My little girl had a big milestone today: her very first day of school for the rest of her life! Yes, it's only pre-school 3 mornings a week, but it brought more significant meaning: Abby separated beautifully and played nicely with the other kids. Today was a shortened day as the kids transition but all in all, it seemed to go really well and I could not be more proud. I was definitely more sad than she was!
Now that the official school year has started for her (and me), I am looking forward to many changes and developments for my little munchkin. I am hoping she'll become a better sharer and listener and will hopefully pick up some potty training tips from the other kids as well.
On another note, Abby's verbal development has really taken off the past several weeks, as she is using many more sentences and phrases and fewer words. We still push her to say "please" and "thank you" more, but every day she surprises us with a sentence or phrase we never heard her say before. She also now knows her last name, which is pretty cute to hear her say "Abby Strongin" and be very proud of herself!
I am so excited to see what the year brings for all of us!
Monday, September 21, 2009
Monday, August 31, 2009
The Dental Report
This past Saturday marked a first for Abby - her first visit to the dentist! I was quite skeptical about the whole process since she barely lets me brush her teeth, let alone having a stranger pry inside her mouth! But I was pleasantly surprised with the whole experience. The office was totally themed like an airport/airplane, with the hallway as a runway and the walls as cockpits. The receptionist asked if there was a particular movie Abby would want to watch during her cleaning. The assistant and dentist were both extremely patient and even sang to Abby to distract her as they counted all 20 teeth, cleaned and polished them. She even got to pick out a toy afterwards!
The upshot? No cavities (yay!) but we were told Abby's little (major) pacifier habit had to end, as her front teeth were being pushed out from it (boo). While I hate that she loves the paci, it's a great way to bribe her to do something ("if you don't come here now, you won't get your paci tonight") and of course, it's a huge comfort to her at naps and bedtime.
So for her nap on Saturday, we tried just giving her one paci (usually she sucks on one and holds one) and it wasn't too much of a fight, though we had to keep telling her the choice was either one paci or no pacis, so obviously she chose one. She's been sleeping ok so far with just one but the big issue will come when we get rid of them totally. The dentist suggested that we have her "give" them to a baby who needs them (i.e. our niece) or bribe her with a toy she wants. I know none of these options are going to go over well and I am not sure if it's best to try to get it over with sooner - this weekend - or later - closer to when she is 2.5 years, at the end of the year. Whenever it is, we know it will be difficult on all of us!!
The upshot? No cavities (yay!) but we were told Abby's little (major) pacifier habit had to end, as her front teeth were being pushed out from it (boo). While I hate that she loves the paci, it's a great way to bribe her to do something ("if you don't come here now, you won't get your paci tonight") and of course, it's a huge comfort to her at naps and bedtime.
So for her nap on Saturday, we tried just giving her one paci (usually she sucks on one and holds one) and it wasn't too much of a fight, though we had to keep telling her the choice was either one paci or no pacis, so obviously she chose one. She's been sleeping ok so far with just one but the big issue will come when we get rid of them totally. The dentist suggested that we have her "give" them to a baby who needs them (i.e. our niece) or bribe her with a toy she wants. I know none of these options are going to go over well and I am not sure if it's best to try to get it over with sooner - this weekend - or later - closer to when she is 2.5 years, at the end of the year. Whenever it is, we know it will be difficult on all of us!!
Monday, August 17, 2009
Overtired
Having a toddler is tiring. Really, really tiring. It's tiring having to repeat yourself numerous times to get your 2-year-old to listen to you. It's tiring chasing after your 2-year-old when she won't listen to you unless you bribe her with ice cream or pizza. It's tiring hearing your own voice say "no" or "come here" or "stop it" over and over again.
Being a toddler must be tiring as well, especially when you spend half the day crying, whining, running around and NOT listening to your parents. It's also probably tiring when you decide to wake up before 7 am for 2 straight weeks and don't feel like going to bed until much later than normal.
Thankfully, there is light at the end of the very tiring tunnel. Today, my little 2-year-old made up for 2 weeks of early wake-ups with a miraculous 9 am wake-up. Presumably after sleeping for 13.5 hours, she will be in a better mood today and more apt to listen to her mother. I can only hope that the next few nights, Abby's overtiredness will not extend to me since Jason is going away for a few days and will leave me to take care of Abby, Sadie and myself all alone. I will try to hang in there but I will be rather happy when I have another set of hands back at the end of the week and I can get some much-needed sleep!!
Being a toddler must be tiring as well, especially when you spend half the day crying, whining, running around and NOT listening to your parents. It's also probably tiring when you decide to wake up before 7 am for 2 straight weeks and don't feel like going to bed until much later than normal.
Thankfully, there is light at the end of the very tiring tunnel. Today, my little 2-year-old made up for 2 weeks of early wake-ups with a miraculous 9 am wake-up. Presumably after sleeping for 13.5 hours, she will be in a better mood today and more apt to listen to her mother. I can only hope that the next few nights, Abby's overtiredness will not extend to me since Jason is going away for a few days and will leave me to take care of Abby, Sadie and myself all alone. I will try to hang in there but I will be rather happy when I have another set of hands back at the end of the week and I can get some much-needed sleep!!
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Terrible Twos or Teething?
Whoops, it's been close to a month since I last had any good Abby updates or stories! Bad mommy! So I'll give you the download on this past weekend's events which caused me to wonder: is Abby going through the Terrible Two's or Teething (or both)??
Friday afternoon, we went to Abby's cousin Matthew's 3rd birthday party and then to a BBQ at his house. That evening, Abby was in a good mood but we came home and discovered she was running a low fever - around 99/100. We gave her some Motrin and sent her to bed, only to be woken at 1:30 am as she was throwing up in her crib. We dreaded a stomach virus - the last one was not exactly pleasant and getting her to eat or drink anything was a challenge. The next morning, she woke up with a fever but insisted on drinking her milk, which is a big no-no for an upset stomach. We took our chances and she gulped down 6 ozs and it stayed down - whew. The rest of the day was pretty low-key - she napped for 4 hours, had a fever on and off and was pretty tired and cranky.
The next day, Sunday, she woke up without a fever and ate and drank normally. I couldn't believe that this "virus" was so short-lived. After an unusual early morning nap, Abby woke up and was beyond cranky. She whined or cried at the drop of a hat, and was only happy the few minutes she was on the swing at the park, eating ice cream or in the pool that day. I figured she was just being a good ol' "terrible toddler" and chalked it up to a bad day and I went to bed early.
Monday rolled around and she felt and acted much better, though was still cranky. It finally crossed my mind that perhaps the fever/throwing up/crankiness (and a slightly runny nose, by the way) were all a result of teething, since a virus usually lasts much longer. She still had her top two molars which had not come through yet, so perhaps they were the culprits of her behavior over the weekend. Low and behold, Tuesday night as I was brushing her teeth, I saw one of her top molars poking through.
While Abby is generally a very easy-going child, I realize it is normal at her age to have tantrums and breakdowns, but I am relieved to know that this one, at least, had a good reason and now she only has ONE more tooth to pop through until she has all 20 baby teeth!
Friday afternoon, we went to Abby's cousin Matthew's 3rd birthday party and then to a BBQ at his house. That evening, Abby was in a good mood but we came home and discovered she was running a low fever - around 99/100. We gave her some Motrin and sent her to bed, only to be woken at 1:30 am as she was throwing up in her crib. We dreaded a stomach virus - the last one was not exactly pleasant and getting her to eat or drink anything was a challenge. The next morning, she woke up with a fever but insisted on drinking her milk, which is a big no-no for an upset stomach. We took our chances and she gulped down 6 ozs and it stayed down - whew. The rest of the day was pretty low-key - she napped for 4 hours, had a fever on and off and was pretty tired and cranky.
The next day, Sunday, she woke up without a fever and ate and drank normally. I couldn't believe that this "virus" was so short-lived. After an unusual early morning nap, Abby woke up and was beyond cranky. She whined or cried at the drop of a hat, and was only happy the few minutes she was on the swing at the park, eating ice cream or in the pool that day. I figured she was just being a good ol' "terrible toddler" and chalked it up to a bad day and I went to bed early.
Monday rolled around and she felt and acted much better, though was still cranky. It finally crossed my mind that perhaps the fever/throwing up/crankiness (and a slightly runny nose, by the way) were all a result of teething, since a virus usually lasts much longer. She still had her top two molars which had not come through yet, so perhaps they were the culprits of her behavior over the weekend. Low and behold, Tuesday night as I was brushing her teeth, I saw one of her top molars poking through.
While Abby is generally a very easy-going child, I realize it is normal at her age to have tantrums and breakdowns, but I am relieved to know that this one, at least, had a good reason and now she only has ONE more tooth to pop through until she has all 20 baby teeth!
Monday, June 29, 2009
PB success!
5 days after Abby turned 2, we gave her peanut butter for the first time, and...SUCCESS! We have a peanut butter lover who is not allergic and we've added another food group to Abby's palate!
This is particularly exciting for me because I despise peanuts (or any nuts for that matter), peanut butter or anything nutty, so as a child I would eat jelly sandwiches at camp or school (which are quite delicious but not all that healthy). I am happy that Abby doesn't have any nut allergy issues, which will make her life at school, camp and playdates much easier, not to mention it's an easy and relatively healthy meal or snack. Yay!
This is particularly exciting for me because I despise peanuts (or any nuts for that matter), peanut butter or anything nutty, so as a child I would eat jelly sandwiches at camp or school (which are quite delicious but not all that healthy). I am happy that Abby doesn't have any nut allergy issues, which will make her life at school, camp and playdates much easier, not to mention it's an easy and relatively healthy meal or snack. Yay!
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
The Birthday Weekend Round-Up
Well, my little girl is officially 2! And Abby had quite a weekend of festivities to celebrate. We started out the morning of her birthday by giving her a new play kitchen, compliments of her grandparents. We then went to Stone Hill Farms to check out the sheep, chickens and cows with her friend Justin and his mommy. Following her nap, we headed to the park with Justin where she enjoyed the swings for what seemed like forever. In the evening, our little 2-year old enjoyed a "delicious" cupcake at home and her Grammy Sheryl arrived.
Saturday was her birthday party at Little Scoops, an old-fashioned ice cream parlor in Rye Brook. She actually enjoyed being the center of attention, though I wasn't really sure she quite understood what was going on and why all of her friends and family were there! But she played nicely and enjoyed her cake and ice cream, and then promptly fell asleep on the way home from all of the excitement.
For Father's Day the next day, we enjoyed dinner at Grandma and Pop-Pop's country club, where Abby and her cousin Matthew had the best time playing together.
Monday morning started off with a 2-year check-up at the pediatrician, where Dr. E answered all of my crazy questions. Abby weighed in around the 20th percentile at 24 lbs and measured in at 32 3/4", which is about the 30th percentile. There is hope she will be at least 5'0" or taller! Whew! And we got the thumbs-up to try peanuts, etc...so if she likes it, we might have a new food group for her.
The last day of the "weekend" (because I took off work this whole time) was also Grammy's birthday, so we went to the Bronx Zoo to check out all the animals on Tuesday. Abby loved seeing the peacocks, elephants, deer, zebras, giraffes, gorillas and more. She really had a great time and it's wonderful to see how much she understands, especially compared to when we went for her 1st birthday. The afternoon ended with a cup of ice cream and a 3-hour nap - a great day for all :).
All in all, it was a wonderful birthday weekend for Abby, my mom and me. And I am thrilled that we have nothing planned for this coming weekend so we can enjoy all of the fabulous gifts she received!!
Saturday was her birthday party at Little Scoops, an old-fashioned ice cream parlor in Rye Brook. She actually enjoyed being the center of attention, though I wasn't really sure she quite understood what was going on and why all of her friends and family were there! But she played nicely and enjoyed her cake and ice cream, and then promptly fell asleep on the way home from all of the excitement.
For Father's Day the next day, we enjoyed dinner at Grandma and Pop-Pop's country club, where Abby and her cousin Matthew had the best time playing together.
Monday morning started off with a 2-year check-up at the pediatrician, where Dr. E answered all of my crazy questions. Abby weighed in around the 20th percentile at 24 lbs and measured in at 32 3/4", which is about the 30th percentile. There is hope she will be at least 5'0" or taller! Whew! And we got the thumbs-up to try peanuts, etc...so if she likes it, we might have a new food group for her.
The last day of the "weekend" (because I took off work this whole time) was also Grammy's birthday, so we went to the Bronx Zoo to check out all the animals on Tuesday. Abby loved seeing the peacocks, elephants, deer, zebras, giraffes, gorillas and more. She really had a great time and it's wonderful to see how much she understands, especially compared to when we went for her 1st birthday. The afternoon ended with a cup of ice cream and a 3-hour nap - a great day for all :).
All in all, it was a wonderful birthday weekend for Abby, my mom and me. And I am thrilled that we have nothing planned for this coming weekend so we can enjoy all of the fabulous gifts she received!!
Thursday, June 18, 2009
One more day of the one's
I am saying goodbye to the ones - in about 12 hours, Abby will turn TWO! What a mix of emotions I'm feeling - excitement for the next phase and seeing what she'll learn and do and nervous for the challenges this stage of toddlerdom will bring.
My hopes for her this next year (in no particular order) are:
- to love and prosper in preschool
- to become potty trained
- to sleep in a big girl bed (later rather than sooner)
- to learn colors (seriously, not everything is "red"!)
- to learn to share
These tasks seem minor in comparison to what she learned to do this year, including walking, talking, feeding and dressing herself!
In the meantime, we have her birthday party this weekend and then her big 2-year check-up at the doctor on Monday. Grandma Sheryl is coming in town and Abby's friends will all be able to help her celebrate this milestone.
Happy Birthday, sweet pea! Mommy and Daddy love you so much!
My hopes for her this next year (in no particular order) are:
- to love and prosper in preschool
- to become potty trained
- to sleep in a big girl bed (later rather than sooner)
- to learn colors (seriously, not everything is "red"!)
- to learn to share
These tasks seem minor in comparison to what she learned to do this year, including walking, talking, feeding and dressing herself!
In the meantime, we have her birthday party this weekend and then her big 2-year check-up at the doctor on Monday. Grandma Sheryl is coming in town and Abby's friends will all be able to help her celebrate this milestone.
Happy Birthday, sweet pea! Mommy and Daddy love you so much!
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