The Bloom's Keeper

Our sweet sugar bean has been calm and even tempered since birth. I mean, she didn't even cry when she arrived. The doctors were obviously concerned and even resorted to pricking her heels to make her cry. But she was healthy.  I really think that moment in the delivery room, when everything was quiet instead of loud, was a sneak peak into her temperament and personality.

But, despite being blessed with an "easy" baby we've still had our challenges.

Recently, we were having a difficult time properly dealing with a little bit of toddler attitude in our "sugar" bean. She wasn't being so sweet.

Having read all the other books by the Ezzo's of the "BabyWise" collection, I essentially dashed to the bookstore and picked up "On Becoming ToddlerWise" by Gary Ezzo, M.A. and Robert Bucknam, M.D.

Once finished with the book (in less than 24 hours!) I really wished I had read this book BEFORE our baby girl was in full blown toddler mode. Further, the very first chapter re-reminded me how important I (you) really am to the development of sugar bean (your child/children)...

I kind of forgot what we had been struggling with when I read the following::

"Nature has a keen way of tutoring parents. Observe the gardener with his plants. He does not create the petal. He cannot grow the plant or make it more beautiful. He is neither its creator nor its architect. The power of life and beauty lies within the plant itself. The gardener however, knows the environment. He knows the right amount of sunshine and moister required for the unfolding of every blossom. He knows the time of pruning, training, and fertilizing that is necessary to bring the plant to a beautiful bloom. Yet the gardener is neither the life of the plant nor the source, but he is the nurturer of the life placed before him" (Ezzo, 11).

Mr. Ezzo goes on to say, "picture your toddler's life unfolding like a beautiful bloom. You, the parent, serve as the bloom's keeper. No other influence can affect the life of your child quite like you..." (p. 11).

Very. First. Chapter. BAM. The light bulb came on in my head. 

I realized that for the next few years I could either look at my season as being "stuck at home with a toddler/preschooler not achieving this or that" or "blessed to be a stay at home mom with the time and resources (and somtimes enough patience) to be that 'no other influence'" in our daughter's life.

Well, since I said in my "meet us" section that I hope to make each of my seasons FULL of life, I am obviously attempting to choose the latter :)

I don't want to miss seeing the life in any little people memories...like this one...

December 10, 2012

Thus this blog :)