Day 52

Even though the weather wasn't all that lovely today, Michael and I decided to take Benjamin for a nice walk along the path and down to the playground. He sure was pooped by the time it was all said and done! He fell asleep on the walk home, but it didn't last long as he woke up when we got home and I was stripping him out of his wet pants and coat (the walk back was only about ten minutes long!). So at least tonight he will hopefully sleep soundly. He has been doing great lately with his sleeping habits. For a few months now he has gotten into the habit of going to sleep usually around 8pm and then waking at about 11pm (I am often still up) and wanting me to come in simply to calm him down for a minute then leave, and then coming eventually into my bed to sleep the rest of the night usually around 2:30am or so. I really don't mind because him being in my bed has no negative effect on me and I think it is actually beneficial for him. I did a lot of researching on the whole co-sleeping debate and found that there is actually far more benefits of doing it than cons...and that most of the cons are simply things that happen to parents who aren't responsible in general - like if they were to drink and then sleep with their child. Most problems seem to happen with babies and not toddlers anyhow and nothing supports the theory that it takes from their independence and turns them into sucky kids...in fact everything I came across said the exact opposite; suggesting that instead children are more confident and independent when they sleep with their mother longer. Not too surprisingly (to me at least) this is something else I do that is "typically" unlike most parent's beliefs. Doesn't bother me though...my son seems to be doing just fantastic in life! I think yet again it comes down to the way our society thinks. Other places in the world sleep bare chest to chest with their young for quite some time and nobody thinks twice about it. Those children are often extremely independent and confident and and develop just fine. I think that people tend to do what they think is "normal" and don't really do a lot of questioning. Or perhaps they question it but don't bother doing the research to truly and thoroughly answer those questions. I think if they did, more people would do things in life that are considered to be abnormal. So it doesn't bother me at all really. However considering the society we do live in, I would still like to pass some encouragement to him to have him sleep on his own in his bed. The sweet thing is, when he comes to my bed he has no interest in waking me (although I still have that mother's instinct thing going on where I wake about a minute before he does even if he is in the other room LOL) and just crawls into bed and rolls over (facing away from me lol) and goes to sleep. Anyways, didn't mean to ramble on so long there, the point is that lately he has been showing more signs of wanting to sleep on his own. Even this past week that he has been so sick, he comes to my bed much later than normal and if he wakes in my bed before morning (which has occurred thanks to his cough) he gets up and goes to his own bed voluntarily lol Also at bedtime he doesn't need me to sit in his room til he is out anymore...he often says "bye" and points towards the door asking me to leave LOL I find it sooo adorable!

Annnnnyways...I seriously didn't mean to get on a co-sleeping rant at all! I swear! lol Do what you want with your kids...I know I will! :P

Ok...so back on topic (I think this is the topic at least...not sure anymore lol) we had a pretty nice outing. When we left it was barely raining at all so it was actually kind of crisp and refreshing, and as we got deeper on the path into the woods the rain got slightly harder. By the time we were leaving the playground however it was raining fairly hard so we got pretty wet. We had stopped along the path down at the river and Mike attempted to teach me to skip stones...like any other attempt to do this in my life, I failed...miserably lol
I just don't get it! :( lol







Michael made Salmon-Potato Cakes for dinner (and although I am not a fan of fish, I actually kind of enjoyed it as always lol). After he left, I just so happened to catch yet another Jamie Oliver show that was on Food Network tonight called Jamie's Fowl Dinners. I actually didn't pay a whole lot of attention to it, but there was one part that was just so sad. I ended up bawling my eyes out like a baby :(
I found the show on YouTube so I will share part one with you (I trust you can find the rest of the parts once you're there lol). Part one includes the sad part I saw...involving male chicks...



I really hope that what he is doing will make a profound difference in this world. I can't commit myself 100% because you can only buy so much with the money you have - but the times I find I can afford it - I will definitely be buying free range organic...I hope that people with the funds, will be moved enough to commit fully to the upgrade.

"In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks." - John Muir