New blog address

http://threecottontops.blogspot.com/

Come over to my new blog at http://threecottontops.blogspot.com/ You will see why when you get there:)

Private

I am going to make my blog private for a while. If you want access the password will be Cotton's real name. If you know that, then you are probably not a serial killer:) If you don't know it, then leave a comment and I will send it to you.... unless you are a serial killer, then you know sorry.

Plateau

Landon is a little on the bossy side. You know he comes by it honestly, and he has a little brother that is willing to do almost anything he asks of him. Cotton is of course his older brother, but Landon LOVES to be in charge. Cotton was helping me with dinner, he took out the colander and was putting it on the sink, when Landon came over and started to tell him how to do it. Cotton looked over at his brother and says "NOT TEACHER!" Wow that was so incredible on so many levels.

This is the first time that Cotton has said anything like this, he wasn't asking for a need, or trying to tell us about something that happened. This was original and appropriate! This also comes on the heels of an increase in medication. I always freak out when we make changes to his meds. but he has grown a great deal this summer, and he was due for a reevaluation. We have seen a lot of good things as a result of this change, so I'm hoping to see some more. We've been "stuck" for a while, nothing dramatic, just no huge developmental jumps. Maybe this will help us over this plateau.

How to Have Three Boys... and Avoid Thomas the Train

Rev, has become enamored with trains... I know what 3 year old boy is not. Oddly enough Cotton was never drawn to trains as a toddler, Landon liked them, but was never much for Thomas exactly. What's wrong with Thomas you ask? Nothing really, I just think they are a little creepy. Although I do concede that the newer more animated Thomas episodes are a lot less creepy, I'm still just not sold lol. I'm not the only one, Landon refuses to watch the old episodes where the characters mouths don't move, he says "They look like puppets, and I don't like puppets." I'm sensing some drama I should know about.. ok but now I'm getting off track (pun intended)

So I was dangerously close to a Thomas obsession. Rev fell in love with the trains at a doctor's office. We have a few trains around the house and he was asking for movies non stop. Then I remembered we had an attic full of Geo Trax. These are less creepy remote control trains, and we have tons of tracks and all the bells and whistles that go with it. We also have a few of the movies Rev was hooked immediately and now my living room is a maze of tracks and trains, and little men... and stop signs that really hurt when you step on them. My kids say things like "tracktastic" and even Cotton is getting in on the fun. I caught him secretly rolling a train around the track. careful that no one was watching. So the lesson here, is that you can't take the trains out of boyhood, but if your lucky you might just avoid Thomas.

All I Want For Christmas

Oh what a night. Cotton, had this tooth. It was a baby tooth, being pushed sideways by a permanent tooth that was already sticking through the gum. Only the baby tooth was some how not loose, I should also mention that after YEARS of grinding his teeth, his baby teeth are little tiny square nubs. We had a decision to make.... dentist... which we have regularly seen since Cotton was three, and have only graduated to sitting in the chair and opening his mouth for a quick look..... or us. We decided to give it a try. It was AGONY on every one's part. Rev was crying crocodile tears for his brother, but Landon was excited because he thought the Tooth Fairy would be paying a visit. Finally after a colossal fight both against Cotton and the tooth, it popped out. I asked Cotton to put it in the pillow for the Tooth Fairy, and he just shook his head no, and asked for a band aide. We let him watch YouTube videos for a while and he forgave us. I am so thankful though, I really doubt we would have ever got him back into the dentist office, if we had used her to pull the funky tooth. By the way, did you know that there is an entire section of YouTube videos dedicated to elevators? My son has peeps out there.

King of Your Castle

So yesterday we went to my new favorite place. It was a bouncy castle world. We have been looking for something to keep the kids active during these oh so HOT days of August and some friends invited us out. It is an out of the way small town place, so perfect for my diverse group. Well almost perfect. As soon as you walk in the door there is a giant inflatable shark slide that scared the piss out of my very sensitive Rev. He was happy to eat pizza and play in the eating area while watching his daring brothers careen from one inflatable house of doom to the next. He'll warm up, he just needs a little time. On a good note upon arrival, he yells "Oh no shark, all done, no no, all done, car, go home, all done." Just saying look at my little communicator, he has come sooo far! Even if he is screaming this in a total panic lol.

I love this place though because the kids can scream as loud as they want do what they want, and Rev and I can sit there and watch from afar... in safety... away from giant sharks. It is really hard to find ways to get Cotton active, and here he was climbing walls, jumping through hoops, gleefully running through obstacle courses, a sensory wonderland really... for him.... maybe sensory hell for Rev... just pointing out the obvious. The best part was that it was a place that Landon and Cotton could play together! No real skill necessary, Landon and Cotton were holding hands giggling the whole way, what is not to love....sorry Rev.