You guys,
I HATE admitting I’m wrong. Especially when I feel attacked.
So when Sam told me we needed to stop fighting in front of George I felt immediately defensive and interpreted his statement as, “This is all your fault.”
Was he blaming me? No. But that’s how I internalized it. So I got angry and snippy and said all the things he could be doing better.
There are a few things that are important to us as parents, and one of those things is to not argue in front of George. The problem is it keeps happening and we keep saying we’re going to be better and we’re going to be patient, but then it happens again.
So I was frustrated. I needed a plan. I needed tools to be better and patient. I wanted to figure it out with Sam, but at the same time I was feeling angry and defensive, so everything came out combative and accusatory.
At the end of the argument about arguing (not in front of George) we came to a resolution.
I wish it wasn’t so hard to be vulnerable during these discussions. Sometimes I feel myself hovering above the conversation and just want to slap myself and tell her to knock it off. But my stubbornness wins because it feels like strength whereas vulnerability feels like weakness.
When we woke up the next morning Sam and I were on the same page. It took an argument to get there, which wasn’t ideal, but we’re working on it. We’re always working on it.
Essay of the Week
Someone recently tweeted about sleep training their baby.
After reading the comments I found myself all worked up about the responses.
At first I didn’t want to write about it because I didn’t want to come across as judgmental (Sam told me, “Well you are being judgmental.”) But then I leaned into it and remembered I can be opinionated without being an asshole. You tell me.
It’s The Little Things
George swallowed a WHOLE BLUEBERRY!!!
I haven’t given an update in a bit, but George wasn’t swallowing food and had to have a procedure and a bunch of tests done to find out that there was nothing wrong with him. Which was a huge relief! But we still couldn’t get him to swallow food.
So we’ve been seeing a feeding therapist once a week. She gave us a tip: only give him one morsel of food at a time. Otherwise he’s like the cookie monster. He shoves his face with food and chews like a maniac but then just spits it out as he reaches for whatever else is on his plate.
We gave him one blueberry. He chewed it. He savored it. And then, he swallowed it. He proceeded to swallow about eight blueberries.
Some meals he still refuses to swallow and it’s tough to watch because now I know he can, but our feeding therapist assures us he’s doing great and on the right track.
I constantly wonder, “What is he thinking? Why does he choose to swallow sometimes and not others?”
I don’t know the answers. I just know that at 16 months old my son is already finding ways to demonstrate autonomy. He can be very stubborn. And opinionated.
I wonder where he gets it from.
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Until next week,
Charlie