MONDAY MOMENTS: Halloween Costumes in Pairs

And...It's Tuesday. But I'm a day behind because of the holiday (and my scattered brain). This post is linked up on Capital Mom's blog. Every Monday, she posts about a parenting moment. This week's theme is Costume.

We have been debating what to do for Halloween for the kids. I'm not a huge holiday person, but as holidays go, I really like Halloween. We had a lot of fun as kids choosing our costumes and foraging around at neighbors' front doors for food.

We have recycled the same cute cow costume that my sister crocheted for Baby T 2 years in a row. It's time we got off our a$$es and got creative. The sad part is--this is how my scattered brain works--I'm sitting here racking my brain trying to remember what we dressed Little M up as last year.

Oh yeah. He wasn't here yet. How time flies.

Monday Moments: Dancing

Big T and I are not known for our dancing. I have some rhythm (he doesn't), but it doesn't mean I'm coordinated or can swing my hips gracefully. We realized we are both a little dorky when Baby T started imitating the way we "dance." Basically, we move our hands. Sometimes we keep our pointer fingers out and wave them around, and sometimes we just wave our hands around. It looks a little like this:







This post is part of Capital Mom's Monday Moments. Take a moment yourself to check out her Monday Moments or link up.

MONDAY MOMENTS: Attached and Connected Through Motherhood

I’m joining Capital Mom to share my Monday Moment. Check out her blog for other Monday Moments and to join in on the fun!

Today’s theme is Alone. When I read that, I dug deep down to think about what I could write about. The word is so far out of my vocabulary these days. I almost skipped this week, but then I decided to challenge myself and really let myself sit with that word for a moment. In between diaper changes, cleaning poop off the floor, tiptoeing between what seems like thousand little Hot Wheels cars strewn across the living room, showering with my toddler, discussing the challenges of mothering with my friends, nursing an infant, distracting a toddler who wants to nurse, bouncing a little one on my lap, and lots of hugs, I thought about the word.

Alone.

And I realized that it’s just not part of my vocabulary anymore. When I wrote my post questioning my parenting style and wondering if I can, in fact, label it as attachment parenting, I wasn’t sure. There are many things I do that go in the other direction.

MONDAY MOMENTS: AN UNEXPECTED REQUEST

I haven't really posted about this, because there was so much going on at the time. But guess what?

Baby T has weaned.

He stopped nursing about 2 or three months ago. It has kind of been such a nonevent that I didn't even mark it in my baby book. That's not what was unexpected, though.

It's when he asks to nurse again. Which happens at least once a week.

MONDAY MOMENTS: LISTENING

As Baby T gets older, I find myself talking more. Sometimes it’s more like barking. I try not to tell him not to do something unless it’s unhealthy (dangerous), immoral, or illegal. But lately it seems like everything he does is at the top of the stairs, precariously close to the edge of the pool, or involves a sharp object and his mouth.

He’s pretty good at reading my verbal and nonverbal cues. He knows I mean it when I yell to stop before he runs into the street or falls with a pencil in his mouth. Last night when Big T fell asleep on the couch and Bay T had a devilish look in his eyes and said, “I wake up daddy,” his eyes got big and he took me seriously when I explained how waking someone up while playing is much different than waking someone up for real. But I’m afraid the more I talk, the less he’ll listen. 

Today, while getting out of the car on a busy street, I parked little M’s car seat on the sidewalk and asked Baby T to watch Little M (AKA stand on the sidewalk). Thirty seconds later, Baby T was at my side by the car. This time, it was my turn to listen. 

“I not watchin’ Mason, mommy.”

Or, after his birthday party, when several of the adults were trying to kill all the flies that had come in with the guests (I know—what kind of company do I keep, right?) he whacks our dog with his hand and says,

 “I kill Sully, mommy.”

He is talking up a storm these days, and the more he talks, the more I listen.

This post is part of Capital Mom's Monday Moments series. Check out her blog at www.CapitalMom.ca.

Monday Moments: Talking

Speaking Spanish with Baby

I'm trying to keep up with Capital Mom's Monday Moments themes. She writes these beautiful narratives about her kids--little snippets from her life that seem like they are pulled out of a novel that every mother would love to read. I'm not as eloquent as her, but I love how she shares, and I want to be able to share our moments as well.

When Baby T was a baby, I was so excited once he began to communicate. When he started waving “bye-bye” and doing the sign for milk, I was ready for him to communicate more. It’s frustrating when your baby cries and you don’t know what they want. I couldn’t wait until he started talking.

I speak fluent Spanish because my parents are from Argentina, and I grew up speaking both Spanish and English simultaneously. It is a gift to know another language, and I always said I would give my kids that gift. But when Baby T started talking—and he started pretty early, well before he was a year old—I didn’t want to do anything to hamper his communication. I didn’t want to confuse him with sounds and words from a different language, so I didn’t speak much Spanish to him.

At his one-year well visit, the pediatrician asked, “Does he have a word or two?” He had at least eighty.

At his two-year well visit, the pediatrician asked, “Does he have twenty words or so?” He has hundreds. We can carry on full conversations. Right now, in fact, he’s sitting on my lap, watching “Curious George” and telling me that George has a duck in his hand; the ducks are hatching; and there are three ducks on the TV. It’s such a relief to be able to fully communicate with him these days.

But he doesn’t speak Spanish. Or, I should say, it’s limited. There are things I have always said to him in Spanish. When he asks where daddy is: “Está en el trabajo.” When he asks where Sully is: “Está en casa.” So he can say those things. And I just taught him that motorcycle is “moto.” He likes that one. And he asks for his “leche bottle.” And that’s about it.

I want to be better with Little M. Since I’m home with him, I know I have the opportunity to speak Spanish when we’re alone together. I want my kids to have the ability to speak another language; it’s gotten me to places I never would have otherwise reached in my life.

I would love to hear tips from other moms out there who speak another language themselves: Do you speak it with your kids? How did you start? Do you have a specific routine or time of day that you speak another language? Once they are older, do you feel the need to explain what you’re saying, or do you just talk, hoping your child will eventually pick it up?

Because at this point, Baby T just looks at me like I’m crazy when I speak Spanish to him.