Play-Learn-Grow-Repeat

From Friday Mom – Jaime:
So, first off, I have to say that since you all are reading this, it does confirm that I survived my first 5k. In order to ensure (mostly for my own benefit) that this wasn’t a fluke, I signed up for another one next month. But that wasn’t really the point of this post…

I picked Andrew up from daycare last night, got him strapped into his car seat and he proceeds to tell me, “Mommy. Tomorrow I am going to be really sick. I think I may need to stay home from school.”

I laughed and asked him what would be wrong with him. “Um… I’m not really sure. But I’m going to hurt. And be sick. Yeah! Really sick.”

He confirmed this story for me a few minutes ago when I asked him what I should write about for this post. The response? “Me being sick”

He’s trying to further this story by holding his stomach and telling me his belly hurts. (Yes, this is still his go-to complaint whenever he wants to try to get out of anything and everything.) Then 2 seconds later, he’s running around the house begging to eat candy.

I suppose I should be happy that I have fair warning about his intention to play sick in the morning. He’s not very good at this whole being sneaky thing yet… (No, I’m most definitely NOT complaining about this)

Probably like a lot of you, I get emails from various places telling me about developmental things my kid is either going through now or about to go through soon. Not that long ago, I got one about how kids around this age will start making up stories…that it’s important not to call them “lies” even when they blatantly are…because that could discourage the development of a healthy imagination.

I’m trying to remember that email as my darling child is outright telling me that he’s going to pretend to be sick in the morning. So I’m going to pretend that this is a really good heads up – for daddy – since I have court in the morning 🙂

Have a good weekend everyone. (And wish us luck in the morning)

From Wednesday Mom – Janelle:
The warmth of the holiday season has been packed up. Our relatives have left, and the temperatures have plunged.   I always seem to have a case of the post holiday blues.  The next few weeks can feel like months.  I’m hoping this year is different.  I have a lot of dates marked on the calendar to keep us busy.

Jack goes back to school tomorrow and is looking forward to it.  He is ready to see his friends again and I am ready to get back to our daily schedule.   Tate dropped his morning nap, so I’m looking forward to the extra time we can spend together every morning.  He has been talking more lately and we are going to work on colors, shapes and animals. He really enjoys getting his message across and it is fun to figure out what he is trying to say. I feel guilty that he doesn’t get enough one on one time with me like his older brother did. On the other hand, he has an older brother to play with and interact with too. He is a happy toddler who brightens my day.

I am lucky to have two healthy kids and a loving family.  We are going to find fun things to do this winter to keep us all busy. Even if it is going to the same park every day. I hope the new year brings new and exciting things for my family as well as yours.

From Monday Mom – Neetika:
I cannot believe it’s 2012! I remember when London bid for the Olympics and how it seemed so far away. And now here we are.

I once loved considering New Year’s Resolutions, not that I ever stuck to them or remembered what they were a few weeks in! Now it seems silly to make a pledge to live my life a certain way. I can’t anticipate how I will feel a few months from now, because I will be the mother of a child I don’t recognize.

What’s fascinating about the first few years of life is how rapidly we change. First, you’re delighted by a helpless newborn. A few weeks later, she smiles. A month later, she’s holding her head up confidently. A few more weeks, she’s rolling over. Eating solids, crawling, and waving bye-bye all follow. The developments are fast and furious!

A year from now, Haley will be about 21 months. I think she’s a big girl now, but by then she truly be a fully realized person who can do SO much more than she can now. I’m really looking forward to all of the changes that take place until then, but since she’s my first, it’s hard to imagine what they are.

Since I stay at home with Haley, I don’t know what my daily schedule will resemble as she departs the baby stage and moves on to more advanced activities. So I don’t feel like I can make specific plans for things I want to do on a regular basis. But to be more general about it… I resolve to have fun. I resolve to enjoy my growing daughter. I resolve to appreciate every moment, even the frustrating ones. I resolve to become a better parent with each day of the New Year.