Amy . . .

What would you like to know? I am fun, but crazy. I have a most perfect husband, and 2 cats named Samson and Delilah. We are presently working on adopting a little girl from China and have a separate blog for that. I am a Christian and am working on a better relationship with him. I live in the Atlanta area and love sharing stories with people. I am also a pediatric nurse and I love it! I love to talk and meet new people and I love Disney Cruising

Tuesday, January 06, 2009

Impending motherhood

That's a pretty scary concept!!!! I have learned so much by reading all of your blogs. I know I have asked this before, but what are some of your favorite things you do with your kids? What do you love about parenting? What are your favorite adoption/parenting/discipline/attachment books!!!

Come on, share your ideas with a soon to be mom who has no idea what she is doing!!!!

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

I love Playful Parenting by Lawrence Cohen. It is great!

My favorite things to do with my kids... anything I can do to make them laugh- them laughing because of me is the best! I also like cuddling with them, listening to all the things they think of to say, playing outside, watching them as they go to sleep.

You are going to be a great Mom! The most important thing is just to love them, and that won't be a problem in your case! :)

Dan and Liz said...

You are a natural nurturer and although you are far away from Lynnemarie - you are her Mommy- and you will know instantly what to do.

I am a great Greenspan Fan- Child Centered Play- follow the lead of the Child and build on what they are interested in and already know.

As far as discipline -well she's a baby- you won't need to worry much in that department- just show alot of love and offer a good solid routine. Babies love predictability.

You are going to do a great job.
Liz and Michelle.

Anonymous said...

Favorite things to do: read, sing, play monster, dance, be crazy,

Things I love: listening to them laugh, watching them sleep, cuddling with them, reading with them, watching them when they are lost in their own world, this list could go on for eons...

Favorite books: I'm not a big follower of any one particular book/method..but with that said, I did gain lots of useful info from Baby Wise and from The Baby Whisperer (then I adapted what I liked and fit with our lives...routine is important!) Dare To Discipline was good too. Strong Willed Child (cuz yes, I have at least 1 of those) and my favorite so far has been "Shepherding A Child's Heart" (if I had to name my one favorite parent book - this is it)

IMPORTANT: Laugh. Love. Laugh some more. Listen to your instincts.

I'm teary again - I'm so dang excited for y'all I can't hardly stand it! :)

Natalia said...

Well you're in good company with me. I still don't know what I'm doing! Every age brings a new stage. My son is 4 1/2 and I tell people I don't know how to parent a 4 1/2 year old, but I do know how to parent a 4 year old, though I didn't while I was doing it. *sigh* I follow my gut a lot, something I'm not totally comfortable doing.

As for fun stuff, when my son was about 10 mo old I started doing crafty things with him like tempura painting. I suggest the book "Super Baby Food" by Ruth Yaron, not only does she have great food ideas, she also has natural play ideas and natural cleaning product ideas! I let him try to feed himself and get it all over. I let him stick his hands in his oatmeal and squish away. It's great for them to feel the texture of it.

I read to him from the day I brought him home from the hospital. Don't wait until you think they're ready to be read to, because you don't really know when that is. My son loves being read to and he gets about an hour a day in. He's a very imaginative little boy, my husband insists it's because of all the reading! Who knows!

Feel free to email me, as you can see I love this topic and could go on and on, and on, and on!

Natalia :)

Jose said...

Amy, kids really don't come with an owners manual. It is so much more exciting to find out and learn as you go. You'll have your hands full but you'll love every minute of it. I am truly excited for you and Michael.

Karen said...

Apparently I've been away from reading blogs for way too long! This is news to me!! CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!

As for books that help....
The Bible.

That's the only one I can turn to and reliably get an answer from the one who created me and my kids.

Jose said...

Amy I created the Joe Cool Award 4 Cool Blogs and I would love for you to have one, go to the link below to claim it.

http://joecoolsblog.blogspot.com/2009/01/joe-cool-award-roll-call.html

Kim said...

Hi Amy! I am so excited for you guys as this journey you have been on speeds up! Your little girl is so lucky and I can hardly wait to read the post where you have brought her home. It has been a very long time since I have had a baby/toddler around--mine are age 25,23, 16,&13--but I do remember one of my favorite times with all four of them was the individual time I spent with them before bed, rocking, giving them that last bottle of the day when they were still on the bottle, and most of all snuggling with a book. I read to all of mine from them time they were about 6 months old. I use the term read loosely for those really early years--mostly we just looked at books and I pointed to things and named things. Off the top of my head Good Night Moon was a favorite 1st book. I also liked some of the Sandra Boynton books--oh, to have those days back again!
You guys will do great, and just like all of us, you will learn as you go along. :)
*smiles*
Kim

RamblingMother said...

love doing crafty stuff with G but also trying to remain calm when there is a mess involved (not so easy to do being a control freak). Love to cook with her. Love for her to share and help do something normal, run of the mill like wash dishes. I wash, she dries. Cuddle in bed and talk about her day until it is time to fall asleep which comes way to soon on weeknights. watch her sleep! Wake her up in the morning!

Anonymous said...

Hi Amy!
I am so excited for you and for your husband. What a AWESOME thing for your daughter to have such wonderful parents.

What I love about parenting is seeing my children grow. It is simply AMAZING how they learn. And each one of them is VERY different. I also Thank God EVERY single day for giving me the children I have. And Had (I lost my very first baby).

And the BEST thing about being a Parent is NO one else has a child like anyone elses. Everyone of them are unique!

I am the mother of 4. Ages, Almost 12 (heaven help me) he is a boy, 10 girl, 8 year old boy and a 4 year old boy.

I agree that parenting doesn't come with the owner manual. However, there are some tips that will help you out.

1. Play, Play, Play! At her age. Really all she wants as play toys are her mommy and daddy. Get on her level and just play...interact with her. When my babies were that small peek a boo was a hit!

2. Make sure she see just how much you and your husband love each other. A strong marriage makes for strong children.

3. Get them in the kitchen. Even as little as she is. When my kids were old enough to sit in the high chair, when I made dinner they were right there...chatting with me, making me laugh. All of my children love to cook....ALL of them. David my 4 year old even knows ALL the ingredients for making chocolate chip cookies and he will go and get them himself.

4. Routine. I have found that routines are AWESOME thing to have for a child. My children thrive off routines.
5. Advice on Advice....You will get advice from everything. And some advice that you don't even ask for yet it is given. Take it all with a grain of salt and a smile. Then do what you think is right for your child. Because in the end no one knows better than you do.

I know one thing for sure. You are going to be a EXCELLENT parent.

Being a Mommy is the most challenging, exciting and heartwarming experience. That is also painful because they do grow up....bittersweet....Bittersweet.