Every Wednesday afternoon our neighborhood playgroup meets. This afternoon we went to St. Luke's pumpkin patch in our Halloween costumes. Enjoy the pictures.
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Playgroup at St. Luke's Pumpkin Patch
Every Wednesday afternoon our neighborhood playgroup meets. This afternoon we went to St. Luke's pumpkin patch in our Halloween costumes. Enjoy the pictures.
Monday, October 26, 2009
Brush-a Brush-a Brush-a
This is a quick but cute story I have to put on record. It amazes me how much Kariana is beginning to understand. A few months ago we bought Kariana her first hair brush. I was delighted when I saw this pink hair brush with a kitty cat on it and knew it was perfect for Kariana. Kariana quickly caught on to what "brush" means. When Kariana picks up her hair brush, we say "brush" and she holds it to her head and acts like she is brushing her hair. Then she tries to brush our hair for us. If that's not enough to melt my heart, today we went to Target and bought Kariana her first toothbrush. I've been paranoid that those pearly whites (okay, 4 teeth) aren't getting a proper cleaning so I've decided it's time for Kariana to start a regular twice a day tooth brushing routine. As soon as I handed Kariana her new toothbrush and explained to her it was to "brush" her teeth, she immediately held her new toothbrush up to her head and acted like she was brushing her hair. The simplest concepts that seem so obvious to us are learning events for these little munchkins. So adorable!
BPMOYC Halloween Event
We are gearing up for Kariana’s big 1st birthday this week and the festivities began with the BPMOYC Halloween Event on Saturday morning. The kids dressed up in their costumes and we (including Grandma & Grandpa Bergen) went to the park to trick or treat. Kariana is a pumpkin for her first Halloween and she looks pretty darn cute despite her unwillingness to wear her pumpkin hat! 
Well, okay, I guess I have to admit that Kariana didn’t really “trick or treat” at the park but she did seem to have fun walking around and I had fun making sure she didn’t get trampled by the bigger kids. I’ve been pretty amazed at how Kariana can hold her own with the bigger kids racing around her. She looks so small but she pushes through the crowd and gets to where she wants to go.
So I might be the only one that is so excited that Kariana will have an opportunity to wear her costume many times this week! Playgroup is going to St. Luke’s pumpkin patch in their costumes on Wednesday and all of the kids are invited to wear their costumes to class at Fundamentally Music on Thursday. Aunt Kari arrives on Thursday evening and Saturday is the big 1st birthday and Halloween!!
Happy Halloween week everyone!
Pacifier Update - Did we luck out or what?
This summer I wrote about our addiction to the pacifier. I commented that Kariana’s pediatrician thought our goal should be to get rid of the pacifier by the time Kariana was a year old. At the time I thought the goal was a long shot and dismissed it because I dreaded the battle I imagined would occur trying to take the pacifier away from Kariana! That was in August and I am so happy to report that I believe the pacifier is officially history!
I don’t know how it happened because we weren’t trying to take the pacifier away from Kariana. She just gave it up by herself. Over the past few weeks we began to notice that Kariana wasn’t interested in her pacifier anymore. She started swatting it away when we handed it to her (that’s her way of telling us she doesn’t want something). Sometimes she’d find a pacifier lying around so she’d put it her mouth but then quickly spit it out again. We were still leaving several pacifiers in Kariana’s crib at night (just in case) but we began noticing that the pacifiers were on the floor when we went into her room to check on her or the pacifiers were untouched in the corner of her crib where we had left them.
So last week I packed up all of the pacifiers and put them away. I haven’t heard any complaints and I don’t think Kariana knows or cares that the pacifiers are gone. Did we luck out or what? Next week we can proudly walk into the pediatrician’s office for Kariana’s 12-month check up and tell Dr. Koush that the pacifier is history!
I don’t know how it happened because we weren’t trying to take the pacifier away from Kariana. She just gave it up by herself. Over the past few weeks we began to notice that Kariana wasn’t interested in her pacifier anymore. She started swatting it away when we handed it to her (that’s her way of telling us she doesn’t want something). Sometimes she’d find a pacifier lying around so she’d put it her mouth but then quickly spit it out again. We were still leaving several pacifiers in Kariana’s crib at night (just in case) but we began noticing that the pacifiers were on the floor when we went into her room to check on her or the pacifiers were untouched in the corner of her crib where we had left them.
So last week I packed up all of the pacifiers and put them away. I haven’t heard any complaints and I don’t think Kariana knows or cares that the pacifiers are gone. Did we luck out or what? Next week we can proudly walk into the pediatrician’s office for Kariana’s 12-month check up and tell Dr. Koush that the pacifier is history!
Sunday, October 11, 2009
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
The Future's So Bright, I Gotta Wear Shades
For months we’ve been trying to get Kariana to wear the sunglasses Grandma and Grandpa Bergen bought her, but she hasn’t wanted any part of them and cries when we put them on her. Lou, of course, has been able to talk Kariana into wearing her sunglasses! This week when Lou and Kariana take off on their morning stroller ride, Kariana has been happily wearing her “shades.”
Lou is our “super nanny” and is one of the kindness and most loving individuals I know. Lou started caring for Kariana when Kariana was only 2 months old. This means Lou was with us through Kariana’s infant reflux. Kariana’s reflux was no big deal to Lou. During these early months when Tobin and I thought the reflux would never go away, Lou would say to me “She’s adjusting to her new world. Give her time. She will outgrow it.” Sure enough Lou was right and Kariana grew out of this stage and into the next. Every time Kariana changes her nap schedule or feeding times, Lou adjusts better than we do.
Lou is from Belize and came to this country in 2002. She has six children of her own and to be quite frank I lose track of how many grandchildren because when she talks about her grandchildren she talks about all of them at once. She cared for several other young children prior to Kariana and she refers to each of these children with overwhelming love and affection. It’s easy to tell she loves children. Lou once told me she wanted to be a teacher, but being a housewife is all that she knows. You can tell she does not say this with pride, but I think she is sadly mistaken. Lou is a wonderful teacher. She has thought me so much about caring for Kariana with patience and understanding. In the beginning it was hard for me to come to terms with the fact that Lou was teaching me how to care for my own daughter. I’ve come to realize my initial feelings were probably natural but silly.
Lou and I talk a lot about her life when she was raising her children. After Lou’s first child was born, Lou’s godmother lived with her to help her out. Generations and generations of families and extended families have lived together to help with the raising of children. Unfortunately, in today’s world, families are more mobile and often aren’t able to live close together so we have to rely on our extended network of friends.
Lou’s life was not easy raising six children in Belize. She managed without the modern day conveniences we take for granted. She did not have a refrigerator or a washer and dryer. There were no disposal diapers or wipes. Everyday she did laundry by hand because the soiled cloth diapers and wipes needed to be cleaned and hung outside on the line to dry for the next day.
After Kariana was born I was fortunate enough to create a part-time or reduced hour work schedule with my employer. This allows me to be home with Kariana in the afternoons. I love this time with Kariana and would not trade it for the world. It has also allowed me time to spend getting to know Lou as a friend. Lou is never quick to leave when I get home in the afternoons. Sometimes we run errands together. Sometimes we just sit around and chat while watching Kariana play with her toys. I don’t know how long Lou will be with us. She has her own financial goals and would like to return to Belize one day, but I will always consider Lou a dear friend and part of our extended family.
Lou is our “super nanny” and is one of the kindness and most loving individuals I know. Lou started caring for Kariana when Kariana was only 2 months old. This means Lou was with us through Kariana’s infant reflux. Kariana’s reflux was no big deal to Lou. During these early months when Tobin and I thought the reflux would never go away, Lou would say to me “She’s adjusting to her new world. Give her time. She will outgrow it.” Sure enough Lou was right and Kariana grew out of this stage and into the next. Every time Kariana changes her nap schedule or feeding times, Lou adjusts better than we do.
Lou is from Belize and came to this country in 2002. She has six children of her own and to be quite frank I lose track of how many grandchildren because when she talks about her grandchildren she talks about all of them at once. She cared for several other young children prior to Kariana and she refers to each of these children with overwhelming love and affection. It’s easy to tell she loves children. Lou once told me she wanted to be a teacher, but being a housewife is all that she knows. You can tell she does not say this with pride, but I think she is sadly mistaken. Lou is a wonderful teacher. She has thought me so much about caring for Kariana with patience and understanding. In the beginning it was hard for me to come to terms with the fact that Lou was teaching me how to care for my own daughter. I’ve come to realize my initial feelings were probably natural but silly.
Lou and I talk a lot about her life when she was raising her children. After Lou’s first child was born, Lou’s godmother lived with her to help her out. Generations and generations of families and extended families have lived together to help with the raising of children. Unfortunately, in today’s world, families are more mobile and often aren’t able to live close together so we have to rely on our extended network of friends.
Lou’s life was not easy raising six children in Belize. She managed without the modern day conveniences we take for granted. She did not have a refrigerator or a washer and dryer. There were no disposal diapers or wipes. Everyday she did laundry by hand because the soiled cloth diapers and wipes needed to be cleaned and hung outside on the line to dry for the next day.
After Kariana was born I was fortunate enough to create a part-time or reduced hour work schedule with my employer. This allows me to be home with Kariana in the afternoons. I love this time with Kariana and would not trade it for the world. It has also allowed me time to spend getting to know Lou as a friend. Lou is never quick to leave when I get home in the afternoons. Sometimes we run errands together. Sometimes we just sit around and chat while watching Kariana play with her toys. I don’t know how long Lou will be with us. She has her own financial goals and would like to return to Belize one day, but I will always consider Lou a dear friend and part of our extended family.
Here is another picture of Lou and Kariana together. This was taken on Mother's Day 2009.
Monday, October 5, 2009
Walking - 11 months
Kariana is walking!! She has been trying to take a few steps for a couple of weeks, but I didn't officially consider it walking. Over the weekend one of the other moms in our playgroup saw Kariana take five or six steps and pointed out that mom's standards were too high and Kariana's five or six steps should be recorded in the baby book as walking. It's amazing how a few steps two days ago can turn into walking so quickly! Today, mom considers this "officially" walking.
Here is Kariana's official walking debut!
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