Category Archives: Baby Musings

Mark My Words: Science is Awesome! Colorful Fun with My Little Girl

By

“Can we make purple next, Mommy?” my five year old excitedly asked. “Sure, what colors do we need?” I inquired. “Red and blue,” she quickly responded. My little girl loves drawing and doing projects, so the “Marker Lab” was perfect for some weekend fun. It comes with a kit that allows a person to create eight markers in various colors from start to finish. While it had the potential to be messy, the process actually went rather smoothly. We read the instructions together, determined what colors were needed and how many drops of color would be needed and got to work!

“To make green, it says we need 1.5 milliliters of blue and 1.5 milliliters,” Quinn informed me. She carefully added the color to the tube with the included the eye dropper, with little assistance from me and eagerly waited for the marker tube to fill up with the marker ink. I then helped her to assemble the marker, and voila they were ready for writing and drawing.

Where was the marker lab when I was a little girl?! I found this really fun project at Home Goods for just $12.99 and was probably more excited than my daughter to make the markers. I highly recommend this kit to any parent who wants to sneak in science, math, writing and a bit of art with a lot of fun.

All the best,

Tanya

Life Lessons of Winning & Losing: Fun & Games with My Little Girl

By

“Let’s play a different game!” my five year old insisted as she started putting away the “Connect Four” pieces. “Why?” I asked. To which she quickly replied, “You won the past two games!” Yesterday, we spent a few hours playing games from Hungry Hippos (a classic for me), Disney’s Surprise Slides, which is a variation of Shoots and Ladders, Who Shook Hook, Guess Who and a few others.

I can easily recall when I was younger having game day with my mom and my siblings. Though I enjoyed this family time, I often struggled with being a sore loser when we played “Sorry” or “Old Maid,” which I always seemed to be. It might have been the feeling that I’d never win, the hope that my mom would just let me win or even the occasional taunting from my siblings, but there were times when my eyes would fill with tears, and I’d utter those famous five words, “I don’t want to play anymore!”

Now that I’m older, losing isn’t necessarily easier to accept, but I am able to look at it through a different lens for the sake of my daughter. Though she handles losing much better than I did at her age, I can tell that it still upsets her. As we play games together, we laugh, have fun and hi five, there are also opportunities to discuss life as it correlates to games.

I told her that we all need to learn how to lose and win gracefully. We also discussed how we all can improve with practice, as she did with “Connect Four. When we first started playing when she was around three years old, she was still learning the concept of the game of getting four in a row, and diagonal was definitely tricky. Yesterday, she was really strategizing by making sure to block me and really gave me a run for my money. She legitimately won quite a few times without me going easy on her and just needs to balance blocking me while keeping an eye out for how she can get four in a row simultaneously.

Quinnie’s technique actually made me think about how people, sometimes focus so much on blocking others from winning that they still wind up losing because they aren’t paying attention when the opportunities for them to win present themselves. We went over how her strategy will continue to improve and played a few more rounds before moving on to “Hungry Hippos.”

I am so proud of her for her willingness to keep playing even when she was not winning. She even learned with Disney’s Surprise Slides that it’s not over until it’s over. She was far ahead on the board, and I managed to catch up with her. She then kept saying with each turn, “I don’t think I’m going to win!” But she still kept playing. I was on her tail, when she spun the red Mickey Mouse to win the game. A big smile was plastered on her face as she said, “I can’t believe it! I won! I thought I was losing for sure!” That’s when I told her, “Sometimes that’s how it goes! You think you’re going to lose, but you still win. That’s why you always keep trying your best!” We learn so much from life but sometimes more from games reflecting how life works.

All the best,

Tanya

The Little Things Are Sweet Treats: Notes to My Little Girl

By

Who hasn’t heard the phrase, “It’s the little things that count?!” When it comes to children, some parents, including me, might extend these grand, pricey gestures to our children when in actuality many small gestures to demonstrate love often add up to huge  hugs and love from my little girl. Though I do make an effort to be present for my little girl, sometimes, life just gets so busy that I might fail to let her know how much she means to me. So when she returned to school in the new year, I decided to surprise her with a little something special in her lunch back, not extra cookies or juice instead of milk but a little note to show my love. While I could have just wrote notes on post-it cards, I decided to order cute motivational cards from Amazon.com. It came in a pack of 60 for a little over $10.

After my little kindergartner saw the first note, she was so excited when I picked her up from school, “Mommy, I saw the note from you, and I was able to read it all by myself!” Quinn even wrote down that she was grateful for the note she received in her gratitude journal later that day. I even got my husband on board to write her little notes too as it not only shows her love but helps promote reading.

This past Friday, I immediately realized how my little notes were already leaving a positive impact on my daughter. I had to rush out with limited time in the morning for faculty in-service and mistakenly left the note for her on the table instead of insider of her lunch bag. When I picked her up from school, she immediately informed me, “Mommy, your special note for me wasn’t in my lunch bag!” I felt so bad and made sure to show it to her as soon as we got home.

I truly believe that positive notes cannot only remind us that we are loved but lift our spirits. They even lift my spirits as I write them knowing that they will put a smile on my daughter’s face and result in a huge hug when I pick her up as she tells me what the note said.

All the best,

Tanya

 

Grateful to See the New Year of 2019 with My Little Girl

By

The last few weeks of 2018 were a roller coaster ride for my family as we dealt with my daughter being ill and hospitalized and then rejoiced in her being home for Christmas and having a great recovery. Even though gratitude is something that I try to practice and teach my daughter regularly, I decided in 2019 I would make a more conscious effort. I also made a resolution to be even more present with my family.

Both my daughter and I received gratitude journals as Christmas gifts, so I thought it would be awesome for us to talk and write together about that for which we are grateful. It’s also a perfect way to promote writing with my little kindergartener. We started our journals on January 1st and actually were grateful for the same thing: a visit from my mom (her nana) and my aunt (her great aunt).

It pleases me that my daughter is grateful for her family because I certainly am grateful for her. I’m looking forward to bonding and sharing wonderful moments together with my five year old as we write about that for which we are grateful throughout 2019.

All the best,

Tanya

This “Generation” Loves Playing School: Awesome Academy of Fun with My Little Girl

By

Though my daughter is only is only in kindergarten, she loves school. Whenever I ask her what she enjoyed most about her day when she comes home from school, she usually says, “Everything!” She loves, reading, writing, math, art, music, gym and any activity involving learning, especially when it’s made to be fun.

To promote my five year old’s enthusiasm for learning, along with her imaginative play, one of her Christmas gifts this year was Our Generation Awesome Academy School Room for 18 inch dolls exclusively sold at Target. It does come at a steep price of $139.99, but the Christmas sale price was twenty dollars cheaper. This school room comes with two desks for the students, a desk for the teacher, a real chalkboard, whiteboard, recess bell, a real working clock, a working fire drill bell along with every little thing necessary to have a real classroom.

Though she is still recovering from being ill and hospitalized most of last week, Quinn just loves her school room. Immediately after breakfast, she goes over to press the school bell letting Sophia and Luciana know it’s time for school. Observing her makes me reminisce about how much I loved playing school and how it played a major role in me wanting to become a teacher.

All the best,

Tanya

On Christmas Day, My Daughter Gave to Me…the Gift of Early Morning Giggles and Smiles

By

On Christmas Day, my daughter gave to me…the gift of early morning giggles and smiles. I’m so happy and grateful to have her home after the traumatizing experience of her being hospitalized all week. I know she is not fully recovered as yet, but she seemed like her happy, energetic self this morning. Our day is off to a wonderful start! While I’m sure the excitement and busyness of the day will eventually catch up with my five year old, and she may need rest, right now, I’m just living in the moment of her happiness.

Merry Christmas to you and yours,

Tanya

On the Twelfth Day of Christmas, My Daughter Gave to Me…the Special Gift of Her Presence

By

7BA4AC56-E691-412B-B12B-9AC50C09B2D2On the twelfth day of Christmas, my daughter gave to me..the special gift of her presence. It’s been a long, exhausting week leading up to Christmas with my daughter hospitalized. So when we received the news yesterday that she would be discharged just in time for Christmas, my heart was overjoyed. Even though she is still recovering from her illness and not fully her energetic self, just sitting on the sofa with her watching “Polar Express” and “The Santa Clause” with her was such a wonderful gift.

Today, she’s been eating a little more, hasn’t had a fever since being discharged from the hospital, and her coughing isn’t as much as it was jus a day ago. Thinking about my five year old possibly not being present in our lives makes me want to be even more present. We might not be able to do many of our Christmas Eve traditions with Quinn needing to rest often, but I’m okay with that. We still have our baby girl and will have many more opportunities to create memorable moments.

Sometimes, we receive an abundance of gifts or take our time getting around to opening gifts a person put time and effort into getting or making for us. Whether it’s your child, significant other, parent, relative, or friend, don’t wait to “open up.” Please be sure to let them know that their presence is a special gift: not just on Christmas but every chance you get.

All the best,

Tanya

On the Eleventh Day of Christmas, My Daughter Gave to Me…The Importance of Cherishing Every Day

By
Christmas 2017

On the eleventh day of Christmas, my daughter gave to me…the importance of cherishing every day. One of the reasons that I started my blog, “Mommy’s Baby Steps,” was to not only share my journey as a mother but to chronicle some of those special moments I’ve experienced with my daughter.It’s amazing how time works. When I’m doing planks, 30 seconds can seem like 30 minutes, but when I reminisce about my daughter around this time last year, it seems like it was just yesterday.

Once we got our tree and December 1st came, the anticipation of Christmas coming really set in for my five year old. “I’m trying not to think about it, Mommy. But I’m so excited for Christmas,” she’s been telling me just about everyday. Sadly, this past week. she’s been so ill and listless that she didn’t even realize it was Saturday yesterday. I’ve been losing track of the days too.

As I sat typing this blog entry, the doctor came in with wonderful news. Quinn is doing well enough to go home and continue her antibiotics to battle the bacterial pneumonia and adenovirus. It’s been days since she’s been able to add an ornament to her Christmas countdown tree, and I know she will be so happy. When the doctor asked Quinn what she would like to do, she perked up in the bed and responded, “Go to Chuck E. Cheese!” This gave me such a chuckle to hear her cheerful voice that didn’t sound as weak as it did days ago.

Everyday, I spend a little time reflecting on that for which I am grateful. All of the memorable moments I’ve had with my daughter are often at the top of the list. Everyday that she’s been hospitalized, I’ve thought even more about our past memories and can’t wait to build even more. It will be a Merry Christmas!

All the best,

Tanya

On the Tenth Day of Christmas, My Daughter Gave to Me…A Chance to Search and Find a Little Christmas Joy

By

On the tenth day of Christmas, my daughter gave to me…a chance to search and find a little Christmas joy. Since my sweet girl was hospitalized at the beginning of this week, she’s been listless, only wanting to occasionally drink water, had a fever around the clock and just looks so pitiful. The team of doctors have been great with devising an aggressive course of action to get Quinn on the road to recovery as she not only battles ear infections but bacterial pneumonia and adenovirus. Yesterday, after more tests, they decided to change her antibiotic a third time to something even stronger.

Immediately after the doctors left Quinnie’s hospital room with the new plan, she perked up. As her dad sat next to her on the bed offering her comfort, Quinn asked for a snack, was talking more and asking questions. She seemed to have more energy and even smiled. It feels like ages since I’ve seen her smile. Though she reverted back to feeling listless with that pitiful look of exhaustion and discomfort on her face within ten or fifteen minutes, that brief moment of seeing the Quinn I know gave me hope.

I went home briefly to get washed up and decided to bring back a Christmas Fun Search and Find book in hopes of seeing her perk up again because my five year old has always loved search and finds. When I showed her the book, and asked if she’d like to do one together, she agreed. Even with her feeling ill, she was still keen on identifying and locating the Christmas items in the book. After the first one, I asked if she’d like to do another to which she responded in her faint voice, “Maybe later, Mommy.”

While it certainly hasn’t been fun, I’m so glad the doctors have been deliberate in their efforts to search and find out what is going on with my little girl so that they may treat her properly and get her on the road to recovery as we hope for a little Christmas Joy.

All the best,

Tanya

On the Ninth Day of Christmas, My Daughter Gave to Me…A New Perspective on Elf on the Shelf

By

D40ED47C-7E2B-4455-90BA-ACA1DAEB8D59On the ninth day of Christmas, my daughter gave to me…a new perspective on elf on the shelf. She named her special elf from the North Pole, Lola, and since December 1st, Quinn has looked forward to spotting Lola’s new location. She’s been tucked in a Christmas stocking, hanging out with polar bears, and swinging from light fixtures. The last location was near the living room sofa so she could keep a watch over Quinn. It’s where my poor little girl wanted to rest as we tried to nurse her back to health with a high fever, cough and listlessness before taking her to the emergency room.

Since Quinn was hospitalized on Tuesday, Lola the elf remained at our home. My five year old has been so out of it that she hasn’t even noticed Lola’s absence. But we are so blessed to have many other “elves” watching over Quinn and praying for her speedy recovery. The positive energy and well-wishes from family and friends keeps me hopeful. Elves are known for their small stature, and while people may think posting a comment on social media or sending a text is just a small gesture, it really means the world to me, and I believe our prayers will be answered in a big way.

All the best,

Tanya