Tuesday, May 6, 2008
Like Mother, Like Daughter
This morning Sasha was dancing to Depeche Mode "Shake the Disease". Will there still be goths when she's a teenager?
Friday, May 2, 2008
Up, Mommy!
Sasha's uttered her first "sentence" today, "Up, Mommy!" It sounded a wee bit unintentional, but I'm still counting it as a first. Every day her vocabulary expands and I'm amazed at what she can communicate. I think I may still be the resident linguistic expert on the language of Sasha, but I know that she intends each and every one. Some of her favorites:
"Eeef" = leaf
"Cheee" = tree
"Nun"= sun
"Tuck" = truck
"bat" = bath
"bed"
Well, it goes on quite a bit. She's also totally grasped the rituals and routines we have around the house. When she's ready for bed, she'll sometimes grab her blanket, wrap it around her shoulders, and say, "Shhhhhh..." because this is what I say when I rock her a bit before bed. It's always great when she does this because I know it'll be an easy night of going to bed.
She's also very into the great outdoors. I think she would be happy if we spent every waking hour "out tide." When she wants to go out, she grabs her coat and tries to put it on and then grabs her shoes and tries to put those on. Of course, she can't get them on by herself, so she gathers everything up, stands by the door, and says, "out tide, out tide!" She gets very upset when we don't go outside. I have been meaning to scour craigslist for some outdoor play toys, as there isn't much going on in our back yard. I did get her a little pail and shovel, and she does like playing in the dirt, but we need more options.
She's still enjoying school, but the late afternoons have become trying for her. She has caught on to the ritual of parents arriving to pick up her classmates, and has begun crying for me when other moms come to pick up their kids. Her teachers say it's normal for her age and should go away in the next couple of months. It pains me to see her crying when I get there, or to think of her getting sad when another parent shows up and it's not me. Still, she's easily soothed and she clearly likes being at school for the most part.
There is a lot on my mind that I would love to blog about, mainly regarding some recent postings on my parents' list serv that have been so inspiring and brave and thought-provoking. I'll have to save my thoughts for another time, though. I've been enjoying my cozy time in bed with a book and we have to get up early tomorrow to go to Olympia.
Until then, good night.
"Eeef" = leaf
"Cheee" = tree
"Nun"= sun
"Tuck" = truck
"bat" = bath
"bed"
Well, it goes on quite a bit. She's also totally grasped the rituals and routines we have around the house. When she's ready for bed, she'll sometimes grab her blanket, wrap it around her shoulders, and say, "Shhhhhh..." because this is what I say when I rock her a bit before bed. It's always great when she does this because I know it'll be an easy night of going to bed.
She's also very into the great outdoors. I think she would be happy if we spent every waking hour "out tide." When she wants to go out, she grabs her coat and tries to put it on and then grabs her shoes and tries to put those on. Of course, she can't get them on by herself, so she gathers everything up, stands by the door, and says, "out tide, out tide!" She gets very upset when we don't go outside. I have been meaning to scour craigslist for some outdoor play toys, as there isn't much going on in our back yard. I did get her a little pail and shovel, and she does like playing in the dirt, but we need more options.
She's still enjoying school, but the late afternoons have become trying for her. She has caught on to the ritual of parents arriving to pick up her classmates, and has begun crying for me when other moms come to pick up their kids. Her teachers say it's normal for her age and should go away in the next couple of months. It pains me to see her crying when I get there, or to think of her getting sad when another parent shows up and it's not me. Still, she's easily soothed and she clearly likes being at school for the most part.
There is a lot on my mind that I would love to blog about, mainly regarding some recent postings on my parents' list serv that have been so inspiring and brave and thought-provoking. I'll have to save my thoughts for another time, though. I've been enjoying my cozy time in bed with a book and we have to get up early tomorrow to go to Olympia.
Until then, good night.
Thursday, April 3, 2008
a quick update
From a letter written to Colleen this afternoon:
First, she has come up with so many words. I don't know how they happened, but suddenly, there they are. She says "ghen" for "Gwen" - it's so funny to hear her say it, too. I mean, usually we are saying it with a slight (or not) tone of admonishment in our voices, and she is able to match us tone for tone. "Ghen!"
What else is she saying? "Whoa!" is huge right now. And, although "hot" was one of her first words, she now uses it to describe pretty much anything she is unsure of, especially a particularly odd texture, like a bumpy rock. I guess more than words is what she is able to understand. She puts things away when we ask her to and she puts them in the right place! And, the other night, she pulled out a shoe from my closet and put it on my foot, indicating that she'd like me to put it on. I asked her to get me the other shoe, and she went and pulled out its exact match, even though the shoe was upside down in a pile of other shoes! She then went on to do this with two other pairs.
And, she loves shoes, especially her red shoes. They were sitting on the couch last night, and she got up and put them back on the side table where we keep them - moving each, one by one, until they were where they are supposed to be. My little organizer!
A funny thing: this morning I was trying to get her to brush her teeth with me. She was sitting outside of the bathroom, watching Jay get out of the shower and get ready. I asked her to look at me so I could brush her teeth. She ignored me. I said, "Saaashaaaa. Let's brush our teeth." She refused to look in my direction. I tried a few more times to get her attention, but she knew what I wanted and she was having none of it.
First, she has come up with so many words. I don't know how they happened, but suddenly, there they are. She says "ghen" for "Gwen" - it's so funny to hear her say it, too. I mean, usually we are saying it with a slight (or not) tone of admonishment in our voices, and she is able to match us tone for tone. "Ghen!"
What else is she saying? "Whoa!" is huge right now. And, although "hot" was one of her first words, she now uses it to describe pretty much anything she is unsure of, especially a particularly odd texture, like a bumpy rock. I guess more than words is what she is able to understand. She puts things away when we ask her to and she puts them in the right place! And, the other night, she pulled out a shoe from my closet and put it on my foot, indicating that she'd like me to put it on. I asked her to get me the other shoe, and she went and pulled out its exact match, even though the shoe was upside down in a pile of other shoes! She then went on to do this with two other pairs.
And, she loves shoes, especially her red shoes. They were sitting on the couch last night, and she got up and put them back on the side table where we keep them - moving each, one by one, until they were where they are supposed to be. My little organizer!
A funny thing: this morning I was trying to get her to brush her teeth with me. She was sitting outside of the bathroom, watching Jay get out of the shower and get ready. I asked her to look at me so I could brush her teeth. She ignored me. I said, "Saaashaaaa. Let's brush our teeth." She refused to look in my direction. I tried a few more times to get her attention, but she knew what I wanted and she was having none of it.
Thursday, March 27, 2008
ch-ch-ch-changes
The reason that I haven't updated this in so long is complex and, if it were to be explained, would require a detailed agenda and accompanying pie charts. Suffice to say that the biggest wedge of the I-have-no-time-to-blog-because pie is called Employment. Looking for employment, interviewing for employment, and gaining employment.
After two months of searching for a job, and all the ego bashing blows that come along with the process, I was hired as an office manager for a large non-profit. So that I am not one day fired for talking about my job on the internet, I will not name names. Let's just say that it's a very good organization that focuses on community building and providing resources for children and their families. I actually had a relationship with this organization through my work at FareStart, so it's deja vu to now be working on the other side.
So far, the transition from full-time motherhood to full-time work/full-time motherhood has been generally smooth. Sasha started daycare in January so that I could look for work, and so we didn't have to go through that transition at the same time as my starting a new job. I already felt confident that Sasha was happy in her daycare situation when I started working, which was a huge load off my mind.
I really dreaded the whole going back to work thing for a long time, but I feel I really got lucky in finding a great job at a great organization working for really wonderful people. The mission of the organization is already so deep within my being that it feels effortless to support this place. I know that the work I'm doing is important and only makes the community that Sasha will grow up in a better place, so I truly feel that everything I'm doing is for her and for my family. We're financially in a better place, and I'm giving to the community at large. This is why I love working for non-profits. It's made every unlikeable thing about working full time and not spending as much time with Sasha more manageable.
Other than my new job, things keep moving along at the Hilwig household. Sasha continues to be a powerhouse, exploring everything in her world at breakneck speed. She's mastered walking and now runs everywhere as fast as she can. She's climbing the furniture like a monkey, which means we can't let her out of our sight for one moment. Luckily, all of our furniture is pretty low to the ground, so there's not far to fall.
She's learning new words every day it seems. Just yesterday morning, she pointed to her foot and said, "toes!" I took her to the eye doctor (nothing wrong with her eyes, don't worry) and there was a lion sticker on the wall. She pointed at the lion several times during our visit and said clearly, "Lion!" She also now says, "uh-oh" and "owww" which help me recognize when she's either gotten into trouble or hurt herself - two frequent occurrences.
She likes to throw things in the garbage, which is great, and also to take things out of the garbage, which is not so great. Especially when she eats the garbage.
I will try to update this more frequently, but I'm not making any promises. When I have the choice of updating this or cuddling with my family... well, it's not really a contest.
Much love,
Kari
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Happiness is...
Sasha started laughing and clapping when we pulled up to her daycare this morning. She enthusiastically rang the door bell, and when we got inside and she heard all her friends playing, she wrestled out of my arms to run into the toddler room. I guess this means she likes school?
We had a great weekend of sunshine, playing outside, catching up on naps (she doesn't nap so much at school), and visiting with friends. I'll post pictures when we get around to uploading them. There are some great shots of Sasha running around outside and visiting with her friends at Tougo Coffee.
She is very much into running everywhere. No more tentatively walking - this girl is on the move! The only time she takes pause is when the terrain changes, ie., going from pavement to grass. She takes a moment to assess the new terrain and then gingerly crosses over. It's so adorable.
She's also using lots of words now. "Baby" is a big word for her, as are the old stalwarts "baba," "hi," and "bye." It's cool that she can repeat words, though, even if she doesn't bring them up again for a while. She's repeated "milk" (sounds like "mih"), "thank you" (sounds like "darnk ku"), and "cool." Other words she knows and uses: "eye," "head/hat/hair" (they all kind of sound the same and she touches her head for all of them," "cheese" (sounds like "ghee"), and "teeth" (she does the teeth brushing pantomime for this word).
She loves reading books and now will sit with her books and flip the pages by herself, making up her own words for the pictures. Every day, she seems less like a baby and more like a toddler. It's scary wonderful!
We had a great weekend of sunshine, playing outside, catching up on naps (she doesn't nap so much at school), and visiting with friends. I'll post pictures when we get around to uploading them. There are some great shots of Sasha running around outside and visiting with her friends at Tougo Coffee.
She is very much into running everywhere. No more tentatively walking - this girl is on the move! The only time she takes pause is when the terrain changes, ie., going from pavement to grass. She takes a moment to assess the new terrain and then gingerly crosses over. It's so adorable.
She's also using lots of words now. "Baby" is a big word for her, as are the old stalwarts "baba," "hi," and "bye." It's cool that she can repeat words, though, even if she doesn't bring them up again for a while. She's repeated "milk" (sounds like "mih"), "thank you" (sounds like "darnk ku"), and "cool." Other words she knows and uses: "eye," "head/hat/hair" (they all kind of sound the same and she touches her head for all of them," "cheese" (sounds like "ghee"), and "teeth" (she does the teeth brushing pantomime for this word).
She loves reading books and now will sit with her books and flip the pages by herself, making up her own words for the pictures. Every day, she seems less like a baby and more like a toddler. It's scary wonderful!
Monday, February 11, 2008
Sasha: A Year in Pictures
High Five
Sorry to leave you hanging there. Things seemed pretty sad last time you checked in, didn't they? I assure you, the delay in posting was not due to me laying on the couch incapacitated with Sasha withdrawal, forced by lack of will into watching daytime television and massive binging on Hostess products. Believe me, I'm quite capable of multi-tasking. In fact, this skill has been highlighted on my resume. Is it my fault no one ever asks what it is exactly that I multi-task?
In all seriousness, the last few weeks have actually been quite good in the daycare department. Sure, the first week Sasha and I were both puddles on the floor, bursting into tears when we pulled up in front of her daycare. It did get better, though. So much better, in fact, that when I think of the possibility of her not being there (say, because no employer is wowed by my multitasking ability), a shadow of panic falls over my heart. It is clearly an amazing place and I feel so lucky that we stumbled into an opening, especially after several months of calling other daycares only to be put on long waiting lists.
I had some doubts and fears at first. Were these people to be trusted with my baby? Were they smiling to my face and then shoving choking hazards down her throat as soon as I walked out the door? Was Sasha crying from the moment I left until the moment I picked her up? Is she being picked on by the older toddlers? Would she ever forgive me?
Each day, though, brought relief as I saw her transition quickly to this new experience. For the first week or so, she'd burst into tears when she saw me walk in the door, desperately waving "bye" to everyone so that we could leave NOW. Last week something changed. She still cries in the morning, although not as much as at first, and the biggest change is when I come to pick her up. Now when she sees me, she waves and runs over to give me a hug. Then, she gets right back to whatever it was she was doing. Today I put on her coat and hat and while looking for her shoes, she ran off to play with her friends. The teacher asked her if she was going home, and she shook her head, "No."
She's matured so much in just the last few weeks of daycare, too. Her vocabulary and ability to mimic words is more refined. She interacts more pointedly with other toddlers; less parallel play and more actual interaction. She now "high-fives" and dances to the slightest hint of a song. The teacher told me that today she was dancing to the computer's start up jingle. It makes me happy to see her respond to music so joyously. She even tries to sing sometimes.
All of this makes the arduous task of looking for work and worrying about money less stressful. All of my worry can now go into finding gainful employment because I know she's safe and happy when I'm not with her. This is priceless (translation: about $1000/month).
Stay tuned for a photographic retrospective: Sasha: 2007-2008, a Year in Pictures.
In all seriousness, the last few weeks have actually been quite good in the daycare department. Sure, the first week Sasha and I were both puddles on the floor, bursting into tears when we pulled up in front of her daycare. It did get better, though. So much better, in fact, that when I think of the possibility of her not being there (say, because no employer is wowed by my multitasking ability), a shadow of panic falls over my heart. It is clearly an amazing place and I feel so lucky that we stumbled into an opening, especially after several months of calling other daycares only to be put on long waiting lists.
I had some doubts and fears at first. Were these people to be trusted with my baby? Were they smiling to my face and then shoving choking hazards down her throat as soon as I walked out the door? Was Sasha crying from the moment I left until the moment I picked her up? Is she being picked on by the older toddlers? Would she ever forgive me?
Each day, though, brought relief as I saw her transition quickly to this new experience. For the first week or so, she'd burst into tears when she saw me walk in the door, desperately waving "bye" to everyone so that we could leave NOW. Last week something changed. She still cries in the morning, although not as much as at first, and the biggest change is when I come to pick her up. Now when she sees me, she waves and runs over to give me a hug. Then, she gets right back to whatever it was she was doing. Today I put on her coat and hat and while looking for her shoes, she ran off to play with her friends. The teacher asked her if she was going home, and she shook her head, "No."
She's matured so much in just the last few weeks of daycare, too. Her vocabulary and ability to mimic words is more refined. She interacts more pointedly with other toddlers; less parallel play and more actual interaction. She now "high-fives" and dances to the slightest hint of a song. The teacher told me that today she was dancing to the computer's start up jingle. It makes me happy to see her respond to music so joyously. She even tries to sing sometimes.
All of this makes the arduous task of looking for work and worrying about money less stressful. All of my worry can now go into finding gainful employment because I know she's safe and happy when I'm not with her. This is priceless (translation: about $1000/month).
Stay tuned for a photographic retrospective: Sasha: 2007-2008, a Year in Pictures.
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