So, Sean and I have spent many hours reading and praying over some parenting books.  We have found a lot of valuable principles and a advice, and we have found some to be out of this world ridiculous.  However, we are at this point right now with Ben that is so much fun and so amazing to me!  We have worked very hard from the very beginning with Ben to get him on a good sleeping and eating schedule, and while he is a very well tempered “good baby” and some people just consider us “lucky”….our baby Ben sleeps well through the night and eats on a relatively consistent schedule.  He is a blessing and wonderful addition to our home!  I love this baby so much!  We had so much fun getting his 3 month pictures done the other day too…he was full of smiles and fun!  But anyway, as fun and “good” as he maybe, this three month old baby is learning the power of “The Cry”.  I didn’t think it could happen!  It was like an all of the sudden switch!  My baby learns to cry JUST so I come running to him!  I can’t believe it…absolutely nothing will be wrong, he will be laughing and cooing and being my happy Ben, and then I turn away for 10 minutes and guess what happens?!?! “The sky is falling the sky is falling!” lol!

So since my child is learning his voice and everything, Sean and I started this week to employ a method of training that he does not get played with when crying.  We’ve read several books and articles about this, but it’s the actual practice that is, let’s say, trying for a mother!  We now make sure 100% all of his needs are met for the time.  Play with him for a while so that he is happy and then calmly walk away…sure enough Ben will start fussing and crying because things aren’t to his liking and Sean and I will walk by him and around him simply ignoring him until he stops crying.  He stops usually soon enough and within a few moments of him stopping we go and pick him up, hug and kiss him until he laugh again.  It’s a bit of a process, but I really believe it is paying off and prayerfully we will not have a child that simply screams to get his way…especially when it’s not because something is wrong.

Of course I completely admit, I struggle with that from time to time thinking about this.  Am I going to miss a real need of this baby?  And what I’ve come to the conclusion on is, I am 100% sure that I am meeting his needs, I know already when he needs to eat and is hungry because we worked on that from day 1, I know already for the most part when he is tired and he needs a nap again because this was established in day one…so both of those needs can be met before Ben would even need to begin to fuss to let me know something is wrong in one of those departments (of course I know there are certain exceptions to this in situations with my baby and I do stay aware of that, especially as we grows, but on the whole, this is true).  Furthermore, it’s the times where he is laughing and playing that we really work on this…

I’ll tell you, even though he is a “baby” to me there isn’t much that is more embarrassing then being in a restaurant and a little child having a complete temper tantrum becaues a) he isn’t getting his own way or b) he’s not the center of attention, which usually refers back to a!

So by NO means do I think Sean and I are wonderful parents and we are going to have this perfectly cryless obedient 3 month old.  Nor am I naive enough to think my child will never have a temper tantrum or that we are going to do everything “right”.  But I am so happy that I have a husband who supports and agrees with me that we are going to do the best we can with the God given abilities and knowledge to train up this child!

Anyway, that’s my little rant on what is happening at this point in Ben’s life!