We're very lucky.
Jack is the sort of child
we all assume we'll have
when we decide to have children,
and the sort of child
less experienced parents
congratulate themselves for.January and February 2004
March and April 2004
May and June 2004
July and August 2004
September and October 2004
November and December 2004
Blogs we read:
Tuesday, Oct. 26, 2004 - (Mamma)
They grow up so fast!
It's been pretty amazing watching Jack grow up so fast lately.
Just in the course of the last few days, it seems that Jack has made amazing progress toward becoming a boy rather than a baby. (Yeah, I say that will annoying frequency ... but it's TRUE!)
Lately, though still lets us carry him when we're in a hurry, Jack vastly prefers to walk with us. Dad and I are working together on consistency in getting him to stay with us, rather than wandering off.
We have different approaches.
Rod likes to be right there, to catch Jack before he steps into danger. I love that he feels that way, and I respect his methods. He's such a caring and attentive Dad!
But my methods are different. I like to give Jack space to learn his limitations. Rather than preventing him from stepping into danger, I prefer to be one step away so that Jack can experiment and find out what he can do -- but I can catch him in mid-air before he suffers anything more serious than a scare.
But sometimes my method results in falls and bruises. Sometimes, when I try to catch him at the last moment, I will miss. So -- at least in the short term -- my method is more dangerous.
But it also means that in the long term, we will be able to trust Jack to make decisions for himself, and because he will know that we trust him, he may be that little bit more willing to listen when we advise against something.
Well, until he 15 and knows everything already, anyway.
But there are those bruises, and there is potential for more danger.
We'll find a way to do it together. Rod respects and understands my method as well as I do his -- and really, we're not that far apart in our beliefs. It's really just a matter of technique.
OK, in re-reading this, I realize that it's not really clear how our difference would manifest.
Here's an example from this morning. When we leave the apartment, we have to go down a flight of stairs before we leave the building. If he's not in a sling, Jack makes a mad dash for the stairs, giggling, and sure he can make it down on his own.
Dad's method -- carry the boy until the door is locked, then let him climb down the stairs holding our hands, if there's time.
Mom's method. Get a step below Jack, and let him try taking the step without holding on. Can he make it? I doubt it -- and I'm ready to catch him if he falls.
So, why let him risk his neck? Well, with Dad's method, there is an ongoing competition about who can get to the stairs first -- because Jack has never been allowed to try it, he continues to believe that he could do it on his own, if only we'd let him. With my method,either we discover that he *can* do it on his own ... or more likely, Jack falls and learns that he still needs help. That means he won't be in such a hurry to get to the stairs before we can catch him, and I think it will make him safer overall.
But, I have to admit that it could backfire.
So, we're working out how to handle it.
Sing Along
Jack loves music. Longtime readers will rememebr that he started singing to the radio a long time ago, and has been requesting music in the car since he was very small.
He had stopped singing along for a while, but lately Jack has been singing along to music on the radio again -- and when we play a pop station he has taken to singing "la la loo" (I love you) along to all of the love songs.
Funny boy!
Sleep
In case you were wondering -- Jack slept through the night with no terrors last night.
I still don't really know what that was about...he didn't get to bed any earlier than usual last night -- later in fact. Rod and I both worked out, so it was 5 minutes before Jack's bedtime before we got dinner on the table.
It's not about less stress than usual, either. Evidently, Jack cried for an hour and a half while I was at the gym.
Poor little guy. He's usually ok with me going out for a bit -- but while I did explain that would be going out, I was in such a hurry when I left that I forgot the "going out ritual".
Shoes
Since he got his shoes, Jack has been obsessed with his and with everyone elses. He wants to put his shoes on for the day even before we change his diaper in the morning -- much less get him dressed. And he wants to tell me which shoe to put on first, and he supervises the sock putting on, too.
Shoes, it seems, are *very* important.
I can't help but wonder if they'd have the same importance if the shoes hadn't coincidentally arrived a day or two after he learned to walk...
Metablogging: I believe the comments are fixed now. Well, sort of. I can't figure out why they don't reflect comments enerted, but they should be sorted according to the post they were entered in now...
I also noted that my rating on BlogExplosion is rising.
If you made it this far, presumably you care a little about kids blogs -- if you have suggestions, I'm "all ears!"
