My follow up is a bit late, but our ISP has been having problems off and on, plus we had the Katy Duffeys come into town this weekend for a fun boy-filled weekend.
Anyway, Dylan did it! The first night he did great and he has been thumb free for 9 nights and 10 days. Woo hoo! Of course, we are using a big time bribe system. Here is the list he has been rewarded so far:
Dunkin' Donuts
Sonic Smoothie Night
Going to the Big Pool
Making Jello
Eating Jello
Getting a Kite
So we are spreading them out more these days, but now whenever he hits a goal, he asks, "What am I working for now?" ha! I haven't thought of anything yet because we are going to Midland this Wed. and everything there is special. Since we are going to do it anyway, I'm not sure what I am coming up with. I do have electric Bubble wands that I bought on sale at Target. I think that will be the next thing to work for these next 3 days.
It went much smoother than expected. Night 3 was the worst, but I don't have to stay with him anymore for him to fall asleep. He doesn't scream anymore when I leave so we are getting back on schedule except for the fact that he does get up earlier in the mornings now. Ugh!
After night 30 we are taking the band aid off to see if the habit is broken. I've heard that is a good amount of time for it to work. I'll update you on Day 31!
Breaking a thumb sucking habit can be done with a lot of band aids and a smart little boy! Bribery is the key!
P.S. Logan is loving this too as he gets every reward Dylan does. He even claps and says "Yeah!" when we do. Little does he know that he is next!!!
Monday, July 21, 2008
Friday, July 11, 2008
Last July vs. This July
So last year at this time we were just beginning to potty train Dylan (3rd of July to be exact). He really did well with it. We went cold turkey to undies and never went back. I was impressed because for boys he was trained really early. 2 1/4 years is very soon. He is a superstar in that regard. You tell him to do it and without too many hiccups he does it. What a big boy.
Well, tonight as I sit here the poor baby is keeping his band aid on his thumb for Dunkin' Donuts in the morning. If you ever look closely in any picture of Dylan from 2 on he always has a band aid on his right thumb. Why you ask? Its a reminder not to suck his thumb.
We started this when he went to preschool as a Cubbie Bear. We thought, "Hey, he isn't talking much, maybe its his thumb!" Well, I'm not sure that theory is true now, because Logan is a thumb sucker too and he chats up a storm at the same age Dylan was quiet, but the band aid is a way for him to keep it out. Now he definitely talks more without it. He's quite an inspiration to others too (ha!). Logan asks for one at least twice a week and Dylan's friend Morgan in school, a fellow thumb sucker, asked her mom for one a couple of times. It cracks me up.
Anyway, so he wears a band aid in the morning. If he makes it through lunch, which is about 99% of the time, he gets bubble gum. This is kind of just a given now as it really isn't difficult for him to do that. We just were lazy and haven't upped the anty.
We take the band aid off at nap time. When we introduced it, we always said, "Since we are a big boy, we only suck our thumb when we are sleeping." Then when he wakes up, most days we put another band aid on. Yes we need stock in Johnson and Johnson's!
So tonight in the bath, Greg, who has been wanting to do this for a long time, says "Dylan, if you keep your band aid on all night, we'll go get donuts in the morning." Logan of course chimes in at this point, "Donut Holes!" Dylan gets all excited saying he can do it and says, "Dunkin' Donuts." Sure the nearest donut place is 3 minutes away, but for this sweet boy we will drive the extra 10 minutes to get there. Plus, the donuts there are much better.
So I'm sitting at my computer at 10:48pm wondering what he's doing right now. We don't monitor him anymore, but he does have one in his room plugged in so I've got it set to listen to him until I go to bed. I haven't heard anything lately so I'm thinking he's done it. I wish I had a video monitor. Yes, for a 3 year old. It would be a waste of money for one night, I guess.
So far, he's only come out of his room once for a "nail problem." I took care of the hang nail, he went potty again, very slowly, and then we tucked him in again.
This is particularly hard for me because I myself was a finger sucker. I remember how hard it was to give up. I didn't fair too well. I think I did it until I was in 3rd grade and thought, "Hey, this isn't cool anymore." I loved that finger just like Dylan loves that thumb. It may sound silly to those non-suckers like Greg, but there is a real attachment there, like a favorite stuffed animal. Even my friend Robbie, a fellow thumb sucker, and I discussed this a few times.
Anyway, I'm off to pray that he can do it and gets donuts in the morning. I would be so proud of him. It really makes me want to cry because it is so hard for him to fall asleep without the thumb. He's such a trooper and really tries whatever we want him to do. Just like last July, I think this is the hardest thing we've ever tried to get him to do. I'm hoping that I can look back at this milestone, like the last one. Potty training doesn't seem that bad now. Sure, there were accidents and regression at times, but he did it. I know he can do this too!
I love you, Dylan! Good luck. Mommy is thinking of you!
Well, tonight as I sit here the poor baby is keeping his band aid on his thumb for Dunkin' Donuts in the morning. If you ever look closely in any picture of Dylan from 2 on he always has a band aid on his right thumb. Why you ask? Its a reminder not to suck his thumb.
We started this when he went to preschool as a Cubbie Bear. We thought, "Hey, he isn't talking much, maybe its his thumb!" Well, I'm not sure that theory is true now, because Logan is a thumb sucker too and he chats up a storm at the same age Dylan was quiet, but the band aid is a way for him to keep it out. Now he definitely talks more without it. He's quite an inspiration to others too (ha!). Logan asks for one at least twice a week and Dylan's friend Morgan in school, a fellow thumb sucker, asked her mom for one a couple of times. It cracks me up.
Anyway, so he wears a band aid in the morning. If he makes it through lunch, which is about 99% of the time, he gets bubble gum. This is kind of just a given now as it really isn't difficult for him to do that. We just were lazy and haven't upped the anty.
We take the band aid off at nap time. When we introduced it, we always said, "Since we are a big boy, we only suck our thumb when we are sleeping." Then when he wakes up, most days we put another band aid on. Yes we need stock in Johnson and Johnson's!
So tonight in the bath, Greg, who has been wanting to do this for a long time, says "Dylan, if you keep your band aid on all night, we'll go get donuts in the morning." Logan of course chimes in at this point, "Donut Holes!" Dylan gets all excited saying he can do it and says, "Dunkin' Donuts." Sure the nearest donut place is 3 minutes away, but for this sweet boy we will drive the extra 10 minutes to get there. Plus, the donuts there are much better.
So I'm sitting at my computer at 10:48pm wondering what he's doing right now. We don't monitor him anymore, but he does have one in his room plugged in so I've got it set to listen to him until I go to bed. I haven't heard anything lately so I'm thinking he's done it. I wish I had a video monitor. Yes, for a 3 year old. It would be a waste of money for one night, I guess.
So far, he's only come out of his room once for a "nail problem." I took care of the hang nail, he went potty again, very slowly, and then we tucked him in again.
This is particularly hard for me because I myself was a finger sucker. I remember how hard it was to give up. I didn't fair too well. I think I did it until I was in 3rd grade and thought, "Hey, this isn't cool anymore." I loved that finger just like Dylan loves that thumb. It may sound silly to those non-suckers like Greg, but there is a real attachment there, like a favorite stuffed animal. Even my friend Robbie, a fellow thumb sucker, and I discussed this a few times.
Anyway, I'm off to pray that he can do it and gets donuts in the morning. I would be so proud of him. It really makes me want to cry because it is so hard for him to fall asleep without the thumb. He's such a trooper and really tries whatever we want him to do. Just like last July, I think this is the hardest thing we've ever tried to get him to do. I'm hoping that I can look back at this milestone, like the last one. Potty training doesn't seem that bad now. Sure, there were accidents and regression at times, but he did it. I know he can do this too!
I love you, Dylan! Good luck. Mommy is thinking of you!
Monday, July 7, 2008
Daily Dylan Happenings - Sweet and Not so Sweet
Dylan Drawing and Description:
"This is a picture of God." (How sweet is that? God wasn't even mentioned before this cute thought.)
Dylan Quote:
Me: Did you throw that car?
D: No.
Me: How did it get all the way over there?
D: By itself.
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
It Finally Happened
This day has been coming for years. In fact, I'm surprised it hasn't happened sooner. After several scares, I finally lost my cell phone.
Ask Greg, he is my search and rescue guy. If I can't find something - keys, cell phone - he can. So after finally deciding to search my car today and not having success, I enlisted Greg to look there. Yep. No luck for him either.
He decided to look online. Multiple calls to Mexico General Counsel. Nice. Luckily, all my charges were reversed. The AT&T chick really hooked me up. I was surprised.
I figured out that my cell phone must have fallen out at a park on Friday morning. I had thought that it was hiding in my car as water spilled out of Logan's bag everywhere so I emptied out the contents in the car. Guess I wasn't that lucky.
Now I have to admit I do "lose" my phone from time to time, even for days at a time. During last incident, it turned up after two weeks outside on our swing set. I was pushing the boys and had left it out there. It even survived the rain.
I've had so many close calls this was bound to happen, but its quite a downer as I prided myself on never really losing it. Now I can see the "I told you so" from my Mom. Surprisingly, Greg hasn't pulled that one out, but I can feel the vibes!
I did get a new phone though. My renewal was up for August 15th anyway so they gave it to me early and I got a RED phone. Pretty fun! Now I just need numbers, so if you are out there reading, email them to me because I lost them all!!!
Ask Greg, he is my search and rescue guy. If I can't find something - keys, cell phone - he can. So after finally deciding to search my car today and not having success, I enlisted Greg to look there. Yep. No luck for him either.
He decided to look online. Multiple calls to Mexico General Counsel. Nice. Luckily, all my charges were reversed. The AT&T chick really hooked me up. I was surprised.
I figured out that my cell phone must have fallen out at a park on Friday morning. I had thought that it was hiding in my car as water spilled out of Logan's bag everywhere so I emptied out the contents in the car. Guess I wasn't that lucky.
Now I have to admit I do "lose" my phone from time to time, even for days at a time. During last incident, it turned up after two weeks outside on our swing set. I was pushing the boys and had left it out there. It even survived the rain.
I've had so many close calls this was bound to happen, but its quite a downer as I prided myself on never really losing it. Now I can see the "I told you so" from my Mom. Surprisingly, Greg hasn't pulled that one out, but I can feel the vibes!
I did get a new phone though. My renewal was up for August 15th anyway so they gave it to me early and I got a RED phone. Pretty fun! Now I just need numbers, so if you are out there reading, email them to me because I lost them all!!!
Funny Dylan Sayings
Michelle over at Michelle's Musings does this and I always mean to write these down so here you are...
- "Whoa! That is gorgeous!" - Showing Dylan his new lobster floaty which was still in the package.
- "I'm the man pour." - When pouring out syrup to dip his waffle in...
- "There's something in my bottom. Its a chipmunk!" - At dinner one night...We still haven't figured this one out except that later on he was talking about Chip and Dale. This was right after Disney World.
The latest purchase
I got an All in One printer just so I could have a scanner. It is actually very exciting. I figured out how to use it. Just took me one afternoon and now I am rollin'.
Why?
As most of you know I am a scrapbooker. I'm pretty serious about it and have done Greg & I's dating, wedding, both boys baby albums, family albums, etc. Well, I decided that I wanted to go digital. That means that I want to do all my albums on the computer and print them out as books. I am a Creative Memories snob because I do believe they have the most throughly tested products for longevity so last year Greg got me Storybook Creator 2.0 so I could do everything from October 2007 forward online.
Pros
1. I can do it during nap time and not make a huge mess. There is always so much to get out when doing it on paper and now, I just go to my computer and play.
2. Cheaper - In the long run, this is the cheaper route even though the printed books are pretty expensive. I'm almost done w/ all my manual tools and plan to Craig's list them soon. If you are interested, let me know.
3. I can resize stuff as I'm working on a page and not have to pre-plan all that out.
4. Baggage - Instead of bringing my two huge bags (one w/ rollers and one w/o) to a crop (an event where you work on your scrapbook) I can just bring my laptop and go!
Cons
1. I'm not sure how I feel about not having actual paper memorabilia in there. For example, on the way to Disney World the boys got flying certificates. Must scan those in now...
2. I'm keeping track of all my photos better and have numbers that I have to look at all the time when I am messing in my programs. Right now I am a little under 600 pictures behind since last October. Ewwwww! I'm on Halloween right now.
Summary
Yes, this has been a boring post, but hey, I felt like updating you on my latest endevor. I still have a few pictures left that I need to do in my other "manual" albums. I think I have about 100 of those left. My plan was to get all caught up before the baby came, but I'm falling short of that goal.
Eventually, when I get more done, I'll post a jpg of a fun page w/ pictures of the boys. Gotta go, Dylan and Logan are awake. Dylan is standing here waiting for me to finish....
Why?
As most of you know I am a scrapbooker. I'm pretty serious about it and have done Greg & I's dating, wedding, both boys baby albums, family albums, etc. Well, I decided that I wanted to go digital. That means that I want to do all my albums on the computer and print them out as books. I am a Creative Memories snob because I do believe they have the most throughly tested products for longevity so last year Greg got me Storybook Creator 2.0 so I could do everything from October 2007 forward online.
Pros
1. I can do it during nap time and not make a huge mess. There is always so much to get out when doing it on paper and now, I just go to my computer and play.
2. Cheaper - In the long run, this is the cheaper route even though the printed books are pretty expensive. I'm almost done w/ all my manual tools and plan to Craig's list them soon. If you are interested, let me know.
3. I can resize stuff as I'm working on a page and not have to pre-plan all that out.
4. Baggage - Instead of bringing my two huge bags (one w/ rollers and one w/o) to a crop (an event where you work on your scrapbook) I can just bring my laptop and go!
Cons
1. I'm not sure how I feel about not having actual paper memorabilia in there. For example, on the way to Disney World the boys got flying certificates. Must scan those in now...
2. I'm keeping track of all my photos better and have numbers that I have to look at all the time when I am messing in my programs. Right now I am a little under 600 pictures behind since last October. Ewwwww! I'm on Halloween right now.
Summary
Yes, this has been a boring post, but hey, I felt like updating you on my latest endevor. I still have a few pictures left that I need to do in my other "manual" albums. I think I have about 100 of those left. My plan was to get all caught up before the baby came, but I'm falling short of that goal.
Eventually, when I get more done, I'll post a jpg of a fun page w/ pictures of the boys. Gotta go, Dylan and Logan are awake. Dylan is standing here waiting for me to finish....
Monday, June 16, 2008
Security Questions
I am trying to get a support question answered online through chat. I feel so stupid right now. Here's why..
Jasmine Park: Before I provide any information, please answer your security question correctly.
Jasmine Park: The question is: What is the name of your favorite restaurant?
Kristen Duffey: Olive garden?
Kristen Duffey: or Luigi's
Jasmine Park: Which one is your final answer?
Kristen Duffey: Luigi's
Jasmine Park: I'm sorry but that is incorrect. Please try again.
Kristen Duffey: Olive garden
Jasmine Park: Thank you!
Can't they just ask my mother's maiden name? I look like such an idiot to Ms. Jasmine Park
Jasmine Park: Before I provide any information, please answer your security question correctly.
Jasmine Park: The question is: What is the name of your favorite restaurant?
Kristen Duffey: Olive garden?
Kristen Duffey: or Luigi's
Jasmine Park: Which one is your final answer?
Kristen Duffey: Luigi's
Jasmine Park: I'm sorry but that is incorrect. Please try again.
Kristen Duffey: Olive garden
Jasmine Park: Thank you!
Can't they just ask my mother's maiden name? I look like such an idiot to Ms. Jasmine Park
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