Information Overload

As a new parent, or at least I still consider myself a new parent, I am constantly buying and reading new literature on the greatest and latest "child rearing tecniques". I mean, I knew having kids wouldn't be a walk in the park, but there are days I feel at a complete loss! And I mean COMPLETE! Having written on this subject on a number of occassions, I won't bore you with the gory details, but the reality is that just when I get something under control, something new comes up that throws me for a loop. And so I read. Selah, being my second, is easy. Not that she is an easier baby than Caleb, but I guess it is not foreign territory to me anymore. I have an idea of what to do and it really is easier the second time around. Caleb, on the other hand, constantly has me jumping. There is no rest when I am wondering what happened to my sweet little boy and where this little terrorist has come from! Ahhhh! So, I resort to buying more books. "What to Expect in the Toddler Years," "See how they run," "To train up a child," Child rearing videos, magazines on parenting... etc. And then I ravage them for information on the terrible twos, and eighteen to twenty-four month olds, raising BOYS, whatever I can manage to get my hands on. Is it normal to be completely housbound due to my son's newfound ability to completely humiliate me in public????? Oy vey! And yet, I am learning. Each new book I read, each article I see, gives me new perspective as I constantly re-evaluate my parenting tecniques. The only problem, is that just when I decide on something, I read something else that changes my perspective once again. And I feel guilty, or someone looks at me with judgement in their eyes and I wonder to myself: "am I being too hard, too soft? What am I doing wrong here." And once again, it is back to the drawing board. Oh, the days when he was quiet, and cuddly, and stayed where I put him. Oh well, for now, I survive. One day at a time, one mistake at a time. Trying and trying and trying again until I find some method that works, if only for a time before I am once again forced to go back to the drawing board yet again. Here's to raising toddler boys!

Tired, oh so tired!

How are the Spooners? We are doing well. And by well, I mean SICKER THAN DOGS! I, miraculously, am fine, but the whole rest of the family seems to be under a cloud of incessant sickness that never ends. We found out the Caleb and Jonathan had the Norwalk Virus, which lasted over a week for both of them. Finally finished with that, we thought we were getting better when Selah spiked a fever (which she has had for three days now), no other symptoms though, so we innocently assumed that it was merely teething. The same day that Jonathan announces he is feeling better, he starts to cough... and now has a full-blown bronchial infection... Caleb is a WRECK and I don't know why, something is obviously still bothering him, although he has no fever and shouldn't be teething. Then, there is Selah. Yes, yes, the fever. Well I have been taking her out assuming that all is well, when this afternoon... hello! She is covered in bright red dots. Whoops! Where did those come from? Roseola, baby measles (possibly why my son is so fussy????).

I have no idea where we picked up all this sickness, we have hardly left the house, but somehow it is here and I am getting so tired of dealing with it. Well, at least I don't have it. I guess it could be worse. Other than that, we just plug along. This morning I am singing at an event (not really sure how that happened) before I rush back home to take care of my ailing family. Jonathan goes back to work, which I must admit, I am looking forward to a bit. Back to a semblance of routine. Now I just have to figure out why my son is getting up at 6am every morning and acting like a train wreck. Ahhh, to be back home where I have HELP on days like these! Until next time!