On Monday,Wednesdays and Fridays we pick Rae up from school at noon and head over to the park for a picnic lunch. The weather has been so great lately that we've been doing it almost every MWF. (We'd do it on Tuesdays and Thursdays too, but I babysit in the afternoon) It's so relaxing, the kids gobble up the lunch without any whining, and then when we get home they are happy to leave me alone for a bit. Today was a little warmer than usual and we went to a different park that didn't have much shade, so we didn't stay out as long, but it was still fun. The park we usually go to has a ton of shade, a nice play structure, swings, and Rae's favorite - a merry-go-round. I thought we'd try something new today, but I think we'll go back to our regular park next time.
Another thing that makes me happy lately is this little guy:
He has been sleeping so well at night (usually 7pm-4am) and he's so tolerate and happy. He does have a high-pitched scream that he likes to do when he's bored, but it's not an angry scream, just something to do to hear his voice. When I'm busy in the mornings and evenings he often gets put on the floor of the living room on his back. He'll immediately roll over and is usually content on his belly. If he's really tired he'll just pop his thumb into his mouth and go to sleep. This morning he was struggling to stay awake and Rae put the blanket on him and said "it's okay, just go to sleep". I thought it was so sweet. Too bad I had to wake him up to take Rae to school. :( Sometimes he'll sleep in till 7 or so and doesn't need a nap till after we get home from taking Rae to school, but sometimes he wakes up earlier and is too sleepy to wait for his regular nap. He's just such a precious little guy - he's the kind of baby people always brag about but you don't think really exists :) I think 30% of it is that I know better what I'm doing and other 70% is just his personality. I nurse on demand like I did with Rae and Blaise but he usually only nurses when he's hungry, not so much for comfort. So I don't feel like a human pacifier like I did with Rae and Blaise. And I was better this time at putting him down before he was totally conked out, so he has learned to get himself to sleep. Plus the benefit of him liking to suck his thumb!At the park today there were several other families there and I found myself being extremely calm and patient with the kids. Do you ever find yourself doing that? If Rae were to hit Blaise at the park I probably would have said "Honey, we do not hit. Please tell your brother you are sorry and go sit on the blanket". If we were at home and she hit Blaise I'd probably say "Rae, what the heck is wrong with you!? Do YOU want ME to hit you like that?? Go to your room NOW!" (What? You don't talk to your kids like that? Oh, oops.) So, my new goal is to talk to my children in a way that I wouldn't be embarrassed if someone heard me. I'm noticing that Rae is starting to yell at Blaise more often and I know it's because of my bad example. I know I'll slip up sometimes, but if the majority of my words are calm and gentle then maybe Rae will treat Blaise better too. Basically, I want to be as calm as Michelle Duggar (whoa, when I googled her to get a link I saw that she is pregnant with #19- wowza!)
Um, I got busy with the kids and lost my train of thought and don't know how to end this now! So, um, THE END. :)
7 comments:
I need to work on my yelling... you know its bad when you watch your kid play with her toys and all she does it tell them to go to time out or eat their food (something she's giving us trouble about. I feel like she doesn't listen until I yell, but that's probably because i do it too much. Looks like beautiful weather. we had nice weather this weekend and it's really making me look forward to fall and winter.
I am at lecturer... so I am trying to keep my points simple and sweet and I find myself getting less angry. Plus the more I talk, the more they tune out!
Isaac reminds me so much of Seven. I don't know if it is the third child thing or that they were born so close together, but Seven is just like you describe Isaac. The best baby ever, happy-go-lucky when awake and a good sleeper at night. Diona just sent me a video of him cracking up and I miss him so much. But Diona is such a good mother too. He puts himself to sleep with a blanket by his face. I really like your perspective on using the politeness with the kids and hope they will model it. Where does Michelle Duggar get her inner strength? 19 kids and 1 grandkid! WOW
Pat - Isaac reminds me of Seven too. He likes to have a blanket by his face or to chew on and he'll go to sleep. The only problem with Isaac is that he is not amused by his siblings and does NOT like loud noises. Other than that, he's pretty easy-going.
Ashley - I think you are a GREAT mom. =) Hope you're doing OK. =)
The above comment is from me - Alana - not Brett - sorry!!
My kids are usually the most trying now in public places. So I am having a hard time even showing them patience around others. CHurch last Sunday was a nightmare.
I told Lindsey over the summer how much I admire Michelle Duggar and she said she just always wondered if maybe Michelle was a little "slow" and that helped her be so nice and patient. That gave me a really good laugh.
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