When was the last time I washed her hair.

I ran across this article and it was completely breath taking because it is so true.

"I thought it was a night like any other night. I was folding the laundry on my bed, listening to my daughter sing her heart out in the shower. Then my throat tightened and I felt panic set in. When did I last wash her hair?

I ran to the bathroom and opened the door so I could yell inside, 'Katie, do you need any help washing your hair?'

Her reply brought tears to my eyes, 'No, Mama. I’m fine.'

I’ve always tried my best to appreciate every day with my seven children. There has been a motto I’ve lived with in parenting ever since I had my first child:

Make sure they remember joy yesterday, experience joy today, and anticipate joy tomorrow.

I just didn’t know tomorrow would come so soon.

I’m a firm believer in kids playing hard and getting dirty. And my two oldest daughters sure did that. Every day, they were out in the Arizona sunshine–climbing, digging, swinging, and getting very, very dirty. Children have to get dirty. It’s a universal law. And I’m not about to tamper with universal law.

But with dirt, comes baths. I remember when my two oldest daughters, Kelsey and Katie, would take baths together. I would wash their hair, then let them play in the bathtub for awhile. It was our routine. Then they got older. Baths turned into showers, but I was still there to come in and help them wash their hair. Then the hair washing turned into just helping them rinse out the shampoo. Then the rinsing turned into the occasional, “let’s go back in the shower and I’ll help you rinse that one spot on top of your head.”

Then came, “No, Mama. I’m fine.”

Here’s the deal with motherhood: It’s our job to raise independent kids; but no one tells you how to handle it when it really happens.

That night, it happened.

I thought back–When was the last time? When was the last moment I rinsed the shampoo out of her hair? Why didn’t I know it was the last time? If I would have known, I would have done a better job, or made it last longer, or kissed her head, or something.

I would have done something!

I couldn’t see the laundry anymore because the tears blurred my vision. But I kept folding. Folding and praying. 'God, help me remember how quickly this is going by. Help me appreciate every single day–even the hard ones. Show me the beauty in each moment–even the bad ones.'

The cure isn’t to slow down. That’s impossible. The cure is a heart of wisdom. The wisdom to know that broken dishes, stained clothes, and spilled food are never reasons to lose your temper. The wisdom to know that school assignments can always be done later, after the sun sets and the mud puddles have all dried up. The wisdom to know that every moment is a sacred moment–changing diapers, snuggling on the sofa, swinging at the park, even washing hair. They’re all sacred, if you can just slow down enough to see it.

There will be a last fort with chairs and blankets. There will be a last story before bed. There will be a last outfit put on a Barbie doll. There will be a last swing at the park. We don’t need to know when the last one will be. We just need the heart of wisdom to appreciate each one.

I took a little longer brushing her hair tonight. And I lingered as I put her hair into a single braid down her back. When I kissed her goodnight, it lasted a couple more seconds than usual. Because after seven children and years of thinking I had all the time in the world, I realized something. life will run off with you if you let it. Sometimes, you just have to stop and breathe it in.

Thank you, God, for braids before bedtime. Thank you for messy kitchens and legos on the floor. Thank you for noisy dinner times and late-night conversations, for forts, baby dolls, fingerpaint, and bedtime stories. Thank you for broken wrists and shampoo for brunettes. Thank you for teaching me to number my days. And, God, when I forget, please give me a nudge and number them for me."

By Hannah Keeley of For Every Mom



When was the last time you gave your child a bath, washed their hair, carried them, or buckled them up?  I already miss some of the things I used to be able to do for Emma - giving her a bath, holding her while she had her bottle, rocking her to sleep, and helping her get dressed.  

We have to live in the moment.  While we can't keep our children babies, we have to live in the moment as we will never have that moment back.

What do you miss?

Lasting impressions

We often do not realize the impact that we have as parents.  We worry about everything around our children, but often forget to look at ourselves.  It isn't just the friends at school, the shows on tv, the games being played, or the music being listened to that impact our children the most.  We impact our children the most.

We may yell at our children in a moment of anger, but that is carried with them for the rest of their life.  We may forget about it 5 minutes later, but you have already made that impact.  We may show our anger by say things, yelling, throwing things, but then wonder why our child shows their anger that way.  They are because we are showing them how to act.  We are showing them how to speak, and how to yell.  However, when they yell at us, or throw things we immediately want to punish them.  Who is punishing us for our bad behavior?

You may think it is okay because you are the parent, and they understand that you can do it but they can't.  How does that make sense?  It isn't like driving or voting there isn't an age requirement.  Why are we showing bad behaviors, but then get upset when they show the same behaviors?  However, if our children do something good we want to boast about how they are like us.  Guess what. When your child repeats your bad behaviors they are being like us as well.

Last night I saw a family in which the dad was being rude to the children.  I couldn't help but think of the lasting impression he was leaving.  Was he showing the little girl that a real man treats his children the way she was being treated?  Was he showing his son that he wasn't valued? The dad made comments about how everyone was looking at him, but he never thought to step back and look at his actions.  Needless to say he left an impression on us, and I am pretty sure it left a lasting impression on his children.

With our children we have to think of the lasting impressions.  Maybe we are angry, but how are we teaching them to react when they are angry?  Are we showing them to take a deep breath or yell, to count to 10 or to hit, to step away or throw things?  Not only that, but how are we teaching them to be adults?  I wondered once I got home how the dad would feel if the daughter grew up and was with a man treating her like her dad had just treated her.  Would he even realize that he had also treated her that way?  Chances are he would be angry at the thought of someone treating his daughter that way.  Never realizing he also treated her mom that way.

When you think about how you treat your children please realize that you are teaching them not only how to treat others, but also how they should be treated.  Should your child be treated with respect, love, care, and understanding?  Then you are the first person to teach that to your child.

What lasting impression are you leaving on your child?

Let's join together for more laughs and giggles.

Of course a day as a mommy isn't always laughs and giggles, but we need to take the time to add laughs and giggles to our day.  Not only do we need it, but our children also need it.  We can be rushed in the mornings, then they go off to school, then they come home to a stressed mommy and daddy.  They are just happy to see us and while we are happy to see them we often let life get in the way.  We are worried about homework, dinner, bath, bed, and forget to just stop and spend time with our children. 

While we do have to focus on homework, dinner, bath, and getting ready for tomorrow we also need to focus on enjoying our children.  Why not ask them to help you make dinner, or while dinner cooks take a moment to dance, or sing in the kitchen?  We have to show our children that they are important, not just tell them that they are.   Do you tell your child they are important, and more importantly do you show them that they are important?

I am not saying that I am the perfect mommy, I know I am far from it.  However, we all have to realize that our children will not always be the age they are now.  Emma isn't the cuddling baby any more, but I need to take advantage of the times that she does want to cuddle. 

Please don't take this as I am perfect and you need to be more like me.  I believe that all parents, and humans in general, can learn from each other.  If you have a parenting tip please share it with me, if you have a way to involve my child in every day things that I need to do, please tell me.  To me this isn't a competition of who is the better parent, but a way for all of us to become better parents.  Our children are facing an ever changing world that isn't the same as when we grew up, so we need to approach the world differently. 

There are many topics that as parents we have to face that are not laughs and giggles, and I believe it is better to face them together.  As women we often become judgmental of other women and mommies.  "Oh why did she do that?" "Why is she, or her child wearing that?" "Why did she just talk to her child that way?" However, we often do not think to stop and offer her.  I try to offer help, but also try to remember to ask for advice.

What parenting tip would you like to share with me, or wished had been shared with you sooner?

Raising Little Girls

Raising a little girl is sometimes trying, sometimes difficult, but it is always an adventure.  It is sometimes easy to get caught in the stress of the moment.  When they don't want to stop playing in the sink, don't want to get up out of the bed, or don't want to take medicine.  Okay those are some of the battles that I have had in the past two weeks, and we won't talk about all of the little battles in between.

Things I have learned about my child and myself.

1 - She is headstrong.  Goodness is she headstrong.  She wants to do what "big children" do, and wants to be independent.  She loves to add the water to her oatmeal, or help make dinner, or anything that is new and exciting to her.  Sadly she often doesn't realize that she can't do everything that "big children" do, such as climbing the big rock climbing wall at festivals.

The struggle as a parent is at what point are you holding them back?  If she wants to help with dinner I have to be sure that I am not preventing her from doing something that she can do.  I will be honest, I am sure there are times that I am holding her back.  I am not ready for my baby to grow up. However, I do have to teach her through her headstrong moments.

2 - She is watching every move.  She watches and learns, both good and bad.  She sees police and know they help people, she knows firefighters help people, but she also sees people do bad things.

I have to not only watch what I do and say but also what people around her say and do.  I can't jump on her for doing something bad if I continue to let her see bad behaviors.  If I let her watch shows with bad language then how can I punish her if she uses those same words.  I pay attention to what is on tv, what I do, what I say, and try to keep her away from situations that will teach her "bad" things.

3 - She will test limits, which may seem like testing me.  She is a toddler exploring the world, and she is wanting to know everything about everything.  Where the plane is going, why it is raining, why this and why that.  While this can be testing, she is also wanting to learn.  She isn't asking to get on my nerves, she is asking to learn.  How will she ever know if she doesn't ask or no one teaches her?  However, when she goes past the limits and gets into trouble that is when it falls on me and her dad.

We just had an incident where she acted out at school, and we talked about her not doing something even if others are.  My mom tried to be helpful by saying the other child may have influenced her.  My response was that she has to be held accountable.  I also stated that I am not raising her to be a follower, I am raising her to be a leader.  If at three years old I let it go that she was the victim of the other child then at what point does she not become the victim of her actions.

4 - She is the best thing to ever happen to me.  She makes my day better, and her cuddles take all of me worries away.  If I go home in a bad mood she brightens it up.  We never know what she is going to say or do.  I honestly don't know what we did for entertainment before her.  She is such a smart, beautiful, caring girl.

I have to continue to raise her to be strong, smart, and caring because I am not just raising a little girl I am raising an amazing woman.  She will be able to hold her head high and accomplish goals that she has in life.

Sometimes being a mommy (or parent in general) is hard, but we can't focus on the battle of today.  When Emma is throwing a fit, or wanting me to hold her all of the time, I often have to think to myself in a few years I will miss this.  I will not be able to carry her forever, I will not be able to hold her forever.  When I was pregnant my doctor told me not to worry as she said "you are pregnant today, so don't worry about tomorrow, today you are and that is all that matters".  I have to take parenting the same way.  Emma is 3 today, and I have to keep in mind that everyday she is changing.  I can't get tomorrow back, I can't get cuddles from her like when she was a baby, but I can get cuddles and memories from today.

Take time to enjoy your child today.  Your child may test you, but at the end of the day that child is growing, changing, and learning.  Enjoy your child because you will never get today back.

The Rocking Chair

We sure have been busy over the past couple of weeks.  The weather is getting warmer and we are loving the extra sunlight.  The garden is now planted, and hopefully we can start relaxing some from the stressful moments the past couple of weeks. 

  Emma had a stomach virus which only lasted a couple of days, and then he went back to school.  the next night she cried with her stomach hurting, woke up saying her stomach hurt, and we decided something was going on.  She would eat then her stomach would get rock hard (after eating very little food), and you could hear her stomach rolling.  I called the doctor and they wanted to see her.  The thought was that the stomach virus cleared out some of the good bacteria as well, which caused an infection in her stomach.  They wanted to do a stool study to confirm before starting medication.  Em and I headed to the hospital to get the materials that I then started referring to as the science project.  I was worried but tried to handle the situation with laughter, and was able to get some at the hospital to join me in the laughter.  We headed home, and I was hoping we could get the sample, and get answers that afternoon.  Ha! That plan was not going to happen with a toddler.  She didn't like the "hat" for the toilet, and wasn't open to any way that I tried to make it a game.  Imagine what is going through her mind with this process still makes me laugh.  I sent out a prayer request because at this point I wasn't sure what we were going to do.  I couldn't get a sample to help her, she said she wanted the dr to fix her tummy, and yet here we were o closer to answers.  People began praying and God began working.  That night she went to bed and woke up the next morning her typical self.  She ate complete meals with no complaints, and actually ate almost all day.  Her stomach never got hard, she never complained of it hurting, and you couldn't hear it rolling.  The next day she went back to school, and we decided not to do the stool study unless something changed.  We waited through the weekend, and when she still didn't have problems I called the doctor to let them know we wouldn't be doing the study because she was better. 

  Last week, Emma and I were outside playing and imagine my shock when I hear "mommy, is that a snake?"  She had been asking that about worms, sticks, or anything in the driveway but something told me to look closer before I just said no.  There it was less than a foot from her foot - a baby snake.  I told her it was a snake and to ride her bike towards the garage while I got Steve to kill the snake.  As soon as I told her it was a snake she sat still but the snake turned to go away from her.  Of course Steve got it, and we used it as another chance to teach her that we don't mess with them.  She said "daddy he looked at me like Emma what are you doing" and just laughed.  Again God had stepped it. 

So I am sure you are wondering what this has to do with a rocking chair.  Well it brings me to this weekend.  Today is Mother's Day, so this has been a special weekend.  Friday night she wanted me to rock her, which she doesn't ask for nearly as often as she used to.  As we sat that rocking I noticed how much she has grown.  I remembered being pregnant thinking I was in labor rocking in that chair trying to breathe through the contraction.  I remembered bringing her home and rocking that tiny baby in my arms.  I remembered the late night feedings, just me and her.  I remembered the two songs that I always heard when I would rock her, and how I loved it being our time.  Now I had this toddler in my lap, and it was like I saw my baby disappear.  I know she will always be my baby, but to see this little girl in my lap where my baby had been.  I am thankful for the rocking chair because I know regardless of her age, I can always sit there and remember the days before she was born, when she came home, and our time.  Those are the moments I am thankful for, and I will forever cherish.  god chose me to be her mommy, and she has forever changed me.  The world isn't the place it used to be.  I am not what I used to be.  I thank God for trusting me with her, and for allowing me to be her mommy. 

There will always be the rocking chair, and I will always hold the memories of there close to my heart.  Those are the moments that made me a mommy, and changed my life. 

Infertility still hurts

Infertility is such a confusing, hurtful, emotional, and mental attack that it changes everything in your life.  You may think this goes away once you have a child, but I find that it doesn't.  I still have lots of beautiful, strong, encouraging women around me dealing with infertility.  We laugh together, cry together, and find our way through this journey together.

When I had Emma I couldn't wait for everyone to see her, and meet her.  However, I have a friend that when she walked through the door at the hospital I had to take a deep breath and fight back tears.  She had been on this journey with me, but I didn't know if Emma would hurt her.  Not the typical hurt, but the emotional hurt.  This friend is the one that I dreaded telling that I was pregnant because I didn't want our friendship to hurt, and I didn't want this announcement to hurt her.  Instead, she kept asking about my next doctors appointment, and when I was going.  I tried to blow it off by saying oh I had to reschedule, but she stayed persistent asking questions.  Finally I said I am not going because I am already pregnant.  Before I could finish "pregnant" she jumped in my lap hugging me.  It had gone so much better than I imagined, so how would this first time of seeing Emma go?  As she walked in I just outreached my hands to hand Emma to her.  Needless to say the visit went well, and we both did good because we didn't cry.  When that same friend would have a bad doctor's appointment she would ask for me to bring Emma by to see her.  Each time I would ask if she was sure because I didn't want Em to bring more pain.  She would reassure me that it would help not hurt.  Now if you have never experienced infertility I will let you in on a little secret.  Infertility impacts your mind to the point that you find yourself hating pregnant women.  Strangers, friends, or family members it doesn't matter it just hurts you so the defense is you don't like them.  I would take Em to visit and for that time frame I just let the friend take care of her, hold her, and feed her.  I wanted the friend to experience the peace and love of a baby even if it wasn't her own.  the friend now calls Emma "puddle" because she says Emma melts her. 

While that visit was the first infertility experience after having Emma, it wasn't the first slap in the face of infertility for me.  After having Emma I was thanking God for giving me this wonderful blessing, and enjoying every minute of her.  I never complained about the pregnancy, the labor, or any of the rough days.  Everything was good until my cycle stared back.  That first one after having Em was BAM in the face reminder of all of the negative tests and infertility.  The reminder of all of the times I thought I was pregnant only to find out I wasn't.  The reminder of the hurt, the pain, the questions, and the miracle in the other room. 

Since I started talking about infertility I have realized how complex infertility is.  Once you get pregnant it is like others with infertility don't want you around because you are now what they hate.  Then other pregnant women don't want to hear about infertility because it doesn't make sense to them.  Now you are lucky if you keep infertile friends, and if you go through parenting with someone else who dealt with infertility.  I am so lucky to have friends in both of these categories.

I have an awesome infertility mom friend who I can share the parenting part with.  I still find myself trying not to talk about Emma to women I know are going through infertility because I don't want to hurt them.  This friend has a miracle little boy who I am so lucky to have in my life as well.  He is such an adorably funny little guy.  He and Emma are also friends so I am glad they will grow up together and have that friendship.

I have a wonderful friend who I am working with to start a group at church regarding infertility.  So many do not know how to talk about infertility, and I feel it is our job to start the conversation.  We are able to talk openly, honestly, and with love about our journeys.  We have found peace and hope in God through this and want others to experience that as well.

I have a friend who as we talked today her cycle has been over 40 days.  She has the fear of her cycle starting, the fear of seeing a negative pregnancy test, and the fear of hurt again.  As we talked I felt the flood of emotions coming back.  I remember those fears, I felt that hurt, and I know how much it hurts.  While others tell her "I know how you feel", but they don't because they got pregnant in a matter of months, not years.  This friend talked about the roller coaster, and that is such a good way to explain it.  Ups, downs, curves, loops, and being flipped upside down.  Only thing is that infertility is not fun.

Infertility is tricky like that.  You catch little details like the length of time they tried to get pregnant, the number of treatments, the number of medications, and the amount of "work" they put into their infertility.  However, that shouldn't be the focus.  The focus should be on encouraging each other and uplifting each other.  I have formed so many wonderful relationships through this journey.  I hope I am able to encourage others through my journey, and show them that there is hope. 

I still have fears from infertility and grieve because of infertility.  What if I was so selfish to have a child that she has my smile, my tiny little toe, but also my infertility?  What if I cause her to have the same pain from infertility?  I grieve for women who may never hold their babies this side of heaven.  I grieve for the women who have to say goodbye to their baby before they ever say hello.  I also grieve for the friends who do not know what to say for they do not understand that sometimes no words are the best ones.  I am an open book about infertility so if you have questions feel free to ask.  You can email me at chrissydgriffin@gmail.com and I am more than happy to talk to you. 

Funny Emma-isms

There are times that Emma will say something and it cracks us up because it catches us off guard.  Here are a few that stand out in my mind

- Last week she didn't have daycare due to the snow.  We talked about the snow, the roads being slippery, and why she couldn't go to school.  The next day I told her it was time to go to school and for 15 minutes she told me that she couldn't go to school because there was snow and the roads were slippery.  We get in the truck and start out of the driveway, she said "oh mommy your truck will go in the snow" then as we start down the road "mommy I told you your truck can go in snow"

- She has asked that Pastor Steve sing, then the next day she wants him to dance.  We are now up to him singing and dancing and yes she has told him that.

- We often look at the moon and say "I see the moon, the moon sees me, God loves the moon and God loves me".  Now she will say "and God loves everybody" or pick someone in particular that God loves.

- She will tell you that a policeman helps people and directs traffic, a fire truck helps people, and an ambulance helps people when they are sick and go to town to eat.

- She has a stuffed Hello Kitty, well for Valentine's Day she got a huge frog  Kitty got scared by frog because frog is so big.  Therefore, Em sat in the floor holding Kitty telling her that frog was a friend.

- She will say that she likes everyone in my family unless you ask her about Tommy.  If you ask about Tommy she says "I don't like Tommy" but we have no idea why.

- I wore camo pants the other day and he asked why I had cows on my pants. 

- She can tell you where to turn to get from her school to the red store (Sheetz) so she can get a brown bag (plain M&Ms) and yellow bag (peanut M&Ms).

These are just a few of her comments that blow us away.  As you can tell there is never a dull moment with Em around.

Where did my baby go?

The past few days I have seen more and more of my baby disappear, and more of a little girl appearing.  Emma will carry on a conversation with you, come up with some of the craziest things, and her facial expressions are adorable.  Last night she started writing on her chalk board then yelled "I write O"  we looked around and she had written an O.  She continued to write more o's and jump with laughter after each one.  As I sat there squealing with her in joy, I realized another part of my baby was leaving.

Where does the time go?  I remember finding out I was pregnant like it was yesterday, only it wasn't.  I have told several people that the 2 1/2 years before having Emma seemed like forever, but the 2 1/2 years since having Emma has flown by.  How can time feel different when it is the same time span?  Do you remember being little and going on vacation, it took forever to get there but coming back you seemed to get home faster.  Maybe it is the excitement, the anticipation, or maybe just a mind trick.

I think this makes it even more important that we take in the moment.  The moments will pass so quickly leaving us wonder where the days and years went.  We need to take a moment and soak in the world around us.  During the recent snow days I have just held Em, I have watched her sleep, watched her play, and just looked at her.  She is changing and growing up so fast, but I want to remember these days.  The days that she wants me to hold her, wants me to cuddle her, and is our little girl. 

All too soon she will be wanting to hang out with her friends, will not want me to cuddle her or hold her, and will be forming her independence.  Maybe if I am lucky she will still want to have Mommy and Emma dates, and let me cuddle her.  Even if she does tolerate my cuddles, there will still come a day that she is no longer living at home.  I huge part of my heart will be on her own.  that is hard to even think about, but I have to realize that the day will come. 

So take in the moment, cuddle them a little longer, hug them a little tighter, and let them know how much they are loved.  Even though they will be on their own one day, we need to ensure them of the love for them.  The world will tell them that they are not good enough, not pretty enough, not smart enough, and not enough.  However, we have to ensure that they do know that they are enough!  Be sure to tell them all of the good things because the world will be very quick to tell them all of the bad things.  I am not suggesting that we boost their ego, or put them on a pedestal.  However, I am saying that we tell them how wonderful they are.  Remember they are a gift from God, and we should treat them like the precious gift that they are.

 

Sentences to paragraphs

So Em has been talking in sentences for a while now, but this weekend it turned into paragraphs!  Where has the time gone?  It feels like only yesterday we heard her say mama for the first time.  Now my little girl is carrying on conversations, and talking like crazy.  She is quickly becoming a little girl and not my baby anymore.  If you ask her why she is getting bigger she will tell you "I growing up."

Really how do you slow the time down?  The two and a half years it took to get a positive pregnancy test seemed like forever.  The two and half years since she was born has flown by!  It seems like overnight my baby turned into a toddler.  She went from relying on my to being even more independent.  We went shopping yesterday and she held the item and waited her turn in line.  Handed the cashier the money, and carried her bag until we got back to the truck (after going to another store).  She is so smart I do not know how Steve and I got so lucky.  She will ask what something is, and turn around and tell someone else what that item is for.  She will tell you about planes in the sky, road signs, songs from church, and what tower is for what.

As I type this she is stretched out in the floor watching videos on Steve's phone.  She doesn't like to watch tv, but will watch kids play on the slide or with playdoh on our phones.  She loves music and dancing.  She will sing along in the truck, and sing as she is playing.  She loves to sing her ABCs, Jesus Loves Me, twinkle twinkle little star, 5 little monkeys, and lots of other kids songs.

Where did my baby go?  I look at her and already realize how much I will miss her being little.

"Mommy, Mommy, Mommy"

I love hearing Em say "Mommy", but here lately she has cracked me up with it.  She will say "Mommy, Mommy, Mommy" when I respond "what Emma?" she just smiles "Mommy I love you".  Of course this makes my heart smile, as I respond "Emma I love you too".  She is always telling us that she loves us, and giving us hugs and kisses.  My family is not affectionate, and often will not talk about emotions so I am trying extra hard to show Em that affection and emotions are good things.

I often tell her that I love her more than she will ever know.  How can you tell a 2 year old how she has completely changed your life, how she makes your hardest days better, and how her smile lights up your world?  I know that as she gets older I can tell her more, but I still do not think she will completely understand until she has a child of her own.  I have been around children all of my life, but never imagined how much my life would be changed.

Em loves to look for planes in the sky, and count them.  Before her I never thought about how many planes are in the sky.  She loves to look at the stars at night, so we often linger in the driveway at night as she exclaims "oohh, look at all the stars, they are so pretty".  She has honestly changed everything about my life. On my worst days her smile and giggle take all of the stress away.  She truly makes me realize what is really important in life - living it!  I am not going to lie, I do get caught up with trying to get this or that done, tell her to wait a minute while I finish something around the house.  However, there have been times that I will let something wait because she wants to play blocks.  I try to give her undivided attention because I realize that one day I will be the one begging for her attention.  Too quickly the time will pass, and I do not want to miss this time in her life.

I often wonder what she is learning personality wise.  The other night she was playing with her baby, and told me the baby was crying.  I told her to cuddle the baby so it would feel better.  As she held it she patted its back, rubbed it, and asked it what was wrong.  In a few second she said the baby was better.  She put the baby in the bed and covered her up, as she sang to her and rubbed her back.  Moments like that show me that I am doing a good job.  She didn't yell at the baby to stop crying, she didn't just leave it, instead she picked it up loved on it and made sure it was okay.

Look back at 2014

Goodness 2014 was busy!  Emma loved the snow in the winter, and we ended up bringing snow inside to play with so she wouldn't get so cold.  Then we headed into Easter and warmer weather.  Emma loves to be outside playing.  She would play on her play set, ride her four wheeler, play with sidewalk chalk, ride in her wagon, and run around.  As summer came she was helping us in our garden, and playing in water.  She loved playing in the pool and went under water a couple of times.  For her birthday we had her party at church, and the theme was Minnie Mouse.  Everyone had fun playing on the play set, and asked if they could have a birthday party there too.  Then came our beach trip which is always fun.  We went back to Oak Island, and this year we stayed for an entire week.  We had so much fun and created so many priceless memories.  In October she switched over to a big bed (full size), and we switched the other bedroom into a play room.  In October we also lost my Dad, and in December I lost my job.  However, we have so many things to be thankful for, and so many memories from 2014 that over all it was an amazing year!   Emma knows all of her colors, shapes, ABCs, can count to 10 (sometimes 20), talks in full sentences, and is such a smart giggly girl.  I can't imagine life without her.

I have added a few pictures from 2014 below to share some of our memories.

Parenting Style

So today I was having lunch with a friend and we starting talking about parenting styles.  I will be the first to admit that I do things that shock other parents.  We often laugh because people comment on how relaxed I am with Em that they wonder how I would be with a second child.  Truth being told I do not think I would be any different.

These are the Top 5 the things that people seem most shocked by.

1 - The day that Emma came home from the hospital we took a nap and then went out to dinner and walmart.

2 - I let her play with balloons when she was under a year old.

3 - I didn't move things off of the coffee table, or out of her reach.  We used it as teaching moments of what she did or didn't need to mess with.

4 - Things new parents often want that we didn't - pack n play, swing, bassinet, and walker.  She would play in the floor, use the swing at daycare, slept in her bed as soon as she came home, and besides the fact of the walker being bad for her muscles she would walk while pushing her toys.

5 - She was in a toddler bed when she turned one, and a regular bed when she was two (no side rails either).

Did you do any of those?  I am not saying that my way of parenting is perfect, but it is perfect for us.

What have you been surprised by regarding your way of parenting?  Have you done something that really shocked others? What would be your top 5?