Eating, or Not Part III

Overall, things have been improving in the food and eating arena. And I found this tonight too, which is encouraging. I often feel like 3-4 bites isn't that much, but apparently it's enough. Phew!

From Wonder time (Child Development-2 Years-Eating)

One pint of milk. (Raccoon has allergies so he drinks coconunt milk.)

Four servings (total) of fruits and vegetables. For a toddler, a serving is about a quarter of a whole piece of fruit or two tablespoons of canned or frozen vegetables.

Four servings of bread or cereal. A toddler serving is about one-third of a slice of bread, one cracker, or one quarter cup of cereal or pasta.

Two servings of meat, poultry, or another protein source. Each serving is only one-half ounce, so a tablespoon of peanut butter or a few bites of chicken or hamburger should be sufficient.

Two

I used to do foster care for two little girls. I grew up in a family with two parents and two children. I like two. It feels balanced to me with just the right amount of give and take. Right now I only have one child, and up until recently, one was more than enough. But lately I've begun to wonder. Hubby is definitely liking ONE. I don't know how we would handle two, but I'm willing to take the leap. I'm reading about Hannah and Samuel right now, and asking the Lord, so we'll see what happens.

p.s. Our trip was wonderful, but it is good to be home. One funny thing I noticed is that everything is smaller here - the rooms, the sidewalks, the counters are lower, the streets are narrower. I felt a little like Alice in Wonderland, ha ha.

Heading Home

Some highlights from our trip:
*visits with Raccoon's grandparents, great grandfathers, great-aunts & uncles, great-great aunts & uncles
*Raccoon learning to sit in church and at family dinners
*Raccoon learning to pedal a tricycle
*Children's museums in Bangor and Augusta, Maine
*an English language explosion
*slept by himself all night in a toddler bed

There were a lot of very hard moments, but overall, I'm glad we came. It pushed us all out of our comfort zones and I feel so proud of Raccoon for surprising us on several occasions by having really good days even though he was coping with huge amounts of stress, change, and new people in his face. Way to go, little man! I am so proud of you. You did an amazing job.

The Tipping Point

One of my favorite college professors talked a lot about "the tipping point," especially for social changes. Things build and build until finally, something pushes us over the edge into action. Think of the civil rights and equality/freedom movements around the world. People put up with things for so long and then wham! suddenly they're fighting back. Somewhere else I heard this saying, "Day to day nothing changes, then all of a sudden, everything is different."

I'm at a tipping point with exhaustion. I'm just waiting for our trip to pass and for Raccoon's last molar to put in an appearance before I try to tease out what is behavioral and needs some serious attention vs what is a sensory issue and needs to be addressed with therapy.

In-Sync Days

I am reading the Out-of-Sync Child and I'm not very far in, but one thing that struck me was that the author recommends tracking bad days, but also good days. The "wow, that works!" moments. We have had a few lately, and I would like to celebrate.

*Raccoon spent about twenty minutes playing with complete strangers watching him, and letting two adult men throw him in the air and tickle him. I think the physical input was a key to the success, but even so, it was amazing to see him play and not mind the attention.

*We got through most of Easter Sunday today, in the service! This is HUGE for us. Usually I have to take him out before church has even started.

*I am starting to see some glimmers of self-control coming through, and a little bit of patience (from none to a minute maybe, but it's hopeful forward motion).

*I have asked a lot of Raccoon this trip - sleeping in new places, strangers in his space, new foods, car time, shopping - and there have been many meltdowns, but there have also been incredible moments of grace. A few dinners with family and friends, shopping for myself, and seeing him happily playing with little friends. I am grateful for my little guy and wanted to say thank-you to him in a public place. Way to go, buddy!

Loss & Love

I have been reading different stories of loss on some mommy blogs. Although everyone's story of loss is a little bit different, they all strike a cord with me. Yesterday I read a particularly poignant one, and couldn't resist giving Raccoon an extra hug. The time with him is so precious to me, especially after my own losses.

Exact Opposites

I have just had an aha! moment that sums up my marriage. Personality-wise, my husband and I are COMPLETELY and fundamentally different. That explains a lot. INFP (me) and ESTJ (him). We both fit the profiles very closely. Apparently I missed making my ideal match by one letter - F. I would have to agree about that one letter, thinking vs. feeling, since it has definitely caused us many problems. As a high schooler, I remember being an INTP, which is my husband's ideal match. I always thought he'd changed, but maybe it was me after all. I will probably always be a mystery to my husband. With these differences, we could be a powerhouse team, or a complete disaster. We're an experiment in complementation, that's for sure.


ETA: I have since changed my mind, that the King is actually closer to ENTJ.