Little Lady Lessons and Library Trips

Here are the last of our lessons and library trips for the month of September.

Below is the number lesson that I did with her. We used the same foam sticker leaves that we used for the September craft and then she colored with her crayons as we worked on numbers and colors. She is getting fantastic at knowing the color blue! And as you can see she LOVES using her crayons.

Below are the generic lessons that I make for Little Lady. I really need to get started on Octobers but haven't yet, I know in my head what I want them to be so maybe that is why I'm putting it off:)

And here is our latest finds from our trip to the library. I really like "Way Out in the Desert" best out of this pick. It works on numbers in a fun way!

Parenting Methods, yep it's a touchy subject.

I am an affirmed believer in attachment parenting. I say it on here, I tell everyone in real life, I profess it on facebook and online forums. And because I am such a firm believer in this way of parenting I sometimes find myself baffled at parents that choose such methods as "Baby Wise". Most of my good friends know that I whole heartedly don't believe in "crying it out" or any other such baby "training" methods. And I know that there are some friends that probably think that I am just down right loony in my beliefs but I don't say anything to them and they don't to me. Sometimes that is just best in friendships. Sometimes, I feel like in good conscience I should say that Baby Wise isn't a program that one should use but in the same instance I don't want to start an arguement and me end up being the bad guy or worse lose a friendship. That is what I have found is often times the problem with attachment parenting - the only problem may I add. We are called hippies, we are told we are speaking down when we preach the benefits of breastfeeding or co-sleeping. And don't get me started on the reprimanding I hear about co-sleeping or not using any cry it out methods. Now, you may ask why I'm putting it out there now. Well, this is my space, my own little private space to put out whatever I feel whenever I feel it. My space to write and release my inner most thoughts and feelings without having to worry about the repercussions that will follow. This is mine all mine and I finally feel that I don't have to or need to worry about what others will say because I am that steadfast in what I believe.
Time after time attachment parenting has and in my opinion will continue to be shown to be nothing but positive towards the well being of the child as noted in a recent study at Notre Dame. I know parenting is a personal decision. I just wish that parents would research and put as much effort into what methods they use and preach as they put into forcing their child to sleep through the night.

And as mentioned above:

Here is the link to the AAP study on Baby Wise:

http://aapnews.aappublications.org/cgi/content/abstract/14/4/21

And the Notre Dame study:

http://newsinfo.nd.edu/news/16829-research-shows-child-rearing-practices-of-distant-ancestors-foster-morality-compassion-in-kids/

And Dr. Sears website for more information on attachment parenting:
http://www.askdrsears.com/

Addendum:
I do want to add that this is not bashing all parenting methods. I have some near and dear friends that have used the Ferber method for their children. I know it was a positive experience for them and I know that they did it in a way that worked best for their children and at an age much better suited for "sleep training".

Wedded Bliss.

This past weekend we went to a friend of mines wedding. I don't get to see this friend very much because she lives in DC and she was in England when we were in college but it was great to have my "high school" group of friends back together to hang out. It was also Little Lady's first time to attend a wedding. She didn't make it through the Catholic ceremony, not because she was acting up or being bad but the church echoed and there were candles so between saying that the candles were hot and hearing her little voice echo through the church followed by a laugh echoing through the church, her and Big A hung out outside. The reception was fantastic and Little Lady lit up the dance floor and hung out with one of my BFF's little boy! All in all a great way to spend a Saturday - and yes, Big A made a few trips to the Jeep to check the scores of the college football games:)

10 Things About Little Lady

A friend of mine posted 10 things about her daughter and I thought it appropriate to have a 15 month edition for Little Lady...here goes:

1. Your words have exploded. You are even making little mini-sentences. You can say - "Do it again.", "Dada's hat.", "Go Big Red." Your word base right now consists of probably about 30 words with the most frequently used being - Mama, Dada, Boop, Dora, Sissy, Dog, and Yuck!

2. You LOVE healthy food. You will eat absolutely any fruit and vegetable. You love green beans and corn and will even eat spinach, which is great because Mama and Dada love to eat spinach. You have tried zucchini and squash. You love fruit just as much and love to start your day with either blueberries or more recently mandarin oranges.

3. On the flip side of #2, you don't really like to eat meat. You will sometimes eat bites of a turkey burger but that is about it. The only meat you will consistently eat is tuna:) Yep, you are ONE HEALTHY eater.

4. You like to watch TV - which is OK in moderation. But you absolutely LOVE Dora. She is your BFF. You have Dora bags, Dora figurines, Dora blankets, and Dora PJ's - mostly thanks to Cousin Syd who has moved on to Silly Bandz and iCarly and handed the Dora torch to you.

5. You absolutely love to be outside. If I would have waited to do your nursery till after you were here it would have been in nature/outdoor animals because you love everything about the outdoors. You can find anything to entertain yourself outside from riding high in your pink swing, making the wind chimes make music, or simply just playing with a stick. You don't mind the bugs, you just tell everyone that they are "yuck." You will point to birds in the sky and rabbits in the yard and just say "wow!" and it makes me sit back in wonderment and look at how you look at the world and how with the wind in your hair you are truly such a nature loving girl.

6. You are teeny. And you have your Dadas build and your Mamas height. You are long in the torso and short in the legs. 12 month onesies are too tight but 12 month pants are huge! I can no longer buy outfits where the shirt and pants come together if the shirt is a onesie!

7. You have learned to get out of your crib. Yep, you can swing that leg over the top, wiggle the toes till you get a grip and over you go. And this isn't a good thing, hard wood floors don't make for a good landing zone even if we have a rug next to your crib. Looks like we will be looking for a toddler bed sooner rather than later.

8. You love lesson time because you get to color. You love holding your crayons. You even discovered while we were eating out with Grammie and Papa the other day that restaurants are fun because you can color with crayons on the menu! Looks like our restaurant selection will now have to do with who has menus to color on:)

9. Drum roll please, you have started potty training. And I know it may seem crazy since you are only 15 months old but this has been only at your insinuations and suggestions. You have liked to sit on the potty for a couple weeks now but as of last night you knew when you had the urge. You said "Dada psst, Mama psst" and you pointed to your diaper. So it was a mad dash to the bathroom with a faster than lightning diaper removal and Dada sat you on the potty and sure enough you pottied. We praised, we clapped, we cheered. You are ready for potty training. Looks like along with that toddler bed, we'll be shopping for a potty too.

10. You are still the love of my life and light of my world and ALWAYS will be.

Big A hits the Garage Sales

So Big A and Little Lady hit up some garage sales after I had gone to work on Friday. They came home with these two gems:
We got 5 books with the LeapPad - including a Dora one! From what I found online the LeapPad retails for $99 and the Playcenter retails for $144 and we spent - drum roll please - $20 for ALL of it!

September Craft

Today we did the craft that I picked out for September. I found it online and modified it for Little Lady to be able to do.

Here is what I found online:

Here is what we did.

Instead of doing cut out leaves I bought some foam sticker leaves for her to put wherever she wanted. I also bought some foam sticker letters that we did her name with so we can work on letters while still doing her craft.

We also picked up Octobers craft at the store today and I'm looking really forward to it!

Little Lady Lessons and Library Trip

Here are our lessons for the month of September. Our theme for this month is FALL.

And our latest library books:

American Girl Store!

Little Lady turned 15 months old today. I can't believe how quickly the time is flying. She recently has become quite enthralled with all things baby. She LOVES LOVES LOVES baby dolls. So in honor of turning 15 months we made our first trip to the American Girl Store. I was very excited considering I had American Girl when I was growing up. It was just starting up so they only had like 4 American Girls back then but hey, I was excited nonetheless. So, we got to the store and she loved it, I mean LOVED it! She ran to all the displays yelling "WOW!" at each one. Then she saw it....the Bitty Baby side of the store. There is no other way to describe it other than to say that this girl was in heaven. She would pick up the babies and pat them and hug them. Then she saw that they had a Bitty Baby stroller and she spent the rest of the time in the store pushing it around and saying "Baby" and patting and loving on the little doll. I know she is still too small for the American Girl dolls now but I think I see a Bitty Baby in the future, maybe the 2nd birthday, because like I said this girl is in love and I couldn't be happier to have shared such a great time with her!

Apple Picking!

Yesterday we went apple picking at a local orchard/farm. We had a lot of fun. There were farm animals and Little Lady is getting VERY good at doing her animal sounds. We picked a ton of apples and Big A and Little Lady both started eating them while we were still out in the fields! I got a few fantastic nature photos as well as some great family shots.We enjoyed some apple slushies to end our trip to the country! All in all a super great day!

College Game Day Baby!

Let's hear it for the start of college football. This is a favorite time of year at our house, followed by about nine months later when both girls birthdays are;) coincidence - probably not!

So - good luck to our two favorite college teams!

Six Years

Six years passes way too quickly. Six years ago I was a carefree 22 year old fresh out of college with a job in the city and a new car that I loved to drive too fast. Six years ago he was a divorced bachelor with a 7 year old daughter living in the city in his newly claimed bachelor pad. Six years ago we worked for a company that no longer exists. And - six years ago we met. Many things have changed in those six years. I went from being carefree and crazy to being a mom and wife. His bachelor pad changed from having laundry laying on the over stuffed chairs and x-box controllers on the coffee table to having toys toys and more toys in the living room and the crib bumper pad strategically placed around the brick fireplace. Sissy went from a 7 year old that loved Ice Age to a 13 year old that loves shopping. And we got her. The little love of our life. Yes, lots has changed in 6 years but one thing hasn't - we still love each other like the first day we met.
Some say love at first sight doesn't exist - I beg to differ. We have been through ups and downs like any couple but the love has always been there and always will be. I love you Big A, for everything we are and everything we are going to be. We are meant for each other.