Today was similar to yesterday in that we didn't venture out somewhere until after Ronin and Audrey's naps and snack time. Having a nap between 2-3p smack in the middle of the afternoon kind of kills those midday plans. We went to Ikea to look at the toddler bed selection, potential for Ronin. Nikko did pretty well in the cart. He had just woken up from a nap, but wasn't cranky. He didn't want Denis to put his hands on the cart handles for some reason. Later I had to entice Nikko's mood with fruit snacks, but overall he did well. It was Ronin that became the terror in Ikea. He wanted out of the cart many times, tried to climb into the car-shaped carts that belonged to other shoppers, and actually did climb into one that was currently being occupied by another Japanese toddler. Imagine Ronin trying to cart-jack a car cart at Ikea and take a hostage! Ronin wanted to wander, and didn't go too much out of sight, but he was making quite a ruckus. Regarding beds, our purpose, our two choices came down to a bare bones toddler bed with rail, or a lower bunk bed that has a reversed-loft feel, mattress area at the bottom and bed at the top. The only caveat with the bunk is that we will have to teach either boy to climb a short ladder. Either boy can fall out of the bed if they are not careful. It's not as high as a regular bunk bed. Our plan is to put the racing car bed and a toddler bed in the nursery for Nikko and Ronin, and Audrey gets the crib. Will the boys get used to each other if they sleep in the same room? Will they sleep? Will they beat each other up at night?
This morning I had the third power struggle in two days with Nikko. This time it was banana slice first, then chocolate milk. When we started, I felt adamant that he follow what I said because the other two mealtimes that we started a power struggle, I gave in and I didn't feel good about either time. He might really have not liked the chicken nuggets in the other meals, perhaps he needs a break from them. But this morning he had two slices before he started flat-out refusing just as I brought him chocolate milk. Unfortunately, this struggle took almost 30 minutes. I didn't want to give in on this one because there was nothing wrong with the banana slice. I even said he could have just ONE slice, instead of finishing what's on his plate. He threw huge tantrums. I didn't give in. Toward the end he ran off his chair and went to Denis, but Denis wasn't going to undo my work and didn't give in either. Denis had made some oatmeal and Nikko was curious about it. I told Denis not to give him any if Nikko asked for it. Nikko looked at Denis' bowl, then returned to his chair, and ate the banana slice I offered him as if nothing had happened. I praised him loudly, gave him the chocolate milk, and then proceeded to give him the rest of the bananas on his plate with no arguments. WHY did that happen? Did he walk away from the table and forget what had just transpired? Or did he walk away to get away from the problem for a second and realized that he just wasn't going to get the chocolate milk unless he gave in to me? I don't want this to happen tomorrow. He has been defiant for two days and I don't know what upset the balance of things. This is also happening at bedtime, where he is not settling down to sleep easily.
Throughout the day I had put in the Signing Time DVD 1, and he is enjoying it. He's not signing anything different other than Eat, so I am keeping an eye on him to see if new signs emerge. I am also at a better spot where I can show him some pictures. He is responding well to a picture of him eating, and a picture of him on his tricycle got his attention.
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