Parent to Parent

A South Paw? - #13

2009-04-16T19:57:00.000-07:00

Easter was a great holiday weekend for the family. Angie and I spent it with her family and we had a great Easter dinner. Lenka had a great time searching for eggs, getting candy, and of course getting the annual visit from the Easter Bunny. It was also a special time for Janika. This was her first Easter and I think she handled it very well. But there was a highlight for Janika, well more for her parents. It looks as if our baby girl might be left handed. This sounded sirens in my head because now I felt that from now on everything would be backwards. Ranging from teaching her how to hold a baseball bat to cutting with scissors to even writing her own name. Both Angie and I are right handed. Sure there are things I can do with both hands, but I’m predominately a righty. We do have lefties in our family. Angie’s mom is left handed and I have two older brothers and an older sister who are left handed. But after looking into it we found that being left handed is not necessarily hereditary. In fact, what I found out was that no one really knows. One out of ten babies are born left handed and scientists say that it is purely natural selection.

When I first noticed Janika’s left handed tendencies if you will, my first thought was to work with her on using her right more. I then discovered that you should NEVER try to push right or left onto a baby. It can make them very frustrated and even lower their self confidence. It can be hard for lefties because they may want to fit in with their friends and they’ll try to use their right hand and it will be very difficult for them. So for the parents out there with babies in the six to twelve month age range, here are some tips to see if you’re dealing with a South Paw.

-The hand that is always closest, or in, their mouth when teething or eating
-The hand your child uses to hold a spoon when eating
-The hand they use to hold a crayon or pencil
-When standing on one leg, they feel more comfortable standing on their left

On a side note I realized that I’m going to see if I can get Janika involved in sports. If she takes to sports such as basketball, softball, or ultimate fighting (Just kidding Angie) being left handed will be a huge advantage. Just for fun I looked up some famous left handed people. Maybe one day the name Janika Dwight will be one of them.

Ronald Reagan
Barack Obama
Jay Leno
Richard Simmons
Matt Groening (creator of ‘The Simpsons’)
Kurt Cobain
Phil Collins
Judy Garland
Jimi Hendrix
Tim Allen
Charlie Chaplin
Tom Cruise
Matt Dillon
Whoopie Goldberg
Angelina Jolie
Julia Roberts
Oprah Winfrey
Larry Bird
John McEnroe
Ken Griffey, Jr.
Babe Ruth

Just A Little Patience (Yeah, Yeah) - #12

2009-04-09T18:27:00.000-07:00

Two is a very difficult age, not just for parents but for kids as well. They want to do everything by themselves, but on the other hand they don’t. It seems like they look for opportunities to argue. If I could give any advice to parents of toddlers, or parents who have infants and will be experiencing this very soon, be patient. I consider myself to be a good dad. I do the stuff that a dad is suppose to do like take care of them, support them, and more importantly spend quality time with them. I feel good when I do these things because I’m developing a good relationship with my girls and I’m being a great role model. But what I’ve found to be my biggest problem is at times I lack the patience when dealing with Lenka, my two-year old. If I’m in a hurry, she may throw a fit of some kind and put me behind schedule. This gets me upset and very frustrated. When this happens I get a terrible feeling inside that I can’t stand. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t start whipping her because I’m running five minutes late, but what I’ve found myself doing is raising my voice and yelling for no good reason at all. All it does is put us even more behind. So what do I need to work on to be a better parent? I need more patience.

There are no concrete tips on how to work on this; it varies from person to person. What I’m going to do is just be vary aware of what is going on and keep myself under control. When Lenka is crying and screaming because she is having problems putting her shoe on and won’t let me help, I’m going to keep my voice levels down and speak very calmly. I’m hoping what this will do is convince Lenka to let me help and when I do I’m going to explain step by step what I’m doing, like I’m teaching her. Then I’ll laugh and cheer when her shoes are on to hopefully steer her to a better mood and we can start heading toward the door.

Wish me luck.

P.S. Only one more month until Lenka turns 3 and I hear that age is worse then 2. (Here we go…)

A Room For Two - #11

2009-04-02T20:20:00.000-07:00

It has been ten months in the waiting, but Janika is now sleeping in a bedroom. When Janika was born Angie and I ran into a dilemma where we had a two-year old, Lenka, who when was put to bed would spend time playing while laying in bed in the dark. Then with Janika we had a little baby who would wake up at various times crying. Having these two girls share a room would be too stressful for us. Now that the girls are a little older we decided to go for it and I’m happy to report that they are now happily sharing a room. Lenka still says that her sister is sleeping in her room rather than sharing, but it’s cool. So now Angie and I have our basement back. Another bonus is that since Janika goes to bed first, Lenka is forced to be quiet when she gets into bed; no more playing or reading. That has made for a happier, and less sleepy, little girl. Now Angie and I can look forward to the day when we move into a bigger house where the girls will have their own room. Then again there has been talk about turning the basement into another bedroom for Lenka when she gets older. Only time will tell.

When looking for a tip for this week most of the stuff I could come up with was bonuses for kids sharing a bedroom with a sibling. The hard part of course is getting to the benefits. There will always be waking each other up in the middle of the night and the fighting depending on how old they are, but that does go away. So below I’ve listed the benefits I’m looking forward to now that I’m a parent of two girls that share a bedroom. We hope that if you are in the same situation we are, you can feel a little more comfortable.

- When they are young, your children will learn to fall asleep on their own much easier. Not only that, but once they are woken up at night, they will learn to fall back to sleep much more quickly.
- They will likely sleep, and wake, more peacefully knowing that they are not alone. They will often call to each other gently to make sure the other is there. Also, when they wake in the morning, they will usually talk to each other and play quietly until the parent comes to get them.
- Your children will likely develop a closer relationship as siblings. Many children who share a room spend time talking with each other about thoughts, feelings, and so on, especially once they are school aged. If the children are the same gender, they will share things with each other that they may not share with you. This will add stability to their lives and make your home a happy and healthy one.

Too Shy, Shy - #10

2009-02-28T20:11:00.000-08:00

There are many reasons why a child is shy. It could be because their parents were shy. Or maybe something happened to the child and now they are scared to talk to people. These are reasons for being shy that can be very difficult to over come. But if you are looking for a nice and easy way to break your child from their shell and make them, shall we say, anti anti-social. (Get it, double negative) The answer is: daycare. Growing up I was terribly shy. I didn’t really come out of my shell until I was in high school and college. Actually, I’m still shy. Angie was a little shy, but from what I hear not too much. I’ve known her for about 12 years now and I’ve never known her to hold back. I had a feeling though Lenka would be just like me and to avoid this we made sure to send her to daycare as soon as possible, 3 to 4 months old. This gave her the opportunity to be around other kids and interact with them on a daily basis. Her communication skills are so much better then I think they would have if we decided to not send her. Now don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying keeping your kids home and being a stay at home mom or dad is wrong. It is your choice and this is America . I am just a huge believer that daycare provides so much more then just a babysitting service. My 2 year old has best friends, and she’s had them for over a year. Because of her rapid development and her very outgoing personality we are hoping the same from Janika, our 9 month old.

Now a big “ouch” factor that goes along with daycare is cost. Luckily we found a daycare that offers very good rates. Plus it is run by Angie’s sister so that makes the girls comfortable because they are around family all day. Then again, all of the employees at Aunt April’s Learning Center are like family to my girls. We did start with a brick and mortar daycare and we didn’t really like it. We only went with it because it was close to our house. I definitely suggest doing your research before selecting a daycare. Below are a few things to consider when doing this. (Courtesy of www.familydoctor.org) You never know, you may get lucky like Angie and I did.

- How many children are there for each staff member? (One staff person for 3 to 5 small children and one staff member for 7 to 10 older children)
- Are the younger and older children separated?
- What are the center's policies on discipline and other important issues?
- How does the center take care of sick children?
- What are the training requirements for staff members?

Finally, here are some signs that the daycare you’ve chosen may have some problems:
- The staff fails to answer your questions and address your concerns.
- There is no way for parents to be involved in the day-care practices.
- Your child tells you about problems or is not happy with his or her day care experience.
- Unexplained accidents happen more than once.
- The staff changes often.
- The management can't offer you a written copy of the day-care policies.
- Other parents tell you about problems or concerns with the day-care center.

It's hard to say 'No' - #9

2009-02-19T18:47:00.000-08:00

Angie and I recently decided that our oldest daughter is snacking way too much; especially when the snacks that she is having are very unhealthy. So we are going to start cutting down on the snacks that she has and when she does we are going to try to make sure they are as healthy as possible, or at least portion controlled. Tuesday was one of our first days of this nice little venture and being 2 years old, she proceeded into a huge fit. Not only was there screaming and stomping, but there were tears pouring down her face. On the ride home from day care she started naming every one of her teachers asking for help. The fit ended when she uttered the words “You’re not my friend anymore”. Now this did break my heart, but not thirty minutes later we were playing and laughing.

Being a parent of children at this age can be very difficult, but you have to stick it out. Being the parent it is your job to mold them and make sure they grow up not only healthy, but well mannered. We have to act they way we want them to act. Their attitude and the way the treat others when they are in their teens and even in adult hood will fall on you, not Grandparents, Aunts, Uncles, Teachers, etc. So stick it out parents and remember in the end it will be all worth it. Oh yeah…they do love you.

You Can Do It! - #8

2009-01-16T14:19:00.000-08:00

Next week Janika will be 8 months old she is still not crawling. Now Angie and I take responsibility for this because we aren’t working with her as much as we did with Lenka. She was walking by 9 and half months, which what I hear is very early. When Janika was in the hospital recently, I had the opportunity to talk to some of the doctors and they told me that some babies won’t walk until after their first birthday. But crawling should be a priority for us. So Angie and I going to become dedicated to get our little girl, who is getting older fast, mobile.

I was in need of some tips to practice and I was able to find a nice simple 6 step method to get babies crawling in no time. I thought I’d share this with everyone so they can start working with their infant. This is something that Angie and I are going to work with Janika every day. And may I suggest you not wait until they are 8 months old.

STEP 1: Place your baby on his/her stomach on a carpet on the floor.
STEP 2: Gently hold Baby by the elbows and encourage supporting him/herself on elbows. Continue to provide support.
STEP 3: Measure, or try to get some measure of the distance between the floor and Baby's armpit in the supported position.
STEP 4: Get a *roller with approximately the same diameter as you've just measured. Rollers are soft cylindrical shaped toys... preferably firm. You do get inflatable ones, but firm, dense ones normally last much longer and can also be a valuable aid to get Baby to sit and walk.
STEP 5: Put the roller underneath Baby's upper body... elbows touching the ground in front of the roller. This supported position also allow Baby to lift his/her head and discover the surroundings.
STEP 6: Get down on the floor directly in front of Baby, face towards Baby. Now, let Baby look at your face while you talk to, amuse and encourage Baby to lift his head and take part in the conversation.

*Making a Roller:
1. Take any normal large bathroom or swimming towel.
2. Spread it out flat on the ground.
3. Reduce the width of the towel by folding it in half. You'll now have a long narrow towel.
4. Form a roll by rolling the towel over the length of the towel. Start at one of the short ends and finish at the other short end. You should now have a short fat towel roll.
5. Use this "roller" exactly as described in the baby crawl article.
6. If the roller is too small (low), then use 2 towels rather than just one.

RSV and Facebook - #7

2009-01-02T19:15:00.000-08:00

We had a scare in our house this past week, seems like we are having a lot of those. Janika had been really sick and Angie took her to the doctor on Monday. She had taken her the week before, but he dismissed it as being a little sick and to let it run its course. When she wasn’t getting any better we thought it was time to visit the doctor again. Well it turned out Janika was not just a little sick, she was very sick. She had infections in her ears, kidneys, urinary track, and lungs. That is quite a lot for a 7-month old to handle. So on Monday we put our baby girl in the hospital. She was treated and we were able to take her home a few days later on New Year’s Eve. The infections in her ears and urinary track are basically gone. Her kidney infection turned out to be small, but we have to take her back to the doctor to make sure this won’t be something she’ll battle for the rest of her life. The infection in her lungs was a different story. Janika was diagnosed with respiratory syncytial virus or RSV. It causes infection of the lungs and breathing passages. Adults can get it too, but it will seem very mild to us. In babies Janika’s age it can seriously affect the lungs, heart, or immune system. It is also highly contagious; our 2-year old Lenka had to wear a mask when she was around her little sister. Luckily the disease usually lasts about a week. That would explain her complete turn around.

Because RSV can be easily spread by touching people or surfaces that are infected, frequent hand washing can go a long way toward preventing the virus from spreading around a household. It’s best to wash your hands after having any contact with someone who has any cold symptoms. And keep your school-age child with a cold away from younger siblings, especially infants, until the symptoms pass. When it comes to treating RSV most cases are mild and require no specific treatment from a doctor. Antibiotics aren’t used because RSV is a virus and antibiotics are only effective against bacteria. Meds may sometimes be given to help open airways. In an infant though an RSV infection can be more serious and may require hospitalization so that the baby can be watched closely, receive fluids, and if needed, be treated for breathing problems; just like our little Janika. Below are some of the symptoms to look for.

-high fever with ill appearance
-thick nasal discharge that is yellow, green, or gray
-worsening cough or cough that produces yellow, green, or gray mucus

While Janika was going through her ordeal my wife found refuge in the social network Facebook. She was able to give updates to her friends and family through wall-to-wall messages, status updates, and personal notes or blogs. For awhile my wife and I were on MySpace. We were able to talk to a few of our friends and blog and what not, but there was always that constant thought running through my head, are we too old for this? I mean I was 30 and I’m on the same social network that seems to be populated with the 14 to 22 year olds. I finally made the move to Facebook where I felt a little more welcome. I didn’t feel like such a dirty old man. Facebook is more PG and seems perfect for my age range, and older. I was able to touch base with people I hadn’t seen since I was nine! I’m still able to blog as well, which you can tell is something I like to do. Soon Angie jumped on board and as I bragged about my 150 plus friends, she had shot above 300 in only a couple months. This is not only a perfect way to keep in touch with people, but to do what I think MySpace was suppose to do and that was connect with friends and family all over the world. I still have my MySpace account, but I’m not on it as much.

So a topic that comes up with social networks such as MySpace and Facebook are should parents and their children have accounts and should they be “friends”. I can admit that teenagers have to grow up a lot faster than I was at their age; and that wasn’t really that long ago. There is an excellent article I found about parents and kids with Facebook accounts and should they be “friends”. It is a very good article, but what is even more interesting are the comments made by parents and kids so make sure to check out that part of the article. While reading it I was thinking if I would have to go though this with my girls in 10 to 12 years from now, but who knows what they’ll have by then.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28318138/wid/11915829?GT1=40000

Have a great new year and be sure to make a resolution in 2009 to be to spend more time with your kids.

Cold Weather, Snow, and Ice - #6

2008-12-25T21:54:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Happy Kwanzaa or whatever holiday you may be celebrating this week. Also, for next week, Happy New Year!

This is going to be a special year for us. Not only is it our youngest daughter Janika’s first Christmas, it is the first Christmas where Lenka, our two-year old, is looking forward to a visit from Santa Claus. After visiting Santa and letting him know what she wants for Christmas, she has been getting even more excited. We have had to threaten her many times about Santa putting her name on the Naughty list. To make this list more legit, I going to show her this list; which is online at http://www.claus.com. It not only has many games kids can play, but you can type in your name and see what list you are on. It also gives you tips on how to stay on the nice list and what Santa thinks you need to do to improve.

A real treat for most of the United States this year is the bonus of a white Christmas. Of course with this snow comes ice and very cold temperatures. Make sure that when your kids go outside that they are bundled up and no skin is exposed. In our part of the country we’ve had days where the temperatures have peaked in the single digits. Most importantly, make sure you use caution when driving on ice. Even the biggest of vehicles with 4-wheel drive can slide off the road. You might have an easier time recovering after you’ve slid into a snow bank, but that is about it. Also, make sure your kids are buckled in securely. The law states that a child must be in a car seat and in the backseat until 80lbs and under 4’10”. If the child is under a year old, they must be rear facing. This will save you if you ever cause an accident, but what about the other guy? To keep your kids safe from other drivers, be sure to have your car seats professionally inspected when installing them. This can be done at various locations around your city. To find out where, just give you local police station a call. I’ve posted a story below about how an accident,caused by another driver, caused a toddler to be critically injured.

Finally, I want to end on a positive note. People are starting to notice our little blog and the readers are starting to grow. To keep this increase going, pass the website onto three of your friends. The more readers we get the more tips Angie and I will get from other parents and we’ll be able to share it. Also, pass along your holiday pictures and if you want, we’ll post them on our site. Parenttoparent00@yahoo.com

Driver Sought In Crash That Injured Toddler

Police are still looking for the driver involved in a hit-and-run crash that critically injured an 18-month-old girl on Sunday.
Silvia Arambula-Gonzalez was riding in a Toyota Camry that was hit by a Dodge Stratus at 24th and Poppleton just before 2:30 p.m.
The girl is listed in critical, but stable condition, suffering four fractured vertebrae. Her mother, 36-year-old Ernestina Gonzalez, suffered minor facial injuries and was treated and released.
Police say the driver of the Stratus continued west on Poppleton and struck a parked car at 25th Avenue and Pierce where he got out and ran off.
The investigation has determined that the man failed to yield as he turned left in front of the mother and baby. Contributing to the girl's injuries was a child restraint improperly secured to the vehicle.
Anyone with information regarding this accident or the whereabouts of the missing driver should contact police at 444-5627. There is a $2,000 reward for a tip that leads to the suspect's arrest and conviction.

Tis' the Season - #5

2008-12-18T18:56:00.000-08:00

With the holiday season here and the stress of mounting credit card bills, screaming kids, and all the crowds, Angie and I thought we’d blog about something else to give our readers a break. It is very easy to take for granted this time of year all of the things we have and the opportunities. We are lucky enough to live in a nice home, have enough food, and have family around us for support and to spend the holidays with. There are other people who do not have this and it is them we should add to our ‘to do” list. The next time you are about to head into a store, take out some change and drop it into the Salvation Army bucket or maybe buy an extra toy to drop off at Toys for Tots. You may be lucky enough to take part in an organization that adopts a family. This is something my brothers and sisters started last year and Angie and I have been honored to give. We donate funds to a family who can use it for Christmas gifts, Christmas dinner, or anything else they need to get through the holidays. So hopefully now that your Christmas shopping list is dwindling down, maybe it is time to start a new one.

To celebrate the week before Christmas, Angie and I have decided to post two of our favorite stories that we’ve received in the past. One is a poem about being a mom and the other is a heartwarming story about being a dad. Enjoy!

Mean Moms

Someday when my children are old enough to understand the logic that motivates a parent,
I will tell them, as my Mean Mom told me:

I loved you enough to ask where you were going, with whom, and what time you would be home.
I loved you enough to be silent and let you discover that your new best friend was a creep.
I loved you enough to stand over you for two hours while you cleaned your room;
a job that should have taken 15 minutes.
I loved you enough to let you see anger, disappointment, and tears in my eyes.
Children must learn that their parents aren't perfect.
I loved you enough to let you assume the responsibility for your actions even when the
penalties were so harsh they almost broke my heart.
But most of all, I loved you enough to say
NO when I knew you would hate me for it.
Those were the most difficult battles of all.
I’m glad I won them, because in the end you won, too.
And someday when your children are old enough to understand the logic that motivates parents,
you will tell them:
Was your Mom mean?

I know mine was...

We had the meanest mother in the whole world!

While other kids ate candy for breakfast,
we had to have cereal, eggs, and toast.

When others had a Pepsi and a Twinkie
for lunch, we had to eat sandwiches.

And you can guess our mother fixed us a
dinner that was different from what
other kids had, too. Mother insisted on knowing where we were at all times. You'd think we were convicts in a prison.

She had to know who our friends were,
and what we were doing with them.

She insisted that if we said we would be gone for
an hour, we would be gone for an hour or less. We were ashamed to admit it, but she had the nerve to break the Child Labor Laws
by making us to work.

We had to wash the dishes, make the beds,
learn to cook, vacuum the floor, do laundry,
empty the trash and all sorts of cruel jobs.

I think she would lie awake at night
thinking of more things for us to do. She always insisted on us telling the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.

By the time we were teenagers, she could read our minds and had eyes in the back of her head.

Then, life was really tough! Mother wouldn't let our friends just honk the horn when they drove up. They had to come up to the door so she could meet them.

While everyone else could date when they
were 12 or 13, we had to wait until we were 16. Because of our mother, we missed out on lots of things other kids experienced.

None of us have ever been caught
shoplifting, vandalizing other's property,
or ever arrested for any crime.

It was all her fault. Now that we have left home,
we are all educated, honest adults.

We are doing our best to be mean
parents just like Mom was. I think that is what's wrong with the world today. It just doesn't have enough mean Moms!

A man came home from work late, tired and irritated, to find his 5-year old son waiting for him at the door.

SON: 'Daddy, may I ask you a question?'

DAD: 'Yeah sure, what it is?'

SON: 'Daddy, how much do you make an hour?'

DAD: 'That's none of your business. Why do you ask such a thing?'

SON: 'I just want to know. Please tell me, how much do you make an hour?'

DAD: 'If you must know, I make $50 an hour.'

SON: 'Oh. 'Daddy, may I please borrow $25?' The father was furious,
DAD: 'If the only reason you asked that is so you can borrow some money to buy a silly toy or some other nonsense, then you march yourself straight to your room and go to bed. Think about why you are being so selfish. I don't work hard everyday for such childish frivolities. '

The little boy quietly went to his room and shut the door. The man sat down and started to get even angrier about the little boy's questions. How dare he ask such questions only to get some money? After about an hour or so, the man had calmed down, and started to think: Maybe there was something he really needed to buy with that $25.00 and he really didn't ask for money very often The man went to the door of the little boy's room and opened the door.

DAD: 'Are you asleep, son?'

SON: 'No daddy, I'm awake,'

DAD: 'I've been thinking, maybe I was too hard on you earlier. It's been a long day and I took out my aggravation on you. Here's the $25 you asked for.'

The little boy sat straight up, smiling.

SON: 'Oh, thank you daddy!'

Then, reaching under his pillow he pulled out some crumpled up bills. The man saw that the boy already had money, started to get angry again. The little boy slowly counted out his money, and then looked up at his father.

DAD: 'Why do you want more money if you already have some?'

SON: 'Because I didn't have enough, but now I do,' 'Daddy, I have $50 now. Can I buy an hour of your time? Please come home early tomorrow. I would like to have dinner with you.'

The father was crushed. He put his arms around his little son, and he begged for his forgiveness. It's just a short reminder to all of you working so hard in life. We should not let time slip through our fingers without having spent some time with those who really matter to us, those close to our hearts. Do remember to share that $50 worth of your time with someone you love. If we die tomorrow, the company that we are working for could easily replace us in a matter of hours. But the family & friends we leave behind will feel the loss for the rest of their lives.

What They Didn’t Teach Us - #4

2008-12-11T18:57:00.000-08:00

In this entry Angie and I thought we would make a list of things that we learned during the summer of 2006, the months after Lenka was born. We heard all the stories and went to all the classes about dealing with an infant, but there were things that we weren’t told and had to find out for ourselves first hand. For this week, Angie made a list of things she learned as a mom and I put together a list of things I learned as a dad.

Angie

- It is okay to let your baby cry.
- If you need a break from your baby, put them in a safe spot, like the crib, and walk away until you are ready to help your baby.
- Cut your baby’s fingernails while they sleep. The nails are soft, so you can bite them if you are scared to use a nail clipper.
- Books are the best “toys” for baby. Read to them often!
- Establish a good sleeping routine.
- The housework can wait! Enjoy your baby while you can.
- Accept help when offered from friends and family.
- If possible, make dinners all at once and stick them in the freezer to cook at a later time. This will save you time and energy later.
- Relax – babies can sense if you are tense!
- If you are able to breastfeed, stick it out!! The bond between a child and breastfeeding mother is amazing! (and it will save you lots of money from buying formula)
- Invest in a good breast pump. Again, it will save you money on formula when you go back to work.
- Working and being a mom is a difficult challenge! Leave work at work and enjoy your family.
- Cloth diapering can also save money. It is fun to see the different colors of the diapers and it is actually kind of fun washing them. It is also better for the environment. I have a lot more information on cloth diapering, where you can buy them, how to care for cloth diapers, etc. If you would like more information, shoot me an email at parenttoparent00@yahoo.com.
- Do not use q-tips on your baby’s ears. Using q-tips pushes the wax further into the ear canal and can cause issues for your child.
- If you think your baby is sick, your intuition is probably right. Get them checked out at the doctor.
- Take lots of pictures for the baby book.
- You and your significant other need to be on the same page regarding discipline.
- There is not just one way to be a good parent. Do what works for you and tweak your style as necessary.

Eric

- If one parent isn’t constantly feeding, playing, or giving as much attention to the baby, they will look at you as a stranger
- Babies like to be tossed in the air. (Not too high and of course caught right away)
- You can go from completely frustrated and on the verge of giving up one moment to having your heart melt and on the verge of happy tears the next. All a baby needs to do is smile at you.
- A bottle, or maybe a pacifier, can be a saving grace to a crying baby.
- Baby Einstein DVD’s can be great when you need to take a quick shower.
- Babies like to be entertained, when in doubt, dance
- Changing a poopy diaper isn’t as bad as they say it is on TV
- A baby is like a sponge when it comes to learning new things.
- Babies sometimes don’t know when they are full and have a tendency to “overflow”.
- Tummy time is important
- If you hold a baby all the time, they will want to be held all the time. Letting a baby play by themselves is great teaching tool.
- Babies really do grow up too fast.

Cough, Cough - #3

2008-12-05T09:53:00.000-08:00

For a moment there our household was on the verge of being treated for Whooping cough. For those of you who do not know what that is, basically it is a highly contagious disease that can be fatal if not treated. Now there is a vaccine for Whooping cough and I personally have had it. But that doesn’t mean you can’t get it, you just won’t necessarily die from it. Our two year old, Lenka, had been coughing for about six days, so we decided to take her to the doctor over Thanksgiving break. We noticed a sign on the front door of the doctor’s office about an outbreak in Whooping cough in the area. After our doctor looked at Lenka, he said it was either a cold or the dreaded Whooping cough. So we were off to the hospital for her to get tested. When we took her to the hospital she had to wear a surgical mask as to not infect any one. It was a little sad for Angela and I to see her looking like a diseased child, but I tried to look at it as this is what she’ll look like when she is older and is a doctor and making tons of money and supporting her mom and dad. She took the painful swabs up the nose and after a few days we found out that she did not have Whooping cough. If the tests did come back positive our whole family would have to start treatment for the cough and Lenka would be out of daycare for two weeks; quite a hassle for two working parents and a six month old.

Since this disease is so contagious and overall very dangerous, here are some symptoms to watch out for. Be sure to check with your doctor as soon as you think your child, or you, might be suffering from Whooping cough.

A runny nose

Nasal congestion

Sneezing

Red, watery eyes

A mild fever

Dry cough

General feeling of being unwell and loss of appetite

After a week or two of the above symptoms things seem to just get worse if left untreated.

Severe coughing attacks that bring up thick phlegm

Coughing attacks — up to 15 coughs in a row — that end with a high-pitched "whoop" sound during the next breath of air

In children, severe coughing that leads to vomiting or causes a red or blue face from the effort

Fatigue from the exertion of coughing

*In adults, signs and symptoms of whooping cough may resemble those of bronchitis, a respiratory infection that causes a nagging cough. Babies and infants with whooping cough may not whoop at all, or at least not as loudly as older children do. Some children with whooping cough may experience choking spells and turn blue in the face as they struggle to breathe after extended coughing. Severe coughing can result in tiny red spots caused by ruptures in blood vessels at the skin's surface in the upper body, as well as small areas of bleeding in the whites of the eyes. You may even bruise or break a rib if your coughing episodes are severe. Coughing may be worse at night.
*From MayoClinic.com

Sleep? What's That? - #2

2008-11-28T08:36:00.000-08:00

Sleep, how important it is. When Lenka was born she was pretty good about sleeping through the night; unlike her little sister Janika. For the first few months of her life she would wake up all the time in the middle of the night and Angela would get about 2 to 3 hours of sleep. Not only did it affect her daily life, but it affected our relationship too. Something had to change, we had to take control of Janika’s sleep pattern and we had to do it now.

This was going to be the first time we actually had to do some sleep training. Lenka was really easy, we kept her awake from 7pm to 9pm every night and when we put her to bed, she was basically fine until morning. That technique just wasn’t working with Janika. Parents with more than one kid will know that even though they are siblings, they are completely different. What works for one, will not necessarily work for the other. Angela started reading a book by an author that was against the cry out method. Since the girls were sharing a room crying it out wasn’t an option. The book suggested that when the baby cries we go and get them so they don’t feel abandoned. Also, make sure when you put the kid to bed, make sure they are awake so they don’t wake up in a strange place. We tried all of this, but it wasn’t working. We needed another idea and Angela turned to her fellow moms and the idea she got worked like a charm.

Separate the girls; at least for awhile (We put her in play pen)
If she starts crying; let her cry and after 5 minutes go check on her and comfort her and talk to her for 1 minute. (Do not pick her up or feed her)
If she continues to cry wait 10 more minutes and then comfort her but do not talk to her for 1 minute.
If the crying continues wait 15 minutes this time and then comfort her for 1 minute.

We just repeated this going up 5 every time and so far she has not lasted longer that 20 minutes. She eventually realizes that no one is coming and she went to sleep. And the biggest thing was, she still loved us the next day. No sign of trauma in any way. We realized the first time around with Lenka that crying for a baby is just the way they communicate. The do cry when they are in pain, but that is a different type of cry and being a parent you should hopefully know what each one means or at least trying to figure it out. (Not that I really know or anything)

So to wrap up this second entry I want to stress how important it is for not only your baby to get some sleep, it is even more important that you sleep. What good are your kids if you are not conscious to enjoy the time you have with them when they are a baby.

WELCOME!!! - #1

2008-11-22T23:04:00.000-08:00

Welcome!

You have just found a brand new website entitled “Parent to Parent”.

The purpose of this blog is to be used as a resource for parents dealing with kids in all aspects. With every entry you’ll find insightful information and tips to use that we hope you can share with others and also put into practice. So who are these experts that run this blog? We are parents just like you. We aren’t doctors, therapists, or even daycare providers. We have the best experience there is, we have two daughters who we love more than anything. Since we want the best for them we learned early on that you can’t learn everything you want from professionals. Another way is from people who have been there and done that. Will you find opinions in this blog? Yes. But you will read facts and figures that will help you during those times where you think that you just can’t take it any more. If you would like to contribute to the blog, just email us at parenttoparent00@yahoo.com. You can send stories, blog topics, questions, comments, pictures, videos, basically anything relevant to parenting.

So be sure to bookmark this site and check back as we plan to keep it updated at least once a week.

Thanks for reading!

-Eric and Angela