Book of the Week

 Hi friends!
Yesterday (Monday) ended up being a good one. There weren't any catastrophes or meltdowns (with me OR the kids). I even got some cleanup and laundry done. It's the little things.
Noah and I spent some time together and he got to do a boatload of crawling around the house trying to eat or destroy everything he could find.
Like Godzilla--only there's no ocean or Mothra or screaming Asians.

 

He also got to wear his preppy New England style red pants. Nantucket Reds I call them. (I snagged them at Baby Gap) Now, I just need to send him to some local boarding school and he'll fit right in. Kidding! I would never do that. (Although, I'm not counting out fantasizing about it in the future when he's giving me an extra hard time.)

Speaking of New England, our foliage is starting out and it's beautiful so far! Here's the view when I stand in my front door looking forward. Summer is my favorite, but nature like this makes fall a worthy second in my book. hee!


On to today, and I'm ready for another Books for Wee post.

 

I bought "For Just One Day" by Laura Leuck when I was in Maine recently on a little mini vacation by myself. I saw it was illustrated by my FAVORITE...Marc Boutavant and I knew I had to have it. So, it's really for me. But Paige loves it so I figure I can share for now. If I must.





It's basically about what the narrator would like to be for just one day if he/she could be anything, in terms of animals.  It's got fun rhyming prose which makes it easy for kiddos to predict what will come on the next page. (This helps with pre-reading skills!) Paige asked for this book for a full week and probably more from Chris. The extra bonus is that it's mine to have once she's done with it. It's got gorgeous whimsical illustrations that make me happy. Having kids is perfect for my children's book collecting habit. Win-Win!

I hope you are having a great Tuesday! I'll be back soon with a Stay at Home Mom Style post and some fun little animations I've cobbled. Be well!

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Book of the Week

One thing I am a huge advocate of is the importance of reading to our children. Children can develop a love of learning and reading through the active listening from being read aloud to. I won't go into the heaps of research and advice about it...but I WILL cite my favorite book on the subject: The Read Aloud Handbook by Jim Trelease.
I got it for my e-reader and it's filled with inspirational advice about reading aloud to our children (even teens!) and what books are best for reading aloud for all age groups. I highly recommend it. So, if you're ever wondering what good books to read aloud are, start there! It's a treasure!

Paige has a lot of favorite books. But, I notice that each week she seems to favor one in particular that she wants read aloud all the time every day until she sort of tires of it. Then, she's onto a new one for the next week. Eventually, she always cycles back around. Ha!
Recently, her "book of the week" was "Stuck" by Oliver Jeffers.



This book is hysterical. It really appeals to a child's humor. I know I love reading it over and over (because I have a kid's humor!). The charming illustrations by Jeffers bring the humor to life...his simple lines bring so much personality to his characters. I never tire of his clever drawings!



The storyline revolves around Floyd and the fact that he got his kite stuck up in the tree...the hilarity ensues when he throws his favorite shoe up there to get the kite out...but that gets stuck too!



Paige always managed loud laughter during this story. She even has a lot of it memorized and began using some of it's language in her daily life i.e.: "I'm SO delighted!"

Fun to read, fun to listen to AND learning new vocabulary? This book is a winner for us!

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Books galore

Hi there! As promised, I am back today to share my favorite books that have gotten me through some tough moments with a young baby!

I consider these to be MUST-HAVES. We're talking MUST READ BEFORE baby arrives. This way, when something perplexes you, you may have something you've read about pop into your mind to help you. I wish I'd read all these before I had Paige, but I read them once I was desperate for help during her scream fits. Once I read these, I was able to curb our issues and move forward smoothly. Yay!

1. Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child by Marc Weissbluth
This is my FAVORITE. It's very "sciencey" in the beginning. I read some of it and wanted to snore, so I skipped to the parts about the baby; newborn through 4 months. That's what's great about this book...you can skip around and read what is going to be helpful for you in the moment without having to read the whole thing in order. I've followed his techniques to the letter and the kiddos are great sleepers thus far. I use it even now for Paige and am refreshing my reading now that Noah is in the mix. It's comforting and full of tips when you are at wits end about a new issue that pops up (inevitably).

2. Happiest Baby on the Block by Harvey Karp
This book is another MUST before baby arrives. If you are adopting an older child, you may not need this one. It's specific to newborn/more early infancy. This book focuses on how to most efficiently and effectively SOOTHE your baby when fussy or upset. It discusses the famous "5 S's"...Swaddle, Side, Swish/Sway, Shhhh, and Suck. But, it's not just knowing these that helps. It's HOW to do them properly and effectively and in exact order. For example, I was swaying Paige, but never in the right way. Once I followed the book's suggestions, she would settle right away. And I use all the techniques with Noah to soothe him before sleep time and he hasn't had any crying fits/rages. He's 3 months old tomorrow! Again, read this book before baby arrives and you'll be totally prepared from day one!

3. Secrets of the Baby Whisperer by Tracy Hogg
This one is a combination of books 1 and 2 above. But, there's lots of other advice and information in it that I found very helpful. She mentions keeping to a sort of routine each day to maintain sanity, order and expectation for you and baby. I loved having this book in tandem with the others. You can read it before baby and it's helpful once baby arrives...it has lots of great simple advice and I highly recommend it!

4. Supernanny: How to get the best from your children by Jo Frost
This book has been helpful with Paige when she was about a year old and beyond. It discusses more about good hygiene habits, eating, discipline, etc. It's written in a really simple and helpful way. Not a must-have, but I feel it's a good read.

Of course, I have the "What to Expect" series...helpful, but the small anecdotes always leaving me wanting more information. I prefer the Dr. Spock sort of medical manuals for the nuts & bolts of baby/child care. The information is a little more expanded and a bit easier to find.

So, those are my top picks! I've read a ton of different books, but those are my "bibles" and feel that you can conquer anything with them. LOL.
Hope you find this little list helpful!!!

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A friendly request

Hi friends!
I have a favor to ask of you, my dear readers who have children, if you are willing to, could you send me a favorite digital photo (in high resolution) of your little one as a baby or toddler? Preferably looking at the camera or smiling? You see, I am going to print out the pictures and have them laminated and wirebound into a little book for Paige's birthday. She LOVES looking at babies and she has such delight in seeing other little smiling faces. I thought it would make for a fun gift and I know she would like it. You can email the photo to meandweefamily@gmail.com if you'd like to be part of Paige's little book. I promise not to sell the book or show it around to a bunch of people. It's for private use. I also plan to make a book with a picture of each family member smiling, with their name below the photo. That way she can learn who everyone is and can provide comfort if she's feeling insecure. Thanks so much for your help with my little birthday project!

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Paige's Pages: Book 5

No, it's not Thanksgiving. I try to tell this to Paige, but she just can't let go of this book. She never tires of the fun cartoons of the turkeys in this fun countdown from 5 turkeys to 1. Each page has a shiny "feather" attached that seems to give a lot of enjoyment too. A great book!
I hope you've enjoyed this week of Paige's Pages!

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Paige's Pages: Book 4

Hello!
Today's book is called "Goodnight Maine."



I'm sure most of you have seen series of these "goodnight" books all over the place featuring different states and locales. This version was gifted to Paige around the time of her birth. I grew up in Maine, so it is a fun way to introduce her to all the wonderful things that makes my home state special. I personally have seen these books around and thought they looked kind of cheesy. But, I must say, the brightly colored illustrations really have her interested through the whole book. She's always happy to have it read to her. And I feel a little bit closer to home which is a nice little perk for me. :)

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Paige's Pages: Book 3

Hey there!
Today's book is "How Big?" by the Fisher Price brand.



It's very simple in that it just has an animal baby on one page and the next page is a flap (reads "how big is baby?) that lifts to reveal a baby and the words "Soooo big." The illustrations are colorful and vibrant, which Paige loves. She also loves lifting the flaps on her own and seeing the baby beneath. She likes seeing other babies in pictures...which leads me to the idea of going on flickr to print out a few pictures of random babies and then have them laminated and bound to our own little "babies" book. Just a thought! I also thought it would be fun to print pictures of each family member with their names and have that laminated and bound too...
Anyhoo, she loves this book and it's slowly deteriorating with wear and tear. The mark of a winner!

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Paige's Pages: Book 2

Hi there!
Today's book is called "Little Green" by Keith Baker.

Paige has loved looking at it and hearing the tale since she was 9 weeks old and in her little bouncy chair. She continues to squeal with delight at it (she seems to have a crush on the guy in the book since she always smiles and shrieks when she sees him). The guy watches a little green hummingbird out his window and observes as it flies around in different directions so he can paint it's path. It's cute.



I think the appeal is the very colorful and vibrant illustrations that cover the pages. One neat thing for when she is older is that there's a little caterpillar hidden on each page for the kiddo to try and find (Where's Waldo style).



It's another winner!

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Paige's Pages: Book One

Hi friends!
I thought I could spend this week showcasing some of Paige's very favorite books. (note these are for the under 1 set) Not MY favorites...hers. I have lots of the classic board books and I figured there were certain ones that she was sure to love which turned out she could sort of care less about. Then, I have others I'd never heard of and she took an immediate shine to a lot of those.
I won't bother showcasing one of her top ones..."The Very Hungry Caterpillar" which most people know and love and is the exception to her classic book "distaste." And I will have to show you her "Pat the Bunny" book when this week is over. She liked it so much it is destroyed.

On to Paige's lesser-known loves:
Today's first pick goes to "Tails" by Matthew Van Fleet.



It's full of textures and colorful illustrations...but it also has special flaps and pull-tabs that create motion. It's a full interactive experience and Paige loves opening the flaps and pulling the tabs herself. She never tires of looking at this book; but I always bear in mind that she can't be left alone with this book or she will rip apart all the special features. She only enjoys this book while sitting in my lap. Not only a fun read, but a fun book to EXPERIENCE. Paige highly recommends it!

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Books that help

Hi friends!
I hope you have been enjoying your weekends! Paige's Godmother came over on Saturday to visit and helped out tremendously! She even watched Little P so Chris and I could go out to dinner together (I had the Avacado and Scallion sushi)...it was nice to get out and be together. Thanks Sue! Sue even survived one of Paige's screaming fits with me...Sue was a real champ in soothing her after a HUGE screaming meltdown. We are approaching the 6 week peak of fussiness and I'm scared! But, I know it will be so much better once we get to the other side of it. We can do it! Anyhoo, in light of Paige's fussiness and issues, friends recommended a few books that, together, have been HUGELY helpful for me. Thanks to the techniques in these books I am now able to soothe Paige so much better and have an understanding of how things work. They have saved the day for me several times now.
1. Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child, by Marc Weissbluth
This one advises the "2-hour wakefulness" rule and advises that after the baby is fed, etc. that she shouldn't be kept up for longer than 2 hours (this is the rule up to 3/4 months old.) It seems to prove true as Paige starts to tire at about 1.5 hours of wakefulness. So, I'm sure to put her down to nap at the very first signs of her tiring when she yawns or stretches. It saves me from her screaming from over-stimulation and keeps her calm through the day and night (for the most part!!!)

2. The Happiest Baby on the Block: The New Way to Calm Crying and Help Your Newborn Baby Sleep Longer, by Harvey Karp
This one describes IN DETAIL the 5 "s-es" such as swaddling and shushing and how to really do them effectively for soothing the baby. I knew about the 5 "s-es" but I think I was doing some of them wrong. Once I read this book (well, the parts that I needed to read) I learned a lot of little tricks that I wasn't doing right. I also learned that these techniques have to be done in just the right way and in the right order so that they work properly. So helpful!! I can soothe Paige now in a few minutes with these as opposed to the hours it used to take me.

3. Secrets of the Baby Whisperer: How to Calm, Connect, and Communicate with Your Baby by Tracy Hogg and Melinda Blau
This one is full of info and I haven't been able to read all of it yet. But, it suggests having a daily routine (an order of which things are done and not by the clock). It suggests that the baby should eat, have an activity after that, and then sleep. Which I was sort of doing anyway. This way, the baby and yourself always know what to expect next. I do this in tandem with the "2-hour wakefulness" rule and things run pretty smoothly. There's lots of other info in the book, but this is the main nugget that I've taken so far. There's also a handy chart that breaks down the baby's body language and what it might mean. Most are obvious, but some are not so it helped me out once or twice already.

Anyway, these books, in tandem, have been a big help for us so I thought I would share them here for any new Mom's out there also looking for info on soothing a fussy baby. Most of what I do is instinct, but when I need that little extra bit of advice or reassurance, these books have been helpful. I've just needed a little extra help during these first 6 weeks and hope it will get us through the first 3 months of "new baby" times. I'm feeling much more confident these days, thanks to some of the tips I've discovered. You never know, maybe you can find a tip or two that will help YOU out too! Be well friends, and please send me a happy thought during this coming week...the supposed "peak" of fussiness! (Although, she was born a week early, so perhaps the peak will be next week? Oh well, who knows, she may be a complete ANGEL and never have a problem!?!! That's the beauty of it all...each day is a new chocolate.) And onward we walk!

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Little Pea

Hi friends!
This past weekend, Chris and I were roaming my favorite store when he happened upon this book. He held it up to me with this excited and surprised look on his face...and I promptly gasped with glee and we both decided we had to have it. He read it to our Little P. that night and she thoroughly enjoyed it (according to her wiggling response). It's a very cute story written by Amy Krouse Rosenthal and illustrated by the great Jen Corace. You can find it and learn more about it here.

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