14 months.

Dear Beck,

You are 14 months old and we have been having so much fun lately. I like to think that it is because I am starting to "get you" better.  There used to be many days where I would feel overwhelmed, frustrated.  Those days have been fewer over the last several months.  So many new things!

You love to clap.  Anytime we say "yay" you clap and smile.  Cutest. Thing. Ever.  You wave hello and goodbye now.  You still are wordless, but you understand a lot.  I swear I heard you say dog the other day.  You babble a ton.  Your new favorite sounds are "guh" and "ssss". You babble mamamamamama too.

You cruise like crazy.  Can get on and off your push train by yourself.  Love to push that and pretty much anything else that moves, even if it is not meant to, all over the house.   You just figured out how to scoot while riding your train in the last couple days.

Baths are still your favorite.  Your favorite toys are things that roll (balls and water bottles), things that stack or nest (including the metal mixing bowls in the kitchen cabinet), and paper.  You love books.  Especially touch books.  You recently consumed a page of "Pat the bunny" while home with dad.  Okay, not the entire page, just part of it.  The page with the bunny.  Weirdo.  We read before bed every night and I think you actually look forward to it.  Most nights.

You climb the stairs now.  You climb the stool in the bathroom to reach the sink so we can wash your hands before meals.  You still love to eat.  You eat three full meals plus a snack a day.  On top of our four nursing sessions.  Your dad and I are always amazed at just how much you can consume.  At your nine-month appointment your doctor told us that we should give you all the solids you want until you stop eating.  That has NEVER happened.  Yum.

You are a great shopping partner and errand runner.  As long as you can see what is going on around you, you are mostly content just to look around.

You are wearing 18 and 24 month clothes now. Your first set of molars finally came in, so you have 12 teeth now.  Your upper canines are just starting to poke out.

You went through about a week of only taking one nap a day, but have been back to two naps regularly.  I think we are approaching a point where you will drop the second one though.  Sadness.

This will be a big month for us.  You will take your first plane ride when we go to Colorado!  I am a nervous wreck about the plane ride, but, knowing you, there will be plenty for you to look at to keep you occupied.

It seems like you are doing something new every day.  A new adventure awaits with every sunrise!  It has been so much fun watching you figure things out the last couple months.

Love you bunches, Mama

Resolutions.

I have never been big on resolutions.  I guess I do not see the point if they only last a few weeks at a time.  I think that change needs to come about or be pursued because we WANT it, not just because we happened to reach a certain date on a calendar.  All that aside though, I have been reading a lot of blog posts about resolutions.  This one in particular struck a chord with me--Start Now!  Because, yeah, there really is no "perfect" time for things.  So, some things that I am hoping to Start Now in 2013. 

~I would like to start an Etsy shop.  My mom and I have been talking about doing this for awhile now.  She would really be the main owner/creative force behind it and I would be supporting cast, but I want to quit talking about it and do it!  We need to get answers to some questions about setting things up and doing it the right way.  I am really hoping this comes together soon though.  I am itching to start creating things and this would give me good reason. 

~I would like to start worrying less and enjoying more.  I would not say that I am stressed out all the time, but I do worry a lot.  And it's mostly about how my little is going to respond to situations.  Or how others (family, friends, and strangers alike) are going to respond to HIS reactions.  I will sort of be jumping in the deep end on this next month when we take our first plane trip as a family.  Yes, I am worried about the flight.  Seriously.  I do not want to be that family with the screaming toddler that is annoying everyone and getting dirty looks.  But, I can only control so much.  I hate hate HATE that anyone would think my kid is a "bad kid."  I have been guilty of that myself before I became a parent!  Watching a child scream and cry in a grocery store and thinking either a) why is that mom not *doing* something? or b) geez, that kid is out of control!  Shame on me.  I know now that one episode (or even 100!) do not necessarily a bad kid (or parent!) make.  My kid is not a bad kid.  Maybe he is just having a bad day.  Like we all do.  But he is incapable of saying "I'm tired and cranky."  It is what it is.  I really dislike that phrase, but it is so so true. 

~Going hand in hand with that last one, I would like to be more happy!  Happy is a state of mind.  I am lucky enough right now to be involved with the beta testing of a new social networking site that is focused on seeing the good, the positive, the Happy! in life.  And I am really, really enjoying it.  I have noticed that since I have started using it, I am posting less and less on Facebook.  I find Facebook to be so negative these days.  Everyone seems to be complaining about something.  And yes, if we look, we can all find something to complain about.  But why not change our attitude and find something to be happy about???  Happy makes you feel good.  Happy makes the struggles easier because you can recognize the ways in which you are blessed.  Happy is contagious.  It is not always easy.  We are surrounded by so much negativity that it is easy to get dragged down by it.  This is still something that I am working on, but I am making progress. 

Those are my biggies!  There are other small things as well.  I want to finally sell some unused "stuff" online (listed a couple items this week and already have my first sale!) and donate more as well.  I want to start taking more pictures again and not just of my little.  I want to have more date nights with my husband because we deserve them.

It is time to Start Now. 

Dogs and kids.

I have been thinking about writing a post about this for awhile now. It is something that I consider extremely important and, oftentimes, extremely overlooked. I am talking about dog and child safety.

When I first started writing this blog, a lot of the posts focused on my dog, Lita.
As with any shelter dog, she came with baggage. We had no idea of her experiences before she came to live with us. When we brought her home I started doing a lot of research into training methods to help her. We worked with an excellent trainer for a long time. We have made a great deal of progress with Lita. And have worked very hard to get here. When I learned that I was pregnant, I was overjoyed. But also a little nervous. Nervous about how our dog would react. Does that sound crazy?

My dog is not my baby, but she a part of my family. She trusts me. I have worked hard to earn that trust. She trusts that when I am with her she is safe and I will not put her in an unsafe situation. I will not ask her to do something that she cannot handle. I knew when I learned that I was pregnant, that we would have to work hard to maintain that trust. I knew that I would expect my child to respect Lita and to have boundaries when it comes to interactions with her. I knew that for both of their safeties, they would not be left unsupervised together. Ever.

We have all seen pictures in a forwarded email or shared on Facebook of a dog with a baby propped next to them. Or maybe it's a smiling child, giving a dog a hug. The dog is sitting there with eyes carefully averted away from the small hands. Maybe its ears are back. Or its feet are tense. Subtle, subtle cues. Indicating that all is not well. Before I knew enough to detect those cues, I used to think those photos were cute too. Alternatively, maybe you have heard a friend or family member say proudly "Those kids can do anything to that dog!" Again, I used to think that was a good thing.

Now, as a relatively knowledgable dog owner AND as a parent, those things make me cringe.

I believe that it is children that need to be taught to interact properly with animals and not the other way around. They should learn that it is not okay to pull a dog's ears or tail. To pet them gently. That most dogs do not like hugs. To leave them alone while they are eating and when they are in their bed. A dog needs a safe place where they can escape. Obviously, very small children cannot understand the rules. It falls on the parents to enforce them. These rules are all in place in our house. They may seem extreme to some. Those same people that say 'my kids can do anything to our dog.' There are two problems with this scenario.

1) Are you sure your dog is okay with what it happening? Have you really watched? Have you watched the eyes, ears, tail, toes? One concept that I learned from my training experience with my own dog is the idea of The Bank. All positive experiences add to The Bank, while negative ones take away. You want to keep adding to The Bank, so, when you least expect it, and you are in a bad situation, your dog will have something to draw on. To allow YOU make a choice for him. When The Bank is empty, the dog is forced to make a choice. Not all dogs will reach a breaking point in their tolerance levels, but many will. Those negative interactions with kids subtract from The Bank. The dog is also learning that interactions with the kids mean uncomfortable things and no one will stop it. Kids become a scary thing. Does he continue to just sit there and take it or stop it himself? The key to peaceful family interactions is not having to put your dog in the situation to make that decision in the first place. If every situation is monitored and only good things happen during those interactions, then, should it ever be needed!, The Bank will be good and full and while your dog may get surprised by an random negative encounter, he will not feel a need to make a decision.

2) Kids generalize. If they treat their own dog in a certain way, giving hugs for example, they will think that they can hug all dogs. Wow. I cannot tell you how many kids have come up to my dog and just stuck their hands in her face or tried to hug her. And I cannot emphasize enough how dangerous this is!! Some dogs just are not around kids a lot and can be afraid of them. After all, kids are noisy and unpredictable and may be at the perfect height to look a dog in the eye. Some dogs have already had bad experiences with kids. Either way, you just cannot know. Children (or parents!) should ALWAYS ask before petting an unknown dog. And they should be taught proper dog manners--do not reach over their head, let them come to you, etc.

I am hopeful that my son will grow up with a proper respect for our dog and for animals in general. As he gets older, I plan to give him added responsibility when it comes to Lita. He will be able to feed her and let her outside. For now, I will continue to monitor interactions, making them as positive as possible for both of them!