Week 44
We all very much enjoyed our week at Grandmom's but Olive was so happy to be back home. She missed her toys. I feel like she grew a month in that short week's time and when we got home she was ready to show off all her new skills. When I look at her now, I see less baby than ever before. Her already present personality seems to be growing by the minute. I see the joy and excitement in her face now when we show her something new and that makes us want to show her everything! I hope this enthusiasm for new experiences stays with her. One of our biggest goal as parents is to raise her to be curious.
With this is mind, I've struggled to give her the freedom and environment she needs to explore and challenge herself. It's hard to let her out of my sight when I've been hovering nearby for so many months but I know it's important to let her crawl around that corner. This weekend we worked on totally baby proofing the downstairs so we can begin to let go a little more. I've had to remind myself that you don't always have to follow the rules when it comes to making the right decisions for your child. A small example of this is how we are handling Gymboree. For months I've been taking her from station to station, as you're supposed to. Now that she's more confident in getting around, I let her explore while I stand back at a distance. It's fun to see what interests her and what she'll choose to do. Sometimes I worry that I look like an uninvolved mom or that I'm not following the rules but I've realized that Olive needs to do things at her own pace and that if I follow her lead more, she'll flourish.
Week 44
We all very much enjoyed our week at Grandmom's but Olive was so happy to be back home. She missed her toys. I feel like she grew a month in that short week's time and when we got home she was ready to show off all her new skills. When I look at her now, I see less baby than ever before. Her already present personality seems to be growing by the minute. I see the joy and excitement in her face now when we show her something new and that makes us want to show her everything! I hope this enthusiasm for new experiences stays with her. One of our biggest goal as parents is to raise her to be curious.
With this is mind, I've struggled to give her the freedom and environment she needs to explore and challenge herself. It's hard to let her out of my sight when I've been hovering nearby for so many months but I know it's important to let her crawl around that corner. This weekend we worked on totally baby proofing the downstairs so we can begin to let go a little more. I've had to remind myself that you don't always have to follow the rules when it comes to making the right decisions for your child. A small example of this is how we are handling Gymboree. For months I've been taking her from station to station, as you're supposed to. Now that she's more confident in getting around, I let her explore while I stand back at a distance. It's fun to see what interests her and what she'll choose to do. Sometimes I worry that I look like an uninvolved mom or that I'm not following the rules but I've realized that Olive needs to do things at her own pace and that if I follow her lead more, she'll flourish.