My daughter's getting older, and I'm starting to see, in very distinct ways, how she is like my husband and me. Today, during her nap, I noticed that she was sucking her thumb. I was a thumb sucker until about 6 while my husband had never done it. A week ago, however, she did something very much like my husband...she lifted her leg to fart... something I have never done. She is also very smiley and sociable, like my husband, but definitely has my stubborn streak. At the pediatrician's office she refused to turn her head to the left, even when the doctor had it in her hands and physically tried to move it. The doctor became worried she couldn't turn her head to one side, even when I assured her she could. Sophia, just like her mom, was just being obstinate. Two minutes later Soph would only look to the left! Seeing her share some of our traits, and also how she she mimics us (she waves=) is both an honor and a huge responsibility. The later is something I was recently reminded of again.
I spent a large portion of my life bulimic, and a few weeks after having my daughter I was tempted to go back to this. I wanted to have control of something, as well as lose the 60 lbs I had gained while pregnant. I fed Soph, put her in her swing, and went to the bathroom to purge my own dinner. When I came back to pick Soph up, I saw that she was covered in her vomit (this was pre-rice cereal... see earlier post) and I started crying. I had just read an article by the American Dietetic Association that said when a mom is dissatisfied with her body, the daughter will learn to base her self-worth on her appearance. The study went on to show that girls as young as five were starting to diet because they saw their mothers doing it. It was intellectual information to me until I saw my mistake mirrored on my daughter's face.
I haven't relapsed since that night, and I have people in place to help keep me accountable. I want my daughter to inherit and learn a lot from me, but not this. For more about this check out:
http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?artid=2562308 OR
i started blogging again too! (http://haileysmom0812.blogspot.com/) it's funny how kids pick up things from their parents. hailey has a blanket and she (ugh this is gross) will twist up the corner of it and roll it around in her nose while she is falling asleep or in her sleep or something....her grandma said her dad did that too until he was about 6!! i am trying to get her to stop that because it is soo gross, but it's strange that both of them did it and she has never (hopefully, lol) seen him do it! hailey is also very sassy and stubborn..and she gets both of these things from me...i am sure :)
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