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In a prior post over at Tween Beat, I wrote a post entitled, Boys Will Be Boys.  Well, I adore my boy AND I adore my girl.  Why is it that boys are so different then girls?  My son and daughter are so different!!  Girl’s are so much more emotional and sensitive!!  Don’t get me wrong, my little girl can swing a mean light saber, but she is so different.

Why is it that when my little Paige cries my heart breaks into a million little pieces?  Why is it that when she plays ponies or princesses my heart melts?  I think I know why!  I get it, I understand, I am a girl too.  I am emotional, sensitive and nurturing by nature.

Raising darling little girl’s is such a gift.  Not only is it a gift and responsibility, but it is also difficult and confusing and wonderful!!

During a recent trip to visit family we had a house full of darling little girl’s.  Their Aunt Erin treated them all to a fancy pedicure.  Not only did they get their nails painted, but they got beautiful white flower decals on top of the fantastic pink polish.  I tell you what….these girls were in HEAVEN!!

The next day, I was putting Paige’s frilly socks and tennis shoe’s on when she exclaimed, “Mom, you can’t cover up my beautiful pink toes”!  My gracious, what in the world was I thinking?  How in the world could I even think such a thing!!

Oh these darling little girls with their pretty pink toes, twirly skirts and mood swings…….how they make our day’s DELIGHTFUL!!!

So I said it…I believe every baby coming into this world should be celebrated!  I don’t care if it is baby #1 or baby #6 – the new Mom/Baby should have some type of celebration!

I think the “proper etiquette” says a Mother should only have a baby shower for her first baby!!  It doesn’t  have to be a fancy baby shower…….a lunch out with friends or casual dinner will do!!  A baby is a gift and should be celebrated!!

When I was pregnant with my oldest……he was born early so my baby shower was postponed until after he was born.  It was a special day to me.  I was surrounded by friends and family supporting me and celebrating me and my sweet premature baby who was still in the hospital.  I was emotional, sad and this whole ‘baby’ thing wasn’t going at all how I had planned.  That baby shower lifted my spirits and made me feel loved and happy!!

With baby #2 I lived in a different state and spent an afternoon at a restaurant surrounded again by friends and family celebrating myself and my little girl I was pregnant with.  It is another highlight in my life!!

Finally, with baby #3, I had just moved to another state…..again!!  I was surprised by a sweet baby shower given by a darling friend.  I was again showered by new friends that didn’t even know me very well but celebrated the new baby I was pregnant with!!!

Those three moments are sparkles in my life…….every Mother and every baby should most definitely be CELEBRATED!!

My Daughter, cooking with me in the kitchen

Can you remember some of your fondest memories with your Mom, Grandma or an adult figure in your life?  Some of my happiest memories are most definitely cooking with my Mom and having my Grandma teach me to make fudge.  As an adult, I have learned to LOVE cooking.  I absolutely feel like heaven when I am in my kitchen cooking something wonderful. 

I have spent lots of time cooking with my children.  My son enjoys cooking, but my four year old daughter LOVES to cook!!  Her eyes light up any time I ask her to help me in the kitchen. 

I know while we are working together in the kitchen that she is so very happy.  This picture is the first time she made cinnamon rolls with me and she loved sprinkling the brown sugar on top.  She enjoys making food fancy and decorating cookies and pouring ingredients, cracking eggs, sprinkling…she loves it all.  I know that these are memories she will hold onto forever.  I know she will look back at our time in the kitchen together and it will be a very special memory for her.  I imagine her being in college teaching her roommates how to make the perfect chocolate chip cookie and creamiest mashed potatoes ever!!

Allowing her to help me in the kitchen definitely takes a lot more time, but I know that the time we are spending together and the happiness she feels with me in the kitchen will stay with her forever.  Cooking is something she enjoys doing and I hope to continue fostering that talent in her and help her continue to do spectacular things in the kitchen!!

I think being a mother to a daughter is such a great  and scary responsibility.  There is so much I feel I must teach her!  I don’t want to be always ‘talking and lecturing’ to her but I want her to watch the way I live my life and learn that way.  I want her to see the way I take care of myself, the way I treat others, the great faith I have in God and in prayer, the way I fulfill my personal dreams, the way I embrace my creativity, the way I choose to be unique and true to myself and the way other’s feel when they are around me.

Boy that makes my stomach flip just thinking of all those things because I have a lot to improve upon.  My actions will always be her biggest teacher!  This is a quote I found on one of my favorite blogs and it speaks to my heart.

“I want to be a continual loving, accepting presence in my daughter’s life. I want her to know full well, always, that she is not here on this earth for me. I want to accept her dreams, recognize her special gifts. Enjoy the differences. Refrain from any type of unhealthy comparison.”

I have a favorite book entitled, Raising an Emotionally Intelligent Child  by John Gottman.  In this book, he gives five steps to help with ‘emotion coaching.’

- Be aware of a child’s emotions.

-Recognize emotional expression as an opportunity for intimacy and teaching.

-Listen empathetically and validate a child’s feelings.

-Label emotions in words a child can understand.

-Help a child come up with an appropriate way to solve a problem or deal with an upsetting issue or situation.

I want to teach my daughter to ‘feel’ and not just sweep her emotions under the carpet.  I want to teach her to express her feelings and stand up for her convictions, I want her to have self esteem to know that she is original and beautiful and special just the way God made her!  Most of all, I want her to be happy and I want to do all I can do to be that role-model in her life to teach her to be just that way!!!

The youngest of my three children is a fifteen month old girl.  Kloe is truly delightful!  She is in that stage that her little mind is saying, “look at this great big world around me………..LET ME AT IT”.  She wants to touch, climb and destroy everything in her path.  I am constantly reminding myself, she is curious and wants to try everything. 

While Kloe is awake, my attention is all about Kloe.  If it wasn’t, I’m sure she would be hanging from the chandeliers or re-programming all of our electronics.

As much as I love her curiosity and zest for life, it makes my life really hard!  I have two other children to spend time with and take care of, school to teach and a home to run.  It often causes frustration, but in those moments I always remind myself how much I am going to miss those wobbly little legs and mischievous smile! 

On the flip side of the frustration, there is such JOY!  I love watching her face when she sees something new, it is priceless.  Her mouth opens wide, her eyes light up and it is magic!!  These are some of the things I have learned in making these months of her life a little easier:

-Make the house as child proof as possible!  Make it so she can wander and explore in a safe environment.  Put child-locks on the cabinets, keep doors closed to rooms where there are choking hazards.  Have baskets of toys available for her to be creative with and age appropriate for her.  Finally, let go of  getting my things done while she is awake.  Hop on the floor and play with her………these moments won’t last forever!!

-When I simply must do other things like a puzzle with the older children or get kids dressed and ready to get out the door, I pull out the playpen.  I have always been anti-playpen but a friend recommended it and it has worked wonders!  I plop some toys and a soft blanket in there and I don’t lose my mind trying to get everyone out of the house.

-Finally a schedule for Kloe is crucial.  Her nap time is during the same time each day.  That is my time to teach school, rotate the laundry, read with the kids or play games.  She also goes to bed earlier then the older children so I can have that time to get some things done that I need to or spend more time with the family.

What do you do to keep your active toddler happy and out of trouble?