A Matter of Perspective

I have failed miserably at keeping this blog updated recently. I used to have some time at work or in the evenings, but that is no longer the case. My time is pretty much accounted for from the minute I wake to the minute I fall asleep (on the couch before I get to bed...) If you have a child or children you know that time gets away from you and before you know it you've missed four months worth of updates. I apologize for that. Without making this post 10 pages long I will do my best to highlight the key points of the past 4 months and keep it interesting... Here we go...

Tobiah is 16.5 months old already and he is busy, busy, busy! He started walking consistently, shortly after his birthday. Since then we have been chasing him around and he has truly enjoyed his new-found independence.

• Toby has all of his top and bottom teeth from 1st molar to 1st molar! Teething was only difficult for a few short weeks when he had 6 teeth coming through at once. He is a trooper, and was hardly fussy or upset by this. We are happy to be past the major drooling stage for now. :-)
• Toby has an ever increasing vocabulary both spoken and signed. His first word (aside from Daddy and Mama) was Hi! He LOVES people and is very friendly, waving and saying Hi everywhere we go.
• Toby has a fascination with ceiling fans and all lights. He wants them on and off and on and off. He knows how to pull the cords and press the switches so he can control them, but his height doesn't allow him to do this without assistance from an adult. It was obnoxious for a while, but we have tamed this desire for fan and light control and he is much easier to please with 1 time of on and off instead of repeated switching! Pshew!!
• Toby had his first haircut. He looks like an adorable little boy without hair in his eyes and his rat tail gone! (Forever) Yes, he still has his post bath curls so we love that!
• Toby completely understands what is being said and is great at following directions! He listens well and is a great helper. Just today he saw me picking up the Christmas tree needles off the carpet and placing them back on the tree skirt. He joined right in (without my asking) and picked up the rest of the needles off the carpet.
• Toby is very loving and enjoys giving kisses on the cheek as well as blowing kisses to people he likes. 
• Toby has had fun adventures this fall including a trip to the apple orchard, many visits from family including a nice Thanksgiving with his IA cousins and auntie and uncle Mark here to visit, a road trip to IA for a wedding (where he met most of my side of the family), and an airplane trip tomorrow to Arizona to visit Grandpa Dana and Grandma K-K.
• We received a dumping of snow this past weekend so we took advantage and enjoyed sledding and playing outside before it got too cold. We have a perfect hill in our backyard that is just right for sledding. Toby and his cousin, Zeke, really enjoyed it!

First Big Snowfall!

Finally, I had this thought a few weeks ago and have been meaning to share it. I was thinking about Toby and his growth and development as a toddler, and how there are times when I feel like I am doing the right thing for Toby, but in another person's eyes I may be doing it wrong. As I continued this thought I realized that we all see life based on the input in our lives. There are a lot of things that influence our thoughts, including the way we were raised, who we surround ourselves with, and our experiences in life. I know there are people that may look at a situation (ie. how I speak to or discipline my child in public) and the scoff or act as though they know a better method. Then I realized that instead of feeling judged or feeling like I should change my approach I need to remind myself that they just don't know what they don't know. Their perspective is different than mine and if what I am doing works for me and my family then I will continue doing it. I have also realized that grandparents have a different perspective on raising children than parents do because as a parent we are just learning. I, personally, have to learn to relax more. Most importantly, we are all unique and I need to give grace and understanding toward the perspective of others because that's all they have to live by. Don't get me wrong. There are absolute truths in life, but when it comes to the little things, it's all a matter of perspective. :-)

I sure love Tobiah! He melts my heart!
~Steph