Days of our Laives

Kira is 2 years old!  Here are a few new things that she can do: 1. Less 3rd person talk.  For months, Kira would speak in the third person.  "Kira don't like it", "Kira do it".  She still does it, but less than before.  These past couple days I've heard, "I do it!", and "Look at me!" 2. Singing.  Her favorite songs are ABCs and Twinkle Twinkle.  She gets about 60-70% of the words in time! 3. More participation in child development classes.  In the fall, Kira wouldn't really follow instructor-led activities.  A lot of the kids didn't.  But I've seen a big improvement in this semester compared with the last.  She sits down for story time, she follows directions with new activities, and she is definitely more engaged with what the teacher is doing. 4. More building.  Natalie bought Kira a set of blocks for Christmas, and she loves them.  She builds tall and wide structures and when she's done, she rushes over to me and says,...

Kira recently started her second session/semester at an Isis class.  They have a great MO; most of the instructors have some certification in child development or lots of experience.  While the kids are engaged in some activity, the teacher goes around and talks to the parents about how things are going at home, what their child is going through, and any concerns they may have about their child's development.  I've realized that ALL parents worry...and about different things.  Yesterday I met a mother who was super stressed out about brushing her son's teeth.  She has a solid routine of brushing twice a day...with toothpaste!  And yet, she is totally convinced that her kid's teeth are going to rot because he resists and she can't get to the back teeth.  I thought she was crazy...but then I thought, who's to say my worries aren't crazy?  Here are my worries: 1. Too much TV.  Since I'm pregnant, I get tired very easily.  Sometimes I need to just sleep for ...

Today is our last day of a 2-week vacation in Florida. We had such a great time with lots of pictures to show for it! Stay tuned. Here is a list of things of which I should have packed more and less: (for future reference) Less: Kira's T Shirts (we brought way too many) Kira's Dresses Kira's Blankets Vickie's Tank Tops Vickie's Dresses More: Kira's Pants (could have used more, probably thanks to the potty training) Trevor's Sweatshirts A hair brush (for Kira) Hair elastics Nail Clipper A list of things we're leaving: 1 sleeveless maternity top 1 pair Vickie's sweat pants 5 Kira T Shirts 3 Small Swimming Diapers 1 pair flip flops 1 pair indoor slippers 1 Large bottle baby soap 1 Baby Toothbrush (New!)

Kira is almost 2 years old!  I want to make a quick list of Kira's characteristics.  - high-strung, emotional, moody  - funny  - vocal, communicative, understanding  - smart, quick to learn  - artistic, creative  - nurturing  - neat, clean, organized A lot of these traits are implicit of her age and stage of development.  It will be interesting to see which ones persist as she grows up.

I think I've said before that I don't like saying, Kira is smart, because I think it's tacky.  But really there is another reason.  How I feel about being smart has changed over the years, and based on what I know now, I choose not to emphasize being smart to Kira. When I was little, my family and my teachers always told me that I was smart.  I totally believed them.  I'm not blaming them for doing something wrong; I suppose it's their jobs to tell me that I'm smart and to strengthen my self esteem.  My parents especially emphasized the importance of being smart.  They subconsciously ingrained in me that being smart was the sole answer to a successful future and a happy life. When I got to high school, I realized that there are a lot of smart people out there, and most of them are smarter than I.  It took me a while to accept that I can't always be as smart as the smartest, and that I don't need to be as smart as the smartest.  As I've met a greater ...