Hard at Play.

Another Sleep Post.

Hmmm, sleep. It always comes up and it's continuously a struggle. I'm not sure why it's such a hard thing to do, consistency is all that it takes and that seems to be the toughest part for each parent I've worked for.

It's funny that I'm trying to relax and not urge my views as much as usual, but it's frustrating too because Ivy is sick all. the. time. Over the twelve years I've nannied I've had quite the spam of families, parenting styles and children. There are universals but there are a lot of varieties. The majority of my kiddos have been pretty healthy though, three to five colds per year. I know the average is 11-13 but I always assume that takes into account daycare and it's a accepted fact that kids in daycare get more colds.

And I've tried imagining what 11-13 colds per year would look like. That is at least one cold per month. That means a week of incubation, a week of actively sick, a week of getting over it then a week off. Every month. And try as I might, I just couldn't imagine how it would look. But now I can. I see it clearly because this cycle has been my world for the last three to four months. Ivy keeps getting sick.

Unfortunately it is so much more than most of the kids I've cared for, but her daily sleep intake is less. I think these two things are directly related. Kids in daycare also sleep less, there's just less time for sleep, does this contribute? It definitely could.

Ivy sleeps from around 9pm until about 6am each night. That is nine hours. During the day she prefers less than three total, bringing her up to a big ol twelve hours of sleep per day - and she's ten months old! I know this is average and far from uncommon, but previously my charges were sleeping twelve full hours at night plus two to four hours during the day. Giving them almost sixteen hours of sleep each day - and only three to five colds per year!

When Ivy is sick, she sleeps even less. She doesn't nap at all for her parents on the weekends and is up a lot of the nights. I'd say this past weekend, over a sixty hour period, she slept 21.5 hours when I would have hoped she'd get at least 38 though the last kiddies would have done forty five.

I know that our society doesn't value sleep. That too much sleep is bad. That people fully believe kids sleep as much as they can. But I've also seen what consistency does. I've seen how during the week she can take a short nap and then an almost four hour nap. That on nights I've been doing the overnight she sleeps all night even if she's not 100%. And anything before 6am just isn't morning!

There isn't a quick solution here. There is a family figuring it out and a nanny offering support. And there is a little girl who is sicker every weekend than she is during the week.

Ivy's Independence a.k.a. photo post!

Both of Ivy's parents have asked me if I think that she is too independent. 

And it seems odd to me that they would even worry.

I find Ivy to be very curious about her world and agreeable.

She is determined and engaged.

She is also generally easy-going and tolerant. 

She'll try new things and fully enjoy them.

In addition to doing things she already knows in new places.

She can entertain herself but never refuses being engaged by an adult or child that she loves.

I love that new textures intrigue her.

Even the ones she later realizes are a bit too intense.

I think that she is willing to try so many new things because she feels safe and loved and taken care of. She enjoys snuggling and kisses and love more than a lot of the kiddies I've cared for. And when she finds a soft toy that she loves, 

she loves it - 

100%!

Foods.

Ivy is nearly ten months old. She isn't a fan of being spoon fed and I've made most of her food. She has an outstanding diet though and really enjoys eating. Here is a [nearly complete] list of what she eats.

Proteins	Veggies	Fruits	Grains	Fats
Lentils Chick Peas Split Peas Chicken Kidney Beans Black Beans Gifilta Fish Chopped Liver Eggs	Zucchini Green Beans Peas Corn Sweet Potatoes Squash Carrots Potatoes Lima Beans Celery Green Pepper Brussels Sprouts	Peach Plum Apple Prune Banana Pear Nectarine Grapes Apricot	Oatmeal Barley Spelt Rice Pasta Plain Waffles Matzo	Avocado Oils
Spices/Flavor	Misc			Dairy
Maple Vanilla Molasses Garlic Onion Cinnamon	Dill Pickles French Fries Plain Waffles Carrot Wagon Wheels Veggie Puffs Cheerios Kix			Milk Cheese Yogurt Cottage Cheese Eggs

Daily Schedule.

Schedules make life predictable. I enjoy taking classes with Ivy and planning fun activities like going to the museums, libraries and parks. But having enough time to do these things and everything else that needs to be done each week takes planning and forethought. Knowing that I will have a well-rested and pleasant baby to take along also makes things run more smoothly.

This is our current schedule;

7:15am                          6 oz formula

8:45am                          breakfast [solids + cup, followed by 4-6 oz formula]

9:30-10:30am                nap #1

12:30pm                        6 oz formula + lunch [solids, offer extra formula post solids]           

1-3:30pm                       nap #2 [let her sleep as long as she wants, just not past 5:30pm]

4:15-30pm                     6 oz milk [w/sippy spout]+ snack [keep it light, or just milk]

7:15-7:30pm                  8 oz formula

8-8:30pm                       bedtime

                             32 oz milk offered per day

                             3.5 hrs nap + 10-10.5 hrs overnite = 14 hrs sleep offered daily

Ivy doesn't always love the cup. We try to offer it but she isn't very efficient at drinking from the sippy spout. Our current compromise is to use the cup with a bottle nipple. We still work on using the sippy spout but flexibility is important. Another side of flexibility is our ever evolving schedule. We have been using this current schedule since the second week of March. As Ivy moves closer to one year old I'm sure it will change. Right now it works.

Every day we have two open periods for activities [10:45-12:15 & 4ish - 6:15], this gives us ten each week. We generally grocery shop once and misc shop one time. We take two classes, a peer aged class and a music class. The other times are all open for whatever activities we choose. The library is generally in there and getting outside is always a priority. We do take time to stay home and relax or schedule playdates.

We make a point to eat breakfast at home each morning and an effort to eat lunch at home. We may have the bottle portion of lunch out once in every two week period. We're always at home, in the crib for naps and bedtime. Our afternoon bottle, around 4pm, is considered a snack and we eat it outside of the house more often than inside. And we take a bath four days out of five just before mommy and daddy get home.

Personally I believe Ivy could use a little more sleep. The ten hours overnight aren't quite enough and often she wakes around 6am giving her only 9hrs overnight. But this schedule works for she and her parents so it is what we do. She's growing and eating and progressing so there's no real reason it should change. The extra sleep thing is just my intuition. She's always growing and gaining more stamina so unless we have an issue we'll continue like this.

Special Museum Visit

Our museum visit was OUTSTANDING!!!

Ivy loved it! She looked at everything, pointed and couldn't get enough! What a treat to be able to hang out with her! I can't wait until we go again!

April 1, 2010 - 1st word!

This morning Ivy said her first word, "duck." And best of all she said it for her mommy! Seriously, I'm so glad that it was her and not me. It means so much to her and I'm excited, but I know it's different.

Yesterday she was practicing so we spent a lot of time playing with rubber duckies. Even listening to Ernie love his. And she kept encouraging me to say "duck" over and over again, then she'd say "duh." She was really practicing and thinking about it. It's too adorable that now she's said it.

We're also planning another first, a special museum visit. Last week we visited a very old school museum in Boston, old school meaning no touching [anything!], no photos, very little light in places, etc. It was our first time in a place like this and with Ivy being such a babbler I wasn't sure how we'd do. Know what happened? She loved it! Spent the entire time wide eyed and open mouthed. She was in complete awe. It was beautiful. We had such an amazing time. Here's hoping the next is just as good!

Long time no see.

It's been fourteen weeks since my last post. Wow, fourteen weeks doesn't sound like too, too long but so much has changed. Ivy is an accomplished sitter, roller, a great eater, and on occasion is even known to do a slow-motion commando crawl! She chatters up a storm, has signed "more," "all done" and "up," and today she was singing along with Johnny Cash! Cry-Cry! Adorable!

Other developments, hmmm, Ivy loves kisses and songs and music class. We also take another class that she enjoys very much. Very soon we'll start some more, but I'm really looking forward to her becoming more mobile so that we can try even more new things!

For now, a photo comparison. 

Fourteen weeks ago Ivy started solids, and earlier this week a photo of her feeding herself.

Not forgotten.

There has been quite a bit of excitement in my personal life keeping me away from this blog. I haven't forgotten this blog but right now I don't have the focus to get a decent post out. I'm thinking about it but it may take awhile.

Ivy is doing fine. We'll have a pedi visit this week which is great because she's been on a bit of a food strike. Since she stopped nursing over the weekend she's been on a steady decline of what she'll eat at each meal. Down, down, down.

We haven't started solids yet and it just may be that she's bored. It seems like it's probably a bunch of things; teething, wanting to nurse more, boredom with bottles, more awareness and interest in flexing her own will, interest in eating real food [she cried the other day when Mitchell was eating while feeding her! He stopped and she stopped! He started again, trying to keep it from her and she totally called him on it!] and determination not to move up to the next faster flow of bottle nipple. I'm not sure why but Ivy doesn't want to do it. On the rare occasion she does, she eats her entire bottle without issue. But right now she doesn't want to and we aren't going to make her.

We're also still working on sitting. Ivy is completely capable but also flexing her freedom of choice here. She'll take her little head right to her ankles rather than hold herself up. I try engaging her mind, but it's her will that has the upper hand.

But we'll get there. Hopefully with the rolling too. Still only front to back, no back to front. But I found her sleeping on her side earlier this week! Her side!!! It's so exciting!

A new week . . .

Another opportunity.

Each week is an opportunity to begin again, start something fresh, build something new. This week I plan to do a little baking. Today there were cookies and brownies, tomorrow may be something new or in addition. Later this week I'd like to take Ivy to an organized activity.

Back in October we took a baby massage class at the local museum. She was still pretty small and unaware of those around her. Now she takes in everything and I think some social is just what we need!

Still working hard on our sitting skills and muscles. Rolling from front to back has resurfaced and become an activity for the morning, afternoon and evening! Speed is apparently the goal - get off that tummy asap!

Thunder Rose

Today I have a book review for you. I've never actually sat down and reviewed a book for fun. There were book reports as a younger students but never self-inflicted. Today, I have a book report or book review for you.

Let's start simple.

Book: Thunder Rose

Author:         Jerdine Nolen

Illustrator: Kadir Nelson

Publisher: Harcourt Books

Year: 2003

Genre: Picture Book / Tall Tale

Alright, I could give you more basic info, but I'm going to give my review and let you find the rest out for yourself [i.e. no summary to ruin the suspense].

It is important to remember that I read to one almost six month old baby who is fairly calm, relaxed and interested in books. We read at fairly regular times and sporadically in-between. And we read EVERYTHING [except textbooks and newspapers though we may pick those up in the future].

This book, Thunder Rose, took us three sitting to finish. It is very wordy and the pictures are all very similar to the cover photo. They are fun and straight-forward but not bright and contrasty.

This may make it sound as if I didn't like this book, but quite the contrary is true. This book is great and I'll buy it for my home library one day.

So, it was long and fun, but what did I love-about-it-enough-to-write-about-Thunder-Rose? I loved the language, the creativity and the joy in the images. This book radiated love and intelligence.

As a nanny I spend my days talking with children. I talk from the moment I arrive until the moment I leave. I sing, I chatter and I make things up. My goal is to expose these children to as much language as I possibly can. Early exposure to language has many life-long benefits. Hearing at least 1700 words EACH DAY is a goal every family should strive for. Reading to children increases literacy skills and keeping the variety is key - for adults and children.

I have to admit, more than eleven years of nannying, almost fourteen of childcare and before that being a child myself, I've read a lot of books. And if I'm bored, I'm not going to read it aloud. There is a great deal of effort and planning involved in reading aloud. Finding a good time, a comfortable location, keeping the child interested and making it worth while. Keeping myself entertained has become a given because it makes me want to make the effort more and more often. Some days I read six books to Ivy - then her parents read her two in the morning and two or three at night - that gives her almost ten books! And I'm not talking Sandra Boynton here, I'm talking traditional Grimm's, Dr. Seuss and H.A. Rey. Good stuff. Of course we do read A Light In The Attic, Mother Goose and My Dog May Be A Genius. We also sing. But picture books, new picture books from the library, are our candy. I check out twenty every two weeks and devour three that first day. I take suggestions and I check the new books bin. I make requests. With all of this input, it is easy to get bored.

What makes this book stand out is the language. Mingled in with everyday words and simple language are words like;

• splendor 
• billowy
• daintily
• disposition
• commendable
• punctuate
• restrain
• cantankerous
• draining
• parched
• churning
• meddlesome
• contemplations

I literally talk all-day-long. I sing as many songs as I can squeeze into a day. We read whatever I can get my hands on. But these words? This mix of everyday, cowgirl-speak and warm good-naturedness just doesn't come up. I love that this book has exposed Ivy to these words. I love that the story mixes heart, manners and song with strength, creativity and determination. These are concepts I want Ivy to master. These are reoccurring themes in our world and this book encourages them with fun and depth. 

It isn't a quick read. It probably won't become an instant classic. I can't say I like it more than How Big Is The World, or that I'll read it as often. But I'm glad that I read it. I'm glad that Ivy heard it. And it's a book I'll recommend to friends. Check it out!

Sleeping on Friday.

This week was filled with sleep drama. Ivy spent her Thanksgiving weekend up late and wasn't sure she wanted to get back to routine. 

Multiple nights found she and her parents up at 3am, listening to screaming and wearing densely packed bags under their eyes the next day - all three of them. Helena admitted that a great deal of it is Ivy testing them and we talked about compromises. Doing things that communicate to Ivy this is how we do things, while still parenting in a way that feels loving and nurturing - never sliding down that road of doing things they don't believe in that can later lead to guilt-parenting. 

With all of my heart I believe that parents should do what they believe in. But with just as much conviction I believe that children are very behavioral in their learning. If you bend one time, they are going to expect you to bend every. single. time. Consistency is key and regular sleep helps babies and children to grow. 

One of the SIDS reports out there states that babies who sleep in the room with their parents until six months old are less likely to die of SIDS. Ivy takes every nap in her crib, in her room. I leave the door open, cover her lightly and she naps - going to sleep and waking up on her own. every time. Every night Ivy sleeps in a travel crib next to Helena & Mitchell's bed. She gets overtired, cries and has a hard time going to sleep. But she does sleep, in the crib,almost every night. At least once or twice each week she "can"t" make it through the night or becomes inconsolable and sleeps in the swing. It isn't a perfect system, but it is a system that is working for everyone.

Until this week.

I think a lot of things have come into play here. The biggest being the return to routine after four days off. Another variable is Ivy's level of health. Now Ivy is a healthy girl, eats well, sleeps well, grows predictably, etc, but after a visit with a lot of extended family she generally gets a stuffy nose. I'm sure it gets worse at night, but during the day, awake or asleep, you can't really tell. So there's that. Then there's another biggie, Ivy is creeping up on six months old. She is an astute girl who generally seems pretty quick. Want an example?

During the day it's generally just Ivy and I here. If she's feeling challenging or fussy she whines or complains mildly in her crib. It almost always passes. Now, occasionally Helena stays home from work or leaves later in the day. On days when she is here, even if Ivy doesn't see her, if she is feeling challenging or fussy she coughs. Now if Mitchell is home, late day, working from home, etc, when Ivy feels challenging she cries. A lot. And - if this doesn't illustrate enough, I have one more. Twice each week the housekeeper is here. How Ivy knows this from her bed I don't know, but on these days, when she feels challenging or fussy she talks and laughs. Not kidding. Every. time. 

So, at night time, when she wants to play or have someone put her to sleep or snack or get a ride in the swing or just feels challenging or fussy she screams. She screams and screams and screams. And she stays up until after 9pm every night. Otherwise she'll scream. 

She's working it. Helena knows it. Mitchell knows it. Norah isn't even here and Norah knows it. 

Within the next two weeks Ivy is going to sleep overnight in her crib.

She's never done that.

We've never asked her to do that.

I wonder what she'll think about that?

What a Nice Find.

Earlier this week I came across this video.
It is a tad long, but such a feel good four minutes is totally worth it.

I think that I originally started this blog for reasons this video outline we should value nannies. I felt nannies were often invisible but they work so hard that I wanted to share that. The hard work I do every. single. day. The hard work I love to do every. single. day.

Inside of my last position I forgot that those things are more important than an outlet, a place to vent. For that I have Norah. And she is a great listener. I guess that I was just so consumed with frustration [that I couldn't even admit to myself] that I let it take over.

This blog isn't going to be like that any longer. I'm going to focus on the positive, I'm an optimistic person, nurture the good times and let the negatives fall away. They will come and it will be hard to leave them out and not go into detail as I understand that people enjoy drama. But I've disabled the comment section in hopes that I won't be motivated by readers to draw out all the details.

I'm also going to make an effort to blog each day. I'm not guaranteeing I will, but I'll try as I'm hoping for some very positive and exciting changes these next couple of months.

Reading, Reading, Reading All Day Long.

My list is growing! Ivy's booklist is nearly four pages long! I've requested at least thirty books from the library [they actually cut me off at twenty then I started requesting them on Norah's account!] and I've found a new resource! So far I've taken four suggestions from this site. Here's hoping we enjoy them!

Right now the household favorite is Skippyjon Jones. Seven of my library requests were add'l Skippyjon books. He's quite a little character and fun to read. Personally I'm addicted the this collections of Grimm's Fairy Tales that we have. I'd say Ivy and I are about 33% through the book. They aren't very happy and some are quite graphic, but I find them entertaining, I can hold the book with one hand, there are a bunch inside and each is only three to five pages long - leaving little room for boredom.

But my absolute favorite right now is How big is the world? by Britta Teckentrup. Adorable. I love it. I love the message. The simplicity. The depth. It's perfect for Ivy's developing sense of the world. Love, Love, Love It!

Post Thanksgiving Activity

Last week was a very quick, very productive week. Ivy and I ran through our usual plus some packing prep for Helena. She's my first mom that actually did the packing! I kept offering but she put together a list, chose the packaging and actually put the items in. Of course I was included, looked over and added to/subtracted from the list, gathered together items on list and calmed any concerns regarding packing in general - I stayed almost two hours later at work on Wednesday than usual [I was cooking, Helena was packing, Ivy was napping and Mitchell was snacking].

Ivy spent the long weekend four hours away with her parents and extended family. Helena values Ivy's schedule but Mitchell finds it an obstacle to his Ivy-on-demand-time. Thus her three nap days became 1.5 nap days while on vacation. This caused her to feel overtired and wrecked havoc with her nighttime routine. Instead of getting to sleep [for the night] by 9:15pm, as is her usual, she was up until 10:30 or 11:30pm each night. This pushed her wake up time a tad later, but still gave her an overall deficit of three hours each day.

This week we will get back on schedule. There are a few other things on my plate too. I'd like to get together a food chart for Ivy. I've done them for all of the most recent families, over the last five years, and each time I do one - I start from scratch.

Now we are in the research portion of that task. I've taken out six or seven books from the library and will combine them with books I have, internet suggestions and various other resources to create a chart ideal for Ivy [but generalizable enough for readers to use if they are so inclined].

In addition we're getting ready to start signing. In the past I've only used simple signs, more, please, all done, etc. With Ivy we're going to offer as many as she is interested in. A few years back Norah had a little one that knew hundreds of signs and spoke in full sentences before ever using verbal communication [or one year old]! I'm not aiming that high, I'd really love for Ivy to start speaking as soon as possible, but in the meantime I'm offering signs to make things a bit more palatable for her.

So far I've introduced please, help, more and baby massage. This morning I offered thumbs up and she was enthralled. Completely distracted her from the regular I-don't-want-to-get-dressed fuss. I'll keep you posted as I learn more and we grow our vocabulary. Then you can party with me when Ivy uses her first sign.

Finally I've started a booklist. I read aloud to Ivy every day - as do her parents. It's something we've done from the beginning and ALL enjoy. Especially Ivy. Helena has actually noticed that after Ivy has been read or sung to she's especially chatty and verbal. It is almost as if she's practicing or processing what she just enjoyed. It is very adorable and she becomes very animated. I love it and also sing to her multiple times each day.

Right now my booklist is twofold, recommended reading and books we've already read. I'm hoping to compile a list of each book she's heard and keep it current. So far it's just a list without dates or anything. And I've made a point to label the columns story or book because we read a lot of compilations and each story inside is special.

Here is my list thus far, I've abbreviated author as "a.".

Story or Book	Date Read
Goodnight Moon a. Margaret Wise Brown
The Very Hungry Caterpillar a. Eric Carle
Madeline a. Ludwig Bemelmans
The Story of Ferdinand a. Munro Leaf
Make Way for Ducklings a. Robert McCloskey
The Tale of Peter Rabbit a. Beatrix Potter
Curious George a. H.A. Rey
Where the Wild Things Are a. Maurice Sendak
Doctor De Soto a. William Steig
Brown Bear, Brown Bear What Do You See? a. Bill Martin Jr., Eric Carle
Suggested Reading

Story or Book	Date Read
Mr. Grumpy’s Outing a. John Burmingham
Freight Train a. Donald Crews
The Carrot Seed a. Ruth Krauss
Miss Nelson is Missing! a. Harry Allard
The Snowman a. Raymond Briggs
Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel a. Virginia Lee Burton
Millions of Cats a. Wanda Gág
Lilly’s Purple Plastic Purse a. Kevin Henkes
Swamp Angel a. Anne Isaacs
The Snowy Day a. Ezra Jack Keats
Leo the Late Bloomer a. Robert Kraus
John Henry a. Julius Lester
Swimmy a. Leo Lionni
Chicka Chicka Boom Boom a. Bill Martin Jr & John Archambault
Snowflake Bentley a. Jacqueline Briggs Martin
Officer Buckle and Gloria a. Peggy Rathmann
The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs a. Jon Scieszka
Caps for Sale a. Esphyr Slobodkina
The Polar Express a. Chris Van Allsburg
Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day a. Judith Viorst
Tuesday a. David Wiesner
A Chair For Mother a. Vera B. Williams
Seven Blind Mice a. Ed Young
Harry the Dirty Dog a. Gene Zion
A Rainbow All Around Me a. Sandra Pinkey
Of Colors and Things a. Tana Hoban
Daddy Kisses a. Anne Gutman
Run, Mouse, Run! A. Peter Horacek
Bunny’s First Snowflake a. Monica Wellington
Spot Goes to the Park a. Eric Hill
I Like It When… a. Mary Murphy
My Car a. Byron Barton
Whose Tail? a. Sam Lloyd
Baby Beluga a. Raffi
The Grumpalump a. Sarah Hayes
Bugs! Bugs! Bugs! a. Bob Barner
Tough Trucks a. Tony Milton
Ten Little Fish a. Audrey Wood
I Love Trains! a. Philemon Sturges
Moonbeam Bear a. Rolf Fanger
Dinosaur Roar! a. Paul and Henrietta Stickland
Fire Truck a. Peter Sís
Ballerina! a. Peter Sís

Many of my book suggestions have come from books about reading. So far I've used most of these as reference guides, but there are a couple I'm saving and one I've ingested every word.

There are still other projects I'd like to begin and establish but for now I'll focus on these three plus some regular social activities. Ivy will be six months before I finish Christmas shopping and with that I hope that she'll be sitting and able to enjoy her world even more. She also has another big transition ahead but I'll save that for another post.