I realized something the other day, as I watched Danny and William dancing in the living room last night for over a half an hour. Our main purpose, Danny and I, is to be good parents to William and Violet.
Danny comes home from work every day, and literally the minute he gets home from work until Violet and William go to bed for the night, he spends it playing with William or holding Violet. Danny and William take hour-long baths together just about every night, playing with toys and splashing each other. Since Violet is 2 months old right now and not sleeping through the night, sometimes Danny will keep her with him until nearly 1am while he's watching tv or on the computer, so I can get a bit of extra sleep.
I think the most important thing a parent can do for their child is just to listen to them. Sometimes kids just want to be acknowledged. William talks to me all day long, and he does actually have things to say. Everything he observes, he wants to tell me what he is seeing. Whether it is an airplane out the car window, or a squirrel on the tree when we are taking a walk. If I am busy when he is trying to tell me something, I do my best to explain to him what I am doing at the moment, and that I will help him with what he needs or what he has to say, when I get the chance. It's funny, because a lot of the time when he says something, maybe a new word, he waits for me to repeat it and confirm to him that he was correct. Sometimes I don't understand what he's said right away, but if I listen a couple more times, usually I can pick it up (he is usually right, it's just that his pronunciation isn't always 100% for being a toddler!).
And even though she is so little, Violet looks so smart and inquisitive. The sleepless nights get easier as she responds more to my face during the day; she looks, laughs, and I bet she will be trying to say things or make little sounds any day now. At the beginning I was always having a hard time figuring out what she needed when she cried; but now I am doing my best to take the time and whenever I don't know what to do, I just hold her and that usually does the trick. Sometimes she just needs to relax before she goes to sleep.
It's great being a parent. Some days are a challenge, but I wouldn't trade it for anything.
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