Thoughts [ramblings] on Parenting

First a quick holiday update! We were able to spend Christmas with the Call's this year in Washington! Seth did pretty well on the drive, thanks to an overnight pit stop at my parent's in Kuna, a DVD player in the car, and an iPad. :) Staying with Nina and Mark was great--they are some of the most generous people I know! Colin (age 6) and Aubree (age 4) were so nice to Seth and pretty much let him have free reign over lots of their toys! Seth had a blast! It was fun to see all the cousins play together. I am continually impressed with my sisters-in-law parenting skills and how well all the kids treat each other. It makes me sad that we don't live closer.

Seth on Christmas morning sitting with Daddy. He had fun opening up presents, then mostly played with Aubree's toys! Lol. At least we got a picture with him playing with his own toys!

30 weeks pregnant. Only 10 more weeks! Whew. I know I don't look very big, but I sure feel big!

Don't feel obligated to read this part; it's mostly just me putting my thoughts into (somewhat) organized sentences! Here goes:

As Seth has gotten older, I have encountered more and more parenting challenges. Naps, tantrums, picky eating, biting, etc. I have so many questions all the time! Like, "Should I chastise him for [insert somewhat questionable behavior]?" "Do I spoil him too much?" "Do I play with him enough?" "So-and-so does [this] with her kids, should I?" And the list goes on, and changes as he goes through phases and grows older. I probably will never really know the answer to any of these, but I keep plugging away at this parenting thing, day by day. I see so many other moms who seem so confident in their parenting choices! But I think all parents have similar questions, whether or not they voice them. Their questions might be different than mine, but everyone is trying their best! We all have different challenges with our children. One common line I hear a lot (not necessarily directed towards me!) when it comes to parenting is "How do you do it?" Some challenges that seem impossible for one parent might be the exact challenge another parent is cheerfully and successfully dealing with. I have learned to be grateful for my challenges, and try to learn from them. I have also learned to be grateful for the challenges I don't have: I am grateful Seth enjoys good health, I am grateful he sleeps in, I am grateful he doesn't despise his car seat, I am grateful he gives me hugs and kisses, I am grateful for his happy temperament, and so many other things! And one other lesson learned: don't judge other parent's decisions; all kids are different, and you never know exactly what their situation or what their child is like. Being a parent is one of the hardest but most rewarding things in life, and I hope I can continue to learn from it!

Ok, rambling over! (For today. :) ) Thanks for indulging me, if you made it this far! See ya next time!