Tuesday, January 1, 2008

Happy New Year!

I’ve come to learn that when you have a toddler, your to-do list is never completed. Some days it’s a miracle that I even get dinner on the table.

But that doesn’t keep me from trying. My desk is covered with sticky note reminders of things I have to do. And if by some chance I do accomplish a list of tasks, I’ll leave it hanging by my computer, the crossed-out items in full view as an inspirational reminder the next time I complain that I can’t get anything done.

So seeing as today is the biggest day of lists – a.k.a. resolutions – here’s what I resolve to accomplish this year with Ladybug:

- I will break the 2:30 a.m. bottle habit. Ladybug prefers her bottle over real food and drinks away her hunger. But those bottles don’t hold her for very long, leading to the middle-of-the-night shouts for her “didi.” Now when she asks for a bottle during the day, I only fill it halfway. Maybe that will quench her thirst but still leave her hungry for dinner. And that, hopefully, will lead to her sleeping through the night.

- I won’t push potty training. We already tried twice with no luck. But that’s probably because we did it on my schedule, not hers. I will take my cues from Ladybug when she’s ready to try again.

- TV will be reserved for special occasions only. We’ve always allowed Ladybug about a half-hour of TV a day, usually in the morning while she drinks her bottle. But she’ll try to watch more, turning on the TV by herself throughout the day. It’s too easy to let the TV become the babysitter, so we’ll nip that one in the bud.

-Since we’re cutting out TV, Ladybug can get more outdoor exercise. We already take daily ¼-mile walks and play about an hour outside in the afternoon. But seeing as how Ladybug prefers outdoors to in anyway, we’ll add another play session in the morning.

- I’ll get Ladybug to eat more foods, even if she doesn’t know it. Her limited menu is healthy enough but not well-rounded. So with my new copy of “The Sneaky Chef” in hand, we’ll use the suggestions to get more fruits, veggies and whole grains into the food Ladybug already eats.

OK, those are my goals for the year. Three hundred sixty-five days should be enough time to cross at least one of them off the list.

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