amosley20ahs

[amosley20ahs]

Parenting Reflection

Hi dads, this will be my last post before we leave next week. I would like to take some time to reflect a little bit about my experience with Roma. I would like to start off by saying that I am so grateful to have been given a beautiful child. I love Roma and am so happy that she is a part of my life. 

After my wife gave birth she left for Paris and never came back, leaving Roma and I alone. At first I thought it would be easy and I would pick up parenting quickly, but it was difficult. Roma as a newborn cried a ton and it started to drive me crazy. I could never go anywhere or do anything, she also had to be fed every 3 hours which was a huge pain in the butt. After the first year things became easier. She was able to crawl around, she ate less and conformed to my living pattern more. From age 3 till present day I could not be more happy and proud of her. She is learning well and starting to figure out the world. She is always curious and is always looking to engage herself in something. 

So far the most valuable lessons I have learned are to give your child time, and encourage them to figure things out. At first when Roma couldn’t do things I became frustrated because other kids could do them. But after listening and reading about it I realized all children have their own pace that they are comfortable with. It is important not to push them or force them into anything because they will eventually figure it out. They may need some help, which is completely fine, but you should never push them beyond their limit. Be patient, they are a creation of nature, and nature always figures it out. One other lesson I learned is to be there for your child. When Roma was first born I always wanted to go out and do things, but I just couldn’t. At the moment it was frustrating but I am so glad I spent as much time with her while she was developing as possible. It helped us bond and form an attachment that she won’t have with anyone else. You won’t regret it. 

Although it was difficult I had a strong attachment to my child. I feel like having a real baby would be infinitely more challenging. I became tired carrying her around all day to all of my classes and I almost forgot her multiple times. I would like to have a child sometime in my life, however not as a teen or in the next few years of my life. I feel like you should be ready and settled. Babies are definitely not an easy task. 

That's it for me, Adios and goodbye.

[amosley20ahs]

Her favorite breakfast is cereal Im telling ya. 

[amosley20ahs]

Preschooling

So Roma is now 4!! Oh my goodness has it been a crazy ride. Her cerebellum has completely formed and she no longer has balance issues which is a huge win. She is now in her pre operational stage of childhood. This means that she can represent things with words and pictures, but too young to perform mental operations. She is also egocentric. This just means that she has a hard time perceiving things from a different perspective. Now I had no idea what this meant so I did a quick search and it is actually very entertaining to watch. For example a glass of water is poured from one glass into a different shaped container. The kid wouldn’t be able to tell that they are the same amount of liquid just in a different form. She can also read emotions and facial expressions. This is called theory of mind. 

Besides Roma’s incident 2 years ago with violent video games she has been fairly good. I have been going to classes once every 2 weeks on how to properly discipline your child. So far I have learned to choose my battles. If I am always battling Roma she will begin to tune me out and not understand the true consequences of the things she is doing. Another tactic is to be consistent with my punishments. If I am inconsistent then a child may become confused on the consequences of doing different things. The last tactic I have learned so far is to keep it short and simple. If you drag on about something a child might not completely absorb all the information and become distracted by your rant. Derailing the focus of the conversation which is their behavior. Here is an article with more information if you want to take a look. https://www.parents.com/toddlers-preschoolers/discipline/tips/7-tips-for-disciplining-your-toddler/

I am terribly sad to say this but Roma and I will be traveling off the grid and will no longer be using social media. It has been a pleasure. Take care dads.

[amosley20ahs]

Check out Roma’s air time. 3rd from the left. 

[amosley20ahs]

Major Playdate Moments. #bling

[amosley20ahs]

Toddler Years

Gosh I love being a dad! These past 2 years of Roma’s life have been truly amazing. Watching her grow up and learn has been a magical experience for me as a father. Every week Roma and I try to do something new together which has really bonded us together more than ever. Roma is still having some trouble with her balance but she can stand and walk freely. She does fall over quite a bit but that isn’t stopping her from learning and observing the world around her. She is still in the sensorimotor stage of childhood. This means that she is learning by looking, hearing, and touching things. This also means that she can’t comprehend object permanence=ence yet, so anything out of sight is out of mind to her. So because of this I try and be with her as much as possible, so she knows I’ll be there for her. 

Roma is also now becoming potty trained. She has shown all the signs of her being ready. Now comes the difficult part, I have read many articles and watched many videos on how to encourage potty training. https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/infant-and-toddler-health/in-depth/potty-training/art-20045230 

Here is the link to an amazing article that I have been using and sharing. 

Since Roma can walk I have had to do some baby proofing of my crib. Lol dad joke sorry. I watched a video on what to do and the number one thing was to tape diapers to the corners and edges of tables and counters. So now I have diapers taped to everything, but at least Roma can roam freely in the house. Another dad joke sorry I’ll stop. I have also moved things off counters and moved all dangerous objects into high up cabinets. I also bought locks for all of the lower cabinets so Roma can’t open them and hurt herself in with anything. 

Roma has also been watching her cousins play violent video games which has caused her to mirror some actions. Occasionally She will kick and c=scream and scratch. This has not been good and a few times I have received calls from daycare about Roma’s behavior.  Have decided to try my best not to expose her to any violent media in the future at all. 

Thanks dads.

[amosley20ahs]

Roma and some friends came out to watch one of my soccer games!

[amosley20ahs]

Me and Roma reading Turn of The Screw! Also check out these sweet swaddling skills!

[amosley20ahs]

LOL’D at this. Parenting got me like...

[amosley20ahs]

Infancy!

Hello my fellow groovy dads. How are those dad jokes coming? Mine are terrible, its great to be honest. Now back to what we are here for. So after the pregnancy my wife decided to move to paris with her family for personal reasons, leaving me and baby Roma to live on our own. I am not going to lie here dads, taking care of Roma has been increasingly difficult and tiring. My sleep schedule changes everyday. I work from home, so things are somewhat easier, but I can’t go more than a few hours in silence before crying begins. She cries less now but man is it hard. Her and I go to parenting class every week though which has been really great for the both of us. 

Unfortunately Roma was born prematurely and has an abnormally small head which has stunted her growth and development as a baby. The doctor expects that her first steps won’t be for another few months, which is worrying as she is already 1 and a half. She has an abnormally small cerebellum which controls her balance and motor skills, and hasn’t fully developed, making moving around hard for her as well as picking up things. But the doctor has informed me that shell grow out of this and will begin to grow normally by age 2, which I am super relieved about. All I want is for her to have a normal life. 

Oddly enough Roma’s language skills are developing completely normally which is amazing to see. Roma and I read every night and I am constantly talking to her to try and help her language. So far she has uttered various words. She still is learning how to put words together but doc says she is learning very well. Get ready for the honor student stickers baby!!!! She has also graduated from drinking my breast milk. LOL no kidding I assure you all I am a guy. But she has begun to eat softer foods and she’ll nibble on things. Sort of like a hamster would but less like that and more like a human. 

Here is a link I am using to try and help Roma with standing and taking some steps. I have found the most frustrating thing for me is not being able to help her directly. So i have been doing a lot of research on how to help encourage her. https://www.bellamysorganic.com.au/blog/12-tips-encouraging-baby-stand-walk-first-time/

Peace out dads, stay classy*finger guns*

[amosley20ahs]

BABY SQUAD!!!!!!

[amosley20ahs]

SHE HAS BEEN BORN!!!!! Welcome to the world baby Roma!👶🏻

[amosley20ahs]

How do you get an astronaut’s baby to sleep?

You rocket! #mybabyisn’tevenbornyet

[amosley20ahs]

What do you call a group of baby soldiers?

An Infantry #dadjokes

[amosley20ahs]

Hello friends, My name is Aidan Mosley, expecting father of my baby girl Roma. Iv’e decided to choose the name Roma because the name reflects a strong independent character. Last week we decided to get an ultrasound to reveal the gender of our baby. My wife is currently in the second trimester of her pregnancy and we are super excited about the progress Roma has shown in her prenatal development. All of her vital organs are developing(at least thats what doc says) which is very exciting! Some of her reflexes have started to form and supposedly she can hear and reacts to loud noises. Along with hearing she reacts to light. My wife hasn’t yet felt movement but she is expected to in the next few days, she also has been taking prenatal vitamins to help give Roma the essential vitamins she needs to grow and be healthy. This morning she actually took them with 3 shots of tequila! No, of course she didn’t, #dadjokes! She has actually been very good about not drinking since the day we found out she was pregnant. We definitely do not want Roma to develop Fetal Alcohol Syndrome. 

I have heard being a father is difficult, but I am not worried, we have been going to baby classes for the past weeks learning about how to live with our baby and accommodate her into our lives. It is actually very informative and we have learned so much, although I still can’t swaddle for my life. My wife is very thankful that I am staying in her life, as many of her friends are single parents. We have had many talks about how it would be more beneficial for Roma if we were both in her life. The life of a single parent is long and stressful and puts more pressure on the baby which isn’t good. She likes to share articles with me about how much more happy dual parents are than single parents, here is the most recent one she sent, if anyone is interested. https://living.thebump.com/data-single-parent-vs-dual-parent-households-15860.html 

Who’s ready to Rock n’ Roll!! That’s it for me friends!