When I was a kid, Easter was one of my favorite holidays. I loved finding my Easter basket, the candy, Easter egg hunts, coloring eggs, even getting dressed up for church. I wasn't much of a fan of wearing dresses when I was a kid, but I loved shopping for my Easter dress every year.
Its a little different now that I'm the parent instead of the kid. But its just as fun getting Emmett's Easter basket ready. This is his second Easter, but last year he was only 4 months old and couldn't really appreciate it. This year he will be excited to see his basket and his toys. I'm still not giving him any candy this year. But I got him a really cute stuffed duck, a book, and a few other small toys.
Last year in his Easter basket Emmett got a book called "What is Easter?" It talks about all the fun stuff I mentioned earlier like coloring eggs and getting dressed up and eating candy. But then it explains the real reason that we celebrate Easter. Every time I read it to him I get a little choaked up when I get to the part at the end that says "He wants to live inside you too and fill you up with love." I hope that as he gets older he will understand what the book really means.
And of course I have already eaten entirely too many Reese's Peanut Butter Eggs. They are my biggest weakness. I've had a few Cadbury Creme Eggs too. Those are the two kinds of Easter candy I can't do without.
Friday, April 22, 2011
Saturday, April 16, 2011
He just makes it too easy...
Sometimes I forget just how good I have it. Emmett is a really easy kid for the most part. He sleeps great at night and takes good naps. He eats well but doesn't overeat. And he likes healthy foods too. He drinks milk and water from his sippy cup like a champ (he's never even tasted juice and I plan to keep it that way). And he's usually a happy kid. He doesn't whine unless he has good reason. He doesn't cry unless he gets hurt, or occasionally when he doesn't get his way when its something he feels really strongly about. I know part of his good nature is just his personality. But I also feel that Chris and I have to take some of the credit too. He has a predictable schedule each day: meals, nap, and bedtime are always at relatively the same time. Of course we do different things during the day in between those times so every day isn't exactly the same, otherwise we would all be terribly bored. But kids like to know what to expect, it helps them to be well-adjusted. Of course Chris and I have had to adjust our lives around Emmett, and we have this parenting thing down pretty well right now. Just wait until we throw a second child into the mix. I'm like 2% nervous and 98% excited about what that will be like. Its starting to become harder and harder to wait, but I know its the right thing to do. We need just a little more time to be financially and emotionally prepared.
On the other hand, during those times when Emmett makes this parenting thing a little difficult, I'm at a loss. He's getting to the age where discipline is becoming necessary at times and I just don't know how I want to handle it. I've tried a few things and so far the only thing that seems to work is redirection. When he is getting into something he shouldn't, I can almost always get him interested in something constructive instead. And I find that when he is getting into something he shouldn't be, its usually because he's bored and he needs a change of scenery or a new activity. Redirection is something I learned in my child development classes in college and it works for children of all ages, most of the time. But there will come a time in certain situations where actual disciplinary action will be necessary, and I'm just not sure what my method is going to be yet. As a child I was spanked, but only a handful of times that I can even remember. I was sensitive, so a simple scolding was usually enough to bring me to tears. I've swatted Emmett on the butt a few times through his clothes, and it doesn't do much good. Often I don't do it hard enough and he just laughs, or if I get him hard enough that he cries, it still doesn't stop the behavior. He goes right back to whatever he was doing. And he thinks its a game. He runs right over to what he's not supposed to be doing and looks back at me to see if I'm watching with a big ol' grin on his face. I've also slapped the back of his hand a few times when he's throwing food off his tray or ripping his bib off when he still needs to have it on. Again, same thing, he either laughs or cries and then goes right back to what he was doing. And I don't like the way I feel after doing it. It just seems wrong. So I think I've decided that physical punishment does not work for me or for Emmett. A lot of parents have success with "time out" but Emmett is too young for that. He would never sit in a chair for a minute. So I don't know. I never expected to have trouble with this. When you're an expert in child development, you expect it to be easy, black and white. But when its your own child its just not that simple. For now as long as redirection continues to work, that's the plan I'm going with until it doesn't.
On the other hand, during those times when Emmett makes this parenting thing a little difficult, I'm at a loss. He's getting to the age where discipline is becoming necessary at times and I just don't know how I want to handle it. I've tried a few things and so far the only thing that seems to work is redirection. When he is getting into something he shouldn't, I can almost always get him interested in something constructive instead. And I find that when he is getting into something he shouldn't be, its usually because he's bored and he needs a change of scenery or a new activity. Redirection is something I learned in my child development classes in college and it works for children of all ages, most of the time. But there will come a time in certain situations where actual disciplinary action will be necessary, and I'm just not sure what my method is going to be yet. As a child I was spanked, but only a handful of times that I can even remember. I was sensitive, so a simple scolding was usually enough to bring me to tears. I've swatted Emmett on the butt a few times through his clothes, and it doesn't do much good. Often I don't do it hard enough and he just laughs, or if I get him hard enough that he cries, it still doesn't stop the behavior. He goes right back to whatever he was doing. And he thinks its a game. He runs right over to what he's not supposed to be doing and looks back at me to see if I'm watching with a big ol' grin on his face. I've also slapped the back of his hand a few times when he's throwing food off his tray or ripping his bib off when he still needs to have it on. Again, same thing, he either laughs or cries and then goes right back to what he was doing. And I don't like the way I feel after doing it. It just seems wrong. So I think I've decided that physical punishment does not work for me or for Emmett. A lot of parents have success with "time out" but Emmett is too young for that. He would never sit in a chair for a minute. So I don't know. I never expected to have trouble with this. When you're an expert in child development, you expect it to be easy, black and white. But when its your own child its just not that simple. For now as long as redirection continues to work, that's the plan I'm going with until it doesn't.
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
Sometimes I still wake up fightin' mad
I've been sort of crabby yesterday and today. I'm not really sure why. Yesterday I would have chalked it up to the gloomy weather, but today its sunny and warm, so I don't know. Hopefully I will get over whatever it is soon.
We stopped watching The Office after last season because the show was really starting to go downhill. I would watch entire episodes without even cracking a smile, let alone actually laughing out loud. So we canceled the recording on the dvr. However, now that Will Ferrell is going to be on the show, I may just have to start watching again. I will at least give it a try for an episode or two.
I think I've decided to wait until after my second annual 29th birthday in July to start trying for baby number two. It would be nice to have a couple of drinks to celebrate my birthday and also to be able to enjoy some beers by the pool and at the beach over the summer. Emmett is almost done nursing, we are down to bedtime only and even then he seems to be less interested. So it will be nice to have a few months where I don't have to worry about what I'm eating or drinking.
The week after Easter we are driving with my parents to Pennsylvania to see my extended family. We will only be in the car for about 4 hours at a time, so it shouldn't be too bad. Emmett has been on a few trips that long in the past (to the beach) but the last time was when he was only 9 months in his rear-facing carseat and he slept most of the way. So who knows how he will do this time. It will be a crowded car with 4 adults and a 16 month old. Any tips for traveling would be appreciated.
I wish my next True Blood dvd would get here, I have nothing to watch.
We stopped watching The Office after last season because the show was really starting to go downhill. I would watch entire episodes without even cracking a smile, let alone actually laughing out loud. So we canceled the recording on the dvr. However, now that Will Ferrell is going to be on the show, I may just have to start watching again. I will at least give it a try for an episode or two.
I think I've decided to wait until after my second annual 29th birthday in July to start trying for baby number two. It would be nice to have a couple of drinks to celebrate my birthday and also to be able to enjoy some beers by the pool and at the beach over the summer. Emmett is almost done nursing, we are down to bedtime only and even then he seems to be less interested. So it will be nice to have a few months where I don't have to worry about what I'm eating or drinking.
The week after Easter we are driving with my parents to Pennsylvania to see my extended family. We will only be in the car for about 4 hours at a time, so it shouldn't be too bad. Emmett has been on a few trips that long in the past (to the beach) but the last time was when he was only 9 months in his rear-facing carseat and he slept most of the way. So who knows how he will do this time. It will be a crowded car with 4 adults and a 16 month old. Any tips for traveling would be appreciated.
I wish my next True Blood dvd would get here, I have nothing to watch.
Saturday, April 9, 2011
Cold vs. Allergies
I really don't feel like blogging lately. So I'm forcing this one because its been too long already.
We think Emmett has allergies. He's had a runny nose all week and I thought he was coming down with another cold, except that he doesn't act like he feels bad at all and he doesn't really have any other cold-like symptoms. He was sneezing a little bit, but not lately. He coughs a little when he wakes up the last few days, but not too bad. So I'm still not sure. It could have just been a weak cold that has almost run its course. I guess we'll see. It doesn't seem to get any worse outside, and we've been outside a lot this week because the weather has been nice. So who knows.
I took Emmett to a playground that I found that's closer to the house than some of the other ones we usually go to. Its a bit smaller, and it has mulch, which I'm not a fan of. But its on this side of one of the main roads in Winston that allows us to avoid a lot more traffic. (Unfortunately we don't have a decent playground in our neighborhood) He had a good time climbing around and swinging. The more we're around other kids the more I realize that Emmett is really tall for his age. Either that or its just a fluke that we keep seeing kids who are a bit older than him who are smaller. When you look at him you would think he's older because he's bigger, but then when you see how much more advanced the other kid is, it becomes more obvious. Emmett is 16 months and we saw a kid at Stride Rite who was 19 months and significantly smaller. But the kid was talking much better and was a few months ahead of him in the motor skills department. We saw a little girl who was 18 months at the park last weekend who was shorter than him but could obviously climb up the playground stairs much better and was using quite a few intelligible words.
Speaking of words, Emmett seems to have mastered "Bye." He says it to me when I'm getting ready to leave for work, he says it whenever someone leaves, and he says it when he hears me say it on the phone. He says "cheese" pretty well too at dinner time when he's ready for it (its his favorite part of the meal). So we're getting there. By 18 months he should really be using more words than he is now, so we're working on it. The hard part for Emmett is that he won't say them on command, so its hard to get him to say them for the doctor. Oh well, I don't care what the doctor thinks. I have a degree in Child Development, I know what he's supposed to be doing and when.
I do know his fine motor skills are right on par. He's getting pretty good with his fork and spoon. I think he's about ready for some of those egg-shaped crayons even though they say 18 months. He even uses the regular crayons we get at restaurants sometimes before he decides he wants to eat them. I have noticed a decrease in his tendency to put everything in his mouth. That makes me happy. The world of things he can play with opens up significantly when he stops that.
So even though I didn't feel like it, when I start typing it just flows.
We think Emmett has allergies. He's had a runny nose all week and I thought he was coming down with another cold, except that he doesn't act like he feels bad at all and he doesn't really have any other cold-like symptoms. He was sneezing a little bit, but not lately. He coughs a little when he wakes up the last few days, but not too bad. So I'm still not sure. It could have just been a weak cold that has almost run its course. I guess we'll see. It doesn't seem to get any worse outside, and we've been outside a lot this week because the weather has been nice. So who knows.
I took Emmett to a playground that I found that's closer to the house than some of the other ones we usually go to. Its a bit smaller, and it has mulch, which I'm not a fan of. But its on this side of one of the main roads in Winston that allows us to avoid a lot more traffic. (Unfortunately we don't have a decent playground in our neighborhood) He had a good time climbing around and swinging. The more we're around other kids the more I realize that Emmett is really tall for his age. Either that or its just a fluke that we keep seeing kids who are a bit older than him who are smaller. When you look at him you would think he's older because he's bigger, but then when you see how much more advanced the other kid is, it becomes more obvious. Emmett is 16 months and we saw a kid at Stride Rite who was 19 months and significantly smaller. But the kid was talking much better and was a few months ahead of him in the motor skills department. We saw a little girl who was 18 months at the park last weekend who was shorter than him but could obviously climb up the playground stairs much better and was using quite a few intelligible words.
Speaking of words, Emmett seems to have mastered "Bye." He says it to me when I'm getting ready to leave for work, he says it whenever someone leaves, and he says it when he hears me say it on the phone. He says "cheese" pretty well too at dinner time when he's ready for it (its his favorite part of the meal). So we're getting there. By 18 months he should really be using more words than he is now, so we're working on it. The hard part for Emmett is that he won't say them on command, so its hard to get him to say them for the doctor. Oh well, I don't care what the doctor thinks. I have a degree in Child Development, I know what he's supposed to be doing and when.
I do know his fine motor skills are right on par. He's getting pretty good with his fork and spoon. I think he's about ready for some of those egg-shaped crayons even though they say 18 months. He even uses the regular crayons we get at restaurants sometimes before he decides he wants to eat them. I have noticed a decrease in his tendency to put everything in his mouth. That makes me happy. The world of things he can play with opens up significantly when he stops that.
So even though I didn't feel like it, when I start typing it just flows.
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