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The Kids' Log: April 22-28, 2012

Sunday, April 29, 2012

My mom left on Tuesday. Damon went to the NFL Draft on Thursday and Friday. And you know what? I did okay managing two little ones by myself. Maybe this is practice for when I become a single mom after I kill my husband for going on these business trips. But seriously, I am so proud of myself for not coming undone. I just took each task one at a time, counted to ten a lot, and left some household chores undone (I also had Marlie stay for afterschool care until 5:30 pm on Friday). It's true what they say about how your parenting approach relaxes after child #2. For instance, Desmond is already a seasoned car companion whereas Marlie never left the house until she was two months old except for doctor's appointments. Marlie has been enjoying a lot more television and sugary treats since her brother arrived thanks to me feeling a little guilty. Speaking of Marlie...

Toddler Log: 2 Years and 36 Weeks Old 
I have been making a concentrated effort to give her undivided attention as well as not to yell so much. It is paying off. There has been significantly less drama this week. Before my mom left, we gave Marlie a beauty day. My mom braided her hair and I painted her fingernails and toenails. Her daddy took her to the park. The Markeys brought us lunch on Sunday and she played with their daughter Orlaith. I think all that special treatment got the week started on the right foot. She is still struggling to cope when the attention is not on her. Her go-to is imaginary bumps and bruises. I think she has suffered an injury to every body part this week. Her new thing is ghosts, monsters and scary noises that need immediate investigating. Sigh. On top of it all, she has been asking when it will her birthday party. She really likes attention, but she also likes to give attention. She is all hugs and kisses and high-fives. She will help you out in a heartbeat. Marlie has been so affectionate toward her little brother and so helpful. She loves to help change his diaper. On Friday she exclaimed, 'baby growing so big!" and her eyes danced. I could tell she was so proud of him.

Baby Log: 4 Weeks Old
Magoo's personality is starting to show itself. He is going to be the serious one. He doesn't smile easily. I remember Marlie cracking a smile at his age when I made funny faces. Desmond just looks at me and frowns. He discovered the mobile this week and likes to track its movements with his eyes. He can also roll over onto his back from his stomach. He is going to be demanding like his big sister. He knows what he wants and he wants it right away. No patience with this one. I broke my pledge to stop giving him a pacifier because I can't always stick a boob in his mouth to calm him like when I am driving. It's another one of the rules parents break with the second kid. But there some things that don't change like using Dr. Karp's 5 S's for soothing Mr Magoo when he is fussy:
  • Swaddling: babies are curled up like roly polys in the womb. Swaddling recreates that sensation. I also do skin-to-skin contact for extra snuggling.
  • Sucking: that reflex is powerfully strong. I prefer the non-nutritive breastfeeding, but the pacifier works too as long as he doesn't drop it.
  • Shushing: mimicking the loud whooshing sound of the womb is calming to a baby. When I can't shush in his ears, I turn on the blender. In the car, I turn the radio to a static station.  
  • Stomaching: babies like to lay on their stomachs. I lay Desmond downside, long ways across my arm in a football hold and he is in heaven
  • Swinging: The motion of a gentle jiggle (not shaking) or rocking back and forth instantly calm him down.

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

Good job mommy. You're doing great with two little people.

Maureensk said...

I wish I knew about shushing sounds before. I never heard that and it might have been a sanity saver for me at times. I mean I always made shushing sounds, I think we all do that instinctively, but I never heard of the blender or static channel in the car. If you need a witness for your trial for "justifiable homicide" against Damon, I'll be there in a heartbeat. :-)

Alexia said...

Go Mama go! Sounds like everything is starting to work itself out and everyone is settling into a routine. And I agree, I might kill my husband if he was working out of town these days. So cool to hear Marlie is helping out and Desmond is developing his personality! Keep up the good, hard, amazing work!

Mrs. Pancakes said...

awww...that's soo cute that Marlie said baby is growing so big...i thought the same thing when i saw 4 weeks! awesome awesome!

Radical Selfie said...

Totally proud of you for handling them alone, Teresha! You are stronger woman than I am! I'm STILL not quite there yet--lol!

I think Baby Desmond is going to provide such interesting perspectives and changes to your household, particularly because his personality is already so different from Big Girl Marlie.

How fun!

keyalus said...

The blessing of babies getting older, is the fact that they can tell us where it hurts. The curse, is that anytime they get a twinge, they are injured LOL! I hear "My arm hurts! My foot hurts! My X hurts!" all day long. I swear I have a little hypochondriac on my hands. :)

Mr. Magoo sounds like Lewis when he was young. He stayed frowned up.

You are getting along nicely over there!

Quiana said...

Awww I can imagine Marlie being so proud of her little brother! Have you considered the white noise app? It still works wonders for us with calming Nia and we've used it from the first week (the Sleep Sheep too).

Kim said...

So great that you are addressing Marlie's needs so well. I remember how hard it was for Deaglan that first few weeks. I felt helpless and was thankful for any extra help I could get to play with him. Sounds like Desmond will make you work for his smiles but it's those ones that seem like the big rewards.

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