Intentional Parenting

Joey and I have been going through an interesting transition the last couple of months.  He's getting to the age where giving him a new toy to play with when he gets bored doesn't keep him entertained for long.  I realized this a couple weeks ago, and I went through one of the many adjustments that I think all moms go through at some point - I realized I had to actually plan and prepare activities for us to do instead of just having free play all the time. I didn't (and still don't) want to have every single moment of the day scheduled, but it became very obvious that we needed more structure.

I borrowed a couple "toddler play idea" books from the library, and they gave me some good ideas for different activities to help him develop.  I started praying for help in knowing how to be more intentional in my activities with Joey.

It's been a very positive experience.  Joey seems happier - not only does he enjoy having specific activities to do, but I think he's also enjoying having my undivided attention.  I'm a lot happier. I've discovered that when we had a lot of free time, I jumped to new "entertainment" at even the slightest sign of him losing interest because I was bored of what we were doing, so my day seemed slower because I ran out of ideas for things to do by the time his first nap rolled around. So now, my days go much faster.  Joey and I are both happy when Neal gets home (most days) so we're able to spend enjoyable time together as a family before Joey goes to bed instead of Neal just picking up the pieces as I throw my hands up when he gets home.

I'm definitely not perfect at it, but being intentional by planning activities throughout the day has made a huge difference in both Joey's happiness and my happiness.  So it's made me curious - what do you do to be "intentional" with your kids?

Baby J #2 - 17 weeks

How far along? 17 weeks exactly
Total weight gain/loss: +5 pounds
Maternity clothes? Yes.  I got to buy new shirts this month :D
Stretch marks?  Nope.
Sleep: Finally have to sleep on my side.  I actually wake up at night because I've rolled onto my back and "feel funny."
Best moment this week: Finding the exact shirt that I wanted on clearance at Target.
Have you told family and friends: Yup.

Movement: Yes :D I get a couple a day.  It's exciting to finally feel the baby.
Food cravings: French fries.
Anything making you queasy or sick: It's getting better.  I can't think of anything right now that makes me want to lose my lunch.

Have you started to show yet: Yes.
Gender prediction: Girl.  We find out the 26th.
Labor Signs: Nope.
Belly Button in or out? In.
Wedding rings on or off? On.  
Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy :) just tired most of the time still.
Missing: Not having heartburn.

Joey - 18 Months

Now that I'm finally getting caught up, here's what happened for the last month of Joey's life.

- We had a garage sale, and Joey was super helpful.  He loved the tricycle that one of our cousins had, so he may be getting one over the next year ;)

- Joey loves playing outside.  One of my favorite parts of our house is that we have a window in the kitchen that allows me to see the entire backyard.  It allows Joey to play out back while I cook dinner.  It helps me AND him out a lot.

-  On Sundays, Neal has started watching church videos with Joey while I get ready for church.  He loves it (well, the both love it).

- Joey has become obsessed with babies since we've been talking about a baby so much.  One of his favorite toys at Neal's parents' house is the baby doll.  We walked upstairs and discovered that Joey had placed the baby doll in his grandpa's arms while he was napping.  The cutest part is that the way he placed the baby doll is EXACTLY how I cuddle with Joey when he ends up taking a nap with me.  It made my heart sing.

- Canine teeth started.  Blegh.  I'm so ready to be done with teething.

- We started using a chore chart with Joey.  It has Thomas the Tank Engine on it.  I honestly didn't think it would do much, but he is SO motivated by getting the stars put on his chart!  It's been INCREDIBLE to watch how driven he can be just by us saying "Joey, do you want to get your star?  Please help me ____________."

- We made and decorated sugar cookies for Halloween.

- Joey watched his first general conference (he's slept through the other three because of how young he was at the time).  He did really well (obviously we had realistic expectations of him).

Joey - 17 Months

Joey' 17th month was pretty chill.  We mostly hung out since mommy didn't feel great for a lot of the month.

- Joey got to try his first popsicle.

- Joey got to take his first "big brother" picture to announce we were pregnant on social media.

- He started copying his dad in every way that he could.  His favorite was to help Neal "pull weeds" every evening after Neal got home from work.

- Our neighborhood supermarket has little "Junior Shopper" carts.  When we stopped by one day to pick up something for dinner, Joey asked to push the cart.  I realized that day that he's growing up quickly, and felt joy and sadness at the same time as I watched follow me around the supermarket with the cart.

- We went and saw the new temple.  Joey LOVES the temple, and loves pointing out the Angel Moroni at the top.  We drive by as often as we can.

- He discovered "upside-down" world.

- We went camping over Labor Day.  You can read about that fun adventure here.

Joey has been such an incredible help to me these last few months.  He loves saying "hi to baby" by rubbing my tummy.  He loves to cuddle when I'm not feeling well, and is doing so well at listening.  For that, I'm incredibly grateful.