Monday, September 28, 2009

How Do You Keep Up?

I need some advice. Do you ever feel like you just can't keep up? Keeping up with the demands of life, baby, husband, family, church calling and house gives me serious anxiety. I'm not working any more and I thought my new ambiance in life would be much less hectic. Some how I'm more busy. I find that I constantly beat my self up for all the small things I can never get done. I was talking to Brett’s Mom about becoming more task oriented and started plotting what my goals for this week would be. As I started to list all the tasks I wanted to accomplish this week I began to feel anxious. I started to think how disappointed in myself I would be if I couldn't get to everything on my to-do list and I know when that happens I just feel hopeless. This is where I need advice. Do you go day to day getting done what you can and if that means getting nothing done it’s ok, or do you have to get certain things accomplished or you go a little mad?

Out on the Lake makes Steele's Day!


Sitting like a BIG boy!

Oh- I never gave Steele's 4 month appointment Stats. Better late than never:)

17 lb 11 oz (110%)
27 1/2 in long (100%)
The Dr. told me I needed to start solids back at 4 months because he is growing so fast. Steele now eats- green beans, carrots, squash, blueberries, avocado, apple sauce. Next I'm going to give him asparagus. Who knew they could eat so many things!
Tuckered out after a long day on the boat

I love this picture!
Now that Steele is eating food, he and Tea
are now both eyeing us down for a bite to eat!

WHAT IS THIS ALL ABOUT?!
Ask anyone. I'm not a fan of thumb sucking and from the day Steele was born he NEVER sucked his thumb so I thought I was in luck. At about 4 months he started sucking on all his fingers and hand. I paid no attention to it until one day he found his thumb. I thought it was cute for a day then realized he was finding it regularly. It was always his left thumb so I knew he was making a habit out of it. I started pulling it out every second. He still takes his bink so I tried to replace his thumb with that. No success. Every night he spits his binky out and immediately finds his thumb. What can I do? I think he is just stubborn like his Dad and does it just because I don't want him to. I have thought it out and here are the pros and cons to thumb sucking.

Pros
He can pacify himself
No getting up in the night
If I forget his binky it's ok
If his binky falls on the ground it's ok

Cons
Cute as a baby- not so cute as a toddler
I can't give him his thumb- he has to give it to himself
Buck teeth if he doesn't stop
You can take a binky away when the time comes- you can't cut their hand off
Talking with their thumb in- hate that

I have been told both horror stories about trying to get a toddler to stop sucking and have been told to relax and worry about it when the time comes. I'm sure he will turn out just fine with his thumb and all but I'm just a stress basket about it. What do you think?

12 comments:

Rachel Leigh said...

Thumb sucking is so hard to stop! I sucked my thumb until I was almost 3... my parents tried everything. I remember all the nasty things they tried painting on my thumb and I just sucked over it. It wasn't until they took me to the dentist and he said I would have ugly teeth if I didn't stop... funny huh? I would say try to get him to stop now. It will be easier now than later!

danny.des.jack.nora said...

Thumb sucking is hard, I sucked mine FOREVER ( I hate to admit ), but I am telling you this because I don't have buck teeth and haven't had any kind of braces for that matter, and my teeth are straight, so have hope! :) I LOVE that picture where Tea and Steele are wanting the food you are eating, it reminds me of Jack. He always has to taste what we are eating and opens his mouth for every bite we take. LOVE IT!

Truly and Shane said...

Emily,
Boy oh boy, oh my gosh! Do I know how you feel!! Since you're asking; I'll tell you something my cousin has helped my realize...I've spent most of my time running myself ragged over the months. Then I came to realize something. Whats more important than being supermom is being a happy, loving mom. I decided I'd much rather have my children remember a mom who was laughing and fun than a mom who had them perfectly dressed, the house perfectly cleaned, dinner perfectly prepared etc. etc. As long as the toilets are clean, dishes are done and the bed is made then all the rest doesn't matter. Baby toys, bouncers, books, bright abnoxious rattles, musical things, and baby blankets are what make the home a home. Those things have become your life now. Don't worry about the rest. This is a very short time in our lives. Sooner than we realize those toys will be replaced with a bunch of teenagers on your couch on a friday night watching a movie. Soak it in, live it up and when it gets too damn hard call me because I will listen and be the first to understand. If you don't get something done, there's always tomorrow. And if it doesn't get done tomorrow then nevermind it, it will sometime. You're doing a great job! Trust yourself! At the end of the day all Steele needs is a mom and dad who love him and he has that! Love you!
Em, all this is easier said than done, I would know. thankyou for writing this post its help me, once again, put things in perspective. I know you're not down and I know you're not complaining- just trying to find a way to fit everything together. However, when it does get really hard know this: you will ALWAYS see a rainbow at the end of every storm. Thats just the way Heavenly Father made it work. Remember that.

MVP Family said...

I feel like this daily and I think Mom's in general expect so much out of themselves that everyday they feel like failures because there is no way in heck that you can get you "to-do" list done! I just have to take a deep breathe and realize my kids are more important than all the stuff to do!

Corey and Nikki Preston said...

Thumb sucking is a lost cause. I tried for three months to stop it including putting mittens and socks on his hands. I eventually gave up and when I did he was happier and so was I sometimes you have to pick your battles. I will deal with this when he is older and can understand. Just remember you are a mom and wife first, not a housekeeper, cook, designer, etc. These are just hobbies that we like to give ourselves have fun you will never get this time back don't waste it.

D'Laina said...

I have no idea about the thumb sucking, I actually wanted Eth to be a thumb sucker cause I thouhgt it was so "cute" when babies suck there thumbs, but he didn't he was a binki baby, that was hard enough to get rid of finally when he turned 2 I got rid of it threw them all away. So I have no idea what you would do when it's time to stop the thumb sucking. I stress tons about keeping the house clean, laundry, and everything else but I have learned I'm only one person and Eth comes first my house stays pretty clean and the laundry stays done so that's all that matters right...good luck!

Sarah Nelson said...

I totally get what you mean about not getting things done! It's easy to feel like you've accomplished nothing at the end of the day. Someone told me that instead of focusing on what you didn't get done each day, focus on what you DID get done. For example... me today: my kids got fed (ha ha!), I got a shower (so much harder now to do), got some homework done, got the kids down for naps, had some playtime with the kids, went to the temple. That sounds so much better than what I didn't get done... dishes laundry, bathrooms, vacuuming, etc. Ha ha!

You mentioned already wanting another kid... that does NOT make you crazy! Don't you find that with each new stage you reach, it just gets better and better? I love it! If I could guarantee my next baby will be as easy as Devri, I would so be having him/her sooner rather than later!

Sucking thumb... every time Parker did it, I just kept pulling it out and telling him it was a no no, even if he didn't understand. It's hard work at first, but I think it pays off later on. Good luck though... kids can be stubborn!

Carrie said...

I like the pics. Adorable.

Brittany said...

I'm with you on the getting things done, but honestly I think you really have to just take it one day at a time. I'm a list maker, but sometimes you just have to give yourself time to get the list done.

Right now I feel like I literally have to chose to get stuff done or spend time with the girls and I can tell you I feel so much better on the days that I spend time with the girls rather than ignored them to do laundry. Its a give and take....ain't life grand!!!

Ryan ♥ Breelyn said...

HI! So glad to hear from you! I know, sad that they lost :( I like coming down for the games and seeing all the wives and darling babies. That in vitro picture of Steele as just a division of cells is SO COOL! I'm sure it was one of the most difficult things to go through that whole process however, now that it's all said and done what a unique experience! Steele is such a beautiful baby! Keep in touch!

preston. shawnee. cohen. said...

Ha, i totally know how you're feeling emily!!! It's hard to keep up on everything and try to keep balance in your life. I'm still trying to figure out how to do it as well. Some days I'm so energized and get tons of cleaning and things done, other days I just sit here and relax and focus only on Cohen. I've tried writing everything down to get done on certain days of the week, but it just doesn't seem to work that way for me. So I make sure to get done the stuff that absolutely needs to be done, and the other stuff will happen when it happens I guess. Anyway, Cohen sucks his binky and his thumb and all his fingers too! Ha. So I guess we'll see where this goes...
Glad you guys are doing well. Steele is getting so big and cute! Oh, and I love your new background too!

The Carlsens said...

I know how you feel. What helps me is if I start making a list of all the things I need to do. It maybe big things or small things (even down to doing the dishes). If I cross off 3-4 things a day then I feel like I did a great job for that day! It helps me to keep a perspective and to not overload myself. Sometimes I only do 3-4 things and other days I feel like doing 10! Hope that helps you. : ) You're doing great so don't stress!