(more) keeping it real

Here's another entry from the "keepin' it real" files... 


This morning Mike and I had a lengthy argument discussion about parenting ... and the "discussion" then continued this afternoon. And evening.  For the most part, we are totally on the same page. But today was a good "opportunity" for us to "debate" things like:

Can you spoil an almost-5-month-old baby?
When do babies start manipulating their environment (i.e., their parents)?
How do we respond to her cries? And how quickly?
How can we tell if she's really upset or if she's just "vocalizing"?
Is she equally soothed by both of us?
Can we be overly reliant on one calming technique?

Rather than re-hash the whole discussion here, I figured I would be best to just post those themes instead. We've worked through these issues as much as we can, and I'm feeling much better as a result (and hope Mike is too!). I'm sure other things will arise in the future so I'm glad to have a partner who's willing to work through this stuff together, as hard as it. Man, this parenting business is all sorts of tough work!

With that, I leave you with this snapshot of Rose from last week: