My Inner Shakti

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State of Our Household – 3.5 Years Old

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Kaiden is officially 3.5 years old! We have a full blown little man on our hands, y’all. He literally sounds like a teenager sometimes (which can be funny or not so much depending on the day).

I think I’ve said this with every age, but I love 3. It’s challenging and frustrating at times, but I love all the cuteness that comes with it (especially the things he says).

With that, here’s how our household is doing at 3.5…

State of Kaiden

Physically, Kaiden is on the smaller side when it comes to weight, but this doesn’t surprise me given that Vishnu was pretty small as a young kid too. Surprisingly, he seems to be a little taller than what we would’ve expected, given that no one is a giant in our families.

Mentally, this kid is as smart as a whip. And it’s not because I’m biased. He is intellectually doing really well (also per his teachers). He understand more than we would ever expect and remembers that much more. While he’s not reading or writing much just yet, his ability to comprehend and put two and two together just blows my mind.

Emotionally, he just gets it too. Not always with his own emotions, but in terms of how certain things would make others feel. He can read a room really well.

Speaking of his own emotions, K is still very much allergic to any word that sounds like no. And when he wants something, he wants it. And when he doesn’t want something he doesn’t want it. The kid’s stubborn! His meltdowns can be pretty epic, but I think we’re getting good at predicting them and bracing ourselves. We’re also working on setting more firm boundaries and then letting him feel what he wants to feel about them. He’s entitled to that, and while he may not love them, boundaries are incredibly important.

In terms of food, K is so hit or miss at home. Sometimes he loves something and sometimes it’s ‘yucky.’ There are some dishes that I can be 99% sure will be a hit, so I tend to rotate those more regularly. But he still loves most veggies, fruits, cheese, pasta (specifically mac n’ cheese) and bread. Thankfully, he still eats well at daycare, so at least there’s that!

In terms of play, the biggest development is K’s love for pretend play, and I’m here for it! He loves to pretend and turn ordinary objects into castles and wands, etc. I’m so thankful for this because it means we don’t need too many toys to keep him occupied. Not that we have much room for more stuff!

And finally, he’s getting into slightly longer books (but still loves his shorter picture books), so I’m thinking about getting him some chapter books we can work through. Should be fun!

So that sums up Kaiden at 3.5. Let’s move on to how mama and dada are doing…

State of Mama

Oh man! As much as I want to pull my hair out sometimes, this sweet little boy has my whole heart plus some. He’s so full of kindness and understanding and joy, and I’m so thankful he’s mine!

In terms of how I’m doing, things are going well. It’s a bit of a juggle with full-time work, Awarify, Kaiden, Vishnu’s schedule, and home stuff. Phew! But I’m learning to let some stuff fall through the cracks when it doesn’t really matter. Haven’t perfected this yet, but I’m trying.

I feel like since I started my coaching program, I’m starting to become so much more aware of my own thoughts and if they’re serving me or not. I’ve always thought of myself as a somewhat aware person, but I wasn’t…it take a lot of deep work and introspection and I’m working on it and discovering new things about myself. This is all to say that this new level of awareness is helping tremendously with my parenting. I’m learning new ways to think about things so they don’t get to me or don’t become a big issue.

I have some ambitious goals for 2021, but I’m tempering any expectations I place on myself, others, and any external situations. Given the year we’ve had, I think it’s better to stay agile when possible. Nonetheless, I’m excited for a new year and some light at the end of the tunnel.

Overall, I’m doing well and looking forward to new adventures with my kiddo!

State of Dada

Dada is BUSY! Lol! Fellowship is a lot of work and responsibility, but we’re lucky that Vishnu’s program is super organized and we know all his call/weekend dates ahead of time. This is the last leg of our medical training journey…next up is attendingship! I’ll be sharing more about that soon!

Vishnu and Kaiden have a really fun and rowdy relationship right now! I suspect it’ll stay that way for a while! I think K also looks to Vishnu as his source of calm because he’s so steady through all the emotions and ups and downs.

I will say that Vishnu is less emotional than me, so while he gives his love to K so openly and freely, he’s also less all over the place. Something I need to learn from him.

Overall, Vishnu’s doing well and really enjoying this age too, although a few times a week, he’ll tell me he’s sad Kaiden is growing up and won’t remain so little for long. #truethat

And that, my friends, is how our household is faring right now. I wish this update was a bit more exciting, but you know…these are Covid times. Hopefully year 4 will bring some better news with it!

A List of Tried and True Toddler Blankets

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Kaiden sleeps with two blankets, one my mom made him that’s fairly large and very soft yet heavy and a smaller baby blanket that’s his ‘cape.’ He also sleeps with a towel (re: towel cape), but that’s neither here nor there!

Now that he’s getting taller, I think he needs a new bigger blanket. He also doesn’t stay in one place when sleeping, so I feel like he needs something that will stay on as he bounces around. But when started researching different options, I got overwhelmed and stopped. I then took my question to my Instagram community, and my mama peeps didn’t disappoint. I got a ton of recommendations that are tried and true, so I thought I’d share for anyone else in a similar dilemma.

YNM Kids Weighted Blanket – I was told this person’s neighbors also got this blanket for their kids and love it too!

Roore 5 lb Weighted Blanket – A few people mentioned this one!

Aden + Anais Dream Blanket – A couple of people love this one.

Sivio Kids Weighted Blanket

Pillowfort at Target – A lot of people suggested blankets sold at Target.

And if you live in Canada, you can try the Life Comfort Weighted Blanket for Kids (available at Costco if you shop there!).

I think we’re going to try a weighted blanket and see how that goes. I’m debating all the ones I listed here. Ahhhh…so many choices when it comes to kids!

Well, I hope this helps a bit! Let me know in the comments if you have any other suggestions.

No portion of this post is sponsored.  However, affiliate links are included. There is no extra cost to you, but I do receive a small commission on anything you buy through my links.  Thank you for reading and supporting My Inner Shakti!

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A Crazy Monday!

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Well, Monday didn’t go as planned!

Let’s start from the beginning…

When Vishnu and I woke up, he happened to see that there was some unrest in Chicago the night before. We didn’t think too much of it, so he went to show, and I went in the kitchen to make his lunch and get ready for my day. I happened to glance at my phone and saw that I had a note waiting for me in the school’s app. It said that school was closed because of CTA being closed and the damage done in the surrounding neighborhood.

Of course, I totally understood why the decision was made, and I 100% agreed with it. But that didn’t make moving my day around any easier.

When K woke up, I told him there was no school, and he enthusiastically said, “YAY!” That made me smile!

Between a healthy dose of screen time and hands on time with me, we made it through the day. To be really honest, it made me very grateful for K’s school and all the precautions they take whether it’s Covid related or something like this.

Here are a few highlights/funny moments from the day:

  • Kaiden ate more for breakfast than he has in the past 2 years – a whole apple, a half a piece of Dave’s Killer bread with cream cheese, and 2 thick turkey slices.
  • Kaiden had to poop during a call I had (with an external speaker we’re working with on an event). Of course, I was frazzled, but it all worked out. I’m pretty sure my other colleague on the call with me wanted to bust out laughing.
  • Kaiden skipped his nap (of course!), but he definitely tricked me. At about 12:45 pm, he declared that he was tired and wanted to take a nap. I got him all settled, tucked him in, and of course 10 minute later, I hear a little voice yelling MAMA!
  • We read two Berenstain Bears books, and it made me excited because I feel like we can dabble in longer chapter books soon!
  • We also played in bed which means I ran and jumped and Kaiden laughed. Best 20 minutes of my day!
  • We watched Aladdin in the afternoon. Seriously one of my fav movies!
  • In addition to everything that happened overnight, we also experienced a crazy storm in the late afternoon. It spooked Kaiden out, and I was pretty sure out patio furniture was going to end up in the Chicago River. It didn’t. However, there as a lot of destruction across other parts of the city.

Anyways, that was our crazy Monday. Not as expected, but I think I handled it with as much grace and calm as I could muster. I give so much props and credit to those working parents who also have to play the role of teacher at home during this crazy time. Hats off to you!

Kaiden Says the Darndest Things [1]

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I really wish all parents would broadcast the things their kids say (especially around the 2-4 age) because it’s so darn funny! Our little guy is a talker and always come up with the funniest (to me at least!) little sentences/phrases. Let me share a few examples…

Me: Kaiden, clean up all your toys before you start playing with something new.
Kaiden: [in a low voice] If you want to clean, you do it.

Ok fine, that was funny but fresh. Don’t worry, I talked to him about it!

Kaiden: I said you’re a silly goose.
Me: Who did you say that to?
Kaiden: To Augusta (his classmate).
Me: What did she say?
Kaiden: She didn’t say annnyyything.
Me: Oh, what did she do then?
Kaiden: She laughed and I said rawr!

Me: Ok, let’s say our prayers. Nana, nani…
Kaiden: No, just the ladies.

Me: God, we thank you for our health…
Kaiden: OH MY GOD!

Me: I’m going to give daddy a big kiss.
Kaiden: Aww, that’s so so sweet of you mama. So sweet!

[Walking out of his room one morning…]
Kaiden: Who’s that little man sitting right there? [It was Vishnu.]

Me: Ok, let me go get my phone and we can leave.
Kaiden: Mama, turn off the light.
Me: Why?
Kaiden: We don’t want to waste the light.

Me: Kaiden, you look so handsome.
Kaiden: Let’s go look in a mirror. [Upon seeing his reflection in the mirror, he stares and smiles.]

Kaiden: Mama, I’m going to fix your hair. Ok, you look so beautiful now!

And that, my friends, is the first edition of Kaiden Says the Darndest Things because I’m pretty certain there is more hilarity to come!

State of Our Household – THREE YEARS OLD!

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We officially have a three year old on our hands! WHAT?!

I know this is the most cliche thing to say on your child’s birthday, but I remember every last detail of the days leading up to my delivery with so much clarity. If you want to know more about how Kaiden was brought into the world, read his birth story.

Anyways, let’s get to the details of this post and see how each member of our household is doing!

State of Kaiden

Oh how Mr. K has grown! I feel like just over the past three months, he’s grown in leaps and bounds. Some days, I feel like he’s three going on thirteen. But this age is still so much fun! You don’t know what he’s going to do or say…that element of surprise is a real thing, y’all!

In terms of his personality, he’s one of the funniest people I know! He’s so witty and knows how to get laughs. And if you don’t laugh, he’ll look at you and say, “LAUGH!” Well, ok then! He’s also really sweet. He doesn’t like to see people upset or hurt. I hope his sense of empathy only gets stronger as he gets older. In some ways, Kaiden is like me, he’s super emotional and can get upset quickly, but he gets over the situation quickly. He doesn’t hold grudges. What else? He’s also very stubborn (like most three year olds?!). Kaiden is always down for a good time. It takes him a bit to warm up to people, but once he does, there’s no stopping him!

In terms of sleep, we’re doing well. He goes down between 7:30-7:45p every night (although the antics have definitely started where he tries to keep me in the room as long as he can!), but he’ll fall asleep anywhere from the minute his head hits his pillow to 9 pm. Before he started school again, he was waking up between 7:15-7:30a most days, and now he’s up between 6-7a. Not an easy transition for his parents either! Naps are hit or miss, mostly still hits (those days are rough!). I think pushing his nap time back to 1:30p (vs. 1:00p) may help. We’ll see!

He’s still a pretty good eater. K loves most things, but it does take a bit to get him to the table. Once he’s there, he’s good. Like most kids, we still have our days where he doesn’t want to eat something and will say he’s full after a few bites. It takes everything in me to just be ok with that, but I’m trying! I want him to listen to his hunger cues, so I’m going to chalk it up to him truly not needing any food. Who knows!

Kaiden is now talking a ton! It’s incredible to see and probably one of my favorite developments over the past year. His vocab is pretty great, but what gets me is how much he can say in the correct context. It’s insane!

Like most toddlers, K doesn’t like hearing no or being told what to do. So we have to get creative! Ha! But I will say, if we can just stay calm and meet him on his level, he’s pretty good. It’s not like he won’t budge.

I know this is a very biased this to say, but I think I have the cutest, sweetest, happiest baby boy in the whole world! He really is the best, and I LOVE HIM SOOOO MUCH!

State of Mama

Mama is doing well! I really do love this age, so even though things get rough from time to time, I find that it’s easier to handle.

Quarantine was interesting. If you’ve followed me for a while, you know that work + K wasn’t easy. Something I haven’t talked much about yet is self-care and energy management. I did/do work out every day, but I still haven’t been able to drop the pounds I gained last October. I was on a good path up until mid-March, and then it all went downhill. So I’m trying to focus on regular movement and healthier eating. Easier said than done, but I’m trying!

Other than that, I need to get on a better night time routine. I haven’t been going to sleep at a consistent time, and it shows! Every Monday, I tell myself this is my week! But nope. Two days in and I’m all over the place again. Let’s say this one is a work in progress.

Other than that, everything is the same old!

State of Dada

Vishnu graduated residency earlier this month, which was a momentous occasion for us! Woo hoo!

He’s now gearing up for fellowship and all that brings. It’s going to be a busy year!

Other than that, I’m happy to report that Kaiden and Vishnu’s relationship is the strongest it’s ever been. K is still very much a mama’s boy, but he loves his dada…always asking for him and wanting to wrestle with him! It’s fun to watch, and also a big relief because I’m not the only one he will go to! Woo hoo!

I’ll share another update at 3.5. I love rereading these posts and thinking back on little K!

Our Experience Using a Toddler Sleep Clock

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Sleep (or the lack thereof) and parenthood often go hand in hand. Like I’ve said before, I was naive enough to think that our sleep woes would end once Kaiden was a toddler. But no. We’ve experienced every regression plus some!

For my long time readers, you know that K often woke up quite early. No matter what we tried (going to sleep earlier, going to sleep later, changing up his bedtime routine, etc.), he consistently woke up in the 5 o’clock hour (if not earlier). And this is as recently as November/December 2019.

One night, as we laid our exhausted heads to bed, I asked Vishnu what he thought of a toddler clock. After sharing my sleep woes on Instagram, a few followers recommended getting one. He said he was willing to try anything to get Kaiden to sleep until 6:00. Ha!

After looking up a few of the ones that were recommended to me, we finally settled on the LittleHippo Mella Read to Rise Children’s Sleep Trainer Clock. There was no rhyme or reason as to why we chose this one to be honest…more than anything it had better reviews that the rest.

So this clock is really simple. You essentially set your child’s sleep time and you set the wake time, and then thirty minutes before the wake time, the ring around the clock turns yellow. This is to help the child slowly wake up (more on our experience with this in a minute). Then when it’s your scheduled wake time, the ring turns green. In most, cases, this is when your child can get of bed or call out to you.

In our experience, the yellow light would cause Kaiden to wake up…and not slowly! So instead of telling him he had to wait for the green light to call out for us, we tell him to wait for the yellow light. We set the clock to a 6:30 am wake up time so that the yellow ring turns on at 6:00 am.

If I’m making this sound complicated, please know that it’s not! Just takes some adjusting based on your child.

A few notes…

Don’t assume this will work from day 1. Some days, Kaiden still wakes up at 5:45, and I have to go in and lay on the bed and tell him he has to wait to get up until he sees the yellow light. Depending on when you start, it will take your toddler some time to adjust to a clock wake up.

We do change the wake up time on the weekends to 7:30 in the hopes that K sleeps until 7. This has worked a handful of times!

How I like to face the clock on Friday and Saturday nights. I feel like not having the bright yellow light shining over his crib helps him sleep a little later. Just a theory on my part…who knows!

This clock has other features like an alarm, a nightlight, etc. We don’t use them (yet) but you get more for your buck than what we use it for.

Anyways, like I said, this was not a magical sleep solution for us, but it has worked wonders! Kaiden has slept longer with this than when we did anything else. Fingers crossed that it only gets better from here!

Let me know if you have any questions (in the comments), and most importantly, if you are dealing with a toddler who doesn’t love to sleep in, know that you’re not alone!

No portion of this post is sponsored.  However, affiliate links are included. There is no extra cost to you, but I do receive a small commission on anything you buy through my links.  Thank you for reading and supporting My Inner Shakti!

The Start of Potty Training

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I say the ‘start’ because I think it’s going to take a bit longer than I originally imagined it would. There are people who claim they’ve potty trained their kids in 3 days flat, and I thought I was going to be one of those moms. Turned out I was wrong! But that’s ok. This is truly one of those things you have to do at your child’s pace.

I got a lot of questions and requests on IG to share what we’re doing, why we’re doing it, the products we’re using, tips, tricks, etc. So that’s what today’s post is about. But please note, we are not some magical success story. Like I said, this is going to be a journey for us and this is just the starts.

Why now?

A lot of people told us we were starting too early. But I really wanted to start right after K turned 2.5 for a few reasons. One – in case it didn’t go according to plan and took longer, we’d have more time (and that’s what happened). Two – his school won’t move him up to the next classroom until he’s potty trained. Three – I have some travel coming up between now and the middle of the year, so I needed to factor that in when thinking about Kaiden and what he would need at this time. Essentially, for K, it’s better to have minimal disruptions to his routine for him to feel comfortable with something as big as this.

Approach

Ok, so because I wanted to see if the 3 day method would work for us, I had Vishnu take a Friday off (I already have off), and we kept K home from school too.

The plan was to stay home Friday-Sunday and take Kaiden to the potty every 15 minutes. We did that…kind of. It didn’t end up being every 15 minutes because after a few rounds Kaiden was getting super annoyed. Haha! We kept him commando from the waist down the first 1.5 days and then let him wear underwear. Also, if K successfully went pee in the potty, he got one M&M. And if we went poop (which he didn’t), he would get two M&Ms.

We also transitioned him out of diapers and only used Pull Ups for naps and night time sleep.

We did end up leaving the house for soccer class on Sunday because I think we were all a little crazed from being inside for so long!

So that was our ‘simple’ approach. We didn’t quite stick with the original plan as strictly as we probably should have, but in retrospect, I think we’re fine!

I would never include pics from K’s potty training journey any where, especially not on a public blog. So instead, you get a cute picture of him sleeping! Ha!

Where are we now?

It’s been a little over 10 days since our introduction to potty training, and I’d say Kaiden is getting the hang of it slowly but surely. He does fairly well with peeing in the potty, tell us when he has to go, can thankfully hold it, etc. That being said, he still has accidents, especially when he’s distracted!

In terms of pooping in the potty, he’s not there yet. And I read that this part can take a lot longer. We did have one semi-victorious incident, but that’s it!

We’re lucky in that Kaiden’s school also works with him/us on this journey. There’s a potty in his room, and the thinking is they also learn by watching other kids go. And his teachers are great about taking him regularly and talking to him about the experience (sounds strange but telling a toddler they’re turning the potty water yellow is a great way to get them to go!).

Final Thoughts

Expect this to be a longish process and really just go with your kid’s flow (literally!). Like most things parenting, your experience will just depend. Don’t compare yourself to other people and their experiences…just do what’s best for your child. They will eventually get it!

For us, I’m hoping that in the next couple of months, we’re able to say we’re daytime potty trained! Fingers crossed!

A few other notes – expect some type of regression when starting this process. For K, it was in the sleeping and behavior department. His nighttime sleep was punctuated with random wake ups, so we had to work through that for a few days. And he went from being independent and generally really happy to whiny and clingy (with me!). Thankfully both were short lived! And finally, try to stay as calm as possible. This can bring out some frustration from you and your partner (I speak from experience) but know that it does get easier and focus on the wins!

Tools

Here are some of the tools we used to help us get started…

Underwear – I got K three packs of this Sesame Street underwear since he loves the show and all the characters! It runs a little small, so keep that in mind when ordering.

At home potty seat – We opted to not get a separate mini potty for K, as a lot of friends (and his teachers) told us that would be yet another thing to ween him off. We really like this particular seat – basic but does the job!

Folding (portable) potty seat – We have yet to use this, but I keep it folded and in K’s diaper bag for when he starts going places without his Pull Ups!

Chucks – So I had no idea what a chuck was prior to starting this process. Vishnu brought some home from work and told me that we had to use them (we asked my BIL to also bring some home – helps to know doctors!). We kept one on the couch and one by K’s potty, and boy did these bad boys come in handy! Especially when we had messy accidents. Having a chuck around made clean up a lot easier. They aren’t cheap by any means, but this is definitely a must have IMO!

Leave any questions you have in the comments! OR if you’re an experienced parent who’s been through this before, please share your thoughts, ideas, tips, product recs, etc.

No portion of this post is sponsored.  However, affiliate links are included. There is no extra cost to you, but I do receive a small commission on anything you buy through my links.  Thank you for reading and supporting My Inner Shakti!

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