Family

Do parents treat their high needs babies differently when they are older? Do the early years with a difficult baby affect how you see or treat them moving forward? Do parents grow to resent their high needs child?

Besides a ripped seam or a missing button, I haven’t sewn anything since I was a teenager. Despite my hesitation, I’ve decided to make Rocco’s Halloween costume this year. I turned to Etsy and DIY blogs for inspiration. Per usual, I was impressed with what I found on Etsy. The selection of Etsy Baby Halloween Costumes was better than I imagined.

Yesterday, I posted part 1 of our free Bahamas vacation. I shared my favorite pictures we captured on our journey to Nassau and a few we took while at the resort. The resort was nice, but we wanted to explore the real Nassau—outside of the gated confines of a lux resort.

Ya mon! After six sun-filled days on our free Bahamas vacation, we’re home. I already miss the crystal clear turquoise water. My husband won us an all-inclusive trip to the Bahamas last year on the Price is Right. In case you missed my post about it, here’s the video link. Watch closely and you’ll see me jumping up and down after he wins.

Rocco’s second birthday is next month, so I’ve been tossing around toddler boy birthday party ideas. For his first birthday, we kept it very basic—with the healthy smash cake as the main event.

My sweet natured son constantly amazes me. Of course there are many toddler tantrums, when he flings himself to the ground with his crocodile tears streaming down his full cheeks. But what has surprised me the most about his growth and development is his goodness, his sweetness, and how he radiates love, especially the love he shows his baby sister.

My kids aren’t in school yet, but my toddler son already loves snacks. He especially loves those animal-shaped crackery snacks. Even the the whole grain organic versions I buy are still more processed than I’d like and his snack selection is seriously lacking at this point. He will eat most fruits, an occasional string cheese, dry cereal, and yogurt. Most of the time, the crackers win the snack selection battle.

After five years away, we are making our new home in Phoenix (again). I recently realized it is also the only city, (besides my hometown of Green Bay, WI), that feels like home.

Rocco is at an age where he is constantly trying to assert his independence. Jade and I nurture his independence through free-play and letting him explore as much as we can. Despite our best attempts, there is at least one daily battle, usually more, because we won’t let him get his way.