Happy Holidays 2009: Part 2

Hi friends! I thought I would show you, in pictures, how Paige's first Christmas Day looked. Just a few pictures; we spent several days with Chris' parents and family in Connecticut. We went to Christmas Eve Mass (Paige in the red dress) the day before where she did great...she decided to get very chatty during the Communion. MaMaMaMuuuummmmmmm! She got pretty loud. But the place was so crowded and we were amongst a huge group of people standing in the back so she blended in. :) Paige enjoyed her Christmas Day and loved all her special gifts from her family and from Santa Claus. Santa brought her a knit giraffe hand puppet, some knit finger puppets, and a knit bird rattle. Those elves are so crafty. There was a particular talking doll that her Auntie and Uncle gave her...she is wild about it. It sings about different body parts and also sings songs when you press different parts of the body. You can see her tackling it in a photo below. (that was taken here at home once we got back). Amongst many toys and books, her Grandma and Rico gave her a wooden sleigh for us to pull her in the snow along the hiking path behind our house. We're so excited! Now we can enjoy the winter weather with a fun activity. Warm wishes!

Tweet

8 Months

Dear Little P.,
You are 8 whole months today! You've spent much of the day so far crawling around and checking out your new toys you got for Christmas. I've been watching you move all around the house crawling on your belly here and there. I've also been watching as you pull down your basket of toys to choose one for yourself, as well as pulling over your bag of crinkly papers to choose something to play with. It's fun watching you be independent and I love seeing your proud face when you accomplish something for yourself. I'm proud of you too.
I will always be proud of you.

You've found your voice this past month. When we put up our Christmas Tree you were so thrilled! You started saying "OWWW--owowowowowowow!!!!" and then you added a "B" to it…Bow, Bow, Bow Bow Wow Wow Wooooow!! And then all of a sudden you said "Muuuummmmmmaa, Mum, Mummmmm, Mummmmm!!!" I know you don't know what that means, but it warmed my heart to 1. Hear your little sweet voice sounding things out, and 2. That it sounded like you were saying Mama. It was so wonderful and I babbled back to you as we had our own special conversation.
I will always listen to you.

This morning I gave you a piece of toast to chomp on…your first big hunk of solid food as usually you eat soft baby food. You had fun chewing and gumming on it; again looking so excited to eat your toast like Mama. Your eyes have never looked so bright or shiny! Your smile was big and wide. I'm so looking forward to seeing you learn more things for yourself.
I'm always here for you.

Last week I was putting you down for a nap and I wanted to snuggle a little. I lifted you up high and I put my head low so my ear was against your heart. I just kept you like that so I could hear the soft ga-thump, ga-thump, ga-thump of it. I could feel your warm soft breath in my hair and I thought about how special that little heart is. How it keeps you alive and keeps you warm. Such a miracle! I'm so lucky for it. You gave my hair lots of shall we say robust pulls right then and so I had to get up, but I hid my face and my happy tears away from you.
I'm so grateful for you.

Soon it will be a new year and so much is going to happen! You have a lot of exciting things in store and I can't wait to share them all with you. There's lots of learning and fun ahead. It won't always be easy and you won't always be happy, but I will do my very best to be patient, loving, fair, and kind. You will be great!

I will be there to hold your hand.

I will always love you.

Love Always and Forever,
Mama

Tweet

Happy Holidays 2009: Part 1

Wishing you the best this season!!!



Hi friends!
Here is a little photo display of Paige's pre-Christmas celebration with her Nana and Grampa in Maine...her first Christmas experience! We all had a great time and Paige seemed to be thrilled with the day.







Paige loved these Discovery Blocks from Haba that my parents gave her...



Paige also loved her new blocks my parents gave her! We're putting them away until she's a little bit bigger. We let her play with them for a while and she loved them! But she particularly liked throwing them for now. :)


This Lamaze brand Octopus that my brother gave her was a huge hit. He's a music teacher, so it was very appropriate as each tentacle sounds out a note from the scale when you squeeze it! Paige has been enthralled with this and has a new obsession.


And that is the gist of Paige's first Christmas with my side of the family! Thanks Nana and Grampa and Uncle Jason for making it so special! I'll be back soon to tell of Paige's very first Christmas Day!

Tweet

Getting, Giving, Spoiling, Toiling

Hi friends!
We are getting ready to celebrate the Christmas holiday with my parents this coming weekend; we're very excited! Before I started shopping for Paige I said to myself:
"OK, self! Paige isn't going to give a crap about what you get her this year, so just mark the day with a few treats you know she'll like and call it a day. And don't forget to add to her savings account. Mmmm that cookie looks delicious, *droooooool*...."
Well, that all flew right out the window (except for the cookie, which flew directly into my mouth) as once I bought one thing, I just HAD to get another little thing, and OH wouldn't THIS be cute too!? Now she has more than I'd planned on. And this doesn't even count what Santa plans to bring her...or Nana & Grampa...or Grandma & Rico...or her Aunties and Uncles. Why is it so hard to put the brakes on the extra gifting? I was talking to my friend about this and she informed me: It's because it's fun. It's fun to buy for little children because the toys are fun, cute, and remind us of our childhoods. And it's not a long window where you can buy those fun things. She told me: Everyone else like to buy them too, so you'll get a lot more things than you'd planned on having. One part of me says "Oh no! I don't want Paige to be spoiled or expect a lot of things or believe that Christmas is about GETTING and not GIVING." That's the bigger part of me. The smaller part of me says "Oh well, she's a child, let her enjoy the gifts she is given and don't make a big deal about it all... and make sure she sends her thank-you notes." I speak in generalizations here; as if she were five and not 7 months old. In the future I'll want to strike a good balance. So, in going forward, I will be sure to buy her less but good quality, make sure we do community service throughout the year to teach her about GIVING and APPRECIATING, to donate her older toys she no longer plays with at least once per year, to buy new clothes and toys for a child in a less-fortunate situation via a local charity, and of course to always write thank you notes. As for this year...she's just a baby and hasn't a clue. So the REST of us will enjoy reliving our childhoods and will oooh and aahhhh over her new goodies in her place. I can't wait for "her" to open them! Let's face it, the magic and wonder isn't ONLY for the kids!

Tweet

Tree and Wee 2009

Hello!
This weekend we put up our Christmas tree. As a married couple, we've never had a tree. Each year we ponder it over and decide it isn't worth the hassle. That, and we are always traveling here and there during the week before and the week of Christmas. Sure, we'd put out a candle (maybe) and perhaps a wreath. But I just never really got into the spirit of things (in terms of decorating) to make an effort. This year was much the same way...again, we wouldn't be around much come Christmas day. But, late in the game, I started to get this feeling inside...this voice saying that this was the year to begin. That if I want to teach Paige the importance of this holiday, then we need to begin now. It started with putting out a few decorations I'd had stored away...sequined wreaths and a candle. Then I ordered a kiddie nativity set. Before you know it, we decided to get a tree and break out all the decor and ornaments we had. This is Paige's first Christmas and I want to show how festive it is. I'm so glad we did!
Saturday, in the late afternoon, we broke out the Egg Nog and hot chocolate and set to work. Paige helped put the very first ornament on the tree...her first one which is a picture of her and the phrase "First Christmas, Paige 2009." It brought tears to my eyes to be honest...I still can't believe she is here with us and celebrating such a special holiday. In our household, we celebrate Christianity. Chris is Catholic and I am non-denominational Christian. Christmas time is a wonderful chance for us to celebrate the birth of our Savior and celebrate His special day and I look forward to teaching Paige all about it. We also look forward to teaching her about all different religions and to have an understanding and appreciation and respect for all of them.
Anyway, Paige truly enjoys the tree and inspecting the shiny ornaments and twinkling lights. There's a magic in her eyes as she takes it all in. It's like she knows that we are celebrating the One who blessed us with her. I give thanks every day, but just this one time a year we get to really go all out to show it. I'm so happy we did.

Here is Paige putting on her first ornament (well, she helped anyway)



Here, Paige is enjoying the ornaments as I point them out


Here is Maren and Chris...she wanted to get in on the fun too


Here, I am singing Silent Night to Paige as she was about to go to bed. Chris caught it with the camera.


And here's our Elf, Little P, enjoying the lights before bedtime

Tweet

Family

I always wondered how Maren would react to Paige when she came along (and vice-versa). As you can see, I never had to worry. Now, if only I can keep Paige from playing with Maren's toys... (and if I can keep Maren from constantly BRINGING Paige her toys).

Tweet

Contact info

Hi there!
I've been pretty hesitant to include a contact email with this blog; but I've decided to take the plunge. I've included it at the top of the right sidebar for your convenience. If you'd like to contact us personally, feel free to send an email to: meandweefamily@gmail.com
I will do my best to respond in a speedy fashion!
And I now have clean laundry to dispense; so off I go!

Tweet

Paper fun

Hey there!
We added another fun activity to our day: playing in paper! I have taken all the tissue paper hanging around from gifts, etc. and have crinkled it up loosely and put it on the floor in a pile for Paige to play in. I've yet to take a photo of it.
I've also found interesting bags made of different kinds of crinkly-sounding plastics...I cut them up into pieces (so they aren't bags anymore) and added them to the pile. She loves to crawl/slither through it and feel the different sensations in her hands. She sits in the pile and just looks all around. Much like playing in the fall leaves! And when she's done, I just gather them all up and store them in a bag. Save your papers from holiday time; it will be all the more fun for the little ones to rip and crinkle with well after the season. And, as always, I doubt it is ever safe to leave a child unattended with these materials, so be sure to keep your watchful eye on alert!

Tweet

Thanksgiving 2009

Hello there! Paige here! I wanted to tell you about my first Thanksgiving! We went to Nana and Grampa's house in Maine for the day. I had so much fun!

I got dressed up.



I played with Nana, Grampa, and my Uncle Jason




Nana read me my Thanksgiving book that my Godmommy Sue sent me. I love it!




I ate good food (I liked the peas but a spit out the pureed Turkey)



The next day, I relaxed and then got in a Post-Thanksgiving workout.




Thanks for sharing my first Thanksgiving memories with me!

Tweet

Dear Paige,
Today you are 7 months old! I can hardly believe it. You are now closer to being a whole year old and, as usual, I'm clinging to your babyhood with every breath. You're just so precious to us; it's hard not to!
This past month you grew in your two bottom center teeth! One day I saw them breaking through and 2 days later they *poof!* were pretty much all the way grown through. Around that same time, you started crawling around, commando-style, around the living room. You're attracted to the cable box (of course), the heating grates, and the bottoms of the furniture. So, I spend lots of time distracting you toward your toys instead. You love to crash your wooden rings...I stack them up nicely and you make a game of crashing the tower down. Big fun! You've also started giving us kisses before your naps and bedtime. I'll reach over to give you a kiss and a hug and you will reach toward me from Daddy's arms to give me a hug around the neck and an open mouthed watery kiss on my cheek. I about died with happiness when you first did it and feel the same thrill ever since. When I'm alone with you during the day you aren't quite as lovey-dovey. But, it's nice you'll do it when Daddy's around at least.
Here's a picture of you sitting alone without my help. Good for you!

You know, last week I was washing your bottles in the sink and I was sort of sighing from annoyance when I was doing the fifth one. So many parts to wash! And while I was scrubbing I thought back to before we had you in our life and how I would have given ANYTHING to have bottles to wash. I remembered that ache so vividly. I looked down and felt a huge wave of gratitude crash over me. I was jolted back into remembering how lucky I am and how these sweet moments of your babyhood need to be appreciated. Even the little chores like bottle-part washing. I thought about how one day soon enough you will be in school and I'll miss you so much during the day and I will wistfully look back on these sweet times and I'll say that every little chore was so worth it...that I'd do them a million times over again to have this time with you. During this time of thanksgiving, I am realizing that I am just as grateful for the chores in life as they heighten the fun times. Even the most mundane tasks serve to remind me of the special and sweet times I have with you. This is also true for the rest of life; it's important to find joy in the darkest times. The most boring times. The most annoying or frustrating times. The saddest of times. Joy is always there if you look for it and never let go. You are my treasure; please know that my heart beats in you--that I'm with you and loving you always.
Love Always and Forever,
Mama

Tweet

Giving Thanks

I am so thankful for a good zillion things this Thanksgiving. Thankful and grateful. It all has a lot to do with these two:

Tweet

Activities

Hey there!
Hope you all had a great weekend! Ours was splendid as we spent most of it babysitting our 20-month old niece. She was such a sweetie and a bundle of energy! It was amazing to realize Paige will be doing all those things in another year. We even managed to get an impromptu picture of Paige with Santa Claus while getting some shopping done yesterday. There was no line to see Santa and we thought: What the heck? So, we have a great cliche photo of Paige staring at the camera with the classic "deer in the headlights" expression as Santa smiles away. She happened to have on her red and cream deer/winter sweater on so she looked very "holiday." It's her first Christmas, so I felt the need to indulge in the Santa experience; especially when there was no line to suffer in!
I was thinking about all the activities I do to keep Paige occupied during the day ...or the fact that I need to think of more (I wrote about this in an earlier post) for when we don't have Mommy group or errands and I came up with new ideas to add to my arsenal! The activities I've done with my 6-month old have been: looking at books and reading them aloud, playing WITH Paige and her toys, allowing her to play with her toys alone, letting Paige slither all around the living room rug (her version of crawling so far), jumping and playing with the toys on her Jumperoo, going for walks, singing songs/nursery rhymes like Itsy Bitsy Spider and others where I make up arm movements to keep her interested, Baby Einstein DVD watching, time for standing while I hold her waist, time for sitting up while I guard her from falling (LOTS of time doing this lately), time in front of the mirror where I make funny faces and entertain her, trying new foods, going around the house as I point out and name things, and today I've added "Dance Party" where I play Jack Johnson music or other fun music that I dance all around the room while holding her. I swing her left and right and we fly in a circle and I dip her ballroom dance style. It's a great workout for me and fun for her. So, we do that for a bunch of songs.
And I found this fabulous website called KneeBouncers that offers a whole bunch of games for infants to play...they just involve baby sitting in your lap and they hit any old button on the keyboard to make things happen on the screen. There are lots of different "games" that are basically cause and effect since something fun happens when baby hits a key. When I've done all other options, I do this with Paige and she really enjoys seeing the bright colors and cute animations/sounds. Find the website here. Enjoy!

Tweet

Evening Fun

Chris is a great Dad. For a million reasons, but for this particular evening it's for giving her a fun shoulder ride and running all around before Paige's bedtime. She shrieks with glee the whole time which makes my heart do the same.

Tweet

Nostalgia

Hi friends!
I'm watching the last of the leaves fall from the trees outside my window. It's such a dreary and rainy day. The kind where you stay in your sweats all day and wander around the house tending to the small things. I wanted to share a thought with you: I've found that becoming a mother has forced me to look back on my life's happiest moments to relive them in my mind and ponder about how to make Paige's childhood just as happy. Over the past months I have found myself having vivid dreams of the wonderous places I spent summers in my childhood in Maine...swimming and snorkeling in lakes (all day with a quick break to shove a sandwich in my mouth at lunch)...enjoying the sand at the beach and playing in the waves at the ocean...spending special times with family now long passed on....dreaming of my Grandfather's house and each room in it so vividly I can smell it and feel the cold windowpane in my Mom's old bedroom pressed against my little cheek. I wake up from these dreams feeling sad and missing these times and places. Sometimes my heart aches and I shed a tear or two. As most of you know, I've been visiting with a therapist to deal with my post-partem depression and I couldn't help but open up to her about all of these feelings...to discuss my fierce ties to those who are gone and the memories tied to those people and places. You know what she said? That it's normal. That lots of people who've had babies suddenly find themselves evaluating and remembering their own childhoods as they embark on making plans for their own childrens' futures. She also said it's normal to miss (more than usual) all of those people who were once in our lives because we love them and wish they were here to see our children and share in that joy. Well, in a big way, I feel that they are here with me when they want to be and are able to share and see Paige. I just wish I could SEE them sharing it! :) She also mentioned that having a child is a sort of door closing on our own younger lives and we have to mourn the closing of that chapter. At least I can see it all over again through Paige's eyes (a cliche, I know...but still true) and I can recapture the same joy in watching her. Since talking about this issue I've felt so much better and the dreams have started to become lesser, and I feel a strength in moving forward that I hadn't had before. I'm so excited for all the NEW fun times we will all have together and wonder what joyous things are in store. Thanks, as always, for letting me share this little tidbit with you! Be well.
P.S. Here is a photo of Paige in her snazzy knit hat our bloggie friend Allyson made her.

Tweet

Pre-School Musical

I actually saw this today on Sesame Street and I laughed through most of it. I like the Zac Effron-like muppet that comes in almost to the middle of the video. Block Corner VS. Dress-up Corner. The satire on the singing during the dress up corner part is priceless.

Tweet

Milestone Mania

Not to be confused with the delicious Munchie Mania at Friendly's...
Two videos and two different milestones (for those who can't view the movies: we now have 2 teeth and some wiggle crawling across the room happening!). Sorry about my annoying voice. It's even worse when talking to Paige...it gets even higher and more annoying if that's possible. :)
Little P is 6.5 months now and I can't stop staring at her in wonder. She's such a cool person.
Be well!

PS, thanks to all my lovely supporters and readers out there who have sent along the kindest of words. Sometimes I wonder if blogging is worth it or matters and you've shown me that it really does! Thanks for letting me share with you; it's an honor.

Tweet

Crappy People

I got the most ridiculous comment in my "My Middle Finger" post the other day here on this blog. Lovely "Anonymous" added these helpful words:

"Yet you refused to breast feed? go figure."

Talk about having NOTHING to do with what I'd said. But, I'd like to take a minute to add people like you to my FUCK YOU list. I can do that, since this is MY BLOG.

LET ME BE CLEAR: I LOVE BREASTFEEDERS. Well, not literally ALL I guess. I love many of my friends and family who breastfed. And I love the ones that didn't or couldn't. This post is not about the benefits of either decision.

This post is about crappy and jerky people who assume the wrong things and then try to put you down for your own supposed personal choices anyway.

To anonymous and all who say shitty things like that: You know NOTHING about my health or my medical history. You have NO IDEA. To say I refused to breastfeed when you don't know even half the story is uneducated at best. What is worse is that you try and hurt me and insinuate something about my character. SCREW YOU. And the next time you want to say words like that to someone about breastfeeding please think about this: Perhaps they've had a mastectomy and couldn't? Perhaps they are battling cancer and couldn't? Perhaps they had a horrible accident and couldn't? Perhaps they simply weren't producing milk? Perhaps it's NONE OF YOUR FUCKING BUSINESS!!!

Tweet

Art and Mothering

Hi friends!
Thanks for your patience with my little rant the other day. I had just HAD it with all the negative crap out there eating away at our childrens' lives. I understand why schools have had to pull activities, foods, etc. out of the systems...because of lawsuits, red tape, politics, etc. While I believe in our right to sue, I do NOT believe in abusing that right and ruining things for everyone when it is frivolous. Anyway, I'm moving on now. I'm reading "Reader's Digest" (filled with heartwarming stories, exciting news with happy endings, and funny jokes and anecdotes...a more positive news source compared to many others and it reminds me the world still has many happy things going on). Onto the next!
Since Paige was born, my art life has taken a huge backseat. Baby comes first, obviously. As time has gone by I've been itching to be creative again. If you read this blog frequently then you know that I've been taking a watercolor painting class to get me out of the house once per week so that I can focus on something that I enjoy and relax. It's been so great! I have so much fun and really have learned a lot. I've only got 2 classes left which leaves me wondering what I'll take next. Perhaps sewing? Anyhoo, I decided to incorporate painting into my life a bit more; but how to do that with a now semi-crawling baby? I need to be nearby to keep a watch on Little P whenever she is awake. So, we took one of my office desks and put it in the family room at a window overlooking the conservation land behind our house. I can see Paige's play area to my right as I work and I have the wonderful natural light coming in through the window. It's been a great solution to incorporating my time for painting with being with Paige. Why should the two be separate? Why go into a different space and treat my creative life as a separate one from my daughter? I love that I can dabble at my work here and there while she's around and I just feel happier in general. I like that she can watch me do something I enjoy and know that she can be a part of it too if she wants. Of course, the majority of my time will still be spent playing with her, teaching her, and tending to her needs; but it is nice to know that I can include my own needs into the day and I now have a place to do it!
Here's a painting I did on my own here at my desk...without the guidance of the teacher. It is of an old converted barn in Maine...from a photo I took one summer. The computer isn't normally going to be at the desk, but the photo I was using to paint from was on my flickr site and I was too lazy to print it out. Then, of course I had to check facebook! :)
Damn you addictive Facebook! Damn you! :)

Tweet