Things that were harder than expected...and vice versa
So i'm just thinking about parenting things that are really a PITA these days...and how I never even thought of them while pregnant or with a infant. I thought maybe you ladies might have additional experiences to share and help out the new-er momma's.
1. TOE NAIL CLIPPING...this is seriously one of the most difficult things ever. I've tried to wait til they are asleep, they wake up. Darren is worse than danielle, I can't even LOOK at his toes, let alone touch them or clip them. Finger nails, for whatever reason, are easier but not a walk in the park.
2. Teeth brushing - Danielle was EASY PEASY, darren is a nightmare to brush his teeth, top teeth in particular. I sing songs, I do it and let him mimic me, I won't let him have a ball/toy until I get done...etc. It's just harder than I expected.
Two things I was nervous about, taking care of the circumcision...piece of cake. taking temp rectally...again piece of cake.
Re: Things that were harder than expected...and vice versa
Abigail Taylor 09.18.2008
One of the hardest things I have come across is the phenomenon that my kids get sick 99% of the time when we are Out.Of.Town. Seriously, it is the worst. Last year Tess got really sick while we were in Colorado, 90 bajillion feet of snow, the only place to have her checked out close by was a clinic at the ski resort, the pharmacy was 45 minutes away, and then she picked that phase of her life to be the one where she refused to take her medicine. She would purse her lips like steel traps. And whatever I did manage to foce down her mouth she just puked up. It was seriously the hardest week of parenting I think I've ever experienced.
The other thing that is really hard is once they start real school. I think when Emma was a baby I kind of looked at elementary school like a check point where life would get easier. I wouldn't be paying for daycare anymore, she'd be older, etc. Wrong. The first part of it is it is such a huge adjustment of who is in control. The Board of Education is in control now, not you. They tell you when you have to be there and when you can leave. It can be pretty intimidating at first. Also, if you want to know what goes on during your childs day you have to be super involved with the class, the school, PTA, etc. And there is a fine line between being involved and being over bearing. I have found it challenging to know when to check in and when to back off. But alot of that has to do with feedback from the teacher.
If I want to clip her nails I do mine first and let her watch while I cut and file. She is all about copying me lately. I say things like "oh pretty! oh cute!" and smile and show her my nails. Then she is basically begging to get hers done. When she was a baby I would wait until she was asleep and be sneaky.
Unfortunately lately just getting her to go to sleep is a huge battle. She is in this super clingy stage and doesn't want to go to daycare or be away from DH and I at all. Even if that means sleeping in her bedroom alone. When we are in public and people wave at her she freaks out and hides. I don't want my kid to battle the same shyness that I did as a kid.
I never realized how difficult it would be to deal with a child who has a phobia. Ethan has become terrified of the wind. So much so that while he's at school, he doesn't want to go to the pool or to splash park or even outside to play and this has made it more difficult for his teachers. I feel bad because there is really nothing I can do. I talked to his pedi and he said for me to just reassure Ethan how much I love him and how much his teachers love him and that we would never let anything bad happen to him. When it gets windy, he seems to think that the trees will fall.
As for Jack, I never realized that my second child would think that he's the same age as my first. In my case, Jack has grown up much quicker than Ethan. He loves the same things that Ethan does and wants to do the same things he does. He truly acts way beyond the years of a 2 1/2 year old (except for the potty).
And as the pp said, both my boys tend to be on the shy side and I really don't like it. I was a shy kid growing up and I don't want them to be that way so I really try to get them to become more involved even if they don't want to, but it can be very hard!
I thought PT would be a nightmare, but at least for Finn it wasn't. Riley seems to be doing it on his own, so it might be easy this time too.
I really never thought that trying to feed them was going to make me want to punch a wall. they are mostly good eaters, but then out of nowhere they will just say they don't like something that they gobbled up two days before. it is infuriating, though I don't know why it bothers me so damn much.
1. doing hair
2. doing finger/toenails
3. changing diaper
4. trying to make her sit down for a minute
on a funny note, i inserted rectal thermometer yesterday and it didn't work; i think it needs new batteries. the whole time i was waiting for the temp to come up LO was cool. then when i slid it out and she saw it, it was like she seemed to then realize what i was doing and RAISED HOLY HELL like "no, you didn't just put that in my butt!" it was crazy, lol.
Abigail Taylor 09.18.2008
Hard:
- Burping. I could not get this kid to burp for anything. Add that to reflux = nightmarish spit-ups every single feeding.
- Nail clipping, and especially the toe nails!
- Teethbrushing. Still fights me every time.
Easy:
- Breastfeeding/ pumping - I was so worried about it, but she latched on well and easily. I was lucky.
- Going back to work/ daycare transition. Love my daycare - very thankful.
I said when Ava was little that someone should open a baby nail clipping store. You know your kids always do better when someone else does something for them. Nail clipping isn't a problem now except she thinks she needs nail polish every time I do it.
We had issues with the teeth brushing as well. I let her do it herself while sitting on the counter in front of the mirror. She gets her toothbrush and toothpaste as well as mine and DH and we all brush together (works good for me cause then I don't do any late night snacking cause I don't want to brush my teeth again). Then she leans back and DH holds her with head hanging over the counter and I brush all her teeth. This is the only way I can get her to let me get them all! Weird I know!
Right now the thing that I thought would be easier than it actually is potty training. I swear this is going to be the death of me. There has been no harder thing in 2 1/2 years than this. So frustrating!
Surprisingly the transition from crib to toddler bed was easy peasy. I thought that was going to be a nightmare but she has done so well!!
Everett is 9 months old and I have never clipped her toenails. Not once. They don't ever seem to need it, I don't know if they just grow reeeaaaaallllllllly slooooooooow or if they break/tear off on their own. Now her nails I have to do once a week, they grow like weeds. Luckily she is really good about it and will happily sit still and let me do it. Perhaps because I am used to doing my dog's nails and take no nonsense from them on that issue, it has somehow transferred over to my child and has been really easy (so far, knock on wood).
I am terrified of PT. My SIL has 5 kids and had them all PT by 2yo, so I am considering sending E to her for a long weekend and hoping she can take care of it. Like when you send your dogs away to boot camp. That works, right? RIGHT?
Easier than I thought: The sleep deprivation. I am a world class sleeper and thought for sure my life would be over having to get up every 2-3 hours to feed her those first few months, but she was a good sleeper from the start so it never was a big deal, thank god. I am a superbitch when I don't get enough sleep.
Harder than I thought: Establishing a good nighttime routine. I had visions of a fun bath time followed by a lovely story time before bed. We have yet to implement either. This child gets a bath like twice a week and she has shown no interest in sitting still for a story, so we don't do either. I feel like a terrible mom.