The Crawl

I was looking through some folders and found this with baby Sammy...

Head Teachers

Setting: I'm walking the dog on a favorite trail while Samantha is riding her bike just ahead of me, discussing the joys of upcoming preschool.

Mom: I think you're going to like preschool, there will be more kids and more teachers. Let's learn the teacher's names. Mrs. W is the head teacher.

Sam: (turns around, mildly grossed out facial expression) You mean the other teachers don't have heads?!? Ugh!

Mom: (laughs, marvels at her kid) No honey, they all have heads. Mrs. W is the Lead Teacher, she's like the boss.

Sam: What is a boss?

Mom: (fatigued) Umm, the person that tells you what to do. Sort of like Mom and Dad for you.

The joys of a three year old's perspective... this reminds me of the Parts books!

Is it OK to be proud?

Does everybody feel this way about their parenting skills? Are you "allowed" to smile and say that you're proud of your parenting (and coping) skills? It seems like a constant struggle - like having a healthy body image. How many women can say that they are at peace, even content with their body? How many moms do you know that say they are a good mom without any trepidation? It's so easy to get in the habit of saying, "I'm not patient enough, I don't relax enough, I'm too xxxx or I don't xxxx enough". Ugh! Enough with the negativity! Perfection is not realistic and it's not what I want to teach my kids!

I'm not the perfect mom, wife or friend. I'm certainly not the best employee because I'm at the office writing this. I love my kids and I show them every day that I love them. I hug my girls and look them in the eye when I say, "I love you so much". I am specific about one thing (at least) when I tell my daughter how proud I am of her. I read to them often, sit on the floor and hang with them, let them climb over me and (try) not react too strongly when they step on my fingers with dress-up shoes on. I'm engaged with my kids most of the time and I acknowledge it's not all of the time. I think part of what I have to teach them is that you don't get to focus on one thing all of the time - that life requires maintenance (clean clothes, gas in the car, food in the fridge, you get the idea). I'm letting both girls learn to entertain themselves and showing them a world of adventure by trying new things and being honest when I don't know how something will turn out, but it's the journey to cherish and not the result. I don't hide every disappointment because life doesn't work that way and my job as "Mommy" is simply this:

Prepare them to handle the world on their own.

(Of course as long as Mom and Dad are around, we'll be there to help them get up after a fall!)

Preschool practice days

In order to make the transition to full day preschool easier, I took Sam to meet her teachers and get familiar with the classrooms today. I stayed (read: hovered!) for about 15 minutes, then asked her if I could come back after group time to take her to Leslie's for the rest of the day. Considering that she'll only be going there once a week now and she's been going 3 days a week since she was 7 weeks old, I thought a couple of "practice days" couldn't hurt. We met a few of the teachers and they were great about introducing her to other kids. She participated during group time. No tantrums or crying and I got a big smile when I picked her up again. She said she had fun and I got some validation that teaching her to be outgoing was going to pay off. (Time will tell on that!)

I would have preferred an afternoon program so Sam could still have her mornings will Leslie, but the place we decided on only offers morning, so that's why we went with full days. I'm sure that I'm more apprehensive about it than anyone and from all the parents I've talked to, it's completely normal. In any case, I'm not ashamed to cry a little at how seemingly grown-up my first baby is!

On a side note: I thought it was a marathon task to get out the door before I had to get Sam breakfast! Getting up earlier will be an adjustment! All in all, it was a good first run this morning and we'll figure it out. Thankfully, my job hours are flexible!

State Fair 2008

Sam, the daredevil!

Ah, the people watching at the Fair. The food, the animals and all the exercise you get walking around! We never get to do everything, but since the kids were done it was time to go. Sam enjoyed her 1st funhouse adventure, along with 2 other rides and some time at the Rainbow Play System booth.

Hmmm...

Things we ate this year:
Jason - Scottish egg (heart attack on a stick), Pronto Pup, Big Fat Bacon on a stick
Stacey - Cake on a stick, Pickle dog, cheese curds
Samantha tried almost everything and had her own (blue!) slushie.

It was a fun day for all!

Note to self for next year... Use the Park and Ride or off-street parking on Como Ave is not a far walk!

Walking and walking and walking

Sofia is walking! Her first steps were back in June, but she's walking across rooms now and so proud of herself! Apparently she thinks that at 9 months, she's old enough to do it.

Current tricks she'll do when asked: clapping, high fives and waving.

I remember how I thought (and kinda hoped) that this one wouldn't be mobile as early as Samantha was! Do you think I jinxed it?

*I finally added a video!

What's your favorite band?

Last night we had the grandparents over and Samantha was very proud to say "Grateful Dead" as her favorite band and "Friend of the Devil", a.k.a. "The Friend Song" is her favorite song. The grandparents all laughed as I beamed with pride at my tie-dyed girl. I'm more of a "Ripple" and "Uncle John's Band" girl myself.


Past favorite albums include: Dragon Tunes, Oy Baby and Madonna's Ray of Light.

We all have our guilty pleasures, don't we? I can listen to a pop song on occasion!

Grandparents

The girls are extremely blessed to have 3 grandparents and 1 great-grandparent who love them and are nearby so we see them often. Both Daddy and I have a good relationship with all as well. By the time I was born, 3 grandparents had already passed and the remaining moved out of state so I don't have many memories of her. I am so grateful that I get to see how both Sam and Sofie interact and enjoy all of their grandparents. I know that if my dad had lived to see my girls he would have the same kind of relationship with them. Samantha and Sofia (and the whole family!) are very blessed to have family nearby and be as close as we are.

Here's a shot of the grandparents (minus one great-grandpa):

Shadow Play

It sounds like something out of a Harry Potter book, but in reality is just this:

After months of successfully using the toy box as her stage, 3 falls dictated that we retire that particular use. I'm guessing a growth spurt and a love a performing are both contributing factors to the rash of injuries.

Mom, how long do you really think this will contain me?

I mean, c'mon!

In an effort to keep this kid out of the dog food bowls, this was my idea. It worked a few times, but now that Sofia has established herself as a climber (just like her big sis!), this is not an option. I now handle my laundry duties when she is safely entertained elsewhere or sleeping.

Parents weekend away

It's been two years, but Mom and Dad ditched the kids for a weekend away from home. Thank you Grammy for watching the furry one at home and to Nana and Papa for taking the other two to their house!

We hiked around some State Parks, listened to the waves by our room and watched Michael Phelps make history! More importantly, we spent time together, relaxed and just enjoyed each other. Of course this morning we missed our kids so we hurried home! Lake Superior is aptly named. Big and blue, just like Nemo said about the ocean. It's the closest thing we have to an ocean in our land-locked state!

Weaning

I'm taking it slow, eliminating one feeding at a time. I think I'll keep the early morning one for another month or so.

With Samantha I was not able to nurse. I thought it would happen naturally and there was nothing to prepare for. Jaundice, uncaring nurses, inability to find a pump in time all contributed to me not being able to breastfeed Sam. I managed to exclusively pump for a month and then our pediatrician nixed it due to Sam's low weight.

Sofia was also jaundiced (a.k.a. sleepy baby), but that didn't stop her from eating. Daddy was grudgingly supportive, when he learned I was going to do what I wanted to anyway. Now that I've expressed that I'm ready to be done, he no longer holds his tongue at every opportunity. I've really enjoyed nursing Sofia, even if it wasn't easy all the time and at times it felt I had no support. It's been relatively easy for me, especially when you hear about the horror stories - I didn't have any of them. I love the closeness we have and nothing can quiet her faster than what only I offer. That alone is a lot to give up!

A Day without Daddy

Daddy had to work which isn't typical for a Sunday, so that made it a "Mommy, Sammy and Sofie" day. I made sure I had the housework done so I could focus on the girls and not be distracted. We had a relaxing morning, rotated some toys and Sofie even napped in her crib for a bit. Then Grammy came over and we loaded up everyone including the dog for a picnic and a long walk. The weather was perfect and Sam got to play with some kids at the playground for a while. It was nice to watch her! After we got home, I put Sofie down for another nap and Sam and I snuggled. Then it was playtime for all until bedtime. Everyone was tired so it was early. Samantha even fell asleep during her second book!

Sam also noticed some bugs mating so I took the opportunity to discuss the process with her. To sum up: "Dad bug and Mom bug get together to make little bugs. That's how we got you!" I'm hoping that by talking about it now makes it easier to talk about later.

Things to never repeat (after this)

While we on vacation Sam learned about menstration. I didn't go into a lot of detail, but she was concerned and very grossed out ("Ugh Mom! Are you OK?") about my "ouchie". I explained that it was normal for grownup women and mommies to get this and that someday it would happen to her too. She did not seem pleased about it, but let it go. I thought all discussion was over until meeting a friend (who knew the situation) at the Zoo when she loudly exclaimed, "My mom's got an ouchie in her butt!". Luckily my friend understood Sam's meaning, took it all in stride and didn't laugh too much (thereby encouraging more comments) or freak out.

Oh, the joys of motherhood and the sorrow of modesty lost.

Preschool coming up!

We have enrolled Samantha in preschool 3 full days a week, starting this September. It's a montessori program, which we're excited about. She will be around more children and she'll be in the middle of the age range. I'm a little nervous about the transition, so yesterday we drove by to look at the playground and building. I asked to take her on a tour, so we'll see about that. My apprehension is that Sam has gone to Leslie's house for daycare since she was 7 weeks old. I'm sure that most parents deal with this so I'm focusing on not being tense and just talking about it. I want Sam to know that it's okay to be scared, but it's not okay to hide. I hope to teach her to smile at her fear and conquer it. Courage will be necessary in whatever Sam decides to pursue in her life even if she is only 3 1/2 now!

Look at my baby and how far we've come!

Shortly after we brought the peanut home from the hospital...

To when she inherited her Daddy's love of Legos...

Generations and Legos

Behold Legos bridging the generation gap...

Ages: 93, 3 1/2, 8 months

Family Vacation 2008

We just returned from our 1st family vacation! This was the first time that we (J+S+S+S) have left town on our own without visiting family. We chose Wisconsin Dells (water park central) as our destination since it would be fun for Samantha and I had never been there. It was about 4 hours driving both ways and miraculously both kids did pretty well! Ah, the power of music! The Princess CD that Dad got for Sam is not allowed in my car though! It was a learning experience traveling to this very commercial place with a 3 1/2 year old and an 8 month old. We stayed at the Great Wolf Lodge, which I would not recommend due to unfriendly staff and overpriced accommodations. We enjoyed the water slides, wave pool and playing in Wiley's Woods (4-story ball playground). Sofia especially enjoyed the playground so she could work on her new climbing skills and play peek-a-boo. I got to take Samantha on the go-karts two times, which are the only times I've been on a go-kart! We went a carriage ride through the lost canyon, saw the remains of Lake Delton which drained due to the extreme weather of early summer and checked out other places we'd like to stay at the next time.

One of many waterslides that "Little Miss" conquered...
Where we stayed... A happy baby and daddy (that day we chose not to fight her on the swimsuit)...
Mom and girls on a carriage ride through the Lost Canyon...

All in all, it was wonderful for both Jason and I to not work for a week!