For the last two years, The Boy and I have been attending the Music Together program in the big city. Try as we might to find an adequate suburban substitute after our move, it turns out that no one measures up to our dear Miss Mary...so we're back to our old location. Again. I figure, as long as it's just the two of us and we have a morning to kill, why not keep our wonderful excuse to head into the city on a weekly basis for some quality music time. (Also, we sometimes meet up with Daddy for lunch.) (Also, sometimes there is shopping in cutesey little boutiques.) (Also, did I mention I'm having a GIRL so the old boutiques I've explored ad nauseum have new life?!)
Story detour: A few months ago, I discovered that my Illinois teaching certificate is up for renewal this June, and I am MANY credits behind where I need to be to get re-certified. Letting one's certificate lapse is generally considered a super bad idea because the hoops and hurdles you need to jump to get back in the game are much more plentiful than just completing the necessary requirements in the first place. Basically, I needed a quick and easy-ish (and always expensive--that can't be helped) workshop that would earn me the necessary credits. Bonus points if it's an area in which I'm actually interested.
Flash forward to this Sunday, when I will start a three day training workshop to become...a Music Together teacher! Yes, folks, my brain, which has mostly been on ice for the last three years of SAHMommydom, will need to oil itself and ka-chunk, ka-chunk, ka-chunk into gear. Yes, I'm worried about hand-cramps from note taking, sitting my pregnant self on the floor (let's hope not) for nine hours each day, having to actually teach in front of my peers again, etc. But the idea of three! days! off! of parenting! is totally worth it, IMO. Oh, I mean, the idea of having a brand spanking new Illinois Teaching Certificate is totally worth it. Ahem.
Will I actually put this new certification to use? Who knows. There are something like 30 people taking the training JUST IN CHICAGO, not to mention the other 40 or so trainings that take place around the country each year, so I'd imagine Music Together jobs are in high demand. Also, you know, I'm having a baby. But maybe some day....
Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to organize my backpack and sharpen my No. 2 pencils.
(Ka-chunk...ka-chunk...ka-chunk...)
Friday, April 29, 2011
Friday, April 22, 2011
Sugar and Spice
Remember the pink cash register? It's gonna come in handy....
(Yes, Baby Girl, I am posting an ultrasound picture of your ladyparts for all the world to see, but it's essentially YOUR FAULT because you refused to show your pretty face to the u/s tech, leaving me with this as your best photo. So there. Try to cooperate at the next appointment, eh?)
(Yes, Baby Girl, I am posting an ultrasound picture of your ladyparts for all the world to see, but it's essentially YOUR FAULT because you refused to show your pretty face to the u/s tech, leaving me with this as your best photo. So there. Try to cooperate at the next appointment, eh?)
Monday, April 4, 2011
The Paci Fairy
If you're a regular on FaceBook, then you've already read my posts about the Paci Fairy's visit to our house. Since one of the purposes of this blog is for documentation, however, you're going to have to endure a full post with all the details. That way if/when we go through this with the next kid, I'll have a lovely and handy guide for The Perfect Way to Ditch the Paci. Ahem.
With advice from Supernanny, Jo Frost, we planted the idea of the Paci Fairy in The Boy's mind. (Prior to that, we made a paper chain with 20 rings that we used to count down the days until he would get rid of his pacis.) On THE DAY, he placed his pacis in a gift bag with a note to the Fairy, explaining that he was giving his pacis away to a baby who might need them. We placed the bag outside the house before his nap, and headed upstairs. He and I both cried a little bit as we sat in our living room, staring at the bag. What a brave boy.
He had his game face on all the way through the pre-nap routine, up until song time, when he cried and cried and cried. And cried and cried and cried and cried. He finally tired himself out on me, fell asleep, and I put him in his crib where he slept for a comparatively short time (one hour instead of his regular two). I attribute this to the assumption that he usually wakes up during his nap, finds his paci and settles back down to sleep. Without the paci, he's lost that skill or desire.
Day two: No nap. He played in his crib for a looooong time and cried for his paci.
Day three: Played in his crib until I went up and rocked him to sleep.
Day four: No nap. At all.
Day five: Enter the sticker chart. He earns one sticker per nap, and a trip to the movie theatre after 12.
He has now napped successfully for four consecutive days, but his naps are definitely shorter. Today's victory was that he put himself to sleep for the first time, without assistance. He stopped asking for his paci several days ago, which is a HUGE victory for us all.
What I have learned: I originally thought we were in the ideal window for getting rid of the paci, since he's old enough to actually understand the explanation for where it went and to take some ownership of the process. I now think that if we had done it sooner, he would better have learned how to soothe himself to sleep, thus his naps would still be long. Then again, it could have backfired. Our reason for wanting to get rid of it now is that a) there will soon be another baby in the house who may use pacis, and if he sees the baby using it for several more years, he might NEVER give it up, and b) we wanted to get rid of them before the transition to the Big Boy Bed. Those beds are HUGE, in comparison to a crib, so a "lost" paci is much more difficult to find.
Props for us: The one thing I absolutely think we did correctly was to wean him off paci usage gradually. As of less than one year (I wish I could remember, exactly), he was only allowed to use them in the car and for sleeping. Then we cut the car usage out, except for long trips where he would take a nap. The good thing about this approach is that we weren't constantly hunting down pacis all over the house, and he wasn't toting them all over town. Yay, us.
"Isn't this exciting." - Sheila, A Chorus Line
With advice from Supernanny, Jo Frost, we planted the idea of the Paci Fairy in The Boy's mind. (Prior to that, we made a paper chain with 20 rings that we used to count down the days until he would get rid of his pacis.) On THE DAY, he placed his pacis in a gift bag with a note to the Fairy, explaining that he was giving his pacis away to a baby who might need them. We placed the bag outside the house before his nap, and headed upstairs. He and I both cried a little bit as we sat in our living room, staring at the bag. What a brave boy.
He had his game face on all the way through the pre-nap routine, up until song time, when he cried and cried and cried. And cried and cried and cried and cried. He finally tired himself out on me, fell asleep, and I put him in his crib where he slept for a comparatively short time (one hour instead of his regular two). I attribute this to the assumption that he usually wakes up during his nap, finds his paci and settles back down to sleep. Without the paci, he's lost that skill or desire.
Day two: No nap. He played in his crib for a looooong time and cried for his paci.
Day three: Played in his crib until I went up and rocked him to sleep.
Day four: No nap. At all.
Day five: Enter the sticker chart. He earns one sticker per nap, and a trip to the movie theatre after 12.
He has now napped successfully for four consecutive days, but his naps are definitely shorter. Today's victory was that he put himself to sleep for the first time, without assistance. He stopped asking for his paci several days ago, which is a HUGE victory for us all.
What I have learned: I originally thought we were in the ideal window for getting rid of the paci, since he's old enough to actually understand the explanation for where it went and to take some ownership of the process. I now think that if we had done it sooner, he would better have learned how to soothe himself to sleep, thus his naps would still be long. Then again, it could have backfired. Our reason for wanting to get rid of it now is that a) there will soon be another baby in the house who may use pacis, and if he sees the baby using it for several more years, he might NEVER give it up, and b) we wanted to get rid of them before the transition to the Big Boy Bed. Those beds are HUGE, in comparison to a crib, so a "lost" paci is much more difficult to find.
Props for us: The one thing I absolutely think we did correctly was to wean him off paci usage gradually. As of less than one year (I wish I could remember, exactly), he was only allowed to use them in the car and for sleeping. Then we cut the car usage out, except for long trips where he would take a nap. The good thing about this approach is that we weren't constantly hunting down pacis all over the house, and he wasn't toting them all over town. Yay, us.
"Isn't this exciting." - Sheila, A Chorus Line
Sunday, April 3, 2011
The Difference a Day Makes
If you read the last post, you know where my head has been. It's amazing, though, how helpful it is (to me) to simply put my feelings out there. First, in a blog post; later in a private conversation with my incredibly supportive husband. Technically, nothing has changed, and yet everything has changed.
Yesterday, as we spent the entire day together as a family, we were walking through the woods when I became overcome with excitement and joy that my son is going to be a big brother. I started to feel incomplete--as though the state of my family is in flux, and will be until this beautiful baby is born, because s/he belongs to us and is a part of us.
And it made me smile.
Yesterday, as we spent the entire day together as a family, we were walking through the woods when I became overcome with excitement and joy that my son is going to be a big brother. I started to feel incomplete--as though the state of my family is in flux, and will be until this beautiful baby is born, because s/he belongs to us and is a part of us.
And it made me smile.
Friday, April 1, 2011
Living in Fear
Okay, that's a bit dramatic. I'm not LIVING in fear....I'm just residing in it for longer stints than I care to. And I suppose "fear" isn't exactly accurate, either. Trepidation, anxiety, precariousness. Y'all, I am quaking in my boots (that I am still wearing--thank you Midwestern "spring") about adding a baby to this house and to my life.
Part of me has forgotten too many details about raising a baby: weaning off the bottle, when/how to sleep train, breastfeeding details, how to assemble the stupid Baby Bjorn. Yeah, I know it doesn't matter, really, and I know it will come back to me or I will relearn it. But it's still a source of anxiety and I can't help it.
Part of me knows the reason for the stress is due to the presence of a strong-willed toddler in my house. A toddler that requires a specific act of discipline every 20-30 minutes; who's latest reaction to said discipline is to SCREAM BLOODY MURDER in my face; who is growing up faster than you can say "reform school." (That's a joke.) (I think.)
The thought ofliving through trying to enjoy the sleeplessness that comes with a newborn under these conditions is causing periods of hyperventilation and terror. And, here's the thing, one of the reasons I waited as long as I did to get pregnant again was that I wanted to be as "present" as possible for this pregnancy and the birth of a new baby. Because one never knows when one is pregnant for the last time, right? I am desperately trying to cling on to details of this pregnancy, and am flashing forward to the first three months of new life, which flew by faster than a Lear jet last time, bound and determined to get my head in the game and REMEMBER REMEMBER REMEMBER the newborn stage.
I'm terrified of waking up some morning next spring and realizing that my baby isn't a baby anymore, and that I missed it all because I was "tired" "crabby" "overwhelmed" "exhausted."
Oh, it feels better just to write this all out, honestly.
The good news is that I have recently started yoga again, after a three year hiatus. (The only yoga I've ever taken is prenatal.) I'm using a couple of videos and am thinking of joining a class on the weekends, and my body feels soooo goooooood when I'm done. I'm fairly certain that yoga contributed exactly nothing to my last birth experience, but I truly feel wonderfully peaceful when I've finished a session. And I can usually refrain from heading immediately to my pillow.
Speaking of. I'm off to the serenity of my basement, where I trade the inconvenience of hitting the ceiling during tree pose for the extra padding of the plush shag carpet (shut up).
Thanks for remaining loyal readers. :-)
Part of me has forgotten too many details about raising a baby: weaning off the bottle, when/how to sleep train, breastfeeding details, how to assemble the stupid Baby Bjorn. Yeah, I know it doesn't matter, really, and I know it will come back to me or I will relearn it. But it's still a source of anxiety and I can't help it.
Part of me knows the reason for the stress is due to the presence of a strong-willed toddler in my house. A toddler that requires a specific act of discipline every 20-30 minutes; who's latest reaction to said discipline is to SCREAM BLOODY MURDER in my face; who is growing up faster than you can say "reform school." (That's a joke.) (I think.)
The thought of
I'm terrified of waking up some morning next spring and realizing that my baby isn't a baby anymore, and that I missed it all because I was "tired" "crabby" "overwhelmed" "exhausted."
Oh, it feels better just to write this all out, honestly.
The good news is that I have recently started yoga again, after a three year hiatus. (The only yoga I've ever taken is prenatal.) I'm using a couple of videos and am thinking of joining a class on the weekends, and my body feels soooo goooooood when I'm done. I'm fairly certain that yoga contributed exactly nothing to my last birth experience, but I truly feel wonderfully peaceful when I've finished a session. And I can usually refrain from heading immediately to my pillow.
Speaking of. I'm off to the serenity of my basement, where I trade the inconvenience of hitting the ceiling during tree pose for the extra padding of the plush shag carpet (shut up).
Thanks for remaining loyal readers. :-)
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