Where did it go?

Mommy. Wifey. Me. FTW? Not so much lately.

Well, anyway, let's ignore my minor issues of having no time to do anything, and talk about happy (kind of) stuff.

It's March. Which you would think means spring is coming, but you would be forgetting that I live in Michigan, where it is sunny and a toasty warm 33 degrees today.

But it being March, means that April next month. And in April, my babies will both have their birthdays. April 30th Brennan James will turn 3, and April 14th, my sweet little Claire Madelyn will be one.

This cannot be possible. 

Was it really a year ago that I held that beautiful girl in my arms for the first time? A year ago that I first rocked her, that I first nursed her, that I first put her in a little dress and changed her diaper and brought her home and stayed up with her all night watching her sleep because she was so beautiful that I didn't want to put her down?

Where did this year go? Where did the last three years go for that matter? It can't have been three years ago that I looked down into the deep blue eyes of my son for the first time. And now he runs and jumps and talks like a whippoorwill's a** in a windstorm and thinks he can do everything by himself.

I am in denial. My babies cannot be one and three years old. I'm not ready for this. Life needs a rewind button, because it feels like the past three years have gone by at hyperspeed.

(I am not) Making Comparisons

I am a firm believer in the rules of Developmentally Appropriate Practice, in that every child is unique, but that they will all develop at their own pace. So here is my disclaimer: I am NOT comparing my children, I love them both equally for their similarities as well as their differences. And they have a LOT of differences, let me tell you.

In April, my handsome prince and my beautiful princess will turn three and one, respectively. Over the year(s) I have come to know my children better than anyone else in the world. And as a mother, I can't help but think about their similarities and differences, and the rates at which they've developed.

Pregnancy:
Both were very challenging. Morning sickness from day one. Preterm labor for both. With Brennan I took brethene, with Claire I took procardia, neither helped all that much, but the procardia was vastly preferable. I showed sooner with Claire but gained more weight with Brennan.

Labor/Birth:
I was induced with Brennan, had 12 hours of labor and pushed for two hours, needed an episiotomy and tore on top of that. He weighed 7 lbs. 1 oz. and had just a little bit of hair. I was 37 weeks, he was due May 21 and was born on April 30. I went into labor naturally with Claire, and by the time I decided to go to the hospital I was almost 6 cm already. I pushed for 15 minutes and didn't have any cutting involved. She weighed 6 lbs. 10 oz. and had a bunch of dark brown hair. I was 38 weeks, due date was April 24 and she was born April 14.  I had Stadol through my IV for both children.

Names;
We chose classic, timeless names for both kids, with family names for their middle names (Brennan James and Claire Madelyn). A sweet little story on their middle names, James and Madlyn were my maternal grandmother's parents, which is where their names come from.

Breastfeeding:
Brennan was easy as cake to get started. We made it to six months before he lost interest in it. But six months was my goal, and I was happy to have made it. Claire was harder to get started. We needed a nipple shield for a while because her mouth wasn't quite big enough to get a good latch. We've dealt with several bouts of mastitis, but at nearly 10 months we're still going strong. Our goal is one year.

Milestones/Personality:
So far, Brennan has crawled sooner and gotten teeth sooner. They are so far about equal on sleeping through the night. Claire said mama and dada sooner than Brennan did, and also says bubba, which is what we call Brennan. Claire seems to be going more toward the social domains where Brennan was more geared towards physical. Brennan walked at 13 months, Claire isn't even close. She is more outgoing, whereas he is rather shy. Both loved the swing as babies (in fact, Brennan sometimes still climbs in it, and Claire still uses it on a daily basis). Brennan was never very interested in a pacifier, we can't leave home without one for Claire. He's a mama's boy, she's a daddy's girl.

Appearance:

Both have chunky cheeks which they get from daddy. Their coloring couldn't be more different, Bren is blond with blue eyes and Claire has brown hair and eyes. Don't ask me how either of them got their eye color, because it's a miracle to me. Their features are fairly similar. Brennan is almost perfectly average in his size, has been all his life. Claire is very petite like her mommy.

Myself as a Mother:
Most mothers say the second is easier, and that they were more relaxed with subsequent children than they were with their first. This was not the case for me. I was only 18 years old when I had Brennan, and honestly I had no idea what I was doing. This isn't to say I didn't worry about him and didn't want the best for him, because I did. But I have been much more picky with Claire than I was Brennan. I refuse to give up on breastfeeding, even if it means mastitis for me. I worry more about what she eats, and what kind of diapers she wears. Heaven forbid she go to the store in a sleeper like Brennan used to. Oh no, she needs a cute outfit with a matching bow to go anywhere. I almost feel like since I didn't have a good grasp on motherhood when I had Brennan that I've been a new mother all over again.

Currently, my children adore each other, although they occasionally play tug of war when they want the same toy. I sincerely doubt this will still be the case 10 or 15 years from now, but I truly hope they will always be close, no matter who they each turn out to be. They are amazing for the ways they are the same, and even more amazing in the ways they are different.

Snow Day School Recap

As I'm sure my five readers have figured out by now, school is kind of taking up the priorities in my life right now. Which is the way it should be. Five classes have been hard, but I'm enjoying it so much. And I've recently made a decision regarding school. I'll be graduating from West Shore Community College in May 2012 with my AAAS in Early Childhood Developmet and Care. My decision is that I'm not satisfied with that. So I've signed up for another two years in school, and I'll be graduating from Ferris State University in May 2014 with a BA in Early Childhood Education. I could not be more excited about where my life is taking me right now.

So anyway, I promise I'll try to get back here more often, even though it's been hard. Maybe tomorrow I'll try and post a photo spam of my amazing pictures I've been taking in my photography class!

On to my other priorites. The massive snowstorm hit us with a vegeance, so the college is closed today, and I'm having a pajama day with my two favorite little people in the world, to be joined by my favorite big person in the world when he gets out of work.

<3 Amber

Welcoming 2011

Why hello, 2011. I've been waiting for you. And I've got big plans.

First of all, with the tax return I get this year, I'm buying a new car. No more minivan. You cannot be cool at 21 years old driving a minivan.

When my lease is up in May, I'm going to (attempt to) find a decently priced new home, hopefully to buy insted of throwing our money away renting, that has W/D HOOKUPS. I never thought I would say I miss laundry.

Brennan and Claire are going to turn 3 and 1, respectively. I don't understand how this is possible, but I must accept and embrace it.

Resolutions:
Go swimming/use the fitness center at the college twice a week after class.
Try and keep my house looking halfway decent (I'm already failing).
Get all A's my spring semester (and maybe fall too).

Goodbye 2010, and hello 2011!

Hoping for the best, and wishing you and yours health, wealth, and happiness,
Amber

Fall Semester Wrap Up

Just finished my fall semester! I got somewhere around a 90% in Early Childhood, which I'm quite happy with. Before my final I had 103% in Psychology, not horribly worried about that one, and I feel like I did really well on the final. No idea what I'm getting in Sociology, probably a high B or low A. Didn't feel very good going into the final, but I actually think I did pretty well.

Overall - feels like a good semester. But I'm ready for a three week break. And I am so excited for spring semester! A little bit of fun after all those intro classes is just what I need!

Next semester's line-up: Child Development for the Educator, Infant and Toddler Care, Childhood Activities, Child Psychology, and Photographic Technology. Can't. Wait.

I so badly need the next three weeks to get my focus back. Get back into the swing of working at Meijer, concentrate on my kids a little more, enjoy the holidays and all the family time that goes with them, and just breathe for a little while.

In....and out....hey, we all need it sometimes.

xx Amber

Physical Punishment Poll Follow Up

Well first of all, congratulations to myself on the most page views I've ever gotten on a single post!

So the results came out fairly close to what I expected. Seven use no physical punishment at all, nine use it in some form or another, whether on a regular basis or only in severe situations.

Here are a few statistics:

75% of mothers in England admit to spanking their child before age one year.

20 states in the US still allow corporal punishment in public schools.

Schools can hit disobedient students, but it's not allowed in prisons.

Last year, over 200,000 children were physically punished by a school authority figure.

Anyone else completely disgusted yet? Cause I sure am.

If you're one of the ones who use physical punishment, you may not want to read on. You've been warned. And I'm in a snarky kinda mood today, so if you want to debate, bring it on. Just keep it civil please.

PHYSICAL PUNISHMENT IS COMPLETELY INEFFECTIVE.

There are studies upon studies upon studies illustrating this fact. Research shows that modeling and positive reinforcement are far more effective. It also shows that spanking does nothing but teach the child that it's ok to use aggression as a means of handling frustration and anger. Not to mention the fact that a person who uses physical punishment is far more likely to abuse their child, and that it's extremely demeaning to the child.

Ok, stepping off my soapbox (for now).

Do you use physical punishment?

So as usual I'm working on a paper..and I want some opinions. Feel free to leave comments if you don't feel any of the answers apply to your situation.