Category: Kids/Parenting

Tips, tricks and adventures in parenting two kids.

Categories
Kids/Parenting

This is the night, it’s a beautiful night…

Hayden is really falling in love with eating—and eating constantly. (We’re getting out of the seventh percentile!) On the plus side, he is really good about sharing. (Minus side: I don’t want any goldfish crackers, kiddo.)

A few weeks ago, we had a “lady & the tramp” moment. He stuck a little piece of graham cracker in my mouth. I held onto it with my lips and sat there for a moment (probably watching TV). Next thing I know, Hayden has leaned in to get the graham cracker out of my mouth—with his lips.

We didn’t teach him to do this, but he does. We also use things like pens, his medicine bottles and the lid to his snickysnack container (our lips don’t meet on those).


He loves him some food!

Categories
Kids/Parenting

He speaks! Er… He gestures!

It looks like Hayden’s really starting to understand pointing. For example:

  • Yesterday, Ryan let me sleep in a little bit. He and Hayden were playing in the front room. Ryan picked him up and asked him, “Where’s Mama?” Hayden pointed toward the hallway. Ryan carried him to the hallway. “Where’s Mama?” Hayden pointed down the hallway. Ryan carried him down the hallway. “Where’s Mama?” Hayden pointed into our bedroom. Ryan carried him into our bedroom. Hayden starts giggling. “Where’s Mama?” Hayden pointed further inside the bedroom. Ryan carried him further inside the bedroom. “Where’s Mama?” Hayden pointed to . . . the candles. “Silly candles,” we imagined Hayden saying. “They get me every time!” (Then he pointed to me.)
     
  • Today right before his bath, I was standing with him in the doorway and asked him where the bath was. He pointed right to it.
     
  • And my favorite: today I told him I loved him. He looked at me, smiled, and pointed at me as if to say “I love you, too, mama!” And then, to make it even sweeter, he did it again.
Categories
Kids/Parenting Random

The Mothers-of-Boys Manifesto

It’s time I said something. I have to stand up for all the mothers of little boys out there.

We want adorably outfitted children, too! Yes, there are cute clothes for baby boys, but compared to the selection and cute-itude of baby girl clothes, them’s slim pickins. How many department stores have you been to where the infant/toddlers section has maybe three racks of boys’ clothes and 400 square feet of girls’ clothes?

Easter is the worst. Not only are we innundated with frilly pastel dresses, but even the boys’ selection seems to be all pink and purple—perfectly camouflaged with the girls’ clothes. (I think Hayden could pull it off, but I don’t think Ryan really wants him to!)

And then there’s the hair. Don’t even get me started on the hair.

So today, after Hayden fed himself breakfast:




I fixed his hair:


THERE, mothers of girls with adorable curls, precious pigtails, and beatiful bows and braids. Boys can have their mommies do their hair, too. And it can be perfectly manly.

The best part? His hair stayed like that the rest of the day. I’m telling you: applesauce+yogurt is the next big thing in hair products.

Categories
Kids/Parenting

Long-legged thing!

The other day while Ryan was giving Hayden his bath, I walked in the bathroom. I looked down at my baby—and saw a little boy.

It was something about how his legs were so long. I realize they’re not that long, but baby legs are chubby, stubby little things. Haydie has little boy legs now.

Sigh. I’m not going to cry (this time).

Categories
Kids/Parenting Work

Oy!

This morning after we got back from the gym, I fixed Hayden’s breakfast: applesauce. I thought he might like something a little “fancier” (and a little more substantial) so I added a little bit of baby oatmeal. I went to add a little cinnamon, too. But we have this giant honking bottle of cinnamon. I can never add just a little. So I added too much.

Now, I don’t know what I was thinking, but I took it over to the sink and blew on it to get the extra cinnamon off. Cinnamon and baby oatmeal flakes flew everywhere—most especially my eyes. They’re still recovering. And I’m an idiot.

In other news, I’m taking over for Andy Beal at Marketing Pilgrim while he’s off in Australia speaking (and then in Tahiti, vacationing: lucky!). I’ll be the main blogger on the #7 marketing blog in the world (at least in Todd And’s opinion) for just over two weeks. Wish me luck!

Categories
Kids/Parenting

I’m a big boy!

Hayden was very whiny while Ryan and I ate dinner. We were even nice enough to feed him some of our dinner from our forks. But it soon became clear that the food wasn’t really what he was after. He continued to scream. We were both getting pretty frustrated.

Finally I realized he wanted to hold our forks. No way—I don’t want him to poke himself. Or us, come to think of it.

So I grabbed one of his spoons for him. Ryan realized that he just wanted to be like Mommy & Daddy:


We probably should have figured this out sooner. Tuesday he did the same thing—clamor for our flatware and then eat out of the bowl. I have a video of him feeding Daddy and himself pretend stew.

Just goes to show you: change your frame of reference. Here I was, getting frustrated with a whiny kid and all he wanted to do was emulate me. When will I ever learn?

Sleep update: Last night, Ryan and I went to bed at 9, since Haydie usually sleeps for a while at first. Of course, as we walked by his room, the door creaked and he stirred. He moaned for a little while, but finally fell asleep on his own. And slept until 4 AM—at which point, he screamed very loudly. He soon fell silent, though.

Ryan still went in to him since he has a horrific diaper rash and we didn’t want him sitting in a wet diaper. Ryan found Hayden sucking his fingers, which he continued to do contentedly throughout a quick diaper change. I could hear him talking to Ryan a little—almost as if he were giving him instructions. After that he went right to bed and slept until 8 AM. It was wonderful.