Watching workers outside the window

Today at daycare the toddlers enjoyed watching the PSEG workers outside their window, and listening to all the sounds the workers were making. The little guy loves "trucks" - everything's kind of a "truck" - cars, trucks, buses - so we're working on recognizing the differences. :)

Making rainbows

Baby boy enjoyed art today making paint rainbows with folding paper plates

Innovative art

Little boy enjoyed painting with his nose...yes his nose. I saw photos of all the kids with painted noses, leaned over paper and painting with their noses. Too cute. And today they mixed colors and saw red and blue make purple.

My little guy loves music

So today at daycare they said he was a little sad but loved singing and dancing at circle time. It's true. He loves to sing and dance. He has enjoyed music since a few months old. He quickly learned in the crib to turn on the music that turned the mobile. He would hum with it. Then he moved to toys that played songs - musical books, alphabet pal catepillar, the hungry catepillar and jack russel terrier musical pull-string toys, and then the clock radio. Once he knew where we stashed the remote for that thing, he was grabbing it and putting it up to us, signaling us to turn it on. Then he could say "dan" - or dance - as he pointed to the radio. Apparently he did this in the infant room at daycare. And now in the toddler room he just goes over to the radio/CD player and turns it on himself. :) too funny. He loves to sing to the ABC song, and is even already saying a few of the letters as we sing. He loves "Wheels on the bus" and a total favorite is "Itsy bitsy spider". He holds his hands together at the fingertips and says "ih ih" - so we sing along together. He seems to really like "WIPE the spider OUT!" and then he puts his fingertips together when the spider climbs up the spout again! Sometimes we hear him singing to himself. We're not clear yet what the song is, but he's definitely singing. This was even more clear the day he gave himself a big round of applause, "YEAH!" clapping feverishly. :) My kids are not lacking in self-confidence, that is for sure!

Using musical instruments

He enjoyed making music with his toddler friends with different instruments. At circle time they sometimes bring out bells and tamborines to shake when they sing their morning songs.

Little goldfish

Baby boy and his toddler friends put rocks and plant in their new goldfish bowl. I think the fish came from the Fall Festival - we'll see how long he lasts. But the little cuties are all so cute when they're lined up to walk in the hall together, go to the big room, sitting listening to a story!

Making music with friends

Christopher had a wonderful Wednesday! He and his friend, Socky, had lots of fun playing instruments today. They made great music. :)

The vase

So today my little one seemed obsessed with a vase of flowers...it's a plastic vase filled with fun art materials in the walls of the vase, and pretty floral bunch in it. They have it propped in the 'kitchen' area on the table. I thought it was so cute he seemed so attracted to it. And when I picked him up he pulled the flowers out, gave them to me, and when I put them in the vase, he picked up the vase and gave it all to me. I thought - great first step to know how to bring Momma flowers... and then I read a prior daily sheet and saw he actually helped his teacher fill the vase with the fun art material...so it's really that he wanted to show me his project he was proud of! How absolutely adorable!

Halloween

We had a lovely Halloween walking the neighborhood as a family. I took the stroller just in case K wanted to go to more houses than C could handle. But the little pumpkin took to the concept of trick-or-treating very quickly, picking his own candy and putting it in his bag either Mom or Dad were holding for him. He was tireless - lasting the whole time, and the only time we carried him was when Dad put him on his shoulders to speed up the pace a little at the end as we were all getting a little chilly! It was fun and adorable to watch!

Prepping for Halloween

C enjoyed listening to Halloween stories and enjoyed bouncing balls in the big room. he slides down the slide and it's clear he is listening to stories more. he picks books and hands them to me now and says "UP" indicating he wants to sit on your lap to hear the story. he doesn't always listen to the whole thing, or he flips pages early, but he's interested. it's nice. I love when he asks to sit on my lap to sit, cuddle or listen to a story. It's so nice!

Played in art

glued the leaves he picked outside on paper plates...i just still can't believe he's big enough to use glue and art products!

Little one playing with friends

So today he enjoyed playing with legos with his friends! And came home with his first coloring project - a little bee (the letter Bb) - used crayons.

Baby boy played with playdoh today in his choice of centers. He enjoyed singing songs during circle time.

Second day in toddlers

Good day in toddlers. They painted in Fall colors which was so exciting. And he loved getting to know his new teacher Ms. Odetta who started her first day as full time lead teacher. We really like her and Ms Ayana. They're really sweet.

backwards on a bike

So newly in toddlers, baby boy gets to go out on the playground now! I can't believe he's so big that he's out there on his own playing with the big toddler friends. Really 18 months went by in a blink of an eye! He'll be driving before I know it. Teachers said he had a great day - played in the sand box and tried riding a bike - though he went backwards. Maybe he takes after Nonna who skated backwards. :)

Little one collecting fall leaves

Outside with his toddler friends enjoyed collecting fall leaves. He loves looking at the leaves in the trees and ones on the ground. K did too...she found some lovely ones. Looks like C will find unique ones of his own. :)

Walking with his friends

Baby boy enjoyed singing songs and listening to stories. Outside he had lots fo fun taking a short walk. On the walk he held Tola's hand. :)

Little one started in toddler room already

Well time does fly! Little one is transitioning to the toddler room... played in the science area with dinosaurs and playdoh, and got help using cookie cutters to make fun shapes. Growing up so fast!

Moving to the big room

Baby boy had a terrific Tuesday. He really enjoyed playing in the Big Room, he loved going down the slide and looking at the "big" fish tank. In the class room he played blocks and cars with Max and listened to a few stories with the rest of his friends. :)

I'd planned to take 2 weeks off before giving birth to my first child.  I had some things left to do to get ready and this time would be perfect.  Some colleagues and I went out for lunch on Thursday - to a place where they have a favorite mango chicken dish that I was so looking forward to eating.  Later that afternoon I didn't feel well.  Figured the lunch wasn't sitting right with me and kept on with the day.  That evening my husband and I went to order rugs for our sunroom and the baby's room.  As we placed the order, I still felt like lunch was not agreeing with me.  This was odd all these hours later, but I am not a stranger to an upset stomach, so I pressed on. 

 

The most unusual point in retrospect was that when we got home, I skipped dinner and went to lie down.  I had my husband take a photo of me standing sideways, feeling like the belly had taken on a pretty substantial profile, and needed noting. But then went to bed.  In retrospect, it all makes sense, but at the time, who knew?  It was our first.  We'd never been through this before now, and boy was I tired.

 

Then I proceeded to wake up every few hours and then probably a couple hours at a time to go to the bathroom.  It seemed somewhat reasonable - this baby had been waking me up for months now.  But this time I really didn't have to do anything and would go back to bed.  As the night progressed closer to morning, I started to think something may be up, but didn't want to head to the hospital in the middle of the night, so kept taking 2-3 hour "naps".

In the morning I called the doctor - the pain had been worse than anything before - aching pain. When there, she checked me out and said "meet you at the hospital, you're having a baby." So off we went, not knowing what to expect, or carrying anything like a bag. We didn't even have a camera. And at the rate I was progressing, we were lucky my hubby had time to get to the gift shop to purchase a disposable camera.  

Baby boy did a puzzle.

Daycare reported baby boy enjoyed putting together a puzzle with sea animals on it...great job! :)

Bedtime

As I sit in the rocking chair, pretending to be asleep so my 14 month old will stop pacing the crib, playing with binkies, doing the downward facing dog and just go to sleep, I think, "how did I get here AGAIN?!" I knew my daughter's situation - I nursed her. She fell asleep on me. So I "ferberized" her and things were "good" for a while. And then we went to Australia for 2 1/2 weeks, sleeping as a family on a mattress at my friends house. It was so fun...until we came home, and the "family sleep" situation lasted for another year!!! She of course eventually moved to her new room in preparation for baby brother, and sleeps in her big-girl bed (though likes someone to lay with her when she's falling asleep). But moved on none the less.

With my little guy, he's been SOOO good sleeping. Since he was born, I'd nurse him, swaddle him, lay him in his bassinet and he'd lay there peacefully and fall asleep, probably by the time my daughter and I brushed teeth. It was heaven. It was just out of pure necessity - I had to put my daughter to bed and most nights I was home alone with them.

Now, after baby boy turned 1, still doing well with bedtime...we go away to Cape May for a long Memorial Day weekend. I wonder how he'll do in the pack-n-play. Well, he was wonderful still. I fed him his bottle, rocked a little with a song, just like home, and he laid in his playpen bed awake, and cuddled his giraffe blankie and fell asleep. I now think the ocean air had something to do with this. Because we get home and probably within 2 nights, he's impossible.

Now he's also started walking - a few steps and more steady balancing, climbing...breaking away. So he's now also getting a little 'needy' - reverting a bit as he reaches further out. Absolutely normal.

So as I sit in the chair, pretending to be asleep, with one eye slightly open so I can see the antics, I also think, "This too shall pass." And how lucky am I to view his twinkling toes as he enjoys the feel of the sheets under his legs, pressing the binky exploring how flexible it is, rolling around with his giraffe blankie....pure JOY!

Baby boy walked on his own today!

So my little boy took his first steps on his own today. It was so nice to see. He's been walking holding on to things and you can see he's thinking...'hmm, i can do this...or maybe i'll just crawl. It's faster and easier." and then he slowly lowers himself down to crawl to the "far away" place. But today he was standing at the gate, walked along the wall to the attic door way corner, and then took about 4 steps into the middle of the hallway on his way to Katherine's doorway. It was great! It won't be long that he'll be running up and down the hall between the bathroom and his room in the morning. And then he'll be chasing his big sister at daycare. And then I'll be totally exhausted trying to keep up! Oh dear. It's the beginning of the end. :)

It's been a while since something has moved me to actually post - but my latest is the soda tax debate in NY, Philly and Washington as part of the national health care reform proposals. Being so interested in healthy living and eating, you'd think I'd be in favor. But I enjoy a Coke now and then - the real Coke - not diet. And that is because of the real sugar. I'm fully aware of the calories and sugar and carbs I'm ingesting and that is why I choose to only drink it rarely - really - like 1-2 cans a week if that!

Why should I be taxed on a rare treat because I have control and knowledge, because the majority of the country can't control themselves? Why, when I'm out for lunch, should my Coke cost more?

More than what you ask...well, my real outrage is that it's going to cost more than a diet Coke! The aspartame-containing beverage that is no healthier for people, just fewer calories - thanks to a man made chemical known to cause brain tumors!

http://curezone.com/forums/fm.asp?i=1626493

I'm all for healthy living and eating, but it starts with education - awareness of the damages and risk, and knowledge that in moderation natural foods regardless of sugar contents are OK.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/19/business/economy/19leonhardt.html?scp=1&sq=%22soda%20tax%22&st=cse

Daycare said my little boy babe crawled today! Yeah!