Misha - One more Jackson

Oh, my gosh! I’ve so had it! This is totally not so much about Misha as it is me and being exhausted with the 24 hour care and no breaks for the past 3 days. This is so freakin’ hard! We had a wonderful afternoon at the mall. She’s feeling better, been on her antibiotics for 2 days now, hasn’t had a fever for 2 days, so I figured it was fine to get out of the house. She was begging me to take her to the mall. So strange that it started at 2 that she wanted to go to the mall. Ok, not that strange since I started it as a joke. I didn’t realize it could turn into something not so funny.

We had a wonderful time at the mall. We stopped by Molly Cuddles and I bought her her birthday doll. She was so cute and made me so proud as she listened to the doctor give her instructions for caring for her adopted baby. We gave her a bath, got her birth certificate, they got matching hospital bracelets and she had to sign her name saying she would take good care of her new baby. She even got to borrow a stroller to take inside  the mall. We decided to take her new baby to have some ice cream. It was adorable. But, then the melt down started to brew. I could feel it and we exited the mall with a number of warnings and only a few whines. I considered taking her straight home and if she wasn’t asleep, getting into our bed and letting her fall asleep to TV again. But, luckily, she fell asleep on the way home. Ahhhhh…some peace and quiet. I thought I’d get an hour and 15 minutes of uninterrupted time. But, of course not. She woke up 30 minutes later crying. When I tried to comfort her, she wiggled and squirmed in my arms on the couch. Now, looking back, I suppose I could have tried to take her back to bed. However, history has shown that when she’s not feeling well and we’re watching TV, she’ll curl up on the couch with me or Michael and sleep longer. But, not the case today. The day I REALLY need a break. Today, I got to listen to her whine and cry and complain and not communciate for an hour. I finally told her that Mommy needed a time out, which made her go into even more histerics.

It’s just been hard not sleeping well because she doesn’t feel good and the fact that when she cough’s at night in my bed, I jump up with fear that she’s going to throw up on me, so I’m not sleeping that well. Plus, she wakes up 2-3 times per night. I’m not used to this night time routine. It’s been since she was a baby that I got my sleep interrupted like this.

What is it with turning three? It’s like the day she turned three she became this more difficult child. Did I mention how much this sucks? I’ve been frantically reading Love and Logic and thank goodness for that book! It sure has taught me some new ways to handle her without yelling or screaming or spanking. But, sometimes, you just feel like blowing up! I sooooo can’t wait until Michael gets home. I’ll be like. Love you honey, gotta go get a message and a Starbucks. Good luck with your daughter! Chow!

So, I got the pleasure of waking up a 2nd day in a row to Misha throwing up on me -  at four in the morning. However, this time I think it was my fault. I was so tired and she was complaining that her head hurt, so I gave her some Tylenol in the dark and I think I might have made her gag, which made her throw up on me.

I have this new found appreciation for single parents, parents that spend 24 hours a day with their children, and parents of sick children especially with more than one child. I bow down before you. This is freakin’ hard! This is teaching me a number of things. Like how to have more patience than I’ve ever had. Like, not beating myself up because I let her fall asleep watching TV last night, for nap today and tonight for bed. She’s sick, I’m a single parent right now and sometimes you just gotta do what’s easiest to save everyone’s insanity. I’m sure Michael would not approve, so there’s no need to voluntarily share that information with him. Mums the word unless directly asked. �

So, I woke up today with Misha throwing up on me. That sucked. She had a fever last night and a runny nose since Wednesday. She also threw up 3 more times this morning. Michael’s in Moab, so the lucky dog get’s to miss this episode. Did I mention this stinks! Gotta run, Misha needs me.

Today is Misha’s 3rd Birthday and we had to cancel the party. Misha started not feeling well on Tuesday, but then started feeling better towards the end of the week. We then found out that her friend Ian had strep, which she was exposed to on Wednesday. Since she still had a wet cough and said her throat hurt, we thought it best to cancel and check with the doctor to see if she has strep throat. The good news is that she doesn’t have strep, the bad news is that she has her first ear infection. So, she’s on Amoxicillian.

We decided to postpone the birthday until Thursday during play group. Luckily Misha doesn’t know the difference. But, I have to admit, it was a bit of a let down. Happily, my parents aren’t as worried about getting sick. I think my mom probably cried when I left her the message about the birthday being postponed. The thought of not being able to see her grand daughter on her birthday when my mom now lives in town, probably took her to tears. Heck, if they don’t mind, we certainly don’t mind. It was wonderful to have them here on her birthday. However, you can tell she’s 3. She’s a lot attitude. We let her slide on some things because it was her birthday, but the discipline train is right around the corner. Ugh…the discipline train…that just means more work for the parents.

The best part of the day was when Michael brought home a kite. Neither of us had bought her a present since we knew she was having a party. I had planned on buying her a doll at Molly Cuddles, a baby store in the Mall where when you bring your baby into the store after you buy her, you can borrow their strollers and take them in the mall. Sounds so silly, but Misha LOVES going in there and playing with all the dolls. I like it too because she is entertained for more than 2 minutes without needing her parents.

Anyways, back to the kite flying. It was so fun. This was Misha’s first time flying a kite and she acted like a total natural. Like she’s been doing this for years. It was so freakin’ cute. Then, my mom and dad showed up and it was a dream come true. It’s so neat to have them in town. My mom even ran with the kite! It turned out to be a great day.

It’s funny how the small things in life we find amazing. Misha has been potty trained for a few months now. Today, she was taking a nap and she got up from her nap, went into the bathroom, peed and then went back to her room and fell back to sleep. Wow! Both Michael and I were amazed. Ahhhhh….the simple things in life you find amazing.

Misha goes pee pee in the potty regularly, but refuses to go poop. When she was first potty training, she went poop in the potty. But, she got constipated and it hurt when she went. Ever since, she refuses to go #2 in the potty. She went 3 days without pooping. So, we realized we were having some control issues in that department and decided to make a change. We told her that if she needed to go poop poop, she just needed to ask for a diaper and she could poop in her diaper. We sure can’t wait until she decides to go #2 in the toilet.

It’s also amazing that my language has changed to 2 year old speak.

• Mama, I happy too!
• Tako Papa = Thank You Papa
• Ollow Me = Follow Me
• Hast! = Fast!
• Hey! No Eat Me Dos! = Hey! No Eat Me Grass! (She was yelling at the deer in the back yard)
• Owe = Water or Ouch
• One more dis = One more this
• No kiss me, No tuck Papa
• Mama, do mall me? = Mama, go to the mall with me? (Misha’s favorite place to go-such a mama’s girl)
• I wuv woo too = I love you too (My all time favorite)
• Mama push dis duck
• Mommy do
• Me help
• Otay = Okay
• Mama happy? Me happy.
• Me do
• No I not!
• No I not take nap! Me watch tt (TV), and me draw, and watch tt, and more tt.
• Mama, talk me = Mama, talk to me
• Ish = fish, shoes, horse, ears
• Dop talking! Dop! Dop! Dop!
• Ickle me! = Tickle me!
• Me dot dis! = Me got this or I’m sitting in your seat
• Na nu noo nin? = Whatcha doin?
• I know dat = I know that
• I doe hurst = I go first
• Dit Doe = Doo Doo = Crystal
• Dan Dai = Grandad
• Ammy = Grammy
• Mee-nah Dow-wee = Misha Jackson

That’s what I heard at Burlington Coat Factory on Saturday when Misha started running around the store. Maida and I were there with the kids. We were dual parenting, but the other thought they had Misha. And I forgot to mention to Maida that Misha isn’t like the Z-boyz who just sit there quietly looking at toys or books. Misha’s a runner. She’s easily distracted and putting her in the stroller doesn’t seem to make that big of an impact. I guess more discipline is going to be involved in our next trips to the Mall, her favorite place to go.

You know I’m a mom when the title starts out with Pee Pee. Yes, Misha went pee pee in the potty for the first time. She’s been showing signs for a while now, but Michael and I have been procrastinating like something fierce. So, I think Misha is leading us a long the path. I let her run around naked before bedtime and she started showing signs of needing to go, so we rushed to the bathroom and sat on her potty (the potty that used to be mine when I was a toddler and my dad’s when he was a toddler). I remember my friends talking about how they read to their kids when they were sitting on the potty, so I dashed for a book and started to read. I got to the 2^nd page when I heard a tinkling hit the catch tray. Misha and I looked at each other with our mouths open in great surprise. I told her how I was so proud of her and what a great job she did.  Then we called for Papa to come see the big event and shower Misha with praises. She picked out a squirrel sticker for a job well done.

She’s sort of obsessed with this potty thing. Today, at play date, I see her unsnap her pants, pull down her britches, take off her diaper and squat in the middle of the playground. When I asked her what she was doing, she said, “Me poop!” So, I calmly sat next to her, with diaper in hand to catch any poop that might happen upon the play ground.  My friend Lindsey was laughing her head off as payback for me laughing when her son, Diego, pooped on the slide. Luckily, she just squatted, but nothing happened and I was able to convince her put another diaper on. Wouldn’t you know it, I didn’t have any in the diaper bag. Luckily a girlfriend had Misha’s size.

I can’t believe how time flies. Misha is full blown T-W-O. Today was so cute. We went to Target to buy her friend a birthday present and it was nice that we had time to dawdle. I let her walk instead of ride in the cart and she loves to peruse the isles. I know, what 2 year old wouldn’t! We started in the purses and quickly moved to the sunglasses and then she saw the jewelry. It was so dang cute! I turned around and she had a beautiful necklace on, two bracelets dangling from her wrists and sunglasses. Too cute for words! When she was finished playing dress up, she put all items back EXACTLY where they belonged (I didn’t even have to prod her to put them back.) It was such a proud moment for me. Ladies and gentleman! I have a shopper on my hands! A mother’s dream! We then made it over to the shoe isle where she had to put on these bright red sparkly Dorothy shoes. Aunt Crystal put them on her the day before when we were shopping at Target, so Misha had to put them on again. I was going to get them for her, but they didn’t have her size this time. Pooh! It’s so hard not to buy her EVERYTHING she wants or takes an interest in.

After shopping, came bedtime. OMG!!!! Tonight was an especially hard lesson. Misha has such bad eczema, that we have to put cortisone and lotion on her almost EVERY night. It’s very grueling - for ALL of us. Tonight she pitched a complete fit. It was Michael’s night out, so it was difficult to distract her (as that is typically his job during lotion time). She screamed, “No Mommy! No Mommy!” The same words she used when she had her ambulance ride. I had to hold her down and get firm – one of my absolute least favorite things to do as a parent. Ugh! We finally got lotion and jammies on and now she wanted a snack. I offered her an apple or a banana. She didn’t choose either, so I got her some water and we headed for her bedroom. That’s when the shrieking started. She started screaming and crying and saying, “Apple please, apple please”. Ah, what good manners, but I must stick to my guns. She didn’t choose, so no snack tonight. The screaming and begging continued for what seemed like eternity. What killed me most was when she would get close to my face, stop crying and say, “Mommy, apple please?” When I told her she could have one tomorrow, the niceties stopped and she was back to pitching a temper tantrum. I so wanted to give in. It would have been so much easier. But, I was determined to hold strong and attempt at teaching her a lesson. The lesson: make a choice when offered.

I kept reading one of her books aloud and when she pushed it out of my hands, I put it down and closed my eyes. Then, she really started to wail. All of a sudden, I felt her wet, snotty lips touch mine (a game we play – to wake someone, you should kiss them on the lips). It was the absolute sweetest thing and broke my heart when she again said, “Mommy, apple please?” “Girl, why must you do this? This is killing me?” I thought. I still stuck to my guns and then started caressing her and kissing her and she finally cuddled into my arms. Her lovey is my breasts or as she calls them, “boooobies!” She stuck her hand down my shirt and placed her hand on one of my breasts. She then touched my nipple, which she knows I don’t like and we both started to giggle. She then says, “Mommy boobies, me boobies, Papa no boobies.” She totally cracks me up. It’s fun to see that she is catching on to stuff. This is such a fun age. Hard too, but I need to relish in the fun as I know it will be gone in a blink of an eye.

An Intimate Moment with Papa – May 12, 2007
Well, Misha’s back to calling me just Mama. I miss that she no longer calls me Mommy. She hasn’t been around enough kids that call their mom’s mommy, so I’m stuck with Mama for now.  She’s also not as much into Curious George as she has been in the past. She now requests Einstein’s over George and has been doing this consecutively for the past few weeks. She watches entirely too much TV, but it just seems at this age, it’s required for parent sanity.

I’ve also noticed that although Mama rules, there are more special intimate moments with her and Michael. It warms my heart when I see her hugging his neck, running from him as they’re playing the “Tickle, Tickle” game, or when she requests to ride the “horse”. The authentic joy is so contagious.

Misha turned two on April 5. It’s so hard to believe two years have gone by. It just seems like yesterday when she was a baby and we couldn’t wait to throw her in the air. We want to throw her in the air alright, but not always the way we originally intended . She’s getting so much fun and understands so much. She’s not completely talking yet, mostly one word versions, some two word combo’s and one or two three word combo’s. Ah, the joy of language. We’re both really enjoying this minimal verbal language. We can feel what’s to come and recognize we should really enjoy this stage of no talking. It’s only 2-3 years and then you have 50+ years of constant talking.

Well, Misha’s back to calling me just Mama. I miss that she no longer calls me Mommy. She hasn’t been around enough kids that call their mom’s mommy, so I’m stuck with Mama for now. She’s also not as much into Curious George as she has been in the past. She now requests Einstein’s over George and has been doing this consecutively for the past few weeks. She watches entirely too much TV, but it just seems at this age, it’s required for parent sanity.

I’ve also noticed that although Mama rules, there are more special intimate moments with her and Michael. It warms my heart when I see her hugging his neck, running from him as they’re playing the “Tickle, Tickle” game, or when she requests to ride the “horse”. The authentic joy is so contagious.

Two Year Doctor Visit – April 27, 2007
Misha had her two year baby well check up. It went fairly well. She weighs 23-9.6 oz (11^th percentile), her height is 34 ½” (59^th percentile), and her head circumference is 19” (69^th percentile).

At this appointment, we had a new nice nurse, and I was so happy. And then, the annoying and invasive nurse comes swarming in, measure’s Misha’s head without warning (not really a big deal, just invasive), has me put her on the table to measure height, I pick her up and then she takes her from my arms without warning like she’s my best friend. Misha wasn’t upset, so I was like, well ok, but sort of felt “out of sorts” to have a stranger take her out of my arms. She then takes her away from me into the hall, removes her diaper and puts her on the scale, which Misha hates and of course, starts crying for me, “Mama? Mama?” I meet the annoying and invasive nurse half way and she says in a defensive manner, “She was fine until I took off her diaper”. Argh! I told Misha I wouldn’t let that happen again. It wasn’t like it was soooo traumatic, but I’ve had problems with this nurse before, I don’t really like her beside manner, she is the one that gives Misha her shots, and she diminishes my experience. Ugh!

I was so proud of Misha. She was a model patient (not counting the annoying and invasive nurse). She has been watching Curious George at the doctor’s so I think that helped. Not to mention the week prior, Michael and I were both sick and went to the doctor’s together, which we have NEVER done. This was the first all family doctor visit. Misha was able to watch me and then Michael get checked over by the doctor. So, while we were waiting for the pediatrician, Dr. Dawson, Misha kept asking me to check her ears and asking for a flavored tongue depressor. I told her that we’d have to wait for the doctor to do that. So, when Dr. Dawson came in she said, “ears?” I didn’t even have to hold her like I usually do when the Dr. checks out her ears. Then, she asked for the tongue depressor, which the Dr. obliged. I mentioned how she’s been watching people at the doctor’s lately and how she likes to use the knee thing that checks your reflexes, so the Dr. pulled that out too. And while the Dr. was listening to her heart, she sat as still as could be, with the most intrigued look on her face. It was simply adorable.

However, the Dr. said she heard a heart murmur and recommended that we go see a cardiologist. She said it was probably nothing to be worried about that she’d probably grow out of it, but when she hears a murmur, she always refers patients out.

Heart Murmur – May 2, 2007
We went to see the cardiologist and everything’s fine. She does actually have two heart murmurs, can’t remember their names. I was waiting in anticipation, so all I heard was, “She has two heart murmurs, rara, rara, rara, that’s normal and I don’t need to see you again.”

So, clean bill of health! Whew! They did an EKG and then the Doctor ordered an Ecko Cardio Gram, which was interesting to see her heart beat. It’s basically an ultrasound of the heart. She did really great. She just laid there watching Sesame Street until the end where she started squirming. I was a little nervous when Michael asked if the nurse saw anything that might be of concern and her response was that it wouldn’t be ethical for her to comment. We both looked at each other like, “Oh god”. We’ve had tons of ultrasounds and the nurses have always given us some sort of info. After the Ecko, we had to wait in the waiting room and I went into the bathroom and for a split second got really freaked out and could of easily broken down (probably due to lack of sleep). But, I didn’t. I pulled myself together, gave myself a pep talk about how ridiculous it is to get worked up before you know the results, vowed if they were bad that I would try to hold it together, marched out there and got the good news.

Full On Two - May 5, 2007
Yesterday, Misha got into EVERYTHING. It was just one of those days where you couldn’t take your eye off her for more than 10 seconds, literally. As I was putting laundry in the washing machine, Misha high tailed it into our bedroom. From the time it took me to finish emptying the basket of already presorted, ready to wash clothes into the machine and add Downey, Misha had opened the bottom drawer, used it as a stool to get to the counter, where she found my finger nail polish. As I turned the corner, she had it opened and was putting polish on her nails. I saw a large maroon dot of polish on our white carpet. Doh! And, of course Misha had it all over her hands.

As if I didn’t learn my lesson the first time, we decided to paint our nails later in the day. I made sure all the lids were securely tight and since I would be sitting there, didn’t think it would be a problem if she played with them as I have let her do so in the past. Until….she was able to open one and had pink polish all over the place, including the couch. Double Doh!!!! However, I did learn my lesson….No more playing with polish…period. And, the jeans weren’t a total loss. I turned them into shorts.

The brown stuff running down her pink onesie is coffee. While I was in the bathroom, she made a b-line to the kitchen. Pulled down the dishwasher, stood on it to reach the counter and drank the remainder of my coffee. As she puts it down, she says, “mmmmmmm”. I think she’ll be a coffee drinker. Go figure.