Changes, changes and more changes - this has well characterized these past several weeks!
The first one was transfering Mateo to a toddler bed. Because his crib has been his comfort and haven, a type of zen sanctuary for so many months, I thought he was going to have a hard time giving up the security of his rails and bumper. Contrary to my belief, he adjusted well to the change and hasn't fallen out of the bed ... yet! We installed a bed rail just in case and put cushions on the floor, along the side of the bed, just in case he decides to get wild at night.
The second change has been harder for Mateo to get used to - my knee operation. Unfortunately, this has radically changed the whole family dynamics - I can't carry my little guy or play with him, take him to the park or do much of anything with him. When he first saw me with my crutches, I saw him coming towards me with the intention of hitting me. He then wanted only to be with me, in my arms, and cried when either my mom or Nico would take him away. But he has slowly started accepting the situation.
This leads me to the third change: the different care givers Mateo will have in the next 6 weeks! My mom took the first week, and probably the hardest one, since everything was so new to Mati (and me!). Not only did he have to deal with my knee surgery, but also with the Roseola virus, which made him break out in fever for three days and an itchy rash for another 3. He was without appetite and super sensitive. Luckily, his system supressed the virus and his happy self quickly returned. Eventually, he got used to mom taking him around town and would bravely say goodbye to me when they left home, but after an hour, an hour and a half, he would ask her to take him back home to see me. Unfortunately, his aggressivity has returned - he has been hitting other kids and my mom and his tantrums have escalated in frequency. I'm hoping that it's all a result of how the knee surgery has changed our daily lives.
Nico is taking the second week, which will be reassuring to Mateo but might upset him when he realizes the third week that he has a couple people taking care of him - my sister, who he absolutely loves, and a nanny whom he's never met! The fourth and fifth week, Nico's parents will be here to help us out, so at least Mateo will be back with family.
In other news - Mateo has started soccer classes. It is so darn adorable to see little 18 - 24 months old toddlers in uniform pretend they are playing soccer. The coach makes them run a lot - they do various drills of stop and go and shoot the ball into the goalie. They stay active the whole 45 minutes!
We are not making much progress in the potty training department. We have stalled and there's not much I can do now to make things move forward. I'll just wait until I'm back to normal and in full charge again!
Hope everyone is having a great summer!
