Focus On the Positive

In any relationship, you take the bad with the good. This goes for spouses, parents, friends, and even children. I always say that I paid my dues early on with Ayden because he was NOT an easy going, happy newborn. Due to milk over supply and over an active let down issue, Ayden had major tummy problems and therefore cried...a lot. He also didn't like to be held by strangers from day 1 and then there were the sleep issues. We even went so far as to mentally prepare ourselves for parenting a difficult child for the long haul. These days, posts dedicated to the stress of parenthood, rough days, or even sleep woes are far and few between.  They have been replaced with posts about how wonderful everything is. Part of this is because I am a doting mother and am fascinated by and proud of pretty much everything Ayden does (as any first time mother is), he is my job after all...  The other part is because we have been at a place for a while now where we have all found a rhythm and things really are remarkably easier and more enjoyable than they were a year ago. We are so thrilled that Ayden grew out of his fussy pants and is now a very happy and content little boy... For the most part.

As happy as he may be and as much as I dote, Ayden IS still a toddler and he definitely can have "toddler" moments:

-He currently HATES to be changed. This is actually a funny one to me (when I'm not dealing with it in the moment) because back during his fussy days, changing him is what we did to make him happy. My the tables have turned. The severity of his crying during any diaper or clothing change seems to correspond with the time of day and his energy level. The diaper changes right when we wakes up, in the morning and from a nap, tend to be painless for all. Any other time is a wrestling match where he is crying and twisting; and we are having to work together to sing silly songs and practically pin him down while we finish the task as quickly as possible. How I handle the situation is also directly related to the time of day and my energy level. Sometimes I have the energy to think ahead and get him distracted by a tube of Chapstick or something else equally as awesome in his opinion. Sometimes the "What does a ____ say" game still works, but even that can be hit or miss. I think they should give awards for who can change a wiggly toddler the fastest and I'd bet I'd be a good contender with all the practice I've had.

- He loathes having his hands and face wiped after meals just as much as diaper and clothing changes.  Especially when he has a cold.

- He hates having an "off limits" thing, aka "coolest thing EVER," taken from him. We try to do a switcheroo or quickly redirect him but he still does a little "don't take that" dance with his feet while making grunting noises in protest and holds onto said object as tight as he can as we pry it out of his little hands. Sometimes he fusses a bit and moves on, other times he sits down and wails like his world has ended. We never give in, and it typically blows over quickly, but it doesn't make listening to it any easier.

- Lastly, he tends to wait until I am on the finishing touches of any given task (cleaning, cooking, crafting, computer, etc) to decide that he is all done with independent play. He latches onto my legs and dramatically cries until I give him a change of scenery. As a result, by the end of the day I have a bunch of incomplete projects all around the house.

Now, I am pretty sure that these are all standard toddler behavior. None of it is particularly "fun" to deal with; but he is so pleasant all of the rest of the time that these things don't stand out as significant when I sit down to recall the things that I want to document in my daily posts. Instead, I like to focus on the positive and recall the wonderful things that he did and any fun that we had together.

Today, those moments were:

- How he went right to sleep for his nap and stayed asleep for an hour and a half while I got some important computer work done.

- When he sat quietly and just worked on eating an apple during my first hour of teaching dance tonight. Also, how every time I got on the floor while doing choreography, he came running at me with a huge smile on his face thinking I was down there to play.

- How he practiced going down a small step, without turning around backwards, over and over until he got it without falling... and laughing when he did fall.

In the middle of a bunch of running pre-dancers :)

- How he is learning and trying to say a new word almost everyday. Today's was "slipper."

Such a character!

In my mind there is no contest about what will make the cut when I write these daily posts! The good and positive always win in my book.  I hope that having a constant (as possible) stream of love and positivity will enrich Ayden's life and in turn make him a loving and positive person.

Words to live by...

~Sarah