For years, I have been begging Lee to get our home movies burned onto DVD. Yesterday, something came over him and he decided to get the new DVD burner that we needed in order to accomplish this task and got two of our videos burned last night. It's like a Christmas miracle!
We sat down to watch them and had a jolly good time watching the first few months of Sloan's life once again. We both got a good chuckle at how young Lee looked. I know it was only five year ago, but it's still noticable. I mean, there's a big difference between 28 and 34. Lee looks like a baby. I, however, look as youthful today as I did then and that's the way it's gonna be, got it?
Of course we have just over three hours of videotape of Sloan's first nine months. I think we're approaching 45 minutes of videotape for Landon's first year - and he's not even in a lot of that video. Poor third baby. Watching these movies of our interaction with Sloan gave me great insight into why he is the way he is. Sloan is a typical first child, fun loving, meticulous and always needing someone to entertain him. To watch the videos, I see why. We made him that way! We coddled that sweet baby, always entertaining him, trying to make him laugh, talking to him and playing with him. Most of the video of his first couple of months, we are trying desperately to get a smile. Until about 6 months, Sloan was such a serious little guy and you had to practically move a mountain to get a smile. Either that or you had to make a gigantic fool of yourself, which we were doing in every frame of this video. Good grief, the poor kid just wanted to be left alone. Half the time he looked exhausted, but you know as a first time mom, I had to stick to the schedule and if it wasn't naptime, then by God he wasn't going down for a nap.
Then there's the video of him trying cereal for the first time. He hated it, but I kept shoving it into his wide open, screaming mouth, determined to get him to give it a try. Meanwhile I'm looking at the camera with this overwhelmed, bewildered look and saying, "I don't think he likes it!" Lee said I looked like Britney Spears - I think I should be insulted, and confused because... huh?
Anyway, thank God we've gotten better at this parenting thing. Not that we're experts by any means, but we have figured out a few tricks of the trade through trial and error - most of which occurred on Sloan. It's amazing that first children make it at all. How do any of us grow into well adjusted adults? But we have loosened up a whole lot. I'm no longer such a nap stickler - unless it's the afternoon nap, which is like gold for me. We aren't quite so anal about what "bad" words are - poor Sloan wasn't aloud to say anything for awhile. I let the kids have McDonalds, eat sweets and drink rum in the morning - just kidding! That's not true, they are only allowed to drink at night...
Oh and incidentally, I hereby publicly apologize to my husband for the fact that I apparently never showered that first year. In every video I'm wearing sweats and my hair appears to have swallowed a bucket of Crisco. Geesh.
The point is, we still learn something new every day and while I'm sure both Tia and Landon will also be products of our parenting mishaps, we have gotten a better handle on some things. How about you all? What are some things that you've learned through raising children?
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7 comments:
I am currently on my first child but can relate to some of those mistakes you mentioned. I always feel like I have to do things perfectly and Kaylee has to be like other kids with eating and sleeping and other milestones in her life. Thanks for the reminder.
As you know, we're still on kiddo number one. But after reading a couple books recently, I've realized a few things here and there too. I've said to Jeremy-especially lately-that the stuff that drives me the most insane about Cooper is totally our fault. It is certainly frustrating. But what I can't figure out is why in life, generally speaking, the first borns seem to do ok but the rest of the kids always seem to have issues. It sounds dumb, but I'm already convinced poor Chase isn't going to have a chance. (Pregnancy hormones are kicking in I'm sure.) I'm weirded out by starting all over again and yet I'm hoping we've learned our lesson in a couple of things after 3 years of Cooper!
first of all - tiff, relax! chase is going to be fine! it's the hormones...
now that we've got 3 kids and 6 years of parenting under our belts, i definitely think we've got a much better handle on what to freak out about and what to just let go. not that we do that perfectly, but it's better than it was with luke.
whenever i am feeling parental guilt over not spending as much one-on-one time with the second and third kids, i try to remember what my parent educator told me when bennett was born: "good! he'll be fine, and he doesn't NEED you be one-on-one in his face all the time. he has a big brother to give him love and attention that luke didn't have."
of course, this doesn't absolve me of my duties, but it does help me realize that 2 and 3 are fine, and in some ways, get the better end of the deal b/c most of the mistakes are made with 1.
can lee come over and turn our tapes to DVDs? b/c that's on my to-do list too.
sorry for the book!
Sometimes I think I was a better Mom with 1 than with 3...I guess because I was more focused. Oh well, they all know how to play by themselves because I certainly don't have time to entertain them!
Totally laughing, and so true! Don't we work so hard, for our 1st baby to throw us a bone in the form of a smile? I think parenting 1 and 2 isn't better or worse- just different. There are still only 24 hours in a day, yet there's more laundry, more dishes, more diapers. I think you just do your best and (to quote a little Caedmon's)... "stand on grace." (and maybe put a little money aside for Jack's therapy for later).
oh, this was so funny! after reading it the other day, i've been thinking about how we interact w/ hudson & how that's influencing him! i find myself thinking things like - why am i risking our lives in the car on a daily basis just to make sure he has his sippy or a snack if he starts making the "more" sign, or says please??? i know i won't be able to do this w/ more kids!!! funny what those little things do to us!
oh, & i have seen your house in the background of pictures, missy & i know how cute it is!!! but if you really want me to send you some glitterati snowflakes to add to the cuteness, i will :)
Just have to tell you- I keep coming back to this post to laugh, judge myself, and realize that it's a miracle we have more than one child given the psychological and emotional (and hygienic) turmoil we mommies go through just to make sure that their every need is met immediately. What advice will we give our kids someday once they have their own?
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