TA-DA! We have a camera again! Ready for thousands of pictures of our child? Well, don't worry. Our new camera came with a 32 MB memory card (our last camera had 256 MB, for some perspective) so it only holds somewhere around 10 pictures. Next purchase: bigger memory card. Thank you, Canon, for messing with us.
Seth has just started figuring out his hands. He's been holding his own hand for weeks now and attempting to grab his blanket. This week something clicked--he has been consistently grabbing my hand to get my ring (and suck on it) and will sometimes swipe at his toys.
Jon has been trying to teach Seth how to grab things. Here's how the lessons usually go down:
Step 1: Distraction
Step 2: Excitement
Step 3: Very intense concentration
It's so amazing to watch him figure things out. Sometimes I get frustrated watching him try, fail, and try again (over and over and over...) and I just want to hand him whatever he's going for. Parenting is a delicate balance of keeping your child happy and helping him learn to do things on his own. Like falling asleep (and STAYING that way) without parental assistance. Progress in this area--zero. In fact, I think we've regressed quite a bit. At this point I could care less if he never sleeps in his crib--as long as he's sleeping NOW, I'm thrilled.
And no, I'm not revoking my right to whine later about how my child won't sleep in his crib.
And no, I'm not revoking my right to whine later about how my child won't sleep in his crib.
2 comments:
I agree that it can be hard to sit back and let them learn on their own when it is so easy for us to just do it for them.
I LOVE watching my kids learn stuff. It's probably my favorite thing about being a parent. It's fabulous to watch them try and try and then to see how pleased they are when they finally succeed. Max learning to walk is coming to mind immediately. Or Yoroko whenever she learns a new word and trots it out for the first time on her own. It is so great to see how interesting they find things that you have always taken for granted, like telephones that beep (Max) and public restrooms(Yoroko). And it's so great to say, "Look at this! It's a seed! And if you put it in dirt, it turns into a plant!" and Yoroko says, "Really? Hey Daddy! Did you know that if you put a seed in dirt it turns into a plant? That's so neat!" Or when they get a new toy and I show Max that he can take the lid off and put it back on all by himself. Look at what you are capable of, baby boy! Discovering new skills makes him/them so happy! Look, Mom! I drew a circle! Look, Mom, I climbed up on top of the dining room table and I'm doing my happy dance! Look, Mom, I can put my cup in the refrigerator all by myself! And our most recent for Yoroko: Look, Mom, that word starts with 'No!' (November) and for Max: Look, Mom, I can turn the lights on and off by myself! Teaching your kids stuff is such a joy, from the beginning stage which you describe so aptly (I have two little hands? Seriously?) to the struggle and eventual mastery. My dad says that his empty-nestedness has been the best part of his life so far because he gets to see how he's successfully prepared (so far) his children to navigate the world on their own, which I suppose is the ultimate result of all the teaching that you do as a parent.
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