Goodbye CuddleBugs
Well, Cuddlebug readers and bloggers, it is time for me to say goodbye. I’ve had a lot of fun sharing my parenting experiences with all of you for the past two years. It’s hard to believe it has been two years –time really is flying by! I guess time flies when you’re having fun! I’ve enjoyed every minute of sharing my stories, hearing your feedback and learning from your stories and experiences. Now that I am settled in Okinawa, Japan I will be passing the torch to a local blogger who can keep you more up to date with things going on in the Jacksonville, NC area. I just have one request before I go. Will you tell me your favorite blog you’ve read? I’ve always been curious to know which blogs people truly found interesting but never had the courage to ask. I wish you all a Merry Christmas
Adjusting after PCS (Permanent Change of duty Station)
Adjusting to a new duty station has been an interesting experience for me. For the first couple of months I’ve been here in Okinawa I’ve been focusing on my family and getting us settled. Finding a house to live in, unpacking and setting up rooms, figuring out how to get to the commissary and the doctor’s office took precedence. More personal needs like finding friends took a back burner. Well now I’m settled in a nice home. I’ve given birth to my baby boy and I feel like I’m getting the hang of handling two kids at once. I’m ready to have friends and feel even more settled in the community. So how do I do that when I can’t walk next door and talk to my neighbor like I did at Camp Lejeune? Well, I’ve decided I’m going to take my two favorite things about my Camp Lejeune community
Baby/Toddler Surveillance Systems
I really loved the Summer video baby monitor we installed in Nora’s room when she was a baby. I could see her and know exactly what she was up to without being in the same room as her. It made me feel more secure. I think it helped her to feel more secure with me because I was able to know her needs and meet them quickly just by watching her on camera. There is, however, a little problem with the Summer baby monitors (and I believe all baby monitors in general). They all pretty much stay on the same frequency, which enables you to use your hand-held baby monitor to pick up on other people’s children. My friend Amy called me one time and asked if Nora was in her crib. I said yes and she said, “Oh, ok.” She was picking up another house’s baby monitor from her
Potty Adventures
The other day Garrett, Nora, Asher and I were at the library when Nora told us she had to pee. We were ecstatic SHE told US. She has been accident free for two weeks now however usually we ask her if she needs to go and she says yes or no. Since I was breastfeeding Asher, Garrett quickly took Nora to the bathroom. They came back a few minutes later and I asked Garrett, “did she go?” Garrett told me that both of the bathrooms were occupied and could I please take her to the girl’s bathroom. I handed Asher to Garrett and took Nora’s hand. She took off running. I figured she must really have to go and hurried along with her. We both hustled to the bathroom. Upon entering the restroom we were met by a terrible smell. We could see feet below one door and nothing in
12 Things Parent’s Shouldn’t Do
I was perusing Facebook the other day and came across an article titled, 12 Ways to Mess Up Your Kids. Experts have come up with a list of a dozen things parents should avoid doing in order to help their child grow up happy and confident. I was shocked when I read the first thing to avoid. The first thing on the list is never threaten to leave your kids behind. You see I have done this to Nora, particularly since Asher has been born. I’m really hoping I haven’t done too much damage in the past 5 weeks! Nora is currently in her toddler independent streak where she wants to do what she wants to do and any idea I have is a bad idea. Even if the idea is go to the park, the doctors or shopping (three of her absolute favorite things to do). Once she gets
Avoiding Sibling Rivalry
I did not realize what a difficult baby Nora was until Asher was born. I thought her constant spitting up was normal as did I assume the inability to put her down without her crying was normal baby behavior. Asher is proving himself to be a much different baby than Nora. He hardly ever spits up and is easily calmed. He latches well (where as it took Nora and I at least eight weeks to get a good latch down). He passes gas like a pro where gas would make Nora horribly upset. I could go on and on about what a different baby he is. Some of this I think is due to the fact that it’s my second time around but some of it I think is due to Asher’s laid-back personality. I can type all of the above as much as I want but I am unwilling
