Crazy Love

I waited in line at Chick-Fil-A last night for nearly two-and-a-half hours. It wasn't for their delicious chicken or their delightful lemonade. It was princess night with Elsa and Anna from Disney's Frozen. It seemed as if every little girl in a 50 mile radius turned out for the event, each one dressed up as a princess. And we, the crazy parents and grandparents, stood in the line that wrapped all around the building and into a neighboring parking lot.

Luckily for us, it was a nice day outside. Client Two slept through most of it. We stood in line and chatted, trying to keep Client One entertained. We looked around for colors and princesses. We danced. We did whatever we could. And the closer we got, the more excited she got. She couldn't wait.

Many people might ask if it was worth it. After all, you stand in line for hours only for a few minutes with the princesses. Many people showed up and left when they saw the ridiculous line. Some stood in line for awhile and then left before getting to the end. We didn't. We waited. Was it worth it? Yes. Every second. Because when we got to the end of that crazy line, my little princess was the happiest little princess in the world. She was meeting Anna and Elsa. Nothing could have been grander for her.

Look at the star-struck awe and wonder in those little brown eyes and tell me it wasn't worth it. Of course, when we had to leave, she cried. Heartbreaking tears. She wanted to stay and play and eat with them. She didn't understand why she had to leave. We cheered her up with pictures of her with the princesses and with a video we took of them together. We then went home and watched Frozen while we munched on our dinner. (We got our chicken to-go.)

Yes, we were crazy, but I don't regret it at all. I know that I will do many more crazy things for both my kids. Why? Because I love them. They get as much time and money as I can give. That's why I became a stay-at-home mom. I want to spend time with them, doing what they love and sharing in their interests. Did I care if Anna and Elsa were at Chick-Fil-A. Not one bit. But Client One did and that's all that mattered.

Dirt, Snails and Puppy Dog Tails

When I found out I was expecting a boy, I was regaled with stories of how messy boys are. I simply would smile and nod. I grew up with a brother so I thought I had a pretty good grasp on how messy boys could be. I mean, we shared a bathroom for goodness sake! Plus, I already had one child and even if she was a girl, I had seen some pretty good messes. Girls aren't all "sugar and spice" all the time.

My favorite mess was Client One's cereal mess. She was alone for maybe a minute and managed to dump an entire box onto the floor. (But she did try to pour into a bowl.)

I have seen messes. I have cleaned messes. But then, I got a boy.

Last night, I put Client Two in his crib all happy and fed and then I went to bed myself. After only about 30-45 minutes he began fussing. Now, I usually let him fuss a little bit at first. Sometimes he's just a bit gassy and he works it all out and falls back to sleep. But, this time, he kept fussing, so I got up and checked on him and found he had soaked his pajamas.

Let me backtrack a minute to tell you another fun little boy fact. They can pee around and through their diapers like nobody's business. I had a few people warn me of this when I was pregnant followed by advice as to which diaper brands work the best. This was another thing I kind of brushed off with a sweet smile. Client One had her own issues with diapers occasionally leaking, especially at night, so I thought I knew what they were talking about. Nope. Somehow, even when when everything is positioned correctly and the diaper is put on perfectly, major leaking can occur. I found that the advice of friends actually came in handy. Luvs and Target brand diapers are the ones that work the best with Client Two. Pampers are the worst. Huggies are somewhere in between. They work pretty well unless he pees a lot at one time.

Anyhow, back to last night. Client Two peed his bed (for the record he was wearing Huggies). I scooped him up, changed him into a new onesie and got him back to sleep in his crib. He woke up a couple more times that night to eat and then went back to sleep peacefully. Well, about 5:00, he wakes up wiggly and fussy. After a minute or so, he still hasn't settled down so I peek into his crib to check on him, figuring he might just need a diaper change. Somehow the little Houdini had managed to unsnap his onesie (still trying to figure that part out) and navigate half out of his diaper before a massive poop. Poop was everywhere! I sleepily pulled him out and cleaned him and the mess up best I could, marveling the entire time how a one-month-old could create such a disaster with seemingly so little effort! I mean, the kid can barely hold his own head up for a more than a minute! The only conclusion was that he is a boy and boys are messy.

Boys are definitely made of "dirt and snails and puppy dog tails*" with a few snuggles thrown in. It kind of makes me worry about what's to come, but that's another post entirely. 

*Several variations of this poem exist. I chose the version that best fit this post. :)

Super Jesus

Client One loves to play dress-up. Sometimes it's princesses and other times it's super heroes. She can come up with all sorts of scenarios for her dress-up as she is incredibly creative. Well, here lately she has been on a super hero kick and on more than one occasion the super hero she has chosen to be is Jesus.

Now, some people might say that her pretending to be Jesus is borderline sacrilegious , but I beg to differ. It makes me happy. Now, of course, she has is being taught that there is only one Jesus, but her pretending lets me know that she wants to be like Jesus. She understands that He is the "good guy"' and that He helps us out when we can't do things ourselves.

Jesus actually makes it into many of her conversations, even where you don't expect it. She talks about how He can protect her from the monsters that play in the snow (not sure where that came from) and how He chases away the monsters in the dark at night. Whenever she is scared of something, she says there are "monsters," so when she talks about Jesus defeating her monsters that is her way of saying that He chases away fear.

She also talks about how Jesus loves her and her brother. Just this morning she said that when Jesus would come visit her brother He would give him a kiss. She knows that Jesus can protect as well as love, and I like that.

I think her understanding of Jesus goes to show that even at a young age kids can be influenced to do the right things. You are setting up their belief system from the day they are born, and kids need to be steered on the right track. Client One knows what is right and wrong. She is in church pretty much every Sunday and she goes to AWANAS on Wednesday nights. But the best part is that she wants to go. She practically begs to go. And afterwards she loves to tell us what she learned. I want my kids to grow up knowing Jesus and God and everything They have done and will do. I want them to go out into the world and not be afraid to stand up for what is right. So, instead of leaving it to chance and hoping that they figure it out on their own, I teach them. We even have a Bible time in the morning at home. I want to influence them in a positive and godly manner.

"Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart form it." Proverbs 22:6 (ESV)

Toddler- Free to Good Home

Toddler- Free to Good Home.

Not really.

Well...

All kids have those days. You know, the ones where you wonder if somehow your child is the spawn of Satan? Okay, so my clients aren't quite that bad, but Client One definitely has her moments. Like all of yesterday and part of this morning.

The day started out fine. We snuggled in the bed in the nursery for a few minutes, none of us ready to commit to waking up fully. Then Client Two peed on the bed and forced us into action. Client One chose cereal for breakfast and wanted to watch Frozen while she ate it. Not a problem, but the rule is that cereal with milk has to be eaten at the coffee table. She knows this. She even asked if she could eat it on the couch and was denied. I go into the kitchen to get my own cereal and I hear, "Mommy, Mommy! I spilled my cereal!" And where was it spilled? On the couch.

But that was just the start of a very long day.

She didn't listen to much of anything I told her to do (or not to do). From sneaking cupcakes and cupcake batter to painting on the table, the day became one disobedient disaster after another. She ended up spending a good chunk of the day in time out. Finally, nap time came. It was even a self-diagnosed nap time. (She was refusing to eat the lunch she picked out and decided, after an hour of not eating, that she wanted to take her nap to avoid finishing her food, even though it was thirty minutes earlier than usual.) I figured this was my reward for not going completely crazy, so I let her go off to bed. She was perfectly quiet for a little over an hour, so I figured the nap took. Wrong. She comes prancing out and declares that nap is over. I, however, was not fooled. The stuffed animals arranged playfully on the floor backed up the suspicion that she has been playing, so I marched her back into her room for a real nap. After a little less than an hour of more silence, she came out again. I gave up.

The afternoon was no better, maybe even worse, due to the fact that I was now dealing with a sleepy toddler. Everything was a struggle. Everything was a fight. She would do just about the opposite of anything I told her to do. I was going crazy. Then, my husband got home. Sometimes, she'll behave better for him than me and vice versa, but we weren't getting off that easy. By the time bedtime came around, we were both pulling our hair out.

Now, she's not evil every day. Some days she's downright helpful. Even between her devilish moments today she would give me unasked for hugs and kisses. She even volunteered to throw away the dirty diapers. I mean, she's not all bad, but to be honest, at the end of the day it's hard to remember those nice moments. And honestly, overall, she's a good kid, the kind of kid you're proud of. She's the kid that automatically thanks people and says, "please" for things. She's very polite and gentle. She's also very sweet and friendly. But she's a toddler and she has her days.

Lucky for us, Client Two is very low maintenance. He just laid back and watched everything unfold. Let's hope he stays that way.

The Truth about Breastfeeding

I breastfed Client One until she was about ten months old, at which time she decided she was done. I have every intention of breastfeeding Client Two until he is at least a year old, as long as he is a willing participant, maybe even longer for bedtime feedings. Breastfeeding is the best and healthiest option for feeding your baby and by far the cheapest. I understand that there are many mothers out there that choose not to breastfeed- some because they cannot others because they feel it is not the option for them. I do not judge them. Because I had to work when Client One was a baby, I had to pump and that made it difficult to keep my milk supply up. This meant that we ended up supplementing with formula and the last couple months of that first year, she drank formula in a bottle every night at bedtime as well as some throughout the day.

That being said, I love and hate breastfeeding.

When I have no plans and can take my day at my own pace, I love breastfeeding. There is nothing sweeter or more precious than the special bond that you create with your baby when you are breastfeeding. It is completely incomparable to anything else. When your baby is gulping away and he looks up at you with that loving appreciation in his eyes, it is an uplifting high. For this reason, if you can find no other, I highly recommend breastfeeding as much as you can, even if it's only once a day. You simply do not get that same bond from a bottle.

Breastfeeding is also a money saving option. Even with coupons and such, formula can get quite pricey. Breastfeeding is more or less free. Of course, if you have to work, buying a breast pump can cost a pretty penny, but in the long run it is still cheaper than a year of formula.

Overall, breastfeeding is also better for you and the baby. Breast milk provides necessary nutrients and immunity to your baby. Breastfeeding also helps you out by letting your body get back to that "pre-baby" weight a little bit faster. It can also help keep you from getting pregnant again too soon after birth (usually for the first six months) if you don't want to go on birth control. (Please note: Breastfeeding does NOT guarantee that you will not get pregnant, it just makes it more difficult.)

Breastfed babies also have better smelling poop.  I know that sounds weird, but it is entirely true. They also tend to spit up less, which is a plus. And, of course, there is no preparation. No scooping or heating at that three a.m. feeding which means that everyone gets back to sleep sooner. So, in a way, breastfeeding actually makes for a cleaner, more pleasant life.

But sometimes, I really hate breastfeeding. Breast milk does not last as long on a baby's tummy as formula, meaning that breastfed babies need to eat more often than formula fed babies. This means more restless nights until the baby learns to stock up with a heavy night feeding. It also means practically force feeding your baby right before you leave the house in the hopes that he can stay full and happy for the full length of your errand. And if he does get hungry while you are out and about, it means trying to find a quiet dark corner to feed him, awkwardness washing over you. Sometimes it's a dressing room in a department store, sometimes a quick trip to the car, and sometimes it actually is a dark corner. You, of course, try to be discreet, but you can still feel the eyes of others passing by. I am not one of those people comfortable enough to just "pop it out," not in public anyway. It does demand a certain level of discretion. Not everyone needs to see you. Yes, it is a natural process, but not everything that is natural needs to be done on display. 

Anyhow, I digress.

Yes, breastfeeding is wonderful, but at the end of that first year, I am so over it. Yes, I cried when Client One decided she was done with it entirely. Yes, I love feeding Client Two, even at three in the morning. And yes, I have plans to breastfeed Client Two for just about as long as he wants, at least at night. But, I hate the pressure of it all. And it's not just the feeding in public. Babies get teeth at just a few months, you know. And they bite. Hard. And they get more and more teeth as the year goes on. And they learn to bite harder. And then there's the leaking of milk, which is as embarrassing as when you were in junior high and you had that "ketchup" stain on the back of your pants. (You know what I'm talking about.) And there's also that crampy feeling in your breasts that you get when your baby has missed a feeding or when you start weaning. So uncomfortable.

But, despite all the difficulties that might come along with breastfeeding, I still highly recommend it- just be aware of all it entails. It's definitely a commitment, but so is parenting in general. In the end, though, I would not trade those sweet moments for the world. Well,at least not all of them.