Today was Katie's first visit to the dentist. I was pretty nervous as to how it was going to go. She is quite a bit younger than Michael was at his first visit and she is also in this phase where she answers "no" to almost every single question you ask her.
Since her appointment was at the same time as Michael's, I figured she would watch him and then it would be her turn. But Michael had one hygienist and Katie had another one so they were separated for the appointments. I tried not to think about how Katie was going to do and prepared myself for the worst. Well, I worried for nothing because she did great!
Katie let the hygienist look in her mouth with the mirror, brush her teeth with the electric toothbrush and apply the fluoride foam, as well as rinse off her teeth. The entire exam probably only took about 15 minutes but she was extremely cooperative. The dentist came in to check her teeth and did a lap exam, where Katie sat back on my lap and put her head in the dentist's lap so he could check her teeth. She even opened up to let him see in the back of her mouth. Everything looked good and she doesn't have any cavities. At the end she got a little pouch with a toothbrush, toothpaste, floss and some stickers.
Michael also had a great checkup and didn't have any cavities either. He didn't want to get x-rays done but I don't really blame him. I was so proud of him for going into the exam room by himself and having his teeth cleaned. I did check in on him while I was taking Katie to the bathroom. He was sitting in the chair with some protective glasses on. I asked him about it later and he said that those were the cool glasses to keep the light from hurting his eyes.
So it was a good visit for both kids. Here's hoping for many more!
Monday, January 31, 2011
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Happy Birthday to Me!
Saturday was my 35th birthday. My family and friends got together to celebrate with a party for me last night. I have given Todd 2 birthday parties over the past few years and he wanted to do the same thing for me. It was really nice to be able to enjoy some adult time with family and friends. I got to catch up with some friends that I haven't seen in a while, as well as celebrate with our families. The party didn't end until well into the early hours of the morning. It's been a while since I have stayed up that late. I can definitely tell I'm not 25 anymore.
As the years go by, I find that I am enjoying my life more and more. I am so thankful to have such a wonderful husband and kids. The older I get, the less I care about it and I think that's a good thing!
As the years go by, I find that I am enjoying my life more and more. I am so thankful to have such a wonderful husband and kids. The older I get, the less I care about it and I think that's a good thing!
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Adventures in Babysitting
I know it's been almost a week since my last post. I have been attempting to blog even more this year than last year. This week has been really busy as I have my own adventure in babysitting. Since last Friday, I have been watching the son of one of Todd's co-workers. He is just two months younger than Katie. Michael and Katie both seem to enjoy having him around. It's nice for Katie to have a playmate her own age, even if it is another boy.
It's been fun, as well as tiring, with 3 kids at the house during the day. Both Katie and the boy take a nap in the afternoon, which means that Michael and I still get our alone time. He is an easygoing and happy toddler. The hardest part about watching him is trying to go somewhere with 3 kids since I only have 2 hands. I am still figuring out the logistics of that. One thing I know is that my arms are going to be even stronger carrying 2 toddlers around! We are not sure how long this is going to last but we are enjoying our time together while it does.
It's been fun, as well as tiring, with 3 kids at the house during the day. Both Katie and the boy take a nap in the afternoon, which means that Michael and I still get our alone time. He is an easygoing and happy toddler. The hardest part about watching him is trying to go somewhere with 3 kids since I only have 2 hands. I am still figuring out the logistics of that. One thing I know is that my arms are going to be even stronger carrying 2 toddlers around! We are not sure how long this is going to last but we are enjoying our time together while it does.
Friday, January 21, 2011
Show Me the Mommy (and Daughter)
I realized that I have very few pictures of just me. I have quite a few of me and the kids. Todd does a good job of taking pictures of everyone when he is with us but if not, I am the one taking the pictures. I think that Michael would do a good job of taking pictures if I wouldn't be so nervous about him touching everything on it.
This picture was taken at Michael's soccer game. Katie was eating while we were cheering for Michael.
This picture was taken at Michael's soccer game. Katie was eating while we were cheering for Michael.
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
A Proud Moment
We started working on writing Michael's name a couple of months ago. He already knew that his name started with M but wasn't sure about how to spell the rest of it. We have been practicing his name and having him write it with help on what the letters look like.
A few weeks ago, he started spelling his name up until the letter A. Michael got a Crayola dry erase board for Christmas. Today we decided to open it and practice writing. The board is neat because it has sheets that you can switch out and you can also play games or draw freehand. Once Michael saw the markers, all he wanted to do was draw. I let him do that but told him we needed to practice letters. So he took turns switching out the sheets and tracing the letters on there. I asked him if he would write some letters on his own but he didn't really want to.
I went to get some crayons for Katie. When I came back into the room, Michael had written the first 4 letters of his name. I was so proud and he almost got the rest of it himself.
Here is the finished product:
A few weeks ago, he started spelling his name up until the letter A. Michael got a Crayola dry erase board for Christmas. Today we decided to open it and practice writing. The board is neat because it has sheets that you can switch out and you can also play games or draw freehand. Once Michael saw the markers, all he wanted to do was draw. I let him do that but told him we needed to practice letters. So he took turns switching out the sheets and tracing the letters on there. I asked him if he would write some letters on his own but he didn't really want to.
I went to get some crayons for Katie. When I came back into the room, Michael had written the first 4 letters of his name. I was so proud and he almost got the rest of it himself.
Here is the finished product:
Monday, January 17, 2011
Sickies
We have been stuck in the house for the majority of the last week. First, we were snowed in. We finally were able to get out on Wednesday afternoon after the roads cleared enough to be safe. I took the kids to the grocery store, which had a lot of empty shelves due to the storm. I picked up a few things and figured we would head back out the next day. I was wrong.
Michael had a bit of a cough and runny nose on Wednesday but it kept him up for most of that night. Sometime around lunch on Thursday, he started running a fever. It lasted for less than 24 hours. We stayed at home on Friday because I didn't want to expose anyone to what he may have had. I guess the person I should have kept him away from was Katie. Saturday was the only day last week that we all left the house!
Katie has had the runny nose for the past 2 days and developed a fever yesterday. She had trouble napping because she was so congested. The only way she was able to nap was by sleeping on me or Todd. I hate that she is sick now but I love the feeling of a warm toddler in my arms. The fever went away earlier today but came back tonight. I am hoping that it is gone tomorrow and we can be on the way to health by the weekend. I guess it's not bad that this is the first major illness to hit our house this winter for the kids.
Michael had a bit of a cough and runny nose on Wednesday but it kept him up for most of that night. Sometime around lunch on Thursday, he started running a fever. It lasted for less than 24 hours. We stayed at home on Friday because I didn't want to expose anyone to what he may have had. I guess the person I should have kept him away from was Katie. Saturday was the only day last week that we all left the house!
Katie has had the runny nose for the past 2 days and developed a fever yesterday. She had trouble napping because she was so congested. The only way she was able to nap was by sleeping on me or Todd. I hate that she is sick now but I love the feeling of a warm toddler in my arms. The fever went away earlier today but came back tonight. I am hoping that it is gone tomorrow and we can be on the way to health by the weekend. I guess it's not bad that this is the first major illness to hit our house this winter for the kids.
Sunday, January 16, 2011
2 Short of 2
Katie will be 2 in just 2 short months. Where has our little baby gone? She has been replaced with a walking, talking toddler.
So much has changed since she has turned 1. I am simply amazed at the way that she has gone from barely walking to running, climbing up the stairs to being able to walk down, babbling to speaking in full sentences.
Over the past few weeks, Katie has been working on walking down the stairs by herself. She holds on to the railing and goes down one step at a time. There are definitely some moments where I am holding my breath and there is still some learning to be done.
Katie really looks up to Michael. She will sit with him while he plays games on the computer and cheer him on. She loves to go to his soccer games and clap when he kicks the ball. One downside is that she wants to be where he is and this does not always thrill Michael.
Her vocabulary continues to grow by leaps and bounds. Katie loves to be read to and it really doesn't matter what the book is. I have started taking her to storytime at the library where they read books and sing songs. She is completely taken in by the librarian reading stories and wants to stand right in front of her!
Katie will ask you a question and can tell you when she is ready to eat and what she wants to eat. If you ask her to get something for you, she will bring it to you. Some of her new words are careful, Shaggy, wipe nose, Thomas, Percy, Scooby Doo. Can you tell what show we like to watch here?
She has really started wearing her glasses now without us having to bribe her or trick her. I think she has finally realized that she can see a whole lot more with them on. It took a while to get this done but I feel like the battle is mostly over. Consistency was what finally did it. I am sure that seeing Michael and Todd with their glasses on didn't hurt any either.
Katie does want to get her way and can get quite upset when she doesn't. I am trying not to give in to her demands. Her nap time is becoming a bit more difficult but most days she realizes that she likes to sleep and wakes up feeling recharged. The carseat wars have also started but I just wait them out and they are usually resolved quickly.
I look forward to what the next 2 months bring us as we approach 2.
So much has changed since she has turned 1. I am simply amazed at the way that she has gone from barely walking to running, climbing up the stairs to being able to walk down, babbling to speaking in full sentences.
Over the past few weeks, Katie has been working on walking down the stairs by herself. She holds on to the railing and goes down one step at a time. There are definitely some moments where I am holding my breath and there is still some learning to be done.
Katie really looks up to Michael. She will sit with him while he plays games on the computer and cheer him on. She loves to go to his soccer games and clap when he kicks the ball. One downside is that she wants to be where he is and this does not always thrill Michael.
Her vocabulary continues to grow by leaps and bounds. Katie loves to be read to and it really doesn't matter what the book is. I have started taking her to storytime at the library where they read books and sing songs. She is completely taken in by the librarian reading stories and wants to stand right in front of her!
Katie will ask you a question and can tell you when she is ready to eat and what she wants to eat. If you ask her to get something for you, she will bring it to you. Some of her new words are careful, Shaggy, wipe nose, Thomas, Percy, Scooby Doo. Can you tell what show we like to watch here?
She has really started wearing her glasses now without us having to bribe her or trick her. I think she has finally realized that she can see a whole lot more with them on. It took a while to get this done but I feel like the battle is mostly over. Consistency was what finally did it. I am sure that seeing Michael and Todd with their glasses on didn't hurt any either.
Katie does want to get her way and can get quite upset when she doesn't. I am trying not to give in to her demands. Her nap time is becoming a bit more difficult but most days she realizes that she likes to sleep and wakes up feeling recharged. The carseat wars have also started but I just wait them out and they are usually resolved quickly.
I look forward to what the next 2 months bring us as we approach 2.
Thursday, January 13, 2011
Read It Again
These are words that are heard many times a day in our household recently. And they are coming from Katie. She loves to have books read to her over and over again.
Katie has several books that are her favorites. She even knows the titles of some of them. The most read books include Thomas and the Jet Engine, Race Team, and Old, New, Red, Blue (the last 2 are books based on the movie Cars).
She also has several sets of small board books that mainly consists of pictures identified by words. We read these books several times a day. She can tell you what most of the pictures are when you ask her. One is Little Einsteins and is based on the jungle, ocean, forest, etc. The others are 2 Elmo books that focus on colors and shapes, as well as counting.
It's so cute to hear her ask you to read the books. I have read them so many times that she knows what to say when I turn to certain pages. One of my favorite parts that she knows is in the book Race Team, when Lightning McQueen is getting ready for the race. I open to one page and she says "many pictures" because there are lots of cameras waiting to take his picture.
Katie also likes to have Michael "read" to her. He knows the stories too and has several pages memorized. He will tell her the story and she repeats what he says. I love listening to the two of them together as they develop and expand their love for books. I look forward to the day when they both read to me. I think that I will have them read me the same book over and over again so I can figure out what makes it so much fun.
Katie has several books that are her favorites. She even knows the titles of some of them. The most read books include Thomas and the Jet Engine, Race Team, and Old, New, Red, Blue (the last 2 are books based on the movie Cars).
She also has several sets of small board books that mainly consists of pictures identified by words. We read these books several times a day. She can tell you what most of the pictures are when you ask her. One is Little Einsteins and is based on the jungle, ocean, forest, etc. The others are 2 Elmo books that focus on colors and shapes, as well as counting.
It's so cute to hear her ask you to read the books. I have read them so many times that she knows what to say when I turn to certain pages. One of my favorite parts that she knows is in the book Race Team, when Lightning McQueen is getting ready for the race. I open to one page and she says "many pictures" because there are lots of cameras waiting to take his picture.
Katie also likes to have Michael "read" to her. He knows the stories too and has several pages memorized. He will tell her the story and she repeats what he says. I love listening to the two of them together as they develop and expand their love for books. I look forward to the day when they both read to me. I think that I will have them read me the same book over and over again so I can figure out what makes it so much fun.
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Snow Days
Monday morning brought the first snow of 2011. The forecast was for an inch or two but the snowfall ended up being more than 5 inches. It ended in the afternoon on Monday but freezing rain continued to fall. Michael's school has been cancelled for the entire week and they already had off on Friday. So we have been having a nice time at home, having a mini vacation. Todd's office was closed on Monday and Tuesday and they had a delayed opening this morning.
Monday morning we headed out while it was still lightly snowing and started to build a snowman. Michael made a snow angel too. Then we tried to use various items from the garage to use as a sled to slide down the hill into the cul-de-sac. The snow wasn't packed down enough to work good so we gave up and went inside.
Katie wasn't really fond of the snow at all. We held her for most of the time outside and she watched us play from the garage. Michael liked it much better this year when he realized that he could play in it, make snowballs and build snowmen, as well as slide down the hill.
After the kids went to bed on Monday night, Todd and I went out into the yard to play in the snow for a little while. We tried to sled down the hill on the side of our yard. It didn't really work too well but we made a path for the next day after it iced over. We dug out our cars and threw a few snowballs. I forgot how much fun the snow can be!
Tuesday we waited until Katie was napping and took Michael out into the yard to play. We finished building our snowman and Michael collected some sticks for his arms. The path that we carved out for sledding was ready. Michael had lots of fun going down the hill on a neighbor's boogie board.
A lot of the snow on the streets melted today but the yard still has a lot of snow in it. We didn't go out to the snow today but finally left the house for the first time since Saturday. I wonder what we are going to do for our snow day tomorrow!
Sunday, January 9, 2011
You can take the girl out of Jersey
but you can't take the Jersey out of the girl. Not all of it, anyway.
When I moved to South Carolina, I figured that the chances of seeing snow again would be pretty slim. Little did I know that the longer I lived here, the more snow I would see. It's only the second week in January and the second snow storm of the winter season is forecasted to start sometime in the middle of the night. We have had snow at least once for the past 4 winters and we had a pretty bad ice storm in 2003 or 2004 that caused us to lose power for 2 days.
Schools are already cancelled for tomorrow and a lot of businesses will be closed as well. All state agencies are closed so Todd will have off tomorrow as well. I love that we will all get to spend an extra day at home together. I do think it's a bit ridiculous that we have not yet seen the first flake of snow in our area of the state and we are already in a state of emergency. I didn't dare venture to the grocery store today! I do understand that South Carolina is not equipped for a big storm but I think that some people tend to overreact.
If it does snow tomorrow, I do want to get the kids out in it for just a little while. I remember how excited I used to get when it snowed when I was younger. Michael wasn't too crazy about it last year and he did not like wearing plastic bags on his feet to keep them warm and dry. If I think about it, I didn't like wearing the plastic bags on my feet either when I was his age!
When I moved to South Carolina, I figured that the chances of seeing snow again would be pretty slim. Little did I know that the longer I lived here, the more snow I would see. It's only the second week in January and the second snow storm of the winter season is forecasted to start sometime in the middle of the night. We have had snow at least once for the past 4 winters and we had a pretty bad ice storm in 2003 or 2004 that caused us to lose power for 2 days.
Schools are already cancelled for tomorrow and a lot of businesses will be closed as well. All state agencies are closed so Todd will have off tomorrow as well. I love that we will all get to spend an extra day at home together. I do think it's a bit ridiculous that we have not yet seen the first flake of snow in our area of the state and we are already in a state of emergency. I didn't dare venture to the grocery store today! I do understand that South Carolina is not equipped for a big storm but I think that some people tend to overreact.
If it does snow tomorrow, I do want to get the kids out in it for just a little while. I remember how excited I used to get when it snowed when I was younger. Michael wasn't too crazy about it last year and he did not like wearing plastic bags on his feet to keep them warm and dry. If I think about it, I didn't like wearing the plastic bags on my feet either when I was his age!
Saturday, January 8, 2011
Indoor Soccer
Michael had so much fun this fall playing soccer that we decided to sign him up for indoor soccer this winter. We figured that he would be able to get some exercise and burn off some energy since we can't get outside very much due to the colder weather. He does go outside most days at school but that's only for about 30 minutes, which is better than nothing.
Indoor soccer is run a bit differently than outdoor soccer. There are no set teams. Everyone practices together in a local elementary school gym. The entire month of December was devoted to learning skills and practicing them with the coaches and other players. The kids who play are ages 4, 5 and 6. We had a break for the past 2 weeks and it started up again this past week.
The uniforms came in and the jerseys are reversible. They started playing games this week too. Each night the coaches divide the kids up into 2 teams. One team turns their jerseys inside out and the other does not. The game is played in the entire gym and there are no boundaries. It's a lot of running up and down the gym, chasing the ball. Every player gets a turn to be the goalie and play the different positions. The game usually lasts about 45 minutes or so. Michael started getting tired about 30 minutes into the game and was ready to rest. He slept really well on Thursday night.
It's much more laidback than outdoor soccer is and the games almost seem more like practice games. One thing that's nice about it is the ability to play all of the positions and learning to play with different teammates. Michael keeps asking about when we are going to play outside again and why he isn't wearing his red shirt (jersey from the outdoor soccer). Maybe this fall......
Indoor soccer is run a bit differently than outdoor soccer. There are no set teams. Everyone practices together in a local elementary school gym. The entire month of December was devoted to learning skills and practicing them with the coaches and other players. The kids who play are ages 4, 5 and 6. We had a break for the past 2 weeks and it started up again this past week.
The uniforms came in and the jerseys are reversible. They started playing games this week too. Each night the coaches divide the kids up into 2 teams. One team turns their jerseys inside out and the other does not. The game is played in the entire gym and there are no boundaries. It's a lot of running up and down the gym, chasing the ball. Every player gets a turn to be the goalie and play the different positions. The game usually lasts about 45 minutes or so. Michael started getting tired about 30 minutes into the game and was ready to rest. He slept really well on Thursday night.
It's much more laidback than outdoor soccer is and the games almost seem more like practice games. One thing that's nice about it is the ability to play all of the positions and learning to play with different teammates. Michael keeps asking about when we are going to play outside again and why he isn't wearing his red shirt (jersey from the outdoor soccer). Maybe this fall......
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
Off to a slow start
It seems that I am having a hard time getting back into the swing of things after the holidays. I haven't been blogging nearly as much as I want to since the new year started and I am pretty sure it's not for lack of things to blog about. Having Todd at home for the holidays spoiled me a little bit. It was nice to have him home with us during the day and we were able to get several projects done around the house. I even did a bit of decluttering, which is one of my ongoing goals.
Michael has been back to school this week and he was excited to tell everyone about all the building blocks (Legos) that he got for Christmas. Every afternoon this week while Katie has been taking her nap, we have built a different thing. On Monday, Todd helped him with the fire station. Tuesday, he played with the fire station. For the past 2 days, he has played with the big box of random Legos. We have made a car, helicopter and a gas station! It's also fun to show him how to build things using different pieces, not just following the directions.
Next week I hope that I will be back in the routine, even though I would like to make some modifications. I also need to get back to weekly meal planning, as this takes a lot of stress away. And I want to start getting to bed a little earlier so that means less computer time for me at night.
Michael has been back to school this week and he was excited to tell everyone about all the building blocks (Legos) that he got for Christmas. Every afternoon this week while Katie has been taking her nap, we have built a different thing. On Monday, Todd helped him with the fire station. Tuesday, he played with the fire station. For the past 2 days, he has played with the big box of random Legos. We have made a car, helicopter and a gas station! It's also fun to show him how to build things using different pieces, not just following the directions.
Next week I hope that I will be back in the routine, even though I would like to make some modifications. I also need to get back to weekly meal planning, as this takes a lot of stress away. And I want to start getting to bed a little earlier so that means less computer time for me at night.
Sunday, January 2, 2011
Happy New Year 2011
2011....it just seems weird to be typing that. I am hoping that this year brings health, happiness and peace of mind.
To be honest, I don't have any New Year's resolutions. I do have some things that I want to accomplish in 2011 but they are ongoing goals that include things like better organization, less clutter and being on time more often than not.
To be honest, I don't have any New Year's resolutions. I do have some things that I want to accomplish in 2011 but they are ongoing goals that include things like better organization, less clutter and being on time more often than not.
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