It has been quite the physically exciting week. On the Natalia front, when we were at the beach last week she made her first real crawling moves. By today I think that we can say that she is really crawling. At dinner she managed to move from Alayna's chair, to the rocking chair, behind the rocking chair to where our free weights are located. Those yellow free weights were very baby enticing. Can we say another round of baby proofing needs to happen?
Mateo's new move is the jump. He has been working on jumping for months, and he finally has gotten a hold up jumping up with two feet off the ground. He is so proud of himself! We are also just too proud of him.
In the movement side of things in our lives, I have completed my goal of exercising for at least 10 min. a day, six times a week for three weeks! Most nights I did 30 whole minutes, but the minimum to count was 10 minutes. My reward - a massage!
I am noticing that now that I have more energy, it is easy for me to run around with Mateo. This afternoon we went to the park with our friend Caroline, and I played hide and go seek with Mateo all over the park and on the way home, running almost the entire way. Mateo walked/ran the whole way home too.
We are just so proud of our children and have officially entered babylandia! Now off to baby proof. . .
PS: (this is Alayna now) I was just looking back to see exactly when Mateo first crawled and it was at almost exactly the same age. Teo was 7 months and 15 days when he first crawled. Talia is 7 months and 9 days old today. Siblings, anyone?
Saturday, January 31, 2009
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Headsprout adventures
For the last three or four months I've been reading with Mateo a few times a week. After he wakes up from his naps in the afternoon, he frequently asks to "look for letters," which means to do headsprout with me.
Headsprout is a reading program that is cartoon-based and online. I found out about it when I was tutoring. It uses direct instruction (one of the most effective research-based methods), with something called precision teaching, (another effective method). I signed up for the program a few years ago, and they gave me five free passes, one of which I never used.
I will admit that at the beginning I expected that we would stop doing the lessons at any time, because he is only 2. . . but as of yet, he still enjoys doing the lessons, gets over 95% correct every time and asks to do them regularly. (The few times he gets less than 95% correct, we redo the lesson on another day. I figure if he enjoys reading the same books over, and over, and over, he would also enjoy doing the lesson more than one time.)
Actually, he begs to do the lessons and gets very upset when I say that reading time is over. Before each lesson we now practice how he will act when the lesson is over. (Now Mateo, are you going to cry when the lesson is over? When it is over, you might feel sad, but you can say to yourself that we can do more tomorrow.)
Here are the words he can currently read: see, van, Vee, San, the, Lee, can, feels, Fran, fan, ran, I, out, and, flips, sand, sleeps, Pip, plan, reef, feel, Clee, shout, fish.
Some of those are character names from the stories. I'm just trying to follow his lead and so far it has been really fun for both of us. It has also changed how I am teaching students at school, which has been interesting for me. It's reminded me that if you focus on the basics in the beginning and take the time to make sure students have a solid foundation, then things will go much more smoothly as they advance.
Headsprout is a reading program that is cartoon-based and online. I found out about it when I was tutoring. It uses direct instruction (one of the most effective research-based methods), with something called precision teaching, (another effective method). I signed up for the program a few years ago, and they gave me five free passes, one of which I never used.
I will admit that at the beginning I expected that we would stop doing the lessons at any time, because he is only 2. . . but as of yet, he still enjoys doing the lessons, gets over 95% correct every time and asks to do them regularly. (The few times he gets less than 95% correct, we redo the lesson on another day. I figure if he enjoys reading the same books over, and over, and over, he would also enjoy doing the lesson more than one time.)
Actually, he begs to do the lessons and gets very upset when I say that reading time is over. Before each lesson we now practice how he will act when the lesson is over. (Now Mateo, are you going to cry when the lesson is over? When it is over, you might feel sad, but you can say to yourself that we can do more tomorrow.)
Here are the words he can currently read: see, van, Vee, San, the, Lee, can, feels, Fran, fan, ran, I, out, and, flips, sand, sleeps, Pip, plan, reef, feel, Clee, shout, fish.
Some of those are character names from the stories. I'm just trying to follow his lead and so far it has been really fun for both of us. It has also changed how I am teaching students at school, which has been interesting for me. It's reminded me that if you focus on the basics in the beginning and take the time to make sure students have a solid foundation, then things will go much more smoothly as they advance.
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Natalia's seven month letter
Dear Natalia,
A few days ago, you passed the seven month mark. Of course, like always, we can hardly believe you've been with us for seven months already. Simultaneously, like always, we can hardly believe you haven't always been with us! Here are some things you've been up to this month.
Mostly, you've been working on movement. It's been fascinating to watch you tackle this task, as you've gone about it very differently than your brother did. You seem to want to master each individual part of crawling, and then to master every possible movement combination, before finally putting them all together. You've mastered going to a crawling position from sitting and vice versa. You can easily scoot backwards, much to your frustration. And, this weekend, while we were at the beach, you took your first real crawling steps! You saw something you wanted and took off in hot pursuit...only to realize a few seconds later that you were actually crawling, at which point you collapsed into another favorite pose - the cobra.
You have places to go and people to see and you want to get there very badly. You've repeated your crawling steps a few more times since this weekend and we know it's just a matter of time until you really master it. As much as we thought we wanted a late-crawling second child, after experiencing an early-crawling first, we can't help but root you on. It's inspiring to see your determination to master a new skill. Today, when we were out and about, you wowed the moms of a couple of much-larger 9-month-olds with your zeal to get going.
You still get most of your calories from Mommy, along with a few here and there from pureed fruits and veggies. We've had to cut way back on any kind of cereal, as you have a tendency to get plugged up, if you know what I mean. So far, you love pureed apple, pear, blueberry, and apricot. You haven't shown much interest in veggies yet, and have quite the love-hate (mostly hate, honestly) relationship with avocado. You seem to be growing well and have been remarkably healthy lately (insert knocking on wood here). Let's keep that up, shall we?
On the sleep front, you're holding steady for the most part. You go to bed between 7 and 7:30 pm, at the same time as your brother. For this, we say thank you a million times, as having the evenings to ourselves gives your mommies some much needed recharging time. You usually wake up between midnight and 1 am to eat, and then again between 5 and 6 am. This is pretty doable for Mommy, although she'd prefer it if you could just wake up once - or just sleep all the way through, for that matter. You usually do wake up several other times throughout the night and need your binky to be reinserted, which is Mama's job and sometimes has her feeling like a jack-in-the box!
Let's see, other things - you will sit and play with your toys for longish periods (10-15 minutes) and this is a wonderful thing. You can transfer a toy from hand to hand and seem happy to play with just about anything at this point - baby toys, toy trucks, measuring cups, shoes, stuffed animals, you name it. Everything fascinates you.
Baby Talia (yes, we still call you that), you are just a lovely, wonderful, joyful baby. People are always asking us if you're always so happy and mellow and we say yes, generally. You love to be snuggled and tickled and you also have a lovely ability to play on your own. Who could ask for anything more?
We couldn't love you any more if we tried.
With all our love and then some,
Mama and Mommy
A few days ago, you passed the seven month mark. Of course, like always, we can hardly believe you've been with us for seven months already. Simultaneously, like always, we can hardly believe you haven't always been with us! Here are some things you've been up to this month.
Mostly, you've been working on movement. It's been fascinating to watch you tackle this task, as you've gone about it very differently than your brother did. You seem to want to master each individual part of crawling, and then to master every possible movement combination, before finally putting them all together. You've mastered going to a crawling position from sitting and vice versa. You can easily scoot backwards, much to your frustration. And, this weekend, while we were at the beach, you took your first real crawling steps! You saw something you wanted and took off in hot pursuit...only to realize a few seconds later that you were actually crawling, at which point you collapsed into another favorite pose - the cobra.
You have places to go and people to see and you want to get there very badly. You've repeated your crawling steps a few more times since this weekend and we know it's just a matter of time until you really master it. As much as we thought we wanted a late-crawling second child, after experiencing an early-crawling first, we can't help but root you on. It's inspiring to see your determination to master a new skill. Today, when we were out and about, you wowed the moms of a couple of much-larger 9-month-olds with your zeal to get going.
You still get most of your calories from Mommy, along with a few here and there from pureed fruits and veggies. We've had to cut way back on any kind of cereal, as you have a tendency to get plugged up, if you know what I mean. So far, you love pureed apple, pear, blueberry, and apricot. You haven't shown much interest in veggies yet, and have quite the love-hate (mostly hate, honestly) relationship with avocado. You seem to be growing well and have been remarkably healthy lately (insert knocking on wood here). Let's keep that up, shall we?
On the sleep front, you're holding steady for the most part. You go to bed between 7 and 7:30 pm, at the same time as your brother. For this, we say thank you a million times, as having the evenings to ourselves gives your mommies some much needed recharging time. You usually wake up between midnight and 1 am to eat, and then again between 5 and 6 am. This is pretty doable for Mommy, although she'd prefer it if you could just wake up once - or just sleep all the way through, for that matter. You usually do wake up several other times throughout the night and need your binky to be reinserted, which is Mama's job and sometimes has her feeling like a jack-in-the box!
Let's see, other things - you will sit and play with your toys for longish periods (10-15 minutes) and this is a wonderful thing. You can transfer a toy from hand to hand and seem happy to play with just about anything at this point - baby toys, toy trucks, measuring cups, shoes, stuffed animals, you name it. Everything fascinates you.
Baby Talia (yes, we still call you that), you are just a lovely, wonderful, joyful baby. People are always asking us if you're always so happy and mellow and we say yes, generally. You love to be snuggled and tickled and you also have a lovely ability to play on your own. Who could ask for anything more?
We couldn't love you any more if we tried.
With all our love and then some,
Mama and Mommy
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Inauguration day
Today was a great day because we got a new president!
We turned on the tv this morning at 7 am and watched the festivities while we got ready for the day. It was really fun to see all the dignitaries and people we normally read about there and looking all fancy. Sacha eventually had to leave for school and then it was just me and the kids. When the former presidents started to enter the scene, I told them all about who they were and such. I even pulled down the photo of President Carter and Mrs. Carter holding Mateo and showed it to him. He seemed more interested in the fact that Grammy and Grandpa were in the photo, but still, at least he was impressed by something! We think Grammy and Grandpa are superstars, too :) I tried to pretend like we were there even though we weren't. I had us clap when all the presidents came down and we stood up when we were supposed to stand up.
By the time the inauguration actually started, the kids had had enough tv. We almost never watch it at all and when we occasionally let Mateo watch a signing video, it never lasts more than half an hour. Two hours of tv was way too long - the novelty had worn off - and both of them started whining and fussing. They barely made it through the inauguration of the VP and the President, so they can say they saw it. However, Mateo spent part of Obama's speech in timeout having a massive tantrum while Natalia fell asleep on my shoulder and then ended up snoozing in her bed.
Nonetheless, it was awesome to watch. It was really inspiring to see all the millions of people who braved the cold to be there. And I cried like a little girl, as Apa would say, when Aretha Franklin was singing and they were showing the montage of American scenes. I feel more hopeful about this country now than I ever have. Yay Obama!!
Here's what Sacha was up to while we were at home...
Once I got to school, I was interested in watching, but because it was in the cafeteria with all of the pre-school day care kids, it was impossible to hear anything. I decided to pump, and try to catch more after the bell rang.
My first teacher decided that we would have class as normal till 9am. I thought leaving at 9am to go to another teacher's classroom and watch the swearing in was cutting it a little bit close, but couldn't convince her of this. As it was, the swearing in was a bit late, so I was able to see it! I made a conscious effort to not be my teacher self and just be present and stay in the moment and take in whole inauguration.
I also feel so hopeful about our country. I want to find a way to help our country and feel honored to have witnessed and taken part in this day.
We turned on the tv this morning at 7 am and watched the festivities while we got ready for the day. It was really fun to see all the dignitaries and people we normally read about there and looking all fancy. Sacha eventually had to leave for school and then it was just me and the kids. When the former presidents started to enter the scene, I told them all about who they were and such. I even pulled down the photo of President Carter and Mrs. Carter holding Mateo and showed it to him. He seemed more interested in the fact that Grammy and Grandpa were in the photo, but still, at least he was impressed by something! We think Grammy and Grandpa are superstars, too :) I tried to pretend like we were there even though we weren't. I had us clap when all the presidents came down and we stood up when we were supposed to stand up.
By the time the inauguration actually started, the kids had had enough tv. We almost never watch it at all and when we occasionally let Mateo watch a signing video, it never lasts more than half an hour. Two hours of tv was way too long - the novelty had worn off - and both of them started whining and fussing. They barely made it through the inauguration of the VP and the President, so they can say they saw it. However, Mateo spent part of Obama's speech in timeout having a massive tantrum while Natalia fell asleep on my shoulder and then ended up snoozing in her bed.
Nonetheless, it was awesome to watch. It was really inspiring to see all the millions of people who braved the cold to be there. And I cried like a little girl, as Apa would say, when Aretha Franklin was singing and they were showing the montage of American scenes. I feel more hopeful about this country now than I ever have. Yay Obama!!
Here's what Sacha was up to while we were at home...
Once I got to school, I was interested in watching, but because it was in the cafeteria with all of the pre-school day care kids, it was impossible to hear anything. I decided to pump, and try to catch more after the bell rang.
My first teacher decided that we would have class as normal till 9am. I thought leaving at 9am to go to another teacher's classroom and watch the swearing in was cutting it a little bit close, but couldn't convince her of this. As it was, the swearing in was a bit late, so I was able to see it! I made a conscious effort to not be my teacher self and just be present and stay in the moment and take in whole inauguration.
I also feel so hopeful about our country. I want to find a way to help our country and feel honored to have witnessed and taken part in this day.
Monday, January 19, 2009
Big bang
The weekend started out with a bang, literally. I was driving home from work on Friday night, about to go through a tunnel, when I suddenly heard a loud BANG! Simultaneously, the driver's side door window (ie, the one next to me) exploded. It shattered into a million pieces. Also simultaneously, I screamed! It was rather shocking. Luckily, (#1) I was not shot, although I did check to see if I had been, (#2) I kept driving and didn't crash into anything, and (#3) we arranged for the window to be fixed the next day. The only real bummer was driving the rest of the way home with the freezing wind blasting in through the open window while sitting in a pile of shattered window glass.
Compared to that, the rest of our weekend was quite peaceful. On Saturday, Sacha visited the chiropractor in the morning and we spent the afternoon with two friends - one our age and one Mateo's age. We all went to the park and got some yummy treats at a bakery and generally had a lovely time and a spontaneous pizza dinner after we got home. On Sunday, we spent most of the day as a family and got to enjoy Apa's cooking at our weekly Sunday dinner - he made pulled pork. Yum!
Today, we celebrated MLK Jr. Day by going to visit a financial planner. Who knows how these things are related, but she was working and we had the day off, so it worked out. It's rather terrifying to look at our finances in such detail, but we're also really excited to have a plan for the next several decades of our lives. We realized today, and not for the first time, that we may love to plan more than most people when the financial planner admitted that we were her youngest clients by at least a decade. Another such realization came when our student nanny told us she would have to make us a fire escape plan and I was excited because we already have one and she could update it! We are geeks.
Here are some photos from the past couple of days. First photo is of Mateo and his buddy, D, who is a new big brother! His mom got the boys matching jackets and they both love them.
Second, Sacha and Mateo hanging out. Aren't they cute?
Compared to that, the rest of our weekend was quite peaceful. On Saturday, Sacha visited the chiropractor in the morning and we spent the afternoon with two friends - one our age and one Mateo's age. We all went to the park and got some yummy treats at a bakery and generally had a lovely time and a spontaneous pizza dinner after we got home. On Sunday, we spent most of the day as a family and got to enjoy Apa's cooking at our weekly Sunday dinner - he made pulled pork. Yum!
Today, we celebrated MLK Jr. Day by going to visit a financial planner. Who knows how these things are related, but she was working and we had the day off, so it worked out. It's rather terrifying to look at our finances in such detail, but we're also really excited to have a plan for the next several decades of our lives. We realized today, and not for the first time, that we may love to plan more than most people when the financial planner admitted that we were her youngest clients by at least a decade. Another such realization came when our student nanny told us she would have to make us a fire escape plan and I was excited because we already have one and she could update it! We are geeks.
Here are some photos from the past couple of days. First photo is of Mateo and his buddy, D, who is a new big brother! His mom got the boys matching jackets and they both love them.
Second, Sacha and Mateo hanging out. Aren't they cute?
Thursday, January 15, 2009
New year's resolution time
First I wanted to say congratulations to our friends Alesha, Steve and Dascher who just had a baby last night. We are so excited for you. Alayna took care of Dascher for the morning today and I would have thought that three kids would be a bit of a challenge for a whole morning, but she says it went fine! (I think she's amazing. I find two challenging enough!)
I don't officially do new year's resolutions, but I do have some things I am working on this year. I am continuing to work on the speaking Spanish goal. Actually, it has been going really well. Except for when we have our student nanny over, I have been still speaking 90% in Spanish to Mateo. I am really quite proud of myself for that. I know it is just one word at a time. Sometimes I get all stuck in my head about if I can do this forever, and then I try to remind myself that I don't have to make a commitment for forever, I can just start with right now.
My other goals are around food and exercise. Alayna and I came up with some ideas for me on how to get back to my goal weight from before the baby. I am close, but that last 10-15 lbs. don't appear to be going anywhere. So we came up with exercising for 10 minutes a day (or more) six days a week, and not eating sugar after dinner.
My first goal is to make it for 3 weeks and then I am going to reward myself with a massage!
I don't officially do new year's resolutions, but I do have some things I am working on this year. I am continuing to work on the speaking Spanish goal. Actually, it has been going really well. Except for when we have our student nanny over, I have been still speaking 90% in Spanish to Mateo. I am really quite proud of myself for that. I know it is just one word at a time. Sometimes I get all stuck in my head about if I can do this forever, and then I try to remind myself that I don't have to make a commitment for forever, I can just start with right now.
My other goals are around food and exercise. Alayna and I came up with some ideas for me on how to get back to my goal weight from before the baby. I am close, but that last 10-15 lbs. don't appear to be going anywhere. So we came up with exercising for 10 minutes a day (or more) six days a week, and not eating sugar after dinner.
My first goal is to make it for 3 weeks and then I am going to reward myself with a massage!
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Little man
Apa got Mateo some big-boy boxers for Christmas and the kid is obsessed with them. He has pretty much abandoned his other underwear options in favor of them. I took these photos of him today when he was busily loading up the clothes hamper with every single one of his toys. I looked at him and thought: he's 2 going on 16!
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