Book Review: First-Time Mom

When I saw this book in the library, I just had to pick it up. As a first-time mother, I often feel that as soon as I get used to the phase of life that Addison is in then she begins to go through more changes. This may be easier for other moms to handle, but I struggle with change and often avoid change as much as possible.
Book Review: This book covers a large span of time (from birth to 1st grade), so I found myself skimming the sections that were about the first two years of your child's life as I have arleady passed that time. My favorite chapter; however, was about the birth order of the parent. I had NEVER thought about the effect of my birth order may have on the way I parent my own child.
I don't like to think that the order I was born in made a HUGE difference on who I am, but I did find some "middle child" insights here that made sense for me. "Middles tend to be the most mysterious-and closed- of all the birth orers, and they are likely to be mentally tough and very independent. While they embarrass easily, they also tend to be the most loyal." I found that description very true in my case.
Other interesting sections of the book talked about the "Ten Most Common Parenting Mistakes" and another section talked about "Caring for Your 'Other' Child".

In case you were wondering what Dr. Leman considers the top 10 parenting mistakes:

1. A critical eye
2. Overcommitment
3. Not enough Vitamin N (as in NO)
4. Lack of Vitamin E (as in Self-Esteem)
5. Getting Caught up in the Competition Game
6. Getting Overexcited
7. Overdiscipline
8. Underdiscipline
9. Letting Other People Raise Your Child
10. Allowing Your Child to Be the Center of the Universe

I enjoyed the little ancedotes that Dr. Leman gave and enjoyed the chapter on the relationship between husband and wife, making sure it is nurtured after you have a baby. Steve and I definitely had some bumps in the road as we became first-time parents, so it is nice to see that this issue is being discussed.

Buy or Borrow: I would borrow this book. It has great general insight to raising your first child and really it just allows a mother to feel comfort in knowing that others have felt the same way you feel (overwhelmed, uncertain at times, etc.). While it is a good book, I don't think you would have to pick it up off the shelf time and again for advice.

My Friend's Blog

It is always fun catching up with your college roommates and I get to do that regularly on my friend's blog. Kadie's blog follows her journey to becoming a published author, her career/love of interior design, and gaming. Check her out if you are interested in any of these topis. P.S. She is also doing a giveaway this weekend, so check it out soon!

You can easily link over to her website. Click on Kadie Kinney to find her blog 3 Point Perspective. Happy reading!

Danielle

Farewell Mousy

Please join me in bidding farewell to my former roommate, Mousy. Even though Mousy and I didn't live together for very long, Mousy was a very giving roommate. Mousy always left me "little presents" on the panty floor or as Mousy called it "his room." I tried to recipricate this gift giving spirit by leaving Mousy pads of glue to play on, but he continued to reject my gift, pushing it out of his way.
Mousy and I did have our differences, which unfortunately led to us both saying things out of anger that we didn't mean. I threatened to move out if Mousy didn't and Mousy threatened to chew holes in the pantry wall.
Mousy's ultimate demise, however, was his love of peanut butter. After rejecting my pads of glue, I gave him the ultimate gift. . .a smooth, silky glob of peanut butter perched on a yellow platform of doom. Mousy has now left this world and has gone to the giant green can.

Sparkle, Sparkle!

Makenna and Addison. . . 2 cute cousins!

Love that smile!

3 little cousins. . . could they be more cute?

Is it legal to drive like this? Who cares, it's fun! Daddy, Bryn, and Addison joined the parade. I love that my dad immediately turned into our driveway and abandoned the rest of the parade.

Addison loves sparklers. Bryn and I both got sparkler ash in our flip-flops, so maybe we should do tennis shoes next year. To be fair, I complained A LOT more than Bryn did!

I don't know why, but I think this picture is so cute of Addison.

Feeding the fish at Lake Tenkiller.

Addison and I only stayed on the boat for a little over an hour. Addison's cast is waterproof, but you are not supposed to take it into the lake. Addison did get to splash around in a little wade pool on the lake house deck though, so she was okay with it.

My lil' sis Kimber, mom, Jen (she is taking the picture) and I taking the girls to feed the fish. I was SO nervous that one of the girls would fall into the water!

Addison would NOT stay still for this picture. I felt like I was in a wrestling match---and losing! Addison was really tired and cranky during this picture. About 10 minutes later, Addison fell down the stairs and got a little cut on her head. She scared me the little spots of blood on her, me, and the deck but she was fine. Grammy held her and it stopped bleeding really quickly.

Addison and I celebrated 4th of July this year at Lake Tenkiller with my family. We were really sad not to have Steve with us, but I was really glad to be able to have all my siblings together. It gets harder the older you get to get everyone together, so it was special to get that extra time. Dallin realized that he's getting old now and that he can actually get hurt doing the crazy stunts of his. After telling Tyler to "punish him" on the tube, Dallin went to the hospital with hurt ribs! Luckily, they weren't broken, but this old man may have to start taking it easy next time. Not sure what we will do then to entertain ourselves. . . . we may need to instill another flagpole so we can try and hoist Dallin up it again. . . good times.

Book Review: What to Expect the Toddler Years

I am sure many of you are familiar with this series. I read the What to Expect When You're Expecting while pregnant and also enjoyed reading What to Expect the First Year, so I was pleased to find that this series continued into the toddler years.
What I found: One thing that I really like about this book is that is gives development markers to look for. It gives me a few skills that I can work on with Addison and can see if she is keeping up with what is typical for her age. I also like all the specific examples that are given from mothers and how the answers are described step by step.
This book is really good if you are looking for tips on dealing with specific problems (getting rid of pacifiers, toilet training, temper tantrums) and if you are wanting to see the typical milestones for child of that age. Development is divided by months, which helps for a parent to see a more specific time frame.
Buy or Borrow: In this case, I would buy this book. There is SO much information and the whole book can be cross referenced for different problems you are having. I could see myself picking up this book in several different situations to look for suggestions. Since this series is so popular though, I am betting that I can find this book used at either a child consignment store or online. I think this would make a good addition to my book shelf for future reference.

What good parenting books have you read? I would love suggestions for future reading.

Book Review: Happiest Toddler on the Block

A few weeks ago, I took a special trip to the Edmond library on a mission. I had been looking online for good books on toddlers: toddler mind development, toddler discipline, and stay-at-home mom with toddler books. Anyway, online I become overwhelmed with the number of books. How could I decide what to buy? I really didn't know what book to begin with, so I figured I would go to the library and check it out.
The library didn't have most of the books that I had written down and were interested in, but I found 6 books to begin my education in Toddlerville. I chose to read The Happiest Toddler on the Block first. I was familiar with Dr. Karp's book The Happiest Baby on the Block. I haven't read it, but I watched a dvd version that my friend Catie brought me.
Book Review: This book is great for helping a parent to gain more understanding of their toddler. These are 3 the main principles covered in The Happiest Toddler on the Block book.

1. It helps to think of your toddler as a little. . . caveman. Basically, Dr. Karp is reminding parents that toddlers have brains that are developing. They are not able to understand our logical explanations and respond VERY emotionally. Toddlers are also driven by impulse.
2. Getting to know your child's temperment. Dr. Karp explains different temperment types and helps explain how knowing your child's temperment can help you in the way your react them them.
3. The Fast Food rule: When a toddler is upset, Dr. Karp suggests showing that you understand what the toddler wants before telling them "no" or telling them "it's okay." The name comes from the idea that all fast food windows will confirm your order (repeat it back to you) before they do anything else. Similarly, Dr. Karp suggests that a parent repeat back to a toddler what they want and show they understand the toddlers wants/desires before redirecting them or telling them no.

Buy or Borrow?: Personally, I think this book is worth a read but I think that borrowing will suffice. This book is full of general tips that can help a parent to better understand the attitude and behavior or their toddler. I think it really helped me to better understand Addison's development and her level of understanding at this time. When Addison begins to have a meltdown about something she wants, it has helped me to show her that I understand what she is feeling before I deny her request or redirect her to something more appropriate.

Does anyone have suggestions of good parenting books? I am really looking for good books on toddler development, discipline, or about being a stay-at-home mom.

Pass the Diaper

I thought she was ready! The books, articles, everything I read gave "signs" of readiness and Addison was showing those signs! Truthfully, I had wanted to wait longer to potty train. I jumped into this potty training nightmare thinking that if I didn't act now that potty training/sitting on the potty was going to turn into this big game.
Do I regret trying to potty train? No. It was a lesson learned. In many ways I feel like I failed, but the truth is that I approached potty training with 1. patience 2. a plan. Five days later, it was time to get out the diapers. Thanks mom, for giving me the push that I needed to make that step. It was a hard step and my back still hurts a little from the pushing, but it was needed. :)
What will I do different next time? I'm really not sure right now what I will change in my approach. Ultimately, I think Addison wasn't ready for this step. She would always tell me "potty", but only after she had already begun to pee/poo. I'm having some rethoughts about the reward system/needing stickers, but I do think that patience is a big part of potty training. For now, we will stick with the Pampers and will enjoy our summer!