mother's day pictures

Responsibility chart

Joseph has been a good helper since he was first introduced to the concept of helping mommy by putting small items of clothing in the dryer for her. He does help 'at will' though. And does not always obey mommy and daddy when they ask him to do something. At two and a half, it is time for some training.
This saturday we went to ToysRus where they had a birthday party for Thomas the tank engine. It was not as well organized or elaborate as I had hoped, but one of the main atractions was the chance to play with some of the engines on a train table. Joseph has discovered the joys of Thomas and has become rather enamoured with the idea of owning all eight engines that are mentioned in the Thomas song. Currently he is missing Gordon, Edward and Henry, and at the store he was allowed to play with Gordon and drive him all over the extensive tracks.
I appprove of Thomas since it's a simple, wooden train set which stimulates fantasy, the lessons from the books and episodes on tv are nice and the trains work with the generic brand tracks. Still, that does not mean that Joseph should get every train he wants just because he wants it, right?
Ever since last saturday though, Joseph keeps asking for Gordon, insisting we go in the car and go to the store for Gordon. I keep explaining to him that things in the store cost money and that daddy works very hard for that money and we should not want everything we see. But of course, that is a lot to understand.
So.. I decided to let Joseph earn Gordon with his very own chore chart. A quick google search gave me this website which has a responsibility chart for young children: http://www.freeprintablebehaviorcharts.com/daily%20routines.htm.
Joseph needs to help mommy dress him, go down nicely for nap and bedtime, pick up his toys and be nice to his brother (I changed that last one from the chart since he doesn't have much oportunity to share his toys yet).
So, after printing the chart I tried to explain Joseph the goal. The chart is on the fridge and each time he does something right, he can earn a sticker on which mommy draws a smiley face. At first he seemed more interested in the stickers than anything else. When he had been helping mommy to dress him and mommy drew the first sticker, Joseph asked for the sticker to be put on his arm. I obliged and drew another one for on the calendar. Then with much fanfare the first sticker was put on the calendar.
Half an hour later, while eating some blueberries, Joseph asked for Gordon again. I told him he would have to earn Gordon and explained the system once more of the chart. This time a light went on.... because the next thing Joseph did was taking the sticker off his arm, going to the chart and very precisely put that sticker next to the previously earned one...

Should I be proud of his inventivity? OR afraid he will grow up trying to cheat any system. Oh help... he might become a politician!

Craft basket wednesday..

I do not have a picture available, unfortunately, but in the short period that Michael's colick seemed to have abated, I did manage a mini embroidery project: I finished a trefoil (three cornered celtic knot that symbolizes the trinity) on a napkin. I still want to additional stitches. At first I thought some shamrocks.. but now I want something more easter like, or maybe just a border.

The next project that I am lining up in my mind (as my hands and arms are otherwise occupied these days) is a small embroidery on a sheet for the baby's bed. I am considering a redwork style embroidery (though not in actual red) but I am not yet certain of what the subject will be. And I would love to make some redwork embroidery for Joseph as well, preferably of a train...

Update

I wish I could say that the fact I am posting here now and again means that we are over the worst of the colic, but unfortunately it doesn't. However Michael's schedule has somewhat changed and he only falls asleep for his nap during the last half hour of his brothers nap. Which means that it really doesn't pay for me to actually lay down, because by the time I fall asleep.. I need to get up again. Luckily, in general (not counting last night) I get enough sleep during the night to make this lack of a nap not pleasant, but doable. An it gives me half an hour of computer time.
I still ask for your prayers for strength, physical strength too, because Michael who was born at 8 pounds 13 ounces, needs to be carried all day and my muscles are starting to cramp. I use a carrier part of the time, but that doesn't work when he is cramping, then only one position (up against the shoulder). I have another doctor's appointment tomorrow. I have not had any dairy (aside from one slip up) in about 5 weeks. There was a brief period in which things seemed to go better, but the last week has been harder on my poor boy again. The cold that his older brother brought home probably didn't help...

Memories....

Some time ago.. months.. maybe even a year, I read a blogpost in which somebody recommended an author. The blogpost specifically said that if you liked Frances Hodgson Burnett, this was the author for you! As Burnett is one of my favorite authors I took note, but... did not write down the name. And.. did not bookmark the post aparently. Now I have NO idea which blog, who it was.. and I am still curious to try out this mystery author.
Since I often read blogposts from people who read my own blog... *L* Does anybody remember writing this, or making this recommendation? Or.. since we often share the same interests and I am certain part of the blogs we read overlap... does anybody remember in which blog I could have read this?

Update

Michael is five weeks old tomorrow. He still is a better sleeper most nights than Joseph is, for which I am profoundly grateful. Unfortunately Michael has digestive troubles. No matter what I eat or do not eat, despite baby zantac, gasdrops, gripe water, slings, baby massage, baths, moving legs up and down and so on... Michael screams. He screams a lot. He screams several hours a day.
By now, all the good advice from friends who have been there and done that has come to... 'You just have to wait it out, he WILL grow out of it eventually'. I will readily admit that I wish 'eventually' came with a date. This would be so much more manageable if you knew: ok... it will only last x more weeks... or months... then it is over. Even if x was a number larger than you wanted it to be, you would have an end goal in sight. Instead, we just have to wait and pray.

In the mean time, I can only walk him, try to calm Joseph when he yells "stop screaming, Michael" and ask him to say "Bless you, little brother" instead. Joseph has eagerly adopted the new phrase, though he hasn't given up the "stop screaming!!!!" preferably yelled at the top of his lungs, adding to the already deafening noise. Sometimes I feel like yelling it myself, especially after midnight when I am walking the floor with him. Instead I train myself to say "Bless your little heart, Michael" whenever I want to tell him myself to stop screaming.
While I am still looking for a solution, I have sort of accepted that this is our new reality until he does grow out of it. I just pray for the patience to deal with every day in it's turn and I hope that the number of weeks till he grows out of whatever prompts this crying will be small.

Please pray for me?

When we came home with Michael I was the most happy and grateful woman in the world. The C section had gone better than I expected, I was healing very well, I had lots of help and Michael seemed like a sleepy baby.
Ten days later, Michael has two modes: sleeping and screaming while trying to either pass gas or pooping. I've tried the gas drops, we've done gripe water...
In ten more days, my mother is going home. Joseph who at first adored his brother is getting crazy of the crying and all wound up and I am even more so. Please, if you could storm the heavens with prayers that this will pass before my mom goes home, I would be so grateful.