Raising a Rebel...

Is it just me, or do children have way more personality than we had when we were babies? Legend knows no fear (other than a healthy dose of terror in matters concerning strangers and the vacuum). He has recently taken a liking to just falling out in the tub. So, he'll be sitting in the tub, splashing happily, singing songs, and next thing you know, he just lays backwards. I have always managed to catch him before he has hit the water but, wow! Give a mommy a break.

Am I raising a bad boy? Should I be investing in chaps and a chopper of some kind? He knows full well when he is doing something wrong but will engage in the behavior while singing "No...no...no" quite merrily. The icing on the cake is when you approach him, while he's in the act. He'll stop engaging in the "no, no" behavior and pretend he is doing something else! Has anyone ever encountered anything like this? I know, I know, he is just testing his boundaries, but there's something in his twinkling brown eyes that keeps warning me that trouble is on the horizon.

Well, I wanted a "Legend" so I have to be prepared to deal with one! I guess I'll get my cape...



Even at 3 months old he was feisty...



Our Long Walk...

Legend spotted a dog.

Being a child must be wonderful! When I see Legend interacting with the world, I am forced to give the things I normally take for granted, a second look. Our walk took us a half of a mile around the neighborhood (I am still shocked that he walked the whole way).

Although I viewed our outing as an opportunity to get some exercise, Legend took the opportunity to become an explorer. He hugged trees, patted the grass, stomped on bugs, and chased shadows. Everything was amazing to him and we had to stop several times, so that he could investigate every odd noise.

Admittedly, I was ready to end our walk, when he fell on the concrete. After declaring that his hands were, "dirty," he wiped them off and continued walking. I tried to pick him up and he said, "No, Mommy" and went on to offer me some of his water.

Exploration is a gift and a curse. Of course you want your child to be interested in the world around him but, it is hard to ignore the many dangers the world possesses, as well. I know, I'll just have to, "chuck it up," as the saying goes, because nothing is going to slow my little adventurer down.

Checking out a train...

Touching shadows...

Taking a break...

Getting to Know a Legendary Dad...

Mommy: How would you describe a “good” father?

Daddy: A good father is a man who takes the time to get to know his son, spend time with him, guide him in the right direction, teach him right from wrong, show him how to be a man of his word, and most importantly how to be a man of God. It is the quality time that, truly, matters.

Mommy: Do you consider yourself a “good” father?

Daddy: I consider myself an ok father. I have areas that need improvement. I am not perfect and I have flaws. It is important for me not to pass my flaws on to my son. I am working on that through the help of God and studying Scripture. I know that I love my son and he knows that Daddy loves him and will do anything in world to make sure he is happy.

Mommy: Please allow me to say... Awwwwww… That's such a sweet and modest answer. *tearing up*

Mommy: Now back to business...

Mommy: Describe the point when you really started feeling like a dad.

Daddy: The truth is, I don't really know when I started feeling like a Dad. I think about the operating room when Legend was first born. I consider every trip, throughout the hospital, I made with him (while they were running tests on him). Perhaps I felt like a dad, the first time Legend peed on me or the time when my hand slipped into his poop. It is hard to say when the daddy switch flipped on. I do know that I never felt more like a dad than I did on the day Legend looked at me and called me “Daddy.” His smiled at me. I hugged him and told him I loved him so much.

Mommy: What is the funniest/most embarrassing parenting moment you can remember?

Daddy: After days of sleep deprivation. I remember you asking me to warm Legend’s bottle, while you changed his diaper (at 3am). I went into the kitchen, made the bottle and left it on the counter. Instead of returning with the bottle, I came back with some Comet Cleaner and put it on the nightstand. To make matters worse, I left the room. I remember you yelling, “Brandon, what am I supposed to do with Comet? Where is his bottle”? Finally, you came in search of me, only to find me standing in a corner, sleeping. You then yelled, “Are you hiding”? Welcome to parenthood! I never felt so tired in my life. My brain was processing, however my body wasn't responding. It was crazy at the time and became funny later on. I remember that you wanted to kill me, at the time. It’s a good story now, though.

Mommy: Describe the scariest parenting moment you can remember.

Daddy: I feel like the scariest parenting moment that I can remember was when I changing Legend's diaper. He was a few weeks old at this point. He still had the plastic piece on his umbilical cord, closing off his belly button. I remember after changing his diaper I put his onesie on him. I looked away for a second to grab a plastic baggie to put the diaper in. When I turned back, Legend had blood oozing out his belly button and it wouldn't stop coming out. I pulled the plastic off, by accident. I woke you up and was scared out of my mind. I panicked and kept thinking, “Oh @%*&, she is going to kill me”! She was barely awake as I calmly tried to explain what happened and that Legend was bleeding “a little.” That was the understatement of the year because blood was gushing everywhere. After springing into action while promising me doom with her eyes, super mom stepped in and saved the day. She got the bleeding to stop.

Mommy: What is your greatest hope for Legend's future?

Daddy: I want Legend feel confident that whatever he decides to do in life, he can accomplish it because he has all the tools necessary to achieve anything. I must also say, I want him to be happy. It’s as simple as that.

 

Foul Stalling Tactics at Bedtime...

Legend licking the crib...

6:40pm - Mommy puts Legend in his crib for bedtime.
6:40pm - Legend whines, cries, sings, talks, and finally yells, "poop."
6:51pm - Mommy checks Legend and discovers that he has, in fact, made
                "poop." She moves on and changes his diaper.
7:01pm - Mommy puts Legend in his crib, for the second time.
7:03pm - Legend cries, yells, throws things over the side of the crib, attempts to
              climb out of the crib, licks the crib, and yells, "poop."
7:18pm - Mommy checks Legend and, again, he has made "poop."
7:28pm - Mommy puts Legend in his crib and whispers, "if you use your POD
              (Poop on Demand) powers again, you'll be sleeping in it until morning."
              Legend smiles.
7:40pm - Legend tosses and turns but finally falls asleep.

Please, somebody, anybody, tell me that it gets easier! All I can say is that, after an hour of going back and forth, with Muffin, I am thoroughly pooped. <---- Get it... lol... Well, it made me chuckle....

posted from Bloggeroid

There's an End in Sight for the Ongoing "Food Fight"...

 

Since the time Legend began eating solids, we have been locked in a delicate battle of wills. In the red shorts is Mommy, who is determined to get her Muffin to eat well-balanced meals, and in the blue shorts is Legend, who refuses to eat anything that may be considered well-balanced or a meal. It was a struggle to get him to eat, primarily, solids and the transition to table food hasn't been any smoother. Today, however, it seems as though Muffin has extended an olive branch to me. He sat at the table and worked on stabbing his chicken nuggets with a fork. After growing tired of this game, he simply began to pick up pieces of chicken and eat it! It was amazing! Maybe my fear of mess and meal-time chaos has slowed his self-feeding down but, at any rate, we are getting it together now and Legend is primed for success!

Just Hanging Out...

It's strange. When Legend and I first met, I was terrified at the thought of being alone with him. I worried that I wouldn't know what to do if he started crying and that I would somehow break him if I moved him around too much. It didn't help that I had a C-Section, without enough anesthesia, that left me barely able to move, let alone care for my little one. As we have grown to know each other, over the course of a year, we have settled into this comfortable place. It's nice to have little, "mommy-Legend moments." How many moms can sit down with their toddlers and watch a documentary on New York's preschool wars? I don't know the answer but, I do know that I can and that's pretty neat.

Sent from my T-Mobile myTouch 3G Slide

Development Update 15.75 Months Old...

Legend can sign...

Hat, Shoes, Shirt, Diaper, Bib, Socks, Baby, Slide, Swing, Red, Yellow, Green, Blue, Black, White, Purple, Cookie, Apple, Banana, Juice, Water, Orange, Eat, Drink, Cereal, Cracker, More, Thank You, Please, Mommy, Tree, Milk, Go, Car, Airplane, Boat, Train, Book, Ball, Help, Share, Sleep, Rain, Snow, All Done, Bear, Dinosaur, Dog, Cat, Tiger, Giraffe, Lion, Elephant, Frog, Pig, Bee, Bug, Turtle, Bunny, Alligator, Gorilla, Monkey, Fish, Bath, Bird, Duck

 

And some more words I'm forgetting...

Legend can say...

And some more words I'm forgetting...

Legend can read...

Toes, Elephant, Arms Up, Arms Down, Dog, Cat, Gorilla, Giraffe, Clap, Tiger, Eyes, Mouth, Nose, Wave, Colors, Wave, Head, Arm
And some more words I'm forgetting


Sent from my T-Mobile myTouch 3G Slide

Car, Beep Beep, Vrrooom, Choo Choo, Train, Ball, Eat Eat , Mmmmmm, No, Yes, Thank You, Please, Turtle, Dog, Ruff Ruff, Cat, Meow, Tiger, Grrrrrrr, Bye Bye, Bee, Wow, Snow, Rain, Me, Eye, Nose, Mouth, Knees, Ears, Teeth, Toes, Hanger, Shoes, Bath, Dirty, Water, Banana, Book, Cookie, Truck, Gorilla, Walk, Baby, Bib, Slide, Wee, Pee Pee, Hola, Espera, Cereal, Not Nice, Hooray, Tree, Milk, All Done, Poop, Clap, Pop, Better, Never, Dora, Berrie, Bubbles, Soap, Diaper, Puppy