Tag Archives: milestone

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December 4, 2012 ~ Wiggly Box

English: The Wicked Witch of The West, melting...

The Wicked Witch of The West, melting after being doused by Dorothy. From the first edition of The Wizard of Oz. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Somehow Teagan has fallen in love with the Wizard of Oz – or as she says, “Wiggly Box”.  I’m  not sure how, we haven’t pulled out my Anniversary Edition DVD, nor have we started reading chapter books to her at bedtime.  (I really want to start soon, though!  Chronicles of Narnia, Charlotte’s Web, Velveteen Rabbit are calling…)  She’s come home from day care talking about the mean witch who melts.  And about little people, but not like her, she’s a big girl.  She would start singing “Ding dong the witch is melted” or something along those lines.

After a bit of prodding and some pointed questions, we found out that one of her day care teachers shows them clips on her phone.  Not sure if I’m happy about this or not.  They should be teaching her about the difference between J and K, and that L, M, N and O are actually different letters, not one big mumble.  Maybe that there’s a number 15 and 16 and you don’t just go from 14 to 17 :)

Teagan has some very definite ideas about this movie.  The mean people (Witches Guard?) are the ones that poured the water on the Wicked Witch, and made her melted.  It wasn’t Dorothy! And the Statue Man cried, but threw fire.  Also, the witch in the beginning, Jenna, could melt, but she has a protective coat on him eyes and hands so she doesn’t melted.  Her pretty dress is armor against melting.  Oh, and she’s taller than the munchkins, because she’s a big girl, not a baby.

Well, there you have it.

We may try to watch the movie with her next weekend, if there’s time…  She was completely enthralled with the Grinch the other day.  According to her, him heart grew because him cried, and watered it.  When the Grinch makes his grumpy face in the beginning, she would get scared.  But not enough to not watch the rest, and not enough to not ask to see it again.  And again.  And again.

 

Ashlin could care less, though she will dance when the Whos sing. Also, she can say her name!  She proudly points to herself and says “Ahhhh-lin!”  My big girl.

November 17, 2012 ~ Teagan Swims!

Today, at the last swim lesson of the fall, Teagan finally swam! Look at her go!!

No, she wasn’t happy at first, and yes, she had a float, but she finally did it!  So proud of her.

I got a few pictures, and then remembered to switch to video for the first time.  Stu came over with Ashlin and got to see Teagan do it again.

She was more comfortable in the water today, kicking, playing along, almost happy.  She’s not always happy to be in the water.  She would creep up and down the side of the pool while the other little kids were practicing, taking their turns.  And when the instructor asked her to hold on to the duck and let go of her other hand, she did it!

She still wasn’t happy about doing it, while she was floating on her own.  She definitely didn’t like when her mouth went under water.  But when she got to the wall, she was beaming.  She looked up at us, and saw us beaming.  All the other moms cheered for her too :)

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October 1, 2012

Treasures from the walkAnother post I’ve been sitting on, for some reason.  Sigh.  Getting there.

Anyway, we had a rough few days with Teagan.  After visiting the Aquarium, last Sunday, we had to leave a bit early, both girls were too tired.  They became little monsters, that we didn’t want to be around in public.  Teagan did fall asleep almost before we got out of the parking lot.

Unfortunately, after her power nap, she wasn’t much better.  So, Sunday was the first time she was sent to bed early.  As a punishment.  Before she had finished dinner.  She was still pushing everything, not listening, being willful and defiant.  By the time she was three quarters through her dinner we both were fed up and Stu took her up to her room for the night.  What seemed to upset her the most, not that we were unhappy with her behavior, but that she hadn’t finished her dinner and that her sister was downstairs watching “Signing Time” without her.  Eventually she calmed down.  Stu talked her down from the screeching, unhappy little girl that howled up the stairs.

She woke up promising to be better.  And asking for her leftover dinner, which Stu had actually put in the fridge for her.  She had maccaroni and cheese for breakfast!

Unfortunately, she wasn’t able to keep her promise.  Again, she gave us a near repeat Monday night. More screeching, crying, promising to be good, telling us that she could be a good girl.  Insisting she was a good girl, and would listen now.  Right. We’ve totally heard that story before.  So, she had another early night.

Tuesday, she was better, and Wednesday and Thursday.  Friday, well, she called one of her teachers a name.  This teacher asked her to be quiet during nap time.  Teagan didn’t want to, she said “no” then called the teacher a pig.  Horrifying.  I have no idea where she even got the idea of calling someone a mean name like that.  Day care told her that we don’t call people names.  Day care made Stu sign a note.  He was mortified.  We told her that we don’t call people bad things.  She said she’d be good, and wouldn’t do it again.

As I was getting her ready for bed, she called me something – a fart, a burp – I don’t remember what any more and then laughed.  I told her that she had just lost her books for doing something mean like that.  She thought she was being funny.  Apologized, but she knew she wasn’t getting any books.  A few minutes later, she called me a poop.  I picked her up and carried her to bed, telling her that her behavior was unacceptable, and made me sad. Stu came up, hearing the commotion, and reinforced the message.

We were dreading the weekend, but she was quite good.  Fun. She got to play with her friend G for a bit.  And she learned how to pedal her tricycle! All by herself!

She was pretty good today too :D

August 15, 2012

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Tonight is the Teagan’s third night sans pacifier. She’s been pretty nonchalant about the whole thing, not really talking about it. Each night, she’s been using various tactics to delay bedtime, lights out. Asking for one more book, another song, another trip to the bathroom, more rocking in the chair, another hug, another kiss, one more good night. I’m sure that some of it is to compensate for her uncomfortableness, her feeling of incompleteness without her bubble.

We did have a short discussion on how she shouldn’t lie to stay up later. Saying she has to go potty isn’t something she should use. We will only get frustrated, not trust her when she really needs us to believe her.

Anyway. She’s looking forward to getting chicken donuts on Friday. We’ve been telling her she’s been doing a great job, and we’re so proud of her. She’s becoming such a big girl!

August 14, 2012

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Look who is down for her second night sleeping without a bubble. Yay! So proud of her. So never thought we’d actually get here.

She decided on Sunday morning that she was giving her bubbles to Ashlin. The first nap of the day did not go very well, she begged for it back. Eventually, she settles, though never slept. Second nap, we ended up getting it back, with much reluctance on our part.

We had a chat with her about needing to go through with what you say you are going to do, and with how big she is, and she really didn’t need her pacifier any more.

Yesterday, she decided that she was done, and gave her sister her bubbles again. And after a few false starts and some delay tactics, she went down, without her bubble. And stayed down.

When she woke up this morning, we didn’t make a big deal about her achievement. It was business as usual. After yelling to the neighborhood that she could see my underwear – I was getting dressed for work – Stu took them off to day care, and chatted with her on the way, promising chicken donuts if she made it the whole week. A dinner of nuggets isn’t too difficult of a reward.

We’re on night two. Tonight was easier. Fingers crossed!

August 11, 2012

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Tonight on the way home from the nearly monthly trip for haircuts, Teagan told me jokes. “Mama,” she said, “I tell you a joke.” I distractedly answer, “ok, tell me a joke.”. I was driving on the parkway, and it was dusk, with deer hiding just off the shoulders, just waiting to jump out.

“A chicken ate a burdh (bird), and then him ate a wiggly worm, and then a ladybug. His tummy farted, so him ate a carrot.”

Um. What?

“Teagan, that’s an awesome joke!”

PS. She went in the pool alone today, with goggles and a life-vest! My big brave girl!

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June 21, 2012

20120621-185919.jpgTeagan had a “graduation” today.  It was actually the Fours who were moving up to Kindergarten from the Threes, but they included her and her friend, as they were the only ones who weren’t truly moving up.

Teagan, who loves hats, didn’t want to wear hers for the ceremony.  Then she didn’t want to sit for the whole time.  When they sang “You Got A Friend In Me,” Teagan was distracted and didn’t remember all the words.  Still, it was very cute, and she was very touched that I got there.  Stu stayed home with Ashlin, who we didn’t think should be out more than needed.

I recorded most of it, and took some pictures, this being one of them.  My little miss just wanted to run, it didn’t matter that it was 100° outside.

Anyway.

Watching her dance and interact with the other kids was much more interesting than the ceremony.  It’s always interesting to see her move, talk , be with other people.  She always seems so much older.  She’s getting so big.

Most of the songs, she ran in a circle or spun around, trying to do the moves that DJ/Singer was doing.  You could see her trying to see what she was supposed to do next, see the brain trying to absorb movements and put them to the rhythm.  But for one song, she started dancing like a big girl, booty bounce and one song had a head bop.

She’s getting so big.

I would like time to slow down, thank you.

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June 12, 2012 ~ End Of An Era

Bottles and stuff

Today I took the last (well all but one!) of Ashlin’s bottles out of the kitchen.  I’ll pack them up for sale or donation soon.  Or even re-purposing - this site had an awesome idea to store spices in the small ones.

It’s a bit of counter real estate that’s been reclaimed.  The nipple and ring dishwasher tool, the strainer I would dry the bottles in neck down.  We didn’t get one of the fancy bottle trees, the strainer worked just fine.  There’s a little less clutter and chaos in the kitchen now.

It’s a big milestone.  The baby doesn’t need bottles any more.  Well, except when she wakes up in the middle of the night and will be satiated with a bottle of water.  But except for that one little bit of baby, she’s growing up.

It’s melancholy, but so full of promise and excitement, at the same.

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May 21, 2012

So, I think Ashlin’s just about done nursing.  It’s sad.  I’m not quite ready for her to be done.  Nursing her has always been a challenge, one that I wasn’t sure I wanted, but now, at the end, one I’m glad I did.

She had weight issues, which made me question my supply, whether she was getting enough.  She never got “milk drunk,” and always  seemed to be just a little fussy.   I didn’t start pumping really, until I went back to work, and by then, well, pumping just didn’t go quite as well as it had with Teagan.  Then, I was able to pump a bit more than needed, and over time, built up a lovely stash.  One that allowed me to stop pumping at 14 months but still have her go to day care with breast milk for another month and a half.

This time, I did little better than keep up.  Lot of that was due to sheer exhaustion.  When I slept better, I produced more.  She nursed better.  Happier.  The sleep, well, that was her fault.  She didn’t sleep, so I didn’t sleep.   I was very glad to stop pumping at about a year, though I will question that decision.  It was such a relief to not pump though.

Now, it’s been a few days since she’s latched on for more than a minute or two, and there just doesn’t seem to be time to keep offering, to keep not giving up.  Life is so busy with a new toddler and a preschooler.  It may be easier to not continue trying to encourage her.  I have always said I would nurse the girls as long as they wanted.  Teagan, I encouraged her to wean a little bit, but still nursed her until she was 16 and a half months.  I was pregnant with Ashlin, it hurt and made me sick.

Ashlin’s almost 14 months now.  Still, a respectable length to have nursed her.  I guess I should let her decide, though I will probably keep offering another week, just to be sure.

She’s growing so fast.

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