This has been a great month for me, personally. I really feel like I’ve turned a corner in dealing with anxiety & stress over how things are going with Isaac. It’s so interesting because I swear the day I stopped worrying so much was the day things seemed to start to become more predictable. Isaac is waking 1-2 times per night, will eat & go right back to sleep (well, usually). He usually naps 2-3 times a day, & he’s finally getting a little more predictable. I just haven’t worried as much, and therefore I have less to worry about. It’s amazing the way that works!
Isaac has learned so many new skills this month! He’s copying us, which is so adorable. He can shake his head, fake cough, wave (although that one is still a bit unpredictable), clap, & copy a few other noises. He’s a crawling machine but more than that he’s pulled himself up on furniture & he tries to pull himself up on anything: couches, tables, his high chair, his exersaucer (which is funny because it rolls), and mom & dad. I swear he even balanced on his own for like 2 seconds last week. He’s crawling up the stairs, getting into everything, saying dadadadada all the time, dancing (well, what I think he’s doing is dancing), & generally being quite entertaining. This is a really fun age!
Back in Shape
I’ve felt for awhile that I need to get back in shape. Start eating healthier, exercising, you know, the stuff we all know we should be doing but usually don’t. But let me tell you… uuuuugggggghhhhhhhh. That’s all. It’s the working out thing that’s really tripping me up. Well, that and giving up Oreos. Can’t a woman just be flabby and happy?!? Apparently not. Thanks a lot American culture of Skinny-Is-Beautiful!! You suck.
Although I would like to say that I’m starting a new routine where I’m going to start running & eating salads every day, I’ll tell you right now that’s never gonna happen. I equate running to a form of torture, & salads are good but are better when covered with Ranch. So, my plan is little bitty baby steps.
1) Drink more water! I’m horrible at drinking water! My goal is to drink 3 750ml water bottles of water per day. That’s really a stretch.
2) Eat smaller portions. We do a fairly good job of eating healthy. I taught a healthy foods class for 3 years so I hope I would know something about eating right. But it’s not so much the actual food as it is the amount. I get so hungry by dinner that I pile my plate & of course have to eat the whole portion. A healthy late afternoon snack (fruit or veggies: Oreos don’t count!) should help me eat a little less at dinnertime. I probably shouldn’t be consuming more than my husband…
3) Exercise. Bleh. I know you can’t really lose weight without exercising. But what do you do if you hate exercising?! The only realistic thing I can think of is the start small. I wonder if I could do this circuit every day:
100 Burpees
50 Push Ups
100 Crunches
100 Lunges
100 Jumping Jacks
4) This one is sad, but oh-so necessary. I love sweets. But I do realize that a diet of chocolate covered anything, cookies, & ice cream probably aren’t helping me. It’s completely unrealistic for me to give up sweets (why would anyone want to do that anyways?!) but I probably don’t need a lunch-dessert and a dinner-dessert. So, one sweet treat per day! What a sacrifice!!!
Confession: Ok so I haven’t actually started this plan yet. But, now that it’s written & made public, I’ll start… today?! Tomorrow. Monday. No! Today! (Which means tomorrow.)
Baby Led Weaning!
I’m trying not to attach myself to too many methods, with all their rules & guidelines, but this one is great! In all honesty, this one is probably just more natural anyways. I’m sure babies were fed this way forever & we just now are attaching a name to it. To explain, I have to start with my confession:
Confession: I made a ton of homemade baby purees. Sweet potatoes, peas, green beans, carrots, avocadoes, etc. From scratch! I sliced, diced, steamed, tested, blended, stored, labeled & cleaned like a mad woman. Look at me all healthy & frugal. I was so proud of myself. I even thought about filming myself for a youtube video to show all you inexperienced moms how to make the perfect baby purees. That is, until Isaac refused to eat any of it! Little punk! So we decided to try something different…
Basically instead of feeding purees, you allow your baby to feed themselves. I bought little baby puffs from the grocery store because I had a coupon (remember I’m frugal), & I noticed that one day that Isaac was grabbing the puff & putting it in his own mouth. I didn’t realize he was able to do that because I had been putting foods in his mouth for him since the beginning. So we started with puffs & here he is, eating basically whatever we eat, just a little modified.
I can take chunks of what we’re eating (a sausage, potato & pepper skillet for example), & take out the main ingredients before I add any spices or sauces. I make sure everything is cooked really well (a la mushy), has no salt, sugar, etc, & I put it on his tray & he goes to town. We all eat together, which I love. He can basically eat whatever we eat & it’s much easier! One warning: this method is awesome, but very messy!!!! (Which is kind of fun…)
Cheerios 
Avocados are a favorite. And sometimes he gets a bit in his mouth…
Bread
Messy, messy, but delicious oatmeal
Um, you have a blueberry stuck to your chin.
Isaac has had so many foods it’s hard to keep track! We’re hoping he won’t be a picky eater when he’s older!
Every Stage is the Hardest. Every Stage is the Best.
If I never have to hear something like this again, it will be too soon: “Oh, it was so nice when mine was that age. That’s the best age. You don’t know what it’s like to have a teenager. I’d give anything to go back to the little phase.” I’ve had friends, acquaintances, & even old ladies at the grocery store tell me I better enjoy this phase because apparently it only gets worse! Sheesh, people, I didn’t realize being a parent to a child over the age of one sucked so bad.
Let’s all try a little harder to enjoy whatever phase we are in right now: childless, with little ones, teenagers, or empty nesters. I know sometimes it’s not easy. Trrrrrrust me. I know. Every stage comes with it’s difficulties. Every stage is hard. I’m sure we’ll face challenges at every new phase. But believe it or not each stage is also the best. You’ll never experience this again. First it’s, 'I can’t wait for him to sleep through the night.’ Then, it’s, ‘I can’t wait for him to be out of diapers.’ Then, ‘I can’t wait for him to be in school.’ Then, ‘I can’t wait for him to be a little more independent.’ Then, ‘I can’t wait until he’s out of this awkward tween phase.’ Then, ‘I can’t wait for all this adolescent drama to be over.’ Then, suddenly, he’s out of your house forever & you just want him back. Don’t live like that. You won’t cuddle in the middle of the night forever. You won’t have to answer the incessant “why?” forever. You won’t have to pretend to be interested about the friendship & relationship drama at school forever. You won’t get to have them under your roof forever. So please, whatever phase you’re in, accept that there are challenges. Yes, it’s hard. But it’s also wonderful & worth relishing in.
Confession: If you’re a parent & you’ve said that you wish you could go back in time, stop it. If you’ve said that your child is at the worst age, stop it. If you’re one of the bazillions who say, “My child is growing up too fast!” I know it probably feels true, but stop it! If you’ve said anything like, “You just don’t understand how hard my child is,” you really need to cut it out. I am annoyed with you. That’s my confession & I’m kind of sorry.
Not every stage has been easy for us, but if you look, there are amazing & wonderful things in each & every moment. I promise you.
Why Not?
Ok, ok, I know I only have a baby, so I don’t really have to deal with discipline or guidance yet, as my life with Isaac basically exists of keeping him entertained without hurting himself all day. But lately I’ve seen all these parents who try to direct every little detail of their child’s existence. Like, I was at the park & this dad was telling his child how to play on the playground. In restaurants I hear parents tell their children how to eat their dinner. I hear parents tell their kids not to do something that even I want to ask, “Why not?”
I get that you need to guide & direct your children’s behavior. I understand that you have to teach your children how to get along in the world. I see how putting limits on what they can & can’t do is important. But why can’t he climb up the slide backwards? Why can’t she play with your pile of magazines? Why can’t they explore the world (including the dishwasher, the grass, the pile of whatever) for themselves a bit & figure a few things out on their own? Doesn’t it get tiring putting all that energy into telling your child what they can & can’t do? Instead of putting my precious parenting energy towards such little things, I’d like to save it for the big things. Like teaching my child to be a good friend. To teach him to be unselfish & not greedy. To love Jesus & decide to live for his faith. To make a positive impact on the world. I guess I’m just a bit more open with what Isaac can get into, because I believe there are bigger things to worry about.
So what if he wants to pull all the DVDs off the shelf? It’s not the worst thing in the world if I have to pick them all up…
He loves to get into Grizzly’s basket, including the bag of dog treats. Ok, fine! Just don’t eat one! On the other hand, I’m sure it wouldn’t kill you…
My way does have a few dangers of it’s own, however…
Confession: I can’t believe I’m going to say this. Um, ah, well, I have an excuse, but, ok, here goes…
Isaac has fallen down the stairs. Literally, tumbled.
Oh the horror! The guilt! What a horrible Mommy moment! Long story short: Before I realized how quickly he learned to quickly move, Isaac was playing in the hall. I come out to get him after like 5 seconds of not supervising (it’s not an exaggeration! I’m serious!), & all I see are his legs sticking up & his top half already headed down the stairs. I scream, run to him to try to catch him, but he’s flipping & bumping down the stairs, just out of my reach. He lands at the bottom & is of course crying (maybe because I’m frantically screaming my head off), but he calms down in less than a minute while I’m still worked up wondering if I should call an ambulance. He seemed surprisingly ok, but I watched him like a hawk for the rest of the night to see if I could spot any signs of traumatic brain injury. Thank GOD our stairs are carpeted & thank the good LORD above that my baby is ok. You better believe there will be no more playing in the hallway.
Ok, is this bad? But I have a second confession… Maybe I should reconsider my opinion on being more open with what your kids get into… Anyways.
We painted our bathroom this month, so we had brought everything out & put it in our bedroom while the bathroom was being painted. The morning after, Isaac is playing in the bedroom (with the door to the hallway CLOSED, mind you), while I’m getting ready. I’m in the closet getting dressed & I peek my head out to see what he’s getting into, & he’s got the toilet cleaner brush. I gasp & run buck naked out of the closet, trying to cover myself with one hand as I attempt to sneak under the open window, hissing, “dear God Isaac no! Please no!” and grab the brush, slightly gagging in the whole process. There are a few things that should be off limits...
But I’m doing a good job, right?!?
Can he play well with others? Can he be a good friend? Those are things I really care about!
Well, that’s it for this month! I keep thinking this whole “confession” thing has got to slow down at some point. Yet, here we are, 3/4 of the way to a year & each month I have more missteps, hang ups, frustrations, joys, & accidents to report! So I’m sure we’ll be back next month with more. Until then…
“The Lord bless you & keep you; the Lord make his face shine on you & be gracious to you; the Lord turn his face toward you & give you peace.”
