Tiny Treasures

William--Will is the happiest baby I have ever known. He giggles and smiles constantly. I don't know if that has to do with sleeping through the night or being content with food or both. Or maybe we just humor him. He is the first of our kids who really sleeps through the night already. And he's doing while sharing a room with a two-year-old! Another first for us. A rogue lymph node that had swollen on his head has started to go down. The pediatrician believes it was from some type of insect bite! Will is graduated out of the bumbo chair and into the exersaucer. He is starting solids. Rice cereal was a go. Peas, not so much. Did not like the taste. Carrots we started yesterday and I think he likes them so far! I am debating on our third veggie between green beans, squash and sweet potatoes. One part of me says go green again, the other says go sweet. Can this little one really be turning five months in a week?!

Joseph--Mr Joey. Whoo! Two year check-up. The finger prick for the lead test, you would have thought they were torturing him. He got blood EVERYWHERE. He is healthy and growing and no abnormal speech issues. So we are thrilled. He is also making a lot of progress on sharing. He takes every oppurtunity to share his toys with the "bee-da" as he calls Will. He is also interacting more with Shelby. One of the techniques we use to calm her is to do joint compressions and apply pressure. We are needing to do this less and less but as it was rainy and the kids were sick last week, a meltdown was sure to follow. As Shelby was lying face down on the floor crying, Joey calmly walked to her and gently lowered his weight on her back. He was lying stomach down on her back and talking gibberish to her and rubbing the back of her head and neck. It worked. When he got up and she sat up, she was full of smiles. So was Mommy.

Shelby--Shelby is really liking school. She now gets out of the car waits a quick second for me to kiss her and takes Mr. George (an admin assistant)'s hand and goes to class. No tears or dramatics. She is showing real love of painting and makes art almost every day. She is using a paintbrush which is showing her use of tools. She also attempted to "feed" her Spongebob cuddle pillow. We are so happy with the dramatic change in just a few weeks. Having her in school is a wonderful change for her and doing so much for her delays.

Finally: as Catholic mothers we all struggle to believe we are doing what's best and not compare ourselves to others. For some this comparison leads to disparaging talk and negativity. One Hollywood mom offers this advice:

"I've learned that you cannot judge the way another person is raising their kid. Everybody is just doing the best they can. It's hard to be a mom. I can relate to the anxieties of having other people tell you what to do."
- Maggie Gyllenhaal, on Maggie Gyllenhaal: ‘It’s Hard to Be a Mom’