adventures in art

i took Cruz to the Getty Center yesterday as part of a Stroller Strides playgroup. i had concerns all week if Cruz would even enjoy a museum outing, or if he would be bored stuck in a stroller. after learning about the gardens and water fountains there, i decided at the last minute to go.

the Stroller Strides evite said to be there at 11am. i mapped out our bus route to the Getty so we would arrive a quarter till, giving us a little extra time incase a bus was late. having to take the bus there was also a concern i had. usually, Cruz and i just run short errands around our neighborhood, but going to the Getty would take 3 buses and 1 hour to get there. plus, we had to take a metro rapid bus which i had never done before. this was definitely an adventure!

all the buses were on time. we got on the big red metro rapid which was pretty cool. it was one of those buses that is two bus lengths long, and it had tv very similar to what's televised on an airplane. it had a little map that showed where you were and then showed little video clips. all my concerns about taking a long bus trip disappeared because Cruz loves tv.

we get dropped off at the Getty bus stop ahead of schedule, around 10:35am which is good because i've never been there before and wasn't sure where to go. i discover you have to take a tram up the mountain side to the museum entrance. i borrowed one of the Getty courtesy strollers and Cruz and i entered the tram. the view was beautiful on the way to the top. i also got a glimpse at the lovely traffic backed up on the 405 which always reminds me why i like riding the bus.

by the time we reached the museum entrance, it was a quarter till. i grabbed a banana and a bottled water from the outside cafe and looked around for other Stroller Striders. i saw none. i thought maybe they're inside, so we took a look. i saw no one there either. i thought maybe they were waiting by where the tram let people off, so we took a look, but still no. a little after 11am, i took Cruz to the court yard just past the museum entrance to look at the water fountains, and also to wait for someone else in our group to show up. at 11:30am i finally gave up waiting because i knew Cruz wasn't going to last much longer strapped in a stroller. i took a look at the museum map and found a garden that looked like a nice place to let Cruz run around and we headed that way. as soon as we walked outside, a woman pushing a stroller came up to me and asked if i was with Stroller Strides. she had been waiting too and hadn't seen anyone else she knew. i put our garden stroll on hold for the moment and waited with the other mom.

after a few more minutes of waiting some other Stroller Striders showed up, but still no sign of the coordinator. Cruz was getting antsy so i took him out of the stroller to let him run around the entrance hall. we played a game of little circle, big circle with the floor tile design to pass the time. i think it was a quarter till noon when the event coordinator finally arrived. she explained the evite said they would be coming after that morning's Stroller Strides class and that's why she was late.

i'm sorry but if you put together a playgroup and say to meet at 11am, then be there at 11am.. especially if you're the coordinator!

i noticed most the moms who were part of our group had babies that were not walking while i had a toddler that was very mobile and eager to get going. a couple other moms and i decided to take a stroll through the garden while the rest waited for any other straggling moms. finally, we were back on track. before venturing down the garden path, i let Cruz out so he could walk the path beside me. this got me separated from the other moms because they were pushing their babies in the stroller. Cruz and i were only half down the path when the other moms were on their way back up. they said they were going up to the Garden Cafe to meet up with the rest of the group for lunch. i told them we would meet them there once we finished walking the path.

Cruz enjoyed all the flowers and waterfalls on our garden walk. around 12:30pm Cruz and i made our way to the cafe, but i didn't see my group. not wanting to let this get me down, i decided to stop looking for them and just do things on our own. although, i was a little miffed because i had to wait for them to show up and they couldn't wait for me for lunch. i bought some food and we sat down to eat with a wonderful garden view.

after lunch, we headed over to the family room that had art kids could interact with. Cruz got to run around and write on the walls and have fun with the art pieces there. a few minutes went by and coincidentally we ran into the other members of our group. i thought how cool, we caught back up with everyone. we played in the family room a bit longer. then Cruz ran by the door and i saw the other moms outside looking at the map to go somewhere else, and no one had told us they were moving on. how rude!!!

by the time Cruz was ready to go, there was no sign of the other Stroller Striders so again, we were on our own. i wasn't going to let their rudeness stop us from having fun. next, i took Cruz to see some of the art pieces in the exhibit halls. then, he ran around outside, falling once and getting a boo-boo on his chin. after a quick cry and a kiss from mom to fix the boo-boo, we took in the view from the mountain top before i decided it was getting late and we should head home before traffic got thick.

on the bus ride home, Cruz fell asleep from his long day and adventures in art. we had a lot of fun even though we never stayed with our group. i only wished we wouldn't have waisted an hour just waiting around and done our own thing at the museum earlier. regardless, we made the best of it and had a successful and fun day at the Getty. i think i will definitely be taking Cruz out there again soon but not as part of another Stroller Strides playgroup.

Cruz's big boy bed

we moved Cruz into his toddler bed last weekend. he has been sharing the big bed with my husband and me, which is fine, but we wanted to open Cruz up to the idea of sleeping in his own bed ;)

the problem with the crib, i think, is Cruz feels more comfortable when he can get in and out of bed at his liberty. this proves why he would sleep better when he was sleeping in our bed because he didn't feel trapped. Putting Cruz in the crib was almost a punishment to him because he knew he would be stuck there until someone came into the room and took him out. that's no good!

so this weekend we took the side rail off the crib and converted it to a toddler bed. we put a pillow in the bed with Cruz's favorite pillow case featuring pictures of trucks and a few transition objects that he is used to for night time. Cruz was eager to climb into his big boy bed and try it out. i told him it was nap time and he needed to lay down on his pillow, and he did. it was so cute! he didn't take a nap immediately at that time, but he did take a nap a little later that day in his new bed.

that night my hubby and i had a hard time getting him to go to sleep because Cruz knew we wanted him to sleep in the big boy bed and he doesn't like sleeping alone. after a two hour struggle we finally got him to sleep but he was snoozing in our bed. my husband says we shouldn't force him because we don't want him to hate the new bed.

today, Cruz took a really good nap in his new bed. i think he likes his big boy bed, and i hope it will encourage a little more independence from our little guy.

breastfeeding a toddler

i'm having concerns over breastfeeding my toddler. i've been waiting for Cruz to self-ween, and i figure he knows what he needs. i have no issues with feeding my son in public because i can control where we feed. if we are out and about and he wants boob, i just tell him we have to wait till we get home and he understands. usual feedings are before naptime and before bed and off and on during the night since Cruz sleeps in our bed. it's just sometimes it's too much.. i need a break or i need to get something done and Cruz only wants me to put him to sleep, well, actually he wants the boob to put him to sleep.

tonight, i told him no boobie and he cried and cried. i felt so bad! i tried to comfort him but nothing worked. when he calmed down enough i asked him what he needed to make it all better and replies, "boob." adorable.. so i gave in and breastfed him until he fell asleep.

i read through La Leche League's website for some advice. it said:

"Breastfeeding a toddler helps with the child's ability to mature. Although some experts say a toddler who is not weaned will have difficulty becoming independent, it's usually the fearful, clingy children that have been pushed into situations requiring too much independence too soon. A breastfeeding toddler is having his dependency needs met. The closeness and availability of the mother through breastfeeding is one of the best ways to help toddlers grow emotionally.

Breastfeeding can help a toddler understand discipline as well. Discipline is teaching a child about what is right and good, not punishment for normal toddler behavior. To help a toddler with discipline, he needs to feel good about himself and his world. Breastfeeding helps a toddler feel good about himself, because his needs are being met."

source: www.lalecheleague.org


this made me feel even worse. i felt i was being selfish by pushing my son into weaning before he was ready. i really don't mind breastfeeding him. i love the closeness and bond we get from it, but like i said before, sometimes i just need a break. i'm just not sure how to get a break while still breastfeeding.

also, i think some of this pressure to ween my child comes from American society where it is not the norm to continue breastfeeding after age one. i honestly don't know a single mother who even breastfed their child till their first birthday.. most quit after the first time their baby bit them, or they claim their child simply didn't want boob anymore around nine months. however, these same moms think it's great that i still breastfeed, and everyone including my family has been supportive, so i have no reason to feel i'm doing anything wrong.

i still think continuing to breastfeed is best for Cruz as long as he thinks he needs it, so i'm not going to punish him by taking away the boob. i love him so much and i want his needs to be met.. that's what is most important!

how time flies!

i can't believe how fast my little man is growing up! i always hear people say it but you never really believe it till you have kids of your own. in a couple of weeks, Cruz will be 1 1/2 years old.. wow! it's amazing how much he has accomplished and learned in just 18 months. i couldn't be more proud!

i've been researching preschools in my area after hearing another mom's struggles to find the right one for her son who is two years old. apparently, the wait lists at the good schools are very long. i've even been told i should have gotten Cruz on a list when i was pregnant. unbelievable! i'm going on my first preschool tour in a week or so just to check more into it. i as hoping my son starting preschool would open up some time for me to focus on my career, but i had no idea preschool was so expensive and hard to get into. i'll take it one step at a time and see how it goes. i just never thought preschool would be something i would have to worry about already. how time flies!