Training and Transition

This title pretty much sums up my life at this point. I feel like we have been a constant state of transition since moving to Oklahoma. In Enid we were waiting for our duty station in OKC. Once we made the move, I was 20 weeks pregnant and we were waiting for our little one to arrive. Before his arrival we got Piper, our dog and adjusted to one knew being before our little human being came. The sleepless nights started a little early because of our little puppy! Shortly after Canon was born the deployments started and we have been on that wheel ever since. With deployments we are constantly adapting our family. Our days look much different when Daddy is home all day, at work and home in the evenings, or totally gone. We have been blessed to have Albert pop in for short spurts of time during deployments, but this increases the need to adjust. And thus, this wheel will continue until we move away from Oklahoma!

I'm sure every mama feels like this, but everyone in our home is also in training. I could easily say that I am training all of the little ones in my house, but let's face it I am needing a lot of training and change and training too! So, we brought Cheyenne home from Pensacola and both dogs have been in Duck Boot camp ever since. They are learning to stay on the carpet while we eat our meals, walk together with a stroller (this has not had much progress with the freezing temps and ice everywhere, but it will pick up again), interact with each other and wait to eat their food. They are also learning to control their barking..... though this will take a bit more work.

The boys are at the age where they need a lot of training through their own transitions! Canon has been in a big boy bed since he was about 16 months old. He has done pretty well with it until the last month and a half or so. He decided that he would rather get up 15 times after being tucked in just to make sure he isn't missing anything and make some silly request. This afternoon, thanks to the advice of a friend, I put him in the crib and Boaz in the pack 'n play. They both cried it out for a while and at one point I heard Canon shouting that he needed to go potty. This is his most common excuse for needing to be up. I decided that he had a pull-up on and if he really needed to go, he could just go. He was safe in the crib and I was not taking him out! Eventually they both fell asleep and Canon woke up dry. He is so tricky!

Some other areas Mr. Canon is being trained in are asking for things politely instead of making demands. If anyone has any words of wisdom on this, I'd love to hear them! He is also learning a bit more about table manners; like keeping your bottom in the chair the whole time you are at the table. We have taken LoraLynn's advice and are practicing "sit time" and "quiet time". Here's how that's working for us: During "sit time" I put two kitchen chairs side-by-side, like we are sitting in church. Canon sits to my right and Boaz sits on my lap. I turn on a sermon and set my timer for 10 minutes. We started with 5 and will probably be at 10 for a while! Then we sit there quietly and are working on our squirminess. Let's just say there is way too much talking going on at this point! But, our little bits of time have helped with sitting in church the last couple of weeks.

"Quiet time" is after naps. This afternoon I gave Canon a lollipop and asked him to sit on the couch, Boaz crawled around on the floor and mooched some cookie while I read a couple of Psalms. They are doing really well with letting me read and not being too needy. I want them to see their Mama reading her Bible and to know that I believe the things that I tell them about Jesus. 

We practice "sit time" much more frequently than "quiet time". "Sit time" is useful several times throughout the week. Of course, I do not sit beside Canon except during church and during practice, but he understands what I mean. I am trying to tame a while horse here and any time of quiet stillness is a huge achievement! 

So, those are some of the things we are working on and adjusting to these days.