Signing Training

I was chatting with my friend Marie the other day, who has an 18 month old named Mia. She told me about a DVD that was instrumental for her daughter, before she could speak, but when she needed to communicate. The DVD is called "Baby Signing Time" and apparently, it has won a ton of awards and is very well known. She couldn't say enough good things about it, and convinced me to pick up a copy to see if Ginger would respond. She started showing the DVD to Mia around 5 months, and within just a month or two Mia was using the signs quite well to communicate things like "food, drink, milk, more, dog, diaper, potty," and many more.

I recieived the DVD from Amazon the night before I left for my trip, but the topic was brought up again while I was on the plane coming home. There was a 3 or 4 year old little boy who was having an absolute FIT, and his mother seemed to care less. She let him throw his tantrums, and was completely ambivalant. It was annoying to say the least. While waiting for our baggage, another mom was talking with her, and encouraged her to think about teaching him to sign (the mom said he wasn't speaking yet, which is a whole other topic. Teach your children, people!! You should be able to teach a child basic words by the age of 4!!!)

Anyhow, after seeing that craziness, I came home and popped the DVD in tonight and watched it with Ginger. It was actually pretty catchy- they have real babies signing, along with a lady singing the songs. Ginger laughed a few times at a funny frog cartoon that pops up in between songs, and she watched the babies pretty intently. Marie mentioned that the 30 min DVD might not hold her complete attention the first time through, but it did for Ginger. She loved it! I can't wait to see if this sign language training really works for her. We'll see.

For my Dad!

Well, my Dad emailed me the other day and said "we need more new pics of Ginger on your blog!" So these are for you, Dad! (He likes to update his screensaver with Ginger's newest picture, he's such a good Opa!)

I've been introducing books to Ginger recently, as my mom's friend Marge is a teacher/professor/reading specialist and says that in order for kids to really enjoy reading, they should be immersed early, before 6 months of age. So I found some fun soft books with texture, rhyme, and fun images for her to enjoy. She loves them! We have a great library for her from my two baby showers, on both occasions instead of bringing cards attached to gifts, the attendees were asked to bring their favorite book. I can't wait to start reading those books to Ginger too!

My first night away...

At 6:25am on Thursday morning, I flew to Seacaucus, New Jersey for interview #4 and #5, which are the final interviews for a new position I'm working towards. Because the flight was over 8 hours (including a stop and layover) and return flight was the next day, Friday, I decided (after WAY too much thought) that it would be best to leave Ginger at home. I didn't want her to have to spend 16 hours on a plane within a 48 hour period, and with germs, swine flu, and everything else, it just made sense. Our good friend Kari watched Ginger all day Thursday, and then Paul came home after work and took over Thursday night, and all day Friday. It was his first chance to be the primary caregiver for that long too- and he was a champ. I love him so much!

While I was driving to the airport at around 5am, I did lose it briefly in the car. In the few days prior to me leaving, I really tried not to stop and think about the fact that I wasn't going to be able to see, feed, kiss, or sing to Ginger like we do every day.

The worst part of the experience was using my breastpump. I had to bring ice packs and a cooler to keep what I did pump, and each time through security I had to pull it all out and declare it. That wasn't too bad- but the most challenging aspect is finding the time and place to pump. On the way out, I attempted to pump at my seat on the plane, with my "hooter hider" covering me, but even with the hippie mom and grandma next to me, I was still too paranoid and the let-down wouldn't occur. So I waited until we got to Houston, and went into the handicap stall in the public restroom and pumped. I can imagine the women coming in and out and wondering what the "whoosh, whoosh" sound was coming from the stall. My phrase I repeated to myself all weekend was "I'll never see these people again, I'll never see these people again".

Once at the hotel, pumping wasn't a problem, but again on my way home- what a nightmare. My first flight was delayed, but not enough for me to be able to pump again before we left, and then I was on the plane and didn't want to sit in the lavoratory and have people knocking on the door, waiting in line for 15 minutes. So I figured I'd just wait until I got to Atlanta and use the public bathroom again. Wrong- because our flight was delayed, by the time we actually got to the airport, my other flight was already boarding. The 5 HOUR flight, mind you. So, I had no choice- I had to pump on the plane. I jumped on to find that I was seated next to two military men- no WAY I was trying to pump sitting next to them. The captain of the flight came over the loud speaker to annouce that while we were technically leaving on time, we were in a line of about 25 planes to take off, and were being held for a brief weather issue. I thought I would seize the opportunity- and asked the flight attendant if I could use the bathroom. She said sure- I grabbed my bag and ran in, set everything up, began pumping for maybe 30 seconds, and then hear the captain say "prepare for departure". I dashed to put everything away, spilling breastmilk on the floor, throwing everything in my bag as fast as I could, and I hear a knock on the door and the flight attendant says "ma'am we're just waiting on you in order to take off. Can you please take your seat?" Talk about stressful!

So I returned, embarrassed to see all the passengers staring at me, and slumped back into my seat. Once we took off, I ended up waiting about 20 minutes and then just returned to the bathroom and did it, and it was fine, but gosh it's stressful and something I really never, EVER thought about before having a child. I'm sure other women have been in this situation (in fact I know they have, as I spent a lot of time googling and researching tips and tricks before I left).

Anyhoo, the interviews went fabulous, I feel very strongly that this is the job that I have been waiting for, and hope that it works out. It was tough leaving my baby, luckily only overnight, but the good news is she is still alive (lol), had fun with Miss Kari and Daddy, and was thrilled to see me when she woke up in the early morning. And I was thrilled to see her too.

Our first memorial day as a family...

We had the BEST time celebrating Memorial Day this year. We invited our friends Kari and Josh over, with their adorable kids Emme and Jarrod, for a pool party and bbq. Kari is going to be be Ginger's nanny as soon as I accept a new job, and I couldn't be happier. Ginger adores Kari, and it seems the feeling is mutual :) Emme, Kari's daughter, will most likely end up as Ginger's babysitter when they both get a little bit older- than means a date night for mom and dad once in a while, with a trusted sitter at home!

Here are some pics from the holiday- we celebrated with an entire bottle of tequila, several cases of beer, and a LOT of food. Chicken, Carne Asada, Chorizo, macaroni salad, chips/salsa/guacamole, garlic bread, watermelon, and iced oatmeal cookies (i told you it was a lot of food!).

Josh snuggling with Ginger


What a perfect afternoon!


Emmie, Kari, and Ginger


Me, lovin' my Blue Moon...


Beep, Beep!


The sweetest snuggles...


Ginger drinking mommy's milk in a bottle!


Late night card session


This was towards the end of the (late!) night


Clearly, partied and jacuzzied out!

Swimming on a hot summer day...

Ginger, Paul and I went for a swim yesterday and had a blast with her new crab floatie that Auntie Julie gave us. While I am still too nervous to dunk her head under the water (don't know exactly what age it's ok to do that, but I prefer to wait until she's a few months older, especially to prevent any unnecessary earaches/ infections) we otherwise had a great time. Ginger tried on her new bikini I found on Ebay, brand new with tags, for $1.87! It's from Old Navy, though they don't carry it this season, so I assume it's from last season. I'm learning that despite bikinis looking adorable on babies, they are not practical at all (though I suppose this is true for adults too, LOL).

Anyway, here are a few pics taken by Paul. He isn't in any of the pics this time because he jumped into the pool in his boxer shorts. (Don't ever tell him I told you that!) He was working in the garage (surprise, surprise) and took a break to join us, but didn't feel like memorializing himself in his boxers. Go figure. :)

"They call her flipper, flipper..."

Ginger has been a sneaky little flipper- we've now counted 4 times where we go into the nursery to pick her up out of her crib, and she's rolled over (sometimes upset about it, sometimes not upset at all!) It's been a running joke that she won't flip/roll over in front of us, just while she's hanging out on her own.

Well, last night, while Paul was taking a shower, Ginger was doing some tummy time and she rolled over from tummy to back, right in front of my eyes. She then rolled over from her back onto her tummy, again right in front of me. She wouldn't do it again, and of course I didn't have my camera handy, but I wanted it to be documented that our girl has finally rolled over in front of someone!! YAHOO!!

(PS for my "readers" out there (LOL)- I use this blog as much for myself to journal Ginger's milestones as I do to share it with others, so please forgive what might be seen as mundane progress. I want to bind these posts someday and share it with her, so all of this little stuff counts!)

Teething has commenced...

I should have known that life as I knew it was too good to be true. Ginger has been a great eater and sleeper, she's been full of smiles and giggles, and rarely fusses unless she is tired. Two nights ago, however, she woke from her 9pm bedtime and wanted to be held until about 11pm or so. We thought it was a fluke the first night, and I considered that maybe I let her nap too long that day. She was moaning and weeping and we just snuggled and took turns rocking her. That seemed to work. The first night.

Last night, despite taking a bath WITH mommy (1st time in the big bathtub!), reading, singing, and nursing before bedtime, she woke again from her 9pm bedtime. But this time, she screamed bloody murder and no rocking, singing, or comforting would do. Paul and I were brought back to those moments with a newborn where we were wondering "what do we do?!?!". I ended up nursing her again about 2 hours after she last ate, and she seemed to like the comfort and went back to sleep. Wheeeeeeeew.

So, after a lot of research, and reflecting on the signs she's given us in the last week, I believe she has started teething. She's drooling a lot more. She's chewing on anything she can fit in her mouth (including both fists, at times). I've read that a baby who's teething will get crankier at night but be more cheerful in the day, when there are more distractions around- and that's certainly Ginger right now. A few nights ago I mentioned to Paul that she felt a little warm, and I've not read that a low grade fever can be sign of teething (though there's still debate around this).

So, when Ginger wakes from her nap, we'll be going to pick up some of those homeopathic teething tablets. A few moms that I'm friends with have raved about them, and I'm going to try those before dosing Ginger with medication. We'll see how it goes!

And, with all of this said- I cannot WAIT to see those little toothies pop out. I love baby teeth!!

Ginger's new blanket!

I've learned my lesson- you should really resist washing a handmade crocheted blanket in the washing machine, even on the delicate cycle. Ginger's godmother, Shanna, made a beauuuutiful blanket for Ginger- she was even crocheting it in the delivery room while we were waiting for Ginger to arrive! You've probably seen it in a ton of pictures- as we play on it all the time. I was so sad when I took it out of the washing machine to find a huge hole in the middle of it, and as I prepared to tell Shanna I just felt horrible.

Well, of course Auntie Shanna came to the rescue and made us a new blanket! One that I can't ruin- I can put it in the wash, on normal cycle, and it will actually help the edges fray more and look even cuter. When she was telling me about her new blanket idea over the phone, I was excited, but I cannot even BELIEVE how cute the blanket turned out. I love, love, love it. I told her she could seriously sell these!!

The best part about this blanket is that Shanna used the fabrics I had saved/left over from Ginger's crib bedding, so it coordinates with that, and Ginger will also have a memory saved of her crib bedding when she no longer needs a crib.

I tell her this all the time- but Shan you are the BEST godmother a little girl (and her mom) could ask for. We love you and thank you SO much for the adorable blanket!!

(click on this picture below to expand the pic, so you can see the detail of how cute this blanket is!!)

Are you kidding me?!?!

How can your heart not melt looking at this little smile? I think I've turned into one of "those" moms who thinks her girl is the cutest in the world...

What a difference a year makes...

Mother's Day 2009- who would have thought I would have so much to celebrate!?!? When I was a kid, I had always dreamed that I would be married by 25, and have a baby by the time I was 30. Well, both milestones were hit right on schedule without even "trying"- Paul and I married at age 24, and I had Ginger at age 29.

Last year on Mother's Day, I was pondering the crazy idea: was I pregnant? I felt different, looked different, and just thought that something was, well, different. My sister, mom and I even talked briefly about it- the whole story was actually my very first blog post on this site.

Ginger is the world to me. I feel like in just these 4 short months, I now appreciate moms soooo much more than I did before. I have cried, laughed, kissed and hugged, played, cleaned, sang, and generally smiled more recently than I have in a long, long time. She can melt my heart with that smile of hers, as well as that lower lip that comes out right before a sob. I love that she is a talkative little one- follows after her mommy! I love that she is a sleeper- just like her daddy! I have been blessed with the opportunity to stay at home and raise Ginger for a little longer than we had anticipated, and I wouldn't trade it for the world. One of our favorite things to do is dance around the living room and sing together, a current favorite is the chorus from a little song called "Crazier" by Taylor Swift that goes "You lift my feet off the ground, and spin me around...you make me crazier, crazier...feels like I'm falling and I, I'm lost in your eyes, you make me crazier, crazier" and that's just what I think about motherhood. I'm crazier, but better for it.

Here are some pics from my first mother's day, spent with my family.










I love you, my little one. You sure make me crazier, but I am better for it. :)

Mommy finally gets some sleep!

Well, other moms told me it was coming...I just never believed them. The night after the Arboretum trip, Ginger slept from 10pm- 7:45am without waking, and I was flabbergasted. I kept checking my clock, and resisted going in and checking on her, in fear that I would wake her and ruin the good thing she had going. The whole next day (which happened to be Cinco de Mayo, 2009) I was celebrating with this lovely lady that she slept through the night, and not just the 5-6 hours "sleep through the night" that some books talk about, really, REALLY slept through the night.

Then Tuesday and Wednesday nights, she reverted to her waking once around 3-4am for a quick nursing session, then back to bed. I thought it was a fluke, maybe because she was so exhausted from her girls trip to the Arboretum...

However, as I'm typing this now, my girl went down last night at 9pm and is still sleeping at 7:43am!! I'm about to go and turn the light on/turn off her fan so she starts to rise, as I'm trying to work on sleeping for her no later than 7:45am (otherwise she's up until 10-11pm, and I've been trying to move her bed time to 9pm. Slowly, it's been working!)

I am so proud of Ginger- she is definitely a great sleeper and I'm soooo lucky. I went to sleep myself last night at 10:45pm (unusually early for me) and slept myself until 7:15 this morning. I jumped out of bed and did a little happy dance, and Paul thought I was one crazy mommy. I think it was the sleep that did it to me :)

My bubble blower....

Here's a new trick we're working on- she loves blowing bubbles!

A Day at the Arboretum...

Ginger and I visited the Arboretum today, and had so much fun meeting up with 3 other mommies and 4 other babies (although one is a toddler now). I grew up just a few blocks from the Arboretum in Arcadia, but never really appreciated it, as there was always trips with summer day camp, school field trips, etc. I grew up with peacocks on my lawn, and in my trees, and was mostly annoyed growing up with their sound/call they make!

Today was beautiful- it was really warm, felt just like spring, in fact! Spending time with other moms is really, really nice. We all can share stories about our trials as new moms- stuff that others might not be interested in. Ginger and I had a cute little mishap- I was wearing a dark red linen top, and she decided to drool/take a catnap on my shoulder. When I lifted her off to put her in the stroller- guess who had a bright red/fuschia face? Yes, the dye must have transferred (via drool) to her face, making for quite the rasberry looking child. Note to self- remember the burp cloth even when baby doesn't need to burp- for her own good!

Tummy time!

Ever since we came back from our last playdate with Jaime and Ryen, Ginger has been determined to work through tummy time pains in order to be able to sit and move around just like Ryen does! It's amazing to see a baby watch another, and then wake up the next day and see actual determination. Ryen is 3 months older than Ginger, so each time we get together, Ginger gets to see a new skill and, well, she's a sponge!

Here are a few pics and some video for your viewing pleasure!