If You Read a Kid a Book...

If you read a kid If You Give a Pig a Pancake, he'll see the glass of orange juice in the picture and he'll want to drink some, just like the pig.

You'll have to make some, and when you open the freezer to get out the orange juice concentrate, he'll remember that the freezer is where you keep the popsicles, and he'll ask for one.

When he eats the popsicle, he'll get all sticky, and he'll want to take a bath.

When he goes into the bathroom, he'll see the cabinet and remember that the cotton balls are stored in there.

He'll want to get out the cotton balls and have a "snowball fight" with them, like he did at school.

Having a "snowball fight" will remind him of school and he'll want to have circle time.

He'll go and get pillows for you both to sit on, and he'll make you sing the "Hello Song", like they do during circle time at school.

Singing will remind him of another song that he wants to hear, and he'll look for the remote to the computer so that he can play some music.

He'll find the play button, and the new Vampire Weekend album will come on.

Hearing the new Vampire Weekend album will remind him of the last time he heard it, in the car.

He'll want to get his shoes on and go out to the car so he can "drive".

At this point, you'll draw the line because it's almost 8 o'clock at night and he still needs to take a bath. You'll coax him into the tub, get his teeth brushed, and his jammies on.

Having his jammies on will remind him that he wants to read a bedtime story. You'll tell him that there is time for only ONE book before bed.

And of course, he'll choose If You Give a Pig a Pancake!

Baby Sister

Due May 26th, Baby Sister is looking great so far! And we've had quite a few looks already. This pregnancy is considered "high risk" because Mars was preterm. I feel great, however, and am very optimistic about the outcome this time, considering our plan of action:

Weekly until 36 weeks: Progesterone injections (proven to reduce the risk of preterm labor)
Twice a month until 28 weeks, then as needed until 40 weeks: Cervical ultrasounds (to make sure my cervix remains long and closed - we also get to see how the little girl is doing each time)
Monthly until 28 weeks, then twice a month until 32 weeks, then weekly until 40 weeks: Visits with my OB (regular prenatal care, thyroid checks, and infection checks)

It's a lot of trips to the doctor, but it'll be SO worth it when I get to hold my healthy full-term baby!

Oh, and in case you can't tell, you're looking at a profile of Baby Sister. Her chin is raised and she's bringing a little hand up toward her face:)

2 year old Marley

Marley has been two for an entire month now! Here's a little glimpse into the life of 2 year old Marley:

*Weighs 29lbs (same as at 18 months, 70th percentile)
*Is 35 inches tall (also 70th percentile, but over two inches taller than at 18 months)
*Wears size 2T clothing
*Still sleeps in our room, sidecarring in his crib, but will soon be getting his own big boy room!
*Likes to hug his bears while he falls asleep
*No longer drinks from a bottle
*Sometimes goes pee pee in the potty
*Enjoys taking showers
*Really likes Elmo
*Still enjoys signing and watches Signing Time regularly
*Loves to sing and listen to music
*Can count to 10
*Can sing his ABC's and recognizes about 10 letters consistently
*Knows many shapes and colors
*Can build a really high tower of blocks
*Uses long sentences, and frequently says combinations of words that we have never heard him say before (the other day he said, "I'm going downstairs, and I'm taking Big Bear wif me."
*Frequently refers to things by size (Little Tiny Bear vs. Big Bear)
*Still loves lots of different foods (current favorites are broccoli, ravioli, and soup of any kind) and is usually willing to try something new.
*Wants to be "like Daddy" and copies lots of things Jeff does (is especially interested in drinking coffee right now, and loves to have his beverage served in a mug "like Daddy")
*Hates to have his teeth brushed
*Loves going to school (daycare) everyday
*Likes to be "Batman" after his bath, by wearing a hooded towel and running around the house
*Is becoming quite independent and can often be heard saying, "I wanna do it myself" or "No, I don't like it," (usually in reference to getting into the car seat or picking out clothes in the morning)
*Is going to be a great big brother to his baby sister!

Catching Up

Here are some photos and videos from Marley's birthday and Christmas that I've been meaning to post. Enjoy!

Our Little Picasso

Happy Birthday to You!

Stay tuned for a better birthday update. In the mean time, here's Marley opening his present from Auntie Sarah. I hope you like the sound of crinkling paper!

Parent-Teacher Conferences

I love the Thanksgiving weekend holiday! Yes, it's great spending time with friends and family, and eating lots of yummy food. But, mainly I love it because it means I'm done with fall report cards and conferences! I just feel SO relaxed after finishing this very stressful part of my job. Conferences went fine this year. I ended up with three no-shows that I wasn't able to reschedule. Oh well! I held 25 successful conferences (that's 12.5 hours of actual conferencing on top of the approximately 14 hours of doing report cards!).

The most exciting thing this year was attending my first conference as a parent. Marley's teacher decided to hold conferences this year to share what they have been learning, and how he is doing in school. Her goal was to identify his strengths and challenges, and to tailor his experiences at school to meet his needs as a learner. Wow - sounds familiar!

Anyway, the cool part was that she used video evidence to show examples of his cognitive, social, motor, and language development. She told us that he's fitting in really well there, gets along with other kids easily, and has picked up all the daily routines. I hope you enjoy Marley's conference video as much as we did!