Halloween with the Harris'

I love Halloween! I personally do not dress up, but I love the colors, that it sets off the beginning of all the holidays, all the cute little costumes and it means FALL!

While Bridger is still little I of course have to take full advantage of that and dress him up in cute little halloween themed outfits and jammies! We dressed up the entire week before Halloween and for Halloween....here is the little guy when I remember to get a picture...

Where is your nose??

Where is your Ear?

Bridger also had a Halloween party at daycare on Friday and my mom and I went to celebrate with him. They made cute little shakers and frosted some cookies and snacked a bunch! It was so funny to see how each child is so different. Bridger was more concerned with "thinking he was eating the frosting" than really eating it, while so many others downed the frosting and new exactly what it was. He had fun and sat in his highchair like a good boy the entire time.  The party was slightly different than what I expected but it was fun! I can't wait to go to his Thanksgiving party and Christmas program.

Saturday went with Memaw and stopped at a couple of Halloween festivities that were around the Bluff. The first one was basically over, we got there too late because B was taking his nap. They saved him a bag of candy and he had fun running free for the short time we were there. We then went to the church and they had some festivities going on. Bridger is still too little for so much of it, but he really loved just being outside and running around freely! Maybe next year he will be able to participate a little bit more. He loves it regardless! After that we stopped by the pumpkin patch for pictures and let Bridger pick out his own pumpkin!! Little boy was so worn out by the end of everything!



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Halloween night Ryan and I took Bridger out in our neighborhood to go trick or treating. Our friend Karie and her son Landon met us and decided to go with. Karie's husband was out of town and of course we didn't want her taking her little one out by herself. She dressed up for her work and it scared Bridger! He was so concerned with her that he really didn't pay much attention to what we were doing. He kept his eye on her most of the time and wanted to make sure she didn't get to close. It was so cute!! Landon just laughed at his mommy but Bridger wanted no part of her. Silly boy!  We went around the block and that was plenty for these little boys. We finished right at dark. We didn't even go to every house. He has so much candy between trick or treating and his school parties and friends! We have way too much candy in this house! I need to stay away!!
Here is our sweet little bug!



Too much candy for us!!



Fun with Friends

We had a good weekend and it felt long. I love those kind! We even made it to church! Yay! Seems like something usually always comes up and we miss the service. We made it the past weekend. Bridger did great and we weren’t called. =)

We watched some football and had lunch at my moms….than we headed over to ryans moms and started cooking there, Ryan got some ribs and we had my mom over again and our friends, Pat & Karie and their little boy, Landon. Landon and Bridger are 2.5 months apart and play very well together. Maybe because both of them are kind of in their own world, they aren’t pushy with eachother and they just do their own thing. The guys had them outside and these little boys had so much fun playing on the trampoline. Thank goodness for the enclosure b/c these little boys did plenty of running into it! Landon got the jist of it and started jumping a little.

 

 

Family Portraits

Here is a sneak peak at our family pictures we had made a couple weeks ago. I am so excited because we have actually never went and had family pictures made before….slacking I know!

 

I went to High school with the girl that did our pictures. She loves taking pictures and is trying to start her own business eventually. She isn’t even advertising and already so busy! It was much easier doing them with someone that you know and not awkward. I know she took a ton of pictures and I can’t wait to see them all. We were planning on using one for our Christmas card this year…so we will see when all the pictures are finally posted!

 

For now, this is what we got!

 

 

Trouble at Daycare

So Bridger has had a rough couple weeks or week I should say at daycare.

 

A few weeks ago he came home 3 different times with bite marks in various areas, one being on his face next to his eye that bruised a little. I didn’t say much because I know this happens at this age and these little guys are either teething, or thinking they are playing. I didn’t angry or mad, I just let it go and hoped it wouldn’t happen anymore.

 

Well, this past week Bridger has become the biter. He and another little girl do not get along supposedly, and she is who bit him and he has now started biting her. He also bit the teacher one day. We have had several discussions on this and what to do. I can’t discipline him at home because well, he isn’t doing it at home. I can’t correct him when I pick him up because that isn’t fair – it needs to be addressed immediately. Although it sounds bad, we have bit Bridger back before (not hard) but for him to get the point that biting is not ok. Obviously daycare can’t do that to teach him and I am not sure if that is the correct procedure anyway.

 

Monday morning I was called into the director’s office to discuss his problem. For some reason momma bear came out and I was pretty upset when I left. I’m not by any means stating it is ok to bite, because it isn’t. For some reason I feel as if he has the big finger at him at all times, maybe I’m missing the picture, but just the way they talk to me about it and him….and how they always mention how he is “overly active” and the “loudest screamer” and he can’t sit still long, etc. like they really don’t like him or they are all around bothered by him. Just an overall negative vibe. Again, just my own feelings and I could be viewing it wrong, and I’m really trying hard not to. I have talked to them, all of them and discussed discipline measures that could help Bridger….after all consistency is what’s important. They don’t “discipline” at his daycare. I don’t expect them to spank him of course, but a simple time out, something he is very well known to at home, could be followed thru at daycare as well. I am not sure how they are handling the situation because I am not there, but obviously what is happening in reaction to him biting isn’t working. We have addressed it at home and were successful, so something is definitely not happening at daycare.

 

I’m not trying to just defend my child, but I feel as if they should be helping a little bit more trying to fix this issue and helping him learn right from wrong….. My child is with them 10 hours a days and only with me not even 3 hours.(awake). I’m fully relying on his day providers to help teach him and guide him in the correct direction and put time and effort into helping each and every child and reiterate and teach what I am already trying to install him him. After all, if you have a daycare isn’t that your goal, isn’t that what you are set up to do? You are helping in forming his future with us, the parents.

 

They have mentioned how he is the only one in the class that acts up, cries and throws tantrums. Every child is different, and every child needs different methods of correction. Not every daycare, or school, or homecare will want to take the time and effort to do that. That is what I am analyzing now. Some fits just aren’t good. As much as I loved this daycare, maybe it just isn’t a good fit for him. Not anyone’s fault, just happens.

 

Ever since Bridger was born we knew he had our hands full, he never wanted to sit still and always wanted to see what was going on….never wanted to be confined to anything or kept in tight places.

I feel as if people that do not have children like my own, do not fully understand children like Bridger…or understand that you really need different tactics!  At least I believe that from what I have seen. They think it is either bad parenting or maybe something else, but mostly bad parenting and I have experienced this myself as well until I had one of those “kids”.  Maybe my parenting isn’t up to par, I am a first time mommy.

But this little boy is 100% headstrong and sometimes hard to handle. I do not want to spend his childhood spanking him every single time he throws a tantrum or acts out…because it would be often. He isn’t “bad” but he isn’t calm or interested in what anyone has to say. I fully believe in discipline and we do discipline but not all things may work. Each kid has different things that work best….I do not want an out of control little boy, but I am needing some good info and good advice that we haven’t yet tried that very well could get thru to him. Some children you can just warn them and tell them “that isn’t nice”, Bridger could care less. His attention span is a couple minutes….he can’t focus or even listen to what you are saying..most kids get it. Not him. That is where the different tactics come in. He doesn’t sit on your lap and look around, he doesn’t let you read him a book, he doesn’t stay quiet and just watch, he is 100% fully engaged with everything going on…constantly talking his talk, screaming to be heard, or getting frustrated because he can’t talk. Wanting to be in the middle of what’s going on and on the move if he is awake.

 

Maybe I am just defending him and need to be hard on him all the time. Just seems so harsh for a 16month old, maybe us the parents need to snap out of it. I don’t want to be blinded by any means. Possibly it is our fault.

 

I have gotten a book called The Happiest Toddler on the Block, I haven’t had the chance to read it but I have got to make the time to sit down and read it. Something very valuable could be in there and could possibly be the best info for us yet.

 

Overall I am frustrated at daycare, at the fact that I feel as if it is my fault he is acting up in class, although this is 100% his personality, but maybe I just keep using that excuse and am not disciplining enough. I don’t want to constantly be correcting my child the entire time he is awake and spanking him the entire day….I want him to be happy and have a happy childhood. Time to get searching in different ways to help your child. Hope I can find something helpful, I don’t want my sweet baby being kicked out of daycare. =)

 

Update: Bridger has had a better week this week.He got bit yesterday...see he isn't the only biter!! He also got into a little scuffle and hit another child.......

 He bit another child today as a result of the kid trying to take a book from him. They said Bridger is talking a lot more and responding so much better to them re-correcting him. I think he is feeling better and his daddy has been home this week which I am sure is helping him as well.

I am guessing they are trying different tactics finally and realizing what I am saying about being able to discipline is him differently or approach him differently.

I hope he can continue to have a good week and not have anymore issues! Fingers crossed!

Embroideries

Our friends mom has recently got into embroidering her own things. She bought the machine and has learned how to use it! Impressive!! She makes her granddaughter so many cute things and also all of the extras for her husband and sons fishing team!!

I love getting things embroidered! I wish I would've done more of Bridger's things when he was a baby because I think that is when it is even more precious!! I would embroider everything if I could and if I had the money to support it!

So I contacted our friends mom and she did a couple of items for me! I am so happy with the result and of course makes me a little more excited knowing that I know someone who does it, just in case I may need something embroidered again....which I'm sure I will!

Here is what I had done for baby Isabella!

I also had bought this pillow case a the Peddler show a few months ago and I wanted to get it embroidered....so WALA!