Mom to 4 J's: We're turning a corner....

It's truly amazing how much can change in only four days! I realize that the differences in Jack may only be noticeable to John and myself because that is where most of his problems present themselves, but I feel so much better about my boy. As I have stated before, I am not naive to think that this is a cure to toddlerdom and I have the recipe, but I am so pleased with the bounty of results we've seen. Here are some of the shining moments over the last few days....
1. We have been almost 5 days without any television at all (starting after one program on Thursday morning). This morning he came downstairs and instead of asking to watch Mickey Mouse, he asked to read a book like this....."Mommy, wanna read "Quarter-boy", please." (Corduroy is a book about a bear in a department store). Notice the PLEASE! I was pleased.
2. Some of his biggest issues have been with aggression and lack of sharing with James. On Saturday at Vivian's birthday party it was really hot outside and everyone was thirsty. Without any prompting from me, Jack took a sippy cup of water over to James and said, "Here you go James, you 'wantcher' water??" So stinkin' precious, I was pleased.
3. On Sunday John and I modified the behavior reward chart so that he receives a prize for every 5 stickers (instead of 40). He was awarded his first prize right before leaving for church. It was a dollar store wind up robot that fell apart before we even made it to the church parking lot, but he was so proud of himself! He showed it to his Sunday school teacher and told her, "If I'm a good good boy, I get a prize!!" Hilarious. I was pleased.
4. Finally, today.....I met with several girlfriends at The Woodlands Mall for a playdate. This is a prime location for Jack to test the limits of my lenience and patience. However, he stayed close by, played well with the kids, and ate lunch in a real chair drinking from a big boy cup. (Disclaimer--he was sitting next to Bella who just turned four. I think he's in love with her, and he was trying to appear older!) After lunch he got a haircut with NO TEARS, and he was SO proud of himself. Before we left the mall I had to nurse James. Jack again stayed right by my side and never wandered off. At one point he went over to the stroller and took down my Diet Dr Pepper (Oh no, I thought....please don't get in trouble after such a good day!) He brought it straight to me and said "Here you go Mommy, you thirsty??" The most precious moment of my day....I was sooooo pleased!

No magic bullet, no voodoo tricks.....just LOTS of prayer, lots of patience, and a VERY tired-of-crafts Mommy, but I am so proud of his progress. I feel like a better parent, and we are having a lot of fun together. I know I will look back on this phase with my son and be thankful I took the time to share in it with him. I may have written this before, but I heard this quote a while back and it has always stayed with me....."In motherhood, the days are long but the years are short." Don't waste time!! This is how I felt.

Some "sticker moments"....

(playing nicely with James)