Time Outs Work!

So for months now (maybe longer...) I've been wondering where my perfect "time out" place would be. And I was even more perplexed when my friends would tell me that their child would just sit on the "naughty step" or stand in the corner for as long as they were in trouble. This baffled me, because I couldn't imagine a child just staying in one spot - I was convinced I needed a contained space so Jack/Declan would be in official "time out". I didn't want to use the cribs since I want good associations, and I contemplated the upstairs hallway with the gate shut and all doors closed (the "time out" corridor...) but the few times I tried this with Jack, he was pleased as could be, just running back and forth.

So the other day, Jack was playing really rough and whacked me and I'd had it. I marched him over to the bottom step and told him "no hitting!", and that he was to stay on the step because he was in trouble for hitting. And he did. I walked out of the room with my back to him and a big grin on my face because I was in complete disbelief that he was actually doing what I told him to do, and knew that there were consequences to his actions. I stayed in the dining room, smiling, and I put on a stern face when I would check in on him just staying on his step, maybe I'd say "no hitting!" again, and then I'd retreat back to the dining room and smile at this turning point.

Earlier today Jack pushed Declan (hard, in the head, they were competing for magnets on the fridge) and Javier put Jack in time out on the step and left him in the living room. Jack sat on the step totally subdued, and when I looked in on him he said "no pushing." and even when I left he stayed on the step and kept repeating "no pushing." After two minutes I went in and he said "Sorry Mama." And I told him he had to say sorry to Declan, and he did. Victory!

Today was a wonderful Saturday, spent mostly at home. We went out this morning to look at screen doors, but other than that, we puttered in the yard and the house while the boys napped at various times throughout the afternoon. Jack climbed his first tree (see photo, it's more of a tree-bush type thing, but still he had to navigate his way up the branch and down the branch). Declan still loves to tear apart the kitchen, he takes out all of the tupperware, and all of the dishtowels. Lately after he takes all of the dishtowels out of their drawer, he climbs into the drawer and plays with the drawers above him - see photo.

The one rough spot of the day - found a (deer) tick on Jack today. Ew. Fortunately I'm getting better at removing them. A few weeks ago I found two on Declan during bathtime, and I started sweating and my heart started pounding. This time it was more like "Sigh. Where are the tweezers?" I now have tweezers in the downstairs bathroom for this purpose. Those Tweezerman tweezers aren't cheap, but man are they good for pulling out ticks!

A Mid Summer's Week

Just a regular summer week, but every day the boys continue to surprise me and make me laugh. They also make me want to scream, but I make sure that I don't sit down and blog in those moments.... Lately I'll be in another room and hear them both laughing together, and the joy is contagious. Of course then I check in on what they are doing and see them wrestling on the couch and I lose my mind.

This week Casa Vargas has been plagued with bronchitis (or so we think...) - both boys are on antibiotics in case it's bacterial, but it's most likely viral - especially since they both have it. These kids have no sense of "ownership" in that they share everything - sippy cups, toys, baths, viruses. I have a terrible sore throat, but so far it's skipping Javier.

TGIF - today we went to Ossining, NY for a bookclub reunion. My old NYC bookclub has essentially disbanded (but we may have revived it today!) but we all got together with the kids at Stacey's pool. Declan is not a fan of the water - he pulls his "cling monkey" move - and Jack is a fish, albeit one who can not yet swim. It's a matter of time with Jack - he can blow bubbles, kick his legs, and paddle his arms. He'll pull it together soon. We had a nice picnic lunch by the pool, and I was able to play games with Jack in the water while Declan played by the chairs (no real interest in the water) and then Dec took a nice long nap in the stroller. It was great to see the girls, but the ride back was a bit long, traffic on the Tappan Zee and then again on the GSP. I tried to get off early, only to find myself in the middle of Newark, thank goodness for GPS. And throughout, I was sporadically holding my iPhone up for the boys so they could watch a Backyardigans show. I don't know who out of the three of us was most relieved to pull into the garage.

So a general catch up of the boys:
- Both are obsessed with the Backyardigans. Jack can quote segments of episodes, and likes to take out all 5 Backyardigan stuffed animals to re-enact scenes. Some of the most common: "Hey, Lifeguard Dude!", "Whoa! What was that!?", "Hey Mama, wanna race? Well, actually, no.", "Yip! Yip! Yip! Dancing the polka!" and probably the cutest, he goes through a few knock knock jokes from one of the episodes. The Backyardigans are pretty much the only thing guaranteed to stop a crying jag from either boy. I am in debt to the creator of the Backyardigans. And, of all the kiddie shows, I find it the most amusing. Lucky me.

- Jack is a jumping machine. Unfortunately, he likes to stand on the arms of the couch and jump down onto the seat area. He's also a climbing machine, and will knock over his Jack Chair and use it to climb up and walk down.

- Declan is borderline running. He and Jack will chase each other in circles around the house and laugh their heads off.

- Declan can't stand to see the tupperware put away in the cabinet. I probably put it away 6 - 10 times a day (one of my least favorite things to do) and as soon as Declan notices that the kitchen floor is uncluttered, he goes to the cabinet and pulls it all out again. I just cook dinner in a landmine of tupperware and pray that while the boys are chasing each other in circles that neither of them slips.

- Jack can recite "Good Night Moon" by heart. This was his favorite book until a few days ago, replaced by "The Very Quiet Cricket". The other day I was scolding him to not spit out his juice all over the floor, and he just smiled and said "Spittlebug!" He has the bugs memorized. I love that he calls the dragonfly the "dragon butterfly".

- Declan is a book fiend in general, and will shamelessly go up to anyone, take their hand, put a book in it, and expect to be read to. At the end of the book (which comes quickly since Declan turns the pages faster than they can be read) Declan will flip the book over, pick up the readers hand, and place the book back in the hand, ready for round two. Round three. Round four. Round... and so on.

- Jack continues to be a great sleeper. Declan is not a great sleeper. And unfortunately this is not resolved by bringing him in bed with us, he still frets and cries a bit. I don't know if it's molars coming in, a sore throat like mine, or something else.

- Jack talks, but limited. He did answer the phone the other day when Myriam called and I was in the shower, and he kept her on the phone for 10 minutes before I came down and saw what he was doing. He more has canned phrases "ketchup on eggs please" and the such. He can also sing songs from beginning to end, but I'm not sure he knows exactly what he's singing. Our favorite game is to sing a song, alternating verses. This is especially useful in the car.

- Ah, the car. Declan does not like to be put in the car. I'm hoping this will pass, as I know it's not uncommon. Right now, about 70% of the time, Declan will arch his back and refuse to sit in his seat. He also protests diaper changes.

Pictures: Watching a show (obsessed, I tell you), reading with Daddy