My Baby Can Talk Too
By Mommy |
Posted: September 27, 2008 at 7:29 pm
Thanks to cousin Jodene and her mommy, Everett, Jolie has been sampling the video series from My Baby Can Talk .com. She’s been enjoying this and other resources since she was about 11 months old and seems to be progressing well in baby ASL (American Sign Language). I recently found this other resource and also like it very much. I’d like to be able to put their lessons onto my ipod so that she can watch them anywhere we are. That would be fantastic.
Topics: Day To Day | No Comments »
Away From My Baby
By Daddy |
Posted: August 13, 2008 at 8:18 am
I have been on the island of Anguilla for the past few days, and as great as this place is, I find myself feeling empty.
All of the calm blue water, long white sandy beach, great food, or the cool sun can not compare to the beauty of one scream of Jolie. I miss her, this is just one more think that proves to me that I love Jolie. I can not wait to spend some one on one time with other.
Jolie, Daddy will be home soon, I hope you still want to have me around.
Topics: Day To Day | No Comments »
Coming to “Mama”
By Mommy |
Posted: July 3, 2008 at 11:27 am
Words can hardly express this excitement. She took her first real steps today!
Topics: Day To Day | No Comments »
Having A Hard Time Without Jolie
By Daddy |
Posted: June 22, 2008 at 9:14 am
It has only been a few day since I dropped her off, but it feels like forever.
I can do anything with out looking around the corner to see what she is getting into when the room is quite, still thinking it it is time to get her bottle, and time to wake her up from her nap.
I do not know how to make this feeling go away. I can not afford to let it take over my life again. The first time was hard, but this feels worst than before, I need to find a balance, but it is harder to do it than to say it.
Topics: Day To Day | No Comments »
Children Are Free
By Mommy |
Posted: June 11, 2008 at 8:28 pm
Now that she’s climbing off of beds and couches, what’s there to stop her? Nothing really. She doesn’t walk just yet. But, she will be very soon. She crawls faster than any child I’ve seen, getting into absolutely everything. She knows what she wants and if we don’t give it to her, she definately will go after it.
As my brother reminded me, one day, before I know it, she’ll be walking out the door saying, “I’m going out”. I hope I raise her to always tell me where she plans to be. Still, no one really knows what will happen while they’re out. I wouldn’t really have a clue where she’ll be or who she’ll encounter.
It really is strange to come to the realization that our parents were not always just nosey or meddlesome. For most of her life, I would have supplied almost all of her needs and desires. Almost everywhere she would be and everyone she would meet would be because I chose to take her there. Any other way would mean that something very wrong has transpired and there is reason for alarm. Right? I remember when I came to that stage and it really frustrated me to deal with parents always trying to moniter my whereabouts. Now, I think about the fact that I honestly want to know everything my baby is doing at all times and I also realize that it won’t always be that way. It actually takes my breath away when I consider it. I should have known from the first time she tried to raise her own head up in the crib. Something should have tipped me off when she started rolling, then getting up onto her knees. Sure, she’s just crawling today. She still wants me to hold her hands to practice standing. But one day she’ll pull away like I did. My only solice comes from the moral belief that we’re only here to teach our children how to be free. From the moment she was taken from my womb, she was free.
Topics: Day To Day | No Comments »
August 22nd-23th 2008 Stone Repair Class
By Daddy |
Posted: June 5, 2008 at 1:32 pm
This two-day boot camp is packed with skills training that can only be learned through a true hands-on experience. One on one tutoring based on your individual skill level. Each student has the opportunity to perform multiple repairs and polish various types of stones. No seats. No stories. No sales pitch. The students will learn how to make repairs and seams look and feel like a natural product, remove scratches, factory blending, chip repairs, color blending and matching, seam repairs, honing, and the widely coveted knowledge of top-polishing.
This class includes some of today’s new trends and finishes. Students will also learn how to deal with and doctor natural stone in a variety of colors, how to perform and maintain the antique finish, and how to remove the flaws of poor cnc tooling.
Successful participants receive not only the knowledge, complete set of tools necessary to perform typical surface repairs, but they are also eligible to join the NSRA.
The NSRA is a nationwide group of independent, natural stone restoration professionals dedicated to quality and the education of the consumer and our members.
Time: August 22nd-24th 2008, from 9am-5pm
Place: 30 Hilliard Street, Manchester CT, 06040
Cost: $1,800.00 us dollars
Public registration Ended: August 12, 2008
Click HERE to see what others had to say about the class.Click HERE to sign up our comprehensive class
Airport: Bradley International
Hotel: Fairfield Inn & Suites SM by Marriott® Hartford Manchester
121 Pavilions Dr
Manchester, CT 06040
August 22nd-23th 2008 Stone Repair Class | Story
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Jump Start
By Daddy |
Posted: April 17, 2008 at 7:03 pm
Some people sent the kids to Head Start programs.
Some people send the kids to the best private school they can afford.
Most people forget about the small little things that they keep the kids away from, Jolie is welcome to play, use, and learn from any thing that we have. This is the only child that I know of that knows how to surf the net on a phone.
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Tikki Tikki Tembo
By Daddy |
Posted: April 1, 2008 at 10:58 am
That was fun to look at
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Touchdown
By Mommy |
Posted: March 21, 2008 at 7:55 pm
I am sooo excited! My sugar dumplin made it through all those pesky little hurdles. Drooling had her completely soaked… didn’t faze her. The fever looked like it wanted to drain the life out of my child …didn’t shake her though. Diurea for days …No sweat. Mommy took care of the fever. Daddy and I took care of the electrolyte and appetite losses. And we really had to double team all those doodie diapers. Baby girl just kept her cool because she knew she was taken care of. And, …touchdown! My first baby just got her first tooth. It cut through yesterday and she’s been grinning and doing her victory dances all day today. Mommy’s so proud of you.
Topics: Day To Day | No Comments »
Naming Your Baby
By Mommy |
Posted: March 21, 2008 at 7:11 pm
Tikki Tikki Tembo is a simple story. Yet, I’m drawn to it and would love for my child to read it for herself.
excerpt: “Once upon a time, a long, long time ago, it was the custom of all the fathers and mothers in China to give their first and honored sons great long names. But second sons were given hardly any name at all.
In a small mountain villiage there lived a mother who had two little sons. Her second son she called Chang, which meant “little or nothing.” But her first and honored son, she called Tikki tikki tembo-no sa remb-chari bari ruchi-pip peri pembo, which meant “the most wonderful thing in the whole wide world!”"
Please remember always that what your name is will never measure all that you are.
Topics: Day To Day | No Comments »
Aunt Threatens To Devour Helpless Newborn’s Toes | The Onion - America’s Finest News Source
By Mommy |
Posted: March 7, 2008 at 1:37 am
Aunt Threatens To Devour Helpless Newborn’s Toes | The Onion - America’s Finest News Source
What’s the right way to feel about people who " could just eat [your baby] right up"? This is a special concern to me because people love likening my innocent little sugar dumpling to food. …
Topics: Advice From The Net, Day To Day | No Comments »
Happy Birthday Mummy
By Daddy |
Posted: March 1, 2008 at 9:30 am
From Jolie and Daddy
Topics: Day To Day | No Comments »
Good Morning Everyday
By Mommy |
Posted: February 27, 2008 at 2:05 am
"A faithful friend is a strong defense: and he that hath found one hath found a treasure."
Life may be a game to be won. It may be a battle. I’m not sure. It’s definitely an adventure that I will be happy to share with my new friend.
The past few days have revealed that she doesn’t just look to me for food and to be cleaned. She likes when I’m around. She plays with me like a friend. I try to be the first face she sees when she wakes up in the morning so that I know her days begin with my love and a huge smile from her Mommy. It enriches my life over again everyday to see that as soon as she opens her eyes and looks over at me, she beams. She knows that she’s loved and safe. If she had teeth; the room could light up in the dark
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Where does the time go
By Daddy |
Posted: February 20, 2008 at 7:45 am
Jolie has become a little person. She still does not know how to walk or crawl, but she does know how to stick her hand in your food.
She has been doing real well, she is content with all that we have done with her. That leaves me with the question, are we do all that we should. I have place a 3×5 gym mat on the floor to help encourage her to crawl, she only seem to master moving to the right.
I am looking at this toy to give her a reason to stay sitting up, and hopefully crawling around.
The bouncer was a big hit with her, but now her toes looks like she has dancing for years.
I made a promise that I will not buy anything else until I catch up with all my bills and than buy a bigger car seat.
”
A favorite among moms and kids alike, the award-winning Learn & Groove Musical Table engages and entertains with more than 40 learning songs, sparkling lights and lots to spin, slide, push, pull, open and close.
In learning mode, babies and toddlers will feel like maestros, as each tap or push elicits letters, numbers from 1 to 10, colors and opposites - in either English or Spanish. Flip the page to Music mode and your baby can move and groove to more than 40 songs and melodies, including nursery rhymes, real instrument sounds and upbeat dance tunes. Babies can begin learning and exploring on the floor and then graduate to standing play. The detachable legs allow for easy travel and storage.”
I am going to buy this for her 7th month birthday.
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First Day In A Long Time
By Daddy |
Posted: February 10, 2008 at 12:28 pm
After getting back from my trip, it has been hard catching up with Jolie. Today was first day that I have come close to doing any thing like I did before. I feed her 5oz at 8:30 and than let her sleep from 9. until 10. she took a bath and play until 11.45 than she ate 5oz. it is now 12.26 and she is back to sleep. I will let her sleep till 2pm, this way she can have some fun in her bouncer before eating at at 4pm.
Topics: Day To Day | 2 Comments »
The Pint-Size Staller
By Daddy |
Posted: February 5, 2008 at 2:12 pm
The Scene: “Jack is a delayer of bedtime,” says Mark Murphy of Scarborough, ME. Ever since Jack’s baby sister was born, Mark has been handling his son’s bedtime while his wife, Sabrina, oversees Grace’s. The baby sleeps fine through the night, but with Jack, it’s a different story.Mark arrives home at 6:30 p.m. and aims to get Jack into bed between 8:30 and 9:15. Alas, Jack will do anything to avoid bedtime. “One night, I turned around to get a towel, and Jack leapt out of the tub and ran through the house,” says Mark. “When I finally caught him, he said, ‘I’m not going through this every night!,” which is exactly what we say to him every night.”
Once father and son reach the bedroom at last, the real stalling starts. First, Jack asks Mark to say his prayers with him. Next, he asks for a story, then his G.I. Joe “guys.” When Mark finally leaves, Jack lures him back by saying, “There’s something wrong.”
The Expert: Jodi Mindell, Ph.D., associate director of the Sleep Disorders Center at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.
The Game Plan: The first thing that concerned Dr. Mindell was Jack’s bedtime. She advised moving it a half hour earlier. Then she suggested making a pictorial chart with each element of the routine — bath, pajamas, prayers, stories, “guys,” bed — displayed in the order that they’ll be done. When it’s bedtime, she explained, you can look at the chart and ask your child, “What do we do next?” Children like routines in which things happen right in a row, she says.
She also proposed allowing Jack to make one extra request each night but said that afterward, Mark simply needs to stay neutral and strong, either ignoring his son or saying “It’s bedtime” when he comes out of his room.
The Outcome: “Once I got the poster up, Jack respected it,” says Mark. “The whole routine now takes about 15 minutes after the bath, and if I miss anything, he calls me on it.”
Mark admits that the hardest part, at first, was forcing himself to go through the bedtime routine — a task that Jack found much easier than his dad. At the end of a long day, the last thing Mark wanted to do was initiate the nightly ritual. But he learned to discipline himself until it became a habit for him too.
In the end, Mark found that the chart worked so well that he didn’t always heed Dr. Mindell’s other advice. “We try for an earlier bedtime, but we don’t always make it,” he says. “And I usually don’t need to allow Jack another request. Once he sees the picture of the bed, he knows it’s time to go to sleep.”
Laura Hilgers lives with her husband and two children in Marin County, CA.
Topics: Advice From The Net | No Comments »
The "S" Word
By Mommy |
Posted: February 4, 2008 at 11:24 am
Yesterday, I was talking to my friend about the baby and how she seems cranky lately. She seems almost like she’s getting spoiled. I know. I used the “S” word for an infant. But, what else can I call it? I read all the information that says there is no such thing as spoiling an infant; they need to be able to trust that you will respond to their needs and feel like you care about them. How could my child ever think that I don’t care about her? Every time she makes a sound, I’m there checking on her. I’m always playing with her and talking or babbling with her. She can’t stand to be in a wet diaper for more than a couple minutes. Since she was born, I’ve always changed her right away.
She’s almost six months old now and is starting to get a handle on picking up and holding her toys, putting her feet out for her socks and pants, holding her bottle… Her motor skills are really great, I think. So, why oh why does she become this ‘lame’ whenever her pacifier falls? I always have it clipped to her so it’s not falling to the ground or anything. It’s within reach and we’ve practiced holding it and bringing it to her mouth. It’s something that she knows how to do. She just gets into these moods I guess, where she must be served her pacifier no matter how many times she drops it within a minute. My girl’s a riot.
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Importance of Father Love for Child Well-Being
By Daddy |
Posted: February 4, 2008 at 9:23 am
In an analysis of nearly 100 studies on parent-child relationships, father love (measured by children’s perceptions of paternal acceptance/rejection, affection/indifference) was as important as mother love in predicting the social, emotional, and cognitive development and functioning of children and young adults:
Having a loving and nurturing father was as important for a child’s happiness, well-being, and social and academic success as having a loving and nurturing mother.
Withdrawal of love by either the father or the mother was equally influential in predicting a child’s emotional instability, lack of self-esteem, depression, social withdrawal, and level of aggression.
In some studies, father love was actually a better predictor than mother love for certain outcomes, including delinquency and conduct problems, substance abuse, and overall mental health and well-being.
Other studies found that, after controlling for mother love, father love was the sole significant predictor for certain outcomes, such as psychological adjustment problems, conduct problems, and substance abuse.
Source: Rohner, Ronald P., and Robert A. Veneziano. “The Importance of Father Love: History and Contemporary Evidence.” Review of General Psychology 5.4
Topics: Advice From The Net | No Comments »
FATHER’S IMPORTANCE IN CHILD’S WELL-BEING
By Daddy |
Posted: February 3, 2008 at 9:22 am
We’ve already crossed the line into very peculiar debates and discussions. Perhaps most people in the world would find it unnecessary to ‘present evidence’ that father’s play a central role in the health and well-being of their children. Yes, we’ve crossed into dark times, indeed, when we expend time, money, and energy to conduct research that both sides hope to use to advance their social agendas; oddly enough the child’s natural needs are often ignored or denied.
There are so many ways to demonstrate the critical role father’s play in an adaptive and healthy manner to life’s challenges…..some research, anecdotes, quips, quotes, factoids,and so on.
The information below addresses primarily the absence of father’s on their daughters. It’s worth knowing. It’s too much information to digest in a few minutes. Take your time. The next post will focus on fathers and daughters. I’m looking for something good covering the joys and trials of fatherhood.
I have 1.5 years before my son leaves for college. We talk a good bit about whether he is getting what he needs to be prepared for college. He seems really solid on virtually everything. My one concern is making sure we have enough time to bat back and forth the ways and fundamental importance of picking the right girlfriends, partners, and wife.
I got hit very hard with the thought that the most work has to be done to increase the chances he picks the right women. He has been really beaten down especially during the divorce. We cover most everything imaginable. My next fatherly task is to cover the ‘picking the right woman’ job. It’s interesting that I wonder if this is where he could be most vulnerable. I remember being quite sensitive to break-ups with girls in grade school…..be okay with everything else but bummed if there were girl snafus. For lots of reasons, this has been my Achilles heel. I will sort it out with him.
Well,enjoy another 25 page post. Lots of men go through the worst of ‘fathers don’t matter”
It’s worth being better informed on this issue. Fathers step up for their sons.