Mother's Day 2011

Hi there friends!
I thought I'd share some photos from my Mother's Day with you. Chris asked what I wanted to do; so I told him I'd like to go to the Old North Bridge in nearby Concord, MA to walk around and have a picnic. It's located in the Minuteman National Park. It is also the locale of the "Shot Heard 'Round the World and the beginning of the Revolutionary War. It's a beautiful area filled with walking paths, lush gardens and beautiful scenery at every turn. It's one of my very favorite places to go. We lucked out and had lovely weather...yay! Paige got to run anywhere she wanted and we had a blast taking pictures and just walking all around. Thanks to Chris and Paige for making it so special. I had fun.
I love you both so much! Happy Mother's Day to my own Mama. She puts up with my constant phone calls where I'm worried about some such thing or another. She always makes me see the light and knows how to make me feel so much better. Thanks again Mom! You are the best!!

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Easter 2011

I know it's pretty late, but I had to put some favorite Easter photos up on the ol' blog for the sake of posterity. I didn't think Paige would understand the egg hunt. But the Easter bunny came in the morning and Paige figured it right out. We went to Paige's cousin's house later in the day and there was another egg hunt there! She became mildly obsessed with hunting for eggs; so we'll have to write to the Easter Bunny in hopes he will hide even more on Easter morning next year.











Here is a video of Paige's Easter Bunny egg hunt. We tell her to look for eggs and says a balloon is an egg. She then finds an egg that was a Playmobil toy, but I didn't want to correct her since I DID say to find the eggs. The rest was smooth sailing. I would say my favorite thing about this video is the victory gallop she does after each find, along with the scream of "egg!!" I love this girl.

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Party on!

It's waaaaaay overdue, but figured I'd post some pictures from Paige's birthday party. We had it on a Saturday the week before she turned 2 and invited her little buddies from her playgroups. (about 3 or 4 other toddlers were in attendance). Her close family also came to celebrate; we had lots of brunch food and chose to do it between 10am-noon. That way, the kiddos could go home for their naps and not be overwhelmed from a long party. It proved to be just right and they all seemed to have fun running around playing. It was pouring rain outside, so we just put out some toy "stations" and let the kids go to it. I put out some dollar-store wooden masks and washable markers for the kids to decorate with, but they were mostly interested in just playing. Glad we kept things simple! Paige seemed to have great fun and had a lovely long nap afterward. I still can't believe she is two. sigh.


This is Paige's outfit and hair. She went barefoot. This is as fancy as she gets.


This is "Rocky." My parents gifted this beautiful cherry wooden duck rocker to Paige. My Dad's friend from work designed and made it! He used wood from a tree that had fallen on another friend's land. I love that. It is huge; Paige's feet barely touch and she's very tall. I love that she can grow into it as she loves it already and rocks at different times through the day...most rockers are too small for her. You can't see, but it has a gorgeous natural wooden seat that just gleams. We imagine that Rocky will be well loved and we hope one day our own grandchildren will enjoy him. (*tear*)


Here Paige is getting sung "Happy Birthday." She was enjoying a cracker at the time.


Obligatory family shot. She's wondering who these clowns are who keep bothering her while she has her delicious cupcake.


Cupcake goodness. Nom nom nom.


After her nap, Paige opened her gifts. This wooden train was gifted to her by Chris' parents. Another great heirloom toy keepsake. Paige loves it; the box car in the back has a sliding door and she can put things inside. The circus car has a gate at the back that lifts up and again, she can put her little animals inside it. The engine for the front has a little peg that is removable that is the train conductor. She loves pushing it all over the house and it rolls very easily. Check it out here. You can choose from a plethora of different train cars and even add to it for different holidays and birthdays. It's hand made by a friendly artisan...I find that super cool.


Here we are opening a present. She was saying "Woooooooow!" I have to laugh at the post-nap wild hair from having taken out the two pigtails...hee hee.

AND HERE ARE SOME LITTLE DETAILS:


I got little drawstring bags and bought iron-on inkjet transfer paper. I designed alphabet letters for each party guest's first name, ironed them on and presto! Customized favor bags. Inspired by this. (although mine aren't as cool)


Our "theme" was "Animals on Parade." Chris had given me these cupcake toppers for Christmas and I based the party around them. They were made by Meri Meri, and I found a whole line of party decor based on them. We even used their invitations. I could have made everything myself but I'm just not that ambitious these days.


We stuck a banner on the mantel.


And we stuck a banner in the middle of the kitchen over the island.



I couldn't forget to use the banner from her first birthday...it will make an appearance each year.

We also included tons and tons of balloons everywhere (pink, yellow, and a teal blue) to add to the festive feel. Hope you enjoyed our mini show from her party! I left out all the photos of the guests to protect privacy; but if you've been to one family/kid party you've been to them all. :)
A big thank you to everyone who came to celebrate with Little P! We had fun with you!

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Two!

Dear Little P.,

Today you turned two.



TWO!!! (That's what you're saying in the picture and trying to put up 2 fingers, haha)

I feel like I've been waiting for this day forever! I guess I've just been excited to celebrate and buy you fun presents. It's the joy of being able to spoil you before you can be spoiled...I love it! I've been wondering what to write for this letter and thinking of what grandiose thoughts I could put forth and just couldn't come up with anything that seemed worthy or fitting of this day. So, I guess I'll simply tell you that I love you and am so proud of all you are becoming and all that you are right now. I wouldn't change a thing about you; you are a magnificent creature of God and I'm blessed to be your Mama.
What a wild year we have had! You've mastered the art of walking, running, galloping, speeding up and down hills, walking the balance beam, kicking the ball and throwing the ball, and even hitting a giant golf ball with your giant golf club. You've started to speak and communicate and you have wonderful articulation! You've been working hard for months now on mastering your skills of communication, speech, engagement, and social repartes. You are doing so great with it all and we couldn't be more proud. You really enjoy going to your Gymboree class once per week; it's a chance to flex your motor skills and run free. You've been making lots of little friends there and it's fun to see. Your other favorite outing is your Kindermuzik class. I tend to doubt there is any other time when you are so happy as when you are there. You LOVE all the little dances and games and songs. The glee and joyful dancing you put forth prove that it's your favorite thing to do; so I'll have to sign you up again for the next classes they offer! Some of your favorite things to do include: play doh, digging in the sand, collecting leaves in the fall, splashing in the bathtub, finding eggs we hide all around the room (an Easter activity that lives on even after the Easter Bunny has come), coloring with crayons and markers on your easel, directing us to make you a "clue" with crayons (making pawprints and coloring them in Blues Clues fashion), drawing faces on the easel as you direct us (eyes! mouth! ears! hair! sad! happy! etc.), swinging on the swing, rolling on your yoga ball to row,row, row your boat, singing the ABCs (the only song you really dance to), roaring with your toy dinosaurs, putting puzzles together, playing with your Dollies, and your number one favorite thing....READING BOOKS. You LOVE to sit in our laps and listen to stories. You never tire of it. And when we are busy, you are often found to have a book in your lap as you "read" aloud to yourself. I'm glad you enjoy reading time; it's a favorite of mine too. I like sharing the same interests with you; it makes me feel even closer to you.
Today your Daddy stayed home from work so he could be with you and play with you too. We had a wonderful time together. You opened a few gifts this morning and then we got dressed and went to the Butterfly Place. You have had a runny nose, so we canceled the plans to go to Gymboree. You didn't seem to mind. We also had intended to take you to the zoo, but the weather wasn't on our side either. There were lots of scattered showers and thunderstorms that thwarted our intentions. We'll go soon sweetie, I promise. You enjoyed the Butterfly Place and didn't even try to grab or squish any of them.



You just sort of marveled at the sight of them fluttering everywhere. We got you your very own set of butterfly wings in the gift shop. I let you choose the color and you surprised us by saying "pink." Your favorite color is usually blue, but you didn't want those ones. So, we put the pink ones on you once we got outside and you galloped around like you owned the place.







We then took you to lunch at our favorite Chinese/Japanese food restaurant. Your favorite food is their Beef Lo Mein, so we thought eating there for your birthday lunch would be a hit. As usual, you wolfed in your lunch with so much satisfaction and that's all we could ask for. After your nap, we went to the free zoo (PetSmart) and looked at all the critters. You were thrilled! But not as thrilled as when we went to Friendly's to get sundaes afterward.






You said your first sentence ever on the way home..."I Love Ice Cream!" You said it many, many, many times over. It's also something we didn't even have to teach you to say. You just said it out of the blue by yourself while we were in the car. You've never said "I Love YOU" but that's FINE. Hmph. It will come. For now you love ice cream. I wish I was ice cream. hee!!!
Don't worry, I know you love me. You show me every day, and for that I am so lucky.
After we got home, you had more gifts to open (a big hit!), dinner and your cupcake, and then you helped me make your cupcakes for your playgroup tomorrow.



(you got a new apron for your birthday!)





Phew! What a day! It is quiet in your room right now, so I know you are drifting off to dreamland on this first day of being 2. I hope it was as fun for you as it was for us. I'm so proud of you my precious girl. You are so good at being YOU and you seem so proud to be that way. I love that.
Happy Birthday my sweetie P, I'm so lucky to know you much less be your Mama. Here's to a delightful and fabulous year ahead.
Love you always and forever more,
Mama


Your cool new book which you are enamored with...


Your new zoo set (from the Playmobil 1-2-3 line for toddlers).


A few Ostheimer toys that you loved. You kept saying "Mama!" "Baby!" "Mama!" "Baby!" (there was a big elephant and a little one)


Look Maren! See my new giraffe!?


Enjoying the fancy new book


Goodnight Boston! Tip your servers! (You love this new Glockenspiel and we love the sounds it makes so it's a win-win).

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Belly

Dear Little P.,

Today is the last day that you are one year old. I can't help erupting into tears now that I've written that. I'm happy you are turning two; I just wish I could keep you small and innocent and wanting to be near me forever. But I know you don't belong to me; you are a child of God and I'm here to try my hardest to show you how to be the best YOU can be. For now, I'm savoring all the littlest moments with you. In light of that, I decided to take some pictures of your little belly. It's one of my very favorite things and I know you will grow up and this belly just won't be the same anymore. So, selfishly, I took pictures of it and am documenting it here so I can always look at it and marvel over your cuteness. Thanks for humoring me and allowing it.
Love you madly,
Mama

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another

Hi friends!
It's finally starting to seem like spring around these parts! Phew! It was getting depressing...all the cold and darkness and snow and whatnot. I'm now staring at some budding trees and a blue sky. Jiggety jig!
I've been fielding questions as of late...the "when are you going to have another kid" question to be exact. I wish I had a firm answer. I just have no idea. I get pangs now and again...the pang that says that babies are so cute and cuddly and warm. Then I get another pang that reminds me of the work, the elusive sleep, the commitment. Not that I'm not already committed, but you know what I mean. Two is more than one and all that jazz.
The truth is, a big part of me is terrified to go into trying to have another baby. I mean, Paige was our fifth pregnancy. I spent the first trimester in terror and fear. I spent every day shaking, sweating, nearly crying and I thought I could never go through that daily fear again. I was so grateful to be pregnant, but so terrified of something going wrong. I barely slept and didn't really relax until about my 7th month. It didn't help that I bled alot from a hematoma in there early on (nothing like bleeding to calm a pregnant woman's nerves). Anyway, it was a lot to go through and I'm not exactly chomping at the bit to go through all that again. (I won't even go into all the feelings I have with all the time and energy that Little P. needs right now as we learn about what we can do to help her developmentally. A baby thrown in the mix would certainly add another level of chaos.) I wonder "what if I have another loss? And another? Can I really go through it again?" Deep down, I know the answer is a resounding "yes." Paige has proven to me that every scary step is well worth it. Paige, when she was an angel, tried many times to get to me. Her future body was just having a hard time forming. And when it finally did, she came to be with us and we will forever be linked as Mama and daughter. How can I not give her a brother or sister to romp with here on earth? Another angel waiting in the wings for an earthly body. I'm scared, but I know I can do it. I may not know our next angel personally yet, but I know I love him or her and want to give them a home to come to. Soon, dear angel...soon. Please know that I will try my best but I have no control. That I am scared. That it may take a while. That I just need a little more bravery to come my way. In the meantime, I hope you are enjoying your heavenly garden in all its splendor.

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Photo time

I've been ranting and raving on here without much photo love. So, here are some shameless photos of Paige being cute from one day outside in March (a warm-ish day we had JUST before Rotavirus hell hit us). I love the one where her mind is blown over the pine cone. I need to get that happy about something, stat.

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Finding the Key

Hi there!
Ugh, we had SNOW for the past 2 days. YUCK! We never seem to have much of a spring around here. It always seems to go from winter to summer overnight; perhaps 3 weeks of a spring at best. I'll keep my sights set on the end of May for that to happen, ha!
I promised to share some insights regarding Little P's speech and such so I thought for this post I would focus on a discovery I made. Paige had begun her weekly therapies and I wanted to know what more I could do during the rest of the time with her to help her move forward. Her therapist gave me little things to work on, but it never seemed like much when I had the whole week alone with my daughter at my disposal. Internet searches usually turned up empty (READ TO YOUR KID! NARRATE YOUR DAY!!! really? I'd been doing that and it wasn't really helping us along.) I finally found a WEALTH of information and tips at Teach Me to Talk. It is a website run by Laura Mize, pediatric speech language pathologist with over 15 years experience and thousands of hours helping toddlers learn to communicate. Her goal is to help parents work with their toddlers at home on their own or in addition to the therapies they are getting through early intervention services or autism services.
I ended up reading all of the blog entries in the all of the sections of the website and I learned SO MUCH. From there, I ended up ordering the Teach Me to Talk DVD and the Teach Me to Play WITH You book. The DVD was very helpful for me in that it shows clips of Laura working with her clients and how she works her magic. It's useful to see her methods in action. It's not for the children to watch...it's a DVD for the parent to watch and learn from. The book was also helpful for me in that it is filled with ideas for finger plays, social games, and lists the best toys all for enhancing language development. These games are tailored for toddlers who have delays, so I was thrilled that Little P could actually participate in these...they weren't over her head or beyond her abilities.
Aside from the wealth of written information on the website, Laura also does podcasts! You can see that section on her website. I went over there via I-Tunes and began to take my pick of shows depending on what topic seemed to fit our needs. There were several! I've spent many an evening listening to a show or two. I found them helpful and fun to listen to.
If you are looking to enhance your child's speech or feel concerned about their development Teach Me to Talk is a great place to start finding some support and help. (If you are concerned about a possible delay of any kind in your child, I highly recommend having a free evaluation by your state's early intervention program. No reason to drag your feet! It's great to start as soon as possible to rule out potential issues or target the area your little one may need a bit of help with. It will only help your child and give you peace of mind. Like my friend and Little P's Godmommy said: You wouldn't wait to see the pediatrician if you thought your child had a serious illness; you would take them in to get checked out.

I have to say, the clip from the website that first caught my attention and changed the whole game for me was this one.



I noticed how FUN she was making playtime. Laura demonstrated a lot of energy and the toddler was so engaged. Maybe I needed to really ramp up our playtime to that level of fun and energy to get Little P to notice me? I tried it, and it worked. Paige was watching me (finally!) and we were having fun together. I ordered the DVD so I could watch different scenarios...it was about an hour long and touched on issues for children who have trouble engaging or listening as well. We now play in a concentrated engaged way for a minimum of an hour per day (spread through the day) but I try to tally in as much as 3 hours of engaged time per day if I can. We've been working our way up to that amount. It can be tiring and challenging to stay that energetic for such a huge chunk of time, but it helps to spread it out. Chris also participates when he comes home from work...he engages and plays for stretches of time with her after dinner and during her bath time. Every moment together with her presents an opportunity to be fun, playful, and learn language in the process (meal times, grocery store, errands, diaper changes). In turn, it has also done wonders for our mother/daughter relationship.
Anyway, changing the way we play has been instrumental for our changes so I wanted to share!
I hope people find Teach Me to Talk as helpful as we did! I'll be back soon to share more. Enjoy your weekend friends!!!!

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