Category Archives: Baby Milestones

We’re Here! It’s My Fourth Mommyversary!

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“Happy Mother’s Day, Mommy!” my daughter bellowed out with joy. “I have a special gift for you!” It was a lovely flower and a handprint picture too. A little over four years ago I became a mother to a sweet little girl who forever changed my life, my world, even the way I behave and think.

“Just wait until you’re a mom” or “Motherhood has a way of changing you” I’ve heard people say, and with each passing day I find myself uttering these same phrases to new mothers or people who may eventually become parents because it is so true for most parents.

In four years, teenagers experience many changes as they go through puberty and just finding themselves from ninth through twelfth grade. In four years, young adults have to figure out what they want to do with their lives as they attend college and start off as freshmen end as a seniors.

In my four years, while I still know I have a long way to go, I’ve not only watched my daughter grow so much but have observed how much I’ve grown. I’ve actually become less shy and more assertive as I speak up to protect my daughter or to give her a voice when she may be to nervous to speak for herself or just cannot articulate what she means. I’m getting even better at dealing with my own range of emotions , from happiness to sadness to anger and frustration to model the behavior I wish to see in her. While I still struggle with change, as she is constantly growing and evolving and each time I get in rhythm with where she is developmentally a new change occurs, I am able to accept those changes a little more.  I know it is a part of life, and I’m grateful that Quinn is growing into an exceptional little girl. I just hope that I am growing into an exceptional mother and that she never doubts my love for her.

Here’s to all mothers and all that you do for your children! May you celebrate and acknowledge all of the positivity that has come out of motherhood and how it has added something special to your lives. I know motherhood has added a lot to mine.

All the best,

Tanya

Celebrating Four Fantastic Years: Happy Birthday to My Sweet Girl!

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Four: a nice and even number. There’s four seasons, four elements, and today makes four years since the birth of my sweet little girl. What a fantastic four years it’s been watching her grow and become her very own person! She loves learning, is so inquisitive and is already in tune with her emotional intelligence and is often the consoler when she sees that someone is upset.

At age one, I was in awe with her ability to walk, at age two, I was eager to listen to her talk, at age three, I enjoyed observing her continue to discover the world and further develop her cognitive skills, and now at age four I look forward to and encourage her questions and interests, even when they seem endless, because I am grateful to have her in my life and love seeing the world through her eyes.

While it may be Quinn’s “happy birthday,” it is my happy day as well. She’s added so much meaning to not just my life but my husband’s life, our extended family and friends too. I hope she grows up knowing how much of a gift she has been to us all and that she feels loved not just on her special day but everyday.

All the best,

Tanya

Excited for Spring with My Little Girl

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Our Snowman Has Melted
Decorating for Easter
Having fun with Decorations

“Do you know that today is the first day of spring?” my little girl asked with excitement. I responded, “Yes, I do!” “Now that it’s spring, the flowers will start to bloom, the grass will start to grow, and I’ll be able to ride my bike outside and go to the park more!” she exclaimed. “Yes, you’re right again,” I told her. This conversation took place today as we were driving home from her preschool to our partially snow covered yard with melted snow water flowing down the sidewalk and street.

Today, we spent a little time outside reminiscing about our snowman we built last week who has sadly melted away. On the bright side, we put up Easter and spring decorations knowing that sunny, warm spring days are ahead.

We both look forward to each season together. It’s such a blessing to observe Quinn grow and reach milestones while enjoying nature and all the fun that each season encompasses with my little girl. Here’s to kite flying, bike riding, nature walks, trips to the zoo and just spending time with each other. Here’s to “springing” into more outdoor fun!

All the best,

Tanya

Mommy’s Monday Moments: “Skating” Along with My Little Girl

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“If I practice, I’ll get better and better and be able to do some skating tricks?” my three year old inquired. “Yes, you sure will,” I assured her.”She followed up, “Then I won’t need you, and I’ll be able to skate by myself?” “Yes” I paused, “you will!” While I’m so proud of the many milestones my little girl has reached, hearing her actually say that she won’t need me anymore makes me feel so uneasy. About a year ago, I did a blog entry about Quinn skating for the first time, and now a year later she is feeling more confident and even wanted to let go of my had a few times when we were at the skating rink for her cousin’s birthday party this past Saturday.

Skating, just like walking, requires the ability to balance, but the risk of falling, going too fast or crashing into someone or something is much greater. So of course I’m both looking forward to and dreading the day that my daughter no longer needs to hold my hand while skating. At this point, something that offers me solace, not just with skating but with all of the different skills Quinn’s mastering, is that she understands the importance of practice. She even said, “If I work really hard, I’ll get really good at skating !” With this in mind, maybe she will know when she is ready to step out on the skating rink floor by herself, and it will just be up to me to be willing to let her hand go.

All the best,

Tanya

The Abundance of Wonderful Works of Art from My Little Girl

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With a smile on her face and excitement in her voice, my little girl will ask, “Do you like it, Mommy? Did I do a good job?” at least once a week when she brings home a work of art she created at her preschool. Even though my three year old started school about five months ago, her big accordion art portfolio I got her is already overflowing, and I can barely squeeze one more piece of art in it, and like most parents, I don’t want to discard anything and even have a difficult time making room on the display board I put up for her because I just don’t want to take anything down.

Actually, I’ve left the task of taking down art work in partially in Quinn’s hands and will inform her that in order to hang up her new art work we need to remove something else. So far it’s been working out really well, and she uses logic to take down art work. For instance, she suggested taking down anything Christmas or Hanukkah related since both holidays are in December so that she could make room for her Valentine’s day art work. She decided to keep her snowman up saying, “If it doesn’t snow again to make a real snowman outside, we ‘ll always have my snowman, right, Mommy?”

To be honest, part of me misses doing art projects with my little girl prior to her starting school, so we did both the finger painting one a few weeks ago (only her painting is on display even though she insisted on me putting mine on the board too), and it was an awesome way to reinforce that red and blue make purple. Plus, she was so excited and impressed with her art work that she wanted to bring in her project so that her teachers and the class could see it for show and tell.

Who knows how many works of art we’ll have by the end of June? I guess I better purchase a couple of more art portfolios to house her many masterpieces. I’m actually considered scanning some of them or putting together a little scrap book, as time permits, so that she can look back on her work and how much she’s progressed as she gets older.

All the best,

Tanya

The Metamorphosis of My Little Girl: From Baby to Toddler and Now Preschooler

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2017-01-29-16-44-56Who hasn’t heard the phrase, “Change can happen in an instant” or some variation of this statement? This is definitely true when I observe my little girl who will be four in three short months. A couple of weeks ago, she got her face painted as a butterfly at her cousin’s birthday party, and I thought to myself, “Wow, mommy’s little caterpillar is becoming a beautiful butterfly!” She’s grown so much in such a short duration of time, and I absolutely treasure the moments we have together and the opportunity to watch her spread her wings.

It’s somewhat bittersweet because as much as I look forward to the day when she’s able to fly with little to no assistance from me, I’m going to miss her wanting me to help her and guide her on her many destinations. But I am absolutely blessed to be able to observe her beautiful metamorphosis from newborn to baby to toddler and now preschooler. Here’s to the many more beautiful transitions she has yet to experience…well that we have yet to experience.

All the best,

Tanya

 

Food for Thought: Thank You for Trying Something New, Little Girl!

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2017-01-23 17.39.10.jpg“No thank you!” is usually the response I get when I offer my three old food she’s never had before or  just believes is yucky, which is just about everything. With her being in preschool for the past four months, it’s been a struggle to find a lunch she will eagerly eat. Almost always, her lunch box comes back with half eaten or barely touched meals. I often remind her about how just a year and a half ago she was open to eating all kinds of foods, but as her independence and voice has increased, her willingness to try new foods has diminished. While I know this is the plight of many parents, I think my daughter just might be changing her tune when it comes to trying new foods.

This Saturday, we had a dinner date with my sister and niece and ordered some wings as an appetizer. Initially, Quinn had no interest in trying the food and even handed me her little saucer and said, “No thank you, Mommy. I don’t want any.” Since I know she is a finicky eater, I did not plead with her to try one. But then, on her own, she said, “Mommy, I want to try a piece of celery!” I was astonished and responded with a smile on my face, “Sure, you can try a piece.” As I suspected, she didn’t like it so much, but I was proud that she took a bite. Then shortly thereafter she asked to try a piece of the carrot and said she liked it. We all were surprised.

Figuring that this was an anomaly but not wanting to let this newfound interest in trying new foods go to waste, I prepared salmon for dinner today, and I am proud to report that she actually ate it and said she liked it. I know it took me years to try new foods, all the way up to adulthood, so I’m hoping to break that cycle with my daughter and continue to introduce her to healthy and yummy foods.

All the best,

Tanya

Reflections on 2016 with My Little Girl

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Excited After a Stroller Jog

Just about three years ago I started my “Mommy’s Baby Steps” blog chronicling my experiences as a new mother and the experiences of my little girl discovering the world around her. It’s been a wonderful experience, and I love being able to look back on some of the entries I’ve composed to see how much we both have grown.

No doubt, 2016 was a year full of memorable moments, and I am proud to note that I surpassed my goal of one post a week and nearly doubled the 77 posts I did in 2015 with 133 posts in 2016. Of course, each post is special to me, but some of my favorite posts from 2016 are as follows:

Snow Much Fun With My Little One: (Posted onJanuary 24, 2016): We haven’t had much snow yet n 2017, but last year’s moment was fun for us both. Quinn actually remembers being in the red sled and has asked me on multiple occasions when it is going to snow again so that she can use it.

What Would We Do Without It Wednesday: Let’s Exercise with a Shake Break (Posted on February 24, 2016: My little girl, loves to exercise and get moving. Even a year later, she wants to do a “shake break.” It’s a great  way for us to spend time together and exercise.

Terrific Toy Tuesday: Boy Oh Boy, Race That Car Girl” (Posted April 12, 2016):Quinn still loves playing with cars, and I love that she enjoys all different types of toy without them being designated as “boy” or “girl” toys.

Simple Sunny Sunday Sayings From My Little Girl (Posted on April 24, 2016): In 2016, Quinn has bestowed so much wisdom, often beyond her years. This post was just one of the many examples of how she teaches me everyday and still does.

What Would We Do Without It Wednesdays: The Roller Coaster of Life (Posted on July 27, 2016): My little girl had just turned three in May, and she was such a brave girl getting on a roller coaster for the first time. This moment just reminds me of the many more milestones we both have in store in the future.

Terrific Tuesday: The First Day of Preschool (Posted September 6, 2016): This was a major change and milestone for Quinn and for me and still is ongoing. I see her now interacting more with the teacher and her school friends and enjoying the many activities.

There are so many more posts that I thoroughly enjoyed composing, but I’d like to save some on which to reflect when my little girl turns three, which is in just four months.

When people say, “Where did the time go?” I definitely can relate to that statement, but having these blog entries is a terrific way to reflect back on memorable times as a mommy with my little girl.

All the best,

Tanya

What a “Happy” Way to Bring in the New Year (2017) with My Little Girl! 

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“Happy New Year!” My three year old bellowed out with joy as she grabbed as much confetti as her hands could hold and put into her crazy paper bag hat. For the third year in a row, on December 31st, my husband and I took our daughter to the Please Touch Museum to bring in the new year for their countdown until noon event. With each passing year, Quinn enjoys it more and more. This year, she proudly counted down starting at 30 seconds eager to blow her noise maker horn.

Another New Year’s Eve tradition she looks forward to is bringing in the new year at my brother-in-law’s home. But prior to setting off to their house, we attended a Kwanzaa celebration which is usually held prior to New Year’s Eve. It was a great time filled with activities, learning about the principles of Kwanzaa, music, food and community.

Needless to say, with three outings, it was a packed day, and my husband and I both wondered if Quinn would be able to stay awake until midnight without being cranky. Luckily, Quinn and I both were able to get cat naps in between each event, so we both were up and ready to party with our family to bring in 2017.

“I want to bring all of the confetti I collected at The Please Touch Museum to Uncle Scott and Aunt Dee’s house,” Quinn informed her father and me. “I can’t wait to throw it in the air and say, “Happy New Year!” she said with excitement. Her wish was fulfilled as we all counted down together, and she along with our other family members threw confetti and noise makers too.

Just thinking about how much she has grown and matured throughout the course of 2016 leaves me in awe.  Just thinking about how much I’ve grown as a mother leaves me feeling blessed and motivated about my journey and the baby steps I will continue to take in the years to come.

As I said in my 2015 post leading into 2016, “I am so happy and blessed that I was able to bring in the new year with my husband, daughter and family.” Here’s to an awesome 2017!
All the best,
Tanya

Halloween & Fall Fun with My Little Girl 

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I’ve always loved the fall season, and not just because my birthday is in October but because there’s so many wonderful activities and ways to have family fun. Last year, I did many activities with my little girl, and now that she’s three and in preschool during the week, she’s even more eager to have some autumn weekend fun. I didn’t want this season to go by without taking out some time to reflect on this fall and Halloween season.

Usually, I’d post separate entries on our adventures, but our new and very busy schedule has been an ongoing transition for us both. But I could not allow this season to go by without acknowledging all of the fun moments we’ve been having together.

This year, we kept with tradition, and my husband, Quinn and I went to a local pumpkin patch, Shadybrook Farms, to select pumpkins to decorate and to have some fun doing the different activities. Though it did rain a little, it was awesome seeing how much more involved she was in the pumpkin selecting process. She was so excited to get home and work on her pumpkin. Since Quinn loves Paw Patrol, we made a Marshall pumpkin, and it was actually quite effortless with the help of a kit from Target.

For the first time, we were able to attend the Harvest Festival in our township where there were hayrides, bouncers, face painting, treats and other activities. Though many of the bouncers were geared towards older children ,which was a bit frustrating for my little girl, especially since she wanted to follow behind her older cousin, she really enjoyed having her face painted like Hello Kitty.

While it does not involve what adults would be considered a “fun” activity, Quinn had a blast helping my husband and me rake leaves. Of course, she insisted on jumping in them after she helped rake a big pile of them together. Her laugh is absolutely infectious!

We couldn’t have Halloween and fall fun without visiting Quinn’s favorite amusement park, Sesame Place. We planned on attending last Saturday, but it was rained off and on all day. Though I had tons of papers to grade on Sunday, I carved out a few hours to take Quinn there so that she could see the Halloween version of the Sesame Place parade. We sat and waited on the parade route for over an hour to ensure that we had a good spot (it was already packed with people waiting). Just to see my little girl’s face light up with excitement made the wait well worth it.

Another “first” was attending the Halloween party at our local library for children five and under last Monday, October 24th. Even “Llama Llama, Red Pajama” stopped by to entertain the children. It was far more crowded than I anticipated, approximately 50 kids, but Quinn thoroughly enjoyed herself and didn’t want to leave. She’s always liked going to the library, but she now associates it with a fun-filled time.

This makes the third year in a row that we’ve attended the “Boo at the Zoo” event at the Philadelphia Zoo, and as always, it did not disappoint. Though I did not have Quinn wear her actual Halloween costume for fear of it getting dirty (It’s all white), she and my niece, who accompanied us, had a great time trick or treating, learning interesting facts, riding a few animals and seeing some of the animals as well. Plus, it’s always fun to see all of the children in their costumes.

Even though I haven’t been posting as frequently as I usually do, I am grateful for the moments I’m creating with my daughter. I love her so much and truly do enjoy our time together as a family. Here’s to autumn and Halloween fun! My fingers are crossed for good trick or treating weather tomorrow.

All the best,

Tanya