Food, music, and words

I can't believe it is Sunday night and here I am over a nice cup of hot chocolate and before quite a nice possible stretch of time for myself, to write the post I have been wanting to write for weeks.
Time goes by before my eyes and I am aware of changes and progress but somehow incapable of keeping track of all I would like to by writing things down. It truly is a pity because I know in a while I won't remember everything, despite my memory...
My sweet little baby is growing into a very nice little boy. His grandpa calls him "the world's most likeable baby". Well, it might be grandpa's love but A is a very nice boy indeed. He is always smiling and he also laughs sometimes specially upon seeing his big sister, which makes me smile. We don't know what he finds so funny. He spends long stretches of time concentrated on his toys and turns from back to tommy and the other way round. I've seen him slithering a little bit, always backwards but he is not really into moving yet. What he is really big on is food. We haven't officially introduced him to solids but he is so interested in whatever we eat that he grabs everything he can and brings it to his mouth. I am so happy we make our own bread. It will probably be the first thing we officially present. For the moment being it is fine with me that he grabs this and that.

Here he is; experimenting a slice of apple

Unlike his sister at his age, he seems to enjoy strolling around in the stroller and he even falls asleep there.

I just love this photo so I am sharing it once again

These past weeks we have been really into making our own "homemade everything", from muesli to baby wipes, and I am specially proud of my tile floor cleaner. I am so happy to be making products that are eco-and child-friendly, cheap, and which yield a productive activity with M at the same time! I mentioned our attempt at homemade bath bombs and body paint some weeks ago. The latest thing we've made is toothpaste and I like it quite a lot! I would like to share some recipes but will have to leave it for another post.

M has been doing quite a lot of new things as of late. She has shown an unusual and sudden interest in jumping and it is really funny to see her practicing her jumps here and there. She also shows a renewed interest in doing things all by herself. She climbs, goes to the toilet and flushes it when she's done, and changes clothes several times a day, which I understand it is a way of practicing her skills. She puts on and takes off jackets, backpacks, socks, and shoes. I love to watch her arranging her jacket on the floor and going around it to put it on the way she has seen children doing in our copy of "Raising an amazing child". Today she has put a red shirt on and asked me to button it up. However, I am already seeing her interest in buttoning and I have taken out our sun // rays activity for her to practice if she feels like it. The button snake has been an all time success so I wonder why these other activity is not appealing to her.

Her language acquisition progresses, as usual, and she is memorizing really long songs and poems as of late. She asks us to repeat a certain song or poem over and over until she is able to recite it for herself. Today I've seen her pronounce the words while I was singing some song she had asked and a while later she was humming it. Little by little English is becoming more present in our conversations and I realize she masters it all the same but the fact that the world around her generally speak Catalan makes her have this language as her first one. Some funny word games take place when mixing two languages. The other day I said something like "I am looking at myself" (we have a new mirror) and she told me "Marcel (her uncle) is in Tornabous". Notice that the words "myself" and "Marcel" sound quite similarly. I really cracked up. There are also the kind of mistakes one wouldn't make if there weren't a second language, as in "nens jugant el piano". She translates play the piano for toying the piano because in Catalan and Spanish one says something as "touch the piano" and she know play is also related to toys. And, talking about instruments, I really loved it the other day when M drew many lines in different colors and then told me "this is a guitar, do you want to play it?".

A change we've lately made at home is devoting a whole room to our instruments, among which there is the piano. We listen to music together every morning. M loves Ravel's Bolero and asks to listen to it nearly everyday. If I remember to take pictures of the room, I will share one. My activity as "the worse photographer ever" proves that I take photos totally at random, so instead of picturing any of the things I was mentioning, I leave you with an image of M playing with her animal models and cards.
Have a lovely week!!

What's up?

Where have I been?
Well, mainly very busy and tired at the end of the day. So, how or where to start?
I will focus on uploading photos and leave detailed texts for another day.
Baby A seems to have outgrown the period when he suffered from indigestion any time he nursed and would spend quite a bit of time crying each day. I have already and quickly forgotten it. He has left the first stages of babyhood behind and smiles during most of his waking hours. I dare say he is a contented baby. He is already nearly sitting up and very interested in clutching practically anything that lays within his reach.
M has been going through some difficult stage and we finally understood she was sick. She had so little experience in being sick that she didn't tell us she was having stomachache. She had fever for two days and we thought that was it, although she remained moody, very sensitive and had nightmares every night. I am so glad to see her feeling like herself again!!
And well, here come some pics. May this serve as an update. I apologize for the bad quality of my phone-taken photos.

This was baby M... I found it funny that two years later, we took this photo:

Here they are. Relaxing.

Little A already interested in books.

These days we are just loving this stroller!
Sorry it took me so much to update.

Fever, books and roses

My girl had fever yesterday and the day before. She has always been incredibly healthy and since she weaned this was the first time around she had fever. She must have had fever only a couple of times in the past but those times consisted more or less of a sleepless night -for me- with a high temperature and nursing a lot. Because she has so seldom been sick, I can see the significance of this fever.
Last week she slept rather little and we all experienced some uneasy moments. She refused to nap and went to bed desperately late. She cried a lot as well. We could see she was undergoing some important changes and tried hard to help her, to no avail. Towards the end of the week, I decided that I was no longer actively going to put her to sleep during the daytime and told her so. I explained how important it is to be well rested and that anytime she felt tired it would be awesome for her to go to sleep for a while. After a rather rough couple of days -Wednesday and Thursday-, at noon on Friday she decided to go to bed and napped for one and a half hours. That was nice! I promise I had despaired and felt my whole way of raising her was a failure. It was nice to realize that she is indeed able to recognize she is tired and go to rest.
Then came the weekend and weekends are never good in terms of consolidating new routines. On Sunday eve she fell ill with a fever and has slept a lot ever since. Today she was not completely recovered but I've been able to see the new girl emerging after the bout of fever. She is taller and thinner and looks grown in general. She has even used some new expressions and words that she would use her own way have switched to the right word. She sounds so grown up. The activities I had prepared for the week and which remained completely untouched yesterday because she spent all day napping on the couch have been approached today and she has even told her father that she wanted to finish "all this activity" before having supper.
Oh. How much I love my girl. If only I had words to express it the way it deserves. But I don't want to try any clumsy attempts.
It was Sant Jordi here today and we've gone for a stroll, the kids and me, to see the stands full of roses and books and although I fear it has become a commercial strategy that makes both books and roses less valuable, I still like it the way I used to when I was a girl and books were my truest love. I do love books and flowers so even if I didn't intend to buy nor the first neither the latter, we've set out to feel the festive atmosphere. The smell of Mediterranean broom on a spring morning, which hasn't changed since my teenage years recall me of this love. Books were a door to new worlds, to knowledge of new things, something I truly cherished. And, I believe I have passed this on to my daughter.
I had indeed gotten a new book (Montessori letter work by Bobby and June George) for her today but it came via mail and we have given it to her this afternoon. I have the feeling we are going to enter a new sensitive period for letters very soon.

Just the three of us

Today has been the third day I've spent with both children on my own from dawn till dusk, at what time I've left the house to go to one of my book club meetings. Exhausting.
It's been exhausting but also amazing, empowering, fulfilling.
Amazing because both children prove that they cooperate in whatever situation they find themselves in. A week ago M seemed to need her father all day long. Little A was quite demanding, seldom comforted at the breast and rarely accepting being put down. I really thought the husband's first week back at work would be a tough one and I was prepared. They have surprised me greatly and in the best possible way. M complained the first morning about her father having left without her. Although we had informed her repeatedly that he would go to work the following morning. Then, she asked for him once or twice during the morning and that was it. The second and third days she complained a bit after waking up and was quite happy the rest of the day. A bit of crying on the first day and it was about all. We have been mostly spending a nice time the three of us.
Empowering because the days when my dear girl was rejecting me seemed to have ended. This time together has reinforced the bonding in a way I was highly in need for.
Fulfilling because despite the -nearly total- lack of -me-time I keep thinking this is what I want to do.
I've been trying to have the best age-appropriate activities out on our shelves, which has meant hard work after hours to have materials ready. We have all been very busy to have meals beforehand in the refrigerator and a reasonable schedule to go by. But apart from logistics management, the kids have helped a great deal. Baby A has accepted napping on his tommy on a little mattress even in the garden. He has actually slept for longer stretches of time on the mattress than in the wrap (it might be due to the fact that I may be requested to do things like playing table tennis on the floor while he is sleeping). He has peed and pooped in his potty each and every time I've put him over it, which has made the whole diaper issue much simpler. M has engaged in most of the suggested activities and even if she needs my focused attention most of the time also understands that the baby needs me and accepts, even encourages my attending him at the first whimper. It is not unusual to hear her telling me "give him milk" (= nurse him) or "he wants you to hold him". She is of the most delightful kind, my girl.

Not-so-little baby catching hold of cushions

On the first day I was making up some story and saying "this wonder, that wonder" to refer to them both and M looked at me first and at A then and told him "AND this wonder" referring to me. Oh, she made my heart melt. That same day, when her father came back home in the evening she told him "papalou I do love you" semi-quoting from a book we have called "Koala Lou" where the koala's mother tells him all the time "Koala Lou I do love you". It also touches my heart when I see her taking care of one of her teddies. She nurses them, helps them go to the toilet, asks them many times if they need milk or how do they feel, and now even tells them "oh, I will hug you, I will kiss you, I will caress you".
One of the things I definitely have to improve is the timing of naps. Except for the first day, when M napped for two and a half hours following a fall from her swing, any time there has been a window of opportunity to get her to nap, I've had to do something else. I know it is important that she gets some rest but yesterday and today I was unable to make her wind down. I hope I will be able to change this. Something else is the kind of activities I know she is ready for which I can't provide for lack of materials. I am going to place an order this weekend and I truly look forward to starting using some Montessori materials with her.

The most successful suggested activity this week: pouring colored water with a funnel

I will take the opportunity to mention that we have finally decided to homeschool -following mostly the Montessori method- next year. Totally or partially we aren't yet sure but our idea is to refurbish our basement, tidy and improve our garden, convert the shed for garden tools into a play house, and get Montessori materials. We might open our house to other children but even if there are no families interested, we will carry on with the project. I am very happy we have finally decided that even if M prefers to go to school, even if no other families join in our project, the expenses will be an investment for we see the Montessori method  really works for us. M thrives when offered the right kind of activities and I am sure she will do so when we have access to real first class materials.
Well, that's more or less what our last three days have looked like. I could ramble on for hours but going beyond midnight can be a bit too much. Good night!!

A year ago...

I didn't mention it before but I have been having a hard time as of late. My "absolute rose" and most favorite girl was rejecting me in many occasions and this is something I don't deal well with. I recall when she weaned that she underwent a stage when she would say "mama no" and she preferred her father over me. I also had a hard time then, being pregnant and feeling rather sick. This time around it has been worse. She doesn't nurse anymore, although she tried to after A was born. I can't exactly figure it out but I think she had forgotten the technique for she tried several times but never nursed again. If I may compare our situation to those mums who tandem nurse, I believe being able to nurse the toddler can be of help. How many times have I wished I could offer her milk and bond again the way we used to. Besides, her father has been unemployed for some months, which has been of great help having two little ones to care for, but this has meant her turning to him for most things and explicitly rejecting me. I have been suffering quite a lot and only because I have hopes this stage is finishing, I can now speak out.

Today I was re-reading what we were up to last year and a wave of nostalgia has invaded me. I want to share it, if only because I no longer write such accurate updates http://labambinafelice.blogspot.com.es/2012/04/whats-new-total-autonomy-mopping-and.html. I also expect to improve that once my little baby is a bit less dependent, although I honestly fear two will always be more work than one used to be.

Well, little baby and "absolute rose" really like each other, which is wonderful. The babe smiles broadly every time he sees her. But I will write about this on another post. Good night!

Our week in images

Invitation to play: flower patterns and bottle tops

Invitation to play: contact paper flowers, colored paper clippings, bottle caps and buttons.

While the older siblings had a play date...

I got it!!

Pretend play and the three months milestone

Biyearly update, kind of...

My daughter has surprised me with pretend games as of late. At 2,3 years she spends each day some time pretending she is having tea with some friends. She has a tent in the playing room where she always "makes" us "tea and makrutes" (an Arabic cookie I believe she learnt from a book called "Muk travels around the world"). She also has some imaginary friends who apparently live in the tent. She has even given them names and keeps mentioning them.
Two weeks ago we attended her great granma's funeral in a Catholic church and she was apparently fascinated by the building for she started mentioning churches all the time and then she decided there was a mouse in the church and everything was turned into "mice in churches". Then, the church kick waned but she keeps inventing new games. Whenever we go to a park she gets under a slide or shack and pretends that is her house.
For two reasons this has really taken me aback. I thought pretend play was something that started later in a child's life, or so I had read, and I have never encouraged it, not consciously at least. She has a cabinet in our kitchen and another one in the bathroom but they are used to store real objects that she uses for practical life activities such as cooking, eating, washing or grooming herself. Some people might have thought her kitchen cabinet was a play kitchen but that is not the case. The only toy food she has is a set of cutting wooden food box that is kept in our living-room shelves with other items. Since the food in that set is sliced or cut in pieces I thought we might use it to work on fractions but I don't expect this to happen any soon.
Another game she has come up with all by herself is the "I spy" in the way of "tell me a word". Then, you tell her one and she starts looking around for the object you've just mentioned. This is a wonderful way to consolidate words seldom used. And talking about language, it is now evident that M's first language is Catalan. I guess it is only normal for this is the language she hears around. Since she started to interact with adults, her Catalan vocabulary has widened a lot. She understands English and does sometimes answer back in English or makes up mixed words such as "neetem" (need conjugated in Catalan), "playem" (from play) or "tuquing" (from tocar) but doesn't generally use English to express herself.

M is really into cooking, spooning, funneling, washing dishes, and other activities that tend to happen in the kitchen.

Other of her interests in the gross motor field are shooting balls, which she is very good at, going through tunnels or climbing onto places, and well, movement in general.

In the social aspect, M often asks to see children and we try to provide them whenever possible. As I have sometimes mentioned, in Spain most children M's age are in kindergartens plus we live in   an underpopulated area so it is not very often that we get to see children. Anyway, her interest is not  yet in playing with them, she enjoys watching them and interacts only with the ones she is more familiar with. We got a full garden of children yesterday and she had a great time. It is amazing to see her while children are playing with her toys and using her things, not always in the gentlest possible way. I feel very clumsy when expressing this. I don't like labeling behavior and escape using words such as "sharing" or "generosity". In fact what I am talking about is not exactly sharing I believe, at least not in the way most adults seem to think about the issue. We have never ever prompted her to share anything and yet it is beautiful indeed to see her "sharing" from her heart as it is to see her offering you her food even if it is her favorite food and there is only one piece left.
I have also noticed this girl of mine is growing very empathetic, as well. Some things have been worrying me as of late and whenever she sees me worry she urges me to laugh. "Riu, mama, riu", she says.


Dear little A is about to turn from tommy to back position. I expect it to happen any day. This baby of mine is really keen on movement. It started already in the belly and when very little time before his birth he did a somersault and changed from head to breech position. Most of the milestones I recall happening later are already taking place; turning, holding and raising head, doing crunches. Unlike her sister at his age, he sleeps much and generally he only wants to nurse when he is really hungry. I am amazed at how different two siblings can be. She could spend her days at the breast and he is sometimes annoyed if I offer him milk and he is just sleepy, or so it was at least until now that he's turned 3 months. Some patterns are starting to change, though. We are setting a bedtime routine that seems to work, something we never did with M. Hence her sleep habits have never been too good, or so I fear. I used to regard the idea of routines as a purely grown-up thing convenient to adult's lifestyle but I might have grown up myself for I find they can be useful and helpful for the baby. In general we go more with the flow of the everyday rhythm, trying to leave ample room for what might come up but this time around I have brought myself to set a bedtime routine to which I am sticking to.

Well, the feeling of time going by real fast is something that becomes too obvious when you have children. Already three months and it seems it was yesterday that I found out I was pregnant!
Three months have had to pass to enable me to write a long update post, and there is yet so much I am leaving unsaid. I truly hope I will be able to write oftener now but I feel I can't promise anything. Sorry!

What's new: just too much

I have been wanting to post updates all these weeks and in my mind I had done so but now I realize I was just dreaming. I kind of have missed out three whole months of updates and that's too bad but I do have an excuse: I have no time!
Life with two children two years apart is quite different and taking into account that I have also worked since the littlest was 12 days, I feel writing a weekly update is just too much. Well, of course I was just working around 1,5 to 4,5 hours a week but it makes no difference, I spend the little time I have making projects or invitations for my toddler, or mobiles for my baby...
No time and here I am rambling on instead of getting to the point.
We have been intensely looking for a preschool for M, which has also taken much of my time both on pondering pros and cons and attending open house visits. The range of options is wide, although we have pretty much the idea of what we feel suits M best. Up to now we have visited several preschools and schools. The first one was a public/state conventional school in the middle of the woods. The lush surroundings and the fact that it is within walking distance from our house made the visit compelling. We had some expectations since many of the families who bring their children there, and some of the teachers, are alternative and there is a timid attempt at hands-on projects. I was positively surprised to see the variety of materials three-year-old children had access to and nonetheless a full class of 25 three-year-olds sitting and working on a collage of the snow at the same time made me feel a bit giddy. They talk endlessly about "the adaptation period". I feel two half mornings to adapt to the change of being home with a parent to being in a class with 24 other children and an adult cannot be possibly enough for M -- let alone me.
Next, we went to visit two little Montessori inspired preschools that use hands-on approaches and let one of the parents accompany the child for as long as the s/he needs it. Choosing one from these two had been our first idea but when we started comparing, we couldn't make our minds up. The one we had visited first, as soon as June last year, was the option I leant toward. The teachers seemed very respectful and their philosophy was on a par with mine in the majority of aspects. I also liked the families we had seen on their open house. The dad, though, was unimpressed by their Montessori material, which he thought looked too new, and suspected children had no free access to it. He favored the option I had dismissed because the owner of the land the preschool was in, and mother of two of the children who attended, had given me the impression she acted a bit as if she were the queen of the place. I have to confess I am rather bad at being in places where someone is clearly the owner. The teacher in that school, however, had spent long periods with Rebecca and Mauricio Wild and was acquainted with the Pestalozzi.
Yesterday we visited a public/state progressive school which is a 30 minute ride from our home. The facilities, materials, outdoor and indoor invitations to play and work were really impressive. They gave a two-hour talk, which neither the husband nor I could listen to from beginning to end because we had gone with both kids. We heard a bit each, though, and what was more important, visited the facility at M's rhythm. She was fascinated by a kind of sand box modeling steppe landscape and spent more than 20 minutes arranging the wonderful Schleich animals and trees and manipulating the pebbles and rocks. That school would really be an option weren't it -in my opinion- too far away, and located in the suburbs of a socially depressed town. I am sorry I might sound snob but the car ride with two kids that aren't keen on cars is what frightens me most, actually.
Next Saturday we are going to visit a Waldorf preschool and a brand new private progressive school. Then, another public school in the nearby and another Waldorf preschool the next weekend and I think that will be it. We will have to choose or decide to stay home for another year or until it is time A goes to preschool. M is always asking to see children so I don't know if that could be an option.
I wanted to write on how A nearly turns from tommy to back, on how M has come up with I-spy games all by herself, on how tender it is to hold a three-month old baby and how fun it is to be around our toddler but it is already way past midnight and I can't afford sleeping less than I already do. How about sharing some pics instead?