Being a stay-at-home mom has been great! Except Natalie has been demanding to be held more often now-a-days. For example, I'll lay her down after holding her for a long time (because my arms get tired), and she'll start crying. Or she'll just start crying in the middle of a nap or playtime and can only be soothed by being held. Upon reading, I found that touch is a critical part of growth and development. All that skin-to-skin contact not only helps us bond, but it's also comforting when she's upset and soothing when she's irritable. This totally makes sense based off of the way she's been behaving lately. Don't get me wrong - I love spending time with my daughter, but it's hard to get some things done when all she wants is to be held. I guess that's why I got the Moby wrap, though! Brian also bought a carrier (because he doesn't want to wear the Moby wrap), and he loves carrying Natalie around the house! It also works well for high school football games:
I am proud to announce that I have finally changed the batteries in all of the musical entertainment units (playard and play mat) so that the melodies no longer sound so demonic. Seriously, they sounded creepy! I kept putting it off because it required going to the garage to get a screwdriver, and there is so much stuff in our garage right now: bikes, kayaks, our old 52" TV that no longer works, and tons of tools and supplies from finished projects that just piled-up instead of being stored. Its difficult to climb over all of that (literally - climbing was involved). I also changed the batteries in Brian's shower mirror with lights (for shaving), and a weird thing happened.... the lights turned on in the middle of the night! I was still trying to fall asleep when I noticed the blueish glow coming from the bathroom - I thought we were about to be abducted by aliens! Not really, but it looked the same as you see in the movies. We had a good laugh, took out the batteries, went back to sleep, and I fixed the faulty switch in the morning.
We try to not let Natalie see the TV screen when it's on, but she just loves the glow and "flashing" light so much that she will crank her head around as far as she can! I found out that the AAP recommends that children do not watch TV until 2 years old because the first 2 years of life are considered a critical time for brain development. TV and other electronic media can get in the way of exploring, playing, and interacting with parents and others, which encourages learning and healthy physical and social development. However, I don't think I know anyone who actually made it to 2 years old without watching any TV - ha! I'm sure we'll give-in eventually (once in a while) to keep our sanity. :)
We try to not let Natalie see the TV screen when it's on, but she just loves the glow and "flashing" light so much that she will crank her head around as far as she can! I found out that the AAP recommends that children do not watch TV until 2 years old because the first 2 years of life are considered a critical time for brain development. TV and other electronic media can get in the way of exploring, playing, and interacting with parents and others, which encourages learning and healthy physical and social development. However, I don't think I know anyone who actually made it to 2 years old without watching any TV - ha! I'm sure we'll give-in eventually (once in a while) to keep our sanity. :)
You are such a good Mommy!
ReplyDeleteI hear you about it being kind of annoying when you baby wants to be held constantly. Lucas is SUPER needy and always wants to be held. by me. not anyone else. ugh! I just keep telling myself that it won't last forever and soon enough he will be too cool (or just too big) for me to hold all of the time.
and the tv thing is hard. We made it until about 18 months, then allowed 30 min or less of Sesame Street a few days per week(it was more calm and less insane). It is harder with Lucas, because he has to be out of the room (he TOTALLY cranes his neck around too!) I think just trying to limit tv makes you amazing! Natalie will be so smart!