Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Tuesday, February 27, 2007

This will hurt me more than you

OK, so here's the topic: spanking. I have more questions than I have answers, so feel free to leave comments (even if they're long-winded).

My mother was over this weekend and we were talking about how my (almost) one-year old son gets into everything but his toys. He spends about 1/3 of his time playing with his toys and the rest exploring EVERYTHING ELSE. He will wreak havoc on my whole house. I have had to do some serious baby-proofing in the last few months. And now as he's more mobile, he gets on his tippy-toes and reaches higher for things. I can tell it won't be long before he's climbing up on furniture too.

My mom made a comment about how I have cleared 2 of the 3 end tables in my living room of almost everything. She said she didn't do that. She just taught kids that it was a "no-no". Then if they didn't listen, they got their hand smacked. I guess that worked for her. Oh course she did mention that "You shouldn't leave something in their reach that you couldn't stand if it got ruined". Here's how I handle the situation with that: I warn Zachariah before he touches it "Zachariah, leave that alone it's Mommy's pretty". He will usually look at me like he's listening. If he continues for it, I say "No no" in a stern (but not loud) voice (and I also sign "no no"). Then if he still won't walk away from it, I go over and remove him from the object of his affection. I just distract him with something else to do. This usually works. Although there are times when I do this over and over throughout the day. And I have removed all of "Mommy's pretties" because I was tired of getting after him again and again. I wanted him to be able to explore without getting nagged at constantly.

Things brings up another issue too. When I was pregnant and when my son was an infant, I swore that I wouldn't put up all my "pretties". I would just teach him to leave them alone. Now that I'm dealing with that, I changed my tune. Should I have stuck to that. I still think that after he gets a little bit older (maybe in a few more months), I will put things back on the table. At that point he's a little older and wiser and has more self control.

OK, so the real issue I've been questioning is spanking. Should it be done? Is it appropriate? What age? What circumstances?

Here's how I see it. First of all, my son is too young to spank. Secondly, I don't think I will spank him. I think that most times people spank from their (the parents') anger. I do NOT want to do that. I think there is a time and place for spanking. I believe that it could possibly be used in extreme circumstances with an older child. A toddler does not know enough at this point in their development for spanking to be completely appropriate. Instead I think that time-out is a much better punishment. The reason for discipline must be clearly and calmly explained to the child. And there has to be consistency. I think using these things will work just fine for discipline.

Where do you weigh in on this? Maybe I left something out? I tried to be clear about how I feel, but it is hard to get this all written down. Your feelings about this? I'd love to hear them.

Monday, February 26, 2007

Tagged!

Thanks, Semi-Desperate Housewife for the tag. Look at the bottom to see who I tagged.

1. What is your main cell phone ring-tone? It is the song "Never Alone" by Barlow Girl. I love that song!

2. What is your default avatar? Umm, I have an avatar on my Yahoo messenger, but I change it all the time.

3. What station is your car radio permanently tuned to? Right now it's a Christian station. I'm not usually in the car long enough to pay much attention. I loved having satellite radio, so I could listen to a variety of talk shows, music, and news, but we gave that up for a while.

4. What is your computer desktop image? An awesome picture I took of my son looking outside at his first snow.

5. Is there something you wear every single day? Yes, underwear...clean ones...everyday...cause Mom said to. ;)

6. I wish I had a tracking device on: My son...although he can't go too far. Actually, a trouble alarm would be better. It goes ff just before he gets into trouble, so I can swoop in and stop him from making a mess that I'll have to clean up later.

7. What page does your Internet browser open with? My Yahoo

8. This item never leaves my car/purse:Item which never leaves my purse: chap stick (except when I use it) Item which never leaves my car: car seat

9. What TV show do you never miss? I don't like to miss "ER". We've been hooked on it forever.

10. What phrase do you hear yourself repeating too often? "No!", "Zachariah, Mommy said NO!", "Leave that alone!", "Come here before you get in more trouble!"...take your pick. ;)

Okay, now to tag: this means you, Midwest Mom - Kelsey!

Monday Morning Blahs

I think I'm stuck in a Monday morning rut. I did have a few things that I wanted to write about, but nothing seems to work for me. So, I figured I'm just post something/anything for now. My period did get SOO much better after a few days. Thank goodness for that. Zachariah seemed to be feeling better over the weekend. Then last night he coughed off and on all night. I got up several times just to check on him. And to top that I'm getting something too. I can't tell what yet, but my sinuses are draining and my throat is scratchy. So, this will be a day stuck at home for us probably.

Matt and my dad did get some work done on our bathroom this weekend. I now have a closet in the bathroom, yeah!! I wasted no time in moving things into it. Now I have some other free places in the house that can work with. We also got everything we needed to put the flooring down. Matt might work on that tonight. I can't tell you how excited I am about it. If I haven't mentioned it before, we started remodeling our bathroom before I was even pregnant for Zachariah. It's been a long project. Part of the motivation is if Matt gets this job, then we'll have to try to get our house ready to sell quickly. So, if we're working on it now, it will help. And if we don't move, then at least our bathroom will finally be finished.

On another note, I have lots of guests coming over Saturday for Zachariah's birthday. I'm trying to make the house spotless. I don't have much energy today, though. I did manage to scrub the cupboards in the kitchen and clean dirty fingerprints off the doors. There is so much to do, but if I can't get to it all the world won't end. I have to keep reminding myself of this. I always want my house perfect when people come over. It's harder and harder to accomplish this with an energetic child. 5 days and counting...I think I can do it.

Friday, February 23, 2007

Dot dot dot

I should warn you now - if you don't want to read about my womanly problems along with other things the day has brought, DO NOT READ ANY FARTHER!

You might have already guessed it, I'm having my pesky period. Why must we, as women, endure this time and time again for years and years to come? Normally it doesn't seem so bad, but in the midst of it all it's bad. I will not sugar-coat anything about it today. Now I don't usually have bad periods. I tend to have a light flow and it doesn't last more than 5 days. I've only had it three times now in the last 2 years. Isn't pregnancy and breastfeeding great! Even if just to keep that horrible time of month at bay for a little longer. Since I've had my baby, my periods have started changing a bit. They seem to last forever. The last 2 drug on for about 10 days. I'm only in day 2 this time around, so I'm hoping that it doesn't go on like that. Luckily I've never experienced bad cramps or anything like that. It's just annoying to me. I feel OK today, it's just that I'm in this mood. Part of it is because of m period, and part of it is I'm stuck in the house with a sick baby too.

Poor Zachariah spent almost all day yesterday either sleeping or cuddling on my lap. He was just lethargic all day long. He ran a fever all day too. I gave him Tylenol and lots of love. I even got up to check on him a few times in the night. Then when he got up at his normal time this morning, the fever was gone. I'm glad for that. He still isn't quite himself though. He has a runny nose mostly. First thing this morning, though, he ate and a few minutes later projectile vomited everything back on my and the chair I was standing beside. Eww! So, I cleaned up the mess really quick, and then put some clean clothes on. (I wanted a shower, but I knew he wouldn't cooperate long enough for that to happen.) Fortunately that hasn't happened again, and he has eaten a little bit since then. I have tried 3 times today to get him down for a nap. The kid will not sleep, but he's grouchy as can be. Finally this time he's sleeping, over 5 hours later. I hope he takes a good nap. I want to get a shower so badly. Usually I get a shower and get dressed as soon as I can every morning. Sometimes I wait until he's taking his morning nap, but since he skipped that today I skipped the shower part.

Then to make the matters worse...my period is the heaviest flow I've ever experienced! It's driving me nuts. I have a tampon on with a light days pad underneath, because I need both. That's ridiculous. And I'm running to the bathroom every 2 hours to change all that. I've been closing the door, because I need privacy for a bit longer today. Then the kid stands outside crying because I won't let him in! AHH!

I think I'm gaining back a little sanity now that he's sleeping quietly. I think I'll try to get a shower after I'm done typing this. Maybe I'll feel a little more human then. For now I've just been chocolate medicating. It makes me feel better for a few seconds. Then when I'm dressed, I need to pick up all the mess that my son has created. I was trying to get things done, and since he wasn't napping I let him get into things I normally keep him away from. So now things are strewn all over my house. Yikes. If he sleeps long enough, I can get all that done. Then, just maybe I'll feel a little better.

Thursday, February 22, 2007

Beauty Sleep

How much is normal for babies to sleep? I found myself asking this question today. I'm not a strict schedule kind of mom, so Zachariah's sleeping patterns vary from day to day and week to week. I do, however, make sure that he takes 2 naps a day (when possible) and gets to bed around the same time each night.

When Zachariah was a baby he wanted to be held a lot. So, he sometimes wouldn't take really good naps. He'd fall asleep in my arms, then I'd lay him down in his little bouncer. He would sleep there for a while, then wake up and watch me adoringly for a while before wanting picked up again. He was like this for about the first 6 months. The only consolation was the he slept through the night at 2-3 months old. And I mean 10-12 hours through the night. I could handle the light naps, since I was getting a full night of sleep. At about 4 months of age, I started making sure he was laying in bed for naps about 3 times a day. This worked well, and then by about 8-9 months old he was needing about 2 naps. The older he's gotten, the better of a schedule he has. And this also meant that he was sleeping longer periods of time for naps.

Now he typically sleeps 12 hours at night, then takes 2 naps of about 2-3 hours each. That's a total of 14-16 hours of sleep. My mom and I were talking about this today on the phone. She said none of us ever slept that much. She thought maybe I should ask his pediatrician about him sleeping that much at his next appointment. I figure this is just my relief for him sleeping less than average babies when he was littler. What I've read is that at this age (he's 11 months) an average baby sleeps 12-14 hours total. Now that's an average, so he just sleeps a little longer than that. Should I be concerned? I guess I'm really not, but it does make me think.

This week has been a little strange for his sleeping patterns. Monday he slept until 10:00AM (he's usually up around 7-8AM). He was up for an hour and a half, then took another nap at 11:40AM. He slept until 4:00PM, and then was still ready for bed by 7:00PM. Strange. I thought maybe it was just a growth spurt or something.

From there he's been on his normal routine until today. Today has been a completely different story. This morning he really slept in. Finally at 11:00AM I thought I'd better check to see how he was. I woke him up and he got up and ate a little bit. He felt warm to me, but I waited to see if it was just from him getting up late.After he ate, he just laid there on me and didn't want down to play. He's usually running as soon as he's done eating. He wants to go and explore and get into things. (He plays hard, which is why I think he sleeps hard.) Anyway, I finally picked up a toy thinking it would make him want to play. He just snuggled up with the stuffed animal and stayed on my lap. He got down for about 3 minutes and played, and then came back and cuddled on my lap for a while. This was unusual for him. I went ahead and took his temperature. It read 101.0 on the rectal thermometer. I called the pediatric nurse at his doctor's office. She said just to give him Tylenol and see if there are any changes. Other than being tired and having a fever, he's not showing any other signs of something being wrong. I feel sorry for the little guy. He went back to bed about an hour and a half after he got up today. And he's been sleeping since then (almost 2 hours later). I'll probably get him up in a while if he doesn't wake up, so I can feed him and take his temperature again. We have been so lucky that, other than chicken pox, Zachariah has been the healthiest baby. I feel really bad that I don't know what's wrong. I just know he's not himself. Well, hopefully he can sleep it off and will be better soon.
Posted by Picasa

Wednesday, February 21, 2007

Winter

Well, if you don't know anything about Ohio winter weather, read this post Midwest Mom: Two Posts in One Day; Don't Let Your Head Explode. She explains it beautifully. We, Ohioans, have a real love/hate of winter. This morning this is what I woke up to. "Frozen Fog". Yes, that's right. It is terribly foggy and it's just cold enough that the fog froze on the trees (kind of hard to see in the pictures, but it's true). I haven't been out on the roads, so I don't know if they were slick or not. It is still really foggy at 10:30 currently. The schools all around have closed for the day. With fog like this, they have limited visibility while driving. It's really not safe to have kids out waiting for buses, and buses driving when they can't see clearly enough. Just thought I'd share this lovely weather with you. Good day for me to stay in.
Posted by Picasa

Tuesday, February 20, 2007

More work

I'm at it again. I have been cleaning up a frenzy the last few days. I'm finding moments to clean instead of be lazy like I usually am. (I usually take nap time as my freedom - clean a little, then watch TV, check e-mail, etc.) This morning I did some more deep-cleaning tasks in the kitchen. I scrubbed doors this time.

Then today Swistle issued a cleaning challenge to those of us who would like to dig out. She challenged us to spend 15 minutes de-cluttering an area in our house. Well, there are several areas that need it. I decided no place was better than our awful, messy office. I've been meaning to get to this for months. I started it as a 15 minute project, but it turned into a 45 minute project and there is still more to do as you can see. I put things away, organized other things, cut apart Christmas cards for later use, and even dusted. Oh the dust! Yikes! But I think it looks a lot better. I think Matt will be pleasantly surprised this evening. We'll see if he says anything first.

Oh and last night Matt took Zachariah and I out to eat. We don't do this often, but we both had a free evening. We were able to get an early dinner, so we didn't keep Zac out past bedtime. It was pretty enjoyable. And when I walked back in the house, I kept trying to figure out what that smell was. It was coming from the kitchen. I ignored it for a while, but kept coming back trying to figure out what I was smelling. Then I smacked myself and laughed...it was the smell of a clean house. I had used multi-purpose cleaner in my kitchen bonanza yesterday. Ha! I laughed and told Matt, so this is what a clean house smells like. I think I like it. And now...the office smells like that too. Oh boy, I'm a cleaning monster now.

Off to the side are my before and after pictures of the office desk. Like I said, it still needs more work, but I have to leave very soon to go tutor. So, I had to stop to have time to blog this. Maybe I'll work on it more after the little one goes to bed tonight. We'll see.


Monday, February 19, 2007

Digging a hole

Thanks to Swistle for her post about housekeeping: Swistle: Housecleaning. I have started trying to "dig out" of my housekeeping mess. My house is semi-clean. I keep up with dishes, laundry, vacuuming, and a few other things. But as far as the deep-cleaning chores. I loathe them. Of course when they are done, I feel a sense of accomplishment and love sitting in a clean house.

So, today I figured why not start now. I do have a small sense of urgency, because we have people coming over in less than 2 weeks for Zachariah's first birthday party. The dog is at the groomer's today, and the kid seems to be sleeping forever long today. What a great time to start. I scrubbed a few of the kitchen walls. This is something that not many people would even notice, but it has dog food speckled on it. The dog seems to always manage to ruin my clean things. It looks so much better now that it's dog food free, though. Then I decided to clean the kitchen appliances. I started by scrubbing the stove/oven. Wow, was it dirty. I cleaned the sides and top, then figured why stop there. So, I pulled it away from the wall and vacuumed behind it and washed the wall behind and around it. What a huge difference (to me anyway). Then I washed the front of the fridge. I have more work to do there (but why do it all in one day). I still need to clean out the inside of the fridge and clean that. I fear that there are left-overs that might bite me when I open the container. It's a big job, but I will get it done!

Then I feel like maybe I'm starting more than I'll be able to finish. Instead of digging out, maybe I'm just digging a hole. I do feel better about it for now. I'm patting myself on the back, and rewarding myself with chocolate as I write this blog. I even managed to work up a sweat while I was on my hands and knees scrubbing away. I got thinking about that, this would be a great way to lose weight. Plus my house would look wonderful if I could get this much done, even twice a day while Zachariah is napping. I'll report back with my progress. Happy cleaning, everyone.

Friday, February 16, 2007

I can't keep a secret anymore

OK, most of you who read this blog do not know me. All I ask before you continue reading is that if you do know my (or my family), that you keep what I about to write to yourself. I guess at this point we're not too concerned about it, but I would appreciate it for the sake of my work.

Matt is interviewing for a new job. It's a huge deal! We're both ready for a change in our lives. We've been thinking a lot about moving back closer to home (which is about 1-2 hours from here). We really feel like God is leading us to be back closer to our families. Maybe this is because we have a child now and desire to have his family around more often. Whatever the urging, we definitely feel like it will happen at some point.

As we were discussing this, a job opportunity right in Matt's field popped up. It's a great IT job for a company that is opening a new facility. He decided immediately to apply for the job. They were hiring for an assistant position and a lead position. While his education and experience qualify him for the lead position, he didn't think he'd like the job responsibilities based on the job description given. So, he figured he would apply for the assistant job and see where that lead. Within a week he had a phone interview. (The new facility is not even finished with construction, and the headquarters are based in Wisconsin.) Anyway, the interview went VERY well. They seemed quite impressed. Matt has worked in this field for 8 years now, and the things he has experience in would be greatly beneficial to this new job. Towards the end of the interview they asked why he hadn't applied for the team lead position. He told them the 2 main things in the job description that had turned him away. They quickly cleared those up, and then Matt was really interested in that position. They asked him if they could consider him for the team lead job. He readily agreed. Plus that would probably be a better paying job.

So, that all happened about 2 1/2 weeks ago. We haven't heard anything since then. They said they had about 2 weeks of phone screening left, then they would be calling to set up local in-person interviews. Matt called today to see what kind of progress they had made. They just wrapped up the phone interviews and should be calling next week to set up live interviews.

Without getting our hopes up too well, we're really excited about the possibility of this new job opportunity. There is still a long process to go, so who knows what will happen. After the in-person interviews, they will invite final candidates to the Wisconsin facility for tours and make hiring decisions from there. Then there will be a 6-8 week training in either Wisconsin or Illinois. All this will be happening while I'll be stuck home with the baby all alone. It won't really matter, because it will be a great thing if he gets the job.

It will mean a big move for us too. We would have to sell our house and find a new one closer to home. I know it would be a lot of work to accomplish all of this, but it would be worth it. We think this job would pay enough that I wouldn't have to tutor anymore (which is what we prefer anyway).

So, now that it is finally all off my shoulders, I feel a little better. Even if no one ever reads this and it floats off into nowhere. That's fine with me. I'm sure you understand now why I asked you not to tell anyone. I have not told the Learning Center where I tutor that this is happening. I don't really want to say anything until he accepts the position. (He has already told his boss and coworkers that he's interviewing.) It's not that they will be upset where I work, it's just that I don't want to stress out my boss (who happens to be a good friend of mine too) about having to find a replacement for me. I will wait until we're further in the interview process, then I will let her know. Also, while he's going through training I will stay here, so we can sell the house. And I will try to continue tutoring during that time.

Thanks for your discretion. And I will keep you all posted on what happens.

Mind readers

How is it that every time I think of an idea for a new blog post, I see someone else post about the same topic? Then I feel like maybe I shouldn't post that blog after all, because it will seem like I'm stepping on their toes. I think there are some mind readers out there. So maybe I'll come back to those topics sometime later.

Here's a different topic. Last night Matt went to a men's dinner at church. I was glad that he went. It's missions week, and it's always a neat thing to hear the missionaries speak. Matt has been very interested in missions on the past few years too. I think that some day he'll go on a missions trip. Anyway, why is it that he can take a night away? He took a friend along and had a fun night. I'm left here to feed the baby supper and entertain him and put him to bed. (Things I do all the time anyway, but that's not the point.) Do I get a night out? Hardly ever! Part of that is because I have a clingy kid. I feel bad leaving him when I know he's unhappy the whole time. But I need time away too. I need to visit with friends and talk to other mothers.

I really haven't searched out other mothers with children Zachariah's age since I had him. I don't really know why. I do desire to have other mother's to get together with. I do have friends with kids, but they either live to far or they work during the day. That's about the only time i have to get together with people. My tutoring keeps me busy in the late afternoons and evenings. By the time I'm done with that, it's off to get Zac ready for bed within an hour or so. I think this is why I've found that I love blogs. I can find other mothers who are going through similar things in life. It's fun to see that I'm not the only one with issues.

Am I resentful towards my husband? Not really. He doesn't really have a lot of guy friends that he can hang out with. So I do think it's good when he can get out to do something like this. I'm done ranting. And I really will be fine, even if I have to be stuck inside with the kid all the time. I do enjoy what I do (raising my son and taking care of the house for my family). And I'd do it all over again.h

Thursday, February 15, 2007

My Funny Valentine

Our Valentine's Day was nice. Nothing spectacular for us. I think Valentine's Day is one of those holidays that you either love or hate. And most people have a truly love/hate relationship with it. We don't usually make a big fuss over the day. I usually get candy or flowers or something else special. And Matt tries to take me out to dinner or at least make something.

With the baby this year (not to mention all the snow that has us stuck here), we decided to just order pizza. I love it...Swistle had us pegged on her blog yesterday. It was nice though to not have to worry about making supper. The pizza was really yummy too. It's from a local place that we don't usually order from. Matt also came home with a pint of ice cream from Ben & Jerry's for me. I know that it was completely unselfish too, because he will not eat the kind he got me. I had never tried The Gobfather flavor before, but it was really good. I think it's my new favorite.

I was not disappointed that this was the only thing he did, because I really never expect anything. And he randomly brought home beautiful colored daisies a few weeks ago. Those are the kinds of gifts I like to receive.

It was, however, Zachariah's first Valentine's Day. So I got him a little ape that whistles and says "I go bananas over you" in this silly voice. His first reaction was a face that said "what is that?". Then he started smiling at it. He played with it off and on all day long, and every time one of us would push the button for him he would break out in a huge grin. I also couldn't resist my little Valentine, because I had him dressed in a cute shirt that said "Handsome" for the holiday. He was adorable in it. We got is specifically for the day. I got it a little bigger, so he can wear it longer. From the looks of it, he'll be wearing it for quite a while. But love when I can get more wear out of his clothes (since most things he outgrows in 3 months or less).

In other news we are not so snowed it today. Matt is back to work (after 2 1/2 days off). And I'll see how it looks this afternoon and decide whether or not to tutor today. The wind finally died down, so maybe they can get the roads cleared off. Although it is still bitter cold, and that is just no fun. Have a Happy Thursday everyone.
Posted by Picasa

Tuesday, February 13, 2007

Here is a picture of Zachariah's first birthday invitation. This was my first one. I'm not sure it I will change anything. I kind of like how it turned out. The only thing I'd change is my handwriting at the top. That's probably as good as it will get, so I suppose it will work. On the inside I will stamp a time, date, etc. thing and write all the info in. Any ideas? Do you think this is an ok picture or should I try one where he was awake? Or should I use a recent picture? I don't have any really great recent ones, but I will have new pictures to hand out at the party. That's why I thought it would be fun to share this.
Posted by Picasa

I think I'm crafty

Here in Northwest Ohio we're under a "Blizzard Warning". That sounds like so much fun to me. They're calling for about a foot of snow within the next 24 hours. Plus it is quite windy. This could create blizzard conditions. Yikes! I'm safe and warm at home for the day. The center where I tutor has closed for today and tomorrow. I had a nice hot cup of cocoa this morning, and that made me feel better. Luckily I stocked up on groceries on Saturday, and yesterday I picked up my Valentine's Day presents.

I also picked up some craft supplies yesterday. I am planning to make invitations for my son's first birthday. It's coming up in less than 3 weeks, so I need to get these invites out. I thought it would be fun to make my own using a baby picture of Zachariah. Boy am I ambitious. I don't think I know what I'm getting into. I bought some blank cards and other scrapbooking supplies. We'll see what I come up with. Maybe I'll even post a picture of what they turn out to be.

It will be a good week to work on crafty things. And I will be able to cuddle and read some books with my son. I think he'd enjoy that. We have no reason to leave then house, so we'll have some fun here. Maybe later in the week if it warms up a bit I can get him out on his cute little toddler sled that my dad found for him. It's been too cold, and we have not been able to use it yet. Keep warm everyone!

Friday, February 9, 2007

Thank you, Jack Hanna

While watching Good Morning America this morning, I learned an interesting fact. That's good, because it's fun to learn something new.

Jack Hanna, Director of the Columbus Zoo here in Ohio, was on Good Morning America with baby flamingos. They were cute. They were shorter than the adults, and had cute downy gray feathers. The interesting fact came in when one of the reporters said something about their knees that go backwards. I, personally, have always found that interesting about flamingos. (That and the fast that they have pink feathers because of the food they eat.) Well, Jack Hanna said that those are actually not their knees, but it is their ankle.

Am I the only person who didn't know this? I shared my new bit of trivia with my sister and husband, and they both looked at me like I was a bit crazy. Maybe I am. Or maybe I just have a secret obsession with flamingos (or Jack Hanna).

Subdued

So, when I came home last night Baby and Daddy were much happier. They were both eating supper and seeming to enjoy each other's company. They had played together and got along splendidly. I just wanted to post this update after the horrible episode the night before. So, life just happens. We all learn to go with the flow. And I suppose there will always be good days and bad days. This is especially true now with a baby.

Thursday, February 8, 2007

Low end of the totem pole

I came home last night (after tutoring) to Matt feeding Zachariah in his high chair. After I took all my layers of warmth off (it's really cold here), I went past said baby. He took one look at Daddy after I walked by and turned to look at me and started bawling. He was sad! Dramatically so with the huge tears and sobbing and screaming. I came back in the room and asked him what the problem was. He looked at Daddy again and back at me and continued to cry. Matt told me that he'd (the baby) been crying since they got home (about an hour). Matt had tried playing with him, watching TV, feeding him, giving him drinks, changing him, and nothing seemed to make him happy. Until...Mommy picked him up out of his high chair. Then he gave us this big happy coo. Boy, that made Daddy feel awful.


I don't know what to do. I feel bad that Matt has to feel bad. He said "I don't think he (baby) loves me." That made me want to cry. I told him that wasn't true. But for the rest of the evening, Zachariah would not go to him. We sat and played on the floor, and he was happy for a while. He was only up another 1/2 hour before bedtime, but it was all good (except for the ignoring Dad part).


Do I spoil him too much? Is it bad that I'm with him all the time? I really don't know what to do. I don't even have any suggestions for Matt, because he tried everything that I would have with an unhappy baby. Now you have to understand that 4 days a week they spend an hour without me, because I go tutor. This has been happening since Zachariah was 6 months old. Shouldn't they both have adjusted by now? I guess they haven't. When we first started this arrangement I even gave up singing in the church choir, because it was so hectic when I came back home in the evening. I couldn't see leaving for another 2 hours after that...even once a week. I figured by now I could go back to choir, but I'm sad to say that I have not. I'm hoping that these two boys will figure each other out soon.


Any suggestions or ideas on why this is happening? It's not this bad every night, but last night was pretty bad. It makes me want to stop tutoring, but that's not really an option. I do enjoy it, and we need the little bit of extra money. Matt is a wonderful dad, and Zachariah does love spending time with him. In fact on Friday nights (when I don't tutor) and Matt comes home from work, Zac goes to him first thing. Then when Matt picks him up, he turns to me and waves bye-bye. He's content with Daddy and doesn't want me for a while. So, I really don't get this. Help!

Tuesday, February 6, 2007

Baby Fat

I ran into a sorta-friend at the store the other day. We were making casual conversation about kids and other things. I was surprised that none of her 3 children were with her, but she told me she was lucky that her husband was home today. He let her go run errands on her own. Anyway, I was asking her how old her youngest was now. He just turned 6 months (which doesn't seem possible). Then she asks me how much my son weighs. I told her what he weighed at his 9 month check-up and what I estimate he weighs now. Then she goes on to tell me that her son weighs almost at much at his 6 month appointment. He is already wearing the same size clothes as my son. She almost seemed concerned that he's so big. He's only in the 70th percentile for his age. I don't think that's a huge baby. My son was in the 38th % last time, hence the nearness in size for the boys. She continues to explain the both of her girls were smaller than that, which is why she is baffled at the larger boy. I told her there was nothing wrong with his size. He's an adorble, healthy baby. And part of it is just a difference between the way boys and girls grow. It's just funny how different babies can be.


My point is...why do we as mothers/parents always fall into this comparison game? If it's not about size, then it's about developement. I usually try to stop myself from doing this. Like with this mother, I told her he's such a healthy kid. Who doesn't like a big chubby baby anyway.


Do we all have a need to make everyone see that our child is the best? I tell people about my baby mostly because I'm so excited about him and the things he's doing. But then I wonder if I come across to other parents as "pushing" his abilities on them and trying to "show them up". Does this make sense? I see it happen a lot. How can we help it? How can we be sure that we're not seeming to gloat?
After all that questioning - here's a photo of my little one.


Friday, February 2, 2007

Groundhog Mayhem

Oh my, I think I'm already tired of seeing all the groundhogs on the news this morning. It's Groundhog Day, yeah! Who decided that a groundhog coming out of its hole could now predict the weather? And why, oh why, did this end up declared a holiday? Truly? A holiday? What really are we celebrating? Sorry, I just find that a little disturbing.

But I do love the movie "Groundhog Day" with Bill Murry and Andie MacDowell. Hmm, maybe I'll watch that this afternoon. Have you seen this movie? Bill Murry's character plays a weatherman stuck in the day February 2nd. The day just keeps playing over and over. When he wakes up each morning, it's February 2nd. He has to learn to change what he does to make the day end differently. Anyway, it's an interesting concept. What do would you live over and over? Maybe a fun day in your childhood. Maybe revisit a holiday you will always remember? Or some other significant (or maybe bad - so you can change it) day in your life.

For me, the only day that comes to mind that I'd like to relive is the day that my son was born. (Yes, I'd go through labor all over again.) It was such a special day, that I would love to experience it again and commit each moment to my memory. Am I crazy for choosing that day? Maybe you would think I was more sane if I chose the day after my son was born, but nope I don't think so.

I suppose I like to treasure every day with my son, and I see him changing and growing every day. Tomorrow he will be 11 months old. Only 1 month (4 little weeks) until his first birthday. I just can't believe that's possible. I was just thinking this morning about a trip to Paris I took with my family when I was 18. I was telling Zachariah, yes, Mommy went to Paris. He perked up like he knew what I was talking about. I told him, that's before you were even thought about. Wow, that's just too hard to imagine anymore. I mean, I had a life before my baby, but now just seems right. I'm sure all you mothers out there know exactly what I mean.