Frustration!

I love Cayden so much, but there are times that I just feel like I don't know what to do with him. It can be frustrating for me. I feel like this kid needs 24 hour surveillance and there is just no way I can possibly do that. He has learned very well how to take advantage of the times when I am distracted. While I was getting laundry started this morning, he got out the ice cream and was eating it with Brenna behind the couch. He got the strawberry jam and cream cheese out for them while I was on the phone in the other room. That was a sticky mess to clean up. Yesterday, they ate Faith's candy corn. This is what I found Saturday afternoon. It was close to time for Jared to be getting home and I was picking up the house. Faith was playing outside and Brenna was down for a nap. I kept checking on Cayden and he was just playing happily with his toys in his room. When I was vacuuming the hall, I noticed his door shut, which is not a good sign. I went in and he was hiding behind his door with a bit of a guilty look on his face. I looked across the room and saw my new make-up in a pile on the floor! (Last week he was trying to put it in the toilet).

I made him sit on his bed while I started to clean it up. While cleaning it up, I could smell urine. Cayden has been doing much better at potty training, but still has accidents. I didn't see any wet undies, but I noticed a bit of reflection in the bottom of his toy castle. I knew at that moment what he had done... again! The bathroom is right across the hall from his room, but he peed in his castle. This is the second time. And just a few days before, he peed in a box with race track pieces he had broken. He had only had that toy two days! He also went in a empty laundry basket last month. (Jared is now teaching to pee standing up since he is trying it out when the opportunity presents itself.)

Anyways, I was pretty upset and had him go sit in the corner while I cleaned up the make-up AND the castle. He took his blanket and his pillow with him. When I came to get the vacuum, I found this! I just broke down into tears. This has been his blanket since before he was born. It took us a while to get pregnant with Cayden. My mom started to make me a baby blanket for the baby we were trying for and while she was working on it, we got pregnant. I used to tell her that the blanket is what did it! We swaddled him in this blanket as a baby. He has to have this blanket to sleep and takes it everywhere! He is always pulling snags and drags it around by them. Every time my mom comes, she brings her crochet hook so she can tuck them back in. He has broken the yarn twice this month and I have had to tie it in a knot to keep it from unraveling. So, while he was in timeout, he cut up all the snags of yarn he has pulled out! Now I don't know how to keep it from unraveling. My mom is going to see what she can save next time she comes to visit. This blanket isn't something that can be replaced. I have to share part of the blame, I guess. I had the scissors on the table because I was making a singing meter for the Primary program. I should have put them up while I wasn't working on it.

Sometimes I just don't know what to do. I can't "baby proof" my house from him. He is a problem solver and has always figured out ways to get what he wants. I really don't have any "safe" places to keep things. Even the deadbolt at the top of our sliding glass door is no match for him. Lock on the fridge? He cuts it off! He pushes out the screens to climb out the windows if he wants outside. (He climbed out his first window when he was two) He can open doors even with the safety knobs on them. He can get things from the top shelves in the closets. We have tried several ways of locking our pantry and they only work temporally. He has even been able to open this make-shift lock for awhile now.

He has always been able to figure out a way to get what he wants. Even as a baby, we could not keep him safely in his crib, even with a crib tent! He was in a toddler bed long before I was ready to have him in one. The problem solving and motivation will be great when he's older, but right now I wish he were a little less determined.