I cannot believe we have almost made it to Virtie's half birthday...months with baby number two just fly on by...I don't think I counted her age in weeks since month one. I didn't obsess about milestones, until she wasn't doing the things she was supposed to be doing (rolling over, but she finally did at 5 months and 3 weeks!) I am so proud of my kids though.
This week was Spring Break...Conrad said that I don't really have a Spring Break, because my life is like a Spring Break, but Micah was out of his camp this week and I could really feel it. I think it helps a great deal to have him participate in something where he can be active. As he says, he has so much energy and he can give us his energy too. He has moments where he is the sweetest little guy ever...and then moments that he wants to break every rule we have (and we don't have too many)! For a few months he was lovely most of the time, but for some reason lately he is challenging me at every turn. I tell him something and it is like he thinks of everything he can to do the opposite, or to go around doing what I just told him to do. I've been thinking of doing what I did in my classroom, and giving him a clipchart where it keeps track of how he is each day. If he ends up at the top of the chart, then he gets a sticker. Five stickers equals a "surprise!" I am all about positive reenforcement, and it really worked in my classroom. (3 months later and we haven't done the clipchart...but we should!)Speaking of classroom, I teach online for a company called VIPKID.
https://t.vipkid.com.cn/activity/popup?refereeId=11666577&refersourceid=a01
It has been an experience, and I have mostly enjoyed teaching the cute little Chinese children. I am teaching the beginning levels, and it has been fun! To answer some questions: No, I don't need to know Chinese. I use TPR (Total Physical Response) to get students to understand what I am saying. I am not speaking in full sentences right away, I am speaking very little and getting them to repeat after me in order to understand the English language. They see a slideshow that we both are able to write on, and it makes communicating pretty simple. Just as in the actual classroom though, you must expect the unexpected! You can make anywhere from $14-22 an hour, and each lesson is 25 minutes. I think it is a nice thing to do while I am out of the physical classroom.
Virtie Rose is in the process of getting two more teeth (she already has two!) She has been having a hard time while they have been coming in, but only woke up once last night so I was very grateful. At the very beginning she was sleeping extremely well at night, then it moved to waking up 2-3 times a night consistently. She has been averaging two at this point though. I remember Micah woke up a lot to get his pacifier, but I am her pacifier, so that has been the difficult thing. Also, she hasn't taken the bottle so I am unable to leave her for very long.
It is almost Easter and we are looking forward to it. Micah enjoyed decorating eggs and will really enjoy looking for Easter Eggs. I am looking forward to watching him. I am thankful for my family and friends this Easter season, and especially thankful for Jesus who have everything so that we may live.
-------------------------------------------------Virtie is 9 months-------------------------------------------------
After reading the above post, that I never published...it turns out a lot of things are the same, while a
lot of things are different. What I wanted to talk about today was the fact that I said I haven't paid attention to milestones (above). Once she hit the nine month mark, and as I was starting to plan her first birthday, I started to think about what she was doing and what she was not doing. It turns out because I was just trying to get through each day, and probably focusing a little more on my vocal one (Micah Moo), I was failing to put Virtie Rose on her tummy enough. I carried her everywhere...to the zoo, aquarium, Hoot's, the mall, Target, you name it...I was wearing her in my Ergo carrier ALL OF THE TIME. Yes, she had tummy time, but very inconsistently. Now at nine months she isn't crawling. In addition, she isn't babbling as much as she should. I decided to call a company called P, B & J. They are early interventionists and developmental specialists. Virtie Rose qualifies for the help, so they are going to come up with a schedule along with me and we are going to work extra to get her to where she needs to be. Everyone tells me that I shouldn't feel guilt, but I FEEL SO MUCH GUILT that I haven't paid enough attention to her development. Now that I have been doing some of the exercises that the lady who evaluated her showed me, I have seen progress already! She said that with her becoming more mobile, she will become more vocal as well...and I see it in just a few days! Where she wasn't consistently rolling over, she is now. I know there are plenty of kids who aren't hitting their milestones, but it freaks me out. I am hoping that since I am getting help early, by the time she is two, there won't be a noticeable difference. I've been praying and I know that although I want to be in control, it isn't in my hands.
What she is doing is clapping, waving hi & bye, and she is just the happiest little thing! She loves watching and studying people she doesn't see very often (or at all). Virtie Rose absolutely loves her brother and will make SO MANY noises to try and get his attention. When I am holding her, and not paying attention she turns her head and reaches her neck as far as she can so she can look me in the eyes. She started scooting instead of crawling, which is another reason I wanted to get someone to come in to give her exercises to do so that she doesn't skip crawling all together. She can stand up on her own if she holds onto something for a few seconds at a time. She is starting to learn to sign, and sometimes she will sign "dog" and "more". She is on her way to having six teeth nowWe want our kids to be the best they can be, and sometimes we let our brains play tricks on us. We think we aren't doing what we need to be doing because our kids "aren't where they need to be." As many of my friends and family have told me, they all learn and develop at their own pace.
Micah has still been having a difficult time, and one of my friends and I think it is because Virtie Rose still isn't very mobile. We think once I don't have to carry her everywhere, Micah will have a better time. He wants me to hold him often when I am in the middle of stuff. I have to pray for patience because I feel like he is challenging me at every step. Maybe he is doing it to get some kind of attention, but I feel like I've done a good job giving him attention...maybe not? He is still a precious boy, and such a great big brother. He absolutely adores his sister, and loves to sit down and play with her. Of course, he gets a little carried away from time to time. He can sing the A, B, C's and can identify nearly every capital letter. He can identify numbers one through five, but can almost count to 20. He LOVES to dance, especially to music with a good beat! He thinks he can dance better than me (he wishes, haha ;) ) Micah is also developing quite the sense of humor, and jokes around a lot. He loves to play with the "big boys" at Bounce 'n Boogie. He still LOVES Batman and all of the other superheroes! He will start pre-school in August!
I worry about this or that, but I know that I am doing the best I can and I know that no matter what, my kids will be okay because their mama and dada love them SO VERY MUCH. A lot of times I don't think I am a good enough mom, and maybe that is because my kids still nap and I have a lot of time on my hands to think! Maybe I just need to get more mentally tough, like Conrad says. ;)
Looking at these photos, and reflecting in the quiet of our house, I realize that my worries now will be nothing a year from now and I know how incredibly blessed we are with our spirited toddler, and our joyful baby girl.
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