Friday, February 29, 2008

Leap Year!

It's Leap Year today! And it is still snowing here. I can't wait for spring!!! So tired of the cold. Have a wonderful day. Here are some pretty flowers to hold me over:

flowers

Monday, February 25, 2008

Super fun survey- Thanks Mandy!

I found this fun survey on my friend Mandy's blog:

1. Go to photobucket.com.
2. Type in your answer for each question into the PhotoBucket search bar.
3. Only use the first two pages. Choose your favorite photo to represent your answer.
4. Copy the html and paste it here.
5. You can only answer in picture form.

What is your name:

Mandie

What kind of car do you drive?

Back - Exterior

Where did you go to school?

Indiana University

What is your favorite color?

?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!

Who is your celebrity crush?

george clooney

What is your favorite song?

Sade: By Your Side

What is your favorite movie?

Photobucket

Who is your favorite Disney princess?

belle

What is your ideal vacation destination?

Photobucket

What is your favorite dessert?

cookie

What is your favorite letter?

Photobucket

What is your favorite number?

Photobucket

What are you most afraid of?

snake

What did you want to be when you grew up?

Photobucket

What is your favorite time of day?
Photobucket


What do you love most in this world?

family

What is your favorite accessory?

shoes

What is one word that describes you?

passionate

Sunday, February 24, 2008

My baby is crawling!

Nathan has been crawling for the last two days!! I can't believe how big he is!! Mama is so proud!

Friday, February 22, 2008

Favorite picture of the moment

Just wanted to post this sweet picture of Nathan. So happy and smiley!

Thursday, February 21, 2008

:)


It's not about who you love. It's about how you love. Support gay rights!

Monday, February 18, 2008

Attachment parenting: What it is and why we do it...

I never thought that I would subscribe to a particular type of parenting. Before I had Nathan, I just assumed that I would go with the flow and follow his lead. Turns out, THAT is the basis of something called Attachment Parenting.

Attachment parenting is based on following the child’s lead and creating a firm attachment between the parents and the child.

There are five concepts of attachment parenting as defined by Dr. Sears (an attachment parenting guru).

1. Bond and attach shortly after birth. The benefits of this are endless. attachment

2. Read and respond to his cues at all times. For example, when Nathan cries I go to him and comfort him. It is important for children to know that their parents will be there for them no matter what. Trusting my instincts is a major part of this concept. Many critics of this theory think that responding to your baby’s needs will “spoil” a child. Well, I would hate to see a child spoiled by too much love; that would be awful wouldn’t it?! Babies communicate by crying and answering those cries let Nathan know that I will always be there for him. Allowing him to "cry it out" (for example, many parents do this to "teach" children to go to sleep) is just something that I could not do. In fact, employing this technique is very detrimental to children. A study by Harvard university found that using this method often leads to post-traumatic stress disorders, anxiety issues, panic attacks, depression, insomnia, and a host of other problems as the child reaches adulthood. The study says that this particular American childrearing practice is influenced by fears that children will grow up dependent. But they say that these parents are on the wrong track: physical contact and reassurance will make children more secure and better able to form adult relationships when they finally head out on their own.

3. Breastfeed. We all know my thoughts on this one! But seriously, breastfeeding is the basis of healthy mother/ child attachment and connection. Not to mention all the other benefits.

4. Wear your baby. Using a sling or simply carrying your baby in stores and around the house promotes healthy attachment.

5. Co-sleeping. Sleeping close to Nathan allows me to respond to his nighttime needs. Parenting doesn’t end at sundown! It also makes for easier nighttime nursing. And there is nothing better than waking up to Nathan’s sweet face every morning.

There are other aspects to attachment parenting to apply as Nathan gets older.

I never ask that others practice the same parenting that I do. I just wanted to share how wonderful I think attachment parenting is.

Thursday, February 14, 2008

Tuesday, February 12, 2008

Letter to my nine month old boy...

Dear Nathan,

February has arrived and today you are nine months old. You have grown and changed so much. You are becoming such a little person and you have your own delightful personality.

You currently weigh around 23 pounds, so you are still mama's big boy! In the past month you have done some great new things! You are now moving foward on your belly. You can get across the room in no time flat. You will push up on your hands and knees and rock back and forth. You will be crawling soon. You can now move from the crawling position to the sitting position and vice versa, all on your own. Becoming more mobile means that you are so independent now. Mama can leave you playing on the floor for longer periods of time. You are constantly babbling although you still haven't said "Mama"! That's ok though, saying "dada" is just as cute. You are eating more and more foods now, although you still hate veggies. You love fruits though! You have some oatmeal every evening and you seem to enjoy it. You still love to nurse. Because you are more mobile you can climb your way into my lap and pull at my shirt. It is so cute! You know what you want! Nursing you is the highlight of my day. I love looking at your sweet face and staring into your eyes. Such love and trust in them. Your personality is so laid back. You hardly ever cry. You are so content with hanging out with mama and daddy. You are one cool baby!

There are only three months left until you turn one. I can't believe how quickly time passes. I watched video of you today from when you were born and your first few months. You were so tiny and sweet. You have grown so much and I feel like you change every day. Because of this though, I wake up looking forward to spending each day with you. You make me so happy, sweet boy.

I love you from here to heaven,
Mama

Sunday, February 3, 2008

Friday, February 1, 2008

Happy February!

February is here!

Nathan did something new today! He moved from his hands and knees to sitting up. It was so cute. He looked so proud of himself. Brandon got to see it too! He still wants to crawl so badly. He is rocking back and forth on his hands and knees now. :)