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Maya‘s artistic tendencies run deep. Give the girl an artistic outlet of any kind and she is all over it. Painting, coloring, gardening, play doh, you name it, she loves it. It seems that we have found a new favorite creative past time that the little miss enjoys, photography.
From a very young age Maya has loved the camera, and not in the “please take my picture” kind of way, in the “let me have that thing so I can do my thing” kind of way. She has been coming after my camera from the moment she learned how to crawl. For a while the only pictures we could ever get of her were ones of her crawling towards the camera 
One of her Christmas gifts this year was a toy camera. I was convinced this would do the trick for a while, boy was I wrong. She knew the difference right away. And though she loves her little toy camera and plays with it often, she much prefers the real thing.
This past weekend she demonstrated her mad photo taking skills. I had just taken a little video of her and gave her the camera when I was done. I didn’t realize I had left it on until she started snapping away. What we got was a rather artsy set of about 20 photos.
I present to you, Photography by a Two Year Old -
Not bad if I do say so myself I may have a budding little photographer on my hands. I’m guessing it’s about time we traded in that toy camera for a real one.
Kids, like adults, get stuck in the rut of bad habits. Though they often aren’t the types of habits that are going to lead to anything really detrimental, they can be bothersome and in some cases have negative consequences. Sometimes those little habits that your child develops like sucking his thumb, picking his nose, etc, will go away on their own if you just ignore them. However, sometimes parents just want it to stop or it has become too troublesome to ignore anymore. So, how can you tackling those bad habits and not end up with both of you in tears?
We’ve been lucky so far with Maya (knock on wood). She didn’t take to a binky so we didn’t have to fight that battle, she doesn’t suck her thumb, and so far hasn’t developed any other bad habits. But, I know not all parents are quite so lucky, and I know likely, at some point down the road we are going to have to tackle a bad habit or two. So, what can parents do to help curb these bad habits?
- Be patient and give your child a chance to correct the behavior on their own. If they aren’t showing any signs of stopping and the behavior is starting to have negative consequences then begin to work on it with them.
- If the behavior doesn’t go away on its own consider ways you can help your child take steps in the right direction towards ending the behavior.
- Give your child something else to do. Kids often fall back on bad habits for the sensory satisfaction it provides, or in the case of thumb sucking, hair pulling, etc, because they don’t have something else to do with their hands. Give them something like a puzzle, play dough, a worry stone to play with, yarn to make into bracelets. Be creative.
- If your child is resorting to these bad habits in times of stress, tension, upset, give them a new outlet for these feelings. Things like coloring, stretching exercises like yoga, sitting quietly and reading a book or laying down in bed and cuddling a favorite stuffed animal are all good ways to ease upset, angry, or tense feelings. Get your child involved in decided what the would rather do.
- For older children consider talking to them about the consequences of their actions, like that thumb sucking hurts their teeth, or that hair pulling can lead to bald patches in their hair, or that nose picking can lead to nose bleeds. Sometimes if they understand the consequences they may opt to stop the behavior on their own.
No matter what the bad habit is be sure to address the action itself and not make the child feel like you are upset with him or her. Remember that we all have bad habits and it often just takes time, patience and practice to get over them.
If you are worried about your child’s behavior be sure to discuss it with your child’s doctor.
We have been crazy busy lately. So much time has been spent on selling our condo and finding and buying a new house that I feel like I’ve hardly had time to just sit and enjoy things. However, through all the chaos, all the days filled with so much to do it feel like there aren’t enough hours, and all the moments when I just don’t have time to stop and play, I have managed to take a few minutes to stop and truly enjoy some moments with my baby.
One such moment happened this past Saturday. The morning was crazy. We were all trying to rush to get ready to head out on a house hunting adventure. I was in the shower trying to get ready when Maya came into the bathroom and declared that she too wanted to have a shower. Lorne helped her out of her jammies and diaper and I helped into the tub. We giggled and laughed. It was one of those moments that feels like nothing at the time but warms your heart and makes you smile when you look back on it.
It's raining on my face!!
Shower snuggles are the best
Clean and happy.
Drying off in the sun, eating french toast. Good morning!!
It was the perfect Saturday morning. The perfect way to start the day.
Anytime your child or baby comes down with a fever, no matter how old they are, it is scary. A common cold with no fever, allergies, even the flu bug (as long as it doesn’t come with a fever) are all easy to deal with. Somehow, when you add a fever to the mix, no matter how experienced a parent you are it just makes your heart skip a beat, it makes you question your instincts.
In most cases a fever is nothing to worry about. Children’s bodies fight infection differently than an adult’s body does. Often times they will come down with a slight fever while fighting the common cold. As long as the fever doesn’t get too high and is easily managed with over the counter fever reducers you likely don’t have anything to worry about. However, you should keep an eye out for the following, as they are signs that it is time to call your doctor:
- If your child is under the age of 3 months old and has a temperature of 100.4 degrees or higher.
- If your child is between the ages of 3 months and 6 months and has a temperature of 101 degrees or higher
- If your child is over 6 months of age and is running a temperature of 103 degrees or higher.
- You aren’t able to control or bring down your child’s temperature using over the counter fever reducers.
- Your child has unusual symptoms along with a fever such as sleepiness, irritability, difficulty breathing, red or purple spots, or any other troubling symptoms.
- Your child’s fever last more than a few days.
- Anytime your child has a fever and you are unsure.
Our pediatrician’s office recommends calling whenever there is a fever involved as a nurse is always available to run through symptoms with us and give advice. I love that about her. Most pediatricians and family doctors will say the same thing. When there is a fever involved it is always best to err on the side of caution and make the call. Fevers, though often nothing, can be warning signs of something else going on, so if in doubt call the doctor.
If you are unsure of how to try your child’s fever talk to your child’s doctor for medication and dosage recommendations.
It is impossible to come up with the right words to express what being a Mom really means to me. I try, but nothing seems to do it the proper justice. The day Maya came into my life my heart grew in a way I couldn’t even have imagined possible. I looked down at this tiny little being and knew without a shred of doubt that I was already madly in love with her and that she was my heart. Hearing her call me “Mommy” is the best gift I could ask for.
Today, on this day to celebrate Moms, I think about the Moms in my life that have shaped me and guided me and helped me become the type of Mom I can be proud of, the type of Mom that my daughter deserves. I think about my own Mum who means the world to me and who has always shown me what it is to be a good, loving, kind mother. I think about my Mother-in-law who raised 3 wonderful boys, one of whom I am honored to call my husband. I think about my Nana and Gramma, and my Aunt. I think about the mommy friends in my life who inspire me.
Today is your day, every mom out there. Enjoy it!! Today is my day to celebrate and reflect on the joy that I feel in having a little person in my life call me “Mommy”, there truly is nothing better than that.
Happy Mother’s Day to all you moms out there. You are amazing.