A conundrum

I try to stay pretty on top of things as far as my daughter’s health and well-being go.  As with most new aspects of motherhood though, I was pretty clueless how to go about caring for her.  When does she eat solid foods?  When she stops drinking formula, what on earth do I feed her all day?  How on earth do I clip these tiny fingernails?  How many  naps should she be taking?  How much tummy time is enough?

Each new stage brought new questions.  At some point after her teeth started coming in, I realized they wouldn’t just keep themselves healthy.  Do I have to like, CLEAN these things??

I remember reading in a parenting magazine that once there are two teeth that touch, parents should floss their kids’ teeth daily.

HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!

Have they met a baby?  Better yet, have they ever met a TODDLER?

Needless to say, the flossing isn’t exactly going as the professionals recommend it should.  However, we have tried to be pretty diligent about brushing my daughter’s teeth.  She’s gone through phases of loving it and not loving it so much, but we’ve almost always been successful by making it a game or showing how daddy does it or something along those lines.  Lately though, she will have none of it.  If we even start to walk into the bathroom to brush her teeth she’ll flail and flop and fuss.  When we try to actually put the toothbrush in her mouth it turns into a full-on meltdown.  Some nights we give up and just let her “brush” her own teeth.  Other nights we beg and try to make it fun.  Last night my husband just held her arms while I tried to brush her little teeth as fast as my hand would go.   Not pretty.

So now what?  I’m hoping this is just a phase.  I don’t want to give up brushing her teeth, because dental care is important.  I want to establish healthy habits with her, and if I just give up because she puts up a fuss that will set a precedent for future tooth brushing and other issues I’m sure.

As a sidenote, some may argue that dental health doesn’t matter for little kids because they will just lose their teeth anyway.  However, that isn’t true.  If kids teeth rot and fall out too early, it could damage the development of their permanent teeth as well as their placement and overall health.  Not to mention the importance of gum health, which they will carry all their lives.

So how do you get your toddlers to brush their teeth?  Do you floss your kids’ teeth?  If so, HOW? (I’m guessing you must be magic to get them to hold still!) What is your philosophy on the whole thing anyway?  Advice is welcome.

Tags: dental health, toddlers, tooth brushing adventures

Tempting fate

Lately, as I’ve been getting in bed at night I’ve been doing a lot of thinking.  It’s usually pretty short-lived since I’m so exhausted I can’t keep the wheels turning long, but there’s been some serious reflecting going on. 

There’s a lot of crap out there.  Like really, a LOT of bad stuff.  I can’t help but wonder how or why I have been so blessed.  Sometimes stop and think about all the horrible things that people have to deal with and I’m amazed at how fortunate I am.  I’m not saying I don’t have my trials and struggles, because I do.  But even though they feel pretty major to me sometimes, I would much rather deal with the crap I have over most of the other options. 

When I think about how lucky I am to have a loving family- both my immediate little family and my extended family- a warm home, health, a job, an education, a safe place to live, food, friends, the chance to do fun things, etc…my heart just feels as though it could burst!  The fact that I’ve been spared from war, famine, disease, catastrophe, and so many other things makes me feel weak with gratitude.  Life could be so much worse, in so many different ways, how could I ever have the audacity to complain?

Sometimes I can’t help but feel so unworthy to have been spared such heartache.  I know there are so many better people than me out there who have suffered.  I’m truly so lucky.  I hope someday I can be the kind of person that deserves such good fortune, and in turn be the kind of person that can bless the lives of others.

Tags: blessed, deep thoughts, lucky, thankful

Who are you and what have you done with my husband?

Lately, I don’t recognize my husband.

I used to know him as the guy in the house with his eyes glued to Sports Center. Or a Yankees game.  Or Jazz game.  Or pretty much any game at all.

These days though, I find him curled up in the corner of the couch, TV off.  Reading a book. Happily reading a book, I should say.  Everywhere he goes he carries around his novel so he can crack it open during a dull moment.  Then, later that night he wants to talk about the book.  The story line, the characters, the way the author writes, the way it makes him feel. (Can you believe it?  A man talking about FEELINGS?)

Internet, my husband has become a nerd.

And it is so hot.

I’ve been a book nerd my whole life- and proud of it!  I love to read.  Like really, LOVE to read.  I don’t have much time to do it these days, sadly.  I have to be very selective about when I choose to pick up a book, because if I do everything else goes right out the window.  Laundry?  Forget it.  Eating?  Nope.  Sleep?  It can wait.  If I read something I throw myself into it, so I really only do it over holidays and vacations now.

When I married my husband I knew he did not enjoy reading, and I was ok with that.  Just because I loved it didn’t mean he had to as well.  I had fully accepted that we would never be one of those old-fashioned couples on TV, both in our pj’s, sitting in bed reading together.  Sure, that sounded nice, but it wasn’t a dealbreaker.  There were plenty of other things we had in common.

But now!  He’s a new man.  Do you know what he said to me the other day?  “Sometimes I’d rather read than watch TV!”

*Swoon!*

He wants us to read the same book at the same time so we can talk about it as we go.  SO WE CAN TALK ABOUT BOOKS!  Be still, my beating heart! So far he’s read almost five novels since January.  That’s more than he’s read in probably the last ten years.  Seriously, I don’t recognize the man, but I love him.

Guys, you want to know the secret to a woman’s heart?  Take a genuine interest in something she loves.  Whether it be reading, cooking, scrapbooking, traveling, running, bird watching, underwater basket-weaving, or whatever, just take an interest.  You don’t have to do it yourself, or love it as much as she does, but TALK to her about it as though you really care.  Works like magic.

Ladies, same goes for you too.  This last baseball season I sat down with my husband and actually watched the Yankees play in the World Series.  And something crazy happened: I liked it. But more importantly, he loved it.

Common interests strengthen a marriage…who knew?

What common interests do you share with your significant other?

Anyone have any must-read books they would suggest?

Tags: books, marriage, reading

Listen up!

I mentioned a while back that I went to a blogger brunch (and then came home to find a snake in my backyard that I had to capture, ugh!) where we discussed a way to use our blogging platform for good.  We decided to name our little group the “Service Soapbox”, and we’re putting together our first official service project which we want YOU to be a part of.

On April 24th we will be hosting a baby shower for The March of Dimes Teddy Bear Den program.  The program gives low-income women in need incentives (in the form of diapers, wipes, new baby clothes, etc.) to participate in pre- and post-natal care and to avoid risky behaviors during pregnancy, resulting in fewer infants with life-threatening birth defects.

If you would like to attend, donate, or learn more please visit the Service Soapbox website.  Consider yourself officially invited!

Tags: baby shower, March of Dimes, service