Oh The Simple Things

If there is one thing that having children has taught me (besides patience), it is that you can find joy even in the simplest things. Before I had even gotten pregnant I always told myself that my kids would have the best of everything, toys, clothing, etc. Once I got pregnant with Kyle we didn't have a lot of money, so it was a lot of second hand stuff that was bought. No biggie, because I soon realized that he quickly grew out of things or had no interest in the toys he did have. What has brought him the biggest joys are boxes! He has a love of boxes both big and small. They make the best of toys! We have one really big box that is turned on it's side. Kyle uses that box as kinda like a hideout and he thinks it is the coolest thing ever.

So here is my advice, if you ever think you need a lot of gadgets or toys to make you happy take a lesson from Kyle. Just enjoy the small simple things of life.

A little late but never

    Kyle is 18 1/2 months old and I was starting to think he would never walk! It would appear that he seems more content to get up on his hands and knees and crawl around then stand on his own two feet and walk. And it's not a lack of trying to encourage him to walk either. He has a jeep walker, a lawn mover and other things he can push around, he just chooses to crawl. He is getting better about letting go, standing, and walking. Mainly because a lot of time if we are in a open space and he has nothing to grab onto I will just let go of him. I have decided that he is going to stand and walk even if he doesn't want to. No I am not a mean mommy but I do find myself standing in front of him with my arms out and then step backwards. When I stop and think about it, it does seem rather cruel to encourage him to come to me then move. However, this method has seemed to work. Sunday at church he was walking all over the place, unassisted! And he is doing it more and more at home. I say by next week he will be a full blown walker. So as they say better late then never and way to go Kyle!

Now if I can just get him to talk a little bit more :)

Co-Sleeping

If you are not a parent or have friends and family with small children around you might not have heard about co-sleeping. You could be sitting there scratching your head and asking yourself what is co-sleeping. Well, co-sleeping and also known as bed sharing or "having a family bed" is the practice of having your infant in your bed with you during sleep. As much as I love both of my children and don't mind if they sleep with us once or twice do not promote co-sleeping in my house.

Personally, it's not for me as I have a toddler who just can't lay still. So someone had shared these pictures, and I thought I would share them with you. I have been in many of these positions in the middle of the night with my young son, and let me tell ya they aren't fun.










As I said earlier I personally don't co-sleep, however both my son and daughter have shared the bed with me. Every child has rough nights when they need to be by mommy and daddy, and I will be right there for them.

However, I would like to share some of the benefits of co-sleeping with you:
Why Do Some People Choose to Cosleep?

Encourages breastfeeding by making nighttime breastfeeding more convenient

Makes it easier for a nursing mother to get her sleep cycle in sync with her baby's

Helps babies fall asleep more easily, especially during their first few months and when they wake up in the middle of the night

Helps babies get more nighttime sleep (because they awaken more frequently with shorter duration of feeds, which can add up to a greater amount of sleep throughout the night)

Helps parents who are separated from their babies during the day regain the closeness with their infant that they feel they missed

I think that if you can do it, co-sleeping is a great bonding experience for parents and children. But please don't think that there are no risk involved.

Kyle is growing up

The Holidays

For me the holidays just aren’t the same. Why you ask? Well, because I am separated from the one I love. If I had my way I would be in his arms right now, doing well adult things with him since the kids are asleep. But alas we can not be together. This is not my doing and I am dreaming of the day we can be together once and for all. Until that time comes I will dream of waking up and falling asleep in his arms, and being a family that will no longer be broken.

Other then not being with my husband Christmas was good. I was scared that I wouldn't be able to give the kids a good christmas, but I did my best. I think Kyle has liked his gifts, Sariah on the other hand was kinda like eh. Until I get a proper card reader in my computer I can only update pictures that I have copied onto my mom's computer.

Here are the pictures from a couple of the Christmas dinners we had.

Such a wonderful big brother

I still remember when I found out I was pregnant for a second time I was concerned about how it would effect my son, especially being so young. People always told me not to worry that they will be the best of friends, but I was concerned that he would feel jaded with a new baby while he is still young. I even thought that once he was old enough to realize that he was between 3-4 months old when I got pregnant again that he would hate me for it.

When my due date got closer I was even more worried as to how he would react. Being an only child and never spending any real time with other children I wasn’t sure how he would take to her or me spending time holding and feeding her.

His reactions were what I expected, he was somewhat jealous of her. He wanted a bottle when she had one or he would try and take hers, he would try and climb in my lap when I was holding her or pull her off me, and really didn’t want much to do with her. I mean really what 1yr old would. I am happy to announce that he is doing much, much better. He still has his jealousy moments, as any kid would, but he has finally truly accepted her into our family. Sometimes he can still be a bit rough with her, but I think that’s because he doesn’t understand how to be gentle. It makes me so happy when she is laying on the couch and he climbs up next to her and lays his head on her tummy, or when he gives her hugs (sometimes a bit to rough), and is now trying to play with her. As I watch him now I know that my little boy is going to be an amazing big brother, and I am already so proud of him.

Overcoming fear

Fear is something that everyone has to overcome. From birth we are afraid of a lot of different things. One of the first few fears that we overcome is the fear of sitting up, crawling,walking and standing alone. It’s amazing to watch as children learn to overcome those fears, to achieve those goals.

For Kyle he has been somewhat of a late bloomer, he never hit the milestones when a lot of other kids where hitting them. He has really taught me a valuable lesson in patience. Recently we have really been working on his walking (he is getting close to 18 months). He is pretty good about walking when he is pushing something or holding on, but he just isn’t ready to let go. Over the last week he has gotten braver and braver. He has been letting go and standing on his own, although I don’t think he realizes it just yet. He has also been taking small baby steps, like 3 steps at a time. My goal is that he is walking by Christmas, don’t think it’s a lofty goal.

Milestones - Comparing my two little ones.

The joy of have two small children can be overwhelming, it can also be very challenging. If one thing is certain, just because Kyle and Sariah share the same DNA and looks they are two different children. This is proven by the way they are developing.
Milestones are a big deal in a child's life, it's really how we base their development. Granted each child can hit those milestones at different times, some children achieve milestone markers before others, while some are just late bloomers. I used to get hung up on Kyle hitting those milestone markers in his early development and would get disappointed when he didn't hit it the month it was to be expected. If Kyle has ever taught me one thing in life it's this...patience! Kyle is who I would consider a late bloomer if you base his development on a milestone chart, but you know what he is learning at his pace. I am in no rush for him to grow up just yet. Do I wish he could walk, yes I do. Do I wish he could / would say more words, yes. But as long as his doctor isn't worried then I am not going to worry about it. Personally I think he knows how to do these things, he just chooses not to do them. He is a very bright little boy, and I see a lot of potential in him.
Sariah on the other hand seems to be hitting her milestones right on track. I mean it's like night and day between the two. Here is a list of the milestones she has hit already

Motor Development

Opens and shuts his hands. More...
Raises his head and chest while lying on his stomach More...
Stretches her legs out and kicks when lying on stomach or back. More...
Supports her upper body with her arms when lying on stomach. More...
Swats at dangling toys placed near him. More...
Mouths objects brought to her face. More...
Reaches and grasps for things with both hands. More...
Pushes down on legs when feet are placed on a firm surface. More...

Visual Development

Watches faces intently. More...
Turns head toward direction of sound. More...
Follows moving objects with his eyes. More...
Recognizes familiar objects and people at a distance. More...

Language Development

Begin to babble. More...

Social/Emotional Development

Reacts when you sing, call his name, or attempt to play. More...
Enjoys playing with other people; may cry when playing stops. More...
Becomes more communicative with face and body. More...
Smiles! Grins! More...
Recognizes familiar faces. More...
Appears joyful often. More...
Laughs out loud. More...

Cognitive Development

Stares at her hands and fingers. More...
Plays with her fingers. More...
Brings his hands to his mouth. More...
Has accustomed to regular eating and sleeping patterns.

It's hard to think that she can do all these things when she is still so little. I am so proud of both of my children and how far they have come already, and I am excited to see how they progress.







Even though Sariah has rolled over more then a few times it seems like she just didn't want to do it today, but she gave her best effort.

Crib or toddler bed?

So the other day we were on the floor playing with the kids when Vincent piped up about turning Kyle's crib into a toddler bed, and it went sorta like this.
Vincent: "I think we should change Kyle's crib into a toddler bed".
Me:"mmm, okay are you sure about that?"
Vincent: "Yes I am sure,"
Me: "This would mean that he can get up and crawl around in the middle of the night, etc"
Vincent: "I think it would encourage him to start walking"
Me:"Well if you are so sure about it why not, but you can sleep with him tonight to make sure he doesn't get up"

So within a few moments we were in the kid's room taking Kyle's crib apart. It was rather funny since the instruction manual was pictures and no words! Way to go you Sweds (crib was from Ikea). After awhile we had it done, challenge met. Now would come the hard part, getting Kyle to sleep in his new found toddler bed. So far he liked it, but he was unaware of what was to come.

The first night was the hardest of them all, he was up at least 3 different times. ( I went to bed and let Vincent deal with it). I had woken up around 3AM because I needed to go to the bathroom and when I looked Kyle was in the living room playing. I was kinda upset to see my 15 month old son up playing at 3am! Vincent said he was thirsty so he had given him something to drink (little did I know it was kool aid, and yes I can take 90% of the blame for pouring it in the first place). So I took him in my room to lay down, hoping that being in my room would calm him down. Nope I was completely wrong. Vincent came to lay down as well, but Kyle was far to hyper. He played and played on our bed, all the while trying to keep him confined. Finally I had enough, I took him into his own room and laid him on his bed and closed to door. He threw a fit for about 10 minutes, in the process caused himself to throw up and then quieted down. I went in to check on him and had to change his sheets, at this point I just stayed in the room with him.
So we didn't get a whole lot of sleep, but oh well. Nap time was the same, only I just stayed in the room rubbing his head and he fell asleep after about 15 minutes.

So the next night was a bit easier, and he only woke up once. When he woke up I ended up sleeping next to him again, just for comfort.

Last night seemed like a breeze, around 9pm I turned on the tv in his room and watched CSI, around 9:30 I turned it off. After about 30 minutes of playing in the dark he laid down and went to sleep and slept all night! I have come to the realization that I just need to let him play until he is so tired that he is ready to go to bed on his own. I am starting to think now when I used to put him in his crib that he didn't go to sleep right away. I still don't know how naps are gonna go, but at least now I know he can sleep in his bed without waking up and crawling around.

I said I would give it about 3 or 4 days to see how he is doing, and so far he is doing pretty well.

Here are some pictures: