Thursday, February 6, 2014

Am I Doing Enough?

I often find myself feeling like I have/am dropping the ball when it comes to teaching Max certain things. These are some thoughts that I have had:

Should he be able to count higher?
He doesn't know his ABC's...
Sometimes he names colors correctly, other times they are all blue. Same with shapes.
We don't do enough "activities"...
Does he get enough socialization?
Maybe I allow too much iPad time...
Am I doing enough?

Am I doing enough??????????????

I sometimes feel that since I am a stay at home mom that he should know everything because my "job" is to teach him these things everyday.... right???? Who knows? I recently read a blog post that a friend shared on facebook. It was titled "What should my 4 year old know?" I found it INCREDIBLY refreshing. The author's words really hit home with me. "She should know that she is loved wholly and unconditionally", "She should know that she is safe", "She should know that the world is a magical place", among other things. (I will attach the link to the actual post below)

While some kids are potty trained by 2, others aren't until they are 4. Some 2 year olds can count to 20, some (like Max) cannot and only choose to SOMETIMES count to 10 always skipping the #6 (don't ask why!). Some kids respond to flash cards and will name the contents of said flash cards on command while others (like Max) would rather rip said flash cards and fling them about the room. The point is, all kids are different and they learn at different speeds. We (myself included) should stop worrying about how much they can't do and focus on what they CAN.

This is what I know for sure:
*Max has an awesome imagination! He loves to make believe and pretend that we are different people/creatures and we are in different locations.
*He is polite. He always says "please" "thank you" and "excuse me".
*He knows that mommy is always there to kiss his ouchies and make them better. He knows that daddy will be home after work to wrestle and play.
*He knows that he is safe and loved and he loves us almost as much as we love him! And he tells us that all the time :-)

So, because of that, I know that I am doing enough!

Here is the link to the blog post that I am referring to. If you have a chance, read it. You won't regret it! If you are like me, you will feel validated. You will feel like you are doing enough. Even better than that... you are doing GREAT! :-)

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/alicia-bayer-/what-should-a-4-year-old-know_b_3931921.html

Holidays & Winter Thus Far

Well I haven't blogged since before Christmas so here's a recap of our fun and busy holiday season!

We found out on December 23 that we are having another BOY! Max is getting a little brother :-) we are SUPER excited! At the beginning of this pregnancy, I thought I was having a girl. Mostly because I found myself much more nauseous and sick this time than with Max. Once I made it through the first trimester, I began to feel the exact same way I felt with Max and so I changed my mind and felt that it was a boy... And I was right! We have had a second ultrasound since then confirming the gender and we (and our bank account!) are happy to have another boy! We have decided to name him Finn Michael. Mike & I tend to be fans of 1 syllable first names and we don't know anyone named Finn so we really love that name! Max & Finn sound like one ornery duo ;-) Michael is obviously my husband's name but it is also my dad's first name so Michael is the perfect choice for Finn's middle name! I am so excited to meet him! I am trying not to wish my pregnancy away but I am just getting very anxious for his arrival! I am now 23 weeks and am hoping and praying to continue having another healthy and uneventful pregnancy. 

We had a wonderful Christmas! It was our first Christmas back in Illinois since 2009. Max was spoiled per usual and got lots of toys, including a power wheels mustang car... Which he loved! I am looking forward to warmer weather so that he can ride it all over our neighborhood. We spent the day at our house and my parents and 2 younger siblings came over for lunch. It was a great day! We rung in the New Year at my friend Caitlin's house with a few friends and Max even stayed awake til midnight!! Then he promptly fell asleep in the car before we left the driveway at 12:10 ;-) and we all slept in until 10am on New Years Day!

January brought us a good friend's wedding (congrats, Baziles!) and LOTS of snow! I passed my 3 hour glucose test which my doc made me take early this pregnancy and am happy to report that I do not have gestational diabetes this time!! Yay! We took Max to see Sesame Street Live. He loved it!! He was only upset that he couldn't join the characters on stage. My younger Marine brother Taylor made it back to the good ol US of A after a 7 month deployment and we are SO grateful for his safe return! We get to see him next week and can hardly wait! It's been over 2 years since I have seen him! With him and us being military, we have been unable to coordinate visits back to IL at the same time... Until now since we live here again :-D

This brings us to... February! We hosted a Super Bowl party for Mike's co-workers and their families. We had a great turn out! The kids had a blast playing together and I was happy to meet some more Air Force wives here! I feel with living off base here and having our longtime friends and family close, I haven't been as connected to the base/Air Force as I would like to be. Lately I have been meeting more wives and attending play dates and activities to try and get more involved.. And also to give Max some social interaction! He needs some more buddies around his age and I miss having a lot of mommy friends like I had in Wyoming! 

February is going to keep us busy! This weekend I am hosting a mini shower/celebration for one of my best friends, Bailey, and her baby girl Mila who will be making her appearance Earthside in 1 month! :-) Next weekend we will venture down to my parents' house to see Taylor and spend the weekend with my side of the family (all of us will be together- yippee!) and the weekend after that, Mike, Max & I are heading to San Antonio! Mike has to take a week long class and is taking a few extra days off so Max & I are going with him for a little mini vacation! I am super excited! We haven't traveled in a while and I am looking forward to getting away for a week and a half! I can't wait to take Max to Sea World and other fun activities! We are driving though so THAT should be interesting since we all know that Max is not the best car seat rider. 

Max is doing great! He is becoming more aware of Finn.. Or "Pen" as he sometimes calls him. He says "Finn is in mommy's belly, not daddy's belly" and yesterday he told me that he loved Finn (tear*) so sweet! He hasn't had a pee pee accident in forever-- even at night!! He is such a big boy! He was so easy to potty train that it's almost shocking! He has such a fun imagination and I love to hear him play and talk to his toys. His newest obsession is ninja turtles and he really believes that he is one-haha! He is such a sweet boy and he is learning lately the importance of sharing and taking turns with friends. 

Finn and I are doing great too! I am feeling really good... Sort of uncomfortable at times but great for the most part! I don't really sleep well at night. Between the pee breaks (approximately 4-5 times) and Finn's constant moving and kicking, I am quickly reminded of the lack of sleep that awaits me in the near future! It's much different being pregnant this time around with an active toddler and it has confirmed that I do only desire to have 2 children. So, I am trying to enjoy this pregnancy as much as possible because it will be our last! And no, we will not try again for a girl ;-) we are perfectly content with 2 boys! 

Thanks for reading!! Until next time. Xoxo