Baby boy is starting to say more words these days. They aren’t many, but they sure are cute to hear! He’s been saying dada for a while now, and just recently started saying mama too, though he doesn’t say it very often. He was also saying small words like, wow, uh uh(to say no), and his sister’s name. In the past three months, especially in the last few weeks, he’s progressed to saying more words and even some phrases. Here’s some of what he says:

• No!
• Yeah
• I see you!
• Oh no!
• Uh oh!
• This way
• Bye!
• Hi!

Those words and phrases you can distinctly make out. In the case of no, it’s very, very clear! Isn’t that word always one they learn right away? There are a couple more words that are a little harder to understand, but we know it’s what he’s trying to say.

• Leche (milk) – He also signs this along with trying to say it.
• 1, 2, 3, go! – He doesn’t actually pronounce the numbers, but you can hear he says three one-syllable words before he says the word go, which is clear.
• Thank you – Pretty much every time we hand him something, he responds with a two-syllable phrase that very much sounds like he’s saying thank you!

It’s fun when kids are first learning to talk. I love hearing his little voice developing and seeing how quickly he picks up on things. He learned to say “I see you!” really fast after hearing me say it only a couple of times to him while playing peek-a-boo. Big sister loves hearing him talk too and will be the first one to come running if she thinks he said something new. Her favorite, of course, is hearing him say her name. She just about melts when he does that!

What were some of your babies’ first words?

Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Disney Baby. I’ll be joining the Disney Baby blogging team next month, and look forward to sharing these kinds of stories with you over there! Stay tuned for more details!

Photo: Philippe Put/Flickr

With this generation of parents raising children in a digital age, it’s no surprise that we’re sharing special parenting moments online. When our children do the cutest thing ever, we have this desire to share with the world – at least our Facebook world. Or maybe it’s Twitter. If you’re a blogger, and one that writes about parenting, then you’re especially prone to share these memories on your blog, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and every other social media platform you belong to. We must share.

I’m guilty of it. Just this week, I shared some tidbits from baby boy and baby girl’s lives that I thought were cute, humorous, or just special.

I don’t believe it’s a bad thing, honestly. I think we’ve just taken the traditional “water cooler” conversations into a new space. Sharing parenting moments is not a new thing. Our parents did it. Our grandparents did it. They just did it in other ways – talking to each other across the fence, sharing their kids’ milestones over lunch at work, or perhaps chatting when picking up the kids from school. It’s the same thing, except we’re now sharing with our online circle of parents.

The thing to be careful about, I suppose, is that we share in a respectful and cautious manner. Since we’re sharing online, the memories will last much longer than if we were just talking to our next door neighbor. These parenting moments we’re sharing will last pretty much forever once published online. This means our children will be able to find them one day. Depending on what you’re sharing, this can either be a great thing or not so good.

Personally, I try to share what I believe other parents will relate to, find humorous, or moments I find I need help with as a mother. I don’t share everything and mostly share those moments that make me laugh, but that are not embarrassing for my kids. In general, I believe I’m sharing the special memories and milestones, but not the bad stuff. At least, I try my best to be conscious of differentiating between the two. However, that’s not to say that if you do share the bad stuff, it’s a bad thing. I’m just saying I prefer not to.

Sharing our parenting moments, special memories of our children, and the humorous times in parenting, is all in our parenting nature. Our children will enjoy reading and hearing about the moments we document. In turn, they’ll share their own special childhood memories and storytelling traditions will continue throughout generations. Who knows what kind of stories they’ll share online when they get older, right? Maybe they’ll be talking about us!

What kind of parenting moments do you share online?

Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Disney Baby. I’ll be joining the Disney Baby blogging team next month, and look forward to sharing these kinds of stories with you over there! Stay tuned for more details!

Photo: epSos.de/Flickr

It’s pretty sad to admit, but the truth is that my baby boy is suffering from second child syndrome. Don’t know what that is? It’s when you let go of those “must and should” expectations you had with your first baby.

We all know those things we did, bought, or thought we were supposed to do with our baby, don’t we? More than likely, you soon realized you really didn’t need that baby item. Or perhaps you figured out that it wasn’t such a big deal if things didn’t work out exactly as you read in that parenting book.

When you have a second baby, you are already so much more comfortable and confident as a mother, that you let go of many of those expectations. You know that things won’t ever go as planned and you learn to go with the flow. Unfortunately, this also means you slack on other aspects of parenting that you may later wish you had continued doing.

I think part of the second child syndrome is also due to the fact that you are constantly splitting your time and attention between two children. I certainly didn’t purposely neglect to do some things; it just sort of happened in the hustle and bustle of everyday life. Here are a few examples. Perhaps you can relate?

Things I Did With My Girl That Didn’t Happen With My Boy

1. Memory book
2. Professional photographs for the milestone months and holidays
3. Followed behind her every move
4. Worry about every little thing (as much)
5. Use all the baby items and gadgets I thought I needed
6. Freak out when she fell
7. Stress over how much she ate

Now that I’m more conscious of this, I am trying to be better about it. I’m taking more photos of my baby boy, starting to document more of his moments and special quirks, and generally trying to create more memories. However, I think the reduced amount of worrying (about him falling, eating, etc.) is actually a good thing, since it allows him more freedom and independence.

If you have more than one child, do you think they suffer(ed) from second child syndrome? If not, how did you avoid it?

Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Disney Baby. I’ll be joining the Disney Baby blogging team next month, and look forward to sharing these kinds of stories with you over there! Stay tuned for more details!

Photo: jerseygal2009/Flickr