Play-Learn-Grow-Repeat

From Monday Mom – Neetika:
Haley has a new hobby—climbing! She climbs on everything—the coffee table, beds, couches, toys, bins—none of which are meant for climbing, and all of which involve varying levels of danger. I don’t know if I missed this in the mommy handbook, but I have no idea how to deal!

This latest development has done a number on my stress levels. Once upon a time (two days ago), I could take my eyes off of Haley for a moment if she was playing with some toys in a relatively safe area of the house. Now all bets are off. Every piece of furniture, every object, every fixture is a summit she must reach. You have to respect her adventurous spirit.

This is another one of those times I need to remind myself to count my blessings. Haley is healthy, active, and curious. It’s a good thing. It’s just that I’m already so darn tired half the time. It takes a lot of mental energy and focus to care for a toddler—and the physical strain is no joke either! When people talk vaguely about how “hard” it is to be a stay-at-home-parent, this is precisely what they are talking about! These are the things that can be so grating and difficult—but you have to do what you have to do for your child.

Luckily, I know just who to blame. Haley’s FATHER is an avid climber who has been bouldering for years. I, on the other hand, would prefer to watch TV in bed or curl up with a nice book. I think these tendencies are simply in our nature. Her aggressive physicality is a genetic gift from her father. I’ll have to remember to thank him for that.

In the meantime, I guess I’ll have to hone my spotting skills and stick close to Haley. Hopefully it will not take too long for her to learn how to negotiate heights and realize that reaching the top of everything is not always a prudent idea. She already knows that I will be there to lend a helping hand, no matter what it takes.

From Wednesday Mom – Janelle:
Tate has a love for music.  Anytime he hears a beat he automatically starts dancing or moving a part of his body.  I remember he was very active in utero while I listened to music. Recently, I signed Tate up for a music class because I thought he would be stimulated by all the sounds.  Also, it would be a great one on one activity for the two of us.  Our class meets once a week for 45 minutes and lasts until mid May.  The program offers many different classes for different age groups and is held at a local church.  Our class met for the first time today.  Tate left quite an impression on the other children (and parents).

We were one of the first to arrive to the class room.  There were several egg shaped “maracas” sitting in a basket.  Tate decided he was going to shake them uncontrollably and hand them to each child that walked in the room.  I was so happy to see him share since we have been having some trouble with that.  As we sat in a circle the teacher introduced herself and each parent introduced themselves and their child.  We started singing a few songs, first fast and then slow.  We used several different instruments as well body movements.  Tate loved to shake the loud bells and bang the wooden sticks together.  He found it funny to show the class his hilarious dance moves during every song.  The other parents got a chuckle from Tate’s personality.  It was cute, but exhausting trying to keep him grounded during certain activities.

Tate and I had a great class together.  He really enjoyed the class as he was running, clapping, stomping, and dancing to every beat.  Although I was a little stressed out trying to  at least be near him while we did our activities, I quickly realized how much fun he was having and that’s all that matters.  I noticed Tate doing things that I had no idea he could do.  He was saying new words and repeating different sounds with an instrument back to the teacher.  I look forward to our time in music class together again next week as well as what new moves Tate has up his sleeve.