Survival Mode - TDY day 2

At 7am my alarm and Elizabeth's went off and woke M. Being tired from the night before I hit the snooze once before getting up. By the time I got to M (about 10 minutes later) he was already a bit of a wreck. He was better (since he got a great night's sleep) but crying already. The crying, however, had nothing to do with being sleepy and more to do with being wet and knocking his mattress off his bed again. I guess the diaper trick just wasn't enough but its only the second time in about 1.5 weeks that I've had to change the bedding. Much better than daily!

He was very helpful and removed the sheets before I got there. Less work for Mommy! Notice the wetness going up the back of his shirt? The whole right side of him was soaked. Even though that spot was very wet, the rest of him wasn't, which is an improvement. Normally its a head to toe type of soaking. 

After he left the room, still grumpy from his uncomfortable awakening and having to change into clothes immediately (he prefers to be lazy in pajamas) he walked into the living room, right into the nice surprise one of the cats left for us (don't worry, no pictures!) 

So today became about just getting through it with as little drama as possible! When his sister left for school he wanted to go out. 8am walk for 20 minutes, stop by the park for an hour and another walk home?? SURE! It was chilly but he wasn't complaining! That's what fleece-lined pants and jackets are for!

He wasn't thrilled with the park swings though. They are higher up than the ones at home so his feet couldn't touch the mulch to stop himself. After a couple pushes he wanted to be done and head back to the slides. 

When it was time to go back home he wasn't happy at all. But he was getting to the point where going up the steps seemed to be taking a lot of effort and he only wanted to go down the one slide that was still flooded with water from our weekend rain. He pouted the entire way home.

But it's such a cute pout!! 

After we came back home we got Daddy on Skype! Yay! When Matt was deployed last time the biggest reaction we got on skype or the phone was Michael giggling when he heard his Daddy. This time around he is a little more aware. At first, when he heard his voice, he just giggled and ran around. Then Daddy called "go go go" which is what he says when he is chasing Michael around. It triggered an immediate response and Michael ran the circle around our kitchen and living room. He'd stop by the couch and wait to hear the next "go" then run again. After awhile he joined me at the couch to listen to Matt some more. He was playing bashful, smiling but burying his face against me. He'd sneak at peek at Matt now and then and then hide again. Finally he really made some eye contact and started being silly with Daddy. He was copying the motions Matt was making with his mouth, clapping with my assistance while Daddy was. It was great. Then he tried to find Daddy. He kept looking behind the monitor. When the call was over he was a big grump, wanting more time with Daddy. 

To calm M, I attempted lunch. Meals are tricky on a good day but on a grumpy day they can be awful. So I just kept trying different things. Cheetos, mashed potatoes and cinnamon rolls with some grape Kool-Aid. If that's what it takes...go for it!

Happy boy now! 

There was no nap again today but he did calmly lay in his room for about an hour. It seemed to make him happier, rested. He sat back down at the table for afternoon snack and I gave him the rest of his uneaten Cheetos. Instead of eating them he turned them into a game! I was too thrilled with his deep concentration that I wasn't going to stop him. 

He lined them up, sorted them into piles or different bowls and stacked them. It wasn't until now, 2 hours and one outside playtime later, that is he actually eating them. 

When his sister got home from school we all went outside. She tried to get some homework done while laying on the grass and M and I played chase. After awhile he needed his sister to help with the game!

Daddy even called while we were outside and got to hear the giggles. 

Dinner went off without a hitch. Elizabeth had a lasagna meal she had picked out awhile ago and forgotten about. For Michael I gave him more mashed potatoes and chicken. Neither kid finished their plate so their leftovers were my dinner. Okay, maybe not the healthiest way to go about it but there was no rejection and no fits! He is now calmly running his nighttime laps around the kitchen/dining room and winding down for bed.

He took his meds and got ready for bed like a pro. Here's a picture of the overnight diaper and the plastic undies over them. He looks so thrilled to have them on huh? :) That's Daddy Bear on the dresser. We decided to use it for the bedtime routine since Daddy is working night shift and won't be able to call. So far, so good though. He is quiet in bed, hanging out with his favorite seahorse toy.

Tomorrow should be uneventful. He has school in the AM, a doctors appointment then we'll head to Liz's tennis. Hopefully Sunday was the only crazy day!