Air It Out!

"A child reminds us that playtime is an essential part of our daily routine."  -- Anonymous

And it doesn't matter when it happens, as long as it happens!

WARNING: If you're not a fan of poop stories, you may want to skip reading this post.  Last chance...you can't say I didn't warn you....

Last night my husband was changing our son in the middle of him playing with his train table; bad timing, yes we are well aware of that, but when nature calls you need to take care of it.  He was about to put on a fresh cloth diaper when I told him it was OK for the little guy to "air it out" for a while before bed.  This is nothing new; I try to give him a short break throughout the day to let his skin breathe without being confined to a diaper 24/7.  So, anyway, back to the train table he went sporting just his t-shirt with everything hanging out for all to see.  Within a minute my husband is yelling for me to grab the wipes.  It was definitely too late!  We had a lovely trail of blueberry-tainted poo around the train table carpet.  (I should have mentioned that since Sunday he has consumed nearly 3 pints of fresh blueberries during snacks and mealtimes!)  Now my husband is awesome when it comes to changing diapers and even washing the soiled cloths, but unexpected poop messes on the carpet sends him a tizzy!  I come around the corner and there my son is 5 feet in the air and an arm's length away from my husband; poor guy was trying his hardest to remain smear-free.  That doesn't happen when playtime is the only thing on this child's mind and he is attempting to break loose from daddy's hold.  I handed him his toy bucket and off to the bath we went. 

Lesson of the evening is in the quote above; he definitely showed daddy how critical playtime is day and night!

It's OK to Ask...

I was recently out shopping with my little guy when an older couple was standing behind us in the check-out line.  Of course, there was one lane open and the customer was doing a return so the line was beginning to snake through the store.  I debated leaving the cart of merchandise behind and returning on a different day, but we held out for our turn.  I've noticed since giving birth to my son that many people feel the need to say something to your child the moment they make eye contact; something I am OK with except the day a woman said she would take him home with her because she always wanted a little boy, but I will save that story for another day. 

We've been in line now for a good 6-7 minutes when the wife of the couple behind us was eagerly trying to get little man to say hello to her.  He eventually did so in his own bashful way of flashing a quick smile before nestling his face into my protruding pregnancy bump.  Her husband stood next to her looking at my fair, but sun-golden arms and poker straight hair and abruptly asked, "where did those curls come from?" his eyes now looking at my little guy's head.  I knew by the look on his darling wife's face she was not only embarrassed, but did not approve of his question being asked in public.  I gently smiled and said, "It's OK.  He gets those beautiful ringlets from daddy, definitely not me."  His wife now felt the need to follow-up his question with comments about how well behaved he was in the shopping cart waiting and his adorableness.  In my eyes, she didn't have to say anything; her husband asked a legitimate question and no, I wasn't offended by it nor should she be.  

It's OK to ask where those ringlets came from as I certainly don't have them, but surely wished I did.  It's OK to ask where he got the perfect year-round tan from too; luckily that is a perfect blend of both daddy and me.  When my then 4-year old niece met our little guy for the first time last summer at a restaurant, she loudly asked, "Aunt Mia, do you know your baby is uh whittle bwown (a little brown)?  The woman sitting near us waiting for her food turned red in the face as if she was embarrassed for me.  Unfortunately my husband did not have military leave when I was traveling and it had been some time since my niece had seen him, but a quick conversation about how Uncle Tony and Aunt Mia's skin colors made baby D's skin color cleared up her innocent question and vacation proceeded as normal.  But back to the couple out shopping the other day.  I am not offended by those questions.  I would rather you ask then make assumptions.  I am OK with who I married and how our son (soon to be plural) appears and you should be OK asking me where those ringlets came from.

The Morton Arboretum

 

We took an unplanned family daytrip on Thursday to Lisle, IL to an AHHHH-MAZING place, The Morton Arboretum!  Their website does it NO justice!  When I was reading some info about the gardens and what it has to offer its visitors, I knew my husband really had very little interest in going, but he said we could “give it a try;” his famous words when he is only going to keep me happy.  (HA!)  I figured the worst thing that could happen would be spending the day outdoors in gorgeous Spring-like weather (finally) as a family of 3.5.  (Our newest sailor makes his appearance in just about 6 weeks- Eek!) 

We were pleasantly surprised when paying at the gate that with my husband’s active duty military ID card both of us received free admission- bonus!  (Our little sailor was free since he is under 2.)  I knew the arboretum was well over a thousand acres, but what I didn’t realize was what it offered for children.  The “Children’s Garden” is absolutely incredible!  In fact, we spent more than 3 hours in just HALF of this area!  Our son went wild in the Sound Garden, playing with the old-fashioned water pumps, exploring the in the Frog Fountain, and so much more!  We had no idea how large the children’s garden was until we were ready to hit the road, loaded up little guy in the wagon and walked through the remaining children’s spot.  There are play areas to climb, run, jump, slide, and simply be a kid among the beauty of plants, trees, water, insects, and anything else part of the natural world!  The toddler garden maze is simply just the cutest activity, but of course our little adventurer was more interested in the large garden maze and getting lost among the tall bushes and shrubs giggling away as he ran along the dirt paths.  While we were following our 16 month old maze guide, we were discussing how taken aback we were with this landmark.  At one point my husband actually made the comment that if we weren’t a good 45 minute drive away we would visit each weekend!  The day of learning, discovery, and enjoyment we had together was truly one we will never forget and hope to recreate again in the near future! 

 

 

 

Our Child-Lead Weaning Experience

When I started my breastfeeding journey I took it session by session.  Having a preexisting medical condition I anticipated a difficult career with it, but my husband and I were pleasantly surprised with the unexpected outcome; 100% success with little man latching & nursing with a shield (on both sides) and an over abundance of breastmilk. In fact, we had such a great supply of milk, it became part of his fruit/veggie purées and later an ingredient in muffins, macaroni & cheese, smoothies, pancakes, oatmeal, you just about name it, we made it with mama's milk! In fact, homemade yogurt was a staple for him! Anyway, we knew we were blessed with what I was producing daily, but we never took it for granted, knowing my supply could drop significantly, of not vanish altogether, at any moment. My only hope was for baby boy to have the opportunity to self-wean rather than being forced to stop nursing.

Like most parents, I read up on the weaning process, both mother & child-lead, to be prepared or to at least have some knowledge of it. (My husband's motto is to wing it, so he wasn't keen on preparing for this moment.) A lot of articles discussed the emotional roller coaster the mother experienced saying goodbye to that special bond between she and baby. I immediately started analyzing what I read. Was I prepared for that stage of development? How would I react to it? Would I too hop on that emotional roller coaster of saying goodbye? Surprisingly, I'm dealing quite well with the weaning process. Little boy is 14 months, 2 weeks old and he has started this process on his own. I'm far from emotional; I'm actually one proud mama!

Our little man overcame mom's need for a shield on both sides through this entire journey. He learned to adjust to my forceful letdown. He gained weight perfectly from day 1 and is healthy. He went the entire first year of his life without any illnesses, fevers, etc. (First sickness was a terrible case of RSV at 13 months.) And, me, I too have developed in the past 14 months. My body produced more than enough milk to provide regular daily feedings. I gave my son the best nutrition I could provide him with naturally. I learned to adjust to a feeding/pumping schedule that worked for little boy. I developed cooking skills and a creative, outside-the-box mentality when it came to make homemade baby food with mama's milk as an added bonus. I stuck with it!

So rather than being sad about our bond slowly coming to an end, I'm happy it happened for many reasons, but ultimately because, like his conception, it's something we didn't think was possible! Like the famous quote reads, “Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened.” ― Dr. Seuss. And, I'm one smiling mama!

More information on weaning:  http://kellymom.com/ages/weaning/considering-weaning/how_weaning_happens/

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Unexpected Career Change

Dear past 11 years,

      Apparently you knew something I didn’t know and you were secretly preparing me for it.  I imagine I owe you a “thank you.”  Eleven years ago I was preparing to start my career in the ever-changing world of education.  I graduated with my BA in Spanish and certification in Early Childhood and Elementary Education from a small liberal arts college.  I was ready to take on whatever was thrown my direction; I mean it is what I waited for my entire life!

     When I was a little girl I longed for two things: my own classroom and to be a mom (obviously way off in the future).  I knew one was in the cards- my own magical place where I would teach my heart out, inspire children, and mold little people who loved learning (especially Science) as much as I did.  As for the other, well those chances were slim to none according to almost every doctor and specialist I ever saw, so why focus on it when I could devote 100% to my teaching.  Excellent, I no longer had to share myself between two dreams.

     I worked in an urban district in Pennsylvania teaching Pre-Kindergarten, 3^rd and 4^th grade over a 5-year span.  I took on other responsibilities too; I had the spare time and energy to do so!  I taught both the before and after school programs, summer school, night school at the high school level (not really sure what I was thinking that year), and I was a homebound instructor for kids who were medically excused from school and needed an in-home teacher.  Life couldn’t get much better career-wise. 

     Needing a challenge, I moved to Virginia where I taught in a larger urban district and completed not one, but two master’s degrees from two different universities simultaneously.  Again, I devoted everything to teaching; taking on leadership roles in the school building, teaching after school and through the summer, and facilitating Science programs at a local museum and zoo.  I began exploring new avenues in education; writing project proposals and seeking out grant money to find them for my students. 

      With every success, came less hours for sleep and more time to focus on making a difference.  Teaching truly became my life!  I would stay late at school teaching the afterschool program, helping with family nights, analyzing data and trying to find ways I can move my learners along and build upon their successes, talking to parents about the things they needed to hear, delivering forgotten homework assignments to doorsteps, and anything else I could do to make that little difference in one life. 

     Sure, my days were long, mornings were early; caffeine became a good friend of mine and so did the lack of sleep; worrying about principal observations, lessons going smoothly, getting yet another new student, planning the perfect field trip, parent-teacher conferences, kids having breakfast/lunch money and anything else on a teacher’s plate.  My family would always tell me to slow down, take a break and stop spreading myself thin, but you were preparing me for something bigger, something I deserved. 

      Shortly after meeting my husband, we were living together and engaged.  Then, the news came; the real reason coffee you made coffee my hobby and my alarm clock beep earlier for so many years.  Past 11 years, you were preparing me for the unthinkable, the dream I forgot about because of my career, the dream I was told wouldn’t be fulfilled, the dream that meant the most to me, but cared little about revisiting; we were expecting our first child!

      And now I thank you.  Thank you for teaching me to appreciate every moment I am given; even when I am lying awake worrying about what will be.  Thank you for teaching me to sing when I do everything- if I am awake, I am a singing a tune, scratch that, I think I sing in my sleep now.  Thank you for making me throw away the notion of having a perfectly tidied home round the clock; let’s just put it this way, we have a 6.5 foot teepee in our living room- I will let your imagination run wild with the rest.  Thank you for temporarily replacing my teacher bags with a diaper bag, snack bag, and a toy bag.  Thank you for preparing me for my toughest challenges and the unknown that comes before me with every new moment.  Thank you for making me appreciate the hundreds of parents I worked with over the past 11 years and for teaching me patience, compassion, and determination when I wasn’t sure of my own decisions.  Thank you for teaching me that the smallest achievement, like picking up a waffle piece with a fork, should be celebrated and not go left unnoticed.  Thank you for teaching me how to work to constantly improve myself.  Thank you for teaching me about best practices in the classroom so I can instill those practices at home.  Thank you for teaching me how to plan for the most beneficial field trip and real-life learning experience I could offer my students and now my son.  Thank you for showing me what it meant to multi-task even when I wasn’t sure what direction I was headed.  Thank you for teaching me that although I did my best today, tomorrow I will do better.  Thank you for teaching me not to take a break from what I am doing because that might just be the time I miss something I am destined to do, see, or feel.  Thank you for showing me anything is possible!

Sincerely,

Full-time teacher gone full-time mommy/part-time teacher 

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A Day in the Gardens

Last week was the first day in months that I can remember being outdoors without having to bundle up like I was in the middle of the frigid Arctic, so we skipped an indoor play-date at the children's museum and headed over to the Chicago Botanic Garden.  What a great choice!  My little sailor and I took advantage of the outdoor paths despite the melting snow and muddy trek and walked a little over 2 miles breathing in the fresh, cool air while the orchid show was taking place indoors.  I wrestled with the idea of letting him stroll through the indoor color display since I wasn't sure if this was "an appropriate practice for a mom of a 13 month old," but I figured, "What the heck?!  Learning should be through real-life, real-world exploration and we are going to do just that!"  We were off to purchase our orchid show tickets!

Now, let me first say that we were there in the middle of a school-day so there weren't too many children there.  I think I saw 5-6 littles running around with their mommies besides my little guy and me.  I think 90% of the visitors that day were well over 55 years old. 

After purchasing our tickets, we were off to learn about colors, our senses, textures, flowers, etc. leaving the stroller at the entrance of the exhibit.  My anxiety level was rising thinking about how quickly my eager little boy moves when he discovers new things along the delicate flowers and displays before us; not a good combination, but we were going to make this a positive learning day! 

As we started walking through the colorful array of orchids, I could feel the disapproving looks from numerous elderly women.  Now I am typically a very out-spoken, matter-of-fact person, but today I decided I would let our actions speak louder than words.

My husband and I have been working with our son on the concept of "gentle touches" with our hands, so as I observed him gently touch leaves, brickwork, benches, etc. around him I was simply awe-struck that our little explorer was taking in his surroundings just as we have been modeling for him at home without me intervening.  Of course, as any mother would, I was beaming with pride on the inside, but as I glanced away from my little guy for a split second, there, before us, stood an older woman who clearly was not pleased with my decision to teach my son about natural beauty as she shook her head in disbelief at us.  I smiled gently at her and continued to point out the different colors to my eager learner, but I started doubting my decision until an elderly man passing by says, "that there is a picture-quality."  Why yes, yes it is, sir and thank you for validating my parental decision today!   

 

 

Visit the Chicago Botanic Garden http://www.chicagobotanic.org/

As an added bonus, the gardens are free, you pay for parking.  Military members and families can show their ID for FREE parking. 

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