Category Archives: Baby Milestones

Kindergarten Here “We” Come! Well, Here “She” Comes!

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For the past week, I’ve been a combination of nervous and excited. I’ve had sleepless nights, reoccurring dreams and a bit of anxiety. Tomorrow is the big day: the first day of school, kindergarten that is! On Friday, my daughter’s preschool teachers thoughtfully gave her a sweet letter with several treats. She was concerned about when she can eat the candy, and I was concerned about how I’m going to hold it together on Monday. On Saturday, Quinn received a lovely kindergarten card in the mail from my sister, nephew and niece wishing her a terrific first day. Then later on, my husband came home and surprised Quinn with a cake wishing her “Good Luck” in kindergarten.

How can I not get emotional? My blog is called Mommy’s Baby Steps, and this truly is one of the steps I am struggling to take. It’s a new school, all new children, all new teachers, a major milestone in her life. I’m so anxious and have to remind myself that it’s really “we” but a “she” is going to kindergarten. Thank goodness her school allows parents to come into the classroom for the first hour tomorrow and even has a kiss and cry for parents who need a little support in parting ways with their children.

While I am confident she’ll be just fine, knowing that I’ll have to dash off to the college for my first day of teaching (a day on which I still get butterflies) immediately after the “kiss and cry” has my stomach in knots. Wish me luck, and send “strong mommy vibes” my way please. I want to be brave for my little girl and focus on how great this milestone is and how wonderful of a year it’ll be!

All the best,

Tanya

Special Moments: My Little Girl’s Pre-K Move-up Day

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“I’m excited but a little nervous, Mommy,” my five year old told me. Interestingly, my daughter and I are ending her pre-k experience the same way it started two years ago: both “nervscited!” (A combination of nervous and excited) As she ends this chapter of her life and prepares for kindergarten in September, it has been such a wonderful experience watching her make friends, learn and grow not just physically but emotionally, mentally and cognitively, and it has been a great experience for me interacting with her teachers and playing a role in her educational experience.

Yesterday, we not only attended her special pre-k ceremony acknowledging her achievements and moving on to kindergarten, but we also attended the kindergarten orientation at what will be her new school in September. My little girl is growing up so fast, and at times I struggle on an emotional level to keep up. It’s such an overwhelming feeling, but I will be there supporting her all of the way for every milestone and cherishing memorable moments like this one and many more in the future.

All the best,

Tanya

The Magical World of Disney with My Little Girl

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“Are we really going to Disney World?” my daughter asked as she waited to board her first airplane. “Yes, we are!” I told her in my high pitch voice just as excited if not more than she was. Just a couple of weeks ago, my husband and I took our five year old to meet Minnie, Mickey, all of the princesses, and many others for the very first time. Actually, it was my first time too, and I was in absolute awe. Though there were times when the rain was relentless, it didn’t put a damper on our bright, fun-filled days, and the sunshine and warm weather was welcomed with open arms.

We spent six days at Disney: three in Magic Kingdom, one in Animal Kingdom, one in Epcot and one in a Hollywood Studios, and we enjoyed every moment. The crowds were not overwhelming. Our longest wait time was twenty minutes, and our fast pass selections were right on target. We all agreed that Pandora: Avatar Flight of Passage was one of our favorites, and with the nearly three hour wait time, I am so glad it was one of our fast pass picks allowing us to wait just about five minutes to board.

The cast members and staff were consistently friendly and extremely helpful which added to our wonderful experience. Meeting all of the princesses and characters with my daughter, and seeing her face light up is something I will hold on to for years to come.

In the words of my daughter, “I’d love to come back to Disney World again and again!”

Here’s to magical, memorable moments with my family!

All the best,

Tanya

The Most Colorful…Happiest…Kid-Friendly Bedroom Ever! Troll Style!!!

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“You’re the best Mommy ever! My new bedroom is troll everything!” My daughter shrieked as she wrapped her arms around me with joy. Just a little over a month ago, Quinn turned five years old, and one of her wishes was for a big girl room. She bounced around some ideas for a while but eventually decided on a Trolls as her theme. When I asked her why to make sure it was what she really wanted, her response was that she loves the movie “Trolls” and wants a happy, colorful and fun space just like they have. I thought that was an awesome reason, and was eager to get to work.

We established the wall colors and accent items using Poppy as our inspiration: pink, aqua and sea green. After searching for the perfect twin bed to replace Quinn’s toddler bed, I found the perfect one fit for a princess at Target and was able to order the comforter and sheets through Target as well as a Bed Bath and Beyond. We were able to bring some of Quinn’s Troll toys into her bedroom to display, and I purchased a few more as a special surprise. While at Walmart, I stumbled upon a sea green bean bag that matches perfectly with her room and took the time to paint a night stand that was originally white to match the decor of her room.

To promote reading, I got some Trolls books that my daughter loves reading as part of her bedtime story or when she’s simply relaxing in her bed waiting for the day to start. Target, my main go-to store, had a lamp that doubles as a night light that Quinn uses every night and day as she reads at night.

I wanted some wall art with Troll characters, but couldn’t find what I was looking for, so with my graphic design background, I designed and had canvases printed up with the different characters.

When Quinn or anyone who has come to visit comes into her bedroom, they can’t help but feel happy because it’s such a colorful and inviting place. This truly was a fun project for me, and seeing how happy and appreciative Quinn was when her room was unveiled filled me with so much joy.

All the best,

Tanya

It’s My Fifth Mommyversary!

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My Mom, My Daughter and Me
My Mom, My Daughter and Me

Last week, I celebrated my daughter’s fifth birthday. Today, I celebrate my fifth anniversary as a mother. Wow, I cannot believe that I’ve been a mother for five years. I’ve learned so much along the way from my mother, family, friends, other mothers and especially my daughter. Creating this blog, “Mommy’s Baby Steps” and posting about my journey as a mother has been a wonderful experience too. I’ve learned that my journey as a mother is full of many destinations and sights to see. Some places I will love, embrace and want to stay forever, and there will be some that I am eager to leave, but they are essential and a part of motherhood. All in all, I am grateful so blessed to be a mother. My daughter has played an integral role in helping me evolve and grow, and I couldn’t imagine my life without her.

Happy mother’s day to you and yours.

All the best,

Tanya

High Fives All Around! Happy Birthday to My Little Girl!

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1825 days ago….260 weeks ago…60 months ago…five years ago, my daughter made her entrance into the world. Not a moment, week or day goes by that I don’t think about how blessed I am to have her in my life. She’s such a sweet, caring and generous person. Not to mention, she’s intelligent, a real problem solver, creative and outgoing. Quinn may only be five years old, but she’s taught me so much from day one. She brings out the best in me and helps me to be a better version of myself with each passing day.

When I celebrate her birth, I am celebrating my birth as a mom. I am celebrating my ability to be more assertive, to always exercise kindness and positivity and to just enjoy life and all that it has to offer. As I type this post, I shed a few tears of joy knowing how much she has added to my life and the lives of all of those people with whom she comes in contact.

Happy birthday to me sweet girl who deserves all of the “double” high fives she wants!

All the best,

Tanya

Along for the Ride: Another Milestone Boost for My Little Girl!

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“It’s perfect!” my daughter says as she smiles sitting with her elbows on the armrests of her new booster car seat. Just a couple of years ago, we had to replace her first car seat as her legs grew longer, and about a month ago, we found ourselves in the same position again as we struggled to snap the three point harness on Quinn’s car seat. Being in the 95th percentile for her height, my four year old is reaching certain milestones ahead of schedule and refuses to slow down. She was so excited to get her booster seat and asked, “Can I be in charge of unbuckling myself when we get to our destination, Mommy?” I told her, “Sure, you can.”

As much as I love seeing her grow and know it is imminent, there are times when I feel like we’re in the fast lane, and I’m just along for the ride asking her to slow down just a little. I want to enjoy the sights and sounds along the way. I want to take in the scenery and commit it to memory. Yes, at the end of the day, it may just be a booster seat, but it represents change, growth and time, and while I am certainly not the driver at all times, I am grateful to be a passenger in the vehicle of my daughter’s life.

All the best,

Tanya

On the Eleventh Day of Christmas, My Daughter Gave to Me…Too Many Nostalgic Moments to Count

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On the eleventh day of Christmas, my daughter gave to me…too many nostalgic moments to count. Friends and family will tell you that I’m a big kid at heart, so having a young child is such a wonderful experience as I not only build new experiences with her but reminisce over some of my favorite Christmas memories.

One nostalgic moment that was simple yet really moved me happened earlier this week when we were wrapping presents. My daughter asked to keep the empty gift wrap roll. “Look, it’s a baton!” Quinn said as she paraded around twirling it. “Now it’s a telescope,” she exclaimed looking through the one end in my direction. She then put it on her nose saying, “Look at me Mommy; I’m an elephant!”

“It can be a megaphone too!” I told her. She then put the roll up to her mouth and started enunciating her words carefully and loudly for that special megaphone effect. It now has a several old extra socks on it from a project we did making sock snowman.

Watching her with the gift wrap roll immediately made me think about how my sister and I used gift wrap rolls to communicate at night as we waited for Santa to arrive. I could close my eyes and envision it like it just happened and feel the same level of excitement I had as a child knowing that Santa was on his way.

I can’t help but smile as I recall those memorable Christmas moments among many others that have yet to happen.

All the best,

Tanya

The Tooth Fairy’s Visit: A Memorable Moment and Milestone for My Little Girl

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“Did you see her, Mommy? “She came! The tooth fairy came!” my missing tooth little girl told me still not fully awake from her slumber. Yesterday, my four year old lost her first tooth, and though it was emotional for me, I wanted to make it memorable for her. We talked about the tooth fairy, and Quinn asked me many questions. “Will she take the tooth back to her castle? Will she come in my room? How big is she? Will she return my tooth so that we can save it?”

I remember losing my first tooth when I was about her age. Wow, have things changed with the tooth fairy since then! There’s so many ways to make it a memorable experience beyond getting a monetary gift.

I purchased Quinn the complete tooth fairy kit through Amazon that included a satin bag for the tooth, a special case to house all of her baby teeth as she loses them and a hanger for the door knob so that he tooth fairy knows to stop by her room.

Though the tooth fairy is very busy collecting teeth, I wanted to ensure that there was a record of her visiting Quinn. She was kindly took the time to carefully examine my daughter’s tooth and to wrote up a detailed receipt.

The tooth fairy even gave me heads up through an App called Tooth Fairy Camera so that I’d know when she was stopping by so that I could get a little video clip of her to share with Quinn, which she just loved! Despite still coming to grips with my daughter having a milestone that signifies leaving behind babyhood and being a sliver of a step closer to adulthood, this was a memorable experience for us both.

 

Check out the one minute trailer below about he ooh fairy’s visit. She makes a cameo appearance it the end.

All the best,

Tanya

From Loose Tooth to Missing Tooth: Mommy Needs a Little Fairy Dust to Deal with This New Milestone

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Last Saturday, as my four year old talked, I caught a glimpse of something that didn’t look as it once did. “Open your mouth, honey,” I instructed my daughter. My facial expression said it all as Quinn asked, “What’s wrong with my mouth, Mommy?” Her little bottom tooth shifted, and there was a wider space between it and the tooth next to it. “I think you might have a loose tooth,” I told her. After washing my hands and then examining the tooth much closer, my suspicion was correct, and I was filled with angst.

Of course, Quinn losing her first tooth is imminent, but I just thought I had more time. It just so happened that she had a dental appointment this past Monday, and her dentist confirmed that she was about a year early with losing her first tooth. I then thought about when I lost my first tooth, and I was around her age as well, so the dentist said that losing teeth early can be hereditary.

I wondered how much time I had before her tooth would fall out and if it would fall out on its own or if I’d need to help it along. Could she possibly swallow it?  Then I started to think about what the loose tooth represents. One of the earliest signs of adulthood: an adult tooth coming in soon. Yikes! Quinn could sense that I was not totally happy about her losing her first tooth as asked why I was upset to which I responded, “You’re not my baby girl anymore.”

How is it that I was so excited when my little girl got her first two teeth at five months, but now I’m filled with anxiety? This major milestone makes me wonder. As she continues to mature, become her own person and learn about the world, am I doing all that I can to support her and leave a good imprint on her well into adulthood?

Today, while Quinn was having daddy and daughter time, I got a call with her on the other line, “Guess what, Mommy!” I lost my tooth! It came out a Red Robin!”  Even though  I am still struggling with this milestone a little ahead of schedule, I am happy that Quinn was excited. For her, the loose tooth represents being a big girl and getting a visit from the tooth fairy. For me, it represents many more emotional milestones to come. I just hope that I’m ready.

All the best,

Tanya