Before sweet potatoes: "I'm ready, Mom!"
After sweet potatoes: "I'm ready for MORE, Mom!"Before I had Kate and Will I never realized how much of parenting is really just trial and error. I'm not sure what I assumed it would be like, but probably a lot more structured than it actually is. I mean, there's no manual that can give you the right answers for your kids so you just have to make it up as you go. Some of your experiments work, some fail miserably, and there's really no way to know which way they'll go until you try. I've had lots of misses when it comes to my "tries" with the kids, but we've recently had a couple hits that are making life easier. First, Kate, our staunch non-napper, now has "quiet time" in her room for an hour every day. And she likes it! We let her watch a movie on the portable DVD player (thank you, Grandpa Mac!!) which is a treat because the only other time we use it is on road trips to Yreka. I justified letting her watch it because I'd normally let her watch something for awhile in the afternoon anyway, so I can get some chores done. It works a lot better for her to be in her room, though, and the best part is that she truly seems to enjoy it. I'll check on her from time to time, and she's usually just playing or reading books on her bed. I set a timer for an hour, but she usually stays in for a bit longer after, even after I open the door. Hooray! The second victory we've had is that we've started a bed time routine for Will that is not just breastfeeding him to sleep (this works wonders of course but doesn't help him learn to fall asleep independently at all!) So, we do stories and then a bottle and for the past three nights he's gone into his bed still awake and fallen asleep on his own! Since we put him down soon after Kate, we have two kids asleep by 7:45 pm!! I'm starting to see the light at the end of the loooooong too-little-sleep tunnel....still working on the middle of the night wakings, but I know that will come with time. For now, we'll pat ourselves on the back and enjoy these small victories!
3 comments:
Nice work--I think you've achieved Super Mom status...limitless affection combined with common sense. Add that to a little sleep & you've got it.
Mom
Each child should come with their own manual...each one is unique! You are doing a fabulous job, Bryn. We are blessed that you are Ryan's wife and such a great mom to Kate and Will. Love you all! Gram & Gumpa
Tom and Claire Hekker raised 9 kids. They used the old Dr. Spock as their guide. When they discovered advice that didn't seem to work, they tore out that page. Tom said by the time they got to kid 4 or 5, the book was just about empty.
If all you do is the best you can, I'd say you are probably in the top 1% of parents.
Love Gumpa Mac
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