Little Quirks

Livi has some funny quirks. Most of them make me smile, some of them can get a little tiring over time. And others make me wonder and worry a little. But every time I bring them up with our pediatrician, she tells me that they are normal for a toddler who is figuring out the world around her. I just don’t know.

Our First Overnight Trip As A Family

We finally found the time to go on our first trip as a family. While there were a few hiccups and plenty of meltdowns, it was an encouraging and overall successful experience. And most importantly, it was so nice to get out and “travel” again.

You see, my husband and I used to travel all the time. Most of our weekends, we were out and about. We both get antsy spending too much time at home. We love the outdoors, hiking, visiting new cities, exploring, and sightseeing.

The first year after Livi was born, was tough in so many ways and one thing that made it even more difficult was that we couldn’t go farther than our neighborhood park, and some days we did not even make it that far.

Those Strong Feelings

Why is it that children behave better when others are around and don’t throw as many fits when the “other parent” comes home from work?

One thing that gets to me is that sometimes Livi behaves better for her dad than me. We might have had a rough day, but as soon as my husband comes home, she is like a new child. I usually let him know how things are going by sending emails and pictures and I tell him when we are having a rough day. So when he gets home and she is all smiles and hugs, he just looks at me like I imagine things. And boy, does he ever gloat when I tell him that she changed the minute he walked through the door.

Testing The Limits

Lately Livi has been showing us a whole new side of her. Whenever something goes against her will or frustrates her, she throws herself to the floor or lets out a dramatic screech. It usually only lasts a few moments and she is fine again, so I just let her get it out of her system.

But I cannot help but wonder whether this is just another phase that will pass sooner or later or something I need to handle now before it gets out of hand?

The Diaper Changing Blues

Lately, Livi has been throwing tantrums whenever we try to change her diaper.

Up until she was 7 or 8 months old, many diaper changes would involve tears. However, back then she would cry pretty much every time we did not hold her, so it was nothing unusual.

But that had changed when she got older and ever since, diaper changing was one of the few things we could do in peace.

The High Need Baby: Unbelievably Intense

To say that our little girl can be intense is quite an understatement. In fact, she is intense about everything she does. When she laughs, she really laughs. When she cries, she really, really cries. And when she wants something, there is no mistake about it, you will know. Not surprisingly, intensity is one of the first features Dr. Sears lists for high need babies.

When Livi was born, we learned right away that it was best to respond to her cries quickly, otherwise she would go into a complete meltdown.