Category Archives: Baby Musings

On the Eighth Day of Christmas, My Daughter Gave to Me…the Realization that “Ugly” is in the Eyes of the Beholder

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On the eighth day of Christmas, my daughter gave to me…the realization that “ugly” is in the eyes of the beholder. Yesterday, I posted about how the Grinch is trying to steal our Christmas with the hospitalization of my little girl. These last few days have been trying, but as I looked through some of the pictures we’ve taken during this holiday season, I was drawn towards the ones of us wearing our “ugly” Christmas sweaters. Though our sweaters are supposedly “ugly,” are they really? We both wore them smiling proudly, even her best friend Grover. They put us in the Christmas spirit and allow us to be festive.

As I look at my daughter while she battles bacterial pneumonia enduring the ugliness of fevers near reaching 105, uncontrollable coughing and lethargy, it upsets me greatly. But I know this ugly illness will make us all stronger and appreciate one another even more. I look to my Quinnie being on the road to recovery so that we can put back on our “ugly” Christmas sweaters and have some great fun while creating memorable moments.

All the best,

Tanya

On the Seventh Day of Christmas, My Daughter Gave to Me…the Courage to Face the Mean One, Mr. Grinch

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On the seventh  day  of Christmas, my daughter gave  to me…the courage to face the mean one, Mr. Grinch. This time of the year has always been joyous for my family. We have such fun partaking in Christmas activities and enjoying each other’s company.

Unfortunately, the figurative Mr. Grinch showed up and is trying to ruin our holiday spirit. Yesterday, we rushed to the ER for the second day in a row. Last Thursday, my daughter was sent home from school after vomiting up her lunch and having a fever. Since then, she’s had a fever almost everyday. With the exception of Saturday morning and afternoon (probably because I told her we couldn’t go to Sesame Place if she still had a fever), my poor five year old has felt terrible.

On Sunday, she barely ate, threw up what she did eat, coughed incessantly, and her temperature reached 103.9 even with Tylenol. My husband and I took her to the emergency room, and it was determined that both of her ears have infections.

Yesterday, after getting her started on antibiotics for her ears and ibuprofen for the fever, she started feeling better. Unfortunately, by noon, her temperature rose to 104.2. As she coughed uncontrollably and had a helpless, terrified look on her face, we knew we had to take her back to the ER: this time to a Children’s hospital.

We waited nearly three hours to be seen in the packed waiting room with an overflow area. Once seen by the doctor and nurse, who were both very kind and professional, they worked diligently to take care of Quinn. After a chest x-ray, bloodwork and checking other vitals, they determined that my daughter needed to be admitted into the hospital for care because of her dire state and possible bout with pneumonia.

Needless to say, this is extremely upsetting for me to see her in this state because I feel helpless as well. As I sit across from her hospital bed on no sleep in over 24 hours, I’m trying to hold it together for her and to focus on all of the positives.

Even though she is weak right now, my little girl is so strong and brave. She did not flinch when blood was drawn or when she got the IV put in. She bravely followed the instructions of the radiologist when getting the chest x-ray. And for some crazy reason when a doctor or nurse asks her how she is feeling, in her weak voice with a grimace on her face from the discomfort, she says, “I’m good.”

I admire my daughter’s courage and have faith that she will make a full recovery. The Grinch will not steal our Christmas or our joy.

Please keep my daughter in your prayers.

All the best,

Tanya

On the Sixth Day of Christmas, My Daughter Gave to Me…Nostalgia Taking a Photo with 🎅

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36A47DAD-54A8-4C33-89A3-7900A352743BOn the sixth day of Christmas, my daughter gave to me…nostalgia taking a photo with Santa. Even though my daughter and I were able to see Santa on the Paradise train ride and even at Sesame Place, our main location for taking the annual picture with Santa since she was a baby has been Willow Grove Mall. I love the tradition because I get to see her face light up with excitement. She even gets a little nervous as I did as a child and will ask me if I can join her when it’s her turn to meet Santa. Little does she know, I look forward to seeing him and am glad when she wants me to join her. This year, Mrs. Claus joined him and was such a special treat.

When we started decorating for Christmas and put out photos over the years with Santa, Quinn, herself, reminisced. “This is when I was a baby meeting Santa and Mrs. Claus,” she remarked. I’ve always had a soft spot for Santa, and not just because he brought gifts but because he cared about me and was always so jolly.

All the best,

Tanya

On the Fifth Day of Christmas, My Daughter Gave to Me…The Importance of Spending Time With Family

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On the fifth day of Christmas, my daughter gave to me…the importance of spending time with family. For the past few days, my five year old hasn’t been feeling well. Her cough and runny nose has been accompanied by a fever. It all started on last Thursday when she was sent home from school due to a fever and becoming ill during lunch. On Saturday, she had no fever and was starting to feel better, so we kept with our scheduled plan and had a blast at Sesame Place. Unfortunately, late on Sunday, her fever came back with a punch, and over night it spiked to 104.2, so my husband and I decided to take her to the emergency room. (Where we are right now)

While this is an unsettling experience for us all, and it is upsetting to see my little girl so listless and ill, she still constantly reminds me of the importance of family togetherness, especially during this time of the year. For almost ten years, I’ve thrown a Christmas party and invited my extended family and some of my dear friends.

Since Quinn was born, it’s become even more special. She’s always excited to spend time with family and will ask me who’s coming to the party. In life, it seems like everybody is so busy. There seems to be a limited amount of time to simply enjoy life. I am grateful to have a daughter like Quinn. She helps me to not get so caught up in the hustle and bustle of life and to just appreciate my family. I truly am grateful for the experiences I have with them and love them all dearly.

All the best,

Tanya

On the Fourth Day of Christmas, My Daughter Gave to Me…Sunny Days Chasing the Clouds Away at Sesame Place

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On the fourth day of Christmas, my daughter gave to me…sunny days chasing the clouds away at Sesame Place. Quinn just loves Sesame Place and all of the characters, so for the past few years, we’ve looked forward to seeing Elmo, Abby, Cookie Monster, Ernie and Bert, and all of the other characters to enjoy “A Very Furry Christmas Celebration.”

We went yesterday, Saturday, December 15th. While the temperature was nearly twenty degrees warmer than last year, which was great, we still weren’t too sure about how much outdoor fun we’d have since the forecast called for all day rain. So we started our day by enjoying the Dine with Elmo and Friends buffet for an hour. We were able to enjoy our food and tasty treats and meet and take pictures with many of the Sesame Street characters as well as Santa.

After lunch, it was misty yet not raining, so we quickly headed over to get on Oscar’s Wacky Taxi rollercoaster which was just erected in April 2018. It’s a real scream! Afterwards, we got on Super Grover’s Vapor Trail Rollercoaster and then checked out, “A Sesame Street Christmas” show where Abby Cadaby learned all about Christmas. It is such a lovely show that kids and adults can enjoy and contains most of the characters.

Apparently, the rain forecast meant that the crowd was much smaller, which was fantastic! We had no problem doing all of the activities Quinn wanted to do. We got on a few more rides and played some games too. Then we caught another show, “Elmo’s Christmas Wish.” I have a feeling that I enjoy the shows more than my five year old does! There was even an outdoor section with Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer and Clarice that we did not get to see last year since it was so cold. It was nicely set up and looked just like the land of misfits.

We ended our day at Sesame Place with the special Christmas Parade. My husband jokingly said, “Isn’t this the 100th time you’ve seen the parade?” No matter how many times we’ve been to Sesame Place or seen the parade, it is always the icing on the cake  not just Quinn but for me too. There’s such a positive energy and fun-filled happiness when we go to Sesame Place. Even if it was a dreary day,  the fun and memorable moments made it a sunny day to add to our Christmas memories.

All the best,

Tanya

On the Third Day of Christmas, My Daughter Gave to Me…Family Fun Time on a Christmas Train Ride

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On the third day of Christmas, my daughter gave to me…family fun time on a Christmas train ride. Last year, my daughter, husband, mother and I had such a fun time on the train ride with Santa at Strasburg Railroad, so it was on the top of our list for fun activities this year. On December 1st, we traveled to Ronks, PA, a little over an hour commute from our home, to board Santa’s Paradise Express to Paradise, PA and back. There was a bit of a chill in the air, so we were bundled up and ready to enjoy ourselves.

Before boarding the train, we were able to have a tasty lunch at the restaurant located at the station. Then we headed down to the boarding platform. “Here it comes, Mommy!” My five year old shouted as the train came down the track for us to board. I quickly snapped a picture of my family, and we eagerly hopped aboard and claimed our plush seats. The ride is 45 minutes, and within that time we met Santa, who gave Quinn a special wooden Strasburg Railroad ornament for our tree, enjoyed people caroling and playing instruments and just taking in the sights along the way.

The fun didn’t stop after our train ride. We were able to do some of the fun activities, such as meeting Mrs. Claus, writing a letter to Santa, and doing some of the riding activities. Luckily, we were able to squeeze in everything because it started to rain in the later part of the afternoon.

“I can’t wait to go on the train ride with Santa again next year,” Quinn told me. Actually, I can’t wait either!

All the best,

Tanya

On the Second Day of Christmas, My Daughter Gave to Me…Her Inspired Theme for Our Christmas Tree

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On the second day of Christmas, my daughter gave to me…her inspired theme for our Christmas tree. A major part of getting a Christmas tree is decorating it. It’s an opportunity to express creativity, to create a theme and to simply display your favorite colors or items. For the past three years, we’ve had a rainbow theme tree, but this year my five year old wanted to do something different.

Back in October, she said, “Mommy, how about a tree with our favorite colors? Pink and purple for me and blue for you?” I loved this idea but knew it was going to require us to go shopping for some new ornaments to really make our tree theme perfect. This was just fine with me because shopping for ornaments together is all a part of the fun process.

We started our search at Michaels in early November checking out their beautiful ornaments at 50 percent off, of course. Quinn then said, “How about a treat tree theme with different candies and cupcakes?” While I loved that idea too, I knew it would not only require a more in-depth search but more money too. So we put our heads together and came up with a theme: a pink, purple and turquoise tree with a few treats here and there to make our tree extra sweet.

Decorating our tree was a real treat! We had our Jackson Five Christmas music playing to set the mood, a step stool so that Quinn could easily reach some of the higher branches, and a strategy to make sure it was a nice balance or pink, purple and turquoise ornaments. I then made sure Quinn was still okay with naming our tree Gerald since it would be pink, purple and turquoise. She then reassured me that boys can wear pink and purple if they want and that it’s not just for girls. My response was, “No problem!”

The decorating process took a few hours. There’s beautiful ballerinas in turquoise and purple, a pink flamingo, pink elephants, a purple hot air balloon, purple, pink and turquoise birds and butterflies, a purple poodle, pink frosted donuts, pink and purple popsicles, cupcakes a roller skate, a unicorn, of course, and even Ralphie from the Christmas Story in his pink bunny suit.

We finished off our tree, Gerald, with purple, pink and turquoise tulle is wrapped around it from top to bottom with GlowBalls beautiful lights set in pastel hues to cascade off of the ornaments. I’m so happy Quinn asked about doing a new theme this year and am happy with the finished product.

Not only is the tree beautiful, but the experience of decorating it with my little girl is too.

All the best,

Tanya

On the First Day of Christmas, My Daughter Gave to Me…Fun Picking Out Our Christmas Tree

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On the first Day of Christmas, my daughter gave to me…fun picking out our Christmas tree. On Black Friday, when some were out searching for deals, my family was keeping with tradition searching for the perfect Christmas tree. It was more colder than 2017, 2016, 2015 and even 2014 when we wore light jackets or even jean jackets, but that didn’t stop us from seeking out a tall, wide, fluffy tree who would become a part of our family for the next month and a half or so.

Actually, we spotted “Gerald” shortly after arrived at the tree shop and knew he was the one, but we still milled around for another ten to fifteen minutes just in case there was a better one hiding amongst the others. Then, in the distance, we saw a family looking at “our” tree, so Quinn shouted, “Hurry! They’re going to get our tree!” We hustled back over to claim him, and both Quinn and I smiled knowing that the tree would be ours.

One of our traditions is to name our tree as a part of our family. We’ve had BG, short for Big Green, BGJ, short for Big Green junior and BG3, short for Big Green the third. Last year, Quinn picked a very interesting name: Heavenly Brownie! This year, she picked Gerald. When I asked her what made her choose that name, she said, “I just like it!” Who knows what we’ll call our tree next year, but I’m definitely looking forward to the experience.

Here’s to fond memories with our 2018 Christmas tree: Gerald!

All the best,

Tanya

Mathilde the Musical: Theatre Fun with My Little Girl

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“Mathilde’s parents were not very nice and were mean to her. But you’re not mean to me Mommy because you care about me and love me!” My five year old informed. Today, I took Quinn to see her second play at the Walnut Street Theatre with my sister and niece (her daughter). Last year, it was “Annie,” which was awesome, and this year it was “Mathilde,” which was just as good. Quinn was so excited to go see another play. As she looked through the playbill she even noticed a familiar face who was in last year’s production of “Annie.”

It was such a wonderful family outing, and allowed us to engage in discussion prior to the play about her expectations. Afterwards, we enjoyed talking about which scenes and characters she and my nice liked the most.  While some people may think going to the “theatre” (in my bourgeois stuffy voice) is not appropriate for children, I totally disagree, and my daughter would as well. She couldn’t wait to get home and how the playbill to her dad and tell him all about the play.

While this is only Quinn’s second year going to Walnut Street Theatre to see a play, I am looking forward to this being an ongoing tradition that we can look forward to with my sister and niece. Here’s to Walnut Street Theatre doing a superb job with the “Mathilde the Musical Production!” My little girl gives the play two thumbs up!

All the best,

Tanya

My Little Girl’s Cashing in on Learning Math!

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“Look at this! They have really good deals at Burger King! You can get a whole meal for just $3,” my five year old informed her daddy. Since Quinn was very young, we started teaching her the importance and value of money. She has her own piggy bank as well as an actual bank account and is aware of the importance of saving. While her kindergarten class will not be going over coins, dollars and their values, at the beginning of 2018, I thought it would be a wonderful idea to not only introduce her to this concept but to reinforce what she learns with activities related to math.

One of the activities is what we call “Mommy’s Coin Counting Store.” I purchased little price labels at the Dollar Tree and even had Quinn be a part of how much she thinks different items might cost. I was quite impressed with how accurate she was with many of the items. Then, we used the Learning Resources cash register I purchased her a few years ago to set up the shop. Initially, I was the shopkeeper, so I gave her a little wallet along with pennies, nickels, dimes, quarters, one dollar bills, five dollar bills, ten dollar bills and twenty dollar bills. It was tricky for her to count out the coins when the amount was not exact, but after a few times and having her just focus on specific coins instead of everything in her wallet, she did surprisingly well.

Whenever we go to the store and I’m paying cash for an item for her, I will have her pay and walk her through how much the item cost so that she can figure out how much to pay and how much she will get back in return. Just yesterday, she wanted to play with the cash register and count out bills herself. She even asked, “Mommy, are there $100 dollar bills?” When I replied yes, “She said, I wish I had one because I could trade in five twenty dollar bills for one 100 dollar bill.

There are so many adults who struggle with finances or even with counting money. I’m glad Quinn has a head start and hope this is setting the foundation for her managing her money properly, not letting anyone cheat her out of her money and understanding the importance of saving.

All the best,

Tanya