Tag: toddler

little girl, big hurts

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Found this post in my drafts from March 2014! Posting now because, well, I suck at creating compelling content lately and don’t want my blog to die a slow and painful death 😉 Have some other gems too — not sure why I hadn’t hit publish on all these!?! But here’s one for now — still relevant, now that Maya is nearing four.

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I’m one of those people who says I’m sorry when someone else bumps into me in the grocery store.  If I walk into someone’s office, I tend to apologize for “interrupting them,” even though I’ve asked if they have a few minutes ahead of time. And as a kid, I used to punish myself for the most minor of transgressions. Continue reading “little girl, big hurts” →

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alpha, beta, gamma

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she made me a mom

There are alpha parents (also known as “helicopter parents”) and there are beta parents, as I learned about this weekend when some friends shared The Beta Parent Manifesto.

After reading it and thinking about how I parent, I think I am a hybrid of both … alpha and beta. Call me a “gamma” parent. Continue reading “alpha, beta, gamma” →

Carefully chosen words

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All of a sudden, Maya has  grown taller and thinned out. Her delicious Michelin Man arm rolls and chubby toddler cheeks have all but disappeared. She is still built like Luis and I — a long, lean(ish) torso and thicker arms and legs. But her body is … different now.

She’s clearly had a growth spurt–even though she still religiously wears two pairs of 18-24 month BabyGap jeans (no clue how they still fit …) , depending on the brand, some of her 2T clothes are getting snug. Short. This is a kid who wore newborn til she was two months old and was always a size behind her age. Continue reading “Carefully chosen words” →

What She Knows …

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I’ve said it before, but we’re constantly blown away by all the things we don’t know that Maya knows.

For as much time as we spend together — teaching her, nurturing her — she still spends a good portion of her day at preschool. And though we get a little write-up each day detailing her day,  there’s no way to really grasp the full scope of what she is absorbing, short of being a fly on the wall. Continue reading “What She Knows …” →

Letting Go

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Part of parenthood means giving up control and letting go: never losing sight of our children, but loosening our instinctive grip. It’s daunting and exhilarating at the same time, but it’s a necessary component of being a mom or a dad.

Recently, Maya experienced her first amusement park-type ride — a Ferris Wheel — at Luis’s company picnic (which is really a full-blown carnival complete with a mobile petting zoo including kangaroos, monkeys, a baby zebra …., lots of blow-up rides, games, food booths, and even some real rides … it’s insane!).

As soon as we arrived, she couldn’t take her little eyes off the kiddie Ferris Wheel. We thought we’d ease into it by letting her try going through the big caterpillar tunnel — on ground level —  but after taking off her shoes and waiting in line 10 minutes, and asking us every 30 seconds if it was her turn yet, she got to the entrance … and backed out. I tried gently coaxing her but she wasn’t having any of it. I didn’t want to traumatize her, so I let it be, figuring she’s only two … there will be plenty of other opportunities to push her. Continue reading “Letting Go” →

Rock Me

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It’s been a long time since we regularly rocked Maya to bed. Pretty much once she moved into her big-girl bed, she stopped wanting to be held and though it pained me to give up that special time, I also knew she wanted her independence and, well, who am I to stand in the way of a strong, independent little woman in the making?!

Every so often, however, she gets clingy at bed-time and whispers “Rock me, Mommy,” after she has already been tucked in.

Without fail, the maternal instinct to cuddle my young trumps the the exhausted, very pregnant, very uncomfortable side of me, which finds it hard to rock her with my aching back and bulging belly in the way. Continue reading “Rock Me” →

Proud Mama!

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Yesterday Maya’s daily report card had an extra-special message from her teacher: “She is doing wonderful! 🙂 She is going all on her own!”

We all did the happy dance, for sure — but what has surprised me most of all is she hasn’t been wearing diapers at nap-time this week! Sometimes she’s woken to use the bathroom, or slept through, but she’s been dry now for 2 weeks at school (including this week at naps) and she has been going in public places (when need be …and with a fight but still …) so I feel like we have turned a MAJOR corner here on this journey to self-sufficiency/independence.

Of course, doing well these past three weeks doesn’t mean accidents won’t happen — she’s still only two — and we haven’t tackled the overnight diaper situation yet, which is bound to be a challenge. But I think we can safely say, she really is day-time/nap-time potty-trained!

While the chicken pox was not something I’d wish on anyone, being home and quarantined three weeks ago really did help in the world of potty-training.

Hurrah for something positive coming out of an otherwise sucky situation!

 

 

Second Time Around

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This pregnancy has been different from my pregnancy with Maya for a whole host of reasons.

1) Anxiety levels = DOWN. While I was an anxious mess all nine months of my pregnancy with Maya (with just cause), this go around, it’s not that I’m not anxious this time, but rather it isn’t consuming my thoughts. To put my mind at ease, I did do the prenatal testing I said I would, but I have a toddler demanding my time (rightfully so) and she is my top priority. In fact, unless I catch sight of my belly in a mirror or someone asks how I’m feeling, aside from the constant need to use the ladies room, it’s easy for me to forget I am six months pregnant. Last time I obsessed over each BabyCenter weekly update; this time I’ve only read a couple and don’t even know what size fruit/veggie Baby Boy is unless someone asks and I check TheBump.com (this week: cauliflower!). Continue reading “Second Time Around” →

I Don’t Know What She Knows

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I’ve blogged before about how surprised I’ve been to discover what, indeed, Maya knows. From the moment they are born, children are learning and soaking up their surroundings so I’m not sure why I’m so fascinated … but I definitely am.

Two recent learning instances were worthy of capturing on video. Continue reading “I Don’t Know What She Knows” →

Little Conversationalist

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For a while now, we’ve been having full-on conversations with Maya. Typically they are observation-related … what did you eat today, who did you play with, what book are we going to read … stuff that requires more than a yes or no response but doesn’t necessarily warrant a full-on dialogue … yet often lately, it turns into that. Dinner-time is getting a lot more fun, that’s for sure! Continue reading “Little Conversationalist” →