Play & Learn Challenge

So...it's summer time and guess who is home with the babe? Me! Since daycare has ended we'll be together a little over a month. I love that the daycare has a curriculum, program, fun and no access to TV. I on the other hand have none of those things at home for Royce. Yes, I know-- but I don't teach 13 month olds. The students I teach come to me reading, writing, walking and you know--speaking. There are many blogs out there that list activities that you can do with your little ones. They are great! But I am a research head and I just get bogged down sometimes clicking through link after link after link. I was in Ross one day when a book caught my eye: Play and Learn 1001 fun activities for your baby and child. It was developed by Gymboree and literally covers activities from birth to 5 years old. The activities are numbered all the way to 1001. Without going on Amazon or Google to look at all the reviews and see how many stars, and who said this or that, I decided to go this "old school" and purchased the book. Besides at $6 or so dollars what did I have to loose? Royce and I will complete at least one of the activities together every day. When I was standing in the store looking through the book I had a lot of "Oh yeah" moments. There were many activities that I have done or are aware of but don't put into practice very often. I'm hoping that my challenge will change that and maybe even inspire me. Yesterday we completed task #402 read together. We read two of his board books I Love You through and Through and Shades of Black. I was only going to read one but when I was done reading he requested I read another book he spied near by. We also walked to the neighborhood park and took his Iron Man Ball with us that he received at a party. We handed it back and forth #410 have a ball and even completed #360 share the social niceties by saying please, and thank you while we were doing it. I think a lot of kids now days don't have the same old school manners we use to and I'd like him to have them. Today we completed #339 finger paint bags. Instead of finger paint we used dot-art and I used an old Trader Joe bag for the paper. All in all I think we are off to a great start.


The teeth marks in the spine just means he reallllllly enjoys the book.


Taken by his dad--hehe. At least he caught his famous smile :)

I'm just a mom

So today I attended R's open house for school aka daycare. It was very surreal. I know I have to go back to work--eventually ...and I know that work provides for Royce's home, food, and clothing, but-- I'm his mama!!! I feel like I'm letting him down,like I owe it to him to be with him. I chose to have him, not the other way around. I calculated it and he will actually be there more waking hours then with me. I shouldn't have calculated it :-o.


I'm grateful that I've had all this time off with him. When I do go back to work I will have been home with him a total of 3 months. In fact, I should be back at work now because my maternity leave has ended. After scrambling around trying to find childcare for the two weeks my provider would be closed I decided to extend my leave. I knew it would mean hard work for me prepping from home for the beginning of the year, but I also knew it would be worth getting R to the three month mark. Mr. Blog supported it and said that he was sure R would love more time with me too.

In total it will have been 4 months since I have worked ( minus sub plans and setting up my room). I realize that some people don't even get that. They get six weeks and that's it. *Sigh* I would have too if his birth hadn't coincided with summer vacation. In some European countries moms get 3 years off for child rearing--3 years! In a perfect world I would have been able to stay with him for six months at the very least.

So back to open house. As we walked up to the door I whispered to him that this was his new school, and he would be starting soon. I met his teachers and toured the room. I thought of all the milestones he would accomplish there and then I thought selfishly that I didn't want him to accomplish anything there. I want him to do it all in my presence. He just started sitting up when you hold him about 2 weeks ago and he just started gripping last week. He is so, so, proud of himself when he picks up a toy or grabs your necklace, his blanket, or your hair! He'll be teething, sitting up, crawling, walking---all for the first time, possibly without me. It's a hard thought to wrap my head around.

As I stood there listening to the smiling teachers I watched my son. One of the teachers asked if she could hold him and he was just smiling and cheesing away. He looked so comfortable. Meanwhile my head was spinning. I was glad he seemed at ease because it made me feel a bit better. I will take him to daycare a few days next week so that we can both feel more comfortable with it.

One Month/Two Months

I thought I would update with R's monthly pictures. Every month I'm trying to take his picture next to the Pooh Bear so I can track his growth. Notice how he tries to copy Pooh in both. Genius!


one month


two months

Milkface

That’s what I call the look that R gives me when he finishes a meal. His cheeks are full like a little chipmunk. His eyes are closed and all you see are these long lashes that extend for miles. It reminds me of these cherub faced angels I’ve seen on a Hallmark card. If he is particularly satisfied with his meal he’ll even bust out a smile or two. At least I like to think that’s why he is smiling. I’m exclusively breastfeeding and it’s hard, so maybe my thoughts are a way to pat myself on the back.

Yesterday R had his 2 month checkup and shots. It only cost me 10 bucks. Gotta love insurance. It was my first solo doc visit with R. When the doc came in he just stared—she called him serious, and said he looked mature and acted like a much older baby. He finally smiled at her. She held him while I put all the paperwork away and she talked to me about the next milestones I should look for. I really like her bedside manner. It puts me at ease and I don’t feel like I have to yell out questions as she backs out of the room. We’ll see her in two months for more vaccinations and his 4 month checkup.

This was the office visit game plan:
1. Ask the nurse to give R Tylenol as soon as we check in the room.
2. Ask if it would be okay to give R a bottle during the shots.
3. Ask for some time in the room so that I could finish bottle feeding/and or comfort breast feed if need be.

It didn’t go according to plan because for one, we had to wait over an hour for the appt. By the time R went into the room he was hungry,so I had to feed him in there while we waited for the doc. I was so frazzled getting the milk together that I forgot to ask for the Tylenol right away (the nurse gave it to him after his shots). After the shot the only comfort R really wanted was to be held by me while I told him how brave he was and how proud I was of him. He did get the Tylenol after the shots. While I was putting his onesie back on he made the weirdest cooing sound I had ever heard him make. It was a cross between a yelp and a slur. I think it was the drugs finally hitting him. I Guess he is going to be a lightweight like his mama.

Milestones to look for until 4 month appt- rolling over, tracking items across the room , better head control, enormous amount of weight and height growth.




He received 2 Bugs Bunny Bandaids. His onesie said "Little Tough Guy"

2 Month Eve

On the eve of Royce's 2 months he sits in his swing full, happy, and cooing away, busily kicking off his Ellen show abajam blanket. Meanwhile Mr. Blog is out picking up our Thai take-out from one of our favorite restaurants. When he returns we'll be dining on cashew nut chicken, pad see aew and a sampler of appetizers. Today was a lazy family Sunday of sleeping in , a mama cooked pancake breakfast, and family naps . I loved it. Family life is beginning to fit more and more.

The events of his birth still play in my mind like clock work. What I did on his birthday, how I reacted, how I asked his dad to rub my back in the evening thinking I was just dealing with pregnancy pains... only to find out later that I had been in the early stages of labor all along. What I thought before would be an unrepeatable event, ME giving birth and being pregnant, has actually become a sea of what ifs and we'll sees. What would his life be with a brother or sister? How would our lives be with another baby? Could I do it all again? Don't get me wrong. I do remember the trauma and the pain I went through but the wonderfulness of this thing called parent hood is melting my hesitation away. To go through all of that was horrible but to be rewarded with my beautiful and ever changing baby boy is priceless.

I can officially say that I no longer feel like I'm on the outside looking in. Instead of empathizing with parents I understand where they are coming from. That's a switch. I replay various parent/child scenarios from the past in my mind and can realize how they reacted that way. I even remember the big to-do people were making about Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes when they had Suri. People questioned them and asked if the baby was even real, just because they chose to keep her inside awhile. Now, as a new parent, I completely understand. Can we say germs anyone? Coughing, sneezing, and hovering paparazzi around a new baby. No thanks. We've even kept our own baby looked in his castle so to speak. So far The most people he has been around at once has been at the doctor's office. That is by choice. We are waiting for his first round of shots before we acquaint him with the outside world. His 2 month appt. will be Wed. so we'll see what happens then. I'm dreading the shots as much as if I were getting them myself.

The Many Faces of Royce

I've just been told that I don't update this blog nearly enough with pics of the baby so here goes:


The Thinker



The Scream (reminiscent of some painter)




I call it--Look into my eyes, you'll want to give me milk




Just Happy



Royce as the Hulk!



An image we don't like to see too often-The Meltdown.

Time flies when you're in heaven

The cutest angel turned one month old yesterday. He also had his first outing at grandma and grandpas. We ate hotwings and watched Ghost Rider. He did really good. He slept most of the time and then my mom fed him with a bottle. He did pretty good with the bottle but then he was off looking for me again. They were surprised at how much he has grown and they had just seen him Tuesday! All in all we had a pretty good day.