Practical & Conscientious Parenting
Archive for March, 2010
There’s a Nooth Grush
Edie’s first two teeth came in when she was just over three months old. She actually cut her first tooth on my finger while we were at an event at Ashley’s school! It’s always been a fun and exciting thing for me, although they came with mixed feelings for Ashley since she’s the one breastfeeding.
I mentioned it to my dental hygienist around the same time, because I thought she’d be surprised that Edie had them so young. She was, and she immediately gave me a children’s toothbrush for Edie. Even though Edie wasn’t eating anything other than breast milk at the time, my hygienist said that plaque can start to build up.
Anyway, she absolutely loves playing with it, even if she uses it backwards. She’ll chew on it for half an hour if we let her. We’re going to be two lucky parents if she keeps up her joy of tooth brushing.
Jolly Jumper
Edie striking a pose in her Jolly Jumper
I remember these cool little jumpers from when I was a kid. We decided to get one for Edie, but it’s been about a two month process. We looked around town first, and the only thing we could find was really bulky and had lots of plastic parts to it. Plus, the spring was really stiff, so it didn’t really seem like much fun for Edie. After looking around online, the only place Ashley could find a decent old-fashioned style jumper was at Toys-R-Us — in Canada. This is not the first time we’ve had to look outside the US for cool baby things.
Fortunately for us, our friend Owen went to the Winter Olympics in Vancouver, and he was able to stop at Toys-R-Us and pick one up for us.
Edie isn’t as big of a fan as I thought she would be of her Jolly Jumper. If I’m there playing with her, she and I can play for probably 20 minutes or so before she gets board. If I’m watching her from the kitchen table while I’m cooking, she tends to get board after five minutes unless I hand her new toys to play with.
What I like about it is that she’s upright, and has a chance to use her leg muscles without me bending halfway over and “exercising” my back. Once she gets a little bigger, I could see there being a risk of her hitting her head on the door jamb if I’m not watching closely, but this isn’t something I’d leave her unattended in anyway.
Busy weekend
On Friday, an old coworker of mine was in town with his family. They decided to stay the night, because they were too tired to drive home. Ashley’s sister and her boyfriend also came to stay with us for the weekend. It was a fun-filled weekend, and I’m exhausted, as is Edie. She is always quite a trouper, and even when her sleep schedule gets messed up, she stays pretty smiley. The only thing I’ve noticed so far (and today was a prime example) is that whenever she gets low on sleep, it gets harder and harder to get her to sleep. But she’s in bed resting now, and I’m ready to get some rest before the week as well.
But I am thankful everyday to have such an accommodating, happy, people-loving little one. I love you, Edie!
Staying On Task
15 years
Part of the web work I do is for a company my mom works for called Wings Seminars in Eugene, Oregon. I’m a very strong advocate for the work they do, which is personal development seminars. I’ve had a very supportive family growing up, and I’ve always felt that I am capable of living the life I want to live because I have a such a strong support network. But being capable doesn’t mean that my actions always reflect my values. One of the things I’ve appreciated about the training I’ve participated in at Wings Seminars is the group interactions, which support me in being accountable for my actions.
Since I’ve started blogging, I’ve felt a similar sort of support in being accountable for how I show up as a parent. Taking the time to write about the decisions I make as a parent helps me reflect on my choices as a parent, and stay aligned with my beliefs and values. I find it’s helping me stay on task with what I want to do with my life as well. When I think about what I can write about that will hold some interest for any readers out there, I remember that I want to live a life that I enjoy writing about. Writing supports me in living the life I want to write about.