Parenting a toddler

I have been trying to say "no" less. I realized that I was saying it a million times a day and someone had picked up the word in his own nasty little tone..."nnnaaah." I am not letting him get away with more, I am just finding different words to use instead, like stop, ouch, yucky, hot, etc. I certainly still say no, but I try to reserve it for really important issues so that it doesn't lose its value.

Monkey see, monkey do. I have noticed that I grab stuff (toys, utensils, etc) from him a lot and I don't want him learning that habit. Instead, I have started asking him for the item. He hands it to me, I say thank you and we move on. Hopefully this will help him to learn to grab less....maybe. This of course does not apply to safety things. I'll grab unsafe items out of his hand every time!

Whining. Oh whining. Just as he started this incessant whining, I get an email from Baby Center saying that my 15 month old is learning the power of whining. They really know what they are talking about! It was spot on. Ross and I decided to tackle the issue right away because it was driving me bonkers!!! We decided to correct the whine. When he whines, we tell him what to say to express his needs. I know that he can't say what he needs yet, so I'll say something like, "Oh! That's not how we get what we want. Say I want my drink/need help/want my toy?" He usually says some sort of sweet sounding baby gibberish that's not a whine and I give him what he wanted. He is starting to get it! I mean, we do it 100 times a day, so he gets lots practice. Haha. It is also nice when he can point to what he needs and says "dat" or signs "more." I feel like I am learning a new language, an entire new way of communication and the little successes are so nice! It feels like I'm starting to make sense to the native speaker! Also, on this note, he can understand soooooo much more than he can articulate. He knows body parts, I can ask him to pick up and bring me his monkey/basket/bunny/book/car/bus/etc and he does. It is really crazy to me how much he knows. It's also pretty scary. I guess Ross and I really need to be careful what we say in front of him now!

So anyway, this is my little summary of what we are learning about raising a 15 month old. I will probably have to look back at this for reference with each additional child. (no...I'm not preg)



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Nothing Sweeter

Lately I have been really trying to take time to enjoy the small things...not let them pass me by. This means reading lots of books on the floor in front of the stove while dinner cooks, taking time to just sit and play, and giving in to life's simple pleasures. It also means deciding that a little messy fun now is totally worth the messy clean up later. They are only young once!

Last night I sat on the kitchen floor and Carson and I fed each other cool whip....and then took baths. It was definitely one of my top 10 motherhood highlights so far!

go!

My word for 2012 is "go."

Go...as in...

-Go make friends with the neighbors.
-Go for a good, long walk (frequently).
-Go outside to play.
-Go to one or more educational/social activities with C a week.
-Go have lunch with Ross more at work.
-Go workout...even though it's not technically a "go" since it's in my living room.
-Go for it! (whatever it is...just be gutsy and do it!)
-Go for that new hair style I have been scared to try.

Now, as for last year's resolutions.
-Run a 5K: Well, I'm doing it on Feb 11...missed the marker by one month and 11 days, but I'm still counting it as a win!
-Visit people in the nursing home: Nope. Didn't do it. I went and filled out my paper work, realized that it would be super-duper hard with a baby and never went back. Loser. Definitely not a win...and not a very good excuse either.
-Leave C in the nursery for MOPS and Bible study: Definitely a win on this one! It was so, super hard at first...but it was really good for him. He learned to be ok with other caretakers, to play with other kids and to know that I am coming back for him. For me, it was freeing and invigorating and refreshing. I love going back to the nursery after missing him desperately and getting such sweet sugar and hugs. Plus, I get some me time and feel all sorts of refreshed. In short...it's a win!

Not a baby anymore

I am pretty sure that he's not a baby anymore because...
-he just blew on his hot food, used a fork to eat it and then wiped his mouth with a napkin.
-he walks everywhere.
-he laughs at burps, farts and tummy growls like he's a big boy.
-he can tell me what he wants by pointing, grunts or some words.
-he knows animal noises...cow, dog, monkey, bear, and sheep are his favorites.
-he can find the toys he wants to play with and carry them across the house.
-he can identify many things by pointing: duck, fan, car, baby, dog, airplane, monkey, etc
-he is obsessed with books. He constantly brings them to me to read.
-he figures stuff out on his own!
-and...he currently is wearing a pair of my(clean) panties as a necklace :/




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Modern Day Martha

Every once in a while, Ross has a night time work function or happy hour. I take that time to have my own happy hour and turn into a Modern-Day-Martha.

I turn on some Desperate Housewives, move the sewing machine into the kitchen...


Bake some delicious goodies...


Prep for a local craft fair...


And drink a nice, cold beer! That's the modern part of Martha!

Old

Realizing I may be getting old when the top two items on my Christmas list are a steam mop and spanx.


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13 Months

What a fun month! This month has been filled with...

-Head stands
-FIRST STEPS! He's not full on walking, but he takes little steps here and there.
-Hugging things (us, cat, toys) and going mmmmmm
-Feeding the cat....more like shoving his food in her face to share with her
-Talking to Dada on the "phone" (toy, remote, his hand)
-Brushing his own hair
-Rolling and bouncing ball
-Big boy clothes that look like little Ross clothes
-A little bit of crying when I drop him off at the church nursery
-Throwing things
-Obsessed with putting things in his mouth (still)
-Loving to watch the effects of gravity
-Pushing buttons with one finger
-Waiting out front for Dada to come home. When C sees Dada's car he gets SO excited!
-Lots of splashing during bath time
-Licking the floor, walls, cabinets...
-Climbing (read: falling)
-Dancing
-Clapping when he hears clapping on the TV or when we say "yay"
-Coughing anytime he hears coughing
-Growling at any type of animal
-Biting us and himself

-Hair that is extremely curly and in desperate need of a trim...I just can't do it yet.
-Being busy...that is the understatement of the year.
-Still nursing- I tried to quit but I couldn't. I got totally, overwhelmingly sad.
-Teething...so, so much teething. All of his teeth, including molars, have busted through the surface!
-Sickness...Baby and Dada both spent lots of time being sick this month :(
-Carson dislikes grass- If you put him on a blanket in the grass, he stays on it to avoid the grass.
-ba=ball, da=dog, bshhh=brush, bwub=airplane, mama, dada, ruff, growling, mimicking

He is eating everything that we eat. This makes going out to eat and cooking dinner much easier! I do tone down the spiciness for his portions, but other than that, he eats like us! He loves beans, tortillas, quesadillas, fruit, cheese, turkey hotdogs, Daddy's eggs, heck...the boy just likes to eat. He isn't loving sweet potatoes right now though. Those get thrown straight onto the floor.