Back in March, when we had Samantha evaluated for speech therapy, they asked me to set some goals for what I would like to see happen after 6 months. Talking over some norms with the speech experts, I set a goal that Samantha would have 30 words by August. I also hoped that she would begin to play along side peers and not be so scared of social interactions.
I have been extremely impressed with the program that Samantha is in. I mentioned how wonderful Samantha's speech therapist Janine is. She has shown us some very helpful strategies to encourage Samantha to talk. Simple things like when we are reading books or singing songs that Samantha is familiar with, we will stop and let her fill in the word. I was amazed that Samantha could do it for many rhymes, books and songs. In doing that we also learned that she can identify many letters in the alphabet. We also do exercises with mimicking and making fun noises. Working with Janine for just over a month, Samantha now has over 20 words. I admit the term "talking" is a stretch, but we are getting there!
The other incredible piece of the program which has been great for us is their community calendar of events. Through the Dayspring program, they have activities at Gymboree, gymnastics centers, farms, museums, etc. Each week there are about 3-5 structured classes for the kids in the program led by occupational therapists. These have really helped Samantha feel comfortable around other kids in a safe environment and they are fun! This week, my mom was out of town visiting family in Oklahoma. I have loved taking Samantha to the activities and watching how far she has come, it is amazing.
I don't expect that she will ever be the most chatty kid around but I love seeing her break out of her shell, express herself and have a good time doing it.
No Way Jose
I figure it was inevitable. Our baby who said "yes" long before "no" has now entered the "NO" phase. It started out with a head shake and lately no matter what you ask her, her reply is no.
On Saturdays in April, Samantha has been taking a swim class with Dave. I go along each week because Samantha's pure enjoyment is priceless. She has the biggest grin ear to ear the entire class. Then, every week when she gets out of the water I ask her if she had fun at swim class and she replies with an adamant no.
First, this is what she looks like for most of the class. She is ecstatic!
This is after the class, you can't quite hear but I ask her "Samantha, did you have fun at your swim class?"
On Saturdays in April, Samantha has been taking a swim class with Dave. I go along each week because Samantha's pure enjoyment is priceless. She has the biggest grin ear to ear the entire class. Then, every week when she gets out of the water I ask her if she had fun at swim class and she replies with an adamant no.
First, this is what she looks like for most of the class. She is ecstatic!
This is after the class, you can't quite hear but I ask her "Samantha, did you have fun at your swim class?"
Date Night
This month Dave is taking pottery class every Thursday evening with our friend Sara. He started doing pottery in high school and has since found great enjoyment doing pottery at this old school house/pottery lab up on the Hill in Boulder.
This has left Samantha and I alone every Thursday evening and so far, we have used the opportunity to dine out together. I love this for many reasons. I love special mother/daughter time with her and it is exciting to me that she is mature enough to sit calmly and enjoy a meal out with me, she is very good with utensils so she doesn't make a mess and of course I appreciate that she loves Mexican food as much as I do. She absolutely loves chips and salsa and people always stop to comment on her dipping skills. In fact, when we are driving back from work/Grandma's house and I ask if she would like to eat rice, beans, chips and salsa for dinner she begins to giggle excitedly and proclaim "YES!"
This has left Samantha and I alone every Thursday evening and so far, we have used the opportunity to dine out together. I love this for many reasons. I love special mother/daughter time with her and it is exciting to me that she is mature enough to sit calmly and enjoy a meal out with me, she is very good with utensils so she doesn't make a mess and of course I appreciate that she loves Mexican food as much as I do. She absolutely loves chips and salsa and people always stop to comment on her dipping skills. In fact, when we are driving back from work/Grandma's house and I ask if she would like to eat rice, beans, chips and salsa for dinner she begins to giggle excitedly and proclaim "YES!"
Confessions of a Boulderite
I tried to pretend for awhile on this blog that I am not a "typical" Boulderite. But by now, if you have been reading, you know that I exercise regularly, recycle, I breastfed Samantha until after her first birthday, my husband drives a Subaru and I did mom and baby yoga. I am Boulder!
I have recently become quite obsessed with yoga. Hot Core Power Yoga to be exact. This is yoga you do in a room that is about 100 degrees. I don't know what it is but it is the only exercise that I have ever done in my life that I truly enjoy while I'm doing it. It is also the only thing I've ever done that my mind is calm the entire time. Once I am done, I feel like I just got a massage. If only running could do that!
This week I'm really turning up the notch of my Boulder ways. Tonight I will be attending an Evening of Meditation and Wisdom with Sri Sri Ravi Shankar. I have seen him in the past, actually while I studied in Costa Rica. Tonight they are promising "a unique opportunity to sit with Sri Sri, experience deep meditation, gain insights into relationships and soak in wisdom. Plus, he is adorable and I love saying his name...just try it.
Then on Saturday, I will be attending a Know and Flow workshop at the yoga studio. It's going to be a yoga and astrology day where we do two sets of yoga and in between we have our astrological charts read. This is pretty hokie, even for me. Makes me giggle every time I think of it, but I'm excited to see what it's all about!
I will share any profound wisdom and insights I learn this week!
I have recently become quite obsessed with yoga. Hot Core Power Yoga to be exact. This is yoga you do in a room that is about 100 degrees. I don't know what it is but it is the only exercise that I have ever done in my life that I truly enjoy while I'm doing it. It is also the only thing I've ever done that my mind is calm the entire time. Once I am done, I feel like I just got a massage. If only running could do that!
This week I'm really turning up the notch of my Boulder ways. Tonight I will be attending an Evening of Meditation and Wisdom with Sri Sri Ravi Shankar. I have seen him in the past, actually while I studied in Costa Rica. Tonight they are promising "a unique opportunity to sit with Sri Sri, experience deep meditation, gain insights into relationships and soak in wisdom. Plus, he is adorable and I love saying his name...just try it.
Then on Saturday, I will be attending a Know and Flow workshop at the yoga studio. It's going to be a yoga and astrology day where we do two sets of yoga and in between we have our astrological charts read. This is pretty hokie, even for me. Makes me giggle every time I think of it, but I'm excited to see what it's all about!
I will share any profound wisdom and insights I learn this week!
Lucky
More Today Than Ever
About a year ago I read an incredibly funny and poignant book, I'd Trade My Husband for a Housekeeper. When I read it, I think it hit a little too close to home to write about on this blog. Literally, every other page of the book is dog eared.
Most of the book talks about how women today start out with an unrealistic vision of what married life would look like, particularly married life with kids. We tend to paint a very rosy picture of motherhood and marriage to each other. Then, we are unhappy because we have this extreme sense of disappointment when in our own lives, things aren't so picture perfect.
I can remember clearly sitting in the hospital with my friend Sara. I was post C-section, sore, tired and emotional and Sara said to me "Do you just love Dave so much more now?" What? Um...no. I didn't feel so much more in love with him after giving birth. Labor, delivery, pain did not equal an overwhelming love for my husband.
From the book:
People are actually less happy today than in the prior generation. The first problem is expectations. Today we expect our partner to be everything to us. Our workout partner, our coach, our lover, our friend. The next problem, is that we tend to enter into marriage with ludicrously overblown notions of what it will be like. We think we'll have perfect communication; star-aligned value systems; great sex after kids; the perfect house; a long lasting, healthy, best friendship marriage...the list goes on and on. And while that's all really nice, we need to get those visions out of our heads and start talking realistically about marriage if we want to be happy in it. Marriage and motherhood are difficult-but they can also be magical and worthwhile. Counter-intuitive as it may seem, we've got to start acknowledging real marriage--flawed marriage-if we want to learn to enjoy the marriages we've got.
I think a lot of people told me about how wonderful marriage and motherhood would be, and don't get me wrong, it is. I think once I realized how hard it can also be, and was okay with that, I started to enjoy it a lot more. I can honestly say today that I do love Dave more than ever. Took a little longer than I imagined (ha!) and we aren't perfect, but I think we are doing pretty damn good. He is a wonderful father, I love watching him play with Samantha. He is an amazing husband, somehow he manages to love me with all my craziness. I believe life is all about choices. And, we choose to love each other, and our ups and downs every day.
Most of the book talks about how women today start out with an unrealistic vision of what married life would look like, particularly married life with kids. We tend to paint a very rosy picture of motherhood and marriage to each other. Then, we are unhappy because we have this extreme sense of disappointment when in our own lives, things aren't so picture perfect.
I can remember clearly sitting in the hospital with my friend Sara. I was post C-section, sore, tired and emotional and Sara said to me "Do you just love Dave so much more now?" What? Um...no. I didn't feel so much more in love with him after giving birth. Labor, delivery, pain did not equal an overwhelming love for my husband.
From the book:
People are actually less happy today than in the prior generation. The first problem is expectations. Today we expect our partner to be everything to us. Our workout partner, our coach, our lover, our friend. The next problem, is that we tend to enter into marriage with ludicrously overblown notions of what it will be like. We think we'll have perfect communication; star-aligned value systems; great sex after kids; the perfect house; a long lasting, healthy, best friendship marriage...the list goes on and on. And while that's all really nice, we need to get those visions out of our heads and start talking realistically about marriage if we want to be happy in it. Marriage and motherhood are difficult-but they can also be magical and worthwhile. Counter-intuitive as it may seem, we've got to start acknowledging real marriage--flawed marriage-if we want to learn to enjoy the marriages we've got.
I think a lot of people told me about how wonderful marriage and motherhood would be, and don't get me wrong, it is. I think once I realized how hard it can also be, and was okay with that, I started to enjoy it a lot more. I can honestly say today that I do love Dave more than ever. Took a little longer than I imagined (ha!) and we aren't perfect, but I think we are doing pretty damn good. He is a wonderful father, I love watching him play with Samantha. He is an amazing husband, somehow he manages to love me with all my craziness. I believe life is all about choices. And, we choose to love each other, and our ups and downs every day.
Performance Review
Word on the streets is that there is a war raging between stay at home moms and working moms. Everyone is set on defending their choices. I must say that I couldn't be happier to work, although I have quite an ideal work situation being in the office a few days a week and working from home (and close to Samantha) for the other days. I don't think it is right or wrong to work or stay at home. More than anything, I feel like you make choices that are right for you and you do what you have to do.
All of that being said, I just had a great performance review. I wrote last year how I dread these yearly reviews. But, this year was great! I had a lot of positive feedback and it was clear that the areas I am focused on and trying to improve upon have been successful. Of course there is always room for improvement but it is nice to see that others are taking note of my progress. I have hit my stride at work and I'm feeling like an old dog can learn new tricks!
After my review I got to thinking of how rewarding it was to get in writing that people appreciate the work I am doing and that I am taking feedback I have gotten and making improvements. I was also reminded of what a thankless job being a stay at home mom or a caretaker can be.
I wanted to take note of what an amazing job my mom is doing with Samantha. It sure makes it easier for me to have a fullfilling career when I know Samantha is so well taken care of. My mom plays with Samantha, encourages her, reads to her and demonstrates her love every day of the week. Over the past few weeks my mom has been very focused on the areas that the speech therapist has recommended and you can see the progress Samantha is making already. In addition, my mom has been taking Samantha to activity classes and getting her more comfortable with other kids. From what I hear, every time she goes she is more social and participating with the group. Way to go, Grandma gets an A+ on her performance review!
All of that being said, I just had a great performance review. I wrote last year how I dread these yearly reviews. But, this year was great! I had a lot of positive feedback and it was clear that the areas I am focused on and trying to improve upon have been successful. Of course there is always room for improvement but it is nice to see that others are taking note of my progress. I have hit my stride at work and I'm feeling like an old dog can learn new tricks!
After my review I got to thinking of how rewarding it was to get in writing that people appreciate the work I am doing and that I am taking feedback I have gotten and making improvements. I was also reminded of what a thankless job being a stay at home mom or a caretaker can be.
I wanted to take note of what an amazing job my mom is doing with Samantha. It sure makes it easier for me to have a fullfilling career when I know Samantha is so well taken care of. My mom plays with Samantha, encourages her, reads to her and demonstrates her love every day of the week. Over the past few weeks my mom has been very focused on the areas that the speech therapist has recommended and you can see the progress Samantha is making already. In addition, my mom has been taking Samantha to activity classes and getting her more comfortable with other kids. From what I hear, every time she goes she is more social and participating with the group. Way to go, Grandma gets an A+ on her performance review!
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