Well, Charlie loves laughing, playing, and of course eating. Another thing she is getting accustomed to these days is throwing tantrums. Mommy and I are trying to nip this in the bud, and not teach her that there is a payoff to misbehaving, but we just have a question... Does she really understand right now?
Super Nanny says children learn at every step of the way, so I'm guessing Charlie is throwing tantrums because we've done something along the way to reward her for them. In other words, she knows she gets something out of them. But how do you win as a parent?
I mean, we obviously know by now when she is really crying for a reason, or just whining because she's tired or frustrated. But either way, it's hard to stand by and see your little baby girl cry. It pulls at my heart pretty bad.
My buddy Mike always tells me you have to start early or you'll suffer late. Really, I think we're okay, but it is a little unlike Charlie to throw as many tantrums as she has lately. This morning, she actually laid on the floor and flailed around screaming for 2 minutes. Very tough time for me. My instinct is to get upset, but I know this will just create an even bigger tantrum, so I stayed calm and told her that if she continued, Daddy would have to put her down for a nap because she was obviously tired. I don't think she understands the reasoning part yet, but I do believe she learns from our actions. So off for a nap she went. She went straight to sleep, and awoke only an hour later in a much better mood.
So what now? Is this just a stage, or a sign that we pay too much attention to her tantrums? I guess we'll continue to figure it out. All in all, we're not doing badly. I mean, I'm using the word "tantrum" but it's really not too terribly bad. Just completely unlike Charlie to go to the extremes that she has been lately.
Saturday, April 26, 2008
Sunday, April 20, 2008
Man can life get busy
It's funny thinking about how things change while your family grows. I was thinking the other night about how much "spare" time I used to have to update Charlie's website, my blog, or to just take a nap once in a while.
Charlie is now pretty much skipping a morning nap altogether, and has become so active and playful that we have to be totally dialed in when we're with her. This is a great thing. Charlie is fast becoming this perfect little girl, and there are days that Beck and I both agree that she has already become that "girl"... not a toddler, and certainly not a baby.
Charlie's words now include "hi", "ball", "bird", "cat", "bye", and of course "Mama", and "Dada". There are several others that we are trying to decipher, but that's the list so far. One thing is for certain: She definitely understands US.
The funniest part (to me) of her ever growing understanding of us is the dirty looks we get. Charlie really lays it on thick! Bottom lip, squinted eyes, and that look out of the corner of her eye. It is VERY funny, but also difficult not to laugh a little. Such a little character!
Another of her latest tricks is pulling the pillows off of our bed and stacking them in the middle of our bedroom floor. She'll then spend the next 30 minutes running and diving into them, and giggle her head off. It's so funny to watch because she puts it all together herself. No help from Mommy or Daddy, and she doesn't want us to do anything but laugh while she does it.
She has also learned that the quickest way to get down the stairs is to slide down backwards on her belly. She's quite quick now. She has no fear with it and can get herself from her bedroom to the basement in less than 2 minutes flat. She's really crazy!
Oh yeah. And then there's the toothbrushing thing. Weeks and weeks ago, Charlie stood in our bathroom while Mommy brushed her teeth and seemed really aggrevated. This went on for a few days, every time one of us brushed our teeth before we decided to get a step-stool and put her toothbrush in our bathroom. Now, Charlie will run into our bathroom first thing in the morning, push her step-stool into place, and stand up to the sink. We'll hand her the toothbrush with a little baby-paste on there, and she goes to town. For 3 or 4 minutes. She dips the brush into the water, brushes, dips it again, brushes. It's hillarious, and Charlie is so proud.
It's fast and furious around here. Charlie never seems to tire of learning new things. And we can't wait to see how she teaches her little brother all the stuff she's learned!
Charlie is now pretty much skipping a morning nap altogether, and has become so active and playful that we have to be totally dialed in when we're with her. This is a great thing. Charlie is fast becoming this perfect little girl, and there are days that Beck and I both agree that she has already become that "girl"... not a toddler, and certainly not a baby.
Charlie's words now include "hi", "ball", "bird", "cat", "bye", and of course "Mama", and "Dada". There are several others that we are trying to decipher, but that's the list so far. One thing is for certain: She definitely understands US.
The funniest part (to me) of her ever growing understanding of us is the dirty looks we get. Charlie really lays it on thick! Bottom lip, squinted eyes, and that look out of the corner of her eye. It is VERY funny, but also difficult not to laugh a little. Such a little character!
Another of her latest tricks is pulling the pillows off of our bed and stacking them in the middle of our bedroom floor. She'll then spend the next 30 minutes running and diving into them, and giggle her head off. It's so funny to watch because she puts it all together herself. No help from Mommy or Daddy, and she doesn't want us to do anything but laugh while she does it.
She has also learned that the quickest way to get down the stairs is to slide down backwards on her belly. She's quite quick now. She has no fear with it and can get herself from her bedroom to the basement in less than 2 minutes flat. She's really crazy!
Oh yeah. And then there's the toothbrushing thing. Weeks and weeks ago, Charlie stood in our bathroom while Mommy brushed her teeth and seemed really aggrevated. This went on for a few days, every time one of us brushed our teeth before we decided to get a step-stool and put her toothbrush in our bathroom. Now, Charlie will run into our bathroom first thing in the morning, push her step-stool into place, and stand up to the sink. We'll hand her the toothbrush with a little baby-paste on there, and she goes to town. For 3 or 4 minutes. She dips the brush into the water, brushes, dips it again, brushes. It's hillarious, and Charlie is so proud.
It's fast and furious around here. Charlie never seems to tire of learning new things. And we can't wait to see how she teaches her little brother all the stuff she's learned!
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