Out of the mouths of Babes...

Every once in a while our precious son does or says something that makes us realize that he's much more aware of what's going on in his little world than we think he is. It seems like everyday he comes out with a new word that we didn't even know he could say! Just today he said cloud and light. A month or so ago I was going through a car wash with Anderson in the backseat. He looked right at me and did the sign for bath and then said bath...at first I didn't get it. After a minute I realized that he was telling me the car was getting a bath! Another example happened this morning when I was drying a pan at the kitchen sink. He started babbling away and after a second I could hear that very determined tone he takes on when he is trying to communicate something specific. So I turned to him to pay attention. He was saying "hot" over and over again. I replied back...that's right pans go on the stove and it is hot! At the grocery store the other day he kept pointing at the scale over in the fruit section and moving his body back and forth. Finally he was able to get out what he was trying to say..."tick tock tick tock." He thought the scale was a clock. Hey, afterall it's round with a lot of numbers on it!

This is a fun time, but it is also a challenging one. See there is a dirty little secret that no one tells you when you have a baby...those terrible two's don't start when they are two...they start before that...like ummmmmm....let's say.....16 and 3/4 months. Anderson is trying to assert his independence a little more everyday. From screaming and twisting and turning when I am changing his diaper to bucking his back when I'm trying to put him in the carseat...these days are challenging. I have gone into full-on school teacher mode with research on the topic of toddler discipline. I am finishing up On Becoming Toddler Wise by Gary Ezzo. I am re- reading Bringing Up Boys by James Dodson. I read it when we found out Anderson was a boy...somehow I think it will all seem a little more relative now that he is here and not in the womb!! I also have on my nightstand (but haven't started yet) Sheperding the heart of a Child by Tedd Tripp. It comes very highly recommended from several moms I know from church.

I know we will have rough days, but I just want to know the best way to deal with them. I don't get parents who don't read or research or seem concerned or have specific goals for their children and the kind of person they want them to turn out to be. Seriously people...that doesn't happen by accident! It takes work and consistency. I taught too many kids whose biggest problem was their parents lack of parenting. I am not talking about inner city kids...these were the "good kids" who had the nice homes and two parents, etc, etc...I guess I just feel like you only get one shot to raise them right...no pressure, huh?? :-)