What a difference a few months make with a baby! I can still remember the days of Vivie lying on the bed or on the floor and not being able to move while I got all kinds of things done around the house. Those days are long gone! Vivie is practically running, and doing all sorts of adorable things that make me smile and laugh each day.
I cannot believe she is 17 months old and I now have a toddler running through my house. Each day she amazes me with something new. It is also amazing to me how quickly the days go by. Giving baths, cooking meals, going on play dates, grading papers, reading books, cleaning house, and about a million other things are dominating our lives at the moment. Some days it seems like I don't even get to talk to Shane until 8 o'clock! Needless to say, I have had a difficult time keeping up with a blog. However, I wanted to take a minute for a "status update" on Vivie since she infuses my life daily with her joyful spirit.
Here is an update on who Vivie is right now:
You are currently 24 pounds and growing rapidly! Your little chubby legs and arms are always getting squeezed by mommy!
You LOVE Sesame Street - especially when they sing. My favorite thing you do right now is dance. You shimmy your little shoulders and just thinking about it makes me smile.
I probably let you watch more television than you should - but you are so cuddly and sweet on the couch that I can't help it! It is the only time you slow down.
Your favorite word is dog. You say it all the time! You like little dogs, but big dogs are still a little scary. You love to pet Stella.
Your first sentence was "It's hot." It has been over 100 degrees so it was a very accurate sentence!
You love running through the house - the little pitter-patter of your feet is one of my favorite sounds in the world.
Your favorite foods are grilled cheese sandwiches, pizza, beans, applesauce, and ice cream. You are not a picky eater yet!
You love baby dolls and I love that you love them. It is so cute to watch you feed them, pretend to bathe them, put diapers on them, and kiss on them.
You are so affectionate right now - you are getting really good at giving kisses!
It is getting more difficult to take you places right now. You want to walk and not be contained by the stroller, and you get really upset sometimes if you do not get what you want. The temper tantrums are a new experience for us! We are still working on dealing with those!
You are a total daddy's girl - mommy gets a little jealous sometimes because you are always wanting him.
You are such a joy to me. I had no idea how much fun you would be and how much I would adore watching you grow. Stay tuned for the next big milestone - potty training!
Friday, June 29, 2012
Wednesday, June 27, 2012
It's hot.
Today Vivie said her first complete sentence: it's hot. I know this does not seem like any revolutionary idea or anything, but to me it was a big deal. At first, I really did not think about it too much, but as I spent another 30 minutes in the car after driving an hour from Bowling Green today, it really sunk in about why this is so important.
For the last few days, I have been at an AP workshop at Western Kentucky attempting to prepare for a new class I am teaching in the fall. Needless to say, I am excited and intimidated about this new opportunity. I am thrilled to be given the chance to teach this challenging course. 2 of my favorite people in the whole world are experienced AP teachers, and for lack of a better word, my mentors about everything in the world of education. Their opinions really matter to me. They keep reassuring me that I am going to do a great job, but after sitting in this workshop learning about concepts such as verisimilitude and enthymeme, I am thinking about all of the ways I am going to mess this up for my juniors. I am feeling overwhelmed and consumed.
5 o'clock finally rolls around and I get to see my sweet girl. As I am putting her in the car, she keeps repeating "it's hot" while I am thinking about how I am going teach rhetorical strategies and satire effectively throughout The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Then it hit me - Vivie just put an idea together in her tiny little mind and conveyed it correctly to her mommy. I know that to most this may not seem like a huge accomplishment, but the more I thought it about the more important it seemed.
Why I am so consumed with being such a perfect teacher that all I can think about is the Toulmin model for teaching logic when my little girl just created a perfectly logical sentence? Why am I not thinking about how amazing she is and how every day holds new possibilities for her? Why am I not working on this blog more instead of reading blogs about how to effectively teach high school English? Why am I so consumed with my students creating perfect sentences when a 2 word sentence has thrilled me beyond belief? Why am I so obsessed with trying to be perfect and do it all?
I think for all of us moms it is so easy to get caught up in this dichotomy, especially when it concerns work and family. Don't get me wrong, I love my job. However, all I have been thinking about for the past 3 days is how to be the perfect teacher and how to wow my students with all I have to teach them. I think I need to think about how to wow Vivie with some love and affection. That is on the agenda for this weekend. I think it is going to be hot this weekend. If you are not sure, just ask Vivie and she will let you know.
For the last few days, I have been at an AP workshop at Western Kentucky attempting to prepare for a new class I am teaching in the fall. Needless to say, I am excited and intimidated about this new opportunity. I am thrilled to be given the chance to teach this challenging course. 2 of my favorite people in the whole world are experienced AP teachers, and for lack of a better word, my mentors about everything in the world of education. Their opinions really matter to me. They keep reassuring me that I am going to do a great job, but after sitting in this workshop learning about concepts such as verisimilitude and enthymeme, I am thinking about all of the ways I am going to mess this up for my juniors. I am feeling overwhelmed and consumed.
5 o'clock finally rolls around and I get to see my sweet girl. As I am putting her in the car, she keeps repeating "it's hot" while I am thinking about how I am going teach rhetorical strategies and satire effectively throughout The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Then it hit me - Vivie just put an idea together in her tiny little mind and conveyed it correctly to her mommy. I know that to most this may not seem like a huge accomplishment, but the more I thought it about the more important it seemed.
Why I am so consumed with being such a perfect teacher that all I can think about is the Toulmin model for teaching logic when my little girl just created a perfectly logical sentence? Why am I not thinking about how amazing she is and how every day holds new possibilities for her? Why am I not working on this blog more instead of reading blogs about how to effectively teach high school English? Why am I so consumed with my students creating perfect sentences when a 2 word sentence has thrilled me beyond belief? Why am I so obsessed with trying to be perfect and do it all?
I think for all of us moms it is so easy to get caught up in this dichotomy, especially when it concerns work and family. Don't get me wrong, I love my job. However, all I have been thinking about for the past 3 days is how to be the perfect teacher and how to wow my students with all I have to teach them. I think I need to think about how to wow Vivie with some love and affection. That is on the agenda for this weekend. I think it is going to be hot this weekend. If you are not sure, just ask Vivie and she will let you know.
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