I’m Doing That Right … Right?

By nature, I am a worrier. The harder I try not to worry, the more I worry. When there’s absolutely nothing to worry about, I worry about what I might have missed because, let’s be honest, there’s always something to worry about.

Before I was pregnant, I worried about doing everything right to get pregnant.

While I was pregnant, I worried about doing everything right for the tiny person growing inside me. I worried about not being a good mother. I worried about not knowing what to do.

When little Miss Olive came made her debut, I worried that I was now in WAY over my head.

Since then, I’ve had a whole slew of worries I never even knew I could possibly worry about.

Am I holding Olive too much? Does she get enough tummy time? Is poop ever supposed to be that color? What if I’m not making enough breast milk? Could any future babies I have ever possibly be this pleasant?

Most recently, however, I’ve got a whole new set of worries. I try to get guidance from reliable books, seek comfort from fellow bloggers who I trust, and get some insight from friends and family. That said, sometimes the more information I have, the more I overanalyze.

Here are some of my latest:

Am I feeding her the right things? 

Olive would LOVE to devour anything and everything on our plates. She’s a HUGE fan of potatoes, green beans, bananas, broccoli, bread, doughnuts (thanks to grandma and grandpa), mandarin oranges and more. I hear some of the things counterparts her age are eating, and I feel like the Ladybug is being left in the dust. That said, she’s only got 5 ¾ teeth – a couple are still on their way in – so far, so it’s not like she’s ready for a steak. I supplement with thickened baby cereal (still a good source of iron for the little one) and a few varieties of baby food she hasn’t yet rejected. What the heck else should I be feeding her? Am I holding her back by not giving her everything she wants? (Insert worry about choking here)

Am I totally sucking at brushing her teeth? 

The Ladybug thinks that anything that comes in the vicinity of her mouth must be food. She loves, loves, loves tooth-brushing time. The problem is that she loves the taste of the tooth paste so much that I can barely brush her teeth while she’s attempting to suck all the paste off her tiny little Winnie the Pooh brush. I do my best of brushing the teeth she does have and her gums, but I just don’t know that I’m getting the job done. Is there a trick here, of which I am woefully unaware? If I don’t figure out a better method, am I going to end up with THAT KID who lost her teeth to tooth decay rather than the Tooth Fairy?

Am I too protective for her own good?

I know she’s going to fall. I know she’s going to get bumps, bruises and goodness knows what else. Miss Olive is fearless. Both her inquisitive mind and determination know no bounds. As good as this is for her growth, it is equally bad for my heart. I want her to explore; I don’t want to squash her interest in figuring things out for herself.  But, the Ladybug is a daredevil, and I can only cover so much of our house in foam padding (Don’t worry – only the low, concrete mantel edges/corners are covered so far). Without holding her back constantly, how to I keep her from cracking her head open, busting her lip or (my biggest fear once she takes off walking) running face first into the stone fireplace in the middle of our dining room, living room and main hallway?

Am I letting her learn or creating a monster? 

As I mentioned, the Ladybug is ever in motion and always seeking something new – anything new. She’s in the phase where she likes to empty everything out of anything. Books off the bookshelf. Toys out of the toy bins. Clothes out of the laundry basket. I read that this “job” makes kids feel like they’ve accomplished something, and I believe it when she hands me the last book off the shelf with a huge, “Here you go, Mama,” grin on her face before crawling off to tackle something else. There are things she knows she’s not supposed to touch – video games, the couple pieces of decor on the mantle, etc. But, at what point does it bypass exploring and become monster behavior? I want a well-rounded little girl who feels empowered to explore and try new things. I don’t want a child who feels entitled to do as she pleases with no boundaries to speak of. How to I make sure I’m hitting the middle ground?

Throwing these worries out into the void, and hoping for some words of wisdom from the other end …