Random things that I talk to myself about.

1. Sam loves doors. Have I mentioned this before? Anytime a door is open, he promptly crawls over and plays with it. He shuts it, then gets stuck behind it. Constantly. The other day, Luke locked Sam in my bedroom. I couldn't get it open and had to call maintenance. It is days like that when I am SO thankful that I live in an apartment building with an on-site maintenance crew. A few days after that, Luke slammed the door on Sam's fingers. As soon as he calmed down, Sam went right back to playing with a door. Oh Sam!

"Door" was also one of Sam's first words! (He says "Mama". That was his first word) But the other day when he was playing, I was talking to him and saying "You like to play with that door!" and Sam promptly replied, "Door!" and I got really excited and I repeated it back, then he repeated it back. He said it at least 5 times in a row! He has said it a few times since then as well.

2. A friend of mine posted a picture of her friend nursing her minutes old newborn baby saying "I am proud of my friend, a proud mama with her baby... she worked so hard" or something like that. So a well meaning woman commented saying that the "proud mama probably wouldn't want that picture on facebook" because it was an intimate moment between her and her baby. My friend replied that she had asked the proud mama and  mama said she did want it on Facebook. So the comment argument continued a little more and a few more mothers commented and really attacked this first commenter. They said it was a beautiful picture and there was no reason for it to not be on Facebook and breastfeeding is natural and she had no right to "dig" on this new mom for breastfeeding... I felt really bad for this well-meaning commenter because I don't think she meant any offense and was really just concerned for the woman in the picture because this intimate moment was all over facebook on her friend's friend's news-feeds (like mine and well-meaning commenter). We don't know this woman and I doubt she would want us looking in on this moment. The commenter never said she was offended by the picture or that it was offensive in any way (which is what the others were accusing her of). Anyway, it was on my mind and it bothered me that people were so quick to judge and attack one well meaning opinion of breast feeding pictures on facebook. My opinion? BF pictures are not offensive and should be allowed on facebook if the mother wants, BUT I think it was inappropriate to have the picture posted on her friends wall therefore allowing all of her friends friends (strangers to the BFing woman) to see the picture. If you want friends and family to see it, great! but it is an intimate moment that strangers don't really need to see.

3. Luke has started doing "imaginary play" with his toys and animals. It is SO cute to watch him "talk" for his animals (his favorites are my old Ty beanie babies). They play together, eat fake food, fly, then convenienly "fall" because they have no wings!

4. Sam is teething and has been pretty grumpy because of it. He has a bit of a passionate personality and I thought that his happy happy days were over and he was already going into toddler-hood where emotions are so unstable. Then, I gave him some ibuprofen and put him down for a nap. He woke up so happy and it was SO good to see him in such a good mood. It makes me sad to see him in so much pain that it is affecting his mood. It really had been a long time since I had seen him so happy.

5. We read the parenting book, "How to talk so kids will listen and listen so kids will talk" by Adele Faber and Elaine Maz... something. It has been really good for us! It teaches you to give emotions a name and acknowledge your child's feelings. So, now Luke tells us what he is feeling and says, "Me happy Mom, me happy!" in a very sad way with a very sad face, often with tears. So I respond, "you're happy?" He replies, "No mom. Me sad!"

-Emily