Today is E's last day of Pre-K, and tomorrow is M's last day of second grade. Everyone knows how glad I am to see summer break arrive so that we can stay home more and not have Baby C in the car so much. But I still feel a little sad about the end of the school year.
E has thrived in this class. Her last preschool was in a special ed setting, so that she would get the help she needed for her speech delay. However, she was more developed socially and emotionally than her classmates at that time, since the class was made up of children from 2.5 to 4 years with a range of abilities and varying special needs. She was a leader in that class (which may have given her an inflated sense of responsibility, eh?), but didn't have any close friends.
Moving to the Pre-K class at her sister's school was a big change. The curriculum was more challenging, and she was interacting with her peers. Her speech and language issues have all but disappeared (I can still tell where they reside but others have said they can't)--we haven't even renewed her IEP. Her talents have flourished and she is just about ready for kindergarten at this school. I say "just about" because our school runs the curriculum about a year ahead of other schools. E is expected to know a lot going into kindergarten, and we will work on some materials over the summer to keep it "fresh." She has made many friends and grown very attached to her teachers. It will probably be a shock to go to a different classroom and get to know a different teacher next year. She still refers to her school as her "new school" because this year was a change for her. Maybe when she returns it will sink in that it is no longer "new" to her!
As for moving to third grade, M is both nervous and excited. She wants to be in the same class as her best friend, but she never told me which teacher her friend requested. M talks a lot about third grade, but also said she wants to stay in second. She has had a good year, even though this teacher gave us some headaches. I am so proud of her development. Last year I thought she would never "get" math. Just recently, it has been really clicking for her. She can now do three-digit addition and subtraction in her head and is working on multiplication and division. It is starting to test my own abilities to help her with this math! Pretty soon she will be on algebra and then I will tell her to ask her father for homework help.
She is also a very creative writer. I wonder where she gets it. LOL. I recently showed her a short story that I wrote in second grade. She was amazed... that I was ever in second grade. Too funny.
Her future aspirations have changed from pilot to artist. She loves art class and has asked to join the afterschool art program next year. She also loves sports and particularly soccer. It's the favorite sport of my father-in-law, so I know he will be happy to see her play. Daddy will have to wait for C to have a kid in tee-ball.
So now that we are getting ready for summer, we have so many memories to enjoy of this school year. Bring on the laziness!
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
Monday, May 12, 2008
Cow's milk...
... is still not my friend.
My very nice Mother's Day ended on a sour note. A sour stomach, to be more specific.
My girls wanted to make Chocolate Truffles out of the "Shrek" cookbook (yes, it does exist--and some of the recipes are appropriately ogre-rific). Ingredients: dark chocolate, heavy cream, cocoa powder. Even though I knew better, I had to taste the mixture to make sure it was coming out right. What a MISTAKE.
I had been wondering if I should test my dairy tolerance now that I'm not pregnant anymore, which is when I am most sensitive. Well, the symptoms of my continued intolerance are very similar to food poisoning. The baby didn't appreciate me being up all night in the bathroom, especially when he wanted to eat!
Soooo, my friends, if you ever see me putting anything containing dairy products near my mouth, PLEASE STOP ME. Remind me about the truffles. That should do it.
My very nice Mother's Day ended on a sour note. A sour stomach, to be more specific.
My girls wanted to make Chocolate Truffles out of the "Shrek" cookbook (yes, it does exist--and some of the recipes are appropriately ogre-rific). Ingredients: dark chocolate, heavy cream, cocoa powder. Even though I knew better, I had to taste the mixture to make sure it was coming out right. What a MISTAKE.
I had been wondering if I should test my dairy tolerance now that I'm not pregnant anymore, which is when I am most sensitive. Well, the symptoms of my continued intolerance are very similar to food poisoning. The baby didn't appreciate me being up all night in the bathroom, especially when he wanted to eat!
Soooo, my friends, if you ever see me putting anything containing dairy products near my mouth, PLEASE STOP ME. Remind me about the truffles. That should do it.
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Baby love
Three weeks old, and he has "woken up."
Looks around at the world.
Gazes into faces held close.
Coos after the bath.
Sucks on his fist for entertainment.
Relaxes on the bouncy seat in front of the open screen door with the fresh breeze on his face.
Mmmmmm, baby love.
Looks around at the world.
Gazes into faces held close.
Coos after the bath.
Sucks on his fist for entertainment.
Relaxes on the bouncy seat in front of the open screen door with the fresh breeze on his face.
Mmmmmm, baby love.
She's lucky we don't spank
My five-year-old is testing me in ways I had never imagined. I knew she was going to be in love with her brother. I knew she would protect him. I knew she has an obsession for all things related to babies. But I didn't know how smothering this would become...
I feel like a broken record, this is all I say, all day long: "Stop touching him." "Leave him alone, he's sleeping." "You can hold him when he's awake." "DON'T TOUCH HIM WHEN HE'S ASLEEP."
Last week she broke the baby swing. Not even 72 hours after I assembled it. The replacement part arrived today. We'll see if it fixes the problem. I might resort to garnishing her future allowance to pay for the replacement.
Yesterday, in the spastic haste that she has developed in order to hurryupanddoeverythingsoshecangocheckonthebaby, she dumped a full cup of cold juice in my lap. Accidentally, yes. But ohmygoodness, it was the last straw.
Deep breath.
On the upside, she loves her brother. She will do anything for him. She is helping change and wash the diapers. She keeps tabs on his every breath, whimper, twitch and flutter. She has calmed down at school and the teachers have praised her for it. She doesn't tire of helping with anything. Yet. {snicker}
Ah, my daughter. If only you would give me a little personal space when I'm nursing the baby, I would be much more patient with you. But I love you through this crazy, nutty, exciting time anyway!
I feel like a broken record, this is all I say, all day long: "Stop touching him." "Leave him alone, he's sleeping." "You can hold him when he's awake." "DON'T TOUCH HIM WHEN HE'S ASLEEP."
Last week she broke the baby swing. Not even 72 hours after I assembled it. The replacement part arrived today. We'll see if it fixes the problem. I might resort to garnishing her future allowance to pay for the replacement.
Yesterday, in the spastic haste that she has developed in order to hurryupanddoeverythingsoshecangocheckonthebaby, she dumped a full cup of cold juice in my lap. Accidentally, yes. But ohmygoodness, it was the last straw.
Deep breath.
On the upside, she loves her brother. She will do anything for him. She is helping change and wash the diapers. She keeps tabs on his every breath, whimper, twitch and flutter. She has calmed down at school and the teachers have praised her for it. She doesn't tire of helping with anything. Yet. {snicker}
Ah, my daughter. If only you would give me a little personal space when I'm nursing the baby, I would be much more patient with you. But I love you through this crazy, nutty, exciting time anyway!
Hooray for breastfeeding!
From MSNBC.com
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24387268/
Breast-feeding rates hit new high in U.S.
Three-quarters of new moms nurse their infants, at least briefly, CDC says
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24387268/
Breast-feeding rates hit new high in U.S.
Three-quarters of new moms nurse their infants, at least briefly, CDC says
Monday, April 14, 2008
Baby
Christian was born on April 6 at 10:53 am, in the water at home. We are doing great--feeding, changing, watching, learning about each other.
The labor was intense. Long. Frustrating. My second back labor, posterior sunny-side-up baby. Foggy, yet some parts were startlingly clear. I am not ready to write the birth story yet. It may take some time. I have to process and figure out how to compose it first. Call me if you want to hear about it. I can talk it through, but not write it yet.
He is perfect. Precious. I am truly unworthy of the honor it is to be his mother. I feel like a first-time parent all over again, but with a certain calm and ease that the first-timers would pay any price to get in those initial weeks.
His sisters are obsessed, to the point of fighting over the amount of time he spends on their laps. E has a devouring fascination with him that she cannot control--I am constantly demanding her to give him space, back off, take her fingers out of his mouth, etc. M is more reserved, but concerned and loving in a tender way that makes me so proud of her. I wonder how long the interest will last?
It is an amazing feeling to have a son. It is still settling in. I always thought I would have all girls. The fortune-teller was wrong. I am blessed with a boy!
The labor was intense. Long. Frustrating. My second back labor, posterior sunny-side-up baby. Foggy, yet some parts were startlingly clear. I am not ready to write the birth story yet. It may take some time. I have to process and figure out how to compose it first. Call me if you want to hear about it. I can talk it through, but not write it yet.
He is perfect. Precious. I am truly unworthy of the honor it is to be his mother. I feel like a first-time parent all over again, but with a certain calm and ease that the first-timers would pay any price to get in those initial weeks.
His sisters are obsessed, to the point of fighting over the amount of time he spends on their laps. E has a devouring fascination with him that she cannot control--I am constantly demanding her to give him space, back off, take her fingers out of his mouth, etc. M is more reserved, but concerned and loving in a tender way that makes me so proud of her. I wonder how long the interest will last?
It is an amazing feeling to have a son. It is still settling in. I always thought I would have all girls. The fortune-teller was wrong. I am blessed with a boy!
Friday, April 4, 2008
Odd cravings
In the last few days, I've had some odd cravings:
Cherry cola slushie*
Hot roast beef sandwich
Arroz con pollo*
Barbeque
*Fulfilled.
Cherry cola slushie*
Hot roast beef sandwich
Arroz con pollo*
Barbeque
*Fulfilled.
Thursday, April 3, 2008
Birth Beads
I have been blessed many times. These beads symbolize the many blessings given to me by dear friends as I complete this journey of pregnancy on my way to a new phase of woman/motherhood.
Thank you!
Wearing baby
I've been a ring-sling mama for almost eight years. I started wearing M in a Maya Wrap when she was five months old. Both of my kids have spent as much time in a sling as a stroller (we are equipment hogs). I've even become a distributor for several sling companies, so that I could pay for my own slings through the small profit made by selling them when someone notices the ones I have worn.
When E was a baby, there were ring slings, rebozos and Moby wraps. Now with babe #3 soon to appear, I have been introduced to the myriad of baby slings, wraps, carriers and packs. I am still too intimidated by Babywearer.com to delve into that abyss, but I have peeked over the edge and have seen where it could lead me... and where it has led my friend, JB (shout out to your collection!).
So I have pulled together a little bit of a collection myself--from remnant inventory, requests from family traveling abroad, gifts from friends and one recent purchase.
Here's what I have so far:
My original, first Maya Wrap (in #15 blue chambray)
A FancyBabySling lavender/gold Asian-print ring sling (I think this company is no longer in business)
A Taylormade wine silk ring sling
A Taylormade batik royal blue ring sling
A homemade Mei Tai, have no idea who made it.
A Placid Baby Mei Tai
A Sleepy Wrap in light blue
Two rainbow-on-black rebozos from a street vendor in Guerrero, Mexico
A blue and aqua rebozo from a street vendor in Guatemala.
What I don't have links to here, I will have to take pictures of or show you in person. You'll probably see them in person. Don't hold your breath for me to post pics.
In closing, I am sharing these pictures I took from our vacation to Southern California last summer. We spent the day at Venice Beach, and I was very excited to spot a Latin American family fishing in the jetty, with the mom carrying the youngest on her back. To preserve her privacy, I didn't take pictures of her face (well, actually, she wouldn't turn around at the moment I was snapping these), but I did see that the rebozo she was wearing was knotted in the front near her right shoulder. Notice that the baby is not wearing shoes--he didn't need to, as he was not put down the entire time that I was watching them (a good hour or so we were in the same vicinity).
(NB: I don't plan on wearing my baby in quite that position.)
When E was a baby, there were ring slings, rebozos and Moby wraps. Now with babe #3 soon to appear, I have been introduced to the myriad of baby slings, wraps, carriers and packs. I am still too intimidated by Babywearer.com to delve into that abyss, but I have peeked over the edge and have seen where it could lead me... and where it has led my friend, JB (shout out to your collection!).
So I have pulled together a little bit of a collection myself--from remnant inventory, requests from family traveling abroad, gifts from friends and one recent purchase.
Here's what I have so far:
My original, first Maya Wrap (in #15 blue chambray)
A FancyBabySling lavender/gold Asian-print ring sling (I think this company is no longer in business)
A Taylormade wine silk ring sling
A Taylormade batik royal blue ring sling
A homemade Mei Tai, have no idea who made it.
A Placid Baby Mei Tai
A Sleepy Wrap in light blue
Two rainbow-on-black rebozos from a street vendor in Guerrero, Mexico
A blue and aqua rebozo from a street vendor in Guatemala.
What I don't have links to here, I will have to take pictures of or show you in person. You'll probably see them in person. Don't hold your breath for me to post pics.
In closing, I am sharing these pictures I took from our vacation to Southern California last summer. We spent the day at Venice Beach, and I was very excited to spot a Latin American family fishing in the jetty, with the mom carrying the youngest on her back. To preserve her privacy, I didn't take pictures of her face (well, actually, she wouldn't turn around at the moment I was snapping these), but I did see that the rebozo she was wearing was knotted in the front near her right shoulder. Notice that the baby is not wearing shoes--he didn't need to, as he was not put down the entire time that I was watching them (a good hour or so we were in the same vicinity).
(NB: I don't plan on wearing my baby in quite that position.)
My little doulas...
They got really upset last night when they had to go to bed without helping me in the birth tub. Doulamadre was here to give me a pampering session and it was getting late. I was in the tub, let them do some massage and water splashing, but they both cried when they got put to bed before helping me get out. I felt so bad. Tonight, I will get in and relax earlier!
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