Oh blog, how I miss thee. Wish I had time to update you more. Sigh.

Like a script from The Twilight Zone, what happened to my child?

The last couple weeks Asa went from being my mild mannered child to- well, there's no polite way to say it. It was horrible and stressful for everyone. He was yelling and telling us "NO!" He was being completely defiant and doing things he clearly new he shouldn't(even tore up the border wall paper in his room, 3 different times- I cried. LOL) Not only was he having tantrums, he was freaking out at nap time and he had total potty regression. Until this point he was just wearing pull-ups at night and very rarely had any accidents, so we were so frustrated with him.

• Sunday we re-evaluated how we discipline.
• Monday Asa and I made a new reward/discipline chart.
• Tuesday there were many timeouts as we got used to this new system and he saw the "naughty" progression, which he clearly didn't like. But he did like getting pee stickers for using the potty.
  
• Wednesday it all seemed to click and he even took it upon himself to mark a "good boy" square...hahaha. He reached his first pee goal square and was rewarded with a trip to the park! That night he had his first self initiated poo in the potty in almost two weeks! Down to 3 time outs.
  
• Thursday his good boy squares jumped into the lead. More pee success with one small leak in his pants that he stopped and then finished on the potty. Had his second self initiated potty poo and only ONE time out!
• Friday, Asa was once again down to one time out just before bedtime and was clearly tired. As for the potty- ZERO accidents in his pants! And lastly, his tantrums and "no's" are few and far between. The only time they seem to surface is right before nap or bedtime and they don't last but 30 seconds or so.

A quick shot of the chart we made. This was taken on Wednesday about 20min after telling him that his good and bad columns were tied and he needed some more goods to pull into the lead. I walked by and saw this. I cracked up, he's no dummy!

When he reaches the "Yay" column he gets a special treat. If his good column reaches the end before the bad then he will get a prize. When he is naughty we turn the happy faces over to sad faces. He does NOT like the sad faces and will turn them back when I am not looking...haha.

So there you have it, in five days my child returned to his sweet self. He did not like the idea of being a bad boy, and I personally believe he is very sensitive to stress. The more he acted up the more frustrated I became. I'll admit I was yelling more and started to back away from him a bit emotionally and I believe he was picking up on it. It was a never ending cycle. I'm not a perfect parent by far and didn't know how to handle this extreme behavior change in him. We still don't know why it progressed so quickly- within a few days span. At the same time his vocabulary exploded and he started speaking in full sentences. Of course that only made it easier for him to express his displeasure in us. Haha. It was like everything was happening with him at once and it was scary and overwhelming to see this change in him.

We calmed down and took a step back. I reassured him that he was a good boy who sometimes did bad things, and that's ok. That seemed to help. I kept my cool, and tried my best not to get angry with him or yell -much. He still fights time out's but I just leave him be and after a few minutes he will get on the time out mat by himself and get it over with.

So there ya have it. Sanity and calm is back in the Burleson house. - For now... Insert Twilight Zone music here.

Regrets

So I had a moment... the last 5 months have had very few were I could come to this blog. I have been crazy busy getting my business up and running. Ordering samples, custom packaging, new blog, updating the website and creating my welcoming materials- all which take hours of planning, designing and ordering. Then of course working with clients on shoots, editing and ordering. Not to mention the grief of figuring out how to price, which I finally invested in Easy As Pie and it was worth every penny! Of course all this needs to be done while having a baby and a 2 yr old underfoot. Not an easy task but I am finally seeing a light at the end of the tunnel. Jeff thought I should wait a year but I, being impatiently stubborn, am way to excited to have a future career to wait.

If you have followed my blog at all you may know about the day I was "smacked" publicly for wanting to start a photography business. Thankfully that pathetic blog has been shut down. I do however hold a curiosity as to who "mediagirl" is, why she had something against me and wish she'd have the balls to step forward. But that's neither here nor there, at this point I would simply like to say "Ha!"

My most exciting news has come with my first client inquiries of the new year. I was so nervous saying my prices out loud as they seem so high. But after crunching the numbers there is no other way for me to provide such detailed services with quality products to my clients without charging what I do. I don't know how other photographers can get by with charging so little and make any money. My guess is, they don't- make any money that is, they probably break even. But I digress, the good news is, these clients didn't run for the hills, they booked me! They saw my work and my products and they booked! I can't tell you how stinking exciting that is after so many months of hard work.

So why the "Regrets?" Well it meant sacrificing this blog and most of all, not keeping track of Odin's progression over the last 5 months, heck maybe even longer. Instead I posted a few Fb status updates on the silly things the boys have done, but unlike here, I can't really go back and reread those. Sigh.

I am hoping I can get back to doing some of this blog. As things will be settling here and I will soon have more free time as my to do list keeps getting smaller. As for the boys:

Asa is potty training and doing really well! He wears undies during the day and only has a few slip ups here and there. His vocabulary ha grown leaps and bounds and we are starting to work on his pronunciation of l, s,r, t and f.

Odin is such a happy baby. He's gotten so much better at self entertaining and my initial thought that he would be a handful and into everything seems to be off base. He's completely mobile and does everything but walk without holding something. He loves to follow Asa but if he is awake while Asa naps he will play by himself for a very long time before seeking me out. I can leave the room while he is alone or with Asa with little worry. He explores but not in a destructive way. He doesn't seem to hold any attachment to certain objects but does fancy hotwheels, just like Asa. He is also sleeping through the night, this took a week or so of fussing but they go to bed around 8pm and are up at 8am. YESSSS!

Ok, baby just woke up so that is all for today, but hey, it's something!

Yikes!

Does this blog still have a heart beat?

Sadly it may have flat lines a few months ago...hahaha.

Newone

Sleep. I finally got some last night. I could still use more but I can't complain, not after the past few weeks. Let's go back a bit and talk about the newone -Odin that is.

It's amazing how soon babies show their distinct personalities and how much they can differ from one another. Asa, as I have mentioned in the past, was a very easy baby. Pretty much all you had to do was feed him, change his diapers and put him in his swing where he would sleep all day. At night he would go to bed with ease. No fuss, no muss. Hence the desire for a second, oh but the jokes on us. Odin, well it's a good thing he's cute and smiley! You see my Oz Myster is a bit of a needy baby. Hold me, entertain me sorta deal. It could be worse he could have been colic, so I should be counting my blessings but it's hard to count when you're blowing on a tummy to stop the crying. Ha. I truly believe it all has to do with nursing. I am so thankful I can and quite successfully at that, however I think it lends itself to the "must be mom as need to be close to my food source at all times" syndrome or mbmantbctmfsaat for short. I do miss passing the baby off for a feeding or two as it's all on me, everyday, 24/7. I wouldn't change it, it just gets tiring is all.

Now getting back to their differences. Asa was easy and content, an all around happy baby. But he was hard to amuse. A belly blow may get a laugh the first time, a smile the second, but the third would result in a stare that you know meant "is that all you got?" With Odin, well, this kid is all laughs. In fact he could be mid scream and all you have to do is make faces, or nibble his toes, pretty much anything silly and his cry will turn to a belly laugh. He is also pretty easy going when it comes to being happy, the problem lies in that he is happiest when you hold him. Admittedly it is hard to be angry with a wide awake baby at 3am when he giggles and coes when he sees you. And I love that while he is nursing, all I have to do is smile at him and he cannot resist stopping his meal for a moment to smile back. It cracks me up!

For a while there his sleep habits were pretty good, that is until Texas when his 4:30am feeding turned to feeding every two hours from the time he went to bed. It's been a bit all over the place since. Some times 2am, sometimes he'll sleep all night. This past week however he has decided he wants to go to bed late and then play when he wakes up to nurse. I have been up for 2-3 hours with him. And since he is now sharing a room with Asa, we are all up. I need Odin to learn that night is night and that meant a lot of crying and fussing but standing my ground. On the bright side, it also meant snuggling with Asa while we waited for him to settle. Asa was so sweet about it too. One night around 5am after almost 3 hours of Odin fussing and finally falling asleep, I bent down to kiss Asa goodnight.

"I'm so sorry you were kept awake sweety. Thank you for being such a good boy, mommy loves you so much. I know you're tired so if you want you can sleep in in the morning, ok?"

"Ok," he said with a nod and a smile "nigh momma." (he doesn't say t's, p, s, f, or l's yet) followed by a "Mmmmwuh!" blow kiss. Hehehe. I love my boys!

So last night, although going to bed later than I would have liked, Odin actually fell asleep on his own, without any crying and went right back to sleep after his 5am feeding. Asa woke at 8:30 and Odie woke at 9. Aaaaaaahhhh. It was wonderful!

It's funny that they showed their personalities in the womb. Asa was mellow and Odin was hell. Always moving, kicking, squirming. I just new what I was in for. I was right. He may be a bit needy but I look at it this way, in a few years he won't want to sit on my lap and snuggle at all. Nor will he think it's funny when I eat his eww pew toes. So hey, if he'd rather I blow on his belly then sit in his jumperoo then so be it. Just not at 3am, I don't care how cute you are, momma don't play dat.

Odin

Tonight I put Odin to bed in the crib for the first time. We'll see how it goes. Until now he has been sleeping in a pack and play bassinet in my scrap room. He has had a couple unpredictable feedings the past couple of nights so I have no idea how this will play out with him waking up in the night and possibly waking Asa also. Then there is the fact that Asa moans in his sleep. I have been using two monitors and have, for over a year, kept Asa's monitor just loud enough to hear him start crying or else his moaning would wake me. And yes sleeping in the same room with him in TX was not fun when he moaned...LOL. Crazy kid! Anyway, we'll just play the whole "sharing a room" idea by ear and see how it goes. It may be something we ease into. Not to mention 8pm is a bit early for Odie to pass out tonight so luck will have him awake at midnight I'm sure.

So as it turns out the second kid really does get shafted when it comes to pictures. Odin is so over due for a photo shoot! It's not that I haven't taken any pictures of him, but I can honestly say I haven't taken as much as I did with Asa. Regardless, here is one cute picture I snapped on the bed just before leaving grandmas house for the trip home. I can't believe how big he's getting already!

**Well that was short lived. I heard Asa start talking and then realized Odin was also squawking and thus I had to go get him. Now he is wide awake -Odie that is. But I am going to try and put him back in the crib when he tuckers out tonight. He usually goes down between 9-10. Here's hoping for good night full of sleep for everyone.

Two, Texas & Time

Wow, am I slackin' with this blog! Having two wee ones sure sucks up time! Things seem to be getting into a better groove around here so I am hoping to get back to blogging on a more regular basis. I am also working on a photography blog so look for that coming soon. It will have sneak peeks of client photos, specials etc. Yay!

I took the boys to Texas for a couple weeks while daddy stayed home and worked. It was a great and yet somewhat stressful trip. I love that we got to spend time with both my brother/sister in laws and we got to meet Ian for the first time. He's Asa and Odin's 15 month old cousin, and Asa adored him! They were staying with mom and dad until they could move into their house, so we were one big happy family. Unfortunately Asa got home sick for daddy, picked up some bad habits and virtually became a child that at times I didn't even recognize. He had tantrums and crying fits, regressed to expressing his wants with grunts, whines, crying and other noises. We never allowed that pointing with grunting and whining -as Jeff calls it "monkey noises" with Asa. If he wanted something he could point and nod and we would help him figure out what he was telling us, he learned "peess" (please) around 1 year. Crying "tantrums" are also unacceptable so this was beyond normal for him. These were a couple of monkey see monkey dos that drove me nuts. Thankfully his last attempt at using this way of expressing his wants was at the airport and after a stern reminder that it was not acceptable, he has not done it since. Thank goodness!

He did however have a few night time melt downs. They started two nights before coming home. He slept in a big boy bed the whole trip and I was so proud of him. The last two nights, knowing he was so home sick, my heart broke seeing him that sad, so I laid in bed with him until he fell asleep. Maybe not such a good idea? The morning after we got home, Jeff found him straddling the side of his crib and stuck in that position. I feared the head plant straight down fall. He can climb, but my child- bless his heart- is not very graceful. Quite clumsy really. I've witnessed him fall while just standing still! So we went that day and bought him a twin bed. It took a few more nights of bedtime meltdowns and now, after two peaceful nights, I can say my boy is back! He's eating(even stopped that in Texas) he's obeying, no tantrums, no whining, and I, once again, love my easy going child. Not that I had stopped but you know what I mean. I'm sure Chris and Jana think I'm lying about how chill Asa really is but "mama" aka Grandma knows the truth and backed me up. Hehehe.

I have lots of stories to share and will try and post them over the next few days. Maybe that will be easier time wise then one long post? So here are a few quick pictures of Asa and Sadie, she's maba aka grandpa and mama aka grandma's puppy. Asa was a bit over whelmed by her "in your face" approach to lovin' and kissing but he warmed up after a few days. I taught him to put his hands up and tell her no. It was cute to see him put both his hands out and sternly say "No, adie, NO!" Uh ya, he still can't say s, p, l, t, and I am sure there's more. He also loved playing ball with her. Only problem was getting the ball FROM her. Then of course Asa's over hand technique really sucks and the ball -being flat not helping any -would only land 2 feet away. Not a big chase for such a lively pup, but then again she was always happy to play!

Pull, Asa Pull!

Maybe if you try to take her mouth off the ball?

If that fails, try some sweet kisses.

Alright Maba, maybe you can help out here.

Hehehe, love this next shot!

This last is a favorite of mine as Sadie finally noticed me and was curious of the camera. I believe that to be the ball in the bottom right corner...LOL.

Don't be deceived by the lack of sunshine in these shots, it was 100+ on this day also...and humid as all get out!

August 8th

Happy Birthday
to my big little man!

Gosh I cant believe he is TWO already. And yet strangely look how much has happened in two years! Asa is still asleep and so is daddy. Odie and I are just chillin'- waiting for them to wake up. We have Asa's gifts all piled up on the coffee table so I am sure he'll be excited when he sees them!

Oh, there he is now, banging his bedroom door to get out. Gotta run, but first...

Here are a few pictures I took of him last week in Texas. It was 100 degrees so I rushed him outside and snapped these right away before he flushed, which he does in less then ten minutes... so I was speedy. This kid runs hot. ;)

Yikes!

I missed the WHOLE month of June!

Happy 4th Of July!

Quick Update

Sitting here at 1:45am. Just waiting to see if kiddo will fall asleep or wake up with another burp which he often does about 5 minutes after putting him in his crib.

Mom goes home today, I can't believe it's been 3 weeks already! Asa has loved having his gramma here and I'm going to miss the extra help, not to mention having someone to hand the kiddos to when I need a nap...haha.

We missed the annual Watsonville Airshow this year due to the foggy weather. We go every year so that was a bummer! We did however go to the SF Zoo for the first time. Asa LOVES the Penguins Of Madagascar cartoon and thus, the penguin exhibit was a huge hit. Plus gramma bought him some plastic penguins and he plays with them constantly. We ended up buying a membership which really pays for itself with all the passes and such, so I imagine we will be spending many a time at the zoo this summer!

Ok, I think baby is officially out and thus I am back to bed. But here's a quick photo courtesy of "Mamah" from the zoo.

I don't care what anyone says, those leashes...ahem, I mean harnesses, are fantastic!