Sorry about the snow in these pictures . . .

I am really behind on posting pics and my computer is not cooperating, so for now all you get are some old February favorites. More "springy" stuff to come. These can remind you how far we have come in just a month.


Sledding party!

Dancing with great-gram Nora

Every visit we end up getting down.

Chores :-) (This is actually a picture of him playing outside by himself! It is very exciting that he can now do this.)

More sledding. These are all serious hills by the way. Joseph loves it!

SLEEPING.THROUGH.THE.NIGHT.

BIG BIG BIG news here: JOSEPH IS FINNAAAAALLLLLLLY SPEEPING THROUGHT THE NIGHT. This is one of the most exciting things to happened to me in a long time. It has been two years (Joseph is 22 months old, plus the last sleepless months of pregnancy) of interrupted, sporadic, unpredictable, not-enough sleep. Of course it has only been about 2 weeks at the most that Joseph has been sleeping all night and I (always skeptical) am pretty sure it will not last. And that I am jinxing myself. But maybe . . . hopefully . . . . . . . .Sleep is a really, really great thing. Everyone is happier when baby sleeps-baby and momma. If you are a person who gets lots of sleep, be thankful. Hopefully I don't sound TOO bitter and overdramatic, but sleep has definitely been one of my biggest challenges as a new mom. It's kind of funny because I have tried and tried all sorts of things to get him to sleep, but this time I didn't really do anything special. All of a sudden it just happened. Please, please keep it up Joseph!! I am headed to bed and hoping it is my alarm clock that wakes me up. SWEET DREAMS!

Sheep farm visit with grandpa--200 lambs, HUGE pigs, llamas, tractors, reminiscences of great-grandfather Louis (they even had a pic of him up) . . .

Doing the best I can

My big news is that I will not be returning to my teaching job at Leicester Central School next year. This has been a very difficult decision for me, but I am soooo glad to have finally actually made the decision! Who knows if I made the "right" choice, but I tried my hardest to figure out what was best for me and my family. Most of you know the situation: I am basically working for nothing after paying for daycare, gas, the cost of not having any insurance, etc. . . plus I have been putting in A LOT of time. Teaching is a very unique job and I so admire those who do it well. It is a black hole of work; you are never finished. There is always more you could be doing. And always some child you are really worried about. You are completely responsible for 20-something young people!!! I went into this wanting to change lives. Save people. Hummmm . . . I can barely get them to sit down and do their work. In my short year at LCS I have seen and learned about many shocking things. I truly, truly care about the students. I don't use the work love often or lightly, but honestly I probably do love them in a way. Even those who have kicked rocks at me, thrown full out tantrums and been dragged out of the classroom, told me I never teach anything . . . Those who whine and fight and gossip and don't do their work. Some of them come from home situations I can't even imagine. Even just learning about the realities of the school system has been eye opening.

All in all, it has been an amazingly hard year, with some successes. I am glad to have had this experience. I am not sure what my next move will be, but I have many interests and look forward to whatever comes next! Is it too much to ask for a job where I can help people AND make a little money? And, maybe even have some time for a personal life?

Zaulaism

As any of you who knew me as a child know, I was quite into “play-pretend.” One of my favorite “games” revolved around a “hut” (a kind of teepee like structure) I built in the woods near the river. I ended up creating a whole sort of imaginary world based on it. There were other people, jobs, places, conventions, and even a religion. A little while ago my father came across a piece of paper on which I was working on developing this religion. Perhaps I developed this list with my friend Mary who I believe also worked on the religion with me. The supreme female deity was “Zaula” and this is a list of Zaula’s daughters. (I was also extremely bad at spelling and have maintained my original misspellings.)

1=1'rst Daters of Zaula
2=2cnt Daters of Zaula
3=3rd Daters of Zaula

3 BEAUTY--RALLA
3 NOLEDGE--STIRE
1 FRUITE--WILLESA
3 CIDER--CINOMA
3 SUGER--FILTE
1 DEATH--RADELER
3 COMODY--SIERREOA
1 FLOWERS--WOS
1 WATTER--SLAE
3 STILLE--UIERNO
3 CLEVERNISS--SAOMAF
1 TIME--JOSE
3 MONEY--RIDCH
1 SUN--DIELE
1 MOON--MOUMDE
1 SKY--LLILTE
1 EARTH--TILE 1rst dater foly grown out of hand
1 CLOUDS--ESTA
1 LIFE--SBONE
2 FIRE--FRESE
3 HAREST--OCTSA
3 MUSIC--MELLOR
2 HEELING--KHOVN
3 ASTONAMY--STEDER
3 DANCE--BODEBA

Toddler Psychology

I (like every other person who deals with a toddler I am sure) have developed MANY strategies for tricking/cajoling/forcing Joseph into doing what I want or need him to do. The lengths to which I go seem entertaining to me, so I thought I would add a new list.

How to trick a toddler:

• Make what you want him to do into a game or challenge. (At cleanup time: "Can you get all your crayons in here?”)
• Call it a “treat.”
• Get him to think it is his idea. (Sometimes if you just wait 15 seconds.)
• Give him a choice between things that you chose! (If we have to leave and he isn’t too into the idea I often ask, “Do you want to walk or be carried?” Either way we are out the door.)
• Have stuffed animals do it. (I often brush his elephant’s teeth and then he will let me brush his happily.)
• Bribery. (“If you use the potty you get a treat!”)
• Make a deal. (“Ok, one more book and then night-night.”)
• Make it a routine. Do it every single day exactly the same way.
• Time out. (This is for the serious stuff like hitting, biting, climbing, and refusing to let me change his diaper. If he was mean he has to say sorry and give us kisses. He gets one minute and it works! )
• Let him bring a favorite book or toy. (He always brings books to bed. I have to periodically clean out piles of his books from his crib.)
• Act really, super excited.
• Act really, super silly.
• Use something that has pictures on it. (For example his new potty seat has a bear on it which is deffinitely a plus.)
• Ignore.
• Tickle.
• Proximity. (It’s the funniest thing, but if you get him to come over to his crib suddenly he wants to get in and is all ready to go to sleep.)
• If it’s food, give him ketchup or some other dip.
• Wait a couple of weeks. This issue will go away and a new one will replace it.
• Ask him to “help” with something. He LOVES to “help” with anything and everything! (Hope that continues.)
• Sing a song.

Something on the list works say, half the time. But it sure feels good when it does work! (I also must say that a lot of this list is true for fifth and sixth graders as well.)

January Fun

First Handstand

So the other day Joseph was being silly and spinning around and I was taping it when all of a sudden he put his feet on the stove and did a kind of handstand! I thought this was pretty surprising (as you can tell by my scream). He learns all sorts of things at daycare!

Sweeping

This is actually an old video I took in December and then forgot to post. I still think it is super cute though. Joseph loves to "help" with EVERYTHING! (Sorry about the depressing and loud radio in the background. We listen to a lot of public radio when doing chores.)

"uv you"

There are some "milestones" that are not in the books, but which I think are very exciting. My new favorite is that Joseph now says, "I love you." !!! It is adorable. Every night after he lays down and I put his blanket over him, I always say these words and now he repeats them back. It does sound more like, "uv you," but close enouph. Sometimes I hear him on the baby monitor repeating it to himself. Of course it will be even more exciting when he knows what it means . . .

December Pictures--Christmas, lots of visits, JOSEPH AND SOPHIA, girls night, kisses . . .

Christmas Day:

Other December photos: