by Heather
In my house, Alec and I challenge each other to come up with one “outside” topic to discuss over dinner. This could be world news or neighborhood gossip, but it cannot be about the contents of diapers.
If you’re really up for the challenge, find THREE topics to bring to dinner… if you’re hanging out with friends for the weekend, you may each need FIVE. Try to remember that when people want to know how life with baby is, most people want to hear a one word reply and not a one hour reply.
You’re on the internets already, so go find something interesting. Good luck!
by Whitney
Are you ready to see some big smiles? Or looks of horror? Be prepared for either.
Our babysitter taught us the following method for putting Julian on the slide when he was too young to slide sitting up:
Put baby on tummy, feet down, mid way up the slide. Put his hands up near his face, not down at his sides. Hopefully he is holding his head up so that you are not about to smear his face against the metal as he goes down. Let him slide down to the bottom. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat until your back feels like you need a week at a spa. Then sit down and let baby play in the sand while you think about that spa you’re never going to visit.
This is pretty safe (please note I am not a doctor or a paramedic) and after you get comfortable with it, you can let go and let him slide to the bottom.
by Whitney
Let’s see… we have in our garage a baby bathtub we’re not using, a jogging stroller we rarely use, baby toys that are too young for my son, and some gift wrapping paraphanalia that he’d surely love to dig into. Do you have gear you never use? Get out that backpack or jogging stroller, even if you just take it around the block. Your kid will be intrigued by the new device.
On tap for us tomorrow: water play with the infant tub as the basin. I’ll fill it with plastic cups and animals and let him have at it.
by Whitney
Here’s the affirmation of the month: It’s hard to listen to whining! No one will argue with you on that. In moments of frustration, tell your baby that, and don’t take the whining personally.
Sometimes we feel like we can’t complain about motherhood. But we can describe it. If someone asks how it’s going, you shouldn’t feel guilty about making a truthful statement like “It’s hard to listen to whining” or “I wish he could tell me what he wants.”
So when your baby is screaming her head off and you want to say, “Would you please shut up?!” instead try giving her a more thorough explanation. “I’m trying to watch Oprah, and I cannot hear what Dr. Oz is saying over your shrieks!”
