This year so far has come with a lot of stress. We certainly have each other and our health and I am extremely grateful for those things. My husband and I also both have jobs. But I'm still stressed. I'm stressed about all of the things and responsibilities that we have accumulated. And frankly, I'm just over it. Hubby and I have had lots of talks about how we can change things and I think we have come to a good consensus. Minimize.
Wait..... minimize with four kids? Yup! For so long I thought we needed a bigger house because we were outgrowing it. We were running out of space for our things. But in reality, we have more than enough space, its just not utilized to its potential. We have so much 'stuff' and that stuff takes up a lot of space. We also have a lot of wasted space in our house. For example, our master bedroom is ridiculously large. We don't need that much space and we don't use all of that space. In fact, we've actually talked about moving three of the kids into our room, having Mila use a room to herself, and us move into the other room. We also have a "game room" upstairs that is rarely used, except for the kids to throw 'stuff' out of the toy boxes onto the floor.
So, our plan is to minimize. This weekend I gathered 4 garbage bags worth of toys and clothing to take to Goodwill. I'm also putting things aside to sell. I already feel better about what has been decluttered.
We also plan to put our house back on the market. We are looking for a piece of land about 1-3 acres with a simple house. We'd like to raise our own animals and have a large garden to provide for most of our food intake. Smaller house means lower utility bills and less items to clutter the house. Our children also need to learn the value of hard work, honesty, and where our food comes from. Instead of the next "big thing" and keeping up with the Jones'. All it does is lead to stress. Simple is what we are working towards.
Things definitely aren't making us happy. I intend to do what I can to make our lives rich with memories, experiences, and the love of family and each other.
Monday, July 7, 2014
9 and 10 month updates
I can't believe that Miss Mila is already 10 months old. Frankly, I know I should be sad about this, but really I'm not. She is my last baby, but I am so excited to watch her grow and see what kind of person she becomes. I'm really not sad at all that in a few months she will be one.
I took Mila for her 9 month check-up. But really she was more like 9.5 months due to the doc's schedule being full until the end of the month. Here were her stats:
Height: 28 inches
Weight: 18lbs 3.8oz
She also got a couple of shots and will be returning later this month for two more. Mila is learning so many new things these days. I swear each day she can do something more. Mila's new tricks are signing 'more', saying uh-oh, pulling herself up on just about everything, and walking while holding your hands.
Mila has started to decrease her consumption of formula and increase the amount of table food. Lately she will barely take 4oz at a time, but she looooves table food. Mila eats pretty much what we do. For example, yesterday she ate cut up grapes, fresh apricots, peaches, chicken, mushroom risotto, green beans, cheese, and yogurt. I've found that she isn't a big fan of puréed veggies, but will eat the real thing just fine. I've also found the if I do buy some pouches, she is more likely to eat the veggies if it is mixed with a fruit as well.
Sleep has been better than the past, but Mila is still pretty inconsistent with the amount she will sleep at night. She will also wake and want a bottle 1-2 times per night. The doc has recommended that we use this month to wean Mila off the night bottles. I've decreased the night bottles from 6ounces to 4 ounces. My plan is to decrease them to 2-3 ounces during this week and then just water if she is still waking. However, last night she did better and only woke at 4am and took 4oz and then back to sleep. I'm really not a fan of going to bed with bottles, but when she wakes during the night, I've just been giving her the bottle and walking out. I don't want her to associate the night waking with play time. So I keep my time in there as brief as possible. I'm crossing my fingers that this works because she pretty much refuses to go back to sleep without a bottle once she wakes. I'm hoping she will just get full enough during the day and not need to wake at night.
We've also moved Mila out of our room. We did that probably about a month ago. We had to do a little bed switching for the children. We moved Mila's crib into the "girls" room but moved P into the single bed in that room. We then moved Avonlea into the "boy" room to sleep on the bottom bunk. There was just no way I could safely put Mila into a room with A. A would climb into that crib in a heartbeat and I couldn't sleep like that. So far, it has worked out nicely. Although A is the last one to sleep every.single.night. But that's an entirely different post all together.
Overall, Mila is really an awesome baby! Although her sleep has been a challenge during the nights, she is so happy when she is awake. She loves to play, talk, and just be in the action of it all. She adores her siblings and they love to tote her around.
I took Mila for her 9 month check-up. But really she was more like 9.5 months due to the doc's schedule being full until the end of the month. Here were her stats:
Height: 28 inches
Weight: 18lbs 3.8oz
She also got a couple of shots and will be returning later this month for two more. Mila is learning so many new things these days. I swear each day she can do something more. Mila's new tricks are signing 'more', saying uh-oh, pulling herself up on just about everything, and walking while holding your hands.
Mila has started to decrease her consumption of formula and increase the amount of table food. Lately she will barely take 4oz at a time, but she looooves table food. Mila eats pretty much what we do. For example, yesterday she ate cut up grapes, fresh apricots, peaches, chicken, mushroom risotto, green beans, cheese, and yogurt. I've found that she isn't a big fan of puréed veggies, but will eat the real thing just fine. I've also found the if I do buy some pouches, she is more likely to eat the veggies if it is mixed with a fruit as well.
Sleep has been better than the past, but Mila is still pretty inconsistent with the amount she will sleep at night. She will also wake and want a bottle 1-2 times per night. The doc has recommended that we use this month to wean Mila off the night bottles. I've decreased the night bottles from 6ounces to 4 ounces. My plan is to decrease them to 2-3 ounces during this week and then just water if she is still waking. However, last night she did better and only woke at 4am and took 4oz and then back to sleep. I'm really not a fan of going to bed with bottles, but when she wakes during the night, I've just been giving her the bottle and walking out. I don't want her to associate the night waking with play time. So I keep my time in there as brief as possible. I'm crossing my fingers that this works because she pretty much refuses to go back to sleep without a bottle once she wakes. I'm hoping she will just get full enough during the day and not need to wake at night.
We've also moved Mila out of our room. We did that probably about a month ago. We had to do a little bed switching for the children. We moved Mila's crib into the "girls" room but moved P into the single bed in that room. We then moved Avonlea into the "boy" room to sleep on the bottom bunk. There was just no way I could safely put Mila into a room with A. A would climb into that crib in a heartbeat and I couldn't sleep like that. So far, it has worked out nicely. Although A is the last one to sleep every.single.night. But that's an entirely different post all together.
Overall, Mila is really an awesome baby! Although her sleep has been a challenge during the nights, she is so happy when she is awake. She loves to play, talk, and just be in the action of it all. She adores her siblings and they love to tote her around.
Friday, April 11, 2014
Updates and such
Wow, its been ages since I last wrote a post. I really have no excuse other than life has been busy. Let's see what's been going on.....
The boys have started their Spring sports. Both are playing soccer and P is also playing baseball. So, that's two soccer practices per week, 1-2 baseball practices/games per week, and 2-4 soccer games per weekend. Busy, busy!
P turned 7 at the end of March, I can't even believe it! We had a family party on his actual birthday and then he invited a few friends to go see Mr. Peabody and Sherman at the movies. After the movie, we played air hockey and then went for pizza. It was quite fun and I actually preferred it to having an entire class birthday party.
B is all signed up for Kindergarten for the Fall. I can't believe he is going to kindergarten. It almost seems as though it would never come, and soon it will be here. We also moved him out of a 5pt harness and into a high back booster seat. He has finally reached 40lbs and he has grown a little taller. And possibly a little bit more mature. :)
Sissy is talking up a storm and we can understand more and more of what she is saying. We also moved her into a twin sized bed, since she decided one day that she didn't want to stay in her crib anymore. Its been quite the adjustment for us. She doesn't want to stay in her room and after finding her playing in the bathroom sink at 2am, I decided to put a baby gate at the doorway to her room. This way I know she is safe and not roaming the house at all hours. I still have the monitor in her room, so mostly she just calls out for us now. Sissy is also completely potty trained now, which has been amazing! She can totally go on her own now, although I do supervise her in the bathroom because sometimes she doesn't get far enough back on the potty or she will unroll the entire roll of toilet paper.
Mila turned 7 months old on the 1st. She is probably at least 15+ pounds now, size 3 diapers, and 6 months clothes. Although she does wear mostly 9 month sleepers for the length. She eats two 'solids' meals per day, usually breakfast and dinner. She takes about 6oz per feeding and we switched her to HiPP or Holle formula. You can only buy it from Europe, but their standards are much more strict than anything here in the States. Mila prefers the Holle brand and from what I have read, the standard is even better than organic. She has done amazing on it, her eczema is better, her spit up is completely gone, and it has turned her poop back to breast milk like poop. She has just done better on it all around. I found a place here in the States that I can order it from and they send it 2 day shipping instead of waiting 3-4+ weeks for it to ship from the UK. I order a months worth at a time to cut down on shipping costs.
Mila's sleeping has been an issue since about January. Basically, she will only sleep about 2-3 hours, then wake up and be up for 2 hours. Then another 2-3 hours of sleep and then up for the day around 4-5 am. This mama just can't handle it anymore, the lack of sleep is really wearing on me. I've never sleep trained any of my kids, but they never had sleeping issues like this. Mila is still in our room and I wonder if the noises from that are waking her or preventing her from going back to sleep. But the girls will have to share a room, so I'm not sure how that would even work until I can get Mila sleeping better. I've pretty much been doing our usual routine at bedtime, then laying her down, and walking out. She is pretty good at putting herself to sleep at bedtime, but not so much throughout the night. When she wakes at night, I've been feeding her and then laying her back down. Sometimes she will poop at night and then I will change her. But other than that, I let her fuss, talk, roll around in her bed. I feel like maybe I've been trying to 'help' her too much go back to sleep and in return she wasn't able to figure it out on her own. The first night wasn't any worse than she usually is, but she slept from 1145-430am, which was amazing. Last night was even better! She went to sleep around 8pm-11:00pm, ate and went back to sleep, woke again at 4:30am, ate and went back to sleep until 7am. I'm hoping to cut a feeding out one by one and then hopefully she will sleep through the night. I've also talked with the babysitter about getting her on a nap schedule. Some babies don't need a schedule and some do. Mila definitely does! Which can be extremely difficult with 3 other children that have activities and school, etc. But I feel like we will eventually get there.
As for me, I've really been trying to focus on my health lately. I joined a DietBet with a fellow blogger and so far I've done really well. As part of the plan, I have to lose 4% of my starting weight within 28 days to win. For me, that was just over 7lbs. So far, I am down 5.4lbs and at 72% towards my goal. I have now lost 23lbs since I gave birth to Mila in September. I've really been concentrating on my food intake and making sure it is healthy. I have been using Shaklee 180 smoothies since November, but I've really gotten serious about it. I do 1-2 smoothies per day and then healthy meals and exercise. I have to say, I love Shaklee. Not only do they have the meal plans, but they have vitamins, supplements, cleaning products, and children's health as well. I just can't even say enough good things about Shaklee! It's a company that has been around since the '50's and I can trust that what I am putting into my body is healthy. Currently we use the Shaklee 180 smoothies, Vitalizer for Women (vita-strip that includes a daily multi vitamin with Iron, B complex, Omega, and probiotic), Incredivites (children's vitamins), Alfalfa (great for allergies, eczema, etc), baby lotion (this has helped clear up their eczema and made their skin soft again), fabric softener (smells great and won't irritate eczema!), Basic H (cleaning concentrate), and Performance (a natural hydration drink, like Gatorade but without all the nasty stuff). These are the products that we use on a daily basis, but we have several more of their products as well.
I've also decided to become a distributor for Shaklee. I have thought about it for a while now and then talk myself out of it every time. But I feel like now is the right time for me to take the plunge. Not only is it a product that I trust and believe it to solve just about any problem, but it's a way that I can make some extra money without taking time away from my kids and family. I plan to launch my new business on April 19th with a Health & Wellness event at my home. I know so many people that would benefit from these products and I want to share them with the world!! I love that it is a brand for the entire family. My children (even Mila!) take Shaklee vitamins, probiotic, supplements, and products. We have greatly benefitted from them and our health is great! We have actually taken P off all of his allergy medicine and strictly used Shaklee. Its amazing to be medication free!!
Anyways, that's what has been happening around these parts lately. I am hoping to keep up better with the blog and make it a priority.
The boys have started their Spring sports. Both are playing soccer and P is also playing baseball. So, that's two soccer practices per week, 1-2 baseball practices/games per week, and 2-4 soccer games per weekend. Busy, busy!
P turned 7 at the end of March, I can't even believe it! We had a family party on his actual birthday and then he invited a few friends to go see Mr. Peabody and Sherman at the movies. After the movie, we played air hockey and then went for pizza. It was quite fun and I actually preferred it to having an entire class birthday party.
B is all signed up for Kindergarten for the Fall. I can't believe he is going to kindergarten. It almost seems as though it would never come, and soon it will be here. We also moved him out of a 5pt harness and into a high back booster seat. He has finally reached 40lbs and he has grown a little taller. And possibly a little bit more mature. :)
Sissy is talking up a storm and we can understand more and more of what she is saying. We also moved her into a twin sized bed, since she decided one day that she didn't want to stay in her crib anymore. Its been quite the adjustment for us. She doesn't want to stay in her room and after finding her playing in the bathroom sink at 2am, I decided to put a baby gate at the doorway to her room. This way I know she is safe and not roaming the house at all hours. I still have the monitor in her room, so mostly she just calls out for us now. Sissy is also completely potty trained now, which has been amazing! She can totally go on her own now, although I do supervise her in the bathroom because sometimes she doesn't get far enough back on the potty or she will unroll the entire roll of toilet paper.
Mila turned 7 months old on the 1st. She is probably at least 15+ pounds now, size 3 diapers, and 6 months clothes. Although she does wear mostly 9 month sleepers for the length. She eats two 'solids' meals per day, usually breakfast and dinner. She takes about 6oz per feeding and we switched her to HiPP or Holle formula. You can only buy it from Europe, but their standards are much more strict than anything here in the States. Mila prefers the Holle brand and from what I have read, the standard is even better than organic. She has done amazing on it, her eczema is better, her spit up is completely gone, and it has turned her poop back to breast milk like poop. She has just done better on it all around. I found a place here in the States that I can order it from and they send it 2 day shipping instead of waiting 3-4+ weeks for it to ship from the UK. I order a months worth at a time to cut down on shipping costs.
Mila's sleeping has been an issue since about January. Basically, she will only sleep about 2-3 hours, then wake up and be up for 2 hours. Then another 2-3 hours of sleep and then up for the day around 4-5 am. This mama just can't handle it anymore, the lack of sleep is really wearing on me. I've never sleep trained any of my kids, but they never had sleeping issues like this. Mila is still in our room and I wonder if the noises from that are waking her or preventing her from going back to sleep. But the girls will have to share a room, so I'm not sure how that would even work until I can get Mila sleeping better. I've pretty much been doing our usual routine at bedtime, then laying her down, and walking out. She is pretty good at putting herself to sleep at bedtime, but not so much throughout the night. When she wakes at night, I've been feeding her and then laying her back down. Sometimes she will poop at night and then I will change her. But other than that, I let her fuss, talk, roll around in her bed. I feel like maybe I've been trying to 'help' her too much go back to sleep and in return she wasn't able to figure it out on her own. The first night wasn't any worse than she usually is, but she slept from 1145-430am, which was amazing. Last night was even better! She went to sleep around 8pm-11:00pm, ate and went back to sleep, woke again at 4:30am, ate and went back to sleep until 7am. I'm hoping to cut a feeding out one by one and then hopefully she will sleep through the night. I've also talked with the babysitter about getting her on a nap schedule. Some babies don't need a schedule and some do. Mila definitely does! Which can be extremely difficult with 3 other children that have activities and school, etc. But I feel like we will eventually get there.
As for me, I've really been trying to focus on my health lately. I joined a DietBet with a fellow blogger and so far I've done really well. As part of the plan, I have to lose 4% of my starting weight within 28 days to win. For me, that was just over 7lbs. So far, I am down 5.4lbs and at 72% towards my goal. I have now lost 23lbs since I gave birth to Mila in September. I've really been concentrating on my food intake and making sure it is healthy. I have been using Shaklee 180 smoothies since November, but I've really gotten serious about it. I do 1-2 smoothies per day and then healthy meals and exercise. I have to say, I love Shaklee. Not only do they have the meal plans, but they have vitamins, supplements, cleaning products, and children's health as well. I just can't even say enough good things about Shaklee! It's a company that has been around since the '50's and I can trust that what I am putting into my body is healthy. Currently we use the Shaklee 180 smoothies, Vitalizer for Women (vita-strip that includes a daily multi vitamin with Iron, B complex, Omega, and probiotic), Incredivites (children's vitamins), Alfalfa (great for allergies, eczema, etc), baby lotion (this has helped clear up their eczema and made their skin soft again), fabric softener (smells great and won't irritate eczema!), Basic H (cleaning concentrate), and Performance (a natural hydration drink, like Gatorade but without all the nasty stuff). These are the products that we use on a daily basis, but we have several more of their products as well.
Anyways, that's what has been happening around these parts lately. I am hoping to keep up better with the blog and make it a priority.
Friday, January 3, 2014
Five on Friday
It's Friday yet it feels like Monday. I'm stuck at work today and I'd rather be home. Ugh!
1. Mila turned four months old on the 1st of January! She weighs in at 10lbs 14.8 oz and is 24 inches long. Definitely the smallest of the four weight wise, but the longest by an inch! She's wearing size 2 diapers and some 0-3 and some 3-6 month clothing. She mostly needs the length, not the girth.
2. We got about 5-6 inches of snow yesterday.We're supposed to get another 6-8 on Sunday. Honestly, I don't mind the snow. It's the -35 windchill that's going to be killer. Whose coming over to shovel the driveway while hubby is at work?!
3. I am sort of liking this whole "working but being at home" thing I have going on. I am currently working 2-3 days a week and then I'm home the rest. I could handle this long term. Not sure the bank account will like it though. :)
4. I am totally ready for the kids to go back to school on Monday. But then there's that snow that's coming on Sunday. It's not looking good for me. But I am really ready to get back to a schedule again.
5. Diva #1 is proving to be the challenge child when it comes to potty training. She has such an "I don't really care about the potty" attitude that it's been a challenge to get her to be consistent. She still won't tell us when she has to go and if going is going to interrupt what she is doing, then she definitely doesn't want to be bothered with it. I had both boys trained by 2.5, which is where she is now. I'm hoping before the summer we can have this knocked out!
Tuesday, December 31, 2013
New Year, New Do's
I despise New Year's resolutions. They never stick. Then you feel terrible. So, I've decided this year I am going to make a list of the things that I would like to do, and do differently. Shall we begin?
1. Change my 'retirement' account over to a 401K or other retirement account. This is number one on my list of things to do because my old 'retirement' account is from the State and I can't contribute to it since I don't work for the State anymore. And haven't for, oh, 4 years now. Yeeeaah. I'm totally on top of things. So I need to switch it to an account that I can contribute to. But lets face it, with 4 kids, I'm never retiring.
2. Get on a strict budget and pay some debt down or eliminate it. We have never really set a true 'budget' per say. I would really like to get better about this and really see where our money is going. (i.e. how much I really spend at Starbucks. Or not. I've gotten better since being on maternity leave. No really, I have.)
3. Get in a good workout routine and make it truly a part of my life. I always feel great after working out, but I often lack the motivation to actually do it on a regular basis. Sure I attend Zumba once or twice a week and occasionally do Pilates, but that's pretty much it. I want to see a size 8 again, or if I'm really ambitious, a size 6! I want to shed this leftover (x4!) baby weight once and for all.
4. I want to keep the house more organized and spend less time cleaning and more time with the kids. I feel like we always have mounds of laundry waiting to be folded or put away. Laundry for 6 people is no joke! It never stops and it will never be done. I really want to implement chore charts for the kids and let them have some responsibility around the house. Peytonn is really good at helping, but the others......not so much.
5. Save some money. We had a nice stash put away for when I went on maternity leave and sadly that tank has run dry. It was nice knowing that we had some backup in case we needed it. So I'd like to start building that stash again and be able to take a vacation or something in the next year or so.
These are my top five things that I'd like to make happen this year. Some will be easy to accomplish, and others will be more of a challenge. I plan to research and take steps to really make these things happen and not just "talk about it."
What are some of the things you'd like to change in the new year?
1. Change my 'retirement' account over to a 401K or other retirement account. This is number one on my list of things to do because my old 'retirement' account is from the State and I can't contribute to it since I don't work for the State anymore. And haven't for, oh, 4 years now. Yeeeaah. I'm totally on top of things. So I need to switch it to an account that I can contribute to. But lets face it, with 4 kids, I'm never retiring.
2. Get on a strict budget and pay some debt down or eliminate it. We have never really set a true 'budget' per say. I would really like to get better about this and really see where our money is going. (i.e. how much I really spend at Starbucks. Or not. I've gotten better since being on maternity leave. No really, I have.)
3. Get in a good workout routine and make it truly a part of my life. I always feel great after working out, but I often lack the motivation to actually do it on a regular basis. Sure I attend Zumba once or twice a week and occasionally do Pilates, but that's pretty much it. I want to see a size 8 again, or if I'm really ambitious, a size 6! I want to shed this leftover (x4!) baby weight once and for all.
4. I want to keep the house more organized and spend less time cleaning and more time with the kids. I feel like we always have mounds of laundry waiting to be folded or put away. Laundry for 6 people is no joke! It never stops and it will never be done. I really want to implement chore charts for the kids and let them have some responsibility around the house. Peytonn is really good at helping, but the others......not so much.
5. Save some money. We had a nice stash put away for when I went on maternity leave and sadly that tank has run dry. It was nice knowing that we had some backup in case we needed it. So I'd like to start building that stash again and be able to take a vacation or something in the next year or so.
These are my top five things that I'd like to make happen this year. Some will be easy to accomplish, and others will be more of a challenge. I plan to research and take steps to really make these things happen and not just "talk about it."
What are some of the things you'd like to change in the new year?
Wednesday, December 11, 2013
Parent struggles
This post has been a long time coming. I've never really come out and talked about our struggles with Bennett, but I have made comments here and there about it.
So, today I wear my heart on my sleeve as I talk about our second child, Bennett, and the struggles we face with him. Please be kind, as it is never easy for a parent to put themselves out there.
I first noticed a decline in Bennett's behavior after his first birthday. And every year after that. I kept telling myself that it was just the toddler years and he would grow out of it. Our oldest child did, so why wouldn't Bennett.
Bennett is five years old now and we continue to struggle with him. I worry because next year he will start kindergarten and I really don't want his behavior to affect his ability to learn and make friends.
Our daily home life is a struggle. If you've ever met Bennett, I'm sure you have witnessed at least some of the chaos. Every single task, every single command is a struggle. I feel like I've lost my mind more times than I can count. I'm frustrated, sad, irritated, and blameful of myself and my parenting skills. I've said to myself so many times, "I teach parenting skills for my job, why can't I parent my own kid?!"
Let me paint you a picture of a day in our lives.
The kids start to wake up around 5-6am. About ten minutes after Bennett is awake, the first fight/brawl occurs between him and a sibling. I attempt to make breakfast and pack lunches for the day. (I send a GF lunch with Bennett to the babysitter) A few more arguments occur before breakfast is ready. Finally I call the kids to eat. Bennett is either the first or the last to the table. If he is last, he then throws a tantrum because someone is in the chair that he wanted. Once that is taken care of, I remind him 5-10 times that he needs to eat. He stabs my table with his fork and I repeatedly ask him to stop before I finally just take the fork away. He screams and cries. Once he settles down I ask him if he wants to try again and he continues to eat. He is usually the last one still eating.
It's now time to get dressed. I've laid all the children's clothing out and ask the boys to get dressed. After 10 minutes, everyone is dressed. Except Bennett. He is completely able to dress himself without assistance. If he wants to. I tell Bennett that I am leaving the house in 15 minutes and if he is not dressed, then he is going however he is. This also results in screaming and crying usually. Sometimes he says ok and gets a move on it. It's now time to leave the house and Bennett is dressed but without socks. I tell him he needs to get his socks and shoes on. He screams and cries that he doesn't know how to put his socks on. (He does!) Its now 7:15am and I am running around trying to make sure all backpacks are packed and lunches with the right kiddo. Get kids buckled in their car seats and all the diaper bags in the car. Mind you, I haven't eaten or gotten dressed yet.
Once we return home in the afternoon, it's the same all over again. Dinner is the same, baths are a struggle, arguments/brawls with siblings, and he is usually the last one to sleep at night.
Do I need to paint a picture of going out in public or an hour long mass?!? It's all the same.....a struggle.
I've talked to his doc about it and we even had him evaluated by an OT, which was a joke. I've changed his diet to gluten free, attempted being really strict or more lenient. I feel like we've tried it all. I've cried so many times out of frustration. I know people stare at us when we are out in public and think "why can't they control their kid?!" Don't you think I've asked myself a million times that same question?! But Bennett isn't that simple, he isn't a typical kid. Because if he was, we wouldn't be struggling.
He has some really great qualities. He is so determined, outgoing, loving, and wants to try everything. I just need to figure out how to channel that into positive things instead of the negative.
I started reading this book and so far I love it! It really hits home. I love that it is Christian based and focuses on taking the will without breaking the spirit of a child. It has been the only thing I have tried where I saw results immediately. We still struggle, but I am so much more hopeful that we can get to where we want to be. I am happier and less stressed, which means Bennett is happier.
I know there are lots of parents out there that really love their kids. But sometimes really struggle with how to parent that child the best. Please don't be judgemental of parents when you see them out in public. You have no idea what their background is. They know you're staring and making comments under your breath. They can feel it. They probably just want to grab some milk and bread and be on their way. And thank you to all those people who feel the need to tell me that I have my hands full. I wasn't quite aware.
Sunday, December 8, 2013
Concerns
Notice anything strange in this picture?
So, I've been noticing over the last few weeks that Mila always holds her head to one side. It's like the top of her head pulls right while her chin goes left.
Do you see it now in the pictures?
At first I thought it was just because her head was still unstable but then I noticed more and more. Every single time. I'm now starting to wonder if she has torticollis. I've googled it of course and I know friends whose babies have had it before. It sounds pretty identical to Mila and how she holds her head.
I plan to call the doc on Monday and see if she needs to be seen before her 4 month appt at the beginning of January. I've already started working with Mila on stretching the muscles on that side of her neck, holding her in different positions, and playing in different positions. This could also explain why she dislikes tummy time so much.
It doesn't look too severe to me at this point, but I worry that if it is ignored, it could turn into something a lot worse. We will see what the doc recommends.
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