Snow!

Zoey was sooo excited to wake up to snow on the ground the other day.  At 7:30am she comes bounding in to our room, doing this little dance, and chanting "Snow!  Snow!  Snow!  Mommy let's go outside in the snow!  Can I go play in the snow?".  We told her she could go play after everyone got up and ate breakfast and I swear between 7:30 and 9:30 she must have asked a million times if it was time to go outside and play in the snow yet.

Of course it was after 10:00 until we actually got out there, due to the ridiculous effort it takes to get two toddlers into snow pants, snow boots, jackets, scarves, hats, and gloves.  WHY does no one make snow boots that aren't completely impossible to get on an 18-month old?  I was literally rolling on the floor with Finn trying to force these stupid boots on.  And don't even get me started on gloves and mittens.

But we finally got everyone bundled up and the kids really had a great time crawling in it, rolling in it, playing in it, and eating it.

Preparing to go outside:

Trying to figure out how to walk in the white stuff:

Sand toys make great snow toys:

Snow-tasting:

Devastation!:

Early Intervention

Our pediatrician has recommended that we pursue an Early Intervention (EI) evaluation for Finn, just to get him up to speed on a few things.  I'll preface to say that although I'm looking forward to having EI's support, overall I think he's doing well and I have no doubts he will develop beautifully.  But Finn is super laid back and content, his nature isn't to rush headlong into new challenges with blazing energy.  He strolls placidly through life, taking things as they come.  This disposition, combined with an extremely chatty and active older sister who does a lot of activities for him, predisposes him to not necessarily tackle all milestones as expeditiously as others.

There are two areas that EI will address:  1) speech and 2) upper muscle tone/movement coordination.

I don't think they will actually do a whole lot with his speech.  He's technically behind a little from where the piece of paper at the doctor's office says he should be, but not by much.  At 16 months he says "Mama" and "Dada" consistently, but that's really it.  A couple of times here or there he's said other words, but not regularly.  I don't envision him being a big talker for awhile.  First of all, Zoey talks NON-STOP so he can't get a word in edgewise.  But in good news, he understands what we tell him.  If we ask if he's hungry, he walks over to his highchair.  If we ask if he wants to take a nap, he walks over to the stairs that lead up to his room.  He points to what he wants.  He brings you his cup if he wants a drink.  He waves goodbye when people leave.  So he knows what's going on and he communicates in other ways, he's just not a talker yet.  I'm honestly completely ok with that, the talking will come.

Now, the physical aspect he actually does need some help on.  Here's the problem:  Finn never crawled.  He went from sitting to walking.  As soon as we put him on his feet as a baby, his legs were very strong and he was able to cruise around on furniture very early on.  He always HATED being on his belly.  Well, it's become clear that by skipping crawling he also skipped out on learning some necessary movements and transitions.  At 16 months he doesn't transition from laying to sitting or from sitting to standing.

At first, we didn't even realize there was an issue.  In the morning when we would go in to get him from his crib, he was never sitting or standing.  He was just contentedly laying there, playing with his blankie or toys until we picked him up.  When he would be walking through the house and fall on his butt, a lot of times he wouldn't fuss and would then be happy to sit and play, so he didn't really get himself back up.  That didn't trigger us to think anything of it.  The times he would fuss, one of us would pick him up, not realizing that therefore he wasn't getting the pulling-up skill.

Since we've realized that he actually couldn't go from laying to sitting or from sitting to standing on his own, we've been working with him and doing a lot of encouragement.  I've seen definite improvement in his core muscle strength and his upper body strength.  But EI will evaluate him and give us very specific things to help him along.

Both the pediatrician and the EI intake coordinator said they really don't feel like there is anything "wrong" outside of the fact that he's a bit lazy/laid-back and just hasn't been using his muscles (mostly upper body) to his full potential and needs some help understanding how to get through the transitions.  I'm looking forward to Finn's formal evaluation, which will be February 9th.  At that day, the folks from EI will come and check him out to find out if he definitely needs the services and if so, what exactly he needs and how to proceed.  If they don't think he needs the formal program, then they may just give us some exercises to do at home.

Now, in awesome news, Finn's fine motor skills blow Zoey's out of the water.  Finn has been able to use utensils since before he was 1.  We're STILL trying to get Zoey to use a fork.  Finn has been very intuitive with stacking blocks and putting things together.  He's very interested in coloring and drawing, whereas at this age Zoey just ate the crayons (and the wrappers).   It's so interesting to me how they work on and excel at different skills at different times.

1st Parent Teacher Conference

Midway through the school year, Zoey's school has a Parent/Teacher day where you meet with their teacher to touch base about how your child is doing in school and how they're progressing.

I've talked about Zoey's teacher, Holly, before.  She's awesome and we all love her.  She's creative, fun, kind, compassionate, and innovative.  She's also my grandma's neighbor, so she knows our family pretty well.  

Holly basically reinforced everything we already knew about Zoey.  That she is very bright, incredibly determined, strong-willed, independent, high spirited, and an active explorer.  One thing that made me laugh is that Zoey gravitates towards the older boys in the class, she likes trucks and "high energy" play.  She has always preferred to rough house with the boys than sit quietly at a tea party, so that wasn't much of a surprise.  Holly pointed towards the "playing house" corner with the dolls, kitchen, and tea set and said "Zoey basically avoids that area".  

We also got a 3-page write up of topics that Holly addressed personally for each child.  I'll share some of the ones she said about Zoey:

Patient and Determined:

She is determined!  She is a spirited child with a fun-loving sense of humor.  Definitely "one-of-a-kind"

Works Independently:

Zoey is a self-assured confident child, if her mind is made up she will do it!

Remembers and Uses Previous Learning:

Bright, inquisitive, observant.  She has a quick mind with an excellent memory. Smart little monkey!

Imaginative:

Zoey enjoys pretend and make-believe in dramatic play.  She is an expressive singer, dancer, musician, artist, and actress.  She loves puppets, animals, books, and story-telling.

Responsible:

Zoey is pretty careful.  She maintains class parameters and expectations.  She enjoys simple classroom jobs and errands, she is a good helper.

Shows Initiative:

Very much so - for herself and towards peers.  She is actively involved with a nice balance of quiet/active play and parallel/small group interaction.

Reacts Well to Discipline:

She mostly maintains an easy-going disposition.  She is responsive and cooperative with occasional stubbornness.

Likes to Share:

Most all the time.  If it's difficult a little encouragement helps.  She is warm-hearted, generous, and loving.  

Defends His/Her Own Rights:

She is a strong and spunky child who defends herself vocally.

Enjoys People:

Sociable.  Friendly and well-liked by peers.  Still very motivated by her own interests.  Some shyness with new people and situations.  She entertains herself well for long periods of time with bursts of time with peers.

Likes to Express Himself/Herself:

She is an amazing child to observe!  Articulate and expressive in many ways.  There is so much going on in that brain of hers!

Comments:

Zoey is a bright, energetic, enthusiastic child.  She has confidently settled in our classroom environment, participating successfully in a wide range of activities.  Socially, she is interactive, friendly, and fun-loving.  Well-liked by peers.  Cognitively, she has a quick, observant mind - learning comes easily.  Physically, she demonstrates a nice balance of developing small and gross motor skills.  She is quite athletic!  Emotionally, she is affectionate, confident, and happy.  Zoey is a self-assured student.  It is a pleasure to have her in class.  I am very proud of Zoey!  She keeps me on my toes and is always full of surprises.

Best. Gift. Ever.

What's the best possible thing you could give to a 3-year old and 1-year old to ensure DAYS of entertainment?  A 5-foot long cardboard rocket ship to play in AND draw on.  Our friends Ian & Kelly consistently give our kids amazingly awesome gifts, this is the best one yet.   We now definitely have the coolest living room on the block.

The rocket scientists, constructing and hard at work:

Adding their artistic flair:

It makes an excellent "Space Nap Cubby":

It has also prompted many renditions of "Zoey's in Space", in reference to the Flight of the Conchords clip "Bowie's in Space":

(Random Trivia:  The above clip was inadvertently the deciding factor to choosing Zoey's name when she was born.  We were going back and forth between two names, and the ability to substitute Zoey's name into this song and sing "Zoey's in Space" cracked me up and tipped "Zoey" into the winning column.)

Finn's First Haircut

I finally did it.  After months of refusing to get Finn's hair cut, I finally gave in.

I seriously hated to do it.  In my mind, getting his hair cut somehow became a giant symbol for finally letting go of his babyhood.  He hasn't been a "baby" for some time, but keeping his baby hair was sort of like the last vestige of that time.  Plus, he had this ADORABLE little curl in the back of his hair where it was longest, especially around the ear:

I just couldn't bear to part with it.  Unfortunately it just started getting out of hand.  It was constantly in his eyes and sticking out everywhere, it really wasn't good.

I was finally forced to admit defeat when I caught myself putting Zoey's barrettes in his hair just so that he could see:

So in keeping with tradition, Aunt Dawn came over to give him his first haircut:

But I have to say, he really does look so cute with his hair cut!  He definitely has to be much happier not having hair constantly in his eyes.  And that little curl around the ear that I mentioned earlier?  I put it in a ziploc bag after she cut it off.  I'm totally keeping it.  The finished product:

The Birthday Hat - Through the Years

When Zoey was 10 months old I bought her this froofy fancy birthday hat to wear for her first birthday party.  It did NOT go well, she wanted nothing to do with that hat.   Really not a big surprise, Zoey is anything but froofy and fancy.  So why did I buy the hat for her?  Because I'm pretty sure it's written in the Law of Parenting that it's my maternal right to force my children into ridiculous attire while I giggle and take pictures.  So last year for her 2nd birthday I thought, what the heck, I'll try to get the hat out again so I can finally get a picture of her in it.  Nope.  Not happening.  Well this year I thought, 3rd time is a charm, right?  Not so much.   This has now become a hilarious running joke to me.  I swear I'm going to keep getting this hat out at every single one of her birthdays until she lets me take a decent picture with her wearing it.  I don't care if she's 27.


First Birthday:  It didn't even touch her head for 20 seconds when she started screaming bloody murder and tried to launch the hat across the room into the cake.

Second Birthday:  I couldn't even get it on her head this time.  She sprinted around the house and outran the hat.  And me.

Third Birthday:  Funniest picture yet.  I don't know what's more hilarious - her expression of utter mutiny at having the hat on her head, or the look on Granny's face.

Happy 3rd Birthday, Zoey

I can't believe that my sweet, spunky, independent, beautiful little girl turned three years old today.  In one way, it feels like just yesterday that we welcomed her into this world.  But on the other hand it also feels like she's been here forever and I can't remember or imagine life without her.

We had a quiet celebration at home, breakfast and cake with the grandparents.  But even though it was just a small affair this year, we still honored tradition and had a Dingeldein's cake.  They are the BEST bakery in central PA.  Horses seemed to be the theme of the day, in keeping with Zoey's newfound equine obsession.  Here are some pics from the day:

Some random facts about Zoey at age 3:

Favorite animal:  horse

Drink of choice:  chocolate milk

She still sleeps with her cat-head blankey every night, it's a huge sacred security object

Favorite movie:  Harry Potter

Favorite foods:  any kind of fruit

She counts to 20 easily, spells her name, knows her street address

What she likes to do:  play outside, draw, paint

She remains extremely independent, outgoing, smart, not afraid to get dirty, kind-hearted, strong-willed, and adorably precious.

Rage Against the Machine

But in this instance, the machine being technology.

Christmas has come and gone and everywhere I look I see people immersed in their new fancy gadgets.  Just at the grocery store today I saw several kids Zoey's age all playing with iTouch/Pad/Phone/SomethingorOther.

I use my laptop and smart phone too, but I have a confession to make.  Although I'm an easy-going person, I frequently have a raging compulsion to take peoples' techie gadgets and smash them into itty bitty pieces.  Every time I see a family at a restaurant who are ALL staring into their phones instead of conversing with each other, I want to drown said phones in the soup that they are absentmindedly sipping on.  Every time I see kids who know all about how to play Angry Birds but are utterly clueless how to creatively play with dirt and tinker toys, I want to start dishing out swirlies and atomic wedgies.  It's a pet peeve to see other drivers at a red light who can't bear to just sit there for 2 minutes waiting for it to turn green and instead MUST check Facebook or do something else mundane on their phone.  Really, you needed to read someone's status update at a red light?  It was that pertinent to find out at THAT moment that so-and-so ate burritos for lunch?  Chances are if you've been out with me or at my house and found yourself lost in your smartphone instead of enjoying the company of friends, I have entertained the option of pelting you repeatedly to give you a permanent Otter Box indent in your forehead.  It's amazing the amount of people who can't bear to be more than arms reach of their phone or laptop at all times.

PEOPLE, PUT DOWN YOUR PHONE AND LOOK AT THE WORLD AROUND YOU!!!!

This past summer after dumping cable, I seriously considered getting rid of our smart phones just out of spite.  But I can't deny their convenience and I really do like using them.  Judiciously.  I typically get all my internet stuff done (like updating this blog) after the kids are in bed.  I love my Words With Friends games, but I don't play when I'm with the kids.  When I'm spending time with Zoey and Finn (or Marty, or friends, or anyone else that I've chosen to share the same space with), I'm PRESENT.  Not just physically.  I'm engaged with them on all levels.  My phone barely comes out when I'm with our kids.  I answer calls and reply to texts as needed, that's it.  Phones aren't allowed at our dinner table.  Our kids will not grow up to think it's normal to have a parent whose face is constantly buried in a phone or computer.

I realize this makes me an incredibly old-fashioned fuddy-duddy.  Keep in mind I'm the same oddball who many times has entertained bidding sayonara to civilization and moving to a remote cabin in the mountains with the only means of access being via horseback.  (Marty always manages to talk me out of that one).  All these tech gadgets are the wave of the future, so every one tells me in between scoffing at me for having ZERO interest in Kindles/Nooks/e-readers.  But our kids aren't going to get any of those objects any time soon.   They don't need an app to teach them how to recognize animals.  That's why they have family and books (you know, those cardboard things with papers glued in the middle).  That's why we take trips to the zoo and learn hands-on.  I know, I know - I really do know a ton of GREAT parents who rave about these apps.  My kids might be the only ones in their class without an i-SmartyTouchBrain, but that's ok.  I think they'll manage.  I realize in this day and age, it classifies me as weird that I nix electronics in favor of playing in the giant mountain of dirt in my backyard.  It would probably make it easier if I let Zoey have a video game to play while waiting for appointments instead of lugging along a bag full of puzzles and books.  You should have seen the look on the receptionist's face the one time that we brought a giant bag of dandelions and weeds into the pediatrician's waiting room to use as entertainment/diversion while waiting.  I'm sure it's deemed suspicious behavior that I'd rather dump a huge sack of rice on my hardwood floors and let the kids drive toy trucks through it than let them zone out on Angry Birds.  Believe me, sometimes when I'm picking rice out of the heating vents I question my sanity.

That's ok, it's not the first time and it definitely won't be the last that I embrace the weird and questionable.