair conditioner. Somehow, in the few seconds between when I squeezed the bottle of conditioner into my hand and when my hands moved towards my head, I had forgotten what I was doing and figured it must be time to wash my face. It didn't take me long to realize I'd messed something up. So I was laughing to myself, recognizing I needed more sleep, and reflecting on how dumb I've become as I finished up my shower. I went to turn off the water when I realized I'd only washed my hair and face and not the rest of me. Pretty sure the bar of soap is one of the most essential tasks of the shower... how did I miss that step?

Wow. Please excuse me, I'm going to go fold my college diploma into a paper airplane now to try to impress my toddler.

She's Here!

Reese Marie Avarell

Born Wednesday March 16, 2011 at 7:30 a.m.

7 lbs 10.5 oz   20.25 inches