We reached another milestone this morning!! We have two TODDLERS! Bradley has been walking since 14 months (I tried to get video, but failed) and Ella have been very content crawling (she's fast, so I understand why she didn't see the need to stand up).
For the last 2 weeks she been making me "walk" with her everywhere, you know, I hold her hands and she walks. Even at the zoo, it took forever to see all the animals because we were walking at her pace! My back has been killing me due to the hunching. So, two days ago my mom and I tried to get Ella to walk back and forth between us (in an effort to save my aching back) and she would take 1 or 2 steps and fall into the other person. Not really walking, but getting there.
This morning I wanted to show Matt her new "trick", so we sat about 2 feet apart and let her attempt to walk back and forth. To my surprise she really started to get the hang of it, so I moved back. She started really walking, so I moved back more and more until she was walking across the entire room! We are so proud, we've been waiting for this moment for quite some time!
Now when people ask if she's walking I don't have to deal with the concerned looks about her development (a 16 month old not walking, gasp) and can just proudly say, "yes"!
Saturday, June 25, 2011
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Catch up!
Our poor blog has been horribly neglected. I will take the blame for this, but I had good reason. Since the babies were born (and perhaps longer) I just haven't been feeling well. Tired, unable to sleep and breathless. For months I kept telling myself this was normal and I was just a "new mom". It got to the point where I didn't have the energy to do anything, I would tend to the babies basic needs and then watch them play while laying on the couch, or let them play on our bed as I rested. The last straw was when I couldn't walk up the stairs without my heart pounding out of my chest, it felt like I was having a heart attack (keep in mind I live in a tri-level house, lots of stairs, lots of pounding). Matt urged me to go to the doctor and I reluctantly agreed. I thought the doctor was going to think I was a whiny first-time mom. Turns out, I'm not.
I had been feeling so crappy because I was severely anemic (didn't have enough iron in my blood, meaning not enough red blood cells, meaning not enough oxygen to my brain). I had been anemic when I was pregnant and took an iron supplement, but this was much worse and required a blood transfusion. So, off to the hospital I went and was released a few hours later. I thought I would feel better instantly, but it took a few days. I am happy to report I feel SO MUCH BETTER!! I can't believe how bad I felt and didn't even realize it. This was about 3 weeks ago and I can't believe how much energy I have. I feel like a kid again, just in time for summer!
My medical drama was not the only thing going on in our lives, so here's a quick overview of how the Eckerts have been doing:
I had been feeling so crappy because I was severely anemic (didn't have enough iron in my blood, meaning not enough red blood cells, meaning not enough oxygen to my brain). I had been anemic when I was pregnant and took an iron supplement, but this was much worse and required a blood transfusion. So, off to the hospital I went and was released a few hours later. I thought I would feel better instantly, but it took a few days. I am happy to report I feel SO MUCH BETTER!! I can't believe how bad I felt and didn't even realize it. This was about 3 weeks ago and I can't believe how much energy I have. I feel like a kid again, just in time for summer!
My medical drama was not the only thing going on in our lives, so here's a quick overview of how the Eckerts have been doing:
- Home improvements, painted the kitchen and living room, removed our hot tub and replaced it with a deck, new windows and french doors and Matt learned how to texture- so lots of new textured corners.
- Visit from my sister, aka "Aunt Julie", always nice to spend time with my sissy-face!
- Trip to Oklahoma to visit my BFF, Christina. We thought driving through the night would be easiest on the Brellas, but we were horribly wrong. I was able to meet Christina's new guy and spend some much needed time with one of my favorite people in the whole world.
- Visit from the Jolys. My friend, Kari and her new husband came all the way from Yukon, Canada to play with us. We went to the zoo, Garden of the Gods and Costco (apparently there aren't many places to shop in their remote area, so Costco is a big deal). We had a great time and I'm still a little shocked that the "husbands" are so much alike, freaky.
- Texas kidnapped my friend. Matt's cousin, Kate and I have this wonderful relationship and I loved having her here to answer all of my silly mom questions (she has three kids) and be my mommy mentor. I miss her terribly, but hopefully we'll go visit her in Texas soon!
- Bradley began walking!! Ella is still needing a familiar hand to help steady her, she'll be walking in no time.
- We celebrated one more year of wedded bliss (and I got a Coach purse, I never thought I would own one. My husband is AWESOME).
Christina!
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Kari, did I mention she's expecting?? My kids are great practice! Imagine an old hot tub where the covered grill is now.   |
Monday, March 28, 2011
Our parenting philosophy for both the the real and furry babies.
Most people know that Matt and I volunteer for Guide Dogs for the Blind, Inc. My mom and I got involved with this organization in 1996 and started puppy raising. The idea is to take a puppy from 8-12 weeks old and to teach socialization, house manners and basic obedience during that first year. These days, Matt and I don't have our own puppy all the time, but we puppy sit for other raisers if they need a break or are going on vacation. Someday, we'll get back into the game, but for right now two toddlers is plenty!
Parenting is definitely a new adventure, as first time parents we want "to do everything right". In my heart I know that's not possible, all parents make mistakes. So, our revised goal is to try and do the best we can with the knowledge we have. Recently, I've noticed that we bring a lot of the principles of puppy raising to our child raising approach.
1. What is cute as a puppy is NOT so cute as a huge dog. For example, isn't it cute when your little puppy jumps in your lap and starts biting at your hands?? Perhaps, but things become less cute when your 90 pound dog tries to the same thing.
We don't have many rules for our children at this point, but we do have a few. There is "no standing" on furniture or in the bath tub. My way of thinking is: If I won't let a little kid stand on my couch, I'm not going to let my baby. I'm sure this philosophy will come in very handy when they are older, especially with some of the things they might say...
2. Positive reinforcement. When I first started raising in 1996 we used a mixture of positive and negative reinforcement. Over time we've increased the positive and dwindled the negative. You'd be surprised how much faster a dog learns when doing the "right" thing results in a positive reward!
As far as children go, Matt and I think we should praise more often than scold. Which means it's important to provide as much opportunity to praise....this will all make sense when you read the next philosophy.
3. Set yourself up for success. This is probably my favorite guideline for raising a guide dog puppy. It just makes so much sense! Know your limitations, for example: Taking an eight week old puppy on an hour long shopping trip is not very realistic. It's essential to start with short trips that a puppy will be able to handle at that age and build up to longer outings (with more distractions) as they get older. This way, your puppy is having more positive experiences than negative.
When I was in college and working as a server it would drive me crazy when families with small children would come in and want to eat and chat for hours. After about an hour most kids have met their limit of sitting still and being good. Surprisingly, the parents wouldn't understand why their kid was acting out and getting very frustrated (both parent and child). This could have been an opportunity for praising a child for having good behavior, but instead it becomes a big mess. Lesson: If you want to go to a restaurant to catch up for hours with old friends, find a babysitter.
The major difference is that with a puppy, you can leave them home. Not necessarily the best idea with a baby. So, I think it's important to interact with your child to make the experience (whatever it may be) pleasant, so you can praise for good behavior. When we go to the doctor I know to bring books, so we can read together while waiting (Ella loves to read!). At the grocery store I try to show them interesting things in the store, or the pretty colors of the food- more in an effort to distract them from the fact that they are restrained and can't really touch anything. Then, I tell them how good they are at every opportunity. I don't know if they understand at this point, but at least I'm working on training myself.
4. Know what you're owed. Yep, I'm talking about poop. When taking a puppy into public it's important they don't "do their business" in a store. Not only is it embarrassing for you, but it's looks bad on the organization. Generally, if the dog is being fed at the same time daily they should get into a bathroom routine and need to go at the same time everyday. So, if you know you are owed a morning poop and you haven't gotten it......don't go into public and start stimulating things by walking around (this might also go hand in hand with setting yourself up for success).
As far as kids go, this might not be a behavioral issue as much as a health issue. Just last week, Bradley went 36 hours without going number 2. This was highly unusual, so I made a mental note. Turns out he was fine, but if something had really been wrong it would have been useful information for the doctor.
The rules are the same wherever you go. Every 3 months during puppy raising we trade puppies. This helps them to understand that the rules are the same in every house. So, it's important that all puppy raisers are on the same page, so we can teach the puppies that you can't jump on the bed at their house either.
We probably won't be trading our kids, but we can teach them that they can't stand on the couch at Grandpa's house either. Not only do Matt and I need to be in sync, but we need to be comfortable telling our families (and trusting they'll follow through) our rules. I'm a big believer that it takes a community to raise a child.
I'm sure as we gain more parenting experience we will adapt our style, but for now it's fun to see how many puppy raising techniques are useful for children too.
Parenting is definitely a new adventure, as first time parents we want "to do everything right". In my heart I know that's not possible, all parents make mistakes. So, our revised goal is to try and do the best we can with the knowledge we have. Recently, I've noticed that we bring a lot of the principles of puppy raising to our child raising approach.
1. What is cute as a puppy is NOT so cute as a huge dog. For example, isn't it cute when your little puppy jumps in your lap and starts biting at your hands?? Perhaps, but things become less cute when your 90 pound dog tries to the same thing.
We don't have many rules for our children at this point, but we do have a few. There is "no standing" on furniture or in the bath tub. My way of thinking is: If I won't let a little kid stand on my couch, I'm not going to let my baby. I'm sure this philosophy will come in very handy when they are older, especially with some of the things they might say...
2. Positive reinforcement. When I first started raising in 1996 we used a mixture of positive and negative reinforcement. Over time we've increased the positive and dwindled the negative. You'd be surprised how much faster a dog learns when doing the "right" thing results in a positive reward!
As far as children go, Matt and I think we should praise more often than scold. Which means it's important to provide as much opportunity to praise....this will all make sense when you read the next philosophy.
3. Set yourself up for success. This is probably my favorite guideline for raising a guide dog puppy. It just makes so much sense! Know your limitations, for example: Taking an eight week old puppy on an hour long shopping trip is not very realistic. It's essential to start with short trips that a puppy will be able to handle at that age and build up to longer outings (with more distractions) as they get older. This way, your puppy is having more positive experiences than negative.
When I was in college and working as a server it would drive me crazy when families with small children would come in and want to eat and chat for hours. After about an hour most kids have met their limit of sitting still and being good. Surprisingly, the parents wouldn't understand why their kid was acting out and getting very frustrated (both parent and child). This could have been an opportunity for praising a child for having good behavior, but instead it becomes a big mess. Lesson: If you want to go to a restaurant to catch up for hours with old friends, find a babysitter.
The major difference is that with a puppy, you can leave them home. Not necessarily the best idea with a baby. So, I think it's important to interact with your child to make the experience (whatever it may be) pleasant, so you can praise for good behavior. When we go to the doctor I know to bring books, so we can read together while waiting (Ella loves to read!). At the grocery store I try to show them interesting things in the store, or the pretty colors of the food- more in an effort to distract them from the fact that they are restrained and can't really touch anything. Then, I tell them how good they are at every opportunity. I don't know if they understand at this point, but at least I'm working on training myself.
4. Know what you're owed. Yep, I'm talking about poop. When taking a puppy into public it's important they don't "do their business" in a store. Not only is it embarrassing for you, but it's looks bad on the organization. Generally, if the dog is being fed at the same time daily they should get into a bathroom routine and need to go at the same time everyday. So, if you know you are owed a morning poop and you haven't gotten it......don't go into public and start stimulating things by walking around (this might also go hand in hand with setting yourself up for success).
As far as kids go, this might not be a behavioral issue as much as a health issue. Just last week, Bradley went 36 hours without going number 2. This was highly unusual, so I made a mental note. Turns out he was fine, but if something had really been wrong it would have been useful information for the doctor.
The rules are the same wherever you go. Every 3 months during puppy raising we trade puppies. This helps them to understand that the rules are the same in every house. So, it's important that all puppy raisers are on the same page, so we can teach the puppies that you can't jump on the bed at their house either.
We probably won't be trading our kids, but we can teach them that they can't stand on the couch at Grandpa's house either. Not only do Matt and I need to be in sync, but we need to be comfortable telling our families (and trusting they'll follow through) our rules. I'm a big believer that it takes a community to raise a child.
I'm sure as we gain more parenting experience we will adapt our style, but for now it's fun to see how many puppy raising techniques are useful for children too.
Monday, March 14, 2011
Brellas turn 1!!!
Happy Birthday to my darling Ella and Bradley!! Their actual birthday was kinda boring and probably not the best day for them. We started with a trip to the doctor for a check up and some shots. I know, best mom ever for scheduling shots on their birthday. Luckily my babies are troopers and didn't mind much.
Next we skipped our nap to have pictures taken.......big mistake. Ella was in an "okay" mood, but not Bradley- he cried almost the entire time. Our photographer is awesome and suggested we try another day at NO CHARGE!!!
Originally, I had planned to make them cupcakes the day before and we would have a little family celebration and watch them attempt to eat a nice treat. Yeah, well, that didn't happen. We just had a nice quiet evening at home and went to bed early!
That Sunday we had a party to celebrate their birthday along with two of their cousins (there are 6 birthdays in a 5 weeks time span). I was super excited for the cupcake portion of the party. Ella loved her's, but Bradley- not so much. He hardly ate any of it, then the next week at his cousin Shane's party he chowed down on cake. Apparently Amanda makes better dessert!
Next we skipped our nap to have pictures taken.......big mistake. Ella was in an "okay" mood, but not Bradley- he cried almost the entire time. Our photographer is awesome and suggested we try another day at NO CHARGE!!!
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| So cute! |
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| Cranky guy! |
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| I can clap. |
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| See how cute I am? |
That Sunday we had a party to celebrate their birthday along with two of their cousins (there are 6 birthdays in a 5 weeks time span). I was super excited for the cupcake portion of the party. Ella loved her's, but Bradley- not so much. He hardly ate any of it, then the next week at his cousin Shane's party he chowed down on cake. Apparently Amanda makes better dessert!
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| Tyler with the coolest gift ever!! |
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| Mmmmm, cake! |
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| "You want me to do what?" |
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| The birthday girls, Marissa and Ella |
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| Bradley likes his blanket |
Friday, January 21, 2011
"First Time!!"
A few months ago Ella learned how to close the lid on her toy laptop. She was so proud of herself. She'd let you open it and then she would shut it with such enthusiasm and then look at you for approval. So cute. She started this one afternoon and we played this game for almost an hour.
The next afternoon Matt was playing with the babies and said, "Laura, look what I taught Ella to do!". Sure enough she was closing the laptop. I felt bad, but I told him she had started it the day before (I left out the part where I had actually taught her). I could tell he was disappointed, it must be hard to miss so many "firsts" because he is at work.
That's when I started lying. The next few times he thought he was witnessing something new, I would say "That's the first time". He figured me out pretty quickly and we laughed. So, now whenever anyone thinks the babies are doing something for the first time we shout, "First time!!!" and everyone laughs.
Since I am with them 99.9% of the time I usually do get to witness the first time experiences- until this week. The other day Bradley was playing with his race car toy that spins around and shoots the cars out. He was then picking up the car and putting it back on the spinny thing. I was so excited, I called Matt to tell him about our little man's accomplishment. Let's just say I was surprised to hear a big "First time!!!".
The next afternoon Matt was playing with the babies and said, "Laura, look what I taught Ella to do!". Sure enough she was closing the laptop. I felt bad, but I told him she had started it the day before (I left out the part where I had actually taught her). I could tell he was disappointed, it must be hard to miss so many "firsts" because he is at work.
That's when I started lying. The next few times he thought he was witnessing something new, I would say "That's the first time". He figured me out pretty quickly and we laughed. So, now whenever anyone thinks the babies are doing something for the first time we shout, "First time!!!" and everyone laughs.
Since I am with them 99.9% of the time I usually do get to witness the first time experiences- until this week. The other day Bradley was playing with his race car toy that spins around and shoots the cars out. He was then picking up the car and putting it back on the spinny thing. I was so excited, I called Matt to tell him about our little man's accomplishment. Let's just say I was surprised to hear a big "First time!!!".
Monday, January 10, 2011
2010
It comes as no shock to anyone if I say 2010 was the best year ever!! My beautiful babies were born and I landed my dream job (being a stay-at-home mommy)! I'm very excited to see what 2011 holds.
Our resolutions for 2011:
Matt:
- Go to Mass
- Lose 20 lbs (he'll accomplish this- he loses weight very quickly. We all hate him)
Laura:
- Eat more vegetables
- Reduce monthly food budget (this has actually been really fun so far, I am officially a couponer!)
- Stick to house cleaning schedule (our house was so clean before we had babies)
Here's to another great year!
Our resolutions for 2011:
Matt:
- Go to Mass
- Lose 20 lbs (he'll accomplish this- he loses weight very quickly. We all hate him)
Laura:
- Eat more vegetables
- Reduce monthly food budget (this has actually been really fun so far, I am officially a couponer!)
- Stick to house cleaning schedule (our house was so clean before we had babies)
Here's to another great year!
Personality...
One of my favorite things to do is just watch. I like to watch the babies interact with everyone, especially each other. Their personalities pour out of them when they are together. Bradley is very assertive and adventurous. Ella is much more laid back and curious.
Today, before their nap we were playing in their room and they both wanted to see their new walking toy (I divided the Christmas toys up so I could rotate them when they seemed bored). Ella was carefully inspecting some of the parts that move and Bradley just pushed her out of the way! You'd think Ella would get upset or fight back, but she's not that kind of girl. She just finds something else to look at.
When Bradley started crawling he quickly learned he could steal whatever toy Ella had and run away with it. Since she wasn't mobile she figured out if she held the toy above her head he couldn't reach it. Bradley would get so frustrated and start looking at me like, "Well, aren't you going to get it from her?
I can't wait for them to start "talking" to each other on a regular basis. I keep hearing stories about twins that have their own language. So far they don't really acknowledge the other one unless the have too. Maybe because they are boy/girl they won't have the same bond as other twins. I can't wait to find out!
Today, before their nap we were playing in their room and they both wanted to see their new walking toy (I divided the Christmas toys up so I could rotate them when they seemed bored). Ella was carefully inspecting some of the parts that move and Bradley just pushed her out of the way! You'd think Ella would get upset or fight back, but she's not that kind of girl. She just finds something else to look at.
When Bradley started crawling he quickly learned he could steal whatever toy Ella had and run away with it. Since she wasn't mobile she figured out if she held the toy above her head he couldn't reach it. Bradley would get so frustrated and start looking at me like, "Well, aren't you going to get it from her?
I can't wait for them to start "talking" to each other on a regular basis. I keep hearing stories about twins that have their own language. So far they don't really acknowledge the other one unless the have too. Maybe because they are boy/girl they won't have the same bond as other twins. I can't wait to find out!
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