Pre Vacation Post

Post-Mother's Day and pre-vacation...not a lot to tell, but since I turn this into a book, I wanted to make sure I got it in.  

Trey and I are wrapping up another term of Music Together.  We took this class when he was an infant, and we have taken it for the fall, winter, and now spring terms this year.  There are not many places I see Trey as happy and carefree as he is in music class.  He is usually one of the first to volunteer when the teacher asks for input into the songs, and he is often running around being silly.  He has started singing some songs at home using correct changes in ? (tone?  pitch?  notes?  I don't even know the word for it), and I wonder if this has anything to do with music class.  One day he started singing one of the songs from class, and I had no idea he knew all of the words.

This leads to one of the discussions I've been having with friends lately.  I think they all think I'm being my usual neurotic or anxious self, but I really mean it when I pose this question: as a parent, when you don't have time nor resources to do everything, do you put your energy/time/money into what your child loves or what they need practice/improvement in?  I know Trey is only a toddler, but I think this question spans into older ages too.  Hear me out.  This spring Trey took a music class on Saturday mornings and a sports class on Sunday mornings.  We did the sports class because he's always been on the slow end of the spectrum of gross motor skills, and, quite honestly, he needs some practice.  He can be awkward, clumsy, and has minimal skills with things like throwing or catching balls.  As Randy has said, he doesn't need Trey to be the best on the team, but he also doesn't want him to be the last one chosen.  Coming from someone who was often the last one chosen (me, not Randy), I whole-heartedly agree.  Nevertheless, we take Trey to sports class on Sundays and he usually does not want anything to do with whatever the class is doing.  And when he does participate...well, let's just say he doesn't have mad coordination skillz.  This summer I have Trey signed up for some classes and we are taking a break from music, but when fall comes around...do I stick with the sports/movement type classes because that is what he needs, or do I go back to the music because that is what he loves?  We learned this spring that when we are both working full time, two classes is too much.

One weekend day a few weeks ago, Trey and I went to Sarah's house to have movie night with Zander and Kai.  I don't think Trey has ever watched a full movie before, and it was really cute to see him sitting with the two big boys watching a movie and then eating pizza.  Even though Trey will always be the youngest, I like how he can sorta hang with the big kids.

They let me borrow Toy Story, so the next day I plugged Trey in (I think I had work to do), and he watched another movie.  I think he likes this whole movie concept.

We are in a new house for gardening season, so Randy built us a new raised bed.  We have got our plants in and now just need to figure out a good watering system.  Ever since Trey has been born, I have had this really bad habit of putting in too many plants and then not being able to keep up with the garden.  Maybe this year will be different.

Here's another neurotic mom story.  One day after we moved in to our new house I decided to weigh Trey on our scale.  This was in December or January.  I have been noticing that he looks skinnier than usual, so I have weighed him twice more over the past month and he has lost weight both times.  He's always been a skinny guy, but even I know that 2 year olds shouldn't be losing weight.  After the second weight loss, I figured I should follow up with my pediatrician.  Needless to say, she was way more concerned than I thought she would be...

Breakfast with Garland and Maclyn pre-doctor appointment 

The doctor wanted a blood and urine sample to run a bunch of tests (celiac panel, kidneys, liver, infection, inflammation, who knows what else), so this is us sitting in room waiting for Trey to pee in his little bag.  It didn't work.

So then Trey and I went to Panera Bread (across the street from doctor's office) and I got him a juice and cookie hoping he'd suck the juice down and pee faster.  It didn't work.

So then we went and waited in the car for him to pee in his bag (which was taped around his "stuff" and under his diaper).  It didn't work.  

Two hours later, I went back to the doctor's office and surrendered. They took the bag off, and Trey and I drove home.   

I really didn't think anything was really wrong with him, but as I was walking around the parking lots with Trey trying to get him to pee, I had the thought, "Shit. What if this is the beginning of something really bad?"  A few days later, the bloodwork came back and everything was normal.  Phew. Now I just have to try and fatten my kid up.  I don't know if any of you have a toddler who won't eat much, but I find that the more I push him to eat...the less he eats.  The more I try to back off and not pressure him and let him take the lead...the less he eats.  I will admit this gives me some trepidation about being the sole provider of food for the summer, but I'm going to try to relax about it and let him eat what he's going to eat and I will just try to offer him a variety of really fatty, high calorie foods.  Then my real challenge will be not to eat them myself when he refuses them.