October = Horrifying

So October has not been our month that's for sure...

A couple weeks ago we went to a fantastic first birthday party at the pumpkin patch for Dax's sweet friend McKinley.  Daniel had to work late so ended up stopping by right before we left to pick up a couple pumpkins for the house. Well it's dark by now, we have the perfect pumpkins, and our boy is starting to get sleepy. So Daniel walks us to the car, we strap little man into his new big boy car seat, we close the door and I hug Daniel goodbye.  Now's when the story gets exciting horrifying...

I walk around to the drivers side door.... won't open.
Walk around to the three passenger doors.... won't open.

I quickly begin panicking but somehow realize I have to stop Daniel before he gets in his car and leaves. So I shout across the parking lot... like really, across the parking lot and he comes back and I (with my head hanging low... like worst mom of the year low) tell him the predicament we're in.
I quickly begin panicking... like almost hyperventilating, can't think straight, if Daniel-wouldn't-have-been-there-just-starred-at-the-car  kind of panicking. Thank God he's as level headed as he is because I would have just stood by the car pacing for an hour without him.
He quickly decided that it would be much quicker to just call the fire department to come rather than one of us drive home and get the spare keys... so he did just that.
About 5 minutes later we hear and see this full size fire truck coming down the rode with the lights on and everything (if I wasn't so panicked I would have been completely embarrassed btw). Out come about 6 big firefighters.... all with little smirks on their faces and shaking their heads at me. At this point Daniel also was laughing at me so I calmed down and began laughing at myself a bit as well.  I mean no one was in any sort of distress besides me... it was nice and cool out and our sweet little boy was as happy as could be the entire time and was playing peek-a-boo with his blanket through the windows at us.

At the time... completely mortifying.... now... absolutely hilarious and will be a great story to tell when Dax gets older.  :)

Now Horrifying October example #2....

last Wednesday Daniel and I both got phone calls from Dax's school saying Dax had fallen and hit his mouth on the tables in his classroom. Neither of us worried too much because they had got the bleeding to stop and he had calmed down. We peeked at it (as much as a 1 year old will let you lift up his lip and look at his gum) and you could see a spot about 1/2 inch where he busted it but it didn't look too awful. 
Everything seemed to be just fine with it... he was eating just fine, wasn't too swollen, and other than being a little sensitive when I wiped his nose for a couple days it didn't seem to bother him..

Well Monday night I was getting him ready for bed and noticed this precious little sight in his mouth...

yep.... that would be two of his top teeth (top middle and right incisor) showing through the front of his gums. Talk about panic.... geez Loise! That was a scary sight for sure.  First thing the next morning we got an appointment with a pediatric dentist.
Daddy took him to the dentist Wednesday afternoon (I have a very, very limited number of days I can miss student teaching and I need to save them for days when I may be sick).  We thought for sure they would have to sedate him or something to take a peak (you would completely understand if you had seen the way this boy fights like a UFC fighter at the doctors office... like doctor has to lay on top of him to look in his ears kind of fight). But apparently this dentist was just awesome and took a peak without even a single tear (she played with him a little first before checking him out... such a good idea ps).
Thankfully she doesn't think it's a huge deal and doesn't think they'll be any permanent damage. We'll go back in three months to see how it looks then.  Dax also got his very cute first toothbrush... a.dor.a.ble.

Well there are about 4 days left in October... hopefully not too much more could happen before then right?!  I'll leave you with this little precious picture of our boy at the lake this past weekend... he thought mawmaw & pawpaw's bar stools were pretty much the best thing ever to play under... he also has wolverine bed hair... it's pretty precious.... enjoy my friends :)

He's normal after all...

Well today I started at my second placement. It's with PreK in a Reggio Emilia based private school. It's actually the school we have Dax on the waitlist for to start next Fall.

I'm only one day in and I already know that I'm in love...

This is way more up my alley than public school.... especially second grade in a public school.

Day one and I already got to walk out to the woods and climb into a treehouse.... while checking out the llamas, goats, donkeys, geese, and other random animals the school has on the way. I also got to watch some kids do some awesome things with paint and some hardcore ramp building in the construction area.

Have I mentioned how right up my alley this place is???



On to Dax.... since we know that's why you all read the blog anyways ;)    He's been in his new big boy bed over a week now and things are still going awesome! Nap times he tends to wonder around the room until he's so tired he just passes out where ever he's at... but I think that's more of a light issue than anything else (someone is going to be like his daddy and have to have it completely dark in the room to sleep).   He is also getting a little better with his eating... but I found this online yesterday and it made me feel better.... because it just happens to be Dax to a T...

"the eating habits of toddlers are erratic and unpredictable from one day to the next. He may eat everything in sight at breakfast but almost nothing else for the rest of the day. Or he may eat only his favorite food for three days in a row, and then reject it entirely. Or he may eat 1,000 calories one day, but then eat noticeably more or less on the subsequent day or two.

Although toddlers are beginning to develop food preferences, they also can be unpredictable about what they may want for a particular meal on a specific day. Their favorite food one day will end up being thrown on the floor the next. The food that they had spit out, day after day, will unexpectedly turn into the one they can’t get enough of. Picky eating is often the norm for toddlers. For weeks, they may eat 1 or 2 preferred foods—and nothing else. They may eat a big breakfast or lunch and then show no interest in eating much of anything else the rest of the day. Don’t become exasperated with this kind of behavior. Just make healthy food choices available to your youngster, and acknowledge that his appetite or food preferences today may be quite different than yesterday’s or tomorrow’s. That’s just the way toddlers are."    healthychildren.org

Welp that's him. He use to live on strawberries... going through over a box of straweberries each week. Now, he hates them. He has opened his appetite up to any bread item (toast, waffles, crackers, bagels, etc), grapes, pineapple, cheese, veggie corn dogs, some days sliced turkey, and peas.... boy does this boy love peas! 

I also think he's teething again.... fussing at night, drool, drool, and more drool, and picky eating.   

Someone has also started saying "outside"... it's pretty darn cute :)

That's our update for now....  I'm sure you'll be hearing a lot more about my newest placement so brace yourself!

More Montessori Updates!

Well we're night four of our switch and it has gone just awesome! We haven't had any problems with Dax putting himself to sleep in his new big boy bed! The only issue we've had is him rolling off in the middle of the night and not being able to find his way back to his bed in the dark. So to try and fix that issue we're trying out a new nightlight tonight to see if it helps.  Other than just sleeping going great I've seen other changes too. Dax plays in his room a large amount more now than he ever did before. I think it's just simply much more inviting and exciting to him than it was before. We also added all of these bad boys yesterday and he loves to go in and touch and look at them...

I'm hoping to try and do an art project with Dax at least every other weekend to keep things updated in his room. Right now it's just a couple things we painted over the summer and a couple items he did at school. My friend Lauren who has a little girl just over a month younger than Dax has also made the switch to a Montessori inspired room and gave me the awesome idea of hanging pictures of our family by Dax's bed. I love the idea that he can lay in his bed and look at us. He absolutely adores these pictures and goes over and just really inspects them and points at people. The family collage I made at Walgreen's with a coupon that got it free for me. It's an 8x10 collage of all of Dax's cousins, grandparents, aunts, uncles, his puppies, and our "extended" family in Kentucky :)

Dax is all over the place when he sleeps and the first night we heard lots of bumping and banging on the wall. So to fix that problem we put our body pillow that was just laying on our extra bed in our office between his mattress and the wall. It's the perfect size and has worked wonderfully!

I also already changed things a bit on his shelves. I added wooden stacking rings on the bottom of his shelves that were put up in his closet because a month ago it caused him frustration. Well I got them down, Daniel helped him some once, and now he just loves them and is getting really good at them. I also put the foam letters that spell his name on top of the shelf and he really enjoys taking those down and playing with them. I'm starting to try and get letters in where ever I can (these foam letters and letter magnets on his closet door) so he starts getting familiar with them. I also moved his sensory basket to his tall bookshelf and have a puzzle and shape sorter on the bottom shelf.

And here's the updated pic! I'll be sure to continue to keep you guys updated on how things are going! I started collecting some pinecones, twigs, leaves, and acorns and will add those in the mix soon!

Meanwhile here's an activity we did today! I brought home an empty Kleenex box from school and Dax was instantly interested in sticking his hand down in there! So I threw in some q-tips and made it a fine motor activity! This video caught the very end of him playing (which last for about 5 minutes) but you can see his little brain just a working away!  It's the simplest things!

Took the Plunge!

Well apparently Daniel was pretty excited about our big switch to a Montessori/Reggio/Freno room and while he was off today and I was at work he was quite the little worker bee and got things rolling for us!  We worked throughout the evening and have most of the room done! Yay!!!! 
We still all the decorating to do (child level) and I want to add some more Montessori directed "toys" but other than that it's pretty much done.
We got rid of the crib, rocker, and end table we had in the room. We kept the bookcase (though right now it's a little tall for Montessori) and kept the changing table (even though that would go in a complete Montessori room) because it's really convenient and the storage in it is irreplaceable. We also went and bought a new shelf that is more Dax's level and has space to keep the toys very organized and clean for Dax.
I decided I wanted Dax's room to be a calming place so we took out all noisy activities (they'll be in Dax's play space in the living room) and are keeping it limited to books, puzzles, and other quiet activities. We tried to make a comfy, inviting area to read books and tried to make his bed cozy and inviting as well with his favorite stuffed animals laying around, and his bedtime book setting on his soft, "new" nightstand that also doubles as storage. While he's sleeping we'll also fold his comforter over and lay it on the floor by his bed in case he rolls off.

Well here you go guys..... a few pics of our Montessori/Reggio/Freno room so far! Like I said.... I have a lot more I'd like to do to it so I'll keep you guys updated as we make more changes!

 

 Dax's bed!

 Reading books with daddy in his new reading area.

 New shelf. Here I put some of his favorite books so they are easy access for the reading area (he still has his bookshelf full in the room as well... these are just his favs), his discover bottles I made (the quiet ones), and the basket has a few random things made of different textures and materials for Dax to explore.

I think he likes it :)

Going Montessori!

So it's official.... as of last night Daniel and I decided that we'll be making the big switch for Dax's room. Come December (or hopefully sooner if we can find the time) we'll make some big changes to Dax's room to make it an official Montessori toddler room!  Daniel and I are both way, way way excited! As soon as I mentioned the idea to him he ran off into the room and started planning the changes (have I mentioned how much I love this man and how he "gets" my crazy early childhood brain??) It will be our own little mix of Montessori, Reggio, and Freno ;)  but I'm really excited to make the switch. Here are a few pics I've ran across on that we'll be using for inspiration!

sewliberated.typepad.com

From sewliberated.typepad.com

http://www.theeducatedmommy.com/?p=429

http://jen-peacefulparenting.blogspot.com/2011/01/our-montessori-home.html

Here's a little info on the Montessori and Reggio views on early childhood if you're interested. I also have about a million more pages bookmarked if you really want more info so just let me know!

Montessori


Daily Montessori  ~  This is a great overview of the main objectives of Maria Montessori and has a pretty good short video on the Montessori classroom

Peaceful Parenting ~ This is a great blog done by a mom that has implemented the Montessori principles in her home with her little boy! There are awesome pictures of their home and great ideas for Montessori learning.


Sew Liberated ~  Another great blog on how Montessori principles were used in their home

Montessori Home ~ Great article on what Montessori is and how to implement it in an infant environment.



Reggio Emilia

BrainyChild ~  Great run down of the Reggio Emilia approach


Let the Children Play ~ This is a blog post that gives a quick glimpse of what a Reggio environment looks like.



Well you guys will def. be updated when the process actually begins and there are sure to be a ton of pictures so start preparing yourself!  If you have any more questions let me know! I love to talk about this stuff!

Naptime Update

Hello all of my non-creepy readers!!  Sorry about having to make reading the blog a tad bit more of a hassle with a password but a super, super creepy happening took place a little too close for home with a friends blog so I decided it was time to make this one a little more protected! Plus... I might as well make you guys work a little for all of the cute little boy pictures and tips I put on here ;)

Here's a quick update on what's been happening in the crazzzzy world that is our life this semester...

Me....
So I have two weeks left in my second grade classroom. Geez louise has the time flown by!  These last two weeks I'm teaching the class 110% of the time so prayers for me as i step into my new role!  Second grade has really grown on me and my class and coworkers are simply amazing!  I've survived second grade without being eatin alive but I think my heart is still with pre-k!  I have a class on Tuesday evenings that is kickin my tushy!!  It is a research class and it is IN-TENSE. It is taking a lot of my time. It's suppose to go along nicely with our student teaching.... but I feel like it is taking away from the experience a ton.  I am so wrapped up in getting stuff done for this research project that I can't give student teaching the attention it should require. It's pretty frustrating. But overall I am enjoying my time and my confidence has come back. One thing this experience has confirmed for me is that public schools aren't for me. I had always thought this but actually being in one has set my mind even more. I love the kids, love the teachers, but don't love the way the system works or their approach on education.Yesterday I took the last of my licensing exams. I'm waiting on the results of the last two (OSAT & OPTE) and if I passed I'll be on the last leg of being a certified teacher in Oklahoma :)

Daniel...
Daniel has now completed his time with OB/GYN, Pediatrics, and this week has started Psych. Luckily his schedule has yet to be real bad  so we've all been able to spend some time together each evening and on the weekends. I know things won't stay this way for long so I'll just enjoy it while I can :)  As far as what he wants to specialize in he's still undecided. I think he does know for sure that he rather work in a hospital setting than in an office. OB/GYN was actually really interesting to him.... and he's for sure not going to do pediatrics or psych. I think his heart is in surgery and if I was making bets on it I think that's what he'll end up doing.

Daxton...
Well I'm not going to post a whole lot on him because I gave you guys a pretty good update in the last post. But he's just as awesome as ever :)  He has the funnest personality and now makes this face at you when he wants you to laugh at him

He is signing more, all done, eat, and has done water a couple times. He has also started saying a couple 2 word sentences, "all done", and the other day "hi dada".   Our little piggy though has decided to become little mr. picky butt and only eat a select few things. Even things that he use to love he has decided are just disgusting. In my 13 month email from babycenter the other day though it mentioned this exact thing may be happening and that it's only a phase..... so I'm just waiting for that phase to end!  I also think he may be teething again which is a bummer but good thing all in one. This boy also loves his Mawmaw!! She came to visit us for a couple days and he was just in heaven the entire time.... I think he thinks she hung the moon... and I think she thinks he did the same :)

We also had a little parrot run loose in our house the other night.... I think we'll keep it :)