I've gotten to reading a bit more lately. It really has helped me having a nice bible that I can treasure and tote along with me. I've also been reading our book for bible study (just a few minutes each day) and a book I bought a week ago called "Parenting isn't for Cowards" by Dr James Dobson. I just love his stuff! It is a combination of what he says and how he says it that really gets me. He tells great stories, gives practical advice with real-life situations and is so optimistic about what prayer does in life.
Anyway, I've finished the Dobson book in under a week, which is quite impressive b/c I haven't even finished one book in who knows how long! It's been a while... I think some other parenting books when Asher was only a few months old... crazy. Well, I'm trying to discern Asher and his intentions (which is HARD) and I'm finding that he's maybe just a bit strong-willed, not a ton, but enough to see it daily in certain things. But mainly, he's an energetic boy who loves company. And not just company, but constant entertainment and physical contact! Multiple times today I seriously had to sit with him and entertain him every 5 minutes for about an hour! Yeah, after eating breakfast, after lunch and after snack. So there's no way he's lacking that mother-son companionship thing! I didn't realize until today how much time I actually spend playing with him and trying to keep him either happy or out of drawers... no wonder I don't have personal time!
It's fun most of the time, but around 3:30 (after 2nd nap) the crankiness increases and the attention span decreases and my energy level is almost zero! I'm so grateful for our playroom. It's COMPLETELY kid-safe and he can get into ANYTHING in there... so I can sit and knit while being close to him and but I don't often have to get up and re-direct all that energy. Don't misunderstand me - I chat with him and will throw a ball, read a book with him and just be there watching him, but it's less involved than the rest of the day and he gets less cranky with me thus creating a more pleasant atmosphere for everyone in the family! I'm almost shocked when I hear of other parents who don't have to follow their kid around as much as Asher... his whimpering is being dealt with daily but at a certain point I've learned that I need to avoid situations that cause the whimpering and save the training for parts of the day where everyone is happier and more open to learning :-)
Today was a tough day but it ended on a good note so I'm still feeling pretty good. In a few weeks I'll probably start to feel the new baby kicking around in there... I'll be a little nervous if it feels the same as Asher... knowing that I'll have 2 children with ridiculous amounts on energy :-) Still, I'm once again thinking that this milestone will help this feel more real... I keep looking at the ultrasound photo thinking "Yep, there's a baby growing" and feeling glad that I'm not just getting fat b/c of my sugar addiction! Hope you all have a great week!
March 4, 2009 at 8:45 PM
The nice thing about having two is that they can keep each other entertained, thus needed less attention from you...in theory :-)
Becca
March 6, 2009 at 10:11 AM
Haha... yeah, let's hope that theory holds true for me!!!