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toddlerhood

the pacifier

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One week ago, my precious angel put herself to sleep for the first night without her pacifier.

We’ve only let her have a pacifier for sleeping from day one, because I had read that it actually helps to prevent SIDS in newborns, and Lord knows we have enough to worry about when they’re brand new! Also of note, my elders have always said that “a pacifier is MUCH easier to take away than a thumb!” *praise hands*

Anywho, my Grace was weened off the paci for nap times when she began preschool last year, so night time sleeping (sans paci) is the last step.

Initially, I had wanted to wait until we were done with potty training before also taking the pacifier away, but since potty training seems to be going on foreverrr… I decided to give the paci removal a shot and see if that’s easier for us. A lot happens for toddlers between 2 and 3 years old, where they turn into little people and start to understand a lot more, so it seems to be easier to talk to them and reason some things out.

Sidenote: I think a lot of parents put way too much pressure on themselves to get things done by somebody else’s timeline. Every child is different and most mothers know when their child is ready for the next thing.

I’d read somewhere that snipping the bulb off of the pacifier was a good start to taking it away. (I used suture scissors to cut as close as possible to the base and not leave any part of the bulb behind.) There are different methods and ways to explain the “broken” pacifier, but with Grace, I knew I could talk to her about her paci being broken and that although it “may be a little sad, she can still love paci”…

After that talk, and comforting some sad tears, I decided to let her keep it with her in the crib so when I left she could hold it, examine it, and decide she was over it because it was broken. (Plus, I thought if she woke up looking for it, she would still be able to find it and she would see/remember that it’s broken.)

Well, that method seems to have worked for us because the first morning after sleeping without it, she woke up talking about it being broken, and then swiftly tossed it out of her bed. *lol*

It’s been about a week after that first night, and here’s what we’ve seen so far:

She takes a little longer to soothe herself to sleep, but she hasn’t been upset during that process. (Just more talkative to all of her animal friends in her bed — which is SO CUTE!) A couple of nights she has woken up and been very vocal about being mad and sad over “broken paci” but she’s gone back to sleep after a little soothing from mama and/or daddy. She really is such a trooper!

Kids are so much smarter and more resilient than we realize. And I think it’s just as hard (or harder) for Mamas to let go of these things as it is for their babies. After all, they only grow up once.

What are some parenting hurdles you’ve accomplished, and how did you handle it?

Choose well, and Be well! 🙂

Blessings,
Emily

mama’s plate

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There are few things in this world more irresistible to a toddler than the food on mama’s plate. It doesn’t matter what you’ve prepared for your child, and how delicious it may be. In fact, most of the time, we’re wishing we could eat what’s on our kid’s plate instead of what’s on our own. Goldfish? Yes, please! I’ll take that golden cheddar-y goodness ANY day over the crunch of baby carrots.

Sigh. Let me tell you a story.

Right before this pandemic arrived, I started a healthier eating plan. Yes, you read that right; I’m trying to eat more healthy foods during the apocalypse. I even joked with my husband that I should have known the world would come to an end if I actually began losing weight on a consistent basis. The devil is determined to keep me miserable! Here I am, trapped in my house with all of my husband’s and daughter’s carb-happy snacks. Times like these make you want to look up into the heavens and say, “Are you kidding me?!?”

Sigh.

Nevertheless, I have persisted. I have resisted. I am still going strong. Yes, I may want to cry whenever I see someone getting a pizza delivery, but I have not caved and ordered one for myself.

A couple of nights ago, I cooked some chicken nuggets and broccoli for my child (one of her favorite meals), and she began to eat while I made myself a big spinach salad with shredded chicken, Laughing Cow Light Swiss, and my homemade balsamic vinaigrette. This meal has become one of my favorite go-to’s for something quick and healthy.

Well, I’m sure my mama friends know exactly what happened as soon as I sat down at the table with my big salad bowl. Yep, my child immediately became more interested in what I was eating, than in her own food.

Now, I’ve tried to give Grace a raw spinach leaf from my plate couple of times in the past, but she has simply spit it back out. She’s eaten soft butter lettuce without rejection, but only in very small amounts. Her 2-year molars are still coming in, so for safety’s sake, I wanted to give her enough time to grow the teeth she needs for raw veggies and not rush things.

Keeping all this in mind but not wanting to deny her a chance to try something healthy (again), I decided to try giving her the long stem from the spinach leaf instead, since that part stays crunchy and might be easier for her to chew. And wouldn’t you know it–she ate it up and told me she liked it! Soon she was pointing at the cheese and the chicken as well, and all of a sudden, my salad became her salad.

Aside from learning that I’d need to make a bigger salad (for two) from now on, I realized that when people say your children are watching you and mimicking you, they aren’t kidding. It’s not just some cutesy, fun cliche; these kids actually want to be just like us. So if we’re eating crap, they’re going to eat crap too.

If, however, we make the choice to fuel our bodies with good nutrition, our children will want to do the same. No, they won’t understand they’re making healthy choices until quite some time from toddlerhood; for now, they’ll just want to eat what’s on our plates. But one day, they will understand the difference between healthy and unhealthy choices. And if we’ve done right by them, by the time they do, the healthy habits will already be in place, and their taste buds will be well-acquainted with these better choices.

Being a parent is a heavy, but joyful burden. Everything we do is molding our kids into the person they’ll become. It’s a huge responsibility, not to be taken lightly.

There’s certainly a happy medium we all need to find between eating tree bark, and eating slop.

So in the middle of this virus situation, while we’re all cooped up with our families, let’s make sure to model good choices for our kids as best we can. If you have access to healthy foods, make the better choices whenever possible. In doing so, we’re equipping our family’s bodies and immune systems with the good nutrition we all need to help fight off these germs and keep us out of the hospital.

Image by Karolina Grabowska
Choose well, and Be well! 🙂

Blessings,
Emily

green beans and black olives

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My husband and I both agree that our daughter Grace is the best thing that’s ever happened to us. She’s our rainbow baby.

A lot of folks know what that means, but for those who don’t, it means she’s the blessing that followed a miscarriage. The rainbow that followed the rain. 🌈❤️

As our Gracie gets closer to her second birthday, she is quickly becoming a legit toddler. She’s inquisitive, empathetic, opinionated, and her preferences seem to change from one day to the next! 

There are days when she’ll eat 2 whole bananas, and others where she can’t stand the sight of one. Some days she’ll eat anything we put in front of her, and other days where it seems she refuses everything. Sigh. 

Recently, on one of her more “unusual” days , after attempting to feed her everything in the cabinet and fridge, she decided that green beans and black olives were the best things on the planet. She began devouring them the same way you’d eat an ice cream cone on a hot summer day; as quickly as possible! 

In that moment, after worrying we had somehow failed her as parents, fearing she would surely go to bed hungry and grumpy and never recover… while watching her eat with a purpose, my poor mama-heart let out a huge sigh of relief, shed a few tears, and then I began laughing hysterically. 

I realized right then that we hadn’t failed her, and we couldn’t fail her; God prepared our hearts for her, long before she was born. He gave us everything we needed to take wonderful care of her, and love her with every ounce of our souls. 

So as we step into full-blown toddler-hood, I am renewed in the faith that my Father provides for me, and therefore will provide for her – both through us and in spite of us, as time goes on. 

Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life? ~Matthew 6: 25-27 

Mama friends, don’t let your hearts be troubled; He has given you everything you need to care for your little ones, and so much more. Rejoice and rest in His loving arms!

Blessings,
Emily