Many parents, doctors, etc. have such extreme views on potty training. Many doctors will tell you that 18 months is the key age to start. Some parents say, stick them in underwear, they will be trained in no time! Believe me, I've heard my fair share of rants on the importance of potty training early or about how to do it. I guess, my husband and I might have once gone along with these phrases but we've learned. Your kid is ready when they are ready, age really isn't the important factor.
Amber was ready to start talking about going potty at about 20ish months. She was even willing to humor us by sitting on the potty every now and then. By two years old, we were talking about another baby and thought wow, I guess we'd really better work on this. And we did...a bit. But honestly she just wasn't ready to do it all the time for us. So we got more laid back about it. In March of 09, we found out we were indeed expecting and thought again, now is the time to push the issue. So mommy got a bit more "mean" about potty training. But when I found out we were going to lose Alex, that changed a lot. I realized that every moment is precious in each kid's life and here we were pressing some not very important issues. I realized that all this time, I'd been rushing my daughter and myself. Don't get me wrong, I don't LOVE changing diapers but hey, that's part of being a mom and I LOVE being a a mom. So, we slowed down and I wasn't ready to push her, I didn't really mind the occasional diaper and I totally didn't mind keeping her as my little girl still.
So where am I going with this rant? I'm just saying that as parents, we should pay more attention to our children's needs instead of what everyone else says. It's easy to compare to so and so's kids down the road but every kid is different. Enjoy all the moments of your kid's lives and wait for the right time for these milestones.
I should add, that yes, Amber is ready and has been for a little while. We went and bought lots of cute underwear this past weekend and my eyes tear up when I see my little girl wearing them during the day now. I'm really proud of her and I know that she'll be prepared for anything else that comes her way in the future if I just give her some time. And honestly, I'm proud of myself for slowing down and enjoying the everyday moments and not just wishing the time away.
Thursday, January 21, 2010
Friday, January 15, 2010
Long Time...
So, I've been blogging for all of what? a month and a half?! And how many posts are on my page?! Yeah, so I just proved that I'm not so great at keeping up with this, I'll try harder. ;) Anyways, I guess I should cut myself some slack, it HAS been the holiday season and my husband HAS just started a new job and I HAVE been busy preparing children's ministry stuff.
SO, where do I start? I suppose with the holidays. We were blessed with a lovely, though busy holiday season. The week of Christmas, we had my brother and law and his wife, as well as my sister in law staying with us. On Christmas Eve, we had our Christmas Eve Service and on Christmas day, visits to make.
Since Josh and I are leaders of the Children's Ministry, we were busy with the kids rendition of the Nativity story. They did a wonderful job with their "skit" and blessed the congregation with Away in a Manger and Joy to the World.
For Christmas Eve dinner, I baked a ham and had baked potatoes and vegetables. For Christmas day, I made raspberry pears, a peppermint cake, and a vegetable ring. We went to Amber's Nana's house and enjoyed these dishes as well as many others.
Josh and I made the decision this year to not give each other gifts and to stick to pictures of Amber for the rest of the family. This saved a lot of money for us and is something we're considering continuing in the years to come. It's the most fun to see the kid's reactions to their gifts anyways. Amber received a Strawberry Shortcake game, a cash register, her own camera, a princess bath set, some coloring books and a dance camera as well as other things. (No, these were not all gifts from us.) She absolutely loves taking pictures on her own camera.
A few days after Christmas, Amber went to decorate a gingerbread house at her Grandma's house. This is a holiday tradition started by Grandma which she intends to keep doing each year. Amber loved decorating her house along with all of her friends Carly, Carter, Allison, Anthony, Bejamin, Kayla, and Christopher.
Finally to sort of end the holiday season, we took Amber to Hartwood Acres to see the light display. We've never done this before with her and actually Josh has never seen it either. Grandpa and Aunt Bethany went with us since we could all fit in our van. :)
Well that's about it for now. I'll be posting about our potty training experiences later this weekend. Happy Friday everyone!
SO, where do I start? I suppose with the holidays. We were blessed with a lovely, though busy holiday season. The week of Christmas, we had my brother and law and his wife, as well as my sister in law staying with us. On Christmas Eve, we had our Christmas Eve Service and on Christmas day, visits to make.
Since Josh and I are leaders of the Children's Ministry, we were busy with the kids rendition of the Nativity story. They did a wonderful job with their "skit" and blessed the congregation with Away in a Manger and Joy to the World.
For Christmas Eve dinner, I baked a ham and had baked potatoes and vegetables. For Christmas day, I made raspberry pears, a peppermint cake, and a vegetable ring. We went to Amber's Nana's house and enjoyed these dishes as well as many others.
Josh and I made the decision this year to not give each other gifts and to stick to pictures of Amber for the rest of the family. This saved a lot of money for us and is something we're considering continuing in the years to come. It's the most fun to see the kid's reactions to their gifts anyways. Amber received a Strawberry Shortcake game, a cash register, her own camera, a princess bath set, some coloring books and a dance camera as well as other things. (No, these were not all gifts from us.) She absolutely loves taking pictures on her own camera.
A few days after Christmas, Amber went to decorate a gingerbread house at her Grandma's house. This is a holiday tradition started by Grandma which she intends to keep doing each year. Amber loved decorating her house along with all of her friends Carly, Carter, Allison, Anthony, Bejamin, Kayla, and Christopher.
Finally to sort of end the holiday season, we took Amber to Hartwood Acres to see the light display. We've never done this before with her and actually Josh has never seen it either. Grandpa and Aunt Bethany went with us since we could all fit in our van. :)
Well that's about it for now. I'll be posting about our potty training experiences later this weekend. Happy Friday everyone!
Sunday, December 13, 2009
Away in a Manger
For those who do not attend our church, you can disregard the following posting. Because we didn't have church this morning due to freezing rain, we've posted motions here for a song we want the kids to learn for Christmas Eve.
Here is verse 1 for Away in a Manger. Amber was getting a little goofy by the time we got to making the video, so her actions don't always match mine (Josh). And no you CANNOT use this as blackmail against me!
Verse 2
Verse 3
Here is verse 1 for Away in a Manger. Amber was getting a little goofy by the time we got to making the video, so her actions don't always match mine (Josh). And no you CANNOT use this as blackmail against me!
Verse 2
Verse 3
Monday, December 7, 2009
Welcome
So I've finally broken down and started a blog. Now we'll see if I can keep up with the task. I'll start by letting all know what's been going on in our lives (hence the title of my blog). I apologize to anyone who has heard bits and pieces of, or all of this information already.
Employment
I am a stay at home mom, whose husband has worked full-time (sometimes two jobs) for the last three years so I could continue to stay home with our three year old daughter. About two months ago now, we found out Josh was about to lose his job. We didn't know when the last day would be, just that it could be two months or even up to five months before we would be devoid of income. Now, we both really hated the job he had but hey, it did put food on the table, paid the medical bills and allowed us to just plain live. It was a very stressful job and neither of us wanted him to have it long term but we figured on it lasting at least through the summer. SO...we started looking around, sending out applications, etc. We chose for him to give his two weeks notice so that he could be ready to take the first job offered to him. This may seem risky but it seemed to be what God wanted us to do.
Before the two weeks was even up, two jobs were offered. One part time and one full time, together they would make up enough to live on for the rest of the year. This week the part-time job was started and starting Jan. 2nd the other job will start.
Expecting...
Most who will read this will already know but for those who do not, I am over 12 weeks pregnant. Needless to say, we were a little concerned about everyone's well being while looking for employment. Not a good time to be bringing a new baby into the world when you don't know how in the world you yourself can live.
On top of this, we were already basket cases over the pregnancy since we lost our previous baby to a miscarriage back in the spring. So, we trekked into the doctor's appointments just waiting for something to be wrong. But much to our amazement, at both 10 and 12 weeks, baby was doing completely fine. Adequate growth, tons of movement and a wonderful heartbeat- all good signs for an expectant parent.
New Vehicle
Again, simultaneously with the previous issues, we needed to start looking for a new vehicle. Josh was driving home from a class he's taking and was in a 5 car pile up on the highway. All were okay but the car....not so much. With a totaled car and not much money, we were into paying rental car prices for more than a week.
Finally, we did find a van for ourselves. It's very nice, well taken care of, and was right within our price range. We absolutely love it and it will be perfect for our growing family!
In conclusion, I think I gave a pretty good synopsis of why I've picked this title for my blog and why we are so grateful to God right now. Nothing this year has brought us was what we had expected. God has brought far better instead. His grace is plentiful and when we probably least deserve it, He showers it upon us. :)
Employment
I am a stay at home mom, whose husband has worked full-time (sometimes two jobs) for the last three years so I could continue to stay home with our three year old daughter. About two months ago now, we found out Josh was about to lose his job. We didn't know when the last day would be, just that it could be two months or even up to five months before we would be devoid of income. Now, we both really hated the job he had but hey, it did put food on the table, paid the medical bills and allowed us to just plain live. It was a very stressful job and neither of us wanted him to have it long term but we figured on it lasting at least through the summer. SO...we started looking around, sending out applications, etc. We chose for him to give his two weeks notice so that he could be ready to take the first job offered to him. This may seem risky but it seemed to be what God wanted us to do.
Before the two weeks was even up, two jobs were offered. One part time and one full time, together they would make up enough to live on for the rest of the year. This week the part-time job was started and starting Jan. 2nd the other job will start.
Expecting...
Most who will read this will already know but for those who do not, I am over 12 weeks pregnant. Needless to say, we were a little concerned about everyone's well being while looking for employment. Not a good time to be bringing a new baby into the world when you don't know how in the world you yourself can live.
On top of this, we were already basket cases over the pregnancy since we lost our previous baby to a miscarriage back in the spring. So, we trekked into the doctor's appointments just waiting for something to be wrong. But much to our amazement, at both 10 and 12 weeks, baby was doing completely fine. Adequate growth, tons of movement and a wonderful heartbeat- all good signs for an expectant parent.
New Vehicle
Again, simultaneously with the previous issues, we needed to start looking for a new vehicle. Josh was driving home from a class he's taking and was in a 5 car pile up on the highway. All were okay but the car....not so much. With a totaled car and not much money, we were into paying rental car prices for more than a week.
Finally, we did find a van for ourselves. It's very nice, well taken care of, and was right within our price range. We absolutely love it and it will be perfect for our growing family!
In conclusion, I think I gave a pretty good synopsis of why I've picked this title for my blog and why we are so grateful to God right now. Nothing this year has brought us was what we had expected. God has brought far better instead. His grace is plentiful and when we probably least deserve it, He showers it upon us. :)
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