Moving Craziness

Okay, so after two weeks of waffling, my husband and I finally decided to move closer to the university, where he'll be taking pre-reqs for dental school at night while working full-time all day. Now the fun of packing begins...ugh. What are your favorite tips/hints, or what is your best (or worst) moving story? The more horrendous the better--misery loves company! :)

Separation Anxiety?

Okay, so I know she's almost 18 months and that age screams separation anxiety! But has anyone dealt with "anti- Daddy" anxiety???? When I'm working, she's fine with him. But if I'm home, I'm the ONLY one who can feed, change, hold, talk to, or help her. It gets old really quickly. I've heard of the opposite, where Daddy is a novelty when he's around because he's usually at work, but she SCREAMS if he tries to help out lately. Any suggestions???????

Crawling and Baby Proofing

My 5-month-old just shot himself backwards across the room. I'm pretty sure he'll be crawling by the end of the month. My baby sitter told me that she had to pull his legs out from under the couch three times today.

What do I need to do now to baby-proof??? I know I should probably get some outlet covers, and I should probably vacuum more often...any advice? Do I need to start keeping bathroom doors shut? Should I worry about the growing rug burns on his face because he keeps biffing it? Should I make him wear pants so his knees don't get all roughed up?

Security objects

My daughter is nine months old, and is starting to show more interest in stuffed animals and other cuddly objects. She'll get excited when she sees one, squeeze it, lay on it, etc. Then, the other day I went to lay her down for her nap and she grabbed a burp cloth out of my hands and held onto it for dear life. She fell asleep cuddling it! I know I've read and heard that they often grow attached to a certain blankie or stuffed animal, and it becomes their "security item." Do I encourage her to get attached to a certain item, or just let it happen naturally? It sounds like a stupid question that I could probably answer myself-if it happens, then just let it happen, right? It just seems like I could find something cuter for her to cuddle with than a burp cloth! But on the flip side, I've seen the disaster that occurs when a child can't find "Bobo the Bear," and refuses to sleep without him! Anyway, I just wondered what you have seen with your kids. Have they grown attached to certain items, and if so, how old were they?

Wednesday Weekly

Write a Haiku poem about America.

(5 syllables, 7 syllables, 5 syllables)

"I am a Mother"

Just wanted to give a shout out for a great book I am almost done reading. It's called "I am a Mother," by Jane Clayson Johnson. She is LDS, and used to be a co-host on the Early Show. Once I read that, I vaguely remembered her. Anyway, it's full of good quotes and just makes you feel special general about being a Mom. Jane ended up giving up her high profile career when she had her first baby. I was worried that it was going to make me feel guilty, because I still have to work a couple nights a week, in our current situation. I HATE hearing/reading things in the church that make me feel guilty or like I'm choosing a career over my baby. Anyway, this book isn't like that. Her purpose in writing it is a plea for women to not say, "I'm JUST a mom," when asked what they do. One of the arguments I really liked talked about how people get praise and respect for growing up to be doctors, lawyers, CEO's etc, but what about the women who raised them and shaped them to be these great things? Anyway, the book is full of great quotes, and just makes you feel good in general. I am borrowing my mother in law's copy, but I like it enough that I think I am going to order one for myself. Just thought I would share!

Organizing baby clothes

My son has grown out of many of his clothes. Right now I just have them folded and stuffed into card board boxes. My plan is to get plastic tubs to keep everything in. I'm just not sure how to go about organizing all of the clothes. Should I have one box for newborn then 0-3, 3-6, 6-9 and so on? If I do that will I end up with 3 mo., 6 mo., etc, clothing in two boxes because if I have a 0-3 and 3-6 where do I put the exact 3 month clothing? I'm probably making this harder than it needs to be. How have you all stored baby clothes?