A FROGGY INCENTIVE

Reid loves my hip. He loves to be on my hip 24/7. To be honest, until recently I've wanted it as much as he has, if not more. He's my baby. The caboose. The end. There will be no more. Once he's too big for me to hold I won't have anymore babies to hold. They'll always and forever be my babies and even Bethany still will crawl in my lap from time to time but you know what I mean. Of course I'm fine with that or I wouldn't have taken permanent measures to prevent it. Turbo's 4 now, though. And while he's still pretty small only weighing around 30 lbs., carrying around an extra 30 pounds wherever I walk is taking its toll on my body physically. My insides (what's left of them) do not like me for having birthed four children with three of those births all taking place in less than three years. Constantly lifting and carrying Reid is only making things worse. Here lately it had gotten to the point that I dreaded taking him anywhere with me because I knew I was going to have to hold him wherever we went. 

Saturday the boys and I headed to the mall to meet RaRa, Mary Lou Grace (along with a few of her friends) and Claire for cookie cake to celebrate Mary Lou turning 11. Surely Martha got it wrong. She cannot be 11. I remember the day she was born like it was yesterday. I even remember what I was wearing. Just Rachel and Keith were in the room but mom and I were right outside the door. I literally had my ear to the door waiting to hear her first cry. I did. And it was magical. Happy 11th, Grace! AA loves you so much!

Tangent. 

Ok, so it was a rainy day and I think everyone in the Montgomery and surrounding areas decided to go to the mall. Not only that but by the time Martha finally made it to the mall she had already survived driving from Selma to Montgomery, pedicures, and lunch with 6 divas little girls. Needless to say she was beyond needing just a slice of cookie cake - more like a stop by the liquor store. HA! 

I promise there's a point to this story. 

As if the overwhelming crowd of people weren't enough to justify my desire for a red velvet brownie (um, YUM!), Reid wanting to be held and whining and hanging on to my leg when I wouldn't hold him definitely was. Heck, both of those combined could've justified the whole pan. :) Mom and dad were there too and dad commented that Reid should be walking. Only it probably was more than just a comment and went something like, "April, you DO NOT need to be carrying him around. He is too big for you to hold. Make him walk." My mom chimed in saying, "No, April, you sure don't. Your bladder is going to fall out." 

Thanks, mom.

I tried to justify the situation as I've always done by saying it's one of those "pick your battles" kind of things and that it wasn't one I was willing to fight. My dad pretty much let me know that was ridiculous and that it shouldn't even be a battle - "You're the mom. He's the child. Just tell him no." 

Strange concept, huh? 

It got me thinking. Knowing Turbo, though, I knew it wouldn't be as simple as "because I said so." So I turned to the google and came up with an incentive chart. 

He earns one sticker for every day he walks like a big boy. If he has a day where he just won't, he gets one taken away. When he helps the frog find the lily pad he'll get a prize. Then I guess after that we'll start on another chart until it's something he doesn't even think about anymore. I found a couple of different charts but all with the same concept. 

As you can see we just started it and he's doing fantastic. I'm so proud of him. I even picked him up out of sheer habit yesterday and he told me to put him down, "Remember, momma? I have to walk. I'm a big boy now." 

Hello giant lump in my throat. It is so bittersweet.

I was loving on him the other night and had his sweet face in my hands smothering him with kisses and said, "I love you so much. You're so sweet I could eat you with a spoon." To which he replied, "No, mommy, you'd need a fork." :)