I trust my gut. We're 14 months into this thing and B still doesn't sleep at night. We have tried everything in the book - white noise, essential oils, melatonin (only once, I promise!), reflux meds, having him sleep with us - except sleep training. Sorry, I just can't do it. My gut tells me there's some other reason he doesn't sleep, and I guess I just have to wait it out. I'll sleep when he gets married, or goes to college, or moves out the house, I suppose.
I look for his cues. On that same note, I try to follow his cues for sleeping and eating (that's not to say we don't have a schedule, because we definitely do) and being around others. If he doesn't want to go with a family member or friend, including grandparents, I don't make him. Let those feelings get hurt, I refuse to force my kid to be with you if he isn't comfortable doing so.
I read to him daily. B LOVES books. LOVES them, I tell you. We read all day, every day. It's not unusual for him to beg me to read a few quick books after I change his diaper in the morning and before I rush off to work. He's constantly dragging books around and making us read them. He's also known to disappear into his self-made book nook and spend 30 minutes ooh-ing and ahh-ing as he flips through the pages.
I love his daddy. Parenthood is hard. Really hard. We're certainly not our best to each other as we were before B, but I still love Alex and I yearn for time spent with him regularly. One day, I hope B will learn to treat a woman as well as his daddy does...a direct result of my love as well.
I don't buy him new toys or clothes (often). I say this 2 hours after we bough several new shirts and shorts for B on our weekly grocery trip to Walmart. However, this is probably one of three or four new clothes purchases I have purchased for B in his whole life (from Walmart, at that!). Ninety percent of the time B wears hand-me-downs (I'm looking at you Jen!) or items purchased from Goodwill. We buy books for holidays and birthdays, occasionally something that we know fits his personality (a stuffed Clifford on sale for $3 or a toy steering wheel because he loooves real ones), but that's it. ...He's a kid people. He doesn't know what brand he's wearing, or if it's new/used, etc. Plus, they grow so fast. I can't in good faith pay full price for a whole new wardrobe every few months! Let's just say we're teaching him the value of a dollar, and smart buying early on.
I let him watch French TV. I know, I know. The APA recommends ZERO screen time before age 2. We were sticklers for that right up until age 1, and then I started relaxing the rules a little. We don't give him our phones/tablet/computer to play, but we do occasionally flip through pictures of him because he loooves looking at himself. Recently we have also begun allowing him to watch a French television show on PBS Kids. I keep telling myself it's good for him to hear the language being spoken because now is a great time for him to bridge those synapses or whatever it's called when language development happens. Ha!
I take him to church (and we don't sit in the cry room). As best as I can remember, B has missed church less than 3 or 4 times in his 14 months on this earth. Thanks to the wonderful wisdom that abounds from amazing mama blogger friends, we choose not to sit in the cry room unless an emergency diaper change is needed or a full out meltdown occurs (and even then we stay as briefly as possible). I feel B needs to learn how to respect the fullness of the Mass, and for us that means sitting in the pews with everyone else. Before he was born, I swore I'd never give my kid snacks during Mass, but I've learned that little kids eat a lot more often than adults, and snacks really aren't a big deal if they're quiet and used appropriately (re: before the age of reason). While I can't guarantee B will be a faith-filled adult, bringing him to Mass, and bringing him regularly is an important part of that journey.
Mmm...sadly, I am stopping there because neither me nor my husband can think of anything else. I told you I totally don't rock motherhood. Plus, B will wake up from his nap soon, and we all know how that goes!
First, though, I'm tagging a few friends:
Stephanie at Blessed to Be
Stephanie at Captive the Heart
Sheena at Bean in Love
Annie at Annery at Home
Rosie at A Blog for My Mom
That's all folks!
-Lauren
P.S. These are obviously NOT current photos of the B...but I figure I'll keep inserting an assortment until we get all caught up (one day?!).
1 comment:
Yay, great list! Girl, being a momma for the first time is so, so hard and you've had so many hurdles throughout the way....I'm in awe of how well you've handled everything. You're an awesome momma! B is a lucky dude.
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