Bribery and corruption

Eat it at the table kiddo.
Please use your spoon, ah-ah, for eating not painting the table.
Last chance!
Come on, quickly to the toilet and you can watch Sesame street.
Champ! That's enough toilet paper.
Help me get your shoes on.
Please don't fight me.
If you are fighting me I will have to turn the TV off. Please help me get your shoes on.
Mummy will have to go to playgroup without you if you can't help me get you ready.
5 minutes and the TV will need to be off.
3 minutes.
Ok, this is the last song, then please help me to turn the TV off.
Well I am going to playgroup without you then.
Ok, into the car...
Now, please...
No! No jumping in the puddles, you don't have gumboots on.
Champ!
Into the car, now, please!
Ok, have fun, Mummy will get in the car. See you soon.
Great, thanks. Uh! No hitting Mummy, gentle please.
Now please be gentle at playgroup. Remember no hitting or pushing or we have to go home.
That's right gentle or there is no more playtime.
Champ! I said sharing with your friends please.
Remember to be gentle or we have to go home and have no more playtime.
Ok, Champ into the car.
Come on. Lunch time when we get home.
Champ, do you want to peel an egg when we get home?
Thank you.
No, it is not time for you drive, Mummy will drive.
Well, do you want to stay in the car or do you want to eat your egg?
Yes, you can peel it yourself.
No, no apples for lunch.
Champ! Put the apple back. You can have it after lunch.
Ok, 5 more minutes play time then time for the toilet before bed.
Champ, come on off to the toilet now.
Champ?
Champ, look big bird wants to watch you do your wee wee on the toilet.
Yes, big bird is so proud.
Ok, all done on the toilet?
I think you are all done.
Come on, all done, lets read some books in bed.
No, no more books on the toilet, bed time.
I can hear teddy calling you from your bed.
Hey, wait! Big boy jocks back on before bed please mister.
We will read 3 books, ok?
Yes, they can all be Dr Seuss.
Ok, last book.
No, that was the last one.
Time for prayers and Mummy will sing you your lullaby.
Yes I will stay with you until you are asleep.
Champ, I am saying your prayers, no talking please.
Ok, if you are going to keep talking Mummy will have to go to the lounge room.
I can only stay with you if there is no talking.
Goodnight I love you too, mate.

Is it any wonder I fall asleep during his nap time before he does?

I wish I didn't have to bribe/threaten/coax every action every step of the way. Champ is actually a very good and generally co operative kid for his age, but sometime I just wonder 'Why can't you just do what you are asked to do? The first time?' before the bribes and the threats have come out. At least I haven't had to resort to pleading with him yet. Still, having to distract and coax all day every day, it's exhausting!

Champ update

We are all getting a lot more sleep in the Lemoncake household lately (knocking frantically on wood). I helped our sleep issues the way I prefer, with a bit of patience and a lot of communication.

One afternoon, I told Champ that we would have to move the mattress from his room because Mummy had to sleep in Mummy's bed. He helped me do this and I told him that I would stay with him until he fell asleep, but then I would go to Mummy's bed and if he needed me he could call me and I would hear him.

That night I did as I promised and he woke a couple of times. Each time I told him that I would stay with him until he fell asleep but that Mummy had to sleep in Mummy's bed. I was very boring and only replied with a soft 'sssshhh' to any talking as he fell back to sleep.

It only took a couple of nights before I wasn't getting called to his room anymore! I now explain to him each night just before we say our prayers that I will stay with him until he falls asleep and that if he wakes up through the night he should cuddle Sleepyhead (his comforter) and close his eyes and go back to sleep.

Aaaaahhh. A good night sleep was what we all needed! He does still wake occasionally and I will go in and follow his request of 'Mummy stay wif me'. But most nights we are getting through without a call out.

Anyway, all that could change as we are in the process of converting the back room into his bedroom. I am nervous and excited. It is quite far from our bedroom and a very big room for a little boy (bigger than my lounge room actually!). But I am so excited to be choosing paint colour and curtains for him.

When he was born, Cowboy and I lived in a one bedroom inner city apartment so my nursery planning went only so far as dedicating a corner of our room to his cot and our lounge room to his change table. Now, to be looking at themes and colour swatches for both my kids at once is very cool. Champ's current bedroom will become Lucky's and since we didn't re-paint it prior to moving in here we are getting new paint and curtains for her too. I'll post picture once the rooms are done, but for now we are thinking 'Robin's Egg blue' paint for the walls with grey striped curtains for Champ and a violet and white colour scheme for Lucky.

Champ is getting very excited to meet his 'little sister'. He has no concept that there are still 99 days to go (as of today!) but can see my tummy getting bigger and he loves to talk to her and tell her what he is doing ('I'm eating my toast, baby. When you get bigger you can drink milk from Mummy's boobies.').

I am finding each age with him more and more enjoyable. He is now my little companion while I do everything. He loves nothing more than to 'help Mummy' with anything from hanging laundry (which he can do surprisingly well on the clothes horse) to fetching ingredients for me as I cook (in exchange for occasionally being allowed to stir the food for me).

He is getting so independent, only requiring my presence when he goes to the toilet, pulling down pants and getting on to the seat himself, climbing down and washing his hands neatly without any reminders.

I know it will all change once Lucky is born, if only temporarily. I will not have the time to let life go slowly at his pace and he will likely rebel against all the time I have to devote to her and regress a little himself. But I know it will only be for a little while, and am glad for the larger age gap I have (unwillingly) got between the kids. He is 2 and a half this week (where has the time gone?!), and will be 2 and nine months by the time Lucky arrives. A bigger age gap than expected, but I think it is perfect.