The Brown Family Blog: August 2013

I am beginning to think Leighton is going to be an only child. So let's just focus on her for this blog post since she is the only Brown baby living outside the womb. Staying at home with her over the summer was fabulous. I have to say, I was very nervous about keeping her out of school and being a stay at home mom. I figured she would be hard to manage and thought it would be difficult to get through each day. I was worried about boredom, figuring out a schedule or a toddler curriculum. But to my surprise, it has been smooth sailing! This girl is pure joy. She is funny, sweet, sensitive and has grown up right before my eyes. How lucky I feel to have had this time with her and watch her each day. Spending time with her is a special treat, but trust me I did need our daily nap time to relax and catch my breath from the whirlwind.

We had limited tantrums and she recovers quickly when upset. Most of her crying is from wanting so badly to be able to be a big girl and do everything herself. I try to give her space and the freedom to try it alone first. That tactic usually works and she comes back and asks for the help a few minutes later. It can be slightly frustrating when in a hurry but I realized that is my issue. So now, I provide her with enough time to get her self dressed or to at least allow her to try it alone. She doesn't need to feel hurried and I don't want to be the kind of parent who makes her feel badly that she is taking too long. She is learning for heaven's sake and needs time to figure out everything. It is all brand new. That is what makes it so fun to watch. Or funny. Both legs through one pant hole, dresses and shirts around her waist, things dangling from her neck. It is too cute. I won't allow it to drive me bananas. Who cares if she walks around the house with two shirts on? Not I. She tries to put on her own shoes (usually on the wrong feet), brushes her own teeth (doesn't go back and forth as much as I would like her to), can eat with a metal kids fork and can get herself into the car seat and buckle the latch. BIG GIRL!

Leighton loves being outside. The park, the pool and just being outside on the front porch watching people, dogs, bikes, cars, school buses and trucks zoom by. The sounds and "noises" as she calls them simply amaze her. Leighton's vocabulary is awesome. It is so much easier to communicate with her now that she can tell you things and she understands so much. She is great at following instructions and really uses her manners. Please, thank you, I sorry, I love you are very common words in our household. Melts your heart. She calls herself LB or "Tateton" for Leighton and loves talking about her new friends in the neighborhood. LB still recites family member's names throughout the day. It is cute to her say their names. She loves her family!

She is very interested in using the "big girl" potty and has sat on it twice. This is huge for her. We aren't quite ready for potty training, especially pending the arrival of Baby Brown #2. Have I mentioned he was due 4 days ago? But she is showing signs of readiness to start soon. We need to work a bit more at pulling up and down her pants so she can be independent in this skill.

This girl is a daddy's girl. She loves what he loves. Therefore, she loves soccer, watching golf with daddy on tv, mowing the yard with daddy, playing with daddy, the Redskins, bike rides and just being silly. My list could go on forever but witnessing their special bond makes me proud that I have a great husband who is a great father. I hear boys are "mommas boys" but I don't know about that yet since I have a stubborn boy overdue. Oops, there I go again focusing on zero movement from Baby Brown. Anyhow, I know this baby is going to change things around here. We just don't know how much. Life is about to get interesting. I can't wait to see how Leighton is being a big sister. Hopefully this pending birth won't rock her world too much. There is so much to be thankful for now and so much we look forward to with our new beginning. We are beyond blessed, but wish me luck as I learn to juggle and handle two kids at once. But for now, I am perfectly happy with our only child sleeping peacefully upstairs. I am glad I currently can't sleep and can take time to reflect on her. She deserves her moment and her special time. She has been our focus for over 21 months. I can't imagine being prouder and feeling more love than we feel for her. A huge thank you to Leighton for teaching us so much and showing us so much love. This summer she has given me the opportunity to get to know her fully, practice patience and in turn learn about the kind of parent I am and that I want to be. With that, I think I am finally sleepy enough to go to bed. Perhaps this was my last blast of energy before Eoin comes. Fingers crossed!

Check back soon, for an update on how having more than one child goes in the Brown Family.