We’re Two! (and it’s not so terrible)
Posted on September 9th, 2008 – 7:26 AMBy Kay Krhin
Happy Birthday! Cribsheet is officially two! Yes two years ago today a blog was born. May wrote an article that appeared in the paper announcing our community of new parents to the world. Time flies when you’re having fun (and lively discussions)!
Birthdays are a time to be reflective. Looking back on the year since our first birthday, here are just a few some highlights:
Cribsheet was nominated for a regional Emmy and we remain just that. Emmy nominees. (but we had a great night out!)
Baby Vivian was born …the day the Gingko leaves fell.
May survived on another 24 hour plane ride to Malaysia with two little ones.
We’ve laughed a lot and have had great discussions daily.
We’ve also cried on our keyboards more than we ever imagined:
Brave and wise Sophie’s story,
Colleen Lindstrom shared Brady’s story
And then one brief e-mail in our in-box from Matt Logelin sent all of us reeling.
We were also able to finally meet several of you in person at our Cribsheet playdate. It was so great to put faces and names together. We hope to do more of those as we enter year three!
One statement that we hear from people over and over is how nice the Cribsheet commenters are. There are well thought out and respectful conversations happening here - such a refreshing breath of internet air - and so rare these days. Thank you Cribsheeters! And thank you for all of your e-mails, suggestions, links to stories, and comments. Parenting, we’re all in this together.
To celebrate turning two we have a little giveaway! We will have a drawing to give away 10 of these “Cribsheet Cutie” refrigerator frame magnets to those who write the “Top Two” things you’ve learned as a parent.
Please share your two parenting pearls of wisdom in comments below. Funny, poignant, practical or whatever you like. We will draw randomly from your entries and contact you for your mailing address if you’ve won.
How else might you obtain one of these frames you ask?
Come to the Star Tribune Booth at the Target Children’s Book Festival presented by the Star Tribune. It is this Saturday 9/13. 10-5 in Hyland Park in Bloomington. There will be a limited supply - so stop by before they run out!
** Sorry, I neglected to put a deadline on our little contest. Please send us your “Top Two” things you’ve learned as a parent by midnight Friday, September 12.
26 Responses to "We’re Two! (and it’s not so terrible)"
Happy Birthday Kay and May and Cribsheet! I have so enjoyed reading over the past two years and have learned soo soo much! The top two parenting pearls huh? Hmmm…That’s a tough one, as I’m still learning every single day…But the #1 thing I have learned is that I am enough - the kids don’t need STUFF and it’s ok to let a few things go/wait here and there, ie: laundry, dishes, getting all the toys put away in their respective buckets - the sun will still rise and set even if the Little People and the Loving Family pieces are in the same tote and no one but me knows the difference. I have also learned that they really DO grow up much much MUCH too fast so we need to stop, slow down, and enjoy each and every single moment that we can, because before we know it…those moments have passed.
Keep up the great work EVERYONE - I love this blog!
1. Teach your children the word “privacy” at an early age. This will help with your sanity (and bathroom breaks) today, and with their sense of personal space later.
2. No toddler ever died from eating only hotdogs - breakfast, lunch and dinner - for months on end. There are bigger battles to fight.
Finally - Happy Birthday, Cribsheet. You are a wonderful resource for both parenting and procrastination!!!!
Happy birthday! I love Cribsheet, it started a month before our daughter Zoe was born, and so I equate it so much with our journey as parents. I can’t really believe it’s been 2 years. That means Zoe will turn 2 in a month. Yikes.
1. This too shall pass. My mom always reminded me of this, when we were dealing with all-night growth spurt feeding frenzies, or getting too cocky a few weeks later about Zoe eating really well. Kids change. Constantly. And you need to be ready to adapt, because what worked yesterday may not work tomorrow.
2. If your child does not sleep through the night, it does not mean you’re a bad parent. They will learn to sleep at some point. I wasted too much time feeling guilty about Zoe not sleeping through the night until she was 16 months. Spent too many nights fighting with her to get her to sleep on her own, when a little rocking and nursing would have had her back to sleep in 5 minutes. I wish I could have better trusted my instincts that that’s what she needed at that time.
Great job!
Happy 2nd Birthday! I mostly read and seldom comment, but enjoy reading the blog as part of my daily routine. My top two things learned over the last four years of parenting:
1. Almost everything is a phase. For people who tend to overreact to something new (like me) I think it is super helpful to remember that even though whatever the activity your newborn or toddler is doing now may seem really hard to deal with or like it will never end, time takes care of most things and when you look back it won’t seem like nearly as big of a deal as you thought
2. If your kids sleep well and eat well, everyone is happier. If you can help them learn these things early on, your whole family can save a lot of stress!
1) How you raise your child (breastfeeding or not, with or without the proper foods at the right time, in or out of daycare, with a parent at home, with a parent working at home, etc.) is always going to be disapproved of by someone. But if you are happy and the baby is happy, that’s the best way to raise her. So stop asking for other people’s input, unless you are a glutton for punishment. Which I am.
2) You can accomplish more in a 90 minute nap than you ever could in 8 hours in an office. But don’t tell your boss that’s how you’re getting by at work…
(2 years old? I must have missed 6 months in there somewhere — must have been back when I was busy starting fights on The Big Question…)
[…] Originally published by Cribsheet […]
1. Don’t be proud, the first word you should work on teaching your new babbler should be Momma. You’ll thank me later.
2. All kids learn how to walk, don’t make all that effort to teach them earlier. Enjoy the time that they don’t walk.
2a. All kids eventially learn how to use the bathroom so stop forcing the issue.
Happy Birthday! Cribsheet has been a great source of advice and local information for me. Thanks!
Things that I have learned:
Don’t worry about what other people think. I was so stressed about the decision to breast vs. bottle feed in the months leading up to my delivery due to the many opinions from others. Finally I did what I felt most comfortable with and she is just fine. And more recently I don’t worry about if the house is spic and span when relatives come. I’d much rather spend my time with my daughter instead of cleaning. Besides, they are too busy playing with my daughter to probably even notice!
Take lots of pictures! Kids change so quickly and it’s so easy to forget those little moments where she sat in the mudpuddle or had spaghetti hanging from her ears!
Happy Birthday!!! As a new mom (without you even knowing it) you were my salvation during my maternity leave. I didn’t have any friends who were moms and I looked to you for words of wisdom. Thank you Cribsheet and Cribsheeters!
1. Baby wipes can be torn in half - those first few weeks, even months, you are changing diapers it seems like every five minutes.
2. Always park next to the cart corral - I wish someone would have told me this before I made that first trip to Target with a six week-old in January.
Happy Birthday! It hardly seems like two years have gone by. Here are the top two things I have learned as a mom of two.
1. Get used to feeling like you don’t know what you’re doing. You don’t. You’re making it up as you go along and always will be. (Adendum: Most everything you learned with child #1 will be useless for child #2 so you don’t even get to feel experienced then.)
2. Let. It. Go. Seriously.
Danielle, your #2 made me laugh until I almost cried. Genius advice. Genius.
And Darcie, I saw your bracelet post, so I know what you are saying. That is great advice. I am enough, this is enough, and they will be okay.
My advice? Don’t bother with the baby book. Blog it instead! You meet so many great people that way!
And my sanity saver- Buy one of those hanging shoe things for your child’s closet. When you do laundry, sort full outfits out and put them in the little shoe cubbies instead of into a drawer of shorts, a drawer of shirts, etc. Way easier to just reach in and grab an already matched outfit instead of deciding what to dress them in.
Wow…2 years! Happy Birthday Cribsheet! I remember your first post and have been a loyal reader since… I love this blog!
Top 2 things huh?
1. No matter what people say or hot hotly something can be debated, there’s no right way to do things when it comes to parenting. Do what works for you and your family.
2. I can clean my house when the kids get older. Time goes way too fast…don’t waste a minute of it on the trivial things.
Happy Birthday Cribsheet!
What I’ve learned:
1. Attachment parenting is for me, and as an AP parent, I have had to learn to let other people’s “advice” flow in one ear and out the other. Same with cloth diapers, non-commercial toys, etc. IOW– My/our way is the best for my family, and that is just fine.
2. Research everything. Don’t trust what others tell you.
BTW– I also learned the cart corral trick and wish I had known sooner, but that one was taken. 
Happy Birthday Cribsheet!
Top 2 things:
1. Kisses make everyone’s owies feel better (even grownups)
2. Listen to other parents advice- it’s invaluable, then toss it all out and do what feels right for your family.
Love reading everyone’s thoughts about what they’ve learned! That’s what’s so great about this blog. Happy Birthday Cribsheet, and a BIG thanks to May and Kay for making it happen!
Things I’ve learned:
1) Stop comparing yourself to other moms, and your kids to other kids. (I don’t always succeed at this, but I aim for it daily!) You are who you are, and your kids are who they are…and you wouldn’t want them any other way. And don’t be baited by other moms’ attempts to compete, either!
2) Find a great group of mom friends with kids your age who can relate to what you’re going through. If you are ever at a complete and total loss about how to handle something, it helps TREMENDOUSLY to be able to throw it out there to a group of people who you know won’t judge you, and who can say, “I’ve been there, and this worked for me”…or even if they don’t have good advice, it’s just so awesome to know you’re not alone. I am grateful every day for my mom friends!
You guys are so good! I really enjoy every time I read. Thanks!!
Happy Birthday Cribsheet! Thank you for always providing interesting blogs to read! The two parenting pearls of wisdom I have learned in my 2+ years of being a mom are:
1) Every child is different in devolopment, personality, sleep habits, eating habits, etc and it really does no good to compare kids. As my father in law once told me, wait until they are adults on their own to decide “how they have turned out”.
2) Trust your own instincts. It is great to hear opinions from trusted people in your lives such as your friend or mom, etc but at the end of the day it is your decisions that matter and your family they are affecting.
Keep up the great work!
~Sue
Congrats on two year. You have agreat thing going, informative, timely and share both sides of an issue. It’s comforting to know there are so many caring and concerned parents, no one is alone. Someone shares the same fears, concerns or confusions. thank you for the research you do to provide much needed information.
Couldn’t resist posting on this one.
1) No matter what parenting choice you make, there will be one person who completely disagrees with your choice and one who supports you completely. Seek out the latter.
2) Trust yourself. You DO know what you are doing!
Happy Birthday Kay, May, and fellow Cribsheeters!
Wow, I didn’t realize Cribsheet was the same age as my kids. I just knew I’d been lurking since we got them home. Congrats!
1. Your children will embarrass you. Whether you’re discovered letting go in the cereal aisle to Itsy Bitsy to get the grocery shopping done or you’re popping into an important work meeting wtih spit up down your blouse, you will want to crawl under a rock more than once. Let it go; these are the stories you’ll tell over and over as they get older.
2. Working mom vs. Stay at Home mom. Breastfeeding vs. Bottle Feeding. Cry it out vs. Family bed. It doesn’t matter. In the end, you are mom and that’s all that matters. Let no one tell you different and don’t dream of judging another for her decision. Like you, she’s simply doing what her family needs.
Congrats on the 2 years of great work!
1. Crusty noses on children used to disgust me. Then I had a toddler, and realized that it is nearly impossible to keep a 1 year old’s runny nose clean.
2. Stop worrying about getting everything done and enjoy the moment. I’ve lost days running around the house getting ready for this or that…. Take a deep breath, stop what you are doing and just enjoy your children at the stage they are at. In a blink of an eye they will be a year older.
Happy Birtday, Cribsheet! And thanks to May and Kay, of course.
Here’s what I’ve learned in my brief 2 years of motherhood:
1. Infants don’t sleep in on weekends! (learned that fact when I went back to work, it literally hadn’t occurred to me)
2. Relax and enjoy the moment more often. Mostly everything is a phase, so just relax and take the moment for what it is (i.e. terrible two’s!!).
I don’t post often, but I have sure appreciated this blog and all the people who contribute over the last two years.
1. Pick your battles wisely. The ones you pick, you need to win. (I think that applies to more than parenting!)
2. Hand me downs are a wonderful blessing.
Happy Birthday ladies and looking forward to that next playdate.
Two things? Wow, how can I narrow it down? Let’s see…
1 - having kids 11 years apart isn’t as scary as it sounded 18 months ago.
2 - kids get over it. Whatever ‘it’ is. Be it a cold or that today you are the meanest parent ever. They love you and rely on you and you love them and that makes it all right with the world. I can’t remember what my life was like before them and can’t imagine my life without them…
and can I just say that reading that brief email from matt today, written 5 months ago today, man, who knew. he continues to amaze me and look past so many of the petty nuisances in my life and appreciate so much more. i think we could all take a chapter out of his life and learn so much!
I learned a lot of thiongs, but these two come to mind first…
1. By taking a few minutes away on a daily basis to read Cribsheet and Matt’s blog remind me daily how thankful and blessed I am to be a mom. And how truly amazing people are in their own lives!
2. Life is not about doing the “right” thing…life is what is right for you regardless of who disagrees! Because lord knows your mom and mother in law have better ideas (All the time!.
Happy Birthday from Chicago!!
