The Ins and outs of Toddler life

Since Clark has become a Toddler (I feel like he became a Toddler once he got those molars at about 15 months) I have become fasinated by him.  I mean he has always been fun to watch as he grows but there is something that is so fun about this age that he is in now.  I see Gemma growing as a baby, squawking, cooing, generally being a sweet baby girl, and then her "Toddler" walks into the room and she lights up.  He genuinely makes her laugh, and he seems just as fascinated by her.

Back to Mr.C though. Lately I've loved watching him eat.  He can be really fussy one day and then the next day he is stealing broccoli off of my plate (he takes after me in that regard).  The little bites of food, and the occasional dancing in his chair, the way he takes his time to figure out what he wants to eat.  I get frustrated at times when he won't eat certain things, but other times I sit back and just watch as my little boy eats his food, bit by bit and stops once in a while to ask for more of something.  He hangs out by the fridge a LOT, grazing on food all day, grabbing whichever food he sees in there that catches his eye, occasionally looking up and beyond eye level and seeing his favourite fruit just out of reach, he points and asks for it.

Now when I say "asks for it" I don't mean that he talks, he mumbles, a lot.  He doesn't have a lot of real words yet, he says "Blue, boat, choo choo (train), mama, dada, yes, no, truck, read" and a few others but I'm not trying to get too concerned about his unwillingness to talk.  He clearly understands me, he will make the same noises as we do (when we say Gemma he say Mmm Mma) but it seems like a lot of people keep getting into the habit of telling me he should be "talking by now".  I'm not sure at what point I need to be truely concerned, but I just have to wonder why people think that "He should be talking, he should be potty trained, he should be in a big boy bed etc" by now.  I dont know if he needs to be fully talking or speaking sentences, my pediatrician said to come back in 6 months (after his 2 year appointment) if he really isnt moving along in his speech, but to me, he seems to be doing ok.  He understands us when we ask him to do things, he will clean up after himself (sometimes), he will bring Gemmas pacifier to her if she needs it, and he will ask us to read to him if he brings us a book. He isn't ready to be potty trained, he won't tell us if he has messed up his diaper, and sitting him on the potty has only really caused him to chill out there, and then go bm in his diaper once it's back on.  I don't think I'm even that concerned about his crib.  He hasn't tried to climb or or scale the side of it, he is content to hang out in his crib, jumping up and down before, during and after his nap, the Dr said that if he's happy in there, keep him in there for a little bit longer.

I know my mom said that I was "potty trained at 21 months", but was I really, or is that a wonderful memory that has been made up as the years went by.  I am also a girl and by all accounts everyone says girls are easier to train.
I suppose I shouldn't get too worried about what people think, most of the people who are giving me "advice" are people who I have met in passing, and don't really know how my life, or my kids are. 

For now, I will sit back and watch my toddler, eating his strawberries, playing with his trains, and sitting by himself on the couch "reading" a book to himself (seriously, it's adorable).

200

Oh weight scale how you tease me! I weighed myself first thing this morning, as I usually do on Sunday morning and the scale read 199.6 for about 2 seconds and then the final weight switched to 200.0. I laughed because I knew the scale was teasing me, it knew how badly I wanted to see 199 and in "the biggest loser" fashion the numbers flashed around before (almost) settling on 199 and then a split second later it was back to 200. I look forward to taunting the scale next week and I wil make it submit to me and my weight loss. Until we meet next week my friend (or foe) the weight scale, you have proven yourself a worthy opponent.

201

I didn't post last week, mostly because I didn't feel like it. I spent that week being careful, watching what I ate and still managed not to lose anything. It was my anniversary that weekend, but I tried not to go nuts with the food, when I weighed in at 203 again I was pissed and spent the next week making up for no loss. I managed to get down to 201 this week and I once again am going to strive for that elusive 199 on the scale. I'm getting so close but I can't seem to shake this 203 number off of me. I think my plateau is this, and now I just need to work harder this week. I was getting a bit bummed out by all of this until last night when I saw a pair of jeans hanging up in my closet. They are a size 16 - old navy "diva" fit (the diva fit always feels tighter than the normal fit). I can't remember the last time I tried them of to see if they fit. So last night I figured, why not? They did give me muffin belly, but they slid on and buttoned up without being forced! Previously they were super tight and Getting them done up would have required 7 hands. I bought them without trying them on because old navy 16s were what fit me. Alas jeans in Texas have a shelf life of October to March, so I may never get to wear them! Either way that cheered me up a bit and I am looking forward to next week.

203

Surprisingly I'm not dissappointed in myself about the weight gain last week.  We spent the weekend at my in-laws house, and thats when all of my tummy troubles started.  The family was sick for the rest of the week after that, and I was down to 201.  The following week was the recovery week, and of course I started to feel better, so I started eating again.  Nothing bad or horrid, but food was actually staying in my belly.  I think this week will go a little bit better.  I'm trying my hardest to make sure that I make it out to 3 classes this week as that seems to be my make or break weightloss tool.

So I am hoping (and wishing and praying and thinking....) that by sunday I will maybe be down to 199.  I just really want to see those numbers soon.  I'm not discouraged, just impatient.