A Journey to Love

We took our new camper out this weekend. We wanted to go somewhere close by just in case something went wrong, so we picked Port San Luis. I am embarrased to say that neither Nathan nor I had ever been there before, even though we were born and raised here on the Central Coast. But even though it was our first time there, it definitely won't be our last. We got there Friday afternoon and found a place right above the beach, next to a staircase leading down to the sand. We pulled in and ten minutes later were all set up. (Man, I love RVing!) Benjamin was still asleep in the car, so Nathan and I sat down in our cozy chairs and watched the ocean for a bit while he finished his nap. Then the three of us went for a walk to the end of the pier. It had been quite awhile since Benjamin had been to the beach, so it was so much fun to watch him experience the sand and water. As I set him down on the ground, he gingerly took a step or two, testing out this new grainy texture. After he deter...

Gone are the days when Benjamin would kindly share his toys, blankies, food, cup, dog, parents, and everything else in the world with anybody who wanted them. Now the concept of sharing is so foreign to him, he just looks at me like I'm crazy when I suggest it. "Sharing? You want me to let someone else play with my ball/hammer/book/(fill in the blank)? Have you gone mad ?" Sheesh, I'm sorry I suggested it, Your Highness. But then Benjamin's cousin, Weston, came to our house to play. He is a year older than Ben and the two of them usually get along fabulously. Weston just does what he wants to do and Benjamin follows him around like a little puppy dog. "Oh, you want my toy? Okay, here you go Weston." "This toy, too? Okay." "Sure, you ride the bike. I was done anyway." "Of course you can have my cheerios. I'm not hungry. You don't even need to ask." Well, two weeks ago on this particular playdate, I started...

I like to think that he is asking God to stop the rain so he can go out to play. :)

Immediately to the left of this post is a list that I have had in my head since Benjamin was two days old. That was when we took him to his first doctor's appointment and we were told that we needed to bottle feed him until I was able to breastfeed again (long story, maybe for another post some day). I was devastated because that was not my plan. Well, I came to learn that when it comes to parenting, rarely do things go the way we plan. So I humbly present to you my list of things I said I'd never do when I had kids...but did.

If you remember from my previous post, I vowed that we would limit our restaurant excursions to once a week. This would not only help with our budget, but also our waistlines. In case the thought of a fat savings account and a thin bikini-body wasn't motivating enough, we had something else to encourage us to dine at home. It happens to be about two feet tall with a penchant for throwing any object in a three foot radius. Our adorable son, aka "Little Monster." Up until about the age of one, Benjamin was a perfect little angel at restaurants. He would sit quietly, eat his food, and smile at the waiters and other patrons as we finished our meal. Now that he is walking (running actually) he is not so content to wait for us to eat, or wait for our meal to arrive, or even wait for us to order that meal. He just hates to wait in general, which is why we had started to stay home more often for meals even before we made the decision to cut back on dining out for other reasons....

I know, I know...New Year's Resolutions don't work. People hit the ground running with good intentions, but then start to lose steam about the time February rolls around. Just take a look at the local gyms and you'll see what I mean. I, too, have had good intentions when it comes to the new year. I have vowed to eat better, exercise more, spend wisely, and pray diligently. The results? I pray often for God to give me the will power to stop spending money on mocha's and cheeseburgers so I won't have to workout as often. Does that count? Change is hard. Really hard. To make it a little easier, I've decided to create some goals for myself for 2010 and then list specific ways to meet those goals. Goal #1: Stick to our budget a. Limit the trips to Starbucks to once a week, and only if I am working on balancing the budget while I am there. (Peppermint Mochas make a terrible chore seem not so bad, you know.) b. Cancel the gym membership. I was one of those afor...

"Up." "Pizza." "Mama." "Dada." These are the four words that my 1 year, 17 months, and 9 days old son knows. And the last three he only says when we prompt him.  Being the fanatical reader that I am, as well as having a degree in Child Development, I know that he should be saying at least six words by now, if not more. In fact, most children begin speaking around 12 months.  I also know that babies develop at their own pace and there is quite a range when it comes to developmental milestones, especially in regards to walking and talking. However, when babies all around me are speaking a dozen words or more, it is hard not to look at Benjamin and wonder, sometimes outloud, "Why aren't you talking yet?" At his 12 month check-up Dr. Patterson said not to worry. Babies develop at their own pace, blah-blah-blah. All things I knew and at that time I wasn't concerned. But when his fifteen month checkup rolled around I again voice...

So if you have a child going through the terrible ones, does that mean we won't have to experience the terrible twos? For the sake of my sanity, I am going to assume yes . These last few weeks have been...hmm, how do I say it... trying . Benjamin has been throwing several tantrums (as well as objects) and I am going crazy. I am aware that he just doesn't know how to express himself and that he is frustrated that we don't know what he wants, and I'm sure there are times when he doesn't know what he wants.  All that adds up to throwing himself on the floor in a full fledged temper-tantrum.  I tend to step over him when he does this, at which point he gets up and runs after me and either hits me or begs me to pick him up. After several weeks of this behavior, I'm honestly not sure which I prefer. (Because hitting gets him a timeout and gets me a couple minutes of peace). It used to be so easy to keep him happy. But that was before he discovered he had a w...