Why did I ever doubt doing Mother's Day Out???

Grant being a stinker.....fitting for this post!! We were at a playground a couple of weeks ago and I specifically told him not to lick the water that wasn't draining out of the fountain. Here he is staring at the camera, pretending like he's going to do it anyway!

This one is better.....he's pointing and telling me that he sees water!
A month ago, I was seriously considering whether I should enroll Grant in MDO for the fall....I was concerned that he wouldn't adjust well, especially since Drew will likely arrive within a few weeks of him starting the program. I talked to the director about my concerns, and came away from that conversation feeling much better about doing it. And now I am SO glad I decided to do it.....and it doesn't even start for another couple of weeks!

These past few days have just been really rough. Dean is in the middle of his turnaround at work.....he was at the plant all afternoon last Sunday, then this week he was there from 7am to around 7:30pm every day. That wasn't so bad......Grant and I took some walks in the late afternoons, plus my mom came down on Tuesday and stayed for a night. And on Thursday, we went to play at Sierra and Jacob's house until almost 7pm (Sierra's husband, Greg, is working long hours at NASA right now too).

But yesterday (Saturday), Dean went in at 7am and didn't leave until after 10pm! Today he was there until around 7pm again. When days spent alone with Grant (with almost no adult conversation) last not only through the week but through the weekend too, it starts to become too much for me to handle! And Grant's definitely at the perfect age to find many ways to push my buttons!

He is just so curious......just a few examples.....if I open a drawer or a cabinet door, he's right there trying to grab things he shouldn't have. If I leave my purse, a water bottle, a plate or bowl, a pen, or anything else on the kitchen table (or within reach on the counter), he's instantly grabbing for them (and I don't even bother using a tablecloth anymore, even though our table desperately needs it.....the tablecloth is pulled almost immediately after I put it on). If I leave any bathroom door open, he's in there pulling the toilet paper roll or opening the toilet or climbing onto the counter! If I accidentally leave the pantry door cracked open, he carries his stool over to it and starts taking things out, opening them if he can (today he found the oatmeal and threw a few handfuls on the floor before I noticed!).

Last night I was making grilled cheese sandwiches for dinner, and it was almost comical.....I think I let out one of those "this would be funny except that I think I am going crazy" cackles.....in a span of about 10 seconds, I couldn't keep up with his hands quickly enough. He was trying to turn the dials on the stove, then he grabbed the butter knife off the counter (I hadn't set it back far enough).....I can't even remember what else. Sometimes I feel like all I do all day is damage control! You'd think I would've learned by now to keep things out of his sight and reach.....I'm definitely getting better, but it's hard to make it a habit to close every door and to push things back at least 6 inches on the kitchen counter EVERY time!

And I think all of this would be okay if it weren't for the fits. If he happens to get his hands on any kind of pen or marker, he usually goes ballistic when I take it away from him. This applies not only to pens but anything that he thinks looks interesting but isn't allowed to have. When we do errands, I'd say that 80-90% of the time, it's a battle to get him in his car seat. So every time we go out, I usually only stop at one or two places. I just get so tired by the end of the day, because I've usually dealt with at least a dozen fits throughout the day. Writing this, I feel like a mom writing into the Super Nanny show to request that she come out to help me!

Grant is just a very strong-willed child. Sometimes I'm okay at dealing with it, but it's easy to lose my cool when I don't get any break from him. I don't know what I'm going to do during Dean's next turnaround, when I have two kids! Anyway, I love Grant dearly and obviously wouldn't trade him for the world. But I am now really looking forward to Mother's Day Out.....I think it will be wonderful for Grant and a lifesaver for me!