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Soon, Freddy will become a big brother. As we prepare to welcome his little brother, we know there\u2019s going to be a big adjustment ahead for all three of us (him, me, and his daddy). But with that change also comes more love, more laughter, and a growing bond in our family.<\/p>\n
Lately, I\u2019ve been trying to soak up all the little moments with Freddy, knowing that soon things will shift. At the same time, I\u2019ll admit that I\u2019ve had a shorter fuse than usual. Pregnancy hormones and exhaustion are definitely part of it, and Freddy\u2019s own mix of emotions and frustration some days can be tough to navigate. Still, I\u2019m learning to meet those moments with as much calm and patience as I can.<\/p>\n
Parenting really is a constant learning curve, isn\u2019t it?<\/p>\n
Lately, I\u2019ve been doing a lot of reflecting. Even on the harder days, there\u2019s always more light in my life with Freddy. He reminds me daily that love and growth often show up in the quiet, in between moments.<\/p>\n
I\u2019ve been soaking up more one-on-one time with him after school and in the evenings whenever I can. We sit on his bedroom floor while he shows me how he draws shapes wanting to trace them across both pages of his notepad like little mirror images. I think he might be learning about symmetry at school.<\/p>\n
Sometimes he asks me to write out the alphabet, and then he\u2019ll proudly tell me a word for each letter. His whole face lights up as he speaks \u2013 there\u2019s this spark, like he knows he\u2019s doing something amazing. And he is. I\u2019m so proud of all he\u2019s discovering and everything he\u2019s starting to love, especially his colours, his love for numbers, and the way he pieces together sequences and sums with such cleverness and happiness.<\/p>\n
Knowing that his little brother will be here soon, I\u2019m holding Freddy just a little more, a little tighter, whenever I can. I can already imagine how big he\u2019ll look next to a tiny newborn, as our home fills with the soft, newness of a baby again. To be honest, most of the time, I probably need those cuddles more than he does. There\u2019s something about the comfort of holding him close that makes everything feel better like the world fades into the background and all that matters is this moment. I know I\u2019ll keep holding him close once his baby brother arrives, too. Well, for as long as he\u2019ll let me!<\/p>\n
Yep, Freddy is still very selective about what he eats, despite Danny and me trying all sorts of things. We\u2019ve created excitement around food, tried new combinations, and still, he knows exactly what he likes. He\u2019ll pick out foods when we\u2019re shopping (broccoli, potatoes, and sweet peppers top the list), and when he spots pizza, he lights up. He even plays a game on CBeebies where he makes a pizza for mummy and daddy!<\/p>\n
When it comes to fruit, he\u2019s brilliant. He\u2019ll eat bananas, strawberries, pears, apples, oranges\u2026you name it. He also loves cucumber, cheese and crackers, soup on occasion, sandwiches with cheese or ham sometimes, mini sausage rolls, toast, and cereal. Oh, and I can\u2019t forget his his love for mashed apple, carrot, and parsnip combo \u2013 it\u2019s been a favourite since he was a baby.<\/p>\n
We often find ourselves thinking,\u00a0\u201cMaybe we won\u2019t go through this with our second child<\/em>\u201d \u2013 but who knows? Freddy used to eat hot meals with us, and loved such a variety, like scrambled eggs, spaghetti bolognese, and bits of roast dinner. We\u2019re still waiting to hear from his paediatrician \u2013 it\u2019s been 9 months since his last appointment. When he gets upset about food, he\u2019ll hide his bowl or plate in a cupboard, out of sight. I really hope we can get more help soon.<\/p>\n There\u2019s always someone ready to comment on your parenting choices. Right now, we\u2019re doing our best to ignore the opinions and focus on what matters most to us \u2013 raising a happy and healthy child. In the past, I was a little worried about Freddy\u2019s speech and communication, wondering if he\u2019s where he \u201cshould\u201d be, but after giving it some time, especially since starting school last September, we\u2019ve seen huge progress. We can notice it, even if others don\u2019t.<\/p>\n Another thing that\u2019s been harder than we expected is figuring out when and how to wean him off his \u201cnighttime nappies.\u201d He\u2019s toilet trained during the day, but still relies on nighttime pants because his body doesn\u2019t yet tell him to wake up and go to the toilet when he needs to wee at night. I\u2019ve read that it\u2019s normal for some 3-year-olds and that it can take time for their bodies to recognise those nighttime signals.<\/p>\n Then there\u2019s his bottle. He still loves it at night for comfort \u2013 he\u2019s definitely a cup of tea lover, just like his mama! Freddy\u2019s been going to the dentist since he was about 6 months old, and we\u2019ve kept up with regular checkups every 6 months since. There are no concerns about his dental health, but we\u2019re hoping to eventually wean him off the bottle \u2013 it\u2019s just a bit trickier than we thought. A few months ago, he showed some progress when he was only relying on it for sleep about 3-4 nights a week, even without any fluid, just to chew on the teat!<\/p>\n I might still be trying to rush things in my own mind, I don\u2019t know. We\u2019re going to try to get Freddy to \u201cgive his bottle to baby brother\u201d <\/em>once he\u2019s here because Freddy is such a \u201cbig boy now\u201d <\/em>so we\u2019ll see how that goes.<\/p>\n Even with all the wonderings that go on in my mind, I need to remind myself to celebrate the good moments more, especially when it comes to praising Freddy for all the wonderful things he can do. I can\u2019t believe he\u2019s going to be 4 years old in August. Maybe I\u2019ll do a little update post after then.<\/p>\n Stay posted for new baby brother updates over at The Mama Perspective on TikTok<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\nThe pressure of parenting never goes away<\/h2>\n
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