Merry Christmas!

Max's shirt says "Save a Tree! Step 1: Plant a tree; Step 2: Hug a tree; Step 3: Repeat Step 1 & 2. He is wearing this in front of our artificial Christmas tree. Happy Christmas, everyone! Have you hugged a tree today? :)

No words

There are no words. All I can do is squeeze my baby and kiss him as many times as he will let me. While at work this morning, I learned that one of my child's peers in his child care room had passed away last night. He was only 15 months old.

Hug your babies. Give your loved ones your time. Let your house go. Order take-out. Life is too short to worry about those things that can be taken care of some other day. The ones you love will not be here forever. The time we have with our loved ones is precious and borrowed. Use it wisely and treasure it.

House Hunt

Some tips for people selling their homes:

1. Please do not smoke in your home if you ever intend on selling. It immediately turns off potential buyers.

2. If you have pets, please shampoo your carpets so there is no pet odor....or include a flooring allowance to have the flooring replaced.

3. Leave your house when the agent brings clients over. It is difficult to voice what you do not like about the home when the proud home owner is within ear shot! Sometimes buyers can give you some feedback that will help you sell your house if they are not intimidated about hurting your feelings if you hear what they say while in your home.

4. Take out the GARBAGE! Do not let garbage accumulate in your garage....especially garbage that is garbage. We saw a home with 20+ bags of garbage sitting right in front of the door to the garage. Gross.

5. Do not put your pets in a bedroom and post a sign on the door "Do not enter, Dogs in Room!". Buyers want to view every room in the house!

6. When you add rooms to your home, think about resale. Buyers do not necessarily want a huge Busch Beer wall-sized mirror in their finished basement.

7. Do not leave your pool table....pool tables only appeal to a few people who are looking to buy a new house.

8. Clean your house. Clean your oven. Burn some candles. Plug-in air fresheners would be nice, too!

9. Do not leave murals of Arnold Schwartzenegger up in your basement. It freaks people out.

10. Swimming pools may seem like a good investment, but people with babies/children may want the extra yard space for entertaining and playing catch.

So...anyone have any tips for me to sell my house?

Home for Sale!

We placed our home on the market on Monday, November 30th. Some people may think it is a bit odd to place your home on the market right smack in the middle of the holidays and the beginning of winter, but we have our reasons why we chose this time to do it.

1. Tax credits. The tax credit will be ending in April, 2010 and we would like to have the opportunity to persuade a first time home buyer to purchase our home and receive that tax credit!

2. Less inventory on the market. People tend to take their homes off of the market during the holidays because they don't want to mess with keeping their home "show ready" in the middle of the holiday hub-bub.

3. We figure it may take a while to sell! We've seen homes on our street on the market for 4-6 months already. There is one For Sale By Owner that has been on the market for over a year on our street! I think that person is in desperate need of the HGTV show "Real Estate Intervention"!

4. People looking for homes this time of year will be more serious. Who really looks for a house in the middle of the holiday season with everything else going on? Only people who are REALLY looking and REALLY in need of a move...that's who...and those are the people we want to sell to!

So...if you know of anyone interested in purchasing a 2 bedroom, 1 bath villa near the 370/270/70 interchange in the St. Louis area, send them our way! Let's make a deal!

Sick, sick, sick

I am currently sick with strep throat for the first time as a mommy. I am lucky enough to have my mother in law available to help watch after Max while I rest. I don't know how I would have done it without her today. I don't know how other mommies do it, but maybe I can handle it better next time. Max sure does love his grandma, which is good for us!

I missed the appointment with the bank today because I was sick. Mat went for the both of us. We got pre-approved for a new home. We were approved for about the amount I thought we would get approved for, which is good. Everything is lining up for us to put our house on the market and look for our first detached single family home! Things are looking up, even though I have a fever, chills, sore throat, and headache. The bed is calling....hope everyone has a great weekend!

First Date

My hubby and I went on our first date today....that is, first date post-pregnancy! Max and his Grandma & Grandpa M. had their first babysitting experience. Everyone ended up alive by the time we got home, so that means Grandma & Grandpa get to babysit again. :)

We went to the St. Louis Symphony. We listened to the music of John Williams....the composer of several popular movies. Some of the music we got to experience was the music from Harry Potter, Star Wars, E.T., Schindler's List, and Indiana Jones. It was nice to get out and feel like an adult today! We may even do another date in the near future!

On the way home, we drove through the "hood". There were several "hole in the wall" churches....all located right next to "hole in the wall" bars. One church actually had a "hole in the wall" that was plugged up with some rotten plywood.

We also drove by a restaurant I would love to try out some day (insert sarcasm here). The name of the restaurant was "Eggrolls to Go". I'm wondering if eggrolls are all they serve there...and if they do all sorts of eggrolls...perhaps eggrolls filled with rice, chicken, and cheese. mmmmmm....I should market those! (but I think they already exist and are called "Chimichangas")

When we got home, we were greeted by a smiley baby boy and two smiley grandparents. Successful date! Successful babysitters! Everyone is happy....next date: lunch & a movie. :)

Being Thankful

I've recently come to the realization that I have become a pretty negative person! No one likes to be around negative people. Being negative doesn't make one feel any better about the situation they are in or about themselves, so I have decided to think on things that are positive and that I am thankful for.

Someone on a social networking site posted a status that said they were going to make their status say something they were thankful for every day for the rest of the month. I am not going to post a blog every day for the rest of the month with things I am thankful for, but I will make a small list on this blog tonight! Here goes something (I almost typed nothing...but nothing is a negative word. :)):

What I am thankful for:

1. My handsome husband and beautiful baby boy.

2. My son's grandparents...both my parents and Mat's parents. They love my son as much as anything or anyone else in the world and they all strive to help us in any way they can.

3. Living in the United States....I enjoy my freedoms.

4. Healthcare....my son has had all of his immunizations and I'm not worried about him contracting measles, mumps, typhoid, rotovirus, etc..

5. A roof over my family's head...it may be a modest 2 bedroom, 1050 square feet with the ittiest bittiest kitchen where I can't store half of my supplies, but it provides shelter and a haven for us to come home to every day!

6. Friends who we love like family.

7. Being a teacher....teachers understand (or at least try to) parents. My co-workers are supportive when I'm having working mommy remorse days. I also love the three months I get in the summer to spend with my baby boy. :)

8. Pumpkin. It really is delicious...in just about everything! (coffee, ice cream, soup, bread, oatmeal)

9. Having child care at my work so I can see my son during my work day!

10. The internet. It provides a way for me to keep Max's extended family involved in his life...be it with pictures, updates on his development, or how he sleeps at night...I just like being able to connect with them and keep them abreast of how their littlest family member's life is evolving. :)

These are just a few things I am thankful for. I could sit here and think about hundreds or thousands of things I am thankful for...but instead, I think I'll get back to those things I am thankful for and let you tell me what you are thankful for today. :)

Worldess Wednesday

Max's first trip to the doctor for his one week well check-up.

First Fever :(

My little man got his first fever tonight...100.1. This means no daycare and no school tomorrow. Poor guy. :( The doctor is going to be surprised to see us because I called her this morning and she said she thought he would be just fine and to take him to daycare.

You'd never guess he was sick by these pictures! I am so blessed to have a baby who is so laid back and happy.

Max & mommy (also feeling under the weather with a low-grade fever herself!) playing with the exersaucer.

Howdy!

Hopefully we can get better real soon. :(

Spooktacular Preschool Fun

8:35: Arrive to classroom to set up for party day.

8:37: Remember we have to add decorating pumpkins with business people to our schedule.

8:38: Remember we have to fit in bouncy house to our party day schedule.

8:39: Realize we still are missing two paper bag costumes for kids to parade down the hall (the kids will feel left out if they don't have a paper bag costume to march down the hall in....maybe.).

8:40: My fabulous assistant lets me know that we are signed up for bouncy house at 10:20 a.m.

8:41-9:00: Continue setting up the classroom for party day.

9:00: Run to the bus to get the kids off the bus.

9:03: Go back to class with no kids...no one rode busses today.

9:04: Arrive to class, turn around and go to office to ask if we can change our decorating pumpkins with business people because I forgot about fitting in bouncy house.

9:05-9:15: Children arrive.

9:15: Lights out...."Clean up, clean up, everybody everywhere...."

9:20: Circle time.

9:30: Activity Time....pumpkin bowling, practice putting on our "Paper Bag" costumes....all children gravitate toward anything but pumpkin bowling and costumes...

9:45: Pumpkin Decorating with realtors. I don't know where they came from, but they brought pumpkins & stuff to decorate pumpkins.

10:10: shoes & socks off for bouncy house!

10:18: parade 9 three-year-olds down a quarter mile hallway to the bouncy house.

10:23: arrive to bouncy house.

10:23:30: insanity begins.

10:36: Bouncy house is d.o.n.e. "Line up, line up, 411 line up at the door!"

10:40: Children are finally all lined up...we walk back to class, of course touching everything our hands can reach along the way.

10:45: Back in class, shoes & socks on, time for paper bag costumes.

10:47: I promptly make two children cry about putting on paper bag costumes.

10:49: I give up making them put their costumes on. They will march down the hall dressed up like themselves.

10:50: Parade down the hall....bells, shakers, cymbals (who on earth thought CYMBALS were a good idea???!). Everyone loved the creativity the parents showed in making paper bag costumes.

11:00: Back to class for party...wash hands for snack.

11:05: Snack begins.

11:07: Snack ends.

11:07-11:45: Insanity (a.k.a Halloween Party)

11:45: Kids perform three of our Halloween songs for parents.

12:02: Kids go home...teachers breathe.

Supply & Demand & Tears

Today I took my almost 7 month old baby boy to child care. When I dropped him off, his teacher informed me they had received the extra formula I had requested.

I have been having a hard time keeping up with supply and demand lately as I have forgotten parts to my pump when I leave the house for work (the world would be a much nicer place if I had a pump for home and a pump for work!). I requested they give Max a bottle with formula if he seemed hungry after all of his EBM (expressed breast milk) was gone.

Max's teacher asked me if I wanted her to try to give him formula today. She told me that I had done a great job keeping him nourished up until now and I shouldn't feel bad if we supplemented with formula. I felt a little like I was being told that I didn't need to nurse him anymore, which pushed a little panic button on my heart strings. I know she would never tell me to stop nursing him (because nursing your baby is such a personal choice), and I know she is not telling me to stop nursing him, but I just felt as if my baby was being pulled a little farther away from my apron strings! I felt as if he was getting more and more independent of me...and he isn't even one year old yet! I did finally tell her that it was fine for her to give him the formula for his morning bottle and to monitor him closely to see how he reacted to it.

I left his classroom. I cried in the hall. I felt as if I was failing as a working mommy. I saw one of my friends in the hall and she asked if I was ok. I told her I missed my baby...which I did...but I didn't want to get into the whole nursing topic on our way to teach our preschoolers. I went to my mailbox, got my mail and headed to class.

When I got to class I tried to get my act together. I couldn't help but think about how he was about to get his first bottle of formula and I wasn't going to be there to give it to him. "At least he would be getting some fluids," I thought. I then started thinking about how breast milk has all these great antibodies for fighting off germs and bacteria...and got worried.

When I went to pick him up for our lunch "date" I asked how the formula bottle went. His teacher informed me that he took 3 ounces from the 4 ounces she had prepared for him. Not bad, I thought. I told her that I would still prefer he only receive one bottle with formula per day because I still want him to receive the antibodies in the breast milk being that it IS cold and flu season.

Max and I had a great lunch date. He flirted with the other teachers in the lunch room, tried to eat my plastic bag (which I quickly took away from him), he flashed his huge gummy smile to everyone he met. He really is a happy, well-adjusted boy. I must be doing something right....even if I feel I am failing at providing for his most primal need. :(

Wordless Wednesday

Jenny Seiler of Shutterbug Photography took these photos at my mom's house, in her living room, when we were visiting for the weekend. She has a traveling studio and will go to your home to photograph your family, children, etc. She is a very talented lady! Here is her website. Go there and contact her to schedule a session for your little ones today! :)

http://www.shutterbugkeepsakes.com/index.html

glue, goldfish, & take-out

Only in Early Childhood Education would a teacher experience the following things at the same time on a Monday morning:

1. Three different children running through the classroom in a diaper and t-shirt.

2. One child eating glue

3. One child eating paper and coloring their face with a sharpie pen

4. Two children fighting over plastic vegetables saying "You're not my best friend"

5. One child eating goldfish crackers out of the trash can

What a day! I guess this week's theme is not so popular with these kiddos! At least when I came home all I had to do was:

1. Buy take-out for me & my hubby

2. Play with the most beautiful baby boy in the world.

3. Give the most beautiful baby boy in the world a bath (and have him soak me with his super splashy kicks!)

4. Veg out for an hour and a half in front of the TV

4. Go to bed early!

Goodnight. :)

Mommy's Lil' Pumpkin

I just HAD to take a picture of Max before school on Friday. We missed school the first day of October, so I made sure to save one of his "October" outfits for October 2nd. Here he is with his "Papaw" smile. :)

It has been quite a while since Max & mommy had a picture taken, so I asked his teacher, Ms. Lainey, to take our picture when I picked him up for our daily lunch date. :) (Mommy also got an "October" outfit out to wear that day!)

Pump it up!

Thursday was a sick day for me & my baby boy. We had to get his 6 months shots and he had a owie-looking diaper rash, so I took the entire day off to take my baby boy to the pediatrician. Being at home in the middle of the week is a rarity for me as a teacher, so I relished every moment at home! I made a delicious baby-food-carrot cake to share with my co-workers. Max & I enjoyed loads of tummy time & he showed me how he can now roll from his back to his tummy and back to his back again. It's time to get the ball rolling with baby-proofing!

Being a full time teacher and a full time mommy is a little stressful. While at work, I have to focus on 36 little hands & feet, 2 team members, 2-4 supervisors, various substitutes who come in and out our door, IEP goals, lesson plans, news notes, NAEYC standards, positive behavior support strategies, professional development plans, teacher assistant observations and evaluations....etc, etc, etc. All of this responsibility coupled with the responsibility of ensuring I give myself enough time on my lunch break to pick my little guy up from the child care room (which is located in my building...I know....I am SO lucky!), take him to a private room in the back of our building to nurse him and pump the next bottle he'll receive in the afternoon. All of this responsibility can really wear a mommy down.

Some people have asked me "How long do you plan to nurse?" "Why don't you leave your baby in the child care room and just pump so you can be done faster?" "He takes bottles well for them in child care now, right? Why don't you leave him there for them to feed him?" "He certainly doesn't look like he misses a meal!" My answer is this: Because I want to. I want to be with my baby. I want to nurse him because I know that's the absolute best thing I can do for him. I want to be the one who feeds him. I pay to have him at work with me so I can see him! He doesn't miss a meal because I'm not a neglectful parent! (it isn't like I'm feeding him cheeseburgers! It's breast milk!!!) If I don't have time to catch up on the most recent happenings in a co-workers life during our lunch break because I have to nurse my baby boy, I am certainly not going to be upset about it.

I am a teacher and a mommy. My job is to educate children. My passion is to love my own.