Wednesday, April 27, 2011

The Pacifier Elf

Peter is officially two-and-a-half now, an age which I still maintain is about as rough as it gets. He is a whirling ball of energy and emotion, but his verbal skills are beginning to catch up. Recently, he's started to develop very real fears- of ants, worms, thunderstorms...and a few other odd things that I can't remember. He screams at the top of his lungs and his little body shakes, and it's really sad. He must have learned that his fears get him immediate attention though, because now he's "too scared" to go to bed...ever. I've sort of given up on enforcing nap time, even though he desperately needs one. And sadly bedtime doesn't make up for lost nap time sleep, as he sits in his bed and cries for what seems like forever, finding any excuse he can to avoid the inevitable.
Peter is very aware of others, and sensitive to their feelings. Benjamin knows he can take advantage of his kindness, and Peter usually lets him. The other day, Peter noticed a scab on my arm and told me that I needed a band-aid to fix it, or that we'd just have to get a new mommy. Ok, maybe he's not always sensitive to other's feelings. 
So I was refreshing myself on pacifier weaning tactics the other day, thinking it was about time we pulled the plug. I (re)learned that older children who regularly use a pacifier develop a gap between their top teeth and their bottom teeth, which I admittedly hadn't even noticed in Peter until just now. 
That was enough to convince me, so we started telling him about the "Pacifier Elf," who is one of Santa's lesser known helpers. After a few days, he was ready to leave all of his prized pacifiers outside his door for the night, in hopes that the Pacifier Elf would bring him something fun in return. Silly Pacifier Elf didn't take into account that there were violent tornados in the area that night (that coincidentally ripped up our airport), but he was on a mission, and didn't want to disappoint that trusting little boy. Peter loved his new Spongebob ball and Buzz Lightyear flashlight, and was even kind enough to share his spoils with Benjamin. 
He seems to be a sponge. I don't feel like I've been as diligent in teaching him his alphabet or numbers as I was with Benjamin, but it seems to have made no difference. He knows all of his letters and can identify the letters in words by the sounds they make. He also continues to be very musical, and can carry a really nice tune! He has days where he gets very inquisitive, and will ask "why?" over and over again. It can get frustrating at times, especially when I've explained something as thoroughly as I can. When he's finally ready to move on though, he'll say, "Ohhhh, I get it!" 
My Mom always used to say that it's a good thing two years olds are so cute, or there wouldn't be any left. In Peter's case, I couldn't agree more!

9 comments:

Sarah said...

I completely agree about 2 1/2 being the hardest age ever! I don't know what it is, but it is rough. It really is a good thing they are so cute.

And those little bunnies on your lawn are adorable. I can't believe they didn't run!

Rachel Sorber said...

Wow. Yeah, he's at the climax of the terrible two's, huh? I'm sorry. He is really cute, though, and hopefully after the climax comes the slow decline of all things irrational and tantrum-like. My big hope is that both Natalie and Lucy have turned out to be pretty darn sweet, even though I wanted to sell them to the zoo a time or two when they were around 2 and a half. Maybe it won't take Peter too much longer. Go back and reread that post you wrote several months ago about how adorable he was, and it may help you get through... Love you.

Stacy said...

The new mommy comment makes me feel better about Lilly telling me I was old and should probably die. Ouch.

What an adorable family you have :) Keep safe out there with all the storms!

Katie Cannon said...

I feel so much love for Peter I don't know what it is but he has a special place in my heart. He is so sweet. I love your Pacifier elf idea that is fantastic. I also love that picture of Peter and Nora on the bench it is so funny to me. I feel like Nora is going to interrogate me or something it is adorable. Love you very much. I'm happy things worked out for Nora and your earring!

Hi Lowe! said...

hahah! I feel that way about my little cute 2 year old too! Love it!

Becky Lowe said...

The quote was from Sis. Eleanor Raty, mother of 12 and one of the amazing people I looked to for wisdom and advice when I was a very young mother in Oakton Ward. What she said was, "It's a good thing two-year-olds are the cutest things that walk the earth, or there wouldn't be many of them left!"

Marc and Miriam Deru said...

I don't even know what to say after this post! It's so great, all the fun stories about Peter and what he's like right now, but also makes me a little exasperated for you-- mostly about bedtime. So I'm wondering, if he is such a sponge, how would it be to take him on a special mommy-son date, talk about being scared and praying, and get him a special toy to snuggle in bed? You've probably already got it figured out. I'm just thinking about what I might try! Good luck, and much love to sweet Peter!

Marliese said...

What a sweet, sweet two year old you have. And what a patient mom you must be. I could NOT handle the no nap, then crying in bed forever thing. I hope that gets better. And you are brave to dump the pacifier in the midst of all of that. It helps me so much with the sleeping thing. Good luck!

Dad said...

Sarah,

I don't make many comments as you well know, but I couldn't resist. I get such a kick about your boys' little "isms." They all make me laugh. And your little commentaries of life in the Cannon home. I am so grateful for all you do as a mother, a wife, and so many other roles. I can't wait to be with all of you in not very long!