Tuesday, October 30, 2012

Thursday, October 25, 2012

Tuesday, October 23, 2012

Tuesday, October 16, 2012

Tuesday, October 9, 2012

Baby Storytime

I've been meaning to check out "Baby Storytime" at our local library.  The biggest obstacle to me actually getting there has been the time it is scheduled.  Typically Feven is still taking her morning nap when Baby Storytime starts, and I'm not sure if it's one of those events where you can just drop in after it has started.

This morning Feven didn't take a nap but instead chose to use that time talking, singing, removing her socks, and turning her shirt into a shrug.  I decided we were just going to go for it!  I took her out of the crib and put her shoes on....Baby Storytime, here we come!

When we walked inside the library, the door to the meeting room was open and there were two adults in there with their small children in their lap.  Phew!  I found the right place!  I soon learned that Feven and I needed a carpet square and one copy of each of three books.  We went to the bins that were set up in the room, gathered our materials, and found a spot on the floor.

More adults and kids came in, making the total number of kids in the room around 20.  As I looked around the circle, all of the children were sitting calmly in their adult's lap.  There were some dads, some moms, some grandparents, and even a childcare provider that had all brought children to Baby Storytime.  My little (overtired) angel was not sitting still like the other children, but squirming around and flailing a bit.  I told myself that these other children had been here before and knew what to expect.  They had the routine down, and it was new to Feven so that's why she was so crazy.  Let's hope that was the case...

As storytime started, we sang songs together and read the three books aloud together as a big group.  Feven got pretty squirmy during the books which is unusual because she sits pretty well at home for books these days.  When the music came on and all the kids were doing hand motions to the songs, my little one stood up to dance.  I tried to relax a little and let her do her thing.  That resulted in her going into the center of the circle and smiling at all the people looking at her.  I stood up and pulled her back out of the center of the circle (embarrassing!) and put her back in my lap.  You can imagine how that went over.

Let me contrast this experience with one from my own childhood.  As the story goes, as a toddler I clung to my mom's leg our entire first ECFE session.  And the second.  And probably the whole year.  My mom was worried because I never wanted to say anything during class or do any of the activities the rest of the kids were doing.  I was most comfortable to just sit in her lap and watch everyone else.

Now I have my own daughter.  She is not content to sit in my lap and watch; she wants to get up, dance, and explore the whole room.  I feel just as much at a loss as my mom did with me!

Even though I was a little embarrassed by Feven's antics, it was really a good time together.  She took my hands and clapped them along to some songs, she enjoyed seeing the other kids, and I had a great conversation with another one of the moms whose daughter is just 2 weeks older than Feven.  It was a nice way to spend a cold, rainy morning.  I look forward to seeing what we do at the next Baby Storytime!

Friday, October 5, 2012

The Phone

Feven LOVES to play with our cell phones.  Her Auntie graciously (and wisely) gave us one of her old cell phones for Feven to play with so she doesn't use ours all the time.  Typically this hasn't been a problem and it's been more of a good thing.  However, I had my first real qualms with Feven's cell phone use this morning.

For whatever reason, Feven was getting a lot of phone calls during our time reading together.  She and I were snuggled into our reading corner and going through book after book when she started getting the calls.  She'd pick up her phone and say "Huh-o" and babble for a minute and put it down again.  A page or two later she'd pick up the phone again, "Huh-o" and babble on. 

WHAT IS GOING ON?  First of all, the phone doesn't have a battery in it, so all the "calls" she was getting were made-up.  Secondly, Zac and I make a point to NOT answer our phones when we are with her except for family calls or potential emergencies.  Thirdly, I have never EVER (not that I can recall) answered my phone when she and I are reading together.  How did she come up with this?

Funny enough, I was actually getting annoyed with her cell phone use.  Seriously annoyed!  I thought, "Can't we just get through one book without you answering your phone?" 

I wonder how many children of ours think that same thing. 

It was a good reminder for me to reign in my cell phone use with her again and honestly examine if I am on the phone too much in her presence.

Tuesday, October 2, 2012

The Bedtime Check

I'm sure she'll be fine.  I don't have to check on her each night before I go to bed...but I do.  After I have my pj's on and I've brushed my teeth, I sloooowly turn her door handle, side-step all the creaky floor boards, peer down at her by the light of my cell phone and watch intently to see her tummy rise and fall.  Only then can I crawl into bed myself and rest.

This usually goes off with out a hitch.  Usually.  It did NOT go well last Wednesday night.

Zac and I went in together and it was hard to tell if she was breathing so Zac put his hand on her tummy to check.  BIG MISTAKE!  She shifted and we immediately stepped away from the crib and stood straight and still, not breathing.  Zac pressed his cell phone against his chest so no light would show and we prayed that she wouldn't realize we were in there.  Then, Zac LEFT the room with a quick run, leaving me standing like a statue all by myself!  She stirred some more and I was trapped!  Should I run out, she would surely wail; yet if I stayed...how long would I have to stay?

I finally decided to run out of there too, and in doing so made the little lady angrier.  Oooooh, was she mad!  We laid in our own bed, still as could be, and hoped she would stop crying.  She didn't.  Eventually Zac went back in and rubbed her back and reassured her that she was okay.  The minute he stepped away from her crib she began wailing again.  He tried a little bit of everything, but each time he stepped away she would cry.  Finally he returned to our room while she continued wailing.  It seemed there wasn't a great solution.

Certainly she would stop crying, right?  It would just be a matter of minutes, right?  She does this when she falls asleep at the beginning of the evenings, so what's different about now...right?

After 20 minutes of angry cries, Zac took pity on her again and went back in.  Just in case you think that I'm not pulling my fair share around here, I'd like to mention that he had been gone all day for a band gig and had returned home late that evening hyped up on Mountain Dew.  So not only did he miss Feven and want to be with her, but he was also heavily caffeinated.  :)

The details after that are foggy for me, but I do know that she didn't fall asleep until at least an hour and a half after we went in to "check on her."  Such good intentions.  Such little sleep for all of us.

Monday, October 1, 2012

The Mondays

Hope you don't have a case of "The Mondays" today.