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Go Gophers

This past weekend we took Hannah to the Gopher football game...weather was perfect and thanks to my parents being on vacation we had free tickets- so why not? Hannah enjoyed being pumped with food just to bribe her to sit still so we could make it to half time!

 

 

We all had a great time, it was our first time to TCF stadium!

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Hannah update: Turns out my little lady was still getting over being sick. About Wednesday of last week (for sure Thursday) Jennifer reported that she was starting to act more like herself. Interacting more with the other kids and less emotions. So here is to hoping that this week is a good one and she is becoming more and more comfortable at Jennifer's as each day passes. Today is letter "A" day and the kids are learning all about Tigers. (Justin dressed her in an orange shirt this morning just for the lesson!....too cute.) Last week Hannah's favorite lesson was about Monkeys! She is learning more and more everyday and it is so fun to see!

Isn't it Ironic...

The first few weeks of the school year generally consist of me helping support kiddos who are completely overwhelmed and anxious about being away from their parents. I am also busy talking with parents and reassuring them that their child is indeed OK as well as supporting parents with tips and tricks to help the transition into being away from home go a little smoother for them and their child.

So isn't it ironic, that at approximately 2:15 today- my social worker hat came off and I was instantly thrown into the same position as the parents I have been advising this past week?!

I found myself crying in my office as I read an email from Hannah's provider, Jennifer. Jennifer was simply and kindly letting Justin and I know that Hannah has been very emotional and somewhat withdrawn at daycare. It was a lengthy email filled with examples of how Hannah has spontaneously broken down into tears and ways that Jennifer tried to intervene...and it broke my heart. She wanted to know if this was normal behavior for Hannah or if there was something more specifically that she could be doing to make Hannah feel more comfortable. (The answer to that question is no- Jennifer has gone above and beyond already to make Hannah feel comfortable) My mind instantly visioned my poor girl playing in a corner all by herself, crying for her Mama. I wanted nothing more than to leave work and go "save" her.

Jennifer asked if she could call us tonight so that we could brainstorm ideas together on how to help Hannah transition a little easier.

We know that Hannah loves Jennifer's....Hannah tells us she does and every morning she excitedly puts on her backpack and grabs her shoes...so is she just overwhelmed?...is it my girl has a hard time transitioning?!....Is she overtired because she no longer gets a three hour nap?!?.....

The call went well and we have a game plan....however, I feel the inevitable has come.

I, as Hannah's mother, need to stop "babying" her so much.

My little sensitive child needs to toughen up.

(And as Justin reminds me, so does this Mama.)

So here is to hoping that Hannah eases into her new setting a little easier.

(And that this too shall pass.)

A New Phase....

So Hannah goes in and out of phases as all kids do. Some are cute...some are annoying...others are fun. She has a new stage...one I find hilarious, and one Justin finds obnoxious. You decide. Lately Hannah loves disciplining her Daddy. She puts him in time outs, she tells him, "Stop it!" all the time and now he cannot go near me without Hannah saying, "Get away from Mama!" or "Don't get Mama!" She does however grant him permission to kiss me in which she says, "Kiss Mama, Daddy!" It is funny because she doesn't do any of this to me.....she is like my own personal body guard. I love it. Daddy is however waiting for this phase to pass.

Honored.

Remember this cutie-pie?

Well, she is our little niece, Amelia.

Tonight Justin and I received the following video from Amelia's parents:

(Watch the whole thing...If you know my brother at all-  you will find this HILARIOUS).



Personalize funny videos at Bombay TV by Graphéine - Graphisme

Henry's Woods

It was so nice out today that we decided to go for a hike.

There is a little place called, "Henry's Woods" about two minutes away from out house. It's a wooded area filled with paths- perfect for a little nature hike.

 



 

This Mama is loving the cooler weather...

Stuck

Hannah Update

Little lady is doing SO MUCH better. I ate my words after my last blog post about how she was still running around as if no fever even existed. She made me look like a liar.....she turned all sad and cuddly and didn't want her mama more than 2 inches away from her. But this morning she woke up- NO FEVER and was back to her normal self. Since Daddy was home this morning, she was having all sorts of fun. He texted me and told me that he was teaching her to make "goofy faces" and then he sent this following photo:

 

 

It made my day.

Equation...

Fingers in the mouth (all the time) + New Daycare = Sick Child

 

 

Not that there is ever a convenient time for your kiddo to get sick....there is definitely an inconvenient time. And that inconvenient time is when it is your Mama's first week back at work.

In typical Hannah form, she has spiked a high fever (103s) but is acting totally fine. Besides wanting lots of cuddling, she is playing and still normal as can be. But with a fever like that- obviously daycare is out of the question.

I told Justin right away that he had to pull Hannah through this one all on his own no matter how long she would be down for the count. (I had my panic moment of, "I cannot miss work my first week back!) However, one problem- Justin's really good friend is getting married this weekend and he already has Friday off from work to get to the out of town wedding. So- making sure Justin keeps his job and isn't gone from work three days in a row, I had to come home this afternoon. I have been pumping Hannah full of liquids (as a result, changing diapers every 30 minutes) and basically keeping her on an IV of children's Advil. Let's hope the fever will not be around tomorrow morning...but it is not looking so good.

Oh the life of having kids.

Daddy-Love

 

This past weekend Justin and I spent a night in Stillwater, kid-free....well, kinda- as kid-free as possible. I suppose technically, little man was still with us. :) We shopped, dined, and stayed at the historic Lowell Inn. The best part for me was talking to Justin. Like actually sitting face-to-face with no interruptions talking to him.

Every anniversary we each make a goal for the next year. My goal for our relationship this past year was to pay more attention to Justin. (Although Hannah never "replaced" Justin, there were times over her birth year when the poor man was feeling neglected. Oops.) But I created a goal, worked on it and fixed that little problem! This year Justin and I created a goal together:

 

Make sure (that with two kids) to still make time for US.

 

It may be a little harder (and more stress on the grandparents!) but it is so important to us to get away, even if it is just dinner.

 

So back to why I posted the photo above for this blog post.

Well because, in all of our talking Justin informed me that he wants to start a new tradition with the kids. Just him and each child- no mama. He said that starting next summer with Hannah (when the kids are three years old) he wants each child to have a special "Daddy-Day" on the calendar. Their own day just to have their daddy all to themselves. A day where he takes off of work in the summer and spends his time doing all sorts of special things with just one child.

 

I know that Hannah and her brother are going to feel so special on their "Daddy-Day" and they should, because they have one pretty rad dad.