I grew up very close to my mom's extended family. My mom has 3 sisters and 1 brother, and they all still live on the same street as each other. My grandparents live there too. My parents even live in the house where my mom grew up; they bought it from my grandparents when I was 10.
My mom has always been close to all of her siblings, and they were always around, so their kids were too. Some of my cousins are more like siblings than cousins to me. I feel fortunate that I have such a great extended family, and I could as easily call my aunts for advice as I could call my own mom.
Even though I had this great example of sibling closeness, I knew that I wasn't going to stick around the town where I grew up. Once I graduated high school, I was OUTTA THERE!! I went to college in the "big city" (Madison) a few hours away, and I've stayed in this area ever since. I had the typical small town teen angst, and I didn't realize at the time that I had a pretty cool, unique experience.
At this point in my life, I don't see myself ever moving back. I am very happy with my life here. This is where I'm meant to be. Sometimes it makes me sad though. Evie will never live down the street from her cousins. She won't have pajama pizza parties at her aunt's house or go to swimming lessons jammed in the backseat of the car with 5 other kids. (That's right...two kids to a seat belt! You'd probably be arrested for doing that nowadays! Lol!!) She won't know what it's like to be annoyed by more people than just her siblings, or to have her aunt meddling in her business. (That was totally warranted too...I was a mischievous teenager for a while...)
One of my sisters and her husband moved to a town about 15 minutes from our house last summer. I was so excited to have family close by again, but her husband recently took another job closer to my parents, and she will be moving there once the school year is done. (She is also a teacher...and she's also the pregnant one.) It's their choice and I'm understand why they want to be closer to our extended family with a baby on the way, but some days I can't get over how much it hurts that she's moving away from me again.
I just want Evie to know that she has the big extended network of people who love her, the way that I always knew that I did (even when I hated that I did). They are still there, just a 3 hour car trip away. Maybe I need to tell myself that, as much as I need her to know that too.
Thursday, March 22, 2012
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
Reading, Reading, and More Reading
Evie LOVES to read. She loves books and everything about them. I've always tried to read to her, even when she was very little, but she didn't take much interest in books until she was about 11 or 12 months old.
She pulls every book off of the shelf, and then she looks at them each over and over again. Now that she's a little older, she picks up as many books as she can carry and brings them to us to read to her. I never thought that I'd be able to read the same children's book 13658512968454163 times in one day without going crazy...but she loves it!!!
She also pulls her books into her play tent, just to have some privacy while reading. I think this is adorable, but she never lets me in with her. :(
I love that Evie loves books. It gives me a chance to put her on my lap and snuggle and read.
I'm happy that she has an appreciation for books. I hope that it lasts her whole life.
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| Reading in her bedroom last summer |
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| Don't bother me! I'm reading!!! |
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| Evie with Jingle, one of her current favorite books |
I'm happy that she has an appreciation for books. I hope that it lasts her whole life.
Monday, March 19, 2012
We're really doing this!
Well, Evie and I are really going to Spain. I wrote a few months ago about the possibility of spending a few weeks in Spain during the month of June. Evie and I will have the opportunity to stay with a Spanish host family.
M and I talked it over extensively during December and decided that we could make it work. Evie will be young enough that we don't have to buy her her own seat on the plane, which cuts the cost in half. Also, my dad offered to go with me to help me out. He LOVES to travel, and the timeframe worked for him. He won't be staying with the family with us, and will probably travel around Spain a bit on his own while we are there. M agreed to letting us go for 2 and a half weeks, a compromise between my preference to go for 3 weeks, and his preference that we only go for 2 weeks.
So, in January the planning began. Now that it's only a few months away, everything is starting to seem very real. We had to apply for a passport for Evie, and I had to renew mine. We've booked tickets to Barcelona, where we're going to spend a few days before moving on to Valladolid, the city where we'll be staying with our host family. The host family consists of the two parents, and three young-ish kids.
I'm nervous about the traveling, but I know that it will go quickly enough. The travel portions of the trip can only last so long. It may be hell, but it will end. I am looking forward to seeing how a family lives in Spain, comparing and contrasting parenting styles in the two countries, and learning more about the school systems. I am also hoping that I can make some connections to set up exchanges for my students in the future.
Oh yeah, and it's Spain. The gorgeous weather, the amazing food, and the laid back lifestyle will make it all worth it in the end. I never dreamed that it would take 10 years for me to get back, but I know that if I don't do it now, it may be another 10 before I have this kind of opportunity again. Taking Evie will be amazing. She may not remember it, but I will.
M and I talked it over extensively during December and decided that we could make it work. Evie will be young enough that we don't have to buy her her own seat on the plane, which cuts the cost in half. Also, my dad offered to go with me to help me out. He LOVES to travel, and the timeframe worked for him. He won't be staying with the family with us, and will probably travel around Spain a bit on his own while we are there. M agreed to letting us go for 2 and a half weeks, a compromise between my preference to go for 3 weeks, and his preference that we only go for 2 weeks.
So, in January the planning began. Now that it's only a few months away, everything is starting to seem very real. We had to apply for a passport for Evie, and I had to renew mine. We've booked tickets to Barcelona, where we're going to spend a few days before moving on to Valladolid, the city where we'll be staying with our host family. The host family consists of the two parents, and three young-ish kids.
I'm nervous about the traveling, but I know that it will go quickly enough. The travel portions of the trip can only last so long. It may be hell, but it will end. I am looking forward to seeing how a family lives in Spain, comparing and contrasting parenting styles in the two countries, and learning more about the school systems. I am also hoping that I can make some connections to set up exchanges for my students in the future.
Oh yeah, and it's Spain. The gorgeous weather, the amazing food, and the laid back lifestyle will make it all worth it in the end. I never dreamed that it would take 10 years for me to get back, but I know that if I don't do it now, it may be another 10 before I have this kind of opportunity again. Taking Evie will be amazing. She may not remember it, but I will.
Thursday, March 15, 2012
How I Quit Breastfeeding
A few months ago, I wrote about the last time that I nursed Evie. At the time, I had mixed emotions about being done. I knew that it was time. Evie was ready. I was ready to have my body to myself for a while. But I knew that I would miss sharing the bond that only she and I could have. Oh, and I would miss the ease of calming her down just by nursing her.
In truth, the process to wean started about 5 months before that, when Evie was 11 months old. We went through a rough patch when she became more mobile. Evie was a late crawler, and up to that point, breastfeeding had been easy for us. We didn't have latch problems when she was a newborn. I was fortunate to never experience thrush or mastitis. Aside from a nasty dairy allergy that prohibited me from eating any dairy for about 6 months, nursing was a piece of cake for us.
About a month before Evie's 1st birthday, nursing became a huge battle. Probably because it had been so easy for so long, I really didn't know how to handle it. My supply was dropping. I cried when I wrote this post, because I thought that I would wean her and breastfeeding would just be over for us.
I toyed with our schedule and I dropped a couple of feedings in which Evie was most distracted. This worked great for us!! I was so relieved that I could continue to nurse her. From June to November, we gradually dropped feedings. In mid-November, I knew that the end was near. I was only feeding her every other night before bed, and my supply was awful.
Evie went through the transition without noticing the difference. At least, it didn't seem like she noticed. That made me feel better. It was probably harder on me than on her. I still miss our quiet time, but I know that I did the right thing all along. I did what she needed, and I'll always feel good about that.
In truth, the process to wean started about 5 months before that, when Evie was 11 months old. We went through a rough patch when she became more mobile. Evie was a late crawler, and up to that point, breastfeeding had been easy for us. We didn't have latch problems when she was a newborn. I was fortunate to never experience thrush or mastitis. Aside from a nasty dairy allergy that prohibited me from eating any dairy for about 6 months, nursing was a piece of cake for us.
About a month before Evie's 1st birthday, nursing became a huge battle. Probably because it had been so easy for so long, I really didn't know how to handle it. My supply was dropping. I cried when I wrote this post, because I thought that I would wean her and breastfeeding would just be over for us.
I toyed with our schedule and I dropped a couple of feedings in which Evie was most distracted. This worked great for us!! I was so relieved that I could continue to nurse her. From June to November, we gradually dropped feedings. In mid-November, I knew that the end was near. I was only feeding her every other night before bed, and my supply was awful.
Evie went through the transition without noticing the difference. At least, it didn't seem like she noticed. That made me feel better. It was probably harder on me than on her. I still miss our quiet time, but I know that I did the right thing all along. I did what she needed, and I'll always feel good about that.
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
My Baby's Baby
There's a new baby in my house, but good thing, it's just a toy. Evie received a baby doll for Christmas from a little friend at daycare. I was amazed at how quickly she took to "taking care" of her baby.
Baby does not have a name; we just call her "Baby." (It makes me feel very "Dirty Dancing." M and I joke about not putting Baby in a corner. It's tons of fun.) Evie loves to hug, kiss, and feed Baby. She also reads books to her in our rocking chair.
I was actually a little hesitant about the doll at first. I've tried to limit the amount of princess-y pink things that Evie has. I honestly don't really know why. I was never a super girly-girl, and I just want Evie to play with whatever she wants to play with, not be bound to playing with Barbies and (God forbid) Bratz dolls just because she's a girl. Then I saw how much she genuinely loves this doll. I guess that's what she wants to play with. :)
M's parents gave Evie a doll stroller when they found out how much she loves Baby. It's so cute to watch her strap baby into the stroller and cruise around the basement with her. She also likes to take her grocery shopping.
I just love seeing Evie's imagination beginning to come to life. I guess if a doll has helped that, maybe they aren't all bad. :)
P.S. I apologize again for the terrible picture quality. Our camera in on the fritz, and my phone camera is ok, but not great. Oh, and I am a terrible photographer. I promise I'll get better soon.
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| Giving Baby a hug. |
Baby does not have a name; we just call her "Baby." (It makes me feel very "Dirty Dancing." M and I joke about not putting Baby in a corner. It's tons of fun.) Evie loves to hug, kiss, and feed Baby. She also reads books to her in our rocking chair.
I was actually a little hesitant about the doll at first. I've tried to limit the amount of princess-y pink things that Evie has. I honestly don't really know why. I was never a super girly-girl, and I just want Evie to play with whatever she wants to play with, not be bound to playing with Barbies and (God forbid) Bratz dolls just because she's a girl. Then I saw how much she genuinely loves this doll. I guess that's what she wants to play with. :)
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| Evie putting Baby in the stroller. She always buckles her in. Safety first! |
M's parents gave Evie a doll stroller when they found out how much she loves Baby. It's so cute to watch her strap baby into the stroller and cruise around the basement with her. She also likes to take her grocery shopping.
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| Shopping sans Baby, but Baby often goes with her. |
I just love seeing Evie's imagination beginning to come to life. I guess if a doll has helped that, maybe they aren't all bad. :)
P.S. I apologize again for the terrible picture quality. Our camera in on the fritz, and my phone camera is ok, but not great. Oh, and I am a terrible photographer. I promise I'll get better soon.
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