Well hello there! My I have been busy the last few months! Summer is exciting, lots of people visiting and trips. As of now, I have gone on a trip to Kentucky and New York, and had lots of family visit.
When Emaline is bigger, and if she asks the question "why didn't you write more when I was a little girl?" the answer will be, "because I was too busy being your Mom." And it's true. I have a lot of time during the day and most of it is spent playing with, caring for, teaching, and otherwise raising Emaline. Other times I'm tending to my houswife duties, and often teaching and playing with Emaline while I do that as well. She is showing the effects of that attention, she is an exceptional little girl!
The biggest news this week is that our girl is now officially toddling. She started walking just before her 10 month birthday, and just this past few days has begun walking most of the time. She toddles side to side, sometimes seeming to lift into the air vertically on her little twinkle toes. She is excited, we are excited, it's a good time to be a Brown. Funny, the last time I wrote a blog was when she started crawling all the time!
Em is has officially been in her bed alone since around 8 months. She got used to being in her room after a few nights sleeping there with Mom, and after a week or two I transitioned her onto her mattress on the floor. We went out of town for 3 night and my two sisters put her to sleep there. The night I came home, Em wouldn't stay asleep on that mattress, wouldn't sleep in our bed, it was a mess. So the next night we transitioned into her crib. We did kind of a Ferber light technique. My main goal was to get her to fall asleep alone, and to get her used to not having someone pick her up every time she woke up. I don't remember all of it (I was sleep deprived!) but after a few rough nights she started falling asleep easily at bedtime. Now, she still wakes up every 2-4 hours (sometimes 5) but is easy to put back to sleep. We are much happier with her in her own room and she isn't as bothered by noise in there. She falls back to sleep on her own sometimes now, and I see it just getting better as time goes by. So, we still aren't where we want to be, but for our particular baby it is much much better.
Another big change for us is Emaline is eating real food now. We were having trouble getting her to eat any baby food with texture in it, she'd gag and often throw up what she'd eaten. Then in her second round of teething, she decided to stop letting me to feed her altogether, and those non textured baby foods weren't something she could feed herself. So, we have a multi-pronged approach these days.
First, I started making her oatmeal in the morning, nice and thick. I can put some on her spoon and she holds it and licks it off. This is an awesome learning tool, she'll be feeding herself soon. Second, I bought some squeezable baby foods (to get more food in her tummy than feeding herself will allow). She likes them, and when she's really hungry will suck an entire one down in a minute or so. We have been buying Ella's organics Plum Organics.
And Third, Emaline made it apparent to me that she wanted to eat what was in MY bowl. She became so excited when I cooked, and got more excited and impatient as I ate my food. Num num was her demand, give me some of that! So one day against my better judgement, I gave her the most non spicey piece of chicken I could find out of my stir fry. She ate it right away, and proceeded to say Num Num (I like this!). She ate lots of chicken, and some more the next day. Since then I've given her bits of lunchmeats, more chicken, some barbeque (turkey, brisket, and even a little pork ribs) and Em has proven to be a true Texan. She loves her meat. So much for texture problems! But I have been needing and trying to cook more healthy meals during the day, since she wants to share with me. The meals I make for my husband and I are usually eaten after she goes to sleep. It's good for me and good for her, and I want to encourage her desire to eat what I am eating. That means less cookies/crackers/bread and more veggies!
My daughter has proven to be a super loving little girl. Her newborn cousin came to visit and she hugged him and rubbed his head when he cried. She also lays her head on and hugs me and her Dad, and especially the dog.
Well that's my post for now, a bit of catching up, but the overall tone in my mama-hood right now is IN LOVE. I am absolutely in love with my baby, with my ability to spend so much time with her and with my husband and the family that we have together. This is my life, and I love it!
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
Saturday, May 8, 2010
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
Why now?
Another question one might ask about my Mama blog is, why write it now? Well it's true, it's because I haven't gotten around to it before now (I'm mama to a new baby!). But also, this is an intensely exciting time in Emaline's life. It is the turning point between her being an immobile baby and a being with her own desires and means to obtain what she wants.
In the past few weeks Emaline has started crawling (video to be posted if I can figure it out), pulling up, and talking. Just this morning, while looking at her dog Prema she said DA and signed "dog" over and over. Yesterday she did this while looking at a PICTURE of a dog on the cover of her book, Whistle for Willie. What a big step! Not only does she know what dog means, she knows that other things are dogs besides HER dog. Even a picture. Wow!
Her other words currently are Mama, which she uses more articulately now and with more intention, she also calls her Dad Mama when she is feeling affectionately toward him. She seems to be understanding the signs for "more" and "all done" and is working on saying "more" when she eats.
Oh, how sweet is this, Em gives kisses now! She takes her mouth and often grabs my face, and pushes her mouth (open onto my chin or cheek). This if often followed up by blowing raspberries on my face or in front of me. Kisses so far seem to mean "thanks for picking me up" or "I like being close to you" or "oh I love you so much!" It's heart-melting!
Also this morning, Emaline pulled up using my hands, and wanted to come to me, and she took
4 or five intentional steps to get there! She is growing by leaps and bounds, and I am dully impressed. She is seven months and 3 weeks old now, and an advanced little thing.
We have begun working on the transition to get Emaline to sleep alone, as having her in our bed isn't working anymore. Firstly, Stephen and I are squished in there, and can't talk or anything past the time that she goes to bed. Second, Emaline started crawling off the bed. So I moved a mattress to her room, and have been putting her to sleep there for a few nights. She naps alone there during the day, and sleeps there alone at night until she wakes up. She crawled off the bed twice Sunday night (it was a rude awakening) but was fine, since the bed is on the ground and I padded the surrounding area with pillows.
Now let me explain, that she isn't hanging out on the bed crawling for awhile when she falls off. No, she wakes up and flips over, and probably still asleep crawls right off the bed! I think her little body is just so excited about her new mode of transportation that she can't stop! Last night though her lack of sleep seemed to catch up with her and she was tired. She did not wake up and crawl (thank goodness!) and went back to bed quickly every time she woke up. She slept great actually! I'm hoping this is a new trend.
So that's a little glimpse into how our lives are changing. She crawls from room to room, picking up any paper/plastic she can find (been sweeping a lot), any kind of electronic or wire is insatiably interesting. We are working on getting everything baby proofed, but for now I have my eyes on her at all times. Working on making her room a safe place for her to be alone. Prema is excited about the new things his little sister is doing, and responds excitedly to her crawling. In fact he is a big factor in helping her crawl, since he brings her toys and balls that roll away that she has to go get! If I get the video up you'll see some of that.
Alright, I'll update again later, it's a very exciting time here in the Brown household!
In the past few weeks Emaline has started crawling (video to be posted if I can figure it out), pulling up, and talking. Just this morning, while looking at her dog Prema she said DA and signed "dog" over and over. Yesterday she did this while looking at a PICTURE of a dog on the cover of her book, Whistle for Willie. What a big step! Not only does she know what dog means, she knows that other things are dogs besides HER dog. Even a picture. Wow!
Her other words currently are Mama, which she uses more articulately now and with more intention, she also calls her Dad Mama when she is feeling affectionately toward him. She seems to be understanding the signs for "more" and "all done" and is working on saying "more" when she eats.
Oh, how sweet is this, Em gives kisses now! She takes her mouth and often grabs my face, and pushes her mouth (open onto my chin or cheek). This if often followed up by blowing raspberries on my face or in front of me. Kisses so far seem to mean "thanks for picking me up" or "I like being close to you" or "oh I love you so much!" It's heart-melting!
Also this morning, Emaline pulled up using my hands, and wanted to come to me, and she took
4 or five intentional steps to get there! She is growing by leaps and bounds, and I am dully impressed. She is seven months and 3 weeks old now, and an advanced little thing.
We have begun working on the transition to get Emaline to sleep alone, as having her in our bed isn't working anymore. Firstly, Stephen and I are squished in there, and can't talk or anything past the time that she goes to bed. Second, Emaline started crawling off the bed. So I moved a mattress to her room, and have been putting her to sleep there for a few nights. She naps alone there during the day, and sleeps there alone at night until she wakes up. She crawled off the bed twice Sunday night (it was a rude awakening) but was fine, since the bed is on the ground and I padded the surrounding area with pillows.
Now let me explain, that she isn't hanging out on the bed crawling for awhile when she falls off. No, she wakes up and flips over, and probably still asleep crawls right off the bed! I think her little body is just so excited about her new mode of transportation that she can't stop! Last night though her lack of sleep seemed to catch up with her and she was tired. She did not wake up and crawl (thank goodness!) and went back to bed quickly every time she woke up. She slept great actually! I'm hoping this is a new trend.
So that's a little glimpse into how our lives are changing. She crawls from room to room, picking up any paper/plastic she can find (been sweeping a lot), any kind of electronic or wire is insatiably interesting. We are working on getting everything baby proofed, but for now I have my eyes on her at all times. Working on making her room a safe place for her to be alone. Prema is excited about the new things his little sister is doing, and responds excitedly to her crawling. In fact he is a big factor in helping her crawl, since he brings her toys and balls that roll away that she has to go get! If I get the video up you'll see some of that.
Alright, I'll update again later, it's a very exciting time here in the Brown household!
Monday, April 26, 2010
A note about the blog title
As much as it was a random selection, of whatever blog name was available, the Deliberate Mom title has a place. I want to be the kind of Mom that intentionally lives her live and mothers her children. I intentionally conceived my child, and have been wanting to be a mom since I was 15. I spent time practicing Zen meditation, so that I might be able to step out of the negative patterns I created with my nuclear family. I also spend a few years completing my degree in human development and family science, with the goal of one day teaching parenting. My aspiration as a mother is to be joyful and vibrant. I want to enjoy my children and my family, and not let the mundane tasks and daily irritations get in the way of that.
Such is also the purpose of this blog, as well as to have documentation of the things about motherhood that intrigue me, and the things about Emaline I don't want to forget.
Such is also the purpose of this blog, as well as to have documentation of the things about motherhood that intrigue me, and the things about Emaline I don't want to forget.
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