Today was one of those days where the weather actually did what the forecast said: it was cloudy in the morning and seemed as if the sun would never shine, but then it cleared off after lunch and we had an absolutely glorious afternoon! We spent the morning trying to make the most of the weather with Amanda, Cooper, and Larkin at their house. It was just me and Tali, who wasn't feeling very social, and the baby, who alternately slept and needed her bottle, so I'm sure we were pretty exciting company :)
The afternoon started with no plans and turned action-packed! First, Sacha watched the girls while I rode off on my bike to pick up Mateo from preschool. We both had fun riding home with him in the trailer behind the bike. Then, I took the baby and went to meet up with my brother's girlfriend at a coffee shop, where we had a simply lovely time catching up over hot chocolate. Sacha took advantage of that time to have some alone time with Mateo, which they both enjoyed and noted as their favorite part of the day.
Then, after Tali got up from her nap, I took all the kids out on a walking adventure. With Rosa in the moby, Tali on her balance bike, and Mateo walking or in the stroller, we went down to a new frozen yogurt place nearby and got treats. Then, we walked and rode to the neighborhood park, where we met up with friends who had just dropped off dinner for us on our front porch. I had mentioned to them that we might end up at the park and they ended up meeting us there at the exact right time. It was sunny, warm, and we had no deadlines or plans or times we had to be home and it was just perfect. One of those spring afternoons to remember on spring mornings that aren't so lovely!
We capped things off with the dinner our friends so generously brought us, a hot tub trip for Sacha and the big kids, and then bedtime. Now we have a very fussy baby on our hands, so I am going to end this post so I can bounce her on the yoga ball. Poor Sacha threw out her back, so she's out of commission for baby bouncing! I just wanted to quickly post about the day so I remember the surprising wonderfulness of it later.
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Monday, May 9, 2011
Mother's Day
We had a busy Mother's Day weekend! As Sacha mentioned, her parents were visiting, which was fun for everybody. They went to a professional conference on Thursday and Friday and then we had the weekend to hang out. It was great to have Sacha's mom here to celebrate for Mother's Day, and of course I talked to my own mom that day, too.
Mother's Day itself was really fun. I started it out with a 5K called Run Like a Mother. It was at a local park and wound through neighborhood streets before finishing at the park again. After we started, I was shocked to find myself within view of the lead group, so I just kept pushing and trying to stay up there, and I finished 10th! In the whole race! I haven't done anything like that since college, so I was reallllly excited. I also averaged under 8 minute miles, which was another first since college. It was so much fun to start Mother's Day with a big runner's high :) I'm definitely going to do it again next year.
After I got home, we tried taking the kids to the park, but it started raining torrentially. So, we milled around the house until it was time for the big family brunch downtown. We took up two big tables, ate lots of food, and generally had a good time. We also accurately noted the signs of an upcoming meltdown on the part of our children and left while they were still behaving relatively well!
Mother's Day itself still seems a bit surreal to me. I know that we now have three kids and we are definitely moms, but actually being celebrated as a mother still seems amazing. And nice. It's lovely to be celebrated :) And, of course, it's wonderful to celebrate all the incredible work our moms did and continue to do with raising us. Happy belated Mother's Day to all the mamas out there!
Mother's Day itself was really fun. I started it out with a 5K called Run Like a Mother. It was at a local park and wound through neighborhood streets before finishing at the park again. After we started, I was shocked to find myself within view of the lead group, so I just kept pushing and trying to stay up there, and I finished 10th! In the whole race! I haven't done anything like that since college, so I was reallllly excited. I also averaged under 8 minute miles, which was another first since college. It was so much fun to start Mother's Day with a big runner's high :) I'm definitely going to do it again next year.
After I got home, we tried taking the kids to the park, but it started raining torrentially. So, we milled around the house until it was time for the big family brunch downtown. We took up two big tables, ate lots of food, and generally had a good time. We also accurately noted the signs of an upcoming meltdown on the part of our children and left while they were still behaving relatively well!
Mother's Day itself still seems a bit surreal to me. I know that we now have three kids and we are definitely moms, but actually being celebrated as a mother still seems amazing. And nice. It's lovely to be celebrated :) And, of course, it's wonderful to celebrate all the incredible work our moms did and continue to do with raising us. Happy belated Mother's Day to all the mamas out there!
Saturday, May 7, 2011
Grandparent visit and Nail Biting
Bubby and Papa are in town this weekend. They come to town every year for a lecture series, and we are enjoying having them around. The kids have been having so much fun playing baby snakes with the Papa, hearing stories, running around the house and just getting grandparent attention.
Here are some pictures.
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Nail Biting
Mateo has been having a hard time lately with nail biting. I think it is a nervous habit of his, but the other day when I was putting him to sleep, he told me, "I'm addicted to biting my nails." (He also told me he was "addicted" to our house . . . so there might be some confusion on what that word means.)
For whatever reason, the nail biting bothers me. And I've been really unsuccessful in getting him to stop. This week I was reading a book that was written for parents, but was recommended by some friends for use in the classroom called Parenting Without Punishment. The book is rather technical, but it has all sorts of practical ideas that really work.
As I was reading the book, I realized that I give Mateo, so much negative feedback for biting his nails. I am constantly saying things like, "Take your hands out of your mouth." Over the course of the past few months, he has been biting his nails more and more.
On top of that Natalia has also started putting her fingers in her mouth to get attention. Clearly, my methods were not working. I was stuck in a cycle. I didn't know what else to do.
Then I read Parenting Without Punishment and realized how much negative feedback I was giving him. I was never praising him when his hands were out of his mouth. And, realistically, most of the time he was doing the right thing.
Once I started ignoring the nail biting, and giving him praise for keeping his fingers dry, he started to turn the corner. Sure, he still bites his nails, but the amount has decreased by a bit. I also feel less frustrated. Once I started praising him, I realized just how much of the time he was doing the right thing. And I was ignoring the right behaviors.
He decided that he wanted blue sparkle nail polish to help him keep his nails dry. So here he is getting his nails painted by Bubby.
Here are some pictures.
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| Bubby trying out my new Fit Desk exercise bike! |
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Nail Biting
Mateo has been having a hard time lately with nail biting. I think it is a nervous habit of his, but the other day when I was putting him to sleep, he told me, "I'm addicted to biting my nails." (He also told me he was "addicted" to our house . . . so there might be some confusion on what that word means.)
For whatever reason, the nail biting bothers me. And I've been really unsuccessful in getting him to stop. This week I was reading a book that was written for parents, but was recommended by some friends for use in the classroom called Parenting Without Punishment. The book is rather technical, but it has all sorts of practical ideas that really work.
As I was reading the book, I realized that I give Mateo, so much negative feedback for biting his nails. I am constantly saying things like, "Take your hands out of your mouth." Over the course of the past few months, he has been biting his nails more and more.
On top of that Natalia has also started putting her fingers in her mouth to get attention. Clearly, my methods were not working. I was stuck in a cycle. I didn't know what else to do.
Then I read Parenting Without Punishment and realized how much negative feedback I was giving him. I was never praising him when his hands were out of his mouth. And, realistically, most of the time he was doing the right thing.
Once I started ignoring the nail biting, and giving him praise for keeping his fingers dry, he started to turn the corner. Sure, he still bites his nails, but the amount has decreased by a bit. I also feel less frustrated. Once I started praising him, I realized just how much of the time he was doing the right thing. And I was ignoring the right behaviors.
He decided that he wanted blue sparkle nail polish to help him keep his nails dry. So here he is getting his nails painted by Bubby.
Friday, May 6, 2011
Sibling moments
Natalia and Mateo are both very protective of Rosa. They also just can't get enough of her. This morning, I was nursing Rosa and Natalia kept on asking to hold her. When Rosa finally stopped nursing, she had fallen asleep. I didn't want Natalia to wake her up by holding her, but Natalia solved that problem by suggesting that she sleep next to her in the bed.
Natalia then proceeded to give her every single stuffed animal that she had in her bed. Then Mateo wanted in on the action too. They both ended up being in the bed with her for a good thirty minutes. For a while they were both showing her books and at different times they were petting her and just being great older siblings.
It is so wonderful to see how much they love her and just how protective they are of their little sister.
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
Jumping in
I have been incredibly proud of Sacha lately, as she has jumped into mothering three kids with great enthusiasm. A year ago, I could never have imagined that she would be so excited about having three children, and yet, today, she spent a good half an hour describing a book she had skimmed about how three is the perfect number and all the reasons why. I am so happy (and, I admit, still very surprised) that we have come to this place.
Since Rosa came into our family, one of the things that has most impressed me about Sacha is the way she has enthusiastically started fostering bonds between all three of the kids. In situations where I might have shooed the first two away so that I could deal with the baby, she has welcomed them in, taught them how to shush her, give her her pacifier, hold her, and generally how to act around their new baby sister. As a result, they both seem to feel a tremendous sense of pride about their baby and they don't hesitate to jump in with a shush or a pacifier if they think it's necessary.
Case in point: before bedtime tonight, as Rosa was eating and Mateo was reading her One Fish, Two Fish, Tali asked to hold the baby while she was nursing. I thought that must be impossible, but Sacha found a way and pretty soon they were all cuddled up together. Here they are:
I am so impressed with my wife. With Mother's Day coming up, I have to say that I am married to the best Mommy in the world!
Since Rosa came into our family, one of the things that has most impressed me about Sacha is the way she has enthusiastically started fostering bonds between all three of the kids. In situations where I might have shooed the first two away so that I could deal with the baby, she has welcomed them in, taught them how to shush her, give her her pacifier, hold her, and generally how to act around their new baby sister. As a result, they both seem to feel a tremendous sense of pride about their baby and they don't hesitate to jump in with a shush or a pacifier if they think it's necessary.
Case in point: before bedtime tonight, as Rosa was eating and Mateo was reading her One Fish, Two Fish, Tali asked to hold the baby while she was nursing. I thought that must be impossible, but Sacha found a way and pretty soon they were all cuddled up together. Here they are:
I am so impressed with my wife. With Mother's Day coming up, I have to say that I am married to the best Mommy in the world!
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
Four and a half
Dear Mateo,
We haven't written you a letter in a long time, and we think we're due for one now that you're officially four and a half years old. In fact, judging by the way you like to count your age, we think you will henceforth be known as Four and A Half until the day before your fifth birthday :)
Mateo, you are such a big boy now! Especially from the perspective of having your baby sister in our family, you can do SO many things. You go to school and have made friends there, which is nice for your moms, because we know that going to school is fun for you.
Your teachers say that you're fluent in both English (obviously) and Spanish, much thanks to all the Spanish speaking you and Mommy do together. You're working on learning to write letters and numbers and draw pictures, which are all coming along slowly but surely. Since you were born in October, you still have over a year until you start kindergarten, which means that next year you and Talia will go to preschool together. We think you both will have fun with that!
At home, you can be incredibly compassionate and insightful, from identifying your own feelings to giving hugs if someone is having a hard time. You also have some rough spots, which include sharing with your sister(s) and generally doing what is asked of you if you're not in the mood to do it. You can be very, very stubborn. However, we think you have that in common with just about every other kid your age, so hopefully you'll grow out of it eventually.
Here are some things you're excited about learning more about right now: balancing on one foot, jumping on one foot, soccer, your baby sister, how to get more sugar added to your diet, picking daisies, watching videos, reading to yourself and others, and playing with your Cars cars, which you do every single day.
You have given up your nap completely, except for rare instances, and that has made bedtime much easier for everyone. Mommy puts you to bed each night at 7 pm and you usually sleep right through until 6 am, at which point you come RUNNING into our room to start the day! You are our early bird and we love you for it.
Mateo, you will always be our big boy, our oldest, the big brother in the house, but you'll always be our baby, too, even if you are Four and A Half now. You still love to get hugs and kisses and snuggles and we hope this continues for a long time to come.
with all our love,
Mommy and Mama
We haven't written you a letter in a long time, and we think we're due for one now that you're officially four and a half years old. In fact, judging by the way you like to count your age, we think you will henceforth be known as Four and A Half until the day before your fifth birthday :)
Mateo, you are such a big boy now! Especially from the perspective of having your baby sister in our family, you can do SO many things. You go to school and have made friends there, which is nice for your moms, because we know that going to school is fun for you.
Your teachers say that you're fluent in both English (obviously) and Spanish, much thanks to all the Spanish speaking you and Mommy do together. You're working on learning to write letters and numbers and draw pictures, which are all coming along slowly but surely. Since you were born in October, you still have over a year until you start kindergarten, which means that next year you and Talia will go to preschool together. We think you both will have fun with that!
At home, you can be incredibly compassionate and insightful, from identifying your own feelings to giving hugs if someone is having a hard time. You also have some rough spots, which include sharing with your sister(s) and generally doing what is asked of you if you're not in the mood to do it. You can be very, very stubborn. However, we think you have that in common with just about every other kid your age, so hopefully you'll grow out of it eventually.
Here are some things you're excited about learning more about right now: balancing on one foot, jumping on one foot, soccer, your baby sister, how to get more sugar added to your diet, picking daisies, watching videos, reading to yourself and others, and playing with your Cars cars, which you do every single day.
You have given up your nap completely, except for rare instances, and that has made bedtime much easier for everyone. Mommy puts you to bed each night at 7 pm and you usually sleep right through until 6 am, at which point you come RUNNING into our room to start the day! You are our early bird and we love you for it.
Mateo, you will always be our big boy, our oldest, the big brother in the house, but you'll always be our baby, too, even if you are Four and A Half now. You still love to get hugs and kisses and snuggles and we hope this continues for a long time to come.
with all our love,
Mommy and Mama
Sunday, May 1, 2011
5 weeks
It was a glorious day and we spent it soaking up the sun, just like we are soaking up the babyhood of this cute girl. She capped the day off with a snooze in the moby and then in arms and in the bouncy seat. She's living the good life! Happy 5 weeks, Rosa!
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