Positive Discipline: Chapter 6

Chapter 6: Trust Vs. Mistrust: "Can I Count On You?"

• To develop a sense of trust, a baby must learn that he can rely on the affections and support of others, so he needs to have his basic needs met consistently and lovingly.
• A neglected baby will develop a sense of mistrust; but so will a baby who is extremely pampered because he has never had to learn patience and self-reliance.Help your infant develop a sense of trust:
• 1 - Meet all your baby's needs in the first three months of his life.
• 2 - Learn the difference between needs and wants.
• 3 - Avoid pampering (have faith in children to handle not receiving all their wants).
• 4 - Learn about developmental needs (social, intellectual and physical).
• 5 - Learn parenting skills (including long-range results of what you do).
• 6 - Have confidence and trust in yourself.
• 7 - Enjoy Your child.
• Don't worry about spoiling a baby the first three months. It's next to impossible. As your baby grows, however, you will need to pay attention to what he is learning and deciding about you, about himself and about what "works" to achieve a sense of belonging and connection.
• A study found that a primary factor in the development of a child's trust is his sense that his primary caretaker - usually his mother - has confidence in herself.
• The four pillars of security are people, place, routine and ritual. When these things are stable, a child feels secure.
• For a child to develop trust, life must become predictable, and that is the role of routines. Establishing routines forms an important part of a parent and child's first months and years together. By the age of three months, most babies have settled into routines.
• Rituals add texture to life and define it as they contribute to a child's experience of a predictable world. Such things as mom always blowing kisses on a baby's tummy before bath time or Dad singing "twinkle, twinkle" every night become patterns that help little ones make sense of their days and nights.

Doin' the Potty Dance

• Enjoy your children and yourself. Your baby will sense your worry and doubt, and his growing sense of trust may be hindered. Use this opportunity to increase trust in yourself, remembering that it is not helpful to take mistakes too seriously. It IS helpful to learn from them with gratitude. When this learning is built upon the foundation of enjoyment, awareness and education, confidence will filter through your heart and you'll know what to do.
• We suggest you forget about being the perfect housekeeper or other things that make you feel overly stressed or rob you of your time to enjoy your children (discuss your priorities with your partner). Children often become fussy when their parents are upset. They also sense when we enjoy them and know when we don't. How can infants develop a sense of trust if they don't feel the energy of enjoyment from their parents or caregivers, knowing that they are loved, wanted and appreciated? When your child is an infant, make sure your eyes light up when you walk into his presence - and continue this practice for the rest of his life.
• Ask yourself this question when circumstances get in the way of simply enjoying your children: "What difference will this make ten years from now?" Whether or not the house is clean, the lawn is mowed or the furniture is waxed won't make any difference; on the other hand, time you spend with your partner and your children will make all the difference in the world.

Potty Time

Joshua is intrigued by his little potty in our bathroom now. He points to it and says potty (like he does to ours) and tries to sit in it clothed. However, with the shield/deflector, he can't quite manage to get on himself. If we try to sit him on, he bounces out of it like he sat on a hot potato. In saying that, he also falls into it and gets stuck in the container. Right now we're just trying to get him used to the idea and encourage him to sit on it (even clothed) so it's not a big deal when we start working with him to actually potty train him. I was considering starting now, but I figured there's no harm in waiting a few weeks until we are settled into more of a routine with the new baby. I don't want to make lots of progress only to go backwards. Notice his cute hair in this picture - he looks like such a big boy!

You know it's time for a haircut when...

Tonight we broke down and gave Joshua a hair cut, even though we think this look is adorable. Pictures to follow!

Positive Discipline: Chapter 5

I'm so much further ahead in this book than what I've posted, so I'm going back now to post some interesting tidbits from the chapters. I would highly recommend this book to any mom (or dad). The next chapter (five) is on Temperament: What Makes Your Child Unique?

• While attitudes, behavior and decisions may change with time and experience, our temperament appears to be part of us for life. Although some temperaments are "easier" than others, none are good or bad, right or wrong; they are just different. Understanding your child's unique temperament will help you work with him to learn, grow and thrive.

Temperament is molded by the following nine characteristics:

• 1) Activity Level - the level of motor activity and the proportion of active and inactive parents. Parents of active children will often have to be more active and alert themselves. You'll need to provide lots of opportunities for safe exploration and play before expecting your child to focus on a task.
• 2) Rhythmicity - the predictability of biological functions such as hunger, sleeping or bowel movements. Understanding your child will help you build effective everyday routines.
• 3) Approach or Withdrawal - how does your child react to a new stimulus such as a toy, food, person, or place. If your child welcomes new experiences, celebrate. If it takes him longer to adjust, you can look for small steps to help him adjust to change without taking his reactions personally.
• 4) Adaptability - how a child reacts to a new sitation over time; the ability to adjust or change. Wise parents adjust their schedules to their child's adaptability.
• 5) Sensory Threshold - the level of sensitivity to sensory input (touch, taste, vision, smell or hearing). If your child is more sensitive to stimulation, you'll need to go slowly when introducing new things. Soft light and quiet will help him calm down, and he may become nervous or irritable in noisy, crowded places.
• 6) Quality of Mood - a rosy outlook or a constant scowl; it's all part of temperament.
• 7) Intensity of Reactions - how children respond to events around them; some wear their hearts on their sleeves and shriek with laughter or throw impressive tantrums when angry while others barely react or look up.
• 8) Distractibility - a child's willingness to be diverted from present behavior. Distraction and redirection are two of the most common and effective methods for managing the behavior of young children, IF they are easilty distracted and redirected. Your child's ability to focus on an object or task will influence his behavior - and your response. Rather than becoming frustrated and angry about your child's distractibility (or lack thereof), look for ways to make his environment safe and easy to explore, focus on solutions to the problems you encounter and recognize and accept his inherent temperament.
• 9) Persistence and Attention Span - a child's willingness to pursue an activity in the face of obstacles or difficulties and the length of time he will pursue an activity without interruption. If your child is less patient and persistent, there are ways you can help him get along in a sometimes frustrating world. Be sure he has something to engage his attention if you must wait quietly at a doctor's office. Break challenging tasks into small, achievable stpes; you can coach, but don't rush to rescue your child. When he gets frustrated, let him know that you understand his feelings and don't give up on him. You can always use humor and playfulness to defuse a frustrating situation, and walk away for a calming positive time-out if tempers flare.

It's important to understand a child's temperament and be willing to work with the child to encourage healthy development. That doesn't mean shrugging your shoulders and saying "that's just the way he is." It means helping a child develop acceptable behavior and skills through patience, encouragement, and kind, firm teaching. For instance, a child with a short attention span will still need to learn to accept some structure. The key is to find balance. The first step is to determine what will work for all family members, including you as a parent. Finding balance between your needs and those of your child can take some time and practice, but learning to accept and work with the individual, special temperament of your child will benefit you both as the years go by. (Then there are suggestions for the various temperaments.)

Work for Improvement, Not Perfection

• It may be wise to ask yourself occasionally, "are you looking for blame or are you looking for solutions?" The more you know about temperament and effective parenting skills, the better you will be at finding solutions that help your child develop into a capable individual, despite his differences and uniqueness.
• Use kindness and firmness with children. Kindness shows respect for the child and his uniqueness; firmness shows respect for the needs of the situation, including a child's developing need to learn social skills.
• By understanding and respecting your child's temperament, you will be able to help him reach his full potential as a capable, confident, contented person. And there's a bonus: you'll probably get a lot more rest, laugh more and learn a great deal about yourself and your child in the process.

Putting the Bean to Bed

Last night, instead of reading to Joshua, I told him a story of a little boy named "Joshua" who was soon going to have a baby brother. I explained that Mommy & Daddy would need to go away to the hospital for a week to go get him and that Joshua would stay with Grandma and be a good boy for her. Then, we would come home and Joshua would be a big brother and share his toys and his attention and his love with this new little life. Then, I told him that no matter what happened and how the dynamic of our family would change, we would always love him completely and unconditionally.

Say Cheese!

After the 'story,' we snuggled up for prayers as usual and Daddy put "Revelation Song" on in the background since he was on the computer. I sang along while holding and rocking Joshua..."holy, holy is He..." and Shawn & I were amused when Joshua repeated in a sing-songy voice "is-he" (sounding a bit more like EA-SY!). Soooo sweet. When the song was finished, I couldn't see Joshua's face, so I quietly said his name. When he didn't respond, I whispered to ask Shawn if the Bean was still awake. Shawn said his eyes were barely open and looking very heavy. So, I said in a louder voice, "Joshua, would you like to go night-night?" He immediately crawled down off my lap and headed to his new big boy room. Then, I was surprised as he moved his step stool we had strategically placed in his room in case he fell out of bed. He put it right in the middle, climbed up and threw himself onto his blankey. Since I had been right on his heels, I was expecting to lift him up, hug and kiss him, and gently lay him in bed. But, before my very eyes, he took care of it himself. I bent over and gave him a kiss anyway and told him I loved him and that we'd play together in the morning.

Then I walked back into the office and burst into tears, telling Shawn that my little boy was growing up so quickly. Shawn reminded me that we want Joshua to learn independence - that there may be times coming where I can't lift him into bed. And, we want Joshua to become a capable adult so it starts with his learning now. I knew that, and I am so proud of my little boy, who slept all night long. Shawn told me that recently when he laid Joshua down, he kissed him and Joshua wiped away his kiss. That would have made me sadder, I think. What a big little guy!

This morning we found out that Shawn's Grandma Kennel is back in the hospital for heart-related issues. Our pastor also just had a mild heart attack. We are remembering both of them in prayer.

Positive Discipline Tidbits: Chapter 4

I haven't posted from the book I'm reading for awhile. Chapter 4 is about the 'Miraculous Brain: Helping Your Child Learn.' I found the following parts interesting from this chapter:

• The first three years are especially important; what a child learns and decides about himself ('am I good or bad, capable or not capable?') and the world around him ('is it safe or threatening, encouraging or discouraging?') becomes part of the "wiring" of his brain.
• While the brain is amazingly flexible and is able to adapt to change or injury, there are windows early in a child's life during which important learning (like vision and language development) takes place. If those windows are missed, it may be more difficult for a child to acquire those abilities. (It makes sense why Early Intervention for kids up to age 3 is so important then.
• Some scholars belive that fast-paced modern culture (and some of our "educational" tv shows) may be adversely affecting children's ability to pay attention, to listen and to learn later in life.
• Babies and young children learn best in the context of relationships. How you and your child's caregivers relate to him - how you talk and play and nurture - is by far the most important factor in his development. Young children learn best when they are unstressed and when they live in a reasonably stimulating environment. What children really need to grow and develop is unhurried time with caring adults, people who will focus on the child and follow his cues without distraction or expectations.
• An infant's development of a sense of trust in the first year of life is directly related to a mother's sense of trust in herself.
• What you do (the behavior you model) as a parent is so much more powerful than your words in teaching a child.
• Touch helps your little one attach to you and provides both comfort and stimulation. As children grow, a pat on the shoulder or a hug may communicate more than the most eloquent speech. Speaking, too, is important. Talking and reading to infants and young children stimulate parts of a child's brain responsible for speech and language development.
• While repetition may be boring to you, it isn't to your child. Babies and toddlers learn through repetition.
• Music also appears to have a powerful influence on growing brains.
• Play is a child's work. It's how he experiences his world, learns about relationships and tries on new roles and personalities. There is no better way to understand your toddler's world than to play with him. Take time to discover what makes your little one sparkle, then create opportunities to explore. Babies also need private time to explore by themselves: "the ability to self-entertain is one of the most important skills children can develop."
• Harsh criticism, punishment or shaming may damage a child's brain.
• Remember, what children (and all of us) need to know is that they belong, that they have a special place in life, and that they have value to those around them. No matter how busy your life and no matter how serious you take your responsibilities as a parent, take time to simply love and enjoy your child. The quiet moments of wonder, the laughter and giggling, the delight you take in the special qualities, first words and adorable actions of these new little people are not wasted time but precious investments into the future of your family. The housecleaning, yard work and laundry will wait; slow down occasionally and just enjoy the time you have with your child. It speeds by all too quickly.
• Raising a young child is indeed a serious responsibility. In many ways, a child's first three years last for the rest of his life.
  

Enjoying Time with the Bean

We've been working away on our house and getting things ready for the new baby. Finally it dawned on me that although we've been including Joshua in our progress, maybe we should just hang out for a little while and enjoy time with him. First, though, I asked Shawn to hang the sports letters in his room, one of the last finishing touches (I still have a picture frame coming and some day want to order a little baseball glove lamp I saw on Ebay, but these are minor things). Shawn thought the letters were "retarded" but I think they're adorable.
Shawn does a great job with measuring and putting things together. We were going to hang them a little lower, but I was afraid Joshua might be able to grab them off the wall. I think Joshua's new room is so cute, and he's been doing an awesome job at sleeping in his big boy bed. So well, in fact, that I decided to bring up the potty seat that sits on the floor that Brian & Gayle lent us so that we can start working on mastering that new skill soon enough.Tonight, though, we just went to the park as a family. No cleaning (although I did manage to do a couple things in there and last night I baked Daddy some cookies) - just family time. When we got home from the park, Shawn & I tossed a frisbee in the back yard and Joshua helped and played with his other toys. It was beautiful today. So, even if the baby decides to wait another full two weeks, I want to just enjoy time with my husband and son, who now points to my belly and says "baby!" He's sooo cute and so funny. Shawn & I love him very much - can't wait to see what the next one will be like!

Week 38

Fetal Development:
The baby may be gaining an ounce a day now. His intestines are accumulating lots of meconium (baby's first bowel movement). The circumference of the head and the baby's abdomen are about the same size.

Maternal Changes:
False labor contractions are irregular and can be very painful. These contractions may be felt in various parts of your body (back, lower abdomen, pelvis). True labor contractions start at the top of your uterus and then spread over the entire uterus, through your lower back and into the pelvis. True labor will become stronger and more painful and won't be alleviated by changing position.

Ideas for Dad:
You catch a glimpse of Mom's profile and see that big belly . . . and you feel instantly guilty. She's tired, cranky, sick of pregnancy, can't sleep because she has to get up every 30 minutes to go to the bathroom, has chronic heartburn and indigestion, and her mood is reflective of these late-pregnancy discomforts. You feel responsible, and you know what? You ARE responsible!
But let's think about that for a minute. Mom can't conceive without Dad, and Dad can't without Mom. That makes pregnancy a team effort. It's true that you don't have to go through the physical discomforts of pregnancy, but you do have your share of worries and a myriad of conflicting thoughts ~ and you have to watch someone you love change before your very eyes.
What's a Dad to do? You know already and that's why you're reading this guide. Just be there for Mom. It's a big job, and you're the best one to do it! You can't bear the brunt of pregnancy physically, but you can help Mom lighten the load considerably. And what do you do when Mom screams at you that "this" is all YOUR fault? Calmly remind her that you couldn't have done it without her part . . . and then run for cover!

Nesting

Shawn finished painting the fence out front this weekend. It looks so much better, I think! Now we have new windows that are aluminum capped, new front porch posts, a new bay window and a new front door. Our front yard is starting to grow in, too - no more trees or roots or dirt pile where grass needs to grow (although we still have a few bald spots). I've also been cleaning away. I bought two new products that I love and thought I'd share with my readers. One is the bathtub scrubbing extender. For less than $5 at Wal-mart, this purchase was super for saving my back and extra-large belly while scrubbing the tub and the master bathroom shower. My only word to the wise is to use less cleaning product since a little goes a long way with these things. (I spent longer than I would have needed to trying to get the Soft Scrub with Bleach off.) Shawn also bought me a carpet flick for my birthday, and while it won't replace vacuuming, it's great for cleaning up the area rug underneath the dining room table where the Bean sits. I also love Clorox wipes - what did people do before these were invented? And, I'm into the new Tide with fabric softener/febreeze already added (although Joshua's skin's too sensitive - we use unscented Dreft for his laundry). Tomorrow I'm going to mop my kitchen floor and the bathroom floors (can't do that while Joshua's awake or he might slip) and vacuum again. For the most part, though, my house is really clean. [Come, baby, come!]
Joshua, on the other hand, was not so clean after a day outside. He was "helping" Dadda in the dirt until he he got some in his eyes. Then, I brought him in for a bath and had to take a picture of his dirty little face - so cute! Such a boy! There goes my super clean bathtub. Such is life!
I'm happy to say he looks much better now - the dirt washes away and we have a smiling little face left...my precious oldest son. How much our lives have changed with you! I'll never look at airplanes or birds the same way again...or much of anything. My perspective has changed with many things as he grows and learns and becomes interested in different things. I'm truly blessed.

Ridin' Dirty

Okay, I've shared Joshua's favorite music video. You can see mine at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-xEzGIuY7kw. I love Weird Al Yankovic, and this song "White 'n Nerdy" was created as a spoof off of the song "Ridin' Dirty." Too bad many of my friends could fit this description - I like 'em smart. And, I fit the description of 'whiter than sour cream' which I tell Shawn all the time (as I apply more sunscreen). Here's Joshua "ridin' dirty" in his car from our neighbors. He's wearing his new 'Atlanta Braves' outfit from Grandma & Grandpa Ginder - thanks for the gift!
Today was beautiful out, so after church and a nap, we spent the entire day outside as Daddy worked on our overgrown landscaping and pressure washing the deck and brick of our house. Joshua loves to run in and out of the garage with his toys, and he's enjoying this car more and more.
His car is parked in between Mommy & Daddy's. He must get his driving 'skills' from the Momma!

A Blast from the Past

On Friday afternoon, Joshua & I went over to Mom's house since she had the day off work for a medical procedure and my sister Becky had off because she had worked a ton with Vacation Bible School at their church. Becky swam while we watched (the water was too chilly for us to go in) and we all visited. It was nice. Mom needed a ride to the post office since she wasn't allowed to drive and the gal filling in for her was having problems, and I saw this picture on her desk. It's from 2003. Lot's of changes in our family since then - with Grace the only one born at that time, we've added four additional kiddos to the family with another one due anyday. Mom also became a widow since that picture was taken. New jobs, new houses, new adventures...and yet, the same sisters and mom, the same loving husband...the same important things in life have remained constant.

Tales of the Sleep Napper

Since Joshua did so well in his big boy bed overnight Thursday night and for his naps, we decided to go for broke, draw the line in the sand, and say this is a permanent move - no going back to the crib for any reason. In fact, this weekend we raised the crib back up for the new baby, changed the sheets, added the bumper with it's new ties (thanks, Mom!) and put back on the mobile.

Friday night, I put Joshua in bed. He cried a little but then I didn't hear him after a few minutes. So, I peeked into his room after awhile to make sure he was really asleep. My heart pounded when I didn't see him in his bed. Then, I saw the cutest thing ever - he was clutching his blankey on the floor, sound asleep. I whispered for Shawn to come up from downstairs and take a look at his son. He came up and we both laughed - and Shawn grabbed the camera, of course. Afterward, Shawn picked up his sleeping little boy and gently put him back in bed, where he slept until 6 am the next morning when he flung open our door and scared us half to death. But, I was glad he came right over.

He slept well in his bed again at naptime yesterday, and then last night I put him in bed. This time, it was Shawn who called me upstairs to take a look at our son. I peeked in his room expecting to see him on the floor. Nope! I looked in his bed - nope! I was a little nervous...until Shawn pointed to our room. There lying in the middle of our beautifully made queen size bed was a little boy clutching his blankey. Daddy went to get the camera, but Joshua wasn't asleep yet. Instead he sprang to his feet and went "HAAAA!" We all laughed. Silly Bean! Daddy put him back in bed once again, and we went downstairs to watch a little TV before turning in ourselves to make sure that the Bean was really asleep when we came back. And he was. I woke up at 4:30 and couldn't sleep, so at 5:30 I got up for good - and Joshua must have heard me walking around because he soon joined me. But, he slept well again for his nap in his big boy bed, so I'd say we've made definite progress.

The First Night in a Big Boy Bed!

Last night, Thursday, June 19, 2008, Joshua spent his first full night in his new big boy bed in his new bedroom. Hooray!

Yesterday he had played the entire day (almost literally) outside with Daddy as Daddy worked from home on his laptop. (Once again in the morning I started violently vomitting and had a severe headache, so I spent the day in bed until it was time to go to the doctor's. My blood pressure is good and the baby's heartbeat sounds okay, so they told me to take Tylenol and rest...easier said than done with a toddler. But, thankfully Shawn came to my rescue. I don't know what I'd do without him.)

I told Shawn I thought we needed a similar-but-somewhat-new routine to prepare Joshua for the transition to his new room. We started off with an earlier-than-normal (and much needed!) bath for Joshua (just look at his hair in the above picture!). Then I got out new (to us) PJ's for the Bean. Then instead of rocking him in the chair in the nursery as usual, I asked Joshua to pick out whatever book he would like to read together from his bin and bring it to me in the office rocking chair. We read "Peekaboo Zoo" where he lifts the flaps up, and then Joshua started climbing down to get another book. But, instead I told him it was time for prayers. We prayed and then I sang him a song or two. He was still awake and not quite understanding what was going on. Then I told him it was night-night time. When he headed for the nursery, I said he was going into his new bedroom tonight and acted excited, which made him excited, too. I layed him down on his bed, gave him his blankey and told him that I loved him and gave him a kiss goodnight. Surprisingly, he rolled over onto his blankey like he normally would have in his crib.

I tip-toed out of his room and closed the door behind me. Then I asked Shawn for predictions on how long it would take him to come out. But, we didn't hear a peep. Since neither one of us wanted to sleep quite yet - just to make sure Joshua was okay - we headed to the family room to quietly watch a movie. We came back upstairs and I peeked into his room, and Joshua was out! So, we shut all doors to the upstairs except for his and ours (he can open them, but we hoped if he got up we would hear the doors or he would first try to come into our room). Then, Shawn put up the baby gate to block off the bathroom and the stairs. I was still nervous - my little boy in that big bed!

Then...it happened. Shawn and I were quietly whispering in the dark around 11:30 pm when we heard...THUD! And then a wimper. Joshua had fallen out of bed. Shawn sprang out of bed and saw a cute little Bean trying to climb back into his big boy bed without success. So, he simply helped him back up and came back to bed. Joshua slept the whole night through until 6 am this morning with no more issues. Hooray!!! And, for his nap today, I put him back in there without him being asleep and he again grabbed his blankey and I haven't heard a peep. Hopefully we've turned the corner to him sleeping in his new room. I'm so thankful for our precious son! And, I'm thankful that God keeps an eye out for him in these new adventures.

Way to go, Joshua, on sleeping in a big boy bed!

God's Little Boy is...Prayerful

Being prayerful is the last bit of "wisdom" from this fun little book. There will be so many times that Mom & Dad can't help - that only through prayer and petition will Joshua be able to seek God's wisdom for the situation and do the right thing.

The Bible's best wisdom for all little boys

Is not to want treasures of trinkets and toys!

Instead God says you're to simply cling

More to the Lord than to any thing.

Dear God above, for this I pray -

To be a godly man someday.

Make me a man who loves You true,

A man of wisdom who pleases You.

Wisdom begins with respect for the Lord.
And understanding begins with knowing God, the Holy One.

Proverbs 9:10

Dear God, we thank you that you have given us access to you through prayer 24/7. We pray for Joshua that he would grow up to be a man after your own heart, wise beyond his years. (And we pray that for his brother, too!). We ask that you would mold their character into your likeness. When Joshua needs help, we pray that he would automatically think to to take it to you in prayer. When he's happy, I ask that the Holy Spirit would remind him to thank you for his joy and strength. We pray that in any situation, Joshua remembers that the prayer of a righteous man avails much and that he would remain in constant communication with you. I pray that he would read your word and get to know your heart and pray for the things of your kingdom. Teach him, guide him and be with him even when we can't be. Thank you so much for our amazing son(s)! In Jesus' name, AMEN!

Happy 21-month birthday, Joshua!

Happy 21-month birthday to my sweet Joshua! The day started when he cried at 4:30 am...I decided I needed to let him soothe himself back to sleep (after all, we're going to be having another one soon that I'll need to tend to). But, at 5:30 I simply couldn't take it anymore. An hour is long enough to be upset any day of the week. I picked up my tearful Bean and we cuddled. He was sooo cute and seemed so glad I came to his rescue. He kept softly talking to me. Eventually I put him back to bed, letting him know that I love him and even though the sun was up, he didn't need to be quite yet.After that, he woke up later than usual, not helping Daddy get ready this morning. He's been waking up before Daddy and then "helping" him with his morning routine. But, not today. The only problem was that I couldn't get back to sleep... bummer! I was tired but I couldn't get comfortable again. Whe he finally arose, we started off playing in the playroom. Joshua's favorite thing to do right now is be read to, I think. (Or he knows that I enjoy this as climbing and other activities are getting harder by the day as I seem to keep growing, unfortunately.) He especially likes books where he can lift the flap and turn the page. I'm impressed with his knowledge sometimes - he'll point to something and tell me what it is without me having said it first. While I know we've gone over these things in the past, it's interesting to see him develop, learn and remember.Also this morning as I changed his diaper and got him dressed, I started singing "Doe, a dear, a female dear..." and he started repeating certain words in the song to sing along. I loved it. Yesterday at Grandma's, he was very interested as we sang to him. I think he's at the point where he can start learning some little guy songs. Mostly when I sing to him at night, I sing worship music that I like. But, it's time to introduce him to songs for his age where he can sing (and do the hand motions).As you can tell from the above picture, it's time for another haircut. We've been putting it off because it's so cute when it's wild like this; and unfortunately when Daddy's cutting his hair, he moves around and we end up giving him a pretty short buzz. But, it should probably be done before the baby arrives. Since Joshua had slept in, when I put him down at his normal nap time, he talked and talked for half an hour. So, I got him out of bed and decided that maybe he didn't need the nap and we'd get an early bedtime. Then as he was eating his lunch and I was cleaning the baby's car seat, he fell asleep while eating. Literally the hand underneath the tablecloth has half an eaten cracker. I saw his eyelids looking heavy as he was drinking his milk but I never would have guessed he'd lean his head back and take a snooze right then and there. I had to grab the camera.Unfortunately, when I picked him up to take him upstairs, he woke up again. Sleep? He wanted nothing to do with it! Eventually I took him outside since they were (accurately) calling for rain later in the day. His schedule was all out of whack, which was strange for us both. Hopefully tonight he sleeps well throughout the entire night and we can get back on track tomorrow. When we don't get enough sleep, we're both a little cranky (believe it or not! ha!). I think Joshua's favorite part of the day is when he gets to play with Daddy. They wrestle and have quality time together, and Daddy is much more easygoing than Momma. Joshua can push his limits a little farther than mine. The picture below was taken by Daddy as they were tumbling in Joshua's new bedroom.
I'm sure there are other new things Joshua is doing or saying, but it's after 10 p.m. so I'll have to leave those for another post. Enjoy the pictures from the Bean's 21-month birthday!

Fireman Joshua

Yesterday, Joshua helped as I did laundry and re-organized the laundry room a bit and froze the rest of the strawberries. We had another productive day; and I cleaned the coat closet (I'm guessing this is nesting; although, it did need done. It was just starting to drive me crazy!). Last night we went out to dinner at the Olive Garden to celebrate my birthday and Father's Day with Nonie & Poppy, Aunt Alicia & Jordon (who Joshua just loves), and Uncle Brian & Aunt Gayle and Grant & Jenavieve.
When we got home, I was disappointed to see that the water in our family bathroom was coming in a scary-looking brownish red. Shawn & Joshua were playing outside but soon came in and Shawn said he knew the cause. The Eden Fire Company was having training behind our house and using a ton of water, and he guessed that maybe it was taking all our reserves or something. I was appalled...until Shawn told me the next story. Joshua was enthralled watching these firemen train, and they came up and gave him a hat that says "Fire Chief." Soooo cute! Joshua was so excited!
The water was better this morning, so I'd say we're back in business (which is good since I'm hoping to do more cleaning when Joshua naps this afternoon). We have lunch plans today and then I'm hoping to have more play time with Joshua since the days of just the two of us are winding down. I'm sure we'll still play, but I also realize the dynamic may change with the new baby. I love my little boy! I'm also praying the next one is healthy and just as sweet as Joshua (but a bit more easygoing)...

FULL TERM - 37 weeks

Fetal Development
Average size is around 6.5 pounds now! The baby practices breathing movements preparing for life outside the womb. His grasp becomes firm, and he will turn toward light.

Inspirational Thoughts:
"If pregnancy were a book, they would cut the last two chapters." ~Nora Ephron

A Productive Weekend

This weekend was very productive. Shawn mowed our yard and finished trimming the bushes around the fence, only taking out one other flower that he mistakingly thought was a weed until he saw an identical one on the other side...this blooms in the spring and was done for the year, but didn't need to be yanked out by the roots. Oh, well. I'm just glad that he's willing to work on the yard since I don't enjoy it. We have more trimming to do on the sides of our house and around the walkway leading up to the porch, but one day at a time. Shawn also pressure-washed the fence (it looks great!) and the brick out front. Now there's just the deck. Again, there's always another day. He bought the paint for the fence out front, but they've been calling for rain every single day (and yesterday we got hammered) so he'll wait until a time that they're calling for at least 24-48 hours of sunshine to paint so it's not a waste of time.

Meanwhile, I cooked and cooked and cooked, preparing meals for the freezer. I only made one lasagna rather than two, and we ended up having the chicken-fried pork chops for dinner tonight (which were delicious, if I do say so myself). Other than that, everything is in the freezer. Our neighbors stopped by while I was getting my hair done on Saturday and gave Shawn four quarts of strawberries. We had strawberry shortcake for dinner Saturday night, and it was delicious. Mom came over and joined us. I'm going to look for a recipe for something to use the rest up because we have a ton and they definitely need to be eaten within the next day or two. Maybe I can freeze them, too. I've been cleaning up as I go while cooking, but this week I intend to clean the house again in preparation for baby. I noticed a few nooks and crannies that could use scrubbing.

Mom finished sewing the baby bumper (thanks!), and Shawn brought up the car seat for me to clean since it's been in the garage. I also want to get the pack 'n play ready since there are good chances that Joshua won't quite be used to his room yet when the baby arrives. He's been napping in there when he's already completely asleep, but we tried laying him down in there for his nap while he was awake and shut the door. Pretty soon, he walked into our room and shouted "Hi!" He can open doors now and knows how to unlock them. He also opened my tylenol bottle the other day, which I immediately took from him (I never minded before when he played with things like this because he just liked the noise of shaking it, but now that he can open them, they're going up high.) He's a sponge these days and only has to watch once or twice before he starts trying out his new "skills."

Today we went to church as a family and Bob Hazelett from Touch of Fire Ministries spoke. (He's one of our favorites.) He had a great message about us not worrying about recession but realizing that the Kingdom of God is advancing. He spoke from Matthew talking about how the ravens and the lillies don't have to worry about food or clothing (and who can even add an hour to his life by worrying?) He also commented about how lillies grow in the winter, underground, where it's dark and things are usually dying; and we're to consider how they grow. Then he talked about Joseph and how he was like a lilly - he was so blessed that wherever he went, God's blessings followed. Even when he was in jail or in a 'depressing' time, Joseph was blessed. When the land was in "recession" in his day, he became wealthy because he had prepared and had storehouses. So, we are to have storehouses now that God will continually bless. It was an interesting sermon for sure. (You can check it out online through the link to the Lord's House of Prayer on the left of my blog.) They had a time in the beginning right after worship where they talked about praying for anyone who needed "deliverance" - I looked at Shawn and said "I'd like to be delivered! Lord, bring on the baby!" But, obviously Sunday wasn't his ordained time to come.

Shawn & Joshua had more bonding time today - which is super to watch on Father's Day especially. We are so blessed to have Shawn as the Dada. I love how they play together and Shawn includes Joshua in what he's doing (although some things like pressure washing and painting aren't meant for the Bean quite yet). We had a nice productive weekend, with lots more to do this week.