It's been an awesome Christmas week and I'm excited for New Year's week as well. I just can't believe how much fun it is to have more time at home, focused on my family, especially since when I'm at work during the week and Jake is working on the weekends, time as a family is scarce. Too scarce, I'd say.
We also have had an amazing transition this week, as Kennedy moved from her crib to her toddler bed 5 nights ago and it's gone smoothly every night. However, as I reminisce on 2013, it has not always gone smoothly.
I think about the sleepless nights that we started out the year with, when Kennedy still wasn't sleeping through the night (and I felt like the only parent with a 10-month-old who couldn't figure it out.) Would she EVER sleep through the night without a major cry-it-out session?!
I think about the time she bumped her face on the bricks outside and cut her lip open, and how awful I felt about not watching her more carefully.
I think about the time she blistered her fingers on my flat iron in the morning, after grabbing the ceramic plates with her hand - and could not be consoled all day.
I think about the time I heated up her rice too hot, and she was eating without a shirt on, and she poured it on herself and the hot rice stuck to her and she wailed.
I think about the mornings I let her watch Minnie while I shut my eyes on the couch, just wishing she would focus on the show so I could drift off to sleep for a little longer.
I think about the work days I missed her immensely, but then got home and found that her cranky attitude made me wish bedtime was a little sooner.
I think about the long afternoon/evenings when Jake was working, or the full weekend days Jake was at class, when I wasn't sure how she and I would fill our entire day just the two of us. And how sometimes I would put her to bed 15 minutes earlier for me, because I needed that extra time to myself.
And I read this article. All of these moments made me feel guilty, like shouldn't I LOVE every single minute with this little 1-year-old? Shouldn't I pay closer attention so she doesn't have accidents and doesn't get hurt? Shouldn't I be thankful for her expression of feelings even if they were not the most positive feelings at the moment?
Let Me Be The One Who Says It Out Loud
It was so refreshing. I'm pretty sure the first time I read it, I actually had tears running down my face. Not every moment is going to be perfect, and that's okay. And then when I read this line, I completely burst out laughing: "You have little dictators living in your house. If someone else talked to you like that, they’d be put in prison."
Parenting is not easy -- our society romanticizes it through mommy blogs, Anne Geddes style newborn photos, and the biggest culprit of all: Facebook. Everyone else's life looks a lot easier and a lot better when all we see are the things they share with us online. Remember, they choose the posts and photos that represent their lives in the best light possible, too!
As I head into the new year, I am sure there will be more moments like the ones from this year. But there will also be the million other moments I've written about that truly become the focus, the reason we keep smiling. My goal (one of them) is to take the tough moments in stride and focus on the ones that go well, and remember that I'm a completely good parent even with those mishaps. And if you're a parent, you are, too! Don't forget it! Cheers to a 2014 with mistakes that make us laugh, and little dictators that don't make us (too) crazy. We all gotta love a little crazy though, right?!
We also have had an amazing transition this week, as Kennedy moved from her crib to her toddler bed 5 nights ago and it's gone smoothly every night. However, as I reminisce on 2013, it has not always gone smoothly.
I think about the sleepless nights that we started out the year with, when Kennedy still wasn't sleeping through the night (and I felt like the only parent with a 10-month-old who couldn't figure it out.) Would she EVER sleep through the night without a major cry-it-out session?!
I think about the time she bumped her face on the bricks outside and cut her lip open, and how awful I felt about not watching her more carefully.
I think about the time she blistered her fingers on my flat iron in the morning, after grabbing the ceramic plates with her hand - and could not be consoled all day.
I think about the time I heated up her rice too hot, and she was eating without a shirt on, and she poured it on herself and the hot rice stuck to her and she wailed.
I think about the mornings I let her watch Minnie while I shut my eyes on the couch, just wishing she would focus on the show so I could drift off to sleep for a little longer.
I think about the work days I missed her immensely, but then got home and found that her cranky attitude made me wish bedtime was a little sooner.
I think about the long afternoon/evenings when Jake was working, or the full weekend days Jake was at class, when I wasn't sure how she and I would fill our entire day just the two of us. And how sometimes I would put her to bed 15 minutes earlier for me, because I needed that extra time to myself.
And I read this article. All of these moments made me feel guilty, like shouldn't I LOVE every single minute with this little 1-year-old? Shouldn't I pay closer attention so she doesn't have accidents and doesn't get hurt? Shouldn't I be thankful for her expression of feelings even if they were not the most positive feelings at the moment?
Let Me Be The One Who Says It Out Loud
It was so refreshing. I'm pretty sure the first time I read it, I actually had tears running down my face. Not every moment is going to be perfect, and that's okay. And then when I read this line, I completely burst out laughing: "You have little dictators living in your house. If someone else talked to you like that, they’d be put in prison."
Parenting is not easy -- our society romanticizes it through mommy blogs, Anne Geddes style newborn photos, and the biggest culprit of all: Facebook. Everyone else's life looks a lot easier and a lot better when all we see are the things they share with us online. Remember, they choose the posts and photos that represent their lives in the best light possible, too!
As I head into the new year, I am sure there will be more moments like the ones from this year. But there will also be the million other moments I've written about that truly become the focus, the reason we keep smiling. My goal (one of them) is to take the tough moments in stride and focus on the ones that go well, and remember that I'm a completely good parent even with those mishaps. And if you're a parent, you are, too! Don't forget it! Cheers to a 2014 with mistakes that make us laugh, and little dictators that don't make us (too) crazy. We all gotta love a little crazy though, right?!
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