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Showing posts with label parenting. Show all posts
Showing posts with label parenting. Show all posts
What my son taught me after a HARD day
Being a mom is not a walk in the park. Each day brings a new set of challenges and we deal the best we can. Yesterday I had a day that was just tough from wake-up to bed-time. I have been trying to get up before Noah wakes up instead of having him as my alarm clock like I usually do. It helps me start my day and although it's hard waking up early some morning it is worth the little bit of peace.
Well, yesterday I woke up early and so did Noah. It was a hard day from breakfast on. I won't go into huge detail, but lets just say there were plenty of toddler tantrums and a possible make-over on said toddler who found my makeup (insert eye-roll emoji), but by nap time (that came an hour and a half early) I was feeling defeated and honestly in tears. My toddler had whooped my butt to say the least. The baby is currently crawling and into everything and spilling daddy's coffee wherever he leaves it (totally in her reach)...ya know whatever could go wrong was, or so it felt. Funny how our bad days don't seem that bad after a nights sleep and fresh perspective.
I know these hard days especially as Noah figures out how to deal with all his toddler emotions will happen more frequently, but it is taught me something important.
Kid's give us SO much grace. Like sooo much. Have you ever stopped to think about that? Noah can have a really hard day and I don't always handle it so well. I can lose my temper and yell, which I totally hate by the way but it happens. And can I just say that yelling doesn't even phase this kid so all it does it make me look dumb. ha. It's amazing that our kids never hold a grudge from our actions. In fact, after our especially tough day Noah asked for "twinkle twinkle" one more time and I begrudgingly went back in while holding the baby and sang to him. He reached up and rubbed my arm while I sang almost to remind me that I am doing my best.
The truth is we're all going to have rough days as mamas, but it is so important to remember to give ourselves grace as well as our kids. We can all try a little harder the next day. Remember when you are down in the trenches of motherhood, I am right there with you. Though there are hard days there will be far more great days that I am so grateful to be home for.
My goal is to continue to wake up before the kids to start my day, have more patience, talk more calmly and work thru the hard parts of the day, because at the end of the day we are the example of what behavior should look like to our kids. We are the ones they will be around most and the ones they WANT to be around! So I am going to try to be the mom I'd want to be around too practicing grace in all my relationships.

5 Tips to Help Baby Tolerate the Car Seat | Featuring Binxy Baby
A huge thank you to Binxy Baby for sponsoring this post! All opinions are my own. This post also includes affiliate links.
Does your baby HATE their car seat? Yeah, mine does too. It has been a whole new experience with Siena hating her car seat because Noah looooved his. He spent the first 3 months of his life in his car seat to help him sleep haha, but for real it's been so hard with her!
Now that Siena is 4 months I feel like we have figured out some tricks to help ease the pain of the car seat some. She still doesn't like it by any means. In fact, now she arches her back and fights getting in the thing which makes going somewhere super fun...but you know grocery shopping has to happen so we make it work!
I hope these 5 tips help your baby if they also hate their car seat!
1. BINXY BABY HAMMOCK
Guys, this shopping cart hammock is a game changer! Siena isn't big enough to sit up and ride in the cart or the double stroller (without her car seat), and with big brother in tow we usually put him up front and her car seat in the back of the cart. This makes for very little room for anything in the cart. The hammock allows you to secure the car seat into place with the safety straps and still have some room underneath. If Siena happens to be asleep in her seat then this is what we do. If she is awake we rarely leave her in the seat in a store. I have loved being able to sit her in the hammock with a toy. She plays with the toy or looks around. Plus, Noah loves having her close by. He was melting my heart the other day holding her hand. Even if your baby doesn't hate the car seat I still highly recommend it! It safely holds up to 50 lbs and folds right up to go in the diaper bag. We usually have it handy in the back seat to grab right when we get out of the car. The prints are so fun too! I went with the grey triangles! swoon :)
Head over to Binxy Baby to get 10% off your order!
Head over to Binxy Baby to get 10% off your order!
2. BABY WEARING
I have talked about this a lot in Siena's monthly updates! Girlfriend loves to be worn and I love having her close to me. If she is awake when we arrive somewhere or I know we'll be somewhere for a long time and she'll need another nap I like to have the wrap with me. Wraps are great because they easily fit in the diaper bag.
3. WHITE NOISE
Both my kids have really liked white noise. We use it almost every time we're in the car with Siena, especially if she's due for a nap. Sometimes she will wake up at home before we have to go somewhere and she will begin screaming bloody murder in her car seat, so we'll turn the white noise on and it will calm her down. I use an app on my phone called "Sound Sleeper". I still have it from when Noah used it (he doesn't use white noise anymore). I paid for the upgraded version so I can have unlimited play time. Noah preferred the hairdryer sound and Siena likes the vacuum. He doesn't sleep with white noise anymore (besides the ceiling fan) but Siena does at every nap and at night.
4. CAR SEAT TOYS
We picked up a toy that straps across the handle of the car seat a few weeks ago and she seems to enjoy it. She has started to get really good at batting and grasping her toys so this has been fun for her. A pacifier is also a good idea to have on hand if your baby takes it and is inconsolable in the car seat. Siena doesn't always want it but occasionally we get lucky.
5. TABLET
Now this I only recommend for older babies. Too much screen watching can cause over stimulation which can make things worse. We keep our kids rear facing for a while so we got Noah a tablet when he was around one, because that is when he began to not like the car seat. That helped him stay happy. Siena likes to look at the TV at home, so sometimes we will put on an episode of Mickey Mouse or something to calm her in the car. Noah is still rear facing at almost 2.5 years old and he loves being able to watch movies in the car.
Do you have any tips I missed? I would love to hear!

Time Flies
Watching Noah grow has been the greatest blessing. He is such a fast learner! He'll be full on walking any day now. He's so close!
He's never a fan of our doctor tho. He isn't a huge fan of males other than his daddy! I guess it just comes along with living overseas and being with mom and dad all the time. He does love other kids tho. He will make the sweetest big brother one day.
Yesterday he had his 9 month well baby appointment. Late, I know! Whoops. Totally forgot to schedule it. But at 10.5 months he's healthy as can be.
Time passes so quickly. I am savoring these last weeks before he turns the big 1! He will alway be my baby. Being a parent really puts what's most important in life in perspective. I am so lucky I am able to stay home with him everyday watching him grow and listening to those baby giggles all day! He laughs so easily and makes me feel like I'm the funniest person. I love it.
I guess the main purpose of this post was to say that the days are long but the weeks are fast. Hang in there mamas! Before you know it you'll be wishing for time to slow down.
XOXO,
E

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