7 months!

From B's old myspace page:


Things are super in my world!! Mommy cannot believe that I am already 7 months old!!! She says that I am developing well and getting SO big. I am not sure how much I weigh, or how long I am, but I am outgrowing my 9-12 month clothes, and am wearing 12-18 month clothes!!! I am sitting up all by myself now, and am trying to crawl. Daddy thinks that I will be crawling by the end of September. I hope so, because that would make it so much easier to get my toys when I want them. I started gymnastics with Mommy!!! It is SO much fun, but it is a lot of work!!! I have to balance myself on my arms, do flips, hold myself on the bars, stand on the balance beam, and shake a parachute. The best part is the bubbles and balls that we get to play with. The grown ups also sing songs to us. The other babies and I just laugh at them because they are so silly. Gymanstics is really fun. My other favorite thing to do is fingerpaint!! Mommy bought me these really cool fingerpaints and lets me go to town with them in my highchair!! It is SO much fun! I love getting messy. I am also graduating to the big boy tubby because I have outgrown my baby tubby. Mommy bought me some bath letters to play with, so that is fun. I got a new toybox the other day because I am getting so many toys that I was running out of room in the drawer they were originally kept in. So, now, I have lots of room for my toys, and plenty of room for new toys!!! Yep, thinks are going great!!! Now, if I could only figure out how to hold my own bottle......

Parenting styles...

First, I must start this blog off by stating that in no way shape or form do I believe my parenting style to be perfect. I understand that there are a variety of parenting techniques and beliefs out there. That being said, please feel free to give me your opinion on whatever I duscuss. No judgments.

Brandon has developed a new habit. He has learned that he can scream at the top of his lungs. Like, screeching, ear piercing screaming. He is not crying. He is not hungry, wet, or hurt in any way. It is mostly to get attention and because he is bored. As soon as he is distracted with something else, he is fine. It is quite irritating, but I have become very good at tuning him out. I rarely hear him scream anymore unless he is really upset and crying. That being said, it isn't always the easiest thing for others to deal with. So, that is where the dilema lies. When I take him out in public, I am usually very good at distracting him and keeping him entertained. He is also very aware of our surroundings and when we are out and about he is very interested in what is going on, so he doesn't scream as often. The exception to this is when we are stationary for any length of time. For example, if we are in the dressing room, or out to eat. He will occasionally scream and I have to distract him. Usually, one of the million toys that I carry with me will work, or if we are out to eat, I will give him something to eat as well. Every now and then, those things fail, or he will become impatient when I feed him and the sceaming will start. In public, I talk to him and tell him that it is not ok for him to scream when we are in public and he needs to use an inside voice. I do not raise my voice to him, I just calmly tell him to stop screaming. At home, I allow him to scream. If I am on the phone, or having a conversation with someone, I will attempt to distract him. If not, he screams until he is tired of screaming. I try not to pay attention to him screaming because I don't want him screaming as a means of getting attention. Other people aren't the best at being patient with his screaming, which is understandable. Of course, when we are with other people, I am panicing in my head trying to think of ways to get him to stop screaming. My biggest problem is with other people trying to discipline him. Granted, relatives automatically feel a sense of entitlement when it comes to the disciplining. Especially my parents. They are the worst. I guess they feel like because they raised me, they should be able to raise my son as well. This gets under my skin like you would NOT believe. Mostly because their parenting styles are different from my own. For example, Brandon was in his highchair screaming last night while I was heating up his dinner. A family member (to remain undisclosed) got irritated with Brandon screaming and raised their voice to him and said, "Brandon, you need to stop screaming right now." The entire time they were scolding him, they had a mean look on their face. This made me really upset. Instead of losing my temper, I simply said, "That isn't going to work." Nothing else was said, and Brandon continued screaming. Duh. He is 6 months old and has learned that screaming gets people to talk to him. He is GOING to scream. My thought is, if I ignore his screaming, he will eventually learn that it doesn't get him attention and he will stop. Plus, he is just learning to talk and is practicing his vocal skills. So, I don't want to hinder that growth. As irritating as it can be sometimes, it is a phase. I realize that. I just wish that others would too. My biggest pet peeve is those that think that they can teach a child to stop yelling, by yelling. Or even better, teach a child not to hit by hitting. A little hypocritical I feel. Now, that being said, I am NOT anti-spank. I am a firm believer that if Brandon runs out into the street that he is going to get his little bottom smacked. If he does something that he KNOWS he is not supposed to do after being told NOT to do it, he will probably get a spanking. For sure, after he gets a spanking, Mommy and Daddy will talk to him and tell him why we don't want him to do whatever action caused the spanking and then tell him that we love him. I don't want to raise my child to fear me. Granted, a little fear in the sense of discipline is beneficial, but I don't want him terrified of his parents. I just don't believe in using spanking as the only form of discipline.

So, what are your thoughts? Any suggestions to get the boy to stop screaming?? lol The ignoring is working, but it hasn't conquered the screaming yet. Anyway, that is my soapbox.....

The goings on.....

Well, I need to blog about the things that are going on lately....

So, here goes. I am going to attempt to make this brief because it is after midnight and I need to get to bed, but I have a tendancy to go on and on about things, so we shall see.....lol

August has been fun so far. Not a whole lot happened in the beginning of the month, but the last few days have been kind of crazy! Heather left for Sam Houston State on Thursday, so this past week was spent helping her get ready and spending time with her before she left. We capped off our time together with a traditional trip to the movies! We saw Pineapple Express and it was EFFING AWESOME!!! Hahaha it was SO funny! lol After she was officially out of the house, my Mom and I started transforming her old room into my new room! We had to prime the walls, paint them, paint the ceiling and trim and doors, fix the bed, get all of my stuff moved in and set up. I am finally completely in my new room and I am LOVING it!!!! I FINALLY have space for all of my stuff and it is such a relief! Brandon's room was getting cramped and his rapid accumilation of toys was not helping matters much. So, I am finally in my own space and things are SO much more peaceful!!! Yay!

I start school tomorrow!!!! I CANNOT wait!!!!! I am so excited to be able to start working on the main reason that I moved to Texas for the duration of the deployment in the first place. Is that sentence correct?? I can't tell, and I am too tired to analyze it too much. Anyway, I start school tomorrow! I am taking 4 classes this semester, and luckily they are all in the evening so Brandon doesn't have to be in daycare. On Mondays and Wednesdays I am taking Speech from 6-7:30. On Tuesdays and Thursdays I am taking History and Psychology from 6-7:30 and 7:50-9:10 respectively. On Fridays, I am taking Intro to Education from 6-9:10. So, I am hoping that almost everynight I will be home to put Brandon to bed. I am sure there will be some nights that he is already asleep, but I am going to try to be home before he goes to sleep everynight. My mom is going to watch Brandon while I am at school! I love the he is able to stay in his environment and doesn't have to be put in daycare while I am in school. My mom is under strict orders to video tape as much as she can. :) I hate the idea of not being with him for such a long stretch of time in the evenings, but I think it will end up being good for both of us in the long run. He's so wonderful, I hate to be away from him even for a second. Is it strange to miss your baby when they are sleeping??? lol Not enough to wake him up, but I do miss him when he is sleeping. :)

Oh, see? Did you catch me rambling that last paragraph??? lol Told you.

Well, I am REALLY tired and I need to get to bed. So, that is all for now. I may add to this blog later, but that's it for now folks! Try to return to your regularly scheduled life. I know that my life is so fascinating and it will be hard. Hahaha....ok, for real....goodnight!!!!

"Da-da!"

From B's old myspace page:

I said my second word today!!!!!!!!

I was playing on my tummy mat and Mommy had that video camera in my face again. While I was playing, I said Dada!!!!! I had been TRYING to say that one for awhile, but I couldn't get it out. I finally did, and Mommy was able to video tape it for Dada! So, yay for me!!!!!!!!!

Updates!!

From B's old myspace page:

It has been quite awhile since my last blog. There have been quite a bit going on in my little world. Everyday I am getting bigger and working hard to learn new things. I have perfected my roll and can roll completely across the floor now. I suprised Mommy by rolling almost under the bed the other day! It was funny. One of my favorite things to do is jump in my excersaucer and my jumper center!! My exersaucer is very loud when I jump in it, which is the best part! Sadly, I am outgrowing my swing. It stuggles to swing me and will only swing me if it gets a push to start it off. Heh, I am a growing boy!

Mommy talked to the pediatrician and I was cleared to start stage 2 baby foods and juice!!! It has been so fun trying all of the new foods and juices!!! It took awhile to get used to the juice, but I am coming around. Mommy is going to buy me a sippy cup to start practicing with. I have two of them right now and I will drink out of them, but they are not my favorite and Mommy thinks that I will do better with a different cup. We'll see. Auntie Beth can't wait to feed me mashed potatoes, but the doctor said that I need to wait a little longer because the spices and seasonings are not the best for me. Soon though.

I went to North Carolina with Mommy and Auntie Heather in July! I got to meet Nana and Papa Selbe! They live on a farm and I got to see all of the animals!!! They have horses, chickens, goats, cats and dogs! Nana and Papa held me on their horse Dusty, I got to feed the goats leaves, and I got to pet the cats and dogs. The chickens were hiding out in ther coop, so I didn't get to see them. Maybe next time though. While we were in North Carolina, Mommy took me to the Aquarium! I had alot of fun looking at all of the fish that were there. I also got to pet a horseshoe crab and take lots of pictures. We went to an old Civil War fort, Fort Macon. It was really neat to see. It is right on the beach, and so pretty. Mommy took me to the beach for the first time. I was NOT a fan of the ocean, but I didn't mind sitting in my raft on the sand and sleeping. The waves and breeze is very soothing. I slept almost the entire time we were at the beach. The trip was really fun and I can't wait to go back.

The day we got back from North Carolina I had my 6 month well baby appointment. I weighed in at 22.2 pounds. I measured 29.5 inches long, and my head circumference is 19 inches. I am developing well and am a healthy little boy. Mommy asked the doctor to look at my right eye because sometimes when I look up, it is a little off. The doctor said that if it is still doing the same thing at my 9 month appointment, she would refer us to an eye doctor, but that a baby's eye muscles are not completely developed until they are a year old. So, overall, I am a happy, healthy growing boy. I got 3 shots that day and I was not happy about it at all. It hurt and I cried, but when Mommy picked me up, I was ok. My 9 month appointment is schedule for November 2, and I am not looking forward to more shots.

On a MUCH happier note, I said my first word the other day!!! It was July 30, and Mommy, Auntie Heather and I were in the Atlanta airport waiting to board our plane to Houston and I said it. My first word. I said MAMA!!!!! Mommy was SO proud of me!!! As soon as she confirmed with Auntie that she wasn't hearing things, she emailed Daddy to tell him, then she called Grandma and Grandpa Hays, and then she called Grandma Bennett to share the good news!!!! Now, I saw Mama all the time. Mommy keeps trying to get me to say Da-da, but I am happy just saying Mama for now.

Next week I am going to an introductory gymnastics class. My first semester starts August 27th! I can't wait to play with Mommy in gymnastics class and meet other little kids and their mommies. Mommy says that it is going to be good for me to socialize with the other babies and to get lots of practice moving and playing. So, I am excited to get started!!!!

Well, that is about it for now. I will have the pictures from my trip and start a new 6 month album soon. Be looking for them!!!!