"Play and Pray" preschool- 1st class

I started taking little Alex to a preschool class through the local homeschool group.  It is twice a month, and each week has a lesson based on a virtue or a saint.  We start with a prayer, have sing and dance time, do a short lesson, then a craft, and end with a couple games.   The topic of the first class was Obedience.  The kids learned about Noah, and how he was obedient to God.    They were taught they should learn to obey their parents now, so that they can obey God when they are adults. This is all above little Alex’s head of course, but it is good for him to get some interaction with other kids.  And he had fun making the craft, which was a tissue paper rainbow.  We didn’t get very far, though.  The train set and play kitchen in the other room were calling his name…

The "finished" product!

 The kids "obeying" the leader during a game of Simon Says.

Mary Clare- 7 months

Time is going by so fast. I want it to slow down! We are having lots of fun with our baby girl. She is sitting up on her own now, and her little hands are constantly exploring and looking for something to grab so she can chew on it. She is still not making sleep one of her top priorities, and enjoys having all-night access to her favorite milk machine. In fact, things have been a bit worse the last few nights (teething, I think). I am not exaggerating when I say she wakes up every two hours (or less). She only falls asleep one of two ways: the swing, with some white noise in the background (how Alex gets her to take naps during the day) and nursing. I know people swear by it, but I can’t and won’t let her “cry it out”. I will suffer through the sleepless nights if it means having a happy, securely-attached baby. This is not to say that I am ignoring the fact that she has very poor sleep habits that need to be broken. I know how important sleep is for proper growth and development, and that she needs to learn how to self-soothe. Right now I am reading “The No Cry Sleep Solution”(I skimmed through this book when little Alex was a baby, but never put much effort into the suggestions since his sleep problems weren’t nearly as bad). In the next week or so, I will start logging her sleep patterns so when I start to implement the suggestions in the book, I will be able to track her progress. In the meantime, I am trying to enjoy this stage which will pass all too quickly. I really do love the bonding time we get at night when I am nursing her, and when she wakes up for the fifth time after only half and hour, I try to offer up my minor sufferings for others who are dealing with much worse burdens. I imagine the mothers who are also awake, but are tending to children who are in pain through injury or illness. And I think about Our Lady. I wonder if she had many sleepless nights with baby Jesus. I know things will get better, and I am grateful my first born is a great sleeper!

I love putting her in cute dresses for Mass, but they are so impractical.  They always ride up when she is being held.  She usually spends the rest the week in onesies. 

 

Mary and her little lamb

We got the jumper out a few weeks ago.  She seems to like it so far.

New bed

A few weeks ago, we put the toddler bed in little Alex’s room and prayed that it wouldn’t be a difficult transition.  Mary had reached the weight limit on the bassinet, and we didn’t want to buy another crib (even though we are co-sleeping right now due to her sleep issues- more on that later).  Well, it was easier than I thought it would be!  He slept all night through the first night in his “boy bed” (big boy bed).  I imagined him screaming and banging on the doors, or just getting up and playing with his toys.  I think he does get up a bit earlier in the mornings than he used to (sometimes we can hear him playing with his toys on the monitor), but I am so happy it worked out well!

My Little Helper

Little Alex loves to follow us around and “help” with whatever we are doing.  He loves to open/close the doors as we leave, turn the fan on every morning, fill up his sippy cups, and get the infant tub out for Mary’s baths.  If we forget to let him do one of these things and do them ourselves, he starts sobbing and saying “helping” over and over.  So cute!  Even though allowing him to help makes some chores take twice as long (yesterday he took my neatly sorted and folded piles of clothes and dumped them back in the laundry basket) it is adorable to see his face light up when he is able to participate.  I know this stage won’t last long, and someday I will be begging  him to help out around the house!

Goodbye summer!

Life has been pretty chaotic, but I found a moment to update and post a few pictures.  We are enjoying some relief from the scorching heat (it was the hottest summer ever recorded in Houston) and are finally able to enjoy some outdoor activities.  I don't think we have been to the park in 3 months.  It has been a good time to catch up on things around the apartment.  Looking forward to the nice fall weather and fun fall festivals and activities.