Play-Learn-Grow-Repeat

From Monday Mom – Neetika:
Last week, we took Haley to her regular doctor’s appointment for her check-up and latest round of vaccinations. I knew that at 4 months, some babies get to start solid foods, but Haley is not on the large side and I didn’t know her pediatrician’s philosophy, so I tried not to get my hopes up. When the doctor said, “let’s start her on rice cereal by spoon this month,” I tried to play it cool, but I was beaming in the inside. My little girl is (almost) all grown up!

After the requisite five day waiting period following her shot, the time had arrived. At the grocery store, I stared at the Gerber brand and Nature’s Best Organic boxes, wondering which was right for us. The Gerber is a classic and cheaper, of course. But up until this point, all Haley had consumed was breast milk, which seems pretty organic to me! Though, I am certainly exposed to chemicals and I consume additives, preservatives, etc. I guess my milk isn’t organic! Is any American’s? My husband wanted to go with the Organic, which ultimately my mother scoffed at.

We were ready. I warmed some expressed breast milk and mixed it with the cereal. My husband took out the video camera. The big moment was…. anti-climactic. Haley cried the whole time and didn’t want to have anything to do with it. I think this is largely my fault. In anticipating when Dad would be home from work, I messed up the balance in getting her to the “hungry but not starving” point. By then she wanted food and was angry. The rice cereal just got all over her face. She always likes to grab things, so we handed her the spoon. She proceeded to hit herself in the eye. (Incidentally if you know how to nominate yourself for Parent of the Year, please let me know.) So that was that. Hopefully next time it won’t be so traumatic, and we will manage to make contact with the inside of her mouth.

From Friday Mom – Jaime:
Hubby is out in California for work. I’m supposed to be in Toronto for a work-related conference of my own. But ultimately, I decided to stay in Jersey and hang out with my little man.

Sometimes it’s hard when it’s just Andrew and me… At the end of a very long day where I still have a ton of work to do at night, I have no one to rely on to entertain Andrew and free up my hands. If something breaks or isn’t working (currently, our internet connection), I can’t ask Hubby to deal with it when he gets home from work. If I’m totally exhausted, I still have to stay up long enough to make sure Andrew gets to bed, the lunch is made and he has everything laid out for daycare the next day. It makes you a master multi-tasker, simultaneously doing about 6 things at once seamlessly. Juggling that many balls is tough and can be pretty tiring.

But it’s also a lot of fun.

Yesterday, I picked Andrew up and we took a surprise trip to the bookstore. I had intended on buying him the Mr. Tickle and Ms. Bossy books, which are his current obsession at daycare. (The kid reads them everyday and even takes his naps with the books.) Unfortunately, the bookstore didn’t have them and he was thoroughly uninterested in any of the other Mr. and Ms. books, even though I’m sure he’d love them if they were given a chance.

When I told Andrew we were going to the bookstore he got really excited. Then he told me that he wanted to get me a book. A grown up book. He’d pick it out himself. When I asked why he was going to get me books, he seemed surprised that I’d ask. “Mommy! I have lotsa books. You only read one.”

(How cute is he?)

Tonight, assuming that I can get the DVD player to work, we’re going to watch Rio together. Andrew’s already told me that I need to close my eyes when the white bird comes on the screen because he’s scary. I’ve also been informed that if I don’t know when the scary parts are coming, I can watch him because he’ll be covering his own eyes. 🙂

Being the only one in town to take care of Andrew is a built in way for me to spend more time with him. I’m always saying that I wish we could spend more time together during the week, so this is a perfect way to do that. I’m really looking forward to us spending the next two days together.

Have a great weekend everyone.

From Wednesday Mom – Janelle:
I remember a phase Jack went through where he would always say, “I can do it by myself.”  Whether it was large or small tasks, he would usually need an adult to help complete it.  Now when he says the phrase “I can do it by myself” he is successful on his own  accomplishing the task.  To Jack, turning four means he is a grown up. He doesn’t want his “baby” place mat or dishes anymore, the training wheels need to come off his bike, and he prefers showers over baths.

I’m not quite sure where all of those thoughts came from so quickly, but I’m thrilled with it.  Since I usually have Tate hanging on my leg, it makes our day much easier.  Jack will surprise us daily with something new he can do all by himself.  For example, today he built his first complex train track all on his own.  Complete with intersections, bridges, tunnels, and an entire story to go along with it. I had to give him a high five for his engineering skills – something I lack.

Jack still has his regressive moments. He gets tired, hungry, and otherwise unhappy. He can get frustrated. When things go wrong, he comes to me in full “mommy mode.” It’s nice to know that even Mr. Independent needs his Mom when the going gets tough.

From Monday Mom – Neetika:
I was reading yet another parenting book recently (a theme is emerging with me, I am realizing), and I came across a section I found fascinating. It deals with sleep at different ages—how much people need and how often they tend to get it.

The book said that in the 1950s, a trend emerged in which high school start times were set earlier, in the seven o’clock hour. Teenagers also started becoming very active in extra-curriculars such as sports, music, and church. Many of them got part-time jobs to help out their families or save for things like their own vehicles. More recently, high school students continued this trend, but also added the responsibility of more homework.

When I think back to high school, it’s wonder that I, or anyone, had the energy to do all that “stuff!” In addition to a comically rigorous curriculum, I played varsity sports, was an officer in numerous clubs, and spent a fair amount of time with my friends. The bus picked me up before 7, and it wasn’t unusual for newspaper, tennis practice, and then dance rehearsal to be completed at 8. Then I started my homework.

Obviously, I was a busy kid. Yet this is aside from the issue that the work teens and sometimes even younger kids are expected to do at home can take hours. As I try to get Haley onto a consistent schedule, I can’t help but wonder for how long I will be able and willing to impose a strict bedtime. We tend to think of teens as so resilient that they can bounce back from all-nighters and weekend fun. Perhaps we shouldn’t. For the time being, I will gladly take Haley sleeping well for a week—let alone for 18 years.