tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-60743298863816383342024-03-13T21:19:29.332-07:00Baby Mama DramaBeth Keyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10388423100208054147noreply@blogger.comBlogger61125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6074329886381638334.post-51199495597634443772012-08-09T08:40:00.002-07:002012-08-09T08:40:15.076-07:00Some things are too long for a facebook status.So I found out blogging just isn't for me. This isn't really a blog post. Its me using it to write an extremely long facebook post :)
A good friend of mine sent me an email recently asking what was going on with me because I had been on her heart. I love her, and how her spirit is so sensitive to what God is saying to her. When she asks me questions like this it is always good for me. Unless she asks I rarely am able to put to words what I have been learning unless I need to try to explain it. So, thanks, friend. What I am about to share is how I put to words what is up with me. I rarely share personal things on facebook because for the most part I am a very private person when it comes to matters of the heart. This subject is deeply personal, but I still feel compelled to share in the hope that it can encourage someone else that is experiencing something similar.
I must confess, often when I pray, I don't hear much of an answer. This week was different. I got two really clear answers, and that is what I would like to share. The conversation with God went something like this:
"God, WHY did you give me a body that doesn't work as it should?! Why me of all people did you give THIS problem to?"
The answer came swiftly. "I gave you a body that works right in lots of ways." Oh. That's right. I am not handicapped. I am able to care for my family even when my medication isn't right, or if I am not on the right prescription, or the right dosage. I can still function. I can do every thing I need to do for my family if not perfectly, the job still gets done. My problem is not terminal. My problem isn't even all that expensive. What I need month to month is comparably so little to what other people have to spend. I must tell you that I normally HATE answers like that. If I share something that I am struggling with with someone and they give me an answer along the lines of, "Oh, it could be so much worse because....Oh, you don't have it nearly as bad as..." It comes off like they are dismissing my pain. Its counseling 101, people, never dismiss someone's pain. This time with God, it didn't come across like He was dismissing me. He was freeing me to be thankful in my circumstances and to praise Him for all the goes right in my body without medical intervention.
The next question "Why did you give this problem to ME and not to Her? It wouldn't hurt her as badly as this hurts me. You made me. You know me in and out. You know what I want more than anything else. Why are you making this a struggle for ME and not giving this problem to someone else who probably wouldn't even really care?" The answer came again. "Because this is what gets your attention. I know what matters to you, and I know what will bring you to dependence on Me. I want your attention and dependence on Me because that is what is best for you. I gave Her other struggles. The hand of cards you were dealt are different than hers. Some of your cards are bad, and some are good. The same goes for Her. She endures struggles that you know nothing about. The struggle you do know about, you couldn't handle that one. That one is for her. She can handle it. The things I have given You, and the things I have given your friends are different. They are uniquely personal. Your hardships grow your faith in Me, and give Me room to work and show off how Great I Am."
That has been my gift lately. For the first time instead of feeling resentful towards God for the hardships life brings I am grateful. It brings freedom, relief, joy, and contentment to not have to be angry with God for all I think is going wrong. I see it for what it is. My Thing is drawing me to dependence and a faith that I haven't had before. A need for His presence as strong as my need for the next breath.
Disclaimer: If you are reading this, and you feel like you NEED to know what this hardship is specifically, believe me, you don't really. If you are very close to me, rest assured, I have already told you. It isn't anything new. If you have no idea what I am talking about, trust me, you don't want my dirty laundry aired out of all to see. One of my heroes of faith, Beth Moore, has never given public details regarding her past sexual abuse because it does nothing to add to the testimony of her story, it just takes away from the message, and I have decided to follow her lead. The details aren't important. The message is the same: No matter what life throws at me, God is FOR Me, and FOR you, and everything is meant to draw us closer to Him if we will let it.Beth Keyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10388423100208054147noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6074329886381638334.post-40859941050577046292011-08-10T12:42:00.000-07:002011-08-10T12:53:32.392-07:00Bye, BearWell, I am ready to talk about it. Bear had to have a new home. It made me really sad, but it was for the best. He is a really great dog, and it wasn't him...it was us. I was allergic to his beautiful yet plentiful brown coat. I also made the mistake of getting a puppy. I had read how Newfoundlands are one of the best dogs with children--and they ARE! He came from a home with two small boys and the mother in the home said he never hurt the kids and was really great with them. I am not sure how entirely true that is. He was certainly tolerant of their behavior, but being a puppy he still wanted to play and it was a little too rough for a 3 and 1 year old. His gigantic puppy playfulness scared them. I had to be on constant guard to make sure he wouldn't really hurt them. Or destroy something. In all his puppy glory he loved to chew on the kids' toys and grab food off the table. These adorable puppy behaviors combined with trying to keep up with Noah's turned wild behaviors was a little, shall we say, exhausting and stressful?? So, I had a dog that I spent a very large amount of money on (the actual total costs still make me a bit ill) was allergic to and scared the children. Great. I put an add on oodle to see what would happen. I started getting contacted by lots of people but I just didn't think they sounded like a good match for Bear. I wanted him to have the perfect family. So I started praying, and praying that God would send just the right family for him. The family he is meant to have forever. 15 minutes later I checked my email. While I was praying someone emailed me, and described her family. 4 kids (all much older than mine), they loved water sports, they have a big dog already and know whats involved in training big dogs. Stay-at-home mom so he wouldn't be by himself all day...I couldn't have designed a better match. I met them and kind of fell in love. I think Bear did, too. They took him home on Monday and I have seen his pictures on facebook (the mom in the family is so sweet, she is letting me keep in touch by facebook) and you can tell he just loves the kids in the family. I feel sad it didn't work out, but my heart is very glad that a family was made so happy by such a great dog. Maybe in another 10 years we can try again.Beth Keyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10388423100208054147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6074329886381638334.post-74888768447884959182011-07-22T11:55:00.000-07:002011-07-22T12:11:47.207-07:00The newest addition to the Key FamilyI haven't blogged since January?! What am I doing with my time? Geez. Ok, I confess, if I have free time I read and play on the internet. <br /><br />Anyway, we have a new addition to the Key household.<br /><br />It's Another BOY!!!!!!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hIf8xhNPxIk/TinKqyDwKZI/AAAAAAAAAok/e3xuDSPQvtc/s1600/DSC_0059.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hIf8xhNPxIk/TinKqyDwKZI/AAAAAAAAAok/e3xuDSPQvtc/s320/DSC_0059.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5632255645344344466" /></a><br /><br /><br />There are many good things about him. As you see here, he values nap time, just as I do.<br /><br />He also hasn't reacted when Noah pulled his tail and poked his face. He is a saint. I know it.<br /><br />He is a NewFoundland. He is 7 months old. He is a gentle giant. He came with the name Jameson. I am going to try and rename him Smoky Bear. Or Smokey the Bear. Such a big decision. Dare I add the "the" to his name?<br /><br />What can I say? My desires to nurture run strong and deep. I haven't had a baby for 20 months! Definitely time for a dog.Beth Keyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10388423100208054147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6074329886381638334.post-557633831591817582011-01-31T11:17:00.001-08:002011-01-31T14:21:37.800-08:00Wrong!A while ago I wrote a blog trying to work out if people married with children were happier than their single peers. According to this article:<br />http://nymag.com/news/features/67024/<br /><br />I am WRONG. People with children are not happier. It is a very well written article, and if you have time you should read it if you are interested. After thinking about it for a few days I put into my own words what I think is true about the article on why people with children are not as happy as their single with no children friends. They are as follows:<br /><br />Cultural Change. Previous generations did not have a choice in whether or not they would get married and have children. That is just what they did. In the 21st century our country changed from people were farmers and raised their children to be their helpers (children were assets) to people raising their children to be little scholars which requires riding their backs to do their homework, to be elite in the classroom and on sports teams. We require far more focus as parents on our children. We let them be children. We treat them as if they owe us nothing and we do every thing we can to help them get ahead. Generations before us were less focused on their children. They taught them to work, to help, and gave minimal attention to schooling. Each succeeding generation has been raised to be more and more selfish because their parents have made them more of the center of the universe. People are waiting to get married and have children so they can go to school. They have choice over if they marry, when, and who. They have choice over if they have children, when, how many. When they make the shift from single to married with children they go from being the most self-centered generation yet to being required to be the most child-focused parent generation yet. It is a mind-blowing change. When they are asked about their happiness they probably DO feel more depressed. They are more tired and less self-focused than ever before, and it is exhausting. They have forgotten the loneliness and insecurities they felt as a single person and romanticize their former happiness. I do hypothesize though, that parents may feel more moment to moment happiness and than their perceived overall happiness. Example: Many parents have many moments of delight with their children throughout their day. Their little baby smiling. Their toddler saying something adorable. Their older child playing a trick. It is forgotten when they think of sleepless nights, power plays and disobedience.<br /><br />What do YOU think?Beth Keyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10388423100208054147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6074329886381638334.post-76655580817943665852010-11-30T05:54:00.000-08:002010-11-30T06:07:52.908-08:00Stir CrazyWe have had two back to back episodes of the stomach flu around here. I didn't even know that was possible. It started the Friday before Thanksgiving on Noah's birthday weekend. The kids started throwing up. They felt miserable. Sunday they seemed a little better, and Monday they were fine. I took them to the gym as usual. I couldn't do my usual workout with out my heart rate at 172 which was strange. By Monday evening on Nathan's long work day I had the sickness too. Tuesday night Ethan woke up 5 times vomiting again. Then Noah started having worse episodes of the poops. It continued until the Saturday after Thanksgiving when I caught the second round of it, 1 day after I recovered from the first. I feel better now, and now Noah has a cold. Why do I bother telling you? Well, because the kids are getting stir crazy and its really getting quite funny.<br /><br />Ethan has always been the kind of guy that likes to get out of the house. Since I have been too sick to take him anywhere and he is feeling better he is getting really antsy. When he gets bored he invents new, dangerous games. He tries to find new things to jump off of and Noah thinks its awesome, and before he came down with the cold, he was all about attempting the same daredevil activities as Ethan. Other games invented include Ethan making pictures with Cheerios and then freaking out when Noah ate an integral piece of the picture, Ethan dialing the operator over and over and telling her he wants to watch tv and then holding the phone out to Noah so Noah could say, "Bah." When I poured out the last of the V8 Fusion juice into Ethan's cup this morning (which he doesn't even like) he started jumping up and down saying, "Its all gone! We need to go to the store to get more!!!" Can you say Desperate For Somewhere to GO?!<br /><br />On another note, since the sickness I don't want any of my usual favorite foods, including coffee, chocolate, oatmeal, toast, turkey sandwiches, apples, peanut butter. What am I supposed to EAT?? My appetite is back and I am starving. Please post ideas.Beth Keyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10388423100208054147noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6074329886381638334.post-48324304196802870932010-08-31T11:50:00.000-07:002010-08-31T11:59:21.489-07:00FrostySomething wild just happened. Both boys woke up prematurely from their nap, and I talked them into going back to sleep. A first in my motherhood career. So I decided to write a blog because I left my book in Noah's room.<br /><br />There are some days when I really think I could breastfeed Noah until he is 1. I am almost there. 3 months to go. It doesn't seem like that long. Then something happens like last night. Nathan and I were watching Office reruns as usual and Michael mentions wanting a Frosty. The urge to have a Frosty overcame me so greatly I almost couldn't take it. Or I will drive by an Italian restaurant and smell cheese. My mouth starts watering with the scent. I want dairy so badly. I WANT A FROSTY!!!<br /><br />Then I say to myself, really Beth? You are going to cut breastfeeding short because you want a Frosty? Have you no self control, woman? Seriously. <br /><br />Sigh. Like I have a choice. The weaning to a cup thing is going very slowly. I mean, its going. Just. So. Slow.<br /><br />Oh, and Noah is learning to sleep a little better. So some nights I can get 6-8 interrupted hours. Victory. Almost. He still wakes up once or twice and needs assistance in getting back to sleep. The last two nights I have gone in there and he is standing up and he starts laughing and dancing when he sees me coming. Nice.Beth Keyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10388423100208054147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6074329886381638334.post-8604440450126097052010-07-26T06:10:00.000-07:002010-07-26T06:16:48.126-07:00Ethan the EmpathizerI bought the Sunday paper yesterday because I am going to start couponing--maybe. Anyway, the paper was lying where Ethan could get it and he pulled out the comics section. His eyes landed on The Peanuts. In the comic Lucy hands Snoopy and balloon and tells him not to lose it, and of course, he does in the comic strip. Ethan starts yelling,<br /><br />"OH NO! OH NO! The doggy! Balloon! Sad! Balloon! I sad! I sad!" Repeat like 5 times. He is near tears and I had to reassure him that it was ok, that the doggy could get another balloon at the store several times.<br /><br />Oh, and another funny about Ethan. I often say to him, "Just a minute, Ethan." When he is calling me to come to him from another room. Yesterday he climbed into the bathtub and started making a lot of noise with his bath toys and Noah was sleeping in the next room so I asked him to please get out of the bathroom and come into the playroom, and he said, "Just a minute, Momma!" Same tone, and voice inflection of my own. I guess he told me!Beth Keyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10388423100208054147noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6074329886381638334.post-59507128301182458992010-07-21T16:14:00.000-07:002010-07-21T16:44:31.659-07:00Survey on HappinessI have had this blog circulating in my head for a month. Lack of time to myself, and not quite sure I know what I am talking about has kept me from writing. So, I ask you for your opinions.<br /><br />In my conversations with people in the three life stages of:<br /><br />1. Single, no children<br /><br />2. Married, no children<br /><br />3. Married, have children<br /><br />I noticed a trend on happiness and life satisfaction level. Now, it could be that my pool of informants were too narrow, I know this, so that is why I am asking if you have an opinion to please post it.<br /><br />The single people I have talked to seemed...sad. <br /><br />Lonely. <br /><br />Discontent with life. <br /><br />The married people (no children) I talked to seemed happier.<br /><br />More content<br /><br />But tense about the inevitable frustrations that come from living on planet earth. Such as, financial setbacks from car repairs and medical bills, school loans, and irritating coworkers.<br /><br />The married people (with children) seemed...tired. Oh, so very tired. But... happiest. Most content. Joyful. Peaceful. Accepting of things like no money, and job frustrations. Perhaps because they have decided those things don't matter so much and they are finding joy in their little ones, and they have the family unit and do not feel lonely. Or they are just too tired to give all the other stuff the energy required to be frustrated and mad and don't have the time to contemplate things that might make them sad. <br /><br />So, what do you think? What is your life stage? Are you happy? Are you content? Do you want more out of your life?<br /><br />Just wondering. <br /><br />Me, Personally? <br /><br />I am tired. Beyond Exhausted most of the time. For my birthday in a few weeks, I want the one thing money can't buy. I want to sleep through the night!!! Oh, and to lose the weight I have gained, which now may be possible since I was diagnosed with hyperthyroid the other day and I am now medicated so I might be able to. YAY! Other than that, I have every thing I want. I love my husband. He is the perfect man for me. I couldn't ask or dream of anyone better. I love my babies. Ethan is smart, and funny, and loving, and sweet and he looks so much like his dad. Noah is happy, focused, active, adorable in every way, and in my opinion, drop dead gorgeous for a boy. They both bring me more joy than I ever thought was possible to experience outside of heaven. While we aren't rich, and we daily have concerns over how we are going to pay for big expenses like replacing our a/c, and leaky roof, we aren't starving and we can buy what we need (and needs include a few items from Gymboree when they have their summer sale, ok?) I am happy. Very happy. Slightly insane on any given day from lack of sleep and not knowing how to parent a toddler and not speaking to adults on a regular basis, but I am very very very happy.Beth Keyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10388423100208054147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6074329886381638334.post-77148351385709730652010-05-13T14:07:00.000-07:002010-05-13T14:37:15.780-07:00A Lesson I Learned in the Last Six MonthsNext week my little Noah will be six months old! Almost a grown up. We had a really hard adjustment period initially. Noah was up a lot of the night because he was very gassy. Ethan decided after Noah was born to start night waking again and to stop taking naps. I was extremely tired. Some days I might have only gotten two hours sleep. Ethan threw a lot of tantrums. He tried to hit the baby. Any time I would feed Noah, or Noah would wake up from a nap Ethan was not a happy camper and the tantrums would start. I remember when Noah was six weeks old Ethan stopped screaming when I would get up from the dinner table to feed Noah. He had gotten used to the fact that things had changed and that meant I wouldn't always sit down with him while he ate. He was used to Noah being around. By the time Noah was four months old Ethan seemed like he was starting to like Noah. He was helping me on a regular basis with diapers or finding Noah's clothes, making sure Noah was in his carseat and his toy was properly positioned. By the time Noah was 5 months he started calling him, "Oah." This past month he has started playing with him. He plays peek-a-boo, gives him toys, tries to shove the pacifier in his mouth, rubs his head when he passes by. He stopped throwing tantrums constantly when I realized the main source of the tantrum throwing. Life for the most part, is really good now.<br /><br />But there were dark days. Very dark days. When I was tired, and Ethan was tantrumy, and Noah was gassy and Nathan was nowhere close to coming home for the day I really didn't think I could do this. This mothering two kids thing. A friend suggested I do Mom's Morning Out. It is a program at local churches that let you drop your 18-24month old off for a couple of hours one morning a week. This would give me a chance to take a nap with the baby. Sounded good. Really good. My husband informed me that there wasn't room in the budget for something like that. I was like, "Oh, yeah? I'll find it!" I really didn't think my sanity could take my life as it was. I looked at the budget. He was right. No matter what I tried to shave off, the money just wasn't there. There were times when I thought Ethan seemed so unhappy I wondered if he would be better off in a daycare like setting. Would he be better off somewhere else? With anyone else but me? He always seemed so much happier when there was someone other than me around. When we were alone together the monster child would come out. I knew it was because he was jealous and he wanted all of my attention. I tried to give him as much as I could, but it never seemed to be enough. He was never happy. I wondered if it would be less hard on him if he were in a different setting. It didn't matter because we didn't have the money, but I had moments of doubt if at home with me was really the best place for him. <br /><br />I am glad we didn't have the money. It forced me to learn some really important things. I learned how to be more patient when I felt stretched to my absolute limit. I don't do it perfectly every time, but more often than I used to, I take a deep breath and repeat my mantra: He is only two. He is only two. He is the baby you prayed for. He is precious. He is only two. Then I try to make my next words to him kind (even if he needs to be punished) and sensitive to his feelings. Usually, the root of Ethan's problem is he is feeling unloved at the moment in time he is throwing a tantrum. He is feeling frustrated that I will not give him what he wants. The biggest change in his behavior came when I changed mine. I started looking him in the eyes when he would tell me something. I started touching his back and rubbing it when he was starting to get worked up while I was breastfeeding and trying to give him the words to help him express himself. I started making a point to sit down with him several times a day to snuggle, read books, and tickle him. Once I started learning how to love him better he didn't seem to need to fight so hard with me to get my attention. He started liking Noah more. <br /><br />I don't think I could have learned how to love Ethan better, and how to balance having two babies if I had sent Ethan to someone else to take care of. I don't think Ethan would know beyond a doubt that I love him so very much. I think he gets it now. Because I get it.Beth Keyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10388423100208054147noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6074329886381638334.post-75442911190951141032010-05-12T12:28:00.000-07:002010-05-12T12:35:32.354-07:00CostcoI hate going grocery shopping. I hate going to Costco. I have a 19lber strapped to me in a sling, and a screaming whining two year old in the cart. Buying items in the bulk make them heavy and hard to lift in and out of the cart with a baby strapped to me. Plus, its huge and I have to walk REALLY fast to get through before Ethan loses it and I always forget something and I have to go back. But I do have a favorite part. When we get to the check-out some store personnel usually comes to help me as they see I am struggling lifting a million pound box of diapers onto the conveyor belt. They see Ethan and say,<br /><br />"Hi, there!"<br /><br />Ethan screams.<br /><br />"Oh, wow. Ok." They usually say, or something like that. Then they look at Noah.<br /><br />"Oh! Look at YOU! Aren't you smiley! He's smiling at me! How CUUUUUTE!"<br /><br />"The difference in temperments." I say.<br /><br />"Yes." They reply with raised eyebrows.<br /><br />Now, of course I think that Noah is perfect in every way. He really is the happiest baby I can imagine.<br /><br />But honestly, if I could get away with screaming when a stranger talks to me, I would. That's my boy. I love him. And his screaming at strangers pleases me very much.Beth Keyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10388423100208054147noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6074329886381638334.post-16994292171147947152010-04-28T15:26:00.000-07:002010-04-28T15:36:27.782-07:00N-O-A-HThere is this old man at my gym that feels the need to talk to me when he sees me. I am not big on talking to people I don't know for casual conversation. I never strike up conversations with random strangers and I am always a little surprised when others do so with me. When he sees me coming I try to dodge him, but with the two little ones in tow I am a slow mover. Usually, he gets me. All of our conversations go like this:<br /><br />"Hi, so you had your baby?"<br /><br />"Yes." Clearly.<br /><br />"What's her name?"<br /><br />"HIS name is Noah." For the upteenth time...<br /><br />"Nessie?"<br /><br />"Noah."<br /><br />"Meoah?"<br /><br />"Noah. N-O-A-H. Like the guy who built the ark."<br /><br />"Ohhh. Noah. Unusual."<br /><br />I nod but I am thinking, Not really. Its actually been around for centuries.<br /><br />"Its pretty."<br /><br />Pretty? So not what we were going for.<br /><br />"So, how is Ethan? Did I tell you my grandson's name is Ethan?"<br /><br />"Yes, and you also mentioned they are the same age."<br /><br />"Yes, but my Ethan is much bigger than yours."<br /><br />Oh, really, that is kind of sad for him then, because my Ethan is at the top of the growth charts for height, and right smack in the middle for weight so this would make his Ethan fat and obscenely tall. How unfortunate.<br /><br />"Good seeing you. Keep up the workouts young lady."<br /><br />"Bye."<br /><br />Sigh. I'll see him again in a few days. For certain, he will catch me and we will repeat this conversation.Beth Keyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10388423100208054147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6074329886381638334.post-35272685003261761322010-04-21T17:46:00.000-07:002010-04-22T14:52:34.649-07:00Dr. Sears, I love you, but...One of my favorite authors to read for information on how to nurture your babies well are Dr. Sears (all of them). He is a big proponent of attachment parenting.<br /><br />Attachment Parenting is defined at the AttachmentParenting.org website as-The essence of Attachment Parenting is about forming and nurturing strong connections between parents and their children. Attachment Parenting challenges us as parents to treat our children with kindness, respect and dignity, and to model in our interactions with them the way we'd like them to interact with others.<br /><br />I have done my best to implement this since having Ethan. Its really really hard, but I have tried my hardest because I think it is the right thing to do. The primary ways the Sears say to do this is breastfeeding, babywearing (carry them a lot and use a sling if it helps), and co-sleeping or bedding close to your baby, and belief in their cries (don't ignore them or let them "cry-it-out").<br /><br />All right so now after doing this for the past two years, I have some questions of practicality for good ol' Dr. Sears. I am not trying to be antagonistic. I really want to be an attentive and loving parent, but some of his suggestions on how to handle certain situations are just not working.<br /><br />1. We did the bed sharing thing with Ethan and we ran into the problem of his diaper leaking every night when he was 10-15 months old because he still took bottles at night. We woke up every morning to pee sheets. He also had a fondness for sleeping horizontally and taking up most of the space on the bed OR he wanted to sleep on top of me or his dad all night. I cannot sleep while someone is touching me. The result? We HAD to get him in his own room and his own bed before the new baby came because not only did the baby deserve a nice dry place to sleep and to not be kicked on, Ethan is a light sleeper and would wake up to new hungry baby noises. So, Dr. Sears, if we are supposed to let our children sleep where they sleep best, and if that is with the parents, then what should we do if it is not the best for the rest of the family?<br /><br />Oh, and yes, Dr. Sears, I did try your various suggestions for gently teaching him to sleep in his own room in his own bed without him crying alone but it only worked until the new baby came. When he arrived he completely regressed.<br /><br />2. You say to breastfeed your new baby on the floor so you can still play with your toddler so they won't feel left out and go get into mischief. Ok, if I could have done that comfortably, MAYBE, but I couldn't. But lets suppose I could. What should I have done about the fact that the toddler kept trying to hit the baby and climb on my back? <br /><br />3. You say that we should wear our new baby in the sling and our toddler will be happy that I have two hands free to play. What do I do when I put the baby in the sling and the toddler gets jealous and starts screaming bloody murder in public because he would also like to be, "up?" I am sure the attachment oriented parent wouldn't have dragged their toddler who refused to walk back to the car like I did...<br /><br />4. You say if your baby bites you while breasfeeding that you should press their nose to your breast so they can't breathe for just a second so they will associate it with discomfort and they will stop. What if they DON"T stop and you are getting bitten many many times during a feed while they are teething. THEN can I use a freakin' bottle?! Oh, but what if because you say breastfeeding is best and you have delayed introducing the bottle they refuse it all together and you are now stuck?<br /><br />Just wonderin'...<br /><br />Love, Your Fan, <br /><br />BehtBeth Keyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10388423100208054147noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6074329886381638334.post-89703668750890559842010-04-14T12:44:00.000-07:002010-04-14T12:50:40.043-07:00What I didn't SayJust to clarify about yesterday's blog--this is what I was NOT saying:<br /><br />1. I wasn't bashing working moms. Some moms HAVE to work. They love their kids to bits and going to work tears their heart out. These moms have my total compassion. Others go to work because they want to. They love the career, and the money it brings and complain about how their kids act when they pick them up from daycare which is kind of what you have to deal with if you aren't going to be the one raising them yeah?. There is a difference. They don't get to enjoy the preciousness of the children because they don't see it as precious.<br /><br />2. That we shouldn't use birth control, put our kids in Sunday School, or make our kids act well in public. These are all just symbols that give an example of how our generation seems to view children. You better believe I want Ethan in Sunday school in a nice safe room with a nice person with toys and other children and NOT where I have to keep him from climbing under, and over chairs and getting into electrical equipment. Again, these are just examples of how I see us viewing children. And its just my opinion.Beth Keyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10388423100208054147noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6074329886381638334.post-39616243871028453902010-04-13T11:20:00.000-07:002010-04-13T12:09:01.260-07:00Why Aren't We Having Kids?An article came up on my igoogle page last week from Wiki. I usually don't read them, but when I do, they are really fun. They are a how-to type thing. This one was called, How to Explain Why You Aren't Having Kids. I didn't read it right away because I was busy, but I kept thinking about it. Why would anyone need to write an article on that? Isn't our generation the most anti-life generation EVER? Then I read the article. It was really good. And then it made sense. It was how to explain why you aren't having kids to people like your parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, etc. Because people in my generation, the ones not having babies, already have the same mindset of- "Having kids? No, maybe not." It is the older generations that still think having kids are essential to life and need the explanation. So I got to thinking, why is it that my generation is so anti-life?<br /><br />When I use the term anit-life, I use it because we are more accepting of abortion, and birth-control than any other generation. Most girls don't even think about it, when they get married or become sexually active (whichever comes first) that of course, they will go on the pill, or whatever type of hormone treatment they think is most convenient. They don't consider that some pills actually act as abortificants. Because that is what we do. We avoid making babies, at <span style="font-style:italic;">least </span>until it is convenient. We also have a bad attitude when it comes to children in general. When people we know have babies, they usually are ostracized from their former peer group, because babies can cramp your style. Toddlers are to be avoided at all costs in restaurants, and movies. Children are herded to Sunday school so they do not make noise during church and distract those that are there to "worship." When we hear of a woman who has more than two children, many people look upon her with pity. Oh, and stay-at-home moms, what is THAT? When my generation has a baby, they usually go right back to work and drop their kids off at the closest daycare center. So, that is what I mean when I say we are anti-life.<br /><br />What if we are anti-life because our first round of the parent-child relationship wasn't so great? We are the first generation to be the offspring of the liberated couples where the woman went to work, and we had joint incomes in our home. We experienced more divorce than any generation before us. Many in my generation were not valued and did not feel loved at home. I read a book recently, and it was by far the best book I have read on parenting. It is called How to REALLY Love Your Child by D. Ross Campbell. He discusses how many children do not feel loved even when their parents adore them. Why? They are not getting one or all three essential things:<br /><br />1. Eye Contact. I don't know why, but this has made a huge difference for Ethan. The tantrums I was experiencing with him many times per day have dwindled to one a week maybe.<br /><br />2. Physical Contact. Many parents feel uncomfortable with this after their kids are 5, yeah?<br /><br />3. Focused Attention. Um, blackberries anyone? Checking email, facebook, twitter? <br /><br />During my second pregnancy a good friend of mine said that I should get fixed after it was over because it would be terrible to have THREE babies. It made me really sad. Why did she hate the idea of new life so much? Then I remembered, oh yeah. She has one of the most horrible stories when it comes to having a Mommy Wound. Why should she understand how beautiful and amazing it is to have a mother-child relationship? She couldn't, of course she couldn't.<br /><br />Is that how it is for many people my age? Is that why they don't want children? Is that why many people can't understand why I would want to stay at home with my toddler and baby? Maybe to them it is unthinkable that I see raising my kids to be a once in a lifetime opportunity. I only get one shot being their mom. Only one time will Ethan be a crazy, loud, boundary-testing, negative, joyful, exuberant, funny, happy, curious toddler that steals markers and writes on the wall and runs to me to kiss his boo-boos, and joyfully shouts, "Momma!" when I enter the room. Only one time will I get to breastfeed Noah, and sometimes it takes FOREVER and I just want to get up and do something else already, but only one time will he light up with adoration and joy just because he saw my face. Only one time can I watch him discover he can put his foot in his mouth--literally. When my generation doesn't want children or drops them off at daycare, they are missing precious moments with their kids, and then what will happen? Will the next generation be like us or even more anti-life? At least they won't need a wiki article to tell people why they don't want kids.<br /><br /><br />Please feel free to leave comments and tell me how wrong you think I am. I welcome feedback.Beth Keyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10388423100208054147noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6074329886381638334.post-63673738279651125582009-11-01T16:18:00.000-08:002009-11-01T16:41:31.016-08:00A Good Thought and FAQsToday we had lunch with some people that Nathan knows that go to the church we have been attending. I have to say, I felt REALLY bad about having them make us lunch. They have a 3 year old, an 18 month old, and a baby that was born the beginning of September. But the invite was out there, and we DO want to be friends, so what can you say? Sorry, you have too many children and you probably don't get enough sleep so we cannot be your guests. So we went. The mother of the children said something that both Nathan and I thought was worth thinking about it. Her little 18month old was giving things. Toys, random objects, whatever. Ethan likes to do that, too. When he meets someone new he always looks for something to give them. I think my brother's mother-in-law got the pepper shaker and an elmo last night. Anyway, Nathan commented that the little girl was such a sweet giver. The mother said, "Attachment parented kids don't mind giving because they have all their needs met. They don't feel they have to take everything." Hmmm. I never thought about it like that. It made me feel encouraged that maybe we did do the right thing in how we have been parenting. A lot of people in my life are naysayers against Attachment Parenting, and I have to admit, I don't have any experience turning out amazing kids, so Ethan is kind of a test run on this whole parenting thing Nathan and I have been trying out.<br /><br />Ok, on to FAQs. My friend, Kate, keeps giving me blog ideas, but I am not sure I have enough to say about each particular idea, so I have compiled them into a form of questions that I am frequently asked and the answers that I would LIKE to give. I do NOT actually give these answers. I say something far more polite, but this is my dream of what I would say if I had no convictions on how to treat others, and my own set of balls.<br /><br />1. Q: When are you due?<br /> A: I am not pregnant. My husband just likes to grab a little something extra around the middle and I like to be able to provide that.<br /><br />2. Q: Do you know what you are having?<br /> A: I do. And its not your business. You are a stranger and have no right to my personal information. Besides, you will probably end up being one of those people I run into after my baby is born and call it a "she" when he is clearly dressed in blue or sports stuff.<br /><br />3. Q: Do you have a name picked out?<br /> A: Yep. Jesus. We are naming him after this great guy we know. A personal hero, if you will.<br /><br />Frequent Statements<br /><br />4. S: Wow, your stomach keeps getting bigger and bigger!<br /> R: Yeah, that is usually how it works.<br /><br />5. S: You are doing great! (said in context of me at the gym)<br /> R: I cannot believe you are giving me feedback on my workout. What if I did that to you? Wouldn't you find that a bit odd?<br /><br />I know. I am a rude, mean person on the inside. I think the problem is, I am a very shy person, and having random people that I do not know give me attention and ask personal questions just really embarrasses me, and bothers me. I prefer to keep a low profile. Please, gush over my baby when he gets here, but ignore the gigantic stomach and do NOT ask me again any of the FAQs.<br /><br />I do have just a couple of questions of my own to the world around me:<br /><br />Is there anything else you want to know about my private life? Really. Anything at all. Would you like to be kept up to date on how my labor is progressing? Like, have I passed the mucus plug, has my water broken, can anyone see the head, do you want to be fed a live feed on a website so you can watch the baby exit my vag? Just lemme know. I am only to happy to satisfy your curiosity.<br /><br />By the Way, any of these questions that are asked my good friends and family, I am more than happy to provide real, true, and polite answers.Beth Keyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10388423100208054147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6074329886381638334.post-20541443820759352352009-10-13T18:44:00.000-07:002009-10-13T18:56:04.011-07:00You know its time to go into labor when...You know its time to go into labor when:<br /><br />1. Your maternity clothes don't fit anymore.<br /><br />2. Your one year old has to help you out of bed.<br /><br />3. Your one year old keeps falling out of your lap and grabbing on to your tender boobs as handles to help him back up.<br /><br />4. Your baby can simultaneously kick your diaphragm and punch your cervix. I mean, really. There is Just. No. More. Room.<br /><br />5. You can no longer sit or lay down comfortably and standing makes your back and feet ache.<br /><br />6. You long for drive-thru grocery stores because the idea of walking back to your car that is parked far away in 95 degree heat when your one year old may or may not be screaming a protest about one thing or another makes you want to cry.<br /><br />7. You are losing sleep because of being uncomfortable and it really seems like you might as well just have the baby because at least then when you are not sleeping, it won't be because you are uncomfortable, but because you are spending time with an amazing new little person.<br /><br />8. Your belly button sticks out like a thermometer on a cooked thanksgiving day turkey signaling that you are indeed, "done."<br /><br />9. When random strangers ask you when you are due you and you say, you aren't pregnant and that your husband just likes a little something extra in the middle, they know you are lying.<br /><br />10. You start blogging about these silly things because that is all you think about when you are trying to go to sleep and can't because as I mentioned, you are uncomfortable.Beth Keyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10388423100208054147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6074329886381638334.post-74765882045029806192009-10-07T17:10:00.000-07:002009-10-07T17:22:44.436-07:00Baby Brother DollSo, I haven't blogged for a while because my in-laws came and the only things I had to write about that were funny to me, I didn't feel they were appropriate to blog about...Certain people may not share my sense of humor over certain situations, and I wouldn't want to hurt anyone's feelings for the sake of a funny blog. After they left Ethan got sick, and then my car broke down three times, and I have only recently been inspired to write about something that isn't me gripping. This is my latest story-<br /><br />Ethan received his first baby doll. He had never shown interest in his cousin Paige's dolls. He would pick them up and laugh, give them a little shake, and when he realized that they didn't light up, make music, or do anything he finds entertaining, he would toss it to the side and search for something more to his liking. Now he has a "baby brother doll." We gave it to him to help teach the concept of what we will do with a little baby when it comes. To my shock and disbelief, this is his new favorite game. He LOVES Baby Brother Doll. He asks me to change his diaper, and fix his swaddle if it becomes loose. He does his best to make sure the pacifier is placed where it belongs, in Baby Brother's mouth. He carries him around, and is delighted by my suggestions to put Baby Brother Doll in the bouncy seat. He gives Baby Brother Doll lots of hugs and kisses. He absolutely does NOT want Baby Brother Doll to go to bed. If we suggest such a thing he cries and pleads, "no, no, no." I hand Baby Brother back to him and tell him, "lets put Baby Brother back in his bouncy seat, then." Nathan is a bit more, shall we say, strict, than I am, and enforces Baby Brother Doll's nap time despite Ethan's tearful protests.<br /><br />I am really hoping, that Ethan will like the real Baby Brother when he comes. At least half as much as the doll would be great.Beth Keyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10388423100208054147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6074329886381638334.post-4274787106002230512009-09-12T17:37:00.000-07:002009-09-12T17:50:45.125-07:00NestingI made up a poem. <br> Nesting, oh, nesting <br> I hate you, you stink <br> I wish I could wash you away in the sink. <br> Okay, I stole a good portion of that from the poem Homework. For some reason my nesting instinct that tends to strike all mothers in the final days of pregnancy hits me early. Last time I was 29 weeks along. This time, again, I was 29 weeks. I am currently 30 for those of you who like to keep up on this kind of thing. For Ethan, at 29 weeks I started buying everything I thought I needed and set up the room. It took several weeks, and then the cleaning started. We were living in our apartment in Seattle so there was really only so much cleaning to be done so when I finished all the usual cleaning I would sit and stare around and try to figure out what I should clean next. Cleaning the blinds was my focus project. I spent hours at a time, which turned into days of cleaning those stupid blinds. I would scrub and scrub, then dry, and then stand back and examine my work. It was never good enough. I finally stopped when my arms and back hurt too much to continue. Blinds 1, Beth 0. I don't think I ever bothered to clean them again after that. Last week I spent an hour and a half scrubbing my kitchen. I always spend a lot of time on the counter tops because it is hard to tell if they are clean because of the color. I clean them and then feel them with my hand. Again, never clean enough. I scrubbed the cabinets, the handles, the refrigerator, cleaned out the refrigerator and cabinets of old food, cleaned the dishwasher, scrubbed the sink, and then Ethan needed to eat lunch and take a nap so I stopped. I was also on a smell rampage. I smell pee all the time. Baby pee, dog pee, its everywhere. I was determined to exterminate it. Nathan went to the store to buy air freshner to stop my frenzy. This week I have the carpet cleaners scheduled for Tuesday to get rid of it in the carpet and I bought baby gates to keep Piper out of the carpeted areas for the rest of her existence. The thing is, I hate cleaning. I am not one of those people that enjoys it and gets satisfaction from it. My problem is, I like it clean, and my cleaning is never good enough for me so it consumes me. It concerns me that I have 10 weeks approximately of pregnancy left and a lot more square footage to live in than the last time I was pregnant and I worry about my obsessive compulsive nesting taking over or that I will clean it and it won't stay that way because I have a messy one-year old now. So I hate nesting. I wish I could live in ignorant bliss of dust, mold, and pee smells.Beth Keyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10388423100208054147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6074329886381638334.post-8621121173799693982009-08-22T11:16:00.000-07:002009-08-22T11:38:10.844-07:00Sugar and Spice vs. Puppy Dog TailsAfter a long wait at the doctor office Ethan really needed to move (no gestational diabetes btw-fudge here I come). We went to the park with my niece, Paige-20 months, and my sister-in-law, Christa-age not disclosed. Ethan and I arrived first. After 10 seconds on the swing he wanted down. He made a beeline for one of the jungle gyms and tried to climb up the slide backwards, which he did by the way, and I was very impressed. When he gets to the top of the jungle gym he sits in a puddle of dirty water and then puts his face in it. He looks at me in shock and disgust. "Yes, Ethan, that is yucky. Yucky." He slaps the puddle as if to make it pay for tasting so bad. Enter Paige. Ethan climbs down the jungle gym as fast as he can to say hi to his cousin. Paige comes prancing toward us in a pink dress, white socks, black patent leather shoes, a pink bow on top of her head, and pink sunglasses. She immediately heads for the swings that Ethan has rejected. Once her mom has her in the swing she grips the ball she brought ferociously as to protect it from Ethan's hands. Ethan runs the other way and proceeds to explore all the playground has to offer. 30 seconds digging in the sand, 5 seconds on the teeter totter, 10 seconds for the big kid swings on my lap. He hunts for something else to do. I point to Paige who is still sitting serenely in her swing. Christa is standing 6 feet away in the shade. This looks like an ideal situation to me. "See Paige? Lets go see Paige." Ethan runs to the swings. Something about the situation he finds funny and he laughs. He darts over to the tallest slide in the park and begins to make his way to the top. I follow after to make sure he doesn't fall. Christa and I are close enough to chat now and we are discussing schools, I think. I notice Ethan is diving head first down the slide. "Ah! Christa! Can you catch him at the bottom?" Christa graciously runs to the slide and catches Ethan before he lands headfirst into a dirty pile of water on the end of the slide. This gives Ethan an idea. He begins to take fist fulls of sand and pile it in the dirty water. Christa and I stand back in the shade as Paige sits in her swing calmly, still clutching her ball, and Ethan puts sand on the slide. Out of the corner or my eye I see him putting sand down his shirt and laughing about it. Ethan runs over to the tire and tries to figure out why it is supposed to be interesting. It isn't. He goes back to digging. I look at my little boy, wet, dirty, and smiling. I look at Paige. She is as pretty as when she came. The difference between boys and girls hits me. "Can you believe you are going to have TWO boys?" Christa asks. No, I really can't sometimes. "Its really going to be something." I say staring at my dirty happy little boy. Christa and I decide it is really hot and we should take them to get something to eat. "Ethan, lets go bye-bye." He runs to the car at full speed, trips, and gets back up again and runs to the door of the car. He tries to open it. I think being the one to open the car door symbolizes power to him. I hear Paige screaming at the top of her lungs behind me, "NO!NO!NOOOOO!!!" as her mom is putting her in the car seat. I guess moms of little girls have issues, too.Beth Keyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10388423100208054147noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6074329886381638334.post-12482227167398151952009-08-14T16:17:00.000-07:002009-08-14T16:20:58.029-07:00Friday Night Entertainment: LIVE!Some people go to parties on Friday nights. Some go to concerts. Others go to the movies. Or so I have heard, anyway. Nathan and I spent our time watching Ethan. He is learning that if he spins around multiple times, that he will get dizzy, and he finds this very funny. He spins. He stops. He tries to walk in a straight line. He gets woozy. He laughs hysterically. Repeat. Nathan and I laugh too. We are all entertained.Beth Keyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10388423100208054147noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6074329886381638334.post-6797371600765105292009-08-13T14:14:00.000-07:002009-08-13T14:27:44.008-07:00Inner Beauty Goal UpdateI just thought I would come clean. In my last post I made a few goals based on the principle that I would focus on my Inner Beauty because my outer beauty was looking pretty bleak with my butt growing at approximately the same rate as my uterus/stomach region. Every year my parents and paternal grandparents give me a hefty amount of birthday money. It is the one reason I continue to look forward to birthdays. I don't usually have all that much spending money that I feel I can really spend on myself with out feeling guilty, because I am a stay-at-home mom and that means being cautious of spending so I can continue to stay-at-home with my babies without stressing out my husband (well, trying to keep the spending stress on low instead of high for him at least). Last year I didn't use all my birthday money up until December. This year it is gone before birthday week has come to a close. I have spent all of it, and a little more than all of it, on myself. Not just on myself, but on my Outer Beauty Quest which was supposedly null and void. I lied. I spent almost $200 on make-up from Lancome, and over $500 on a hair treatment that makes my hair stay straight so that I don't have to a) blow-dry my hair and neglect my busy one year old while he gets into who-knows-what b) feel bad about myself because I never take care of my hair and look bad every single day. (I am embarrassed to tell you the actual amount, but I would also like to say there WAS a generous tip envolved). I would also like to mention that I didn't buy any new clothes. Lastly, Ethan spilled water on my computer and all blogs from here on out will not include paragraphs as my enter key does not work. Anyway, I feel these purchases will improve my quality of life because if I am going to be tired with dark circles under my eyes, be covered in food that is leftover from my toddlers grubby hands, and soon to be covered in spit-up, at least my make-up and hair is in tact.Beth Keyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10388423100208054147noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6074329886381638334.post-69889404007165952702009-07-19T10:52:00.000-07:002009-07-19T10:57:21.351-07:00My Fat A@!My butt is getting bigger. It isn't just my stomach region. Nathan confirmed this yesterday. Several times, actually. For this, he is still being punished.<br /><br />I have given up on cultivating outer beauty and I shall focus on Inner Beauty.<br /><br />Goals:<br /><br />1. Gracefully ignore Nathan's clothes that are always on the floor and the dishes that never seem to make it into the dishwasher. Bitterness shall not take root.<br /><br />2. Empathize with Ethan's extremely powerful emotions on not getting what he wants instead of rolling my eyes and walking away.<br /><br />3. Not stare at people's crooked teeth and inside my head call them snaggletooth.<br /><br />That ought to do it.Beth Keyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10388423100208054147noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6074329886381638334.post-28891491792957277762009-07-18T15:46:00.000-07:002009-07-18T15:58:22.944-07:00Dr. VisitI took Ethan to the doctor last week for a check-up. My conversation with the nurse prior to seeing the doctor went something like this.<br /><br />Nurse: Do you have any health concerns?<br /><br />Me: Health concerns? Uh, I don't know if this is a health concern, but um, he has really terrible, horrible smelling gas. Its like, really bad. He could clear a room.<br /><br />The nurse jots this down on her sheet.<br /><br />Nurse: Is he eating well? Sleeping Well? Regular bowel movements? As in every few days?<br /><br />Me: Regular bowel movements? He poops 3-5 times a day! Is that normal? Seems a little much to you too, yeah?<br /><br />Nurse: No, that is normal.<br /><br />Drats. I was hoping for a suggestion in how to change his diet for less poop.<br /><br />Me: Well, about the eating well, I have to practically force feed him. He won't sit still to eat. I chase him around the house with food all day. Then he pulls it out of his mouth and throws it on the floor or hands it to the dog. As far as sleeping well, I can't say he is particularly found of sleep either. As in, he wakes up at night still a lot, and the longest he can go without a bottle at night is 6 hours.<br /><br />Nurse: That is normal for his age. Most babies go for 6-10 hours. He is still in the normal range. Just feed him more high calorie foods to keep his weight up if you are concerned about him not eating enough.<br /><br />Ha. If she only knew how hard I try to do that very thing. <br /><br />Nurse: Do you have any other questions for the doctor that you would like me to write down to make sure she addresses it on this visit?<br /><br />Me: Uh, no. I think other than the smelly gas, pooping all the friggin' time, not being able to get him to eat or sleep like other children should pretty much cover my concerns.<br /><br />Nurse: Ok. The doctor will be in shortly.<br /><br />I sigh. I look at my only-in-a-diaper-cutie and wonder how I am going to keep him from damaging expensive medical equipment during our interim period as I highly doubt she will be in "shortly."Beth Keyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10388423100208054147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6074329886381638334.post-56778387779581448152009-07-13T16:42:00.001-07:002009-07-13T16:45:23.236-07:00Further Conversations with EthanI bought a book for Ethan entitled, Baby on the Way, by the Sears. It is a little too mature for him. I think it is meant for 2.5-5year olds. I spend most of my time pointing to the people in the pictures and explaining the pictures. Today after we "read" the book, I say,<br /><br />"Ethan, mama is going to have a baby. You get to be a big brother. Would you like to be a brother?"<br /><br />Ethan claps his hands. "Yeh."<br /><br />Oh, good. That is a relief. I was kind of worried about it.Beth Keyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10388423100208054147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6074329886381638334.post-48876360548265501692009-07-07T19:09:00.001-07:002009-07-07T19:12:20.679-07:00NoEthan had one of his first real conversations with his dad today.<br /><br />Nathan: "Ethan, why don't you come over here?"<br /><br />Ethan "No."<br /><br />HAHAHA.<br /><br />Yes, my little precious has learned to say no. Its funny now. Not so sure about tomorrow.Beth Keyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10388423100208054147noreply@blogger.com0