Thursday, April 28, 2011

relax

Don't forget to take time to relax.



Simple isn't it?


Say's the busy stay at home and work from home mom.


Smiles.

Wednesday, April 27, 2011

good nights

Good nights are when daddy is able to rush into Geran's room and save him from bad dreams, comfort and settle him back down again. Geran is so lucky to have such a wonderful daddy. He fell back asleep without mom being the wiser.

To all the daddy's out there... Love your children and fall in love with them again and again.

Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Baby wearing and Sign Language

A note or two on baby wearing. There is so much to say on this subject that I urge you to read this link about baby wearing: Scroll down and scan if you must, but read Benefits of Baby Wearing under these sections:

Sling babies are more organized
Sling babies learn more
Sling babies are more humanized
Sling babies are smarter

http://www.askdrsears.com/html/5/t051100.asp

Let me point out the important points I know to be true, having carried my son Geran in a sling for months after he was born. And still at 21 months I periodically carry him on my hip sling while out and about.

I did notice the following:

People talked to my baby more and not just to me. Engaging him in conversation and allowing him to share his thoughts, feelings, memories and ideas with everyone he met. Luckily he had sign language to help bridge the gap between baby babble and real conversation. I could interpret for those who wanted to know, "What baby was saying." They were fascinated and intrigued with this interaction and soon found themselves asking, "How do you say... this? or How do you say ... that?"

Wearing my child up in the face of conversation engaged him into the adult world. This allowed his quiet awake state to learn about his environment. Sling wearing allows babies to have a safe familiar feeling. They can listen to mom's heartbeat, feel the rhythm of mom's walk, and snuggle in the tight sling. All these things mimic the same feeling of being in the womb.

Having Geran so close to me increased our interpersonal bonding. I was able to notice any movements he was making, or watch his eye gazing more closely to help communicate in sign what was going on in his world. This early learning pattern, I believe, has made Geran the intelligent, calm soul he is today.

Geran is very bright and loves to communicate with others, telling stories and asking questions with sign and verbal communication. I credit this to having taught him language early and having him in the sling, experiencing his world and engaging him in as much conversation as possible.

Just a thought.

For more information go to www.stickyhands.ca

Sunday, April 24, 2011

Zoo Day

Taking Geran to the zoo has been my highlight of the year so far. It was great to see him using all his animal signs and his words together when seeing his favourite animals. Signing babies become signing toddler and signing talkers... It works so well for clarification. If Geran is saying tur, tur... but signing the word turtle, I can say, that's RIGHT, turtle Geran! When he says tur, tur, but is signing train, I can say, that's RIGHT train! Always giving him the correct sign and word together, building his language skills and helping him feel proud that he is sharing his world with me.

Thursday, April 14, 2011

Baby Sign Class

Like a small miracle in my simple life I showed up for a fun day signing with Geran and Mattea at music class. And suddenly I found myself three moms sigingin up for Saturday signing course I so desperately wanted to run. I was so excited and like a school girl I had to call my hubby and tell him right away, fishing for that "I am so proud of you." comment, I love to hear. It feels good that all this effort I put into my business may actually pay off.
The weird part is I haven't considered that I could make money doing this. I really love having people to teach. I love the whole aspect of teaching. The excitement they feel when they are successful, I feel to. The small milstones I notice and the confidence I see in the parents as they progress. I know what it feels like, in their seat, excited, hoping to learn and have fun and knowing in my heart that is exactly what I give them. I know so much about child development and milestones and I keep learning everyday, I want to pass it off to everyone and hope that something small that is said may impact and change how a person feels about being a parent. I hope with each class they leave feeling a bit more at ease. I hope with each week, they notice something amazing about their babies and they revel in how smart they are.

Babies can teach us so much about ourselves, if we are patience and quiet enough to notice.

Monday, April 11, 2011

Signing and Babies

It is amazing when your new baby, as young as 6 months old begins to ask for "milk" by signing it to you. No more tears, tantrums and frustrations. When your baby can communicate before they can talk, it brings a calm energy to the house and creates a happy family. Don't underestimate the bonding power your little one has over daddies, grandparents, aunties and others. While your baby is waiting to talk, they are busy taking everything in and are completely capable of communicating their wants, needs and desires. They can share a special moment and tell you "light" when they see a sun rise, or sign the word "love" when they see grandma.

It's true, having your little one sign to you is 'cute', 'trendy' and you love to show them off to others. But they don't just sign to get needs met. Babies sign for all kinds of reasons!
  • Babies sign to share their world and tell you what they see all around them.
  • They share their memories, tell you that an airplane reminds them of a bird.
  • Book reading -babies love to point to pictures and look to you for the signs.
  •  Reveal emotions such as 'frustrations, anger, love, happy'
  • Ask for clarification by pointing at something like the family dog and then looking to you for the sign.
Any age is the right age to begin signing to your baby.

I know from personal experience how rewarding signing has been and how helpful at the early toddler age. (between 12 months and 2 years old)

Keep Signing!

Love and Warm Fuzzies

I love my family and the people in my life. Everyone has such a kind heart and spirit. I hope to find special moments in my everyday.

Just want to send everyone who reads this my love and warm thoughts to you.

Tell someone you care about today how much they mean to you.

Friday, April 8, 2011

Sunny Days with Babies

So lucky to be at home with my baby... today we went to craft day. I had a hard morning, felt overwhelmed... not much money comin in, reno's and bills building up, business stress, too much laundry dishes to do etc... and then I realized that the stress of everyday life was worth every minute I can spend with my son. He lite up when we got to the play center and had such a great time spending time with his mom (me) and making crafts. I am so blessed to be able to build these special memories with my son.

Monday, April 4, 2011

Tired

Sorry to complain on a Monday, but rain, cold, sore back, sick baby, active 20 month olds, hyper puppy, head cold and 7 months pregnant doesn't make a great day... lucky I have the best husband in the world, who came home after working all day and made dinner for baby and me... yummie! He's so awesome, I am so lucky.