As I Lay Awake...

I wake up around 4am every morning and just lay awake. Some nights I can sleep longer, but most I'm just up and I rest or blog. I think a lot too. Here are some of my thoughts as I lay awake this morning:

I think about Ty and how much I love him and I think my heart is going to burst.
I think about Jeremy and how lucky I am to have him and how helpful he's been to me, especially lately.
I think about Cameron (what we will most likely name our new son) and what he'll be like and how much I'm going to love him. And about how much I already do.
I think about what double stroller to get. I don't really like any of them. Even the one's that cost as much as a car. I'm so picky.
I think about where we'll put all the new baby stuff in our itty bitty living space.
I think about what fabric to pick for my new baby carrier.
I think about Ty and wonder if he's cold so I get up and check. He's usually fine.
I think about how much I love being a mom and if I'll remember all the things I learned when Ty was first born.

And it's this last thought that made me want to write down the biggest lessons I've learned as a mom. I realize all kids are different and I will probably do different things with each one but there are a few lessons that stand out to me that I don't want to forget and as I think of them I plan to jot them down on my blog.

Here's mom lesson #1:

The behavior we make the biggest deal out of is the behavior that will continue. Whether we make a big deal out of it in a positive or negative way, it will continue. If we downplay bad behavior it goes away much more quickly than if we try to force it away. Obviously some things we have to make a big deal out of like hitting your little cousin or the dog, but most things are not a big deal and go away really fast when we don't make it into a big fat deal.

We've found the best way to teach Ty good behavior is by making a big deal out the great things he does. And he does a lot of great things. We are very blessed to have such a great little boy.