Nobody's perfect

So, a little update...

Niamh is still not gaining weight as quickly as we would like, so per her doctor's recommendation we now supplement with a few ounces of whole milk per day and hopefully that will help. I have already been making sure she's getting lots of solids and nursing, but supplementing is very recent. I went to the breastfeeding clinic in tears after finding out she has dropped to the 1st percentile in weight. It turns out that chart was for formula-fed babies. The chart for breastfed babies is quite different, as they tend to put on weight more quickly at first, then lean out, where as the opposite is true for formula-fed babies. What a difference. Niamh is consistently in the 15th percentile for nursed babies, staying on her growth curve just fine. I'd still like to see her gain, but she is healthy, adorable, meeting her milestones and then some and I could even swear I see a double chin underneath that irresistable grin.

Kathryn has had a little trouble in gymnastics and even once at preschool with not listening and running around or away lately. I think a lot of it is just who she is at this age. I have read about it, and this is completely normal stuff for three and four year olds. Still, it's frustrating. I think the way Rob and I try to parent makes our lives harder. We have never spanked our kids. I hope we never will, unless it is needed to help them understand a physical danger (street, matches, etc...). We are not perfect, but we try to be loving and gentle, not to snap, and to think of discipline in terms of teaching, not punishment. It's not that there aren't consequences, but our love is unconditional and she knows that. There is no fear that we will hurt or stop loving her if she is not perfect. Kathryn is confident and brilliant. Exhuberant is how her teacher put it. She can also be wild. She has a beautiful spirit that just radiates. I know she will grow into it. In the meantime, I am trying to set her up for success. There are some situations she can't handle, and we stay away from those. Usually when she's naughty, she needs something. I also know that if she's tired, she is a zombie-monster-child (aren't we all?), and there's no use doing anything but starting the bath. We are easing her into socialization, and her teachers and I are seeing a lot of really good progress. Besides, well-behaved women seldom make history. Just don't tell her I said so.