Favorite stage?
For all you mom's out there, what is your favorite baby stage?
Was it pregnancy, the newborn stage, crawling stage, walking stage, terrible 2's, older?
My son is only 16 mo old, but to this date, I still like the new born stage the best. Call me crazy as it was insane work, but I really did. I liked the fact that he was so helpless and dependent on me, and he breast fed. I miss it when he couldn't MOVE, couldn't reach out and grab EVERYTHING, when he didn't eat and make a MESS, he only happily nurses every two hours (and pooped) around the clock. I carried him in his sling and he was a happy guy.
But now, he is a handful, but I still love him. But there are good things about now too though, he is fun to play with. But I really miss the newborn stage, and nursing, I really miss that!
I miss the newborn stage as well. Caitlin is 4 now. It does always seem that my favorite stage is the one she is in at the moment. I would love to have another baby though.
I actually love what ever stage Lyle is in....he was a SUPER easy baby (slept all day long) and he is quite the handful right now, but it's just so funny to watch him develop. He answers everything with "Oh" (thoughtful look on his face) and when I tell him something important I need him to do....he says "alright". He is only 18 months, but it seems he completely understands the world around him.
I love the stage my 8 year old is in as well. Reading things he writes, discussing books he's reading.....explaining the world's mysteries to him....it's like having a little pal around!
Another vote for "Whatever Stage They're In". Eleanor is 4 and is question factory... I love it! We have great discussion about how things work, why and plenty of discussions about stories and various ideas she has about things. Beatrice is 6 months old now, and also curious as all get out. She wants to have her hands on everything, see whatever is going on (another sleep-fighter... ugh!) and she gives outstanding lectures ("YyayayayayayayOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO. DA!HA! HA!") and is generally the cutes lil' thang...
Newborn I do remember as stressful though. And I do seem to recall a sweet spot around the 1-year point. But it's too fascinating to see them develop to latch on to a certain age.
I have loved each stage, (maybe not the pregnancy morning-sickness,) but every satge after that! The newborn stage I constantly wanted to cry, well weep, with overwhelming joy! (maybe somewhat due to hormones? lol) Kea is now 2 years old, and she will have conversations with me, make up little stories, and songs, she is so creative and sweet. She only nurses 1/ day, which is nice, I loved nursing, but after a while my boobs were like, "seriously?!" so the break from it is nice. Oh, and I like that she sleeps through the night, I never did get adjusted to the whole night waking thing, and always felt like a zombie!
L2A, Kea says "alright" too, but only when shes agreeing to something, not when shes showing any signs of compliance, (lol,) like me, "do you want coconut yogurt?" her, "NO I DON"T LIKE THAT YOUGRT!!" Me: "how about toast?" her "alright" (spoken in a quiet whisper, its quite the contrast to her refusal scream!)
As a nanny, I LOVE the twos and threes!! They are really testing the world and figuring out where they fit in it. I find this is where their personalities come out to the top. Yes they get into things. Yes they make more messes. Yes you may want to throw tantrums yourself. But just like the sourpatch kids, as soon as they smile, it is difficult to be mad at them anymore (even though it is still a time out!).
My only child is 9 months (today), so this is a limited perspective:
Pregnancy: Yeah! I loved it.....actually sad I don't want any more kids because that means I'll never be pregnant again :(
Newborn (under 2 months): HATED it, HATED it....I was soooo depressed. My baby insisted upon being in motion all the time, and I was/is very against "devices" that hold/move your baby....so that means I was moving around 15 hours a day AT LEAST carrying the baby around (no sitting/laying down either....I swear, she started crying when I even thought about sitting down).
2-4 months old: also no fun for me, but better. I couldn't wait for my husband to come home every day. I felt lonely. Still insists upon being in motion and mommy standing up wither her for a large portion of the day. At least I could make her laugh hysterically-- this is why it was better.
4 - 6 months (sitting): SOOOO much better. She can finally DO something. I can interact with her and get a response! She wants to look at and touch everything!
6 -7months (crawling): Wow, this is starting to get fun. She crawls around and pulls stuff out of drawers/boxes, whatever. Begins to really imitate me in earnest.
8 months: Begins to truly understand what I'm saying to her...claps her hands and can point to her tongue, toes and hair when asked!
9 months: now she's cruising along furniture and says "wow" "uh-oh" "ball" and "dog" She also signs "milk" when she wants to be nursed which is FABULOUS.
So I've got to say.....I like her better and better with every passing day!
My only child is 9 months (today), so this is a limited perspective:
Pregnancy: Yeah! I loved it.....actually sad I don't want any more kids because that means I'll never be pregnant again :(
Newborn (under 2 months): HATED it, HATED it....I was soooo depressed. My baby insisted upon being in motion all the time, and I was/is very against "devices" that hold/move your baby....so that means I was moving around 15 hours a day AT LEAST carrying the baby around (no sitting/laying down either....I swear, she started crying when I even thought about sitting down).
2-4 months old: also no fun for me, but better. I couldn't wait for my husband to come home every day. I felt lonely. Still insists upon being in motion and mommy standing up wither her for a large portion of the day. At least I could make her laugh hysterically-- this is why it was better.
4 - 6 months (sitting): SOOOO much better. She can finally DO something. I can interact with her and get a response! She wants to look at and touch everything!
6 -7months (crawling): Wow, this is starting to get fun. She crawls around and pulls stuff out of drawers/boxes, whatever. Begins to really imitate me in earnest.
8 months: Begins to truly understand what I'm saying to her...claps her hands and can point to her tongue, toes and hair when asked!
9 months: now she's cruising along furniture and says "wow" "uh-oh" "ball" and "dog" She also signs "milk" when she wants to be nursed which is FABULOUS.
So I've got to say.....I like her better and better with every passing day!
Just curious, why are you against baby carrying devices?
I adored the sling, then the Snugli, now my wrap. I can't see how I could have ever lived without them. And women have been carrying their babies around with devices for thousands of years, think if native americans with cradle boards, India indians with their wraps, and tibetas carrying their babies on their backs with cotton cloths. It is really very natural.
I still carry my son with my home-made wrap, very similar to what you see India indian women using. Works great, without it I couldn't go hiking.
So I am really curious?
I'm NOT against the kind you describe. You totally misunderstood.....I'm against ELECTRONIC devices. Swings, bouncers, jumpers, walkers...things that allow you to be a hands-off parent way too easily. I'm absolutely not talking about "carriers" where you wear your baby. I'm also agains travel "systems" where babies go from car to stroller to grocery cart without ever getting out of their car seat to be carried. Must be a boring/non-stimulating life to view everything from that kind of supine position.
I have a Moby wrap, Maya sling, and Beco Butterfly carrier that I LOVE. I used them since the beginning -- still 15 hours a day of walking around wearing those things is crazy--she wouldn't let me sit down at all.
ETA: I came back to say this. When I say "way to easy to be a hands off parent" I'm just talking about myself. I know some fabulous parents who use these kinds of things and don't use them as something that enables them to ignore their babies. In my case, especially with the way my baby was, I could just see myself setting her down in a swing and walking away. Having one in the house would have made that way too easy. I knew that wouldn't be good for her in the long run.
Well, my "baby" is 17 now and I'm ready to sell her on eBay.....really. :o
But as far as baby stages go, I loved them all.
I'm NOT against the kind you describe. You totally misunderstood.....I'm against ELECTRONIC devices. Swings, bouncers, jumpers, walkers...things that allow you to be a hands-off parent way too easily. I'm absolutely not talking about "carriers" where you wear your baby. I'm also agains travel "systems" where babies go from car to stroller to grocery cart without ever getting out of their car seat to be carried. Must be a boring/non-stimulating life to view everything from that kind of supine position.
I have a Moby wrap, Maya sling, and Beco Butterfly carrier that I LOVE. I used them since the beginning -- still 15 hours a day of walking around wearing those things is crazy--she wouldn't let me sit down at all.
ETA: I came back to say this. When I say "way to easy to be a hands off parent" I'm just talking about myself. I know some fabulous parents who use these kinds of things and don't use them as something that enables them to ignore their babies. In my case, especially with the way my baby was, I could just see myself setting her down in a swing and walking away. Having one in the house would have made that way too easy. I knew that wouldn't be good for her in the long run.
Oh, okay, I did misunderstand.
I never had a swing either, but I did have a Excersaucer which allowed me to take showers, and a baby bouncy thing. I refused to wear him in his Snugli while I was cooking, as my mom has a gas stove and I had these terrible thoughts as to what would happen if the Snugli caught on fire, so while I cooked, I put him on the kitchen table, in his bouncy seat facing me so he could watch what I was doing. But I wore him a LOT, most of the day while doing dishes, vacuuming, laundry, whatever, he loved it. He co-slept, still does, and breast fed. I never let him "cry it out" because I always would imagine my self in his place, what if I was tiny and helpless like him, and cried because I needed something, but didn't know what, and I was ignored by the one person I needed most? I couldn't ever just let him cry.
But there were times that I had to set him down and walk away for a few minutes otherwise I was going to loose it. But I would take a few deep breaths and go back to him.
Now, he pretty independent. But still comes back for his hugs ever now and then! But he still enjoys riding around in a carrier. He loves going hiking in his wrap.
Yea, for as much as I carried her around in the beginning....she's EXTREMELY independent now. I'm taking a mom/baby exercise class. She crawls around to all the other moms. During the part where you use your baby as resistance she refuses....still wants to crawl around and explore. She's like "Mom! I see you ALL DAY LONG, why would I want to do that now when there are all these new people and things to touch?"
I think you give your kids that solid, secure base in the beginning. They know mom is always there for them....it gives them the confidence to be independent.
I never cooked in the carriers either. Fortunately, I have a WONDERFUL husband and waited to do all that stuff when he got home. I know for people in less fortunate situations they have to make compromises sometimes.
Call me crazy but I love adolescents. I love the fierce independence and process of finding their place in the world. My stepkids are 12 and 16 and I'm a preventive caseworker in middle/high school. I am looking forward to having a baby in the next year or two (will start trying in June)
and loved it when my nieces were infants so that could totally change.