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Donna's Diary Entries Diary Navigation: Choose A Diary Entry -------------------- Latest Entry: 5/19/07 -------------------- 4/21/07 3/11/07 2/9/07 1/9/07, Entry 2 12/22/06 12/11/06 11/28/06 11/20/06 11/15/06 11/10/06 11/1/06 10/24/06 10/17/06 10/11/06 10/3/06 9/25/06 9/17/06 9/11/06 9/6/06 8/27/06 8/20/06 8/13/06 8/6/06 7/30/06 7/23/06 7/16/06 7/9/06 7/4/06 6/25/06 6/19/06 6/11/06 6/4/06 -------------------- Donna's Introduction

06/25/06 - Graduation party, homework assignment, and all about Justin

June 25, 2006

Yesterday, we went to a high school graduation party for our neighbor's son.  It rained, heavy downpours actually for a good part of the time we were there.  But they had a big canvas up outside over the patio, so we stayed outside for a while, then came in later.  Justin had great fun playing with a little girl there who is a year older than he is.  They pushed a baby doll carriage around for a bit, and pushed each other back and forth through the house on a little ride-on toy.  It was really adorable!  I forgot to bring my camera, but I think someone got a picture of the two of them with the carriage.

I have been joking about how I get homework in Justin's class, having to bring in things for projects and such.  Well, I think I just got my first actual homework assignment.  It's pretty cool, I get to learn all over again with him, but not have to go to class.  His teacher is doing a heritage board.  Everyone is supposed to bring in something from their heritage to put on the board, and to be creative.  Well I don't know how creative I am, but I really didn't have anything, so I decided to make a collage.  I bought some 11x14 poster board at Walmart, and taped pictures of an Italian flag, map, Mona Lisa, and a family picture of the three of us at a party.  Then I used letter stickers to spell out Italy down the center of the page.  I thought the 11x14 would be a good size, because I can frame it after they are finished with it in the class.  I can't wait to see what the other kids (parents) bring for this.

I wanted to tell a little about what Justin is like, both the good and the challenging parts.  He is at an age where I need to remind myself a lot of the good, because I have been having a lot of trouble getting through daily life with him.  If this is terrible two's, then he has been going through a form of it since he was born.  I am not exaggerating here!  Everything is a struggle.  He does not like to brush his teeth, and refuses to let me do it most of the time.  He tells me he wants his teeth to fall out, no doubt so he no longer has to worry about brushing them.  He does not like to sit for meals, and often refuses to eat dinner.  He is considered to be potty trained at school, but at home will go in his underwear or on the floor even after I have asked him if he has to go potty.  It is frustrating to me that he actually listens at school better than at home most of the time.  His latest line has been "you're not the teacher."  What???  This kid has an answer for everything.

He is very happy when he is making a mess or being otherwise destructive.  If I tell him no, he will laugh and continue what he is doing, and if I take something away from him, he gets angry and starts screaming or throwing things.  Unfortunately, I usually don't have a lot of time in the morning, trying to get both of us ready for work and school, so I tend to let him get into things rather than continue to chase after him.  I know that is not helping, but I don't know how else to deal with it.  I keep telling myself this is a phase, and things will get easier once his understanding catches up with his vocabulary.  It is literally impossible to get anything done, such as housecleaning, cooking, or even watching a movie, when he is here.  I cannot even imagine how moms with more than one child do it, as I cannot do it with one.  I feel terribly guilty sometimes, because I do not keep the house as clean as I should, and I don't cook much.  I really want to do these things, and I have tried here and there to get started, but using my short evenings and weekends to chase Justin and listen to him scream and whine in between cooking and cleaning really started to frustrate me.  He screams whenever he does not get his way, which is another reason I am not always consistent in correcting him.

Right now, he is screaming over and over that he wants to go in the big bed.  Daddy is in there sleeping, and he gets up very early for work, so we are staying in the office until it's time for bed.  And now he just pushed on the screen hard enough to dislodge it from the window, and I can't fix it from in here.  Luckily there is a window guard, so he is safe, I just hope one of the cats don't fall out.  In the midst of this, I'll try to discuss the good things.  He is very smart, which is think I've mentioned before.  Too smart sometimes it seems.  He is not easily distracted or fooled, which I think is why it is so difficult to discipline him right now.  He is not a television watcher, which I am glad about because I am not either.  Although there are certainly times I would like him to sit and watch something for a few minutes, he is on the go constantly.  When he is in the mood to be sweet, he will surprise me with spontaneous hugs and kisses and he says "I wuv you."  He can also be polite when he wants to, and he knows what to say and when.  If I take him out, he is usually very well-behaved.  He has only had one store tantrum.  Normally he will sit in the shopping cart and talk to me while I am shopping.  He loves to play outside, so much that it is hard to get him back inside when it is time to do something else.

So with all that said, I think his behavior is part him acting his age and me being too busy to be able to deal with it effectively and part his very strong personality.  I think that many of these traits will be very good to have as he gets older and can channel them appropriately.  I probably haven't even touched on everything I wanted to, because I am a little distracted and there is no guarantee I will be able to stay awake after he is asleep.  More often than not, I fall asleep in his bed.  Right now, he is using his hammer to try to fix the window screen that he broke.  See, adorable that he would think of that, but he's probably going to make it worse, so also destructive!  I really needed to vent about all this I think, but I'll try to be more positive in future entries.

Donna and Justin