I am prepping the paperwork for Orin to start daycare. So sad :(
4 months ago
Monday, January 17, 2011
Project 365 - January 16th
We went for a walk with our snazzy new wagon/sled.
BONUS PICTURE!!
The babes inside their new ride
Saturday, January 15, 2011
Project 365 - January 15th
Dave makes himself into a human gate (keeping Orin in the play area) in order to "rest", using the box of toys as a pillow....desperate times call for desperate measures.
The Catalogue of Izzy - Issue #2
Isabel loves to sing. I was reminded of some of her hilarious rewrites of popular songs by this morning's gem:
"What do you want, Amy?" aka Adam Lambert's What do you want from me? (one of her teacher's names is Amy)
We have been having a hard time remembering some of the others, but the all-time favourite - it will likely go down in history as one of the things out of Isabel that has gotten the most laughs - is her rewrite of Lady Gaga's Bad Romance:
I want your lovin'
I just wanna be friends
You and me can make some badger pants
OooooOooooOoooOOO Oh Oh
Caught wearin' badger pants
She has no idea what a badger is, so I think she was just making stuff up, but I don't think I have laughed so hard as I did when we imagined "badger pants" (are these pants made for or made of badgers?).
I am sure there'll be another installment of "Isabel Sings", but this should amuse you for now.
"What do you want, Amy?" aka Adam Lambert's What do you want from me? (one of her teacher's names is Amy)
We have been having a hard time remembering some of the others, but the all-time favourite - it will likely go down in history as one of the things out of Isabel that has gotten the most laughs - is her rewrite of Lady Gaga's Bad Romance:
I want your lovin'
I just wanna be friends
You and me can make some badger pants
OooooOooooOoooOOO Oh Oh
Caught wearin' badger pants
She has no idea what a badger is, so I think she was just making stuff up, but I don't think I have laughed so hard as I did when we imagined "badger pants" (are these pants made for or made of badgers?).
I am sure there'll be another installment of "Isabel Sings", but this should amuse you for now.
Project 365 - January 14th
I introduced Isabel to Lego Indiana Jones yesterday and she went from not being able to control her guy at all to moving with purpose. She is pretty good for a 3-year old with about 1 hour of practice.
The Catalogue of Izzy - Issue #1
Orin's a baby.
When I was a baby, Gramma carried me.
When I'm big, I'll carry Gramma.
When I was a baby, Gramma carried me.
When I'm big, I'll carry Gramma.
Thursday, January 13, 2011
A 3-year old with a concept of personal space...who'd have thunk it?
A little anecdote from the catalogue that Isabel seems to be producing lately.
We were standing in line, waiting to sign her out of preschool on Tuesday. We were chatting with another mom and her daughter, my friend Shannon and her son and one of the teachers. The other little girl (M) has a crush on my friend's son (N). She asked her mom if she could hug him and her mom said that she could, after they'd signed out and she did. Then she approached Isabel for a hug. Izzy was talking to her teacher and standing kind of with her back to M. Isabel turned to speak to me and found herself about an inch from M, who had her arms splayed for a hug. Izzy jumped a little because she was surprised and immediately put her hands up and stepped back in order to reclaim her personal space. I didn't really expect this, mostly because no kids this age seem to have a concept yet of personal space. Isabel, for instance, spent the entire holiday climbing all over her grandpa, gramma and aunts, with absolutely no acknowledgment of their space, even after having been spoken to about it.
After Isabel assessed the situation, she approached M (who had kind of wandered back toward her mom) for a hug in a more respectful manner than I would have expected too (walked over, spread her arms and waited for M to come to her). Maybe she is getting the message very. very. slowly.
We were standing in line, waiting to sign her out of preschool on Tuesday. We were chatting with another mom and her daughter, my friend Shannon and her son and one of the teachers. The other little girl (M) has a crush on my friend's son (N). She asked her mom if she could hug him and her mom said that she could, after they'd signed out and she did. Then she approached Isabel for a hug. Izzy was talking to her teacher and standing kind of with her back to M. Isabel turned to speak to me and found herself about an inch from M, who had her arms splayed for a hug. Izzy jumped a little because she was surprised and immediately put her hands up and stepped back in order to reclaim her personal space. I didn't really expect this, mostly because no kids this age seem to have a concept yet of personal space. Isabel, for instance, spent the entire holiday climbing all over her grandpa, gramma and aunts, with absolutely no acknowledgment of their space, even after having been spoken to about it.
After Isabel assessed the situation, she approached M (who had kind of wandered back toward her mom) for a hug in a more respectful manner than I would have expected too (walked over, spread her arms and waited for M to come to her). Maybe she is getting the message very. very. slowly.
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Slightly obsessive...
I am, that is. When I get it in my head that I love or want something, sometimes, I fixate so strongly on it that it becomes an obsession.
My newest one? My hair in my profile pic --------->
This was achieved by using a cone-shaped curling iron. I am obsessed with finding one now. Locally, they seem nearly impossible to find. I've found one on the internet: Le Angelique, but the reviews on it are only so-so and I know that because my hair is thick and heavy, I need an iron that will heat up quite hot.
Anyone else have any suggestions?
My newest one? My hair in my profile pic --------->
This was achieved by using a cone-shaped curling iron. I am obsessed with finding one now. Locally, they seem nearly impossible to find. I've found one on the internet: Le Angelique, but the reviews on it are only so-so and I know that because my hair is thick and heavy, I need an iron that will heat up quite hot.
Anyone else have any suggestions?
Monday, January 10, 2011
Truer words haven't been spoken...
"The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. Attitude, to me, is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, the education, the money, than circumstances, than failure, than successes, than what others think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness or skill. It will make or break a company...a church...a home. The remarkable thing is we have a choice everyday regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change our past...we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude. I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% of how I react to it. And so it is with you...we are in charge of our attitudes."
~ Charles R. Swindoll
~ Charles R. Swindoll
How my Education degree helped my parenting
I have had a few experiences lately, with my kids changing moment to moment it seems, that have hit home the importance of readiness when it comes to milestones and expectations.
I first learned about readiness in university. I learned about it within the context of teaching students - are they ready for the skills and information you are imparting to them? It made a great deal of sense to me within that context, but it never really dawned on me that it would be integral to parenting my babies and, subsequently, toddlers and preschoolers.
Isabel gave us a primer in readiness right out of the starting gate. She was, and still is, very sensitive and cautious. This meant that, as an infant, she wanted to be attached to someone (and preferably me) 24/7. We used our baby carrier more than the crib in the first year because she was worn the better part of the day and we co-slept. She was just NOT READY to sleep on her own at that time. I could go into the gory details of how she told us this, but I will save that for another post about sleep-deprivation and colic.
Gradually, starting around 6-months, she began to nap on her own more regularly. She was still in our bed, but given her firm resistance to mobility, her falling out wasn't an issue for quite some time yet.
By 10-months old, she was sleeping through the night in her crib, which was still attached to our bed and had naps in her bassinet in her room. We moved the crib into her room not long after this point and she's been fine since, depsite all the warnings that she'd be sleeping our bed through high school if we allowed her to sleep with us as an infant (is that not the most ridiculous thing you've ever heard, but I can't tell you how many people told us we were "starting bad habits" in a 2-month old).
Fast forward to Orin, this guy was a cuddler. The NICU nurses worried that they'd created a cuddler, but he was like that from the beginning. He was happier in someone's arms or next to a warm body. I'd seen this before, so it didn't faze me. I wasn't allowed to co-sleep in the hospital, but, given that he slept half the night in the arms of a nurse, I figured that once I got him home, he may need it for the transition.
Night one, I tried to lay down with him to nurse, figuring I'd get some shut-eye while he got some food. He was having none of that! He hollered and thrashed until I sat up and cradled him. When he was finished eating, I didn't want him to cry and wake Isabel if I put him in his crib, so I laid us both down for a snuggle and a snooze. No Sir! More wailing and thrashing until I put him in his crib, at which point he turned his head to the side and fell asleep.
Apparently, some higher power either thought I needed the lesson in readiness again or thought I got it well enough the first time that they figured they could safely throw me a curve ball. Whatever the reason, I got a kid with a whole different readiness level when it came to sleep.
My most recent lesson in readiness came this morning. If you don't want to read about baby poop (nothing gory, I promise), stop reading now.
Orin has been struggling with solid food poop. He cries and makes a big fuss about the whole thing. More troubling and messy is the fact that he has only been able/willing to poop a little bit in his diaper. We then think he is finished and start changing him, only to have him finish pooping in an open diaper, on the change table or, and this is my favourite one, into a towel after bath. Not fun.
In thinking about this, I wondered if he had reached the point where he didn't like poop on him. My understanding is that this is what fuels lots of kids in potty-training. I also suspect that the increased bulk of his diapers is playing a part in his discomfort while pooping in them. Imagine the average kid's diaper after sleeping in it all night - Orin's is like that after only 2 hours. Whatever his motivation, I decided that the next time he made a big show of pooping, I'd plunk him on the potty to see if this made things a little easier.
This morning, the opportunity presented itself and I went for it. Lo and behold, the boy pooped on the potty. Now, there was still a little drama, but there are tears no matter what, so it may just be part and parcel to his getting used to a non-liquid diet. Most importantly, this was tidier and faster than the previous incidents. If he's ready, I am too - bring on poop potty training. If it is a fluke, that's ok too, though I should note that it only seems fair that he should poop train early, given that my understanding is it will take about four years to pee train him. *lol*
I first learned about readiness in university. I learned about it within the context of teaching students - are they ready for the skills and information you are imparting to them? It made a great deal of sense to me within that context, but it never really dawned on me that it would be integral to parenting my babies and, subsequently, toddlers and preschoolers.
Isabel gave us a primer in readiness right out of the starting gate. She was, and still is, very sensitive and cautious. This meant that, as an infant, she wanted to be attached to someone (and preferably me) 24/7. We used our baby carrier more than the crib in the first year because she was worn the better part of the day and we co-slept. She was just NOT READY to sleep on her own at that time. I could go into the gory details of how she told us this, but I will save that for another post about sleep-deprivation and colic.
Gradually, starting around 6-months, she began to nap on her own more regularly. She was still in our bed, but given her firm resistance to mobility, her falling out wasn't an issue for quite some time yet.
By 10-months old, she was sleeping through the night in her crib, which was still attached to our bed and had naps in her bassinet in her room. We moved the crib into her room not long after this point and she's been fine since, depsite all the warnings that she'd be sleeping our bed through high school if we allowed her to sleep with us as an infant (is that not the most ridiculous thing you've ever heard, but I can't tell you how many people told us we were "starting bad habits" in a 2-month old).
Fast forward to Orin, this guy was a cuddler. The NICU nurses worried that they'd created a cuddler, but he was like that from the beginning. He was happier in someone's arms or next to a warm body. I'd seen this before, so it didn't faze me. I wasn't allowed to co-sleep in the hospital, but, given that he slept half the night in the arms of a nurse, I figured that once I got him home, he may need it for the transition.
Night one, I tried to lay down with him to nurse, figuring I'd get some shut-eye while he got some food. He was having none of that! He hollered and thrashed until I sat up and cradled him. When he was finished eating, I didn't want him to cry and wake Isabel if I put him in his crib, so I laid us both down for a snuggle and a snooze. No Sir! More wailing and thrashing until I put him in his crib, at which point he turned his head to the side and fell asleep.
Apparently, some higher power either thought I needed the lesson in readiness again or thought I got it well enough the first time that they figured they could safely throw me a curve ball. Whatever the reason, I got a kid with a whole different readiness level when it came to sleep.
My most recent lesson in readiness came this morning. If you don't want to read about baby poop (nothing gory, I promise), stop reading now.
Orin has been struggling with solid food poop. He cries and makes a big fuss about the whole thing. More troubling and messy is the fact that he has only been able/willing to poop a little bit in his diaper. We then think he is finished and start changing him, only to have him finish pooping in an open diaper, on the change table or, and this is my favourite one, into a towel after bath. Not fun.
In thinking about this, I wondered if he had reached the point where he didn't like poop on him. My understanding is that this is what fuels lots of kids in potty-training. I also suspect that the increased bulk of his diapers is playing a part in his discomfort while pooping in them. Imagine the average kid's diaper after sleeping in it all night - Orin's is like that after only 2 hours. Whatever his motivation, I decided that the next time he made a big show of pooping, I'd plunk him on the potty to see if this made things a little easier.
This morning, the opportunity presented itself and I went for it. Lo and behold, the boy pooped on the potty. Now, there was still a little drama, but there are tears no matter what, so it may just be part and parcel to his getting used to a non-liquid diet. Most importantly, this was tidier and faster than the previous incidents. If he's ready, I am too - bring on poop potty training. If it is a fluke, that's ok too, though I should note that it only seems fair that he should poop train early, given that my understanding is it will take about four years to pee train him. *lol*
Sunday, January 9, 2011
Saturday, January 8, 2011
Project 365 - January 8th
Playing around with the multiple image filter that was amid the old camera equipment my mom dropped off over the holidays.
Friday, January 7, 2011
The Boy is Turning 1!
And all of our friend and family are invited to celebrate with us. Just drop us a line to let us know you are coming.
Project 365 - January 7th
Taking a picture of me taking a picture.
BONUS PICTURE!!
Christmas packed up and gone for another year.
Thursday, January 6, 2011
Project 365 - January 6th
My newest candy addiction is peanut M&M's. I have been eating them nearly every evening off and on since September. The largest bag you can get here is 525g (18.5oz). When we went to the U.S. most recently, I was puttering around the the food section, looking for Dave's Twinkies and came across this beauty! 42oz!! More than TWICE AS MUCH M&M's for the same price!!! I am in heaven.
It Takes a Village to Raise a Child
Since the family left and after reading this article (about an experience I would give me left arm to have), I have had a few opportunities to ponder the truth in that statement.
As I've grown up, my thoughts on the definition of family have evolved. As a result of my parents divorce, I had a much different family than many of my peers. The nice thing about this was that I had more people to "choose from" for lack of a better term. I was a very sensitive kid and needed to be treated gently and with support - tough love didn't do a damn thing, but develop within me a sense of mistrust. Having some really great friends in my mom's circle and an aunt and uncle and cousin who took us in as though we were their own whenever necessary really benefited me at the time and long term, helped me to feel okay surrounding myself with supportive, kind people who genuinely care about me, rather than a huge group of fluff friends and acquaintances. This is how my village helped me.
The village that took up residence in my own home over the last month benefited my children as well. They are still quite small, so the benefit was less specific, but their needs were better fulfilled than I could ever manage on my own. They had lots of playmates, reading companions, cuddle-givers and general supervisors. The house was kept more orderly than it has been in months, despite the fact that logic dictates more people equals more mess. Most significant though was the fact that the children saw different people - different personalities, different problem-solving styles, different mannerisms. They heard conversation and jokes and human interaction which, with a small household, isn't in as great a supply and isn't nearly as dynamic. They heard stories and learned their family's history. I could go on and on, but suffice to say that I am now a firm believer in this philosophy and look forward to the next insurgence of villagers.
As I've grown up, my thoughts on the definition of family have evolved. As a result of my parents divorce, I had a much different family than many of my peers. The nice thing about this was that I had more people to "choose from" for lack of a better term. I was a very sensitive kid and needed to be treated gently and with support - tough love didn't do a damn thing, but develop within me a sense of mistrust. Having some really great friends in my mom's circle and an aunt and uncle and cousin who took us in as though we were their own whenever necessary really benefited me at the time and long term, helped me to feel okay surrounding myself with supportive, kind people who genuinely care about me, rather than a huge group of fluff friends and acquaintances. This is how my village helped me.
The village that took up residence in my own home over the last month benefited my children as well. They are still quite small, so the benefit was less specific, but their needs were better fulfilled than I could ever manage on my own. They had lots of playmates, reading companions, cuddle-givers and general supervisors. The house was kept more orderly than it has been in months, despite the fact that logic dictates more people equals more mess. Most significant though was the fact that the children saw different people - different personalities, different problem-solving styles, different mannerisms. They heard conversation and jokes and human interaction which, with a small household, isn't in as great a supply and isn't nearly as dynamic. They heard stories and learned their family's history. I could go on and on, but suffice to say that I am now a firm believer in this philosophy and look forward to the next insurgence of villagers.
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