Happy Halloween!

AHHHHHH, I'm so scared because it's Halloween!

Mommy, who is this guy? I'm getting a little nervous.

Well, I guess it's better than my rooster costume, but I'm still not happy about this.

Maggie's Development

Maggie doing tummy time on her tummy time spot (a piece of linoleum on a blanket and with some simple toys to look at).

Maggie batting at her animals after her diaper change.

Maggie mouthing some simple toys after reaching and attaining them.

So as I have mentioned before I am a child development specialist. My degree is a B.S. in Early Childhood Development Education--this makes parenting kind of interesting! Of course its very difficult to take everything I know about how children learn and develop and transfer that to my own child, but there are some very important things I do with Maggie that I thought I would share...

• Horizontal Time: We rarely ever put Maggie into a container. When I say a container she has absolutely no swing, excersaucer, bumbo chair, walker, etc. She does have a very simple bouncer chair that we only use after she has just eaten or when we have something to do and she's fussy at the moment and needs to be near us. Maggie is always put on her tummy or back, or is held by us the majority of the time. We do this because her muscles do not support her yet when she's upright. This can be difficult for parents to understand, but basically it's the process of getting into sitting and standing that's important not actually being sat or stood up.
• Reinforcing Current and Past Development: Maggie can already do lots of things. When we give her many opportunities to do the things she can already do she then builds a strong foundation to do the next thing in her development which happens naturally.
  
• Some of the things she was used to were things that occurred before she was even born. I'm sure most of you have seen Maggie in her sling? This tight, warm, dark space where she can hear my heartbeat and my voice is a lot like her home for the nine months before she was born. I reinforce this previous environment to again help her to continue to build her strong foundation for future development.
• Simple, simple simple: As many of you know, I am not very fond of battery operated toys. Maggie has none. In an age of technological advancement we are seeing toys like we have never seen before. Has anyone seen the video games for babies? Yes, they exist! So what is happening to children lately? We never see children playing outside anymore, and we have a gigantic increase in the diagnosis of such disabilities as ADHD and other learning disorders. Basically it takes much more cognitive process to play with something simple where you have to use more imagination then pushing a button over and over again and having something light up and make noise at you.
• Books, books, books: Many parents want their child to read, but for some reason they don't make literacy a part of the child's life from the very beginning. I used to read to Maggie almost every night before she was born. Yes, ask Zac---I made him do it too. We currently read to Maggie almost every day for 20 minutes. She already has favorite books where you see her calm down and melt right into you as she hears those familiar words. When you surround a child with literacy and language it becomes what they know--and what they love.
  

I-D-A-H-O, Idaho, Idaho, GO, GO, GO!!!

Zac woke Maggie up after the game and told her the Vandals won. You can see how excited she was. And yes, she wears her Vandal gear every game day, just like Daddy.

Maggie and Boston lounging on Mommy and Daddy's bed.

The big news--the Vandals won their game against New Mexico yesterday, and it was our homecoming! I can't even explain how excited we are. Zac and I were dancing around the living room, letting out silent screams of joy (silent only because Maggie was napping). It was great to watch the students and alumni storm the field---we so wish we could have been there. Next year we'll plan on it for sure. Maggie will definitely be ready for a Vandal weekend by then.

GO VANDALS!!

3 Months Old--Can You Believe It??

Zac took these pictures today...

A big yawn--it's so exhausting being three months old!

Zac, Maggie and Boston went on a little hike in the foothills today. Here's Maggie's beautiful doggie, and no it's not a muzzle--it's a gentle lead. She's a Brittany Spaniel which equates to a huge ball of energy that can drag us without tiring on an entire walk.

Maggie and Mommy

Wow, she's three months old today--what a big kid!! She's doing some new things too. She laughed for the first time for Auntie Sara (Sara didn't know that you aren't supposed to tell parents when they've missed a first) and then yesterday she laughed for me. You wouldn't believe how funny it is. It surprises her, like she's not quite sure what her body is doing. She also batted at her animals twice today! These animals are a beaded string of small stuffed animal shapes with a bell on the bottom. We look at "her animals" after each diaper change at home. She has been working on batting them really hard for a whole week now, but she finally did it today. I'm so proud.

Concerning her stint of diarrhea, it's not quite gone but seems to be much better. Doctor Ally doesn't believe it has anything to do with her allergies (which made me feel a little better), but just thinks she caught a virus. This makes sense considering both Zac and I had been sick just a few weeks ago.

Well tomorrow we have Maggie's first parent/teacher conference so her school is closed and I'll be home catching up on lots of stuff. Maybe I'll even get another post out for everyone--we'll see.

Maggie's Weekend

Maggie and Daddy

Baby/Daddy Loves

Auntie Sara and Maggie--Maggie had a great evening with Aunt Sara and Uncle Brad. Apparently she only yelled at them once (when she was working on a big poop) and then she went to sleep for them as easily as she does for Mommy and Daddy. Now Zac and I will feel even more at ease to get out and have "us time" a little more.

Uh-oh Mommio!!

One of the student staff at the children's center helps Maggie work on tracking.

Maggie and her good friend cuddling yet again for another walk in the stroller.

Maggie's had kind of a rough day and a half. As careful as I am with my diet, it appears as though I've digested some milk proteins from the Splenda minis I've been putting in my decaf coffee. I didn't think to check the ingredients on these, since I had checked the packets of Splenda and they were fine. Maggie's got diarrhea, a sore bottom and a gassy tummy now though, so I've learned my lesson. I've started journaling my diet (which is pretty much the same everyday) and Maggie's symptoms. I'm extremely annoyed that we can't do any allergy testing yet, and that the nurse mentioned using formula, which I was waiting for them to say in all reality. I just have the hardest time (I actually get emotional) when I think of feeding her something in which the second ingredient is sugar, and the third is casein (a milk protein). In the hypoallergenic formulas the milk proteins are broken down, so supposedly the body doesn't recognize it, but this isn't always the case. I would assume that if the body is allergic to anything, you shouldn't consume it in anyway. This is the "cheap" hypoallergenic formula, at around $30 for the small can. If this doesn't work you are supposed to move to a prescription only amino-acid based formula, which is even more expensive. I know breastfeeding is best, there is no doubt that it gives babies the best start, and in children with allergies it's even more important. I just hate feeling responsible every time she doesn't feel good. My goal though is to make it until she's six months old, and just be even more cautious. I don't care that I won't be able to eat out, or enjoy any of my favorite foods for a long, long time. I just want Maggie to feel good and be healthy.



Well, on a happy note, Zac and I have been married for 5 years today!! Wow, has our life changed a bit from 5 years ago. I love that we've gone through so much together--it just makes our marriage even stronger. We had been planning on a night out celebration, but with Maggie not feeling her best, we've decided on just going to get a grown-up drink somewhere and going to a hockey game. I just can't leave Maggie too long when I know she doesn't feel well. Good luck Auntie Sara and Uncle Brad--hopefully she's feeling better by the time you guys come over to play!

Winter Already?

All bundled up!

Well, we already had our first snow on Friday. Maggie didn't know quite what to think--it was fun to look at though. It's been a very relaxing weekend. We've hung out inside, had lots of fires going in the fireplace, watched some Vandal football (and it was actually a pretty good game this time), and just snuggled. Maggie and I are home today for Columbus day. Yep, it's one of the few state employee perks. We've got a new "tummy time spot" in her room, and have been working on it all day. Ever since her vision started to come in more, she's gotten a little more mad when doing tummy time, since it cuts out her visual field. We'll keep it up though.

So this coming weekend will be Maggie's first official night away from mommy and daddy. Zac and I decided that our fifth anniversary deserved a night out, and we thought we'd celebrate with dinner, a hockey game, and staying in the room at the Anniversary Inn where we stayed our wedding night. Our plans of a vacation to Orcas Island where we went on our honeymoon isn't really going to pan out since we became parents and all. Aunt Sara and Uncle Brad are going to come over to our house and have a sleepover with Maggie. It should be pretty fun!

Back to Work!

Maggie and one of her new friends cuddling on their afternoon walk. Okay, is this not the cutest picture you've ever seen??? I thought so.

Well it was my first official day back at work---and after many "are you doing okays?" I'm happy to report that everything went quite well. Of course it's difficult for any mother to leave her baby, but I couldn't be more comforted knowing she's with Chris. It was nice seeing all my co-workers and starting to take some new children and families for developmental therapy. We are also going to be piloting a new "primary service provider" model of intervention within the next month, so discussion and planning for this is very exciting. Maggie couldn't of had a better day at school. Of course I got into work a few minutes late, because I had to feed her and cuddle her at her drop-off. Then of course I went to feed her and get some more cuddling and playing in at lunch time (I will be doing this each day she's at school). She took a GREAT nap for Chris in the morning, and had just woken up a few minutes before I arrived to feed her. She was soooo happy. It made returning to work so much easier. The class went for a walk in the afternoon where apparently Maggie and one of her new friends, just five days younger than her, had cuddled in the stroller. Maggie was a bit tired after the walk so daddy had to wake her up to head home. I think at that moment parenthood really sunk in for Zac. He said he just couldn't believe that beautiful little girl was his to take home. We both couldn't believe how great she did. It's funny I remember one of the parents that I worked with in Moscow telling me, that although being a working parent is difficult (pumping milk 2-3 times a day, eating lunch in the car on the way to visit her and calling in to see how she's doing every few hours), it allows you to give to yourself, so that you can give even more to your child at the end of the day. This is really how it feels...I love the work I do with young children and families, I love taking care of my home, I love being a wife, and I absolutely love being a mom!!!

Pet-Peeve Addressed: An early childhood educator does not take care of a day (daycare), they care for and educate children (childcare). Or as the amazing Magda Gerber coined, they are "educarers." Although lets be honest, there are many places in which "babysitters" provide "daycare." I do therapy in many of these appalling places. Please though, lets give respect to the educators out there who do amazing things with young children everyday. All you have to do is use more professional terminology in this field where it is so deserved.

Sun Valley

Melissa, Zac and Magnolia

Maggie on a walk in Sun Valley

Some of you may have heard, but the famous Whiskey Jacques burned down in Ketchum--here is all that is left!

Well, Zac didn't get around to doing any posts during our "vacation," so I thought I'd get some photos on here to share since I told everyone to keep checking.

Sun Valley has been a little rainy, but mostly beautiful, as it always is in the Fall. We had a great conference, and Sara did a wonderful job with all her planning and preparation for the post-conference. As always we our inspired and motivated to get back to work doing what we all love--teaching young children, and the twins pulled off two great post-conferences in a row!

Speaking about young children, that beautiful one of my own has been a little bit mad at Daddy while mommy's been busy doing DEC stuff during this little trip. I think she had just figured out her and my routine at home, and then we take her out of town (so rough is the life of a baby). Zac and her spent a lot of time walking and watching college football. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't hide the big flat screen TV in our hotel room, and no matter what position he put her in, her eyes kept finding it (this is why we have such a small TV at home, and no cable television). She also got to meet A LOT of early childhood special educators, and served as our little DEC mascot. So for her first vacation--it wasn't too bad.

Daddy Bath!

Mommy has been extra busy doing DEC board stuff, so Daddy's been doing a lot of Maggie's nighttime routines.

She just loves getting a bath!

She is still loving her new stroller. Look at that super happy face!

We're off to Sun Valley in the morning--Maggie's first vacation. Zac said he's going to do blog posts from the hotel, so keep checkin' in.