How I raise Liam:
-Now every child is really different and what I found really works for Liam is to let him learn things the way that he can learn them. He's a very independent, motivated little boy. Has been since he was born, and he loves to figure things out on his own...and he can. He can come a long way, and everything that he knows, he has figured it out by himself. When the doctors told him that he should be crawling and rolling, he skipped both the steps and took his first step when he turned one. When the doctors told us that he should be eating solid foods early, he ate them a little later, when the doctors said that he was really far behind than other children, he was caught up within like 2-3 months. I never co slept with him, he has always slept in a crib, he always slept through the night, he was in a toddler's bed at about 19 months and stayed and has been in a toddler's bed ever since. He understood the word "no" at about 4 months and whenever anyone would say "no, or don't do that, or Liam don't play with that, he would stop and go do something else;"loves the snow (I took him out in the snow 2 weeks after he was born, even though the doctors told me not to because he could get sick and he's too young, and he loved it. Ever since then, he loves the snow), and loves to be outside...so I let him do things and learn on his own pace. He figured out how to go up and down the stairs on the playground holding the railings in March, and another mom asked how old he was and I told her and she said WOW...he's going to do great in school, and now he can go up and down the stairs with no help...so that is how I raise him, and it's literally has worked wonders for me...and again every child learns differently so this may not be the way your child learns.
Liam's age, height, weight and built:
-Liam will be 2 on August 31st. He is a very active toddler, and usually very well behaved. He's built on the smaller side. He's about 23 pounds and around 32 inches tall. He has just gotten into 18 month clothes...however those onesies and shirts are too small, but the pants are just right...So that's ok. He wears size 3 diapers which he's worn for an entire year so far..but I'm pretty tiny so that's why he is built on the smaller side.
Toys and activities he loves:
- Right now he loves his cars and trucks. He's obsessed with them and he can just play with them all day if you let him. He loves to color, play outside, and spend time with his grandparents. So he's a typical toddler.
Where's he's at in his learning:
-Now as some of you know, Liam has a speech therapist. He's doing a lot better. He's saying more words, and usually can repeat after hearing someone say it. He still has a problem with the vowels, but he's getting there. He says a few phrases and can associate the picture with what you are saying. Now Liam has had a therapist since he was about 1 years old, because we went through a lot, where he had to wear a helmet because he had tortacollis, and he had to have occupational therapy as well as therapy within the home. Thankfully his insurance covered all of that, and is still covering the speech therapist appointments that he has now. In January he could only say like 2 words, now he can say like 30 words and knows like 5 different signs...we still have a long ways to go, but he's picking it up pretty well.
How I discipline Liam:
-Disciplining Liam isn't really that hard. Now he is a toddler, he does throw tantrums, he does know how to push my buttons, but this is how I discipline him and it's what has worked for our house hold. I use the 3 strikes your out method. Now time out doesn't really work for him because he is so active that he doesn't really just sit anywhere for any amount of time, so once I count to three and he is still misbehaving, he goes to his room, he stays in there for 2 minutes, and then I get down on his level, explain to him in a way a 2 year old can understand that what he did was wrong, I give him a hug, tell him I love him and let him go play. That method has been working really well for us. Now this method may not work all the time for everyone, but for him it works really well.
What are we working on with him:
-I am currently working on having him pick up things that he gets out or throws. If he has food and he throws it, I make him pick it up, and throw it away. If he gets toys out, and we are at someone's house, before we leave, I have him pick up the toys he got out. He does this like clock work. I show him where they go, and he picks them up one by one until they are all put away, I give him a hug, tell him I love him and thank you. It impresses my parents how well he can remember and comprehend things so quickly.
-Another thing we are working on is his body parts and shapes. He can show me where his nose is, where his mouth is, where his head is, where his hair is, where his ears are and where his eyes are. He can say socks, and he can say shirt as well. He knows his shapes...if you ask him where the star goes, he can put it in the slot where the star goes and etc...so he's very smart. He's amazing at puzzles. Any puzzle you give him, he can put it together in like 10 minutes...and he remembers where they go..so if you dump it, he knows exactly where each piece goes...which his therapist said is amazing and impressive for his age. She said that he's very intelligent and can really solve problems really fast. If there is a solution, he will find it.
What have I learned as a young mom:
- As a young mom, (i'll be 26 next month), I have learned to just let my child be a child. Let him be a toddler and discover things, and get messy, and just let him be him, because that is how he learns. It makes me so happy when he learns new things and he's just such a happy child. So many parents and people have come up to me and have said that he's so well behaved, and he's so cute and how do I get him to listen at such a young age, because they can't get their toddlers to listen, and basically I just smile and say, I let him be him. I make sure he knows what is right and wrong, and he knows when mommy says "no," it means "no." Now he does test me a lot, and that's expected and I just keep doing what i'm doing. I'm very consistent with how I discipline him, and teach him, and raise him. He signs "please," he knows how to say "thank you," because that is what I teach him...when he wants something and I don't know what he wants, I ask him to show me, and when I finally know what he wants, and he can have it, I say "what do you say? And he signs the word "please," I give it to him, and I make sure he says "thank you." So my advice to all, is to teach your kids the way you want to teach them, no parent is perfect, not even me at all, but if you are consistent with what you are doing, they will pick things up fast and learn too. Remember to be patient, be happy, always love your child, remember they are only children and that they will learn, and just enjoy being a parent because it's very rewarding and it's amazing.
Hope you all enjoyed this.
Note:
Now I'm also a full time college student and a wife...so that will be for another blog post on how I do all of that and be a mom.
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