Resolution :)

I feel like every entry now starts with "I've been busy" or "I'll be posting more now" - but I swear this time! As part of my new years resolution, I will be posting at least once a week. I didn't want to get too ambitious and say everyday because I am a single working mother also going to college (as most of you know) - so I'm quite busy but at least once a week you will find me here!

I hope you all had an amazing holiday season and a happy new year. My new years resolutions are to (a) post at least one entry a week on my blog and (b) get all A's on my classes this year! What are some of your resolutions?

I think I may have already mentioned this but this semester I will be completing my associates degree. I will probably take the summer off before I start on my bachelor degree classes. Things are going great at my job, I am gaining more responsibilities as the time goes by - which is good and bad. Bad because I end up extending my hours sometimes but I'll work through it.

Jaliyah is 9 months today - omg omg omg omg omg - ok now that I am done freaking out - isn't that nuts?! She got way too many toys for Christmas lol but lots of books too. Actually, her new favorite toy is a book. It's one of those texture feeling books you know? She will sit there with it for several minutes and just rub the fur on the animal pages lol She also got a walker, blocks, puzzles, a music table, a leaning kitchen, and a bunch more!


I have a few reviews I am working on to bring to you guys and I am also working on getting a giveaway underway! So make sure you guys stay tuned and thank you so much to all my followers who have stayed during my MIA's :) Again, if there's anything you'd like reviewed or covered please leave a comment.

Santa's coming to town! (8 month update)

Have YOU finished your shopping?

I haven't! I am almost done though, I am always one of those frantic people at the mall spending unnecessary money to make sure I have enough for everyone. It is Jaliyah's first Christmas and I am SO excited. She's at such a good age for a first Christmas. I have to make sure my video camera is charged.

Jaliyah is 22 lbs 16 oz; She is in size 9-12m tops and 18m bottoms and can now..

Pull herself up on things - to standing
Walk along furniture
Stand alone without holding onto anything for a few seconds
Say da-da (and know who it is)
Self feed
Blow raspberries on me :)

Many of you know my struggle with getting Jaliyah to be independent. We are still co-sleeping but she can now put herself to sleep with no rocking/shhh-ing or anything. I just have to lay her down and she goes to sleep. She also is great playing by herself for awhile but she loves to follow mommy around too. She loves babbling and discovering new sounds she can make. I cannot believe how big she is getting. She is also (finally) on a great schedule for her and I! We struggled so much with this because I work and go to school, but I've had a few days off and was able to work on a good schedule. She is well rested and much happier, which means a happier mommy!

We did Christmas pictures on her 8 month birthday, so we will not be doing 9 month pictures. Instead we will wait until April and do her 1 year pictures! Wow, only 4 months away! I hope you all have an AMAZING holiday. Also, if there is anything you would like to see reviewed, discussed, or have any questions - leave a comment :)

Oh come all ye sickness..

And it has come, welcome to you annual feel like shit time. The snow started today, and so did the sickness I get EVERY year around this time. I feel like sheeiiiittt! My throat feels like it is going to close up and my head explode. I just thought I'd share that with you all. Time to go pop a nyquil and hope my baby doesn't get sick :(

Any home remedies?!

Black Friday

Hoooly cow! Yesterday was my first black Friday shopping experience. I didn't get an early start like I wanted to. I got out there at about 8am, I was hoping for 4am but oh well. I went to Babies R Us first and there was NO ONE there. I don't know if it was because everyone went there super early or if Toys R Us was more appealing, but I was not about to face the Toys R Us crowd. I ended up getting my 2 cans of formula for $35, clothes for 50% off and a Toy Story mini chair for my nephew for 50% off - wohoo! Then I ventured to the mall and surprisingly, it was not as bad as I thought! Once again, I don't know if it was because I got an early start but my first stop was JCPenney. I just got a few things for myself all at 50% off and a pair of leggings for Jaliyah for $3.99. I'm kicking myself in the butt now because I should have got work clothes for myself but oh well.

I just walked around the mall the rest of the time, the line for Victoria Secret wrapped about the upper level of the mall - I'm sorry but NO bra is worth that wait. Kohls had a 2 hour wait just to check out - no way jose.

I did a little online shopping when I got home, JCPenney was out of stock at the store for Jaliyah's Xmas dress, I got that 50% off on the website. I also did some shopping at www.CSNstores.com and got some presents for Jaliyah. I did about 40% of my Christmas shopping yesterday, so I have a good start! Usually I'm the person at the mall on Christmas eve getting things lol Not this year!

Next order of business..making Jaliyah's stocking :) What kind of deals did you ladies find?

Thanksgiving 2010

I hope everyone had an awesome and fun Thanksgiving holiday! Jaliyah's first Thanksgiving started off a little rough but definitly got much better. She had some mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, stuffing, and banana pudding! She loved allll of it, especially banana pudding :) Just wanted to share some photo's - link me in the comments to your Thanksgiving pictures!

Signing before they can speak

A couple years ago, before I even had Jaliyah, I saw this episode of Oprah; it was about learning babies cries and what they mean. How babies have their own way of communicating with different types of cries. When you become a momma, you learn these different cries that your baby has. I think it's just so amazing how a day old baby can communicate. I'm bringing this up because I got approached by a woman, Emily Patterson, who co-wrote an article about babies signing before they can even speak. If you're interested, keep reading for her article :)

Early Childhood Education – Acquiring Sign Language

One of the keys to surviving in a tilted economic system in which opportunities to achieve a decent standard of living will be limited is versatility – and the ability to communicate articulately in a variety of ways with the widest possible audience. This includes bilingual ability as well as the ability to communicate in non-verbal ways for the benefit of the disabled – primarily the deaf.

At the same time, a growing shortage of qualified interpreters fluent in American Sign Language has led to more career opportunities – and if current trends continue, it's likely that skilled ASL interpreters will have little problem securing lucrative employment in a society where such a commodity is destined to be in short supply.

Signing Before They Can Speak

A great deal of research has clearly demonstrated that the early years – ages 2 to five – are the best time to educate children in different modes of communication and language. This goes beyond the spoken word (though it is an optimal time for children to learn a second language); many young children have an aptitude for signing as well.

This is not as odd as you may think. As you know, many indigenous peoples around the world, including American Indian nations, have used sign language for centuries to facilitate communication with other tribes with whom they do not share a language. Some paleontologists and anthropologists theorize that Neanderthals – who apparently lacked the vocal mechanism to produce many spoken words – depended a great deal upon hand gestures to communicate.

In fact, recent research suggests that sign language is innate. An article published in the Boulder Daily Camera in 2003 presented strong evidence that babies as young as six months old communicate with their hands:

"...by 6 to 7 months, babies can remember a sign. At eight months, children
can begin to imitate gestures and sign single words. By 24 months, children
can sign compound words and full sentences. They say sign language reduces
frustration in young children by giving them a means to express themselves
before they know how to talk." (Glarion, 2003)

The author also cites study funded by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development demonstrating that young children who are taught sign language at an early age actually develop better verbal skills as they get older. The ability to sign has also helped parents in communicating with autistic children; one parent reports that "using sign language allowed her to communicate with her [autistic] son and minimized his frustration...[he now] has an advanced vocabulary and excels in math, spelling and music" (Glarion, 2003).

The Best Time To Start

Not only does early childhood education in signing give pre-verbal youngsters a way to communicate, it can also strengthen the parent-child bond – in addition to giving children a solid foundation for learning a skill that will serve them well in the future. The evidence suggests that the best time to start learning ASL is before a child can even walk – and the implications for facilitating the parent-child relationship are amazing.

Co-written by Emily Patterson and Kathleen Thomas

Emily and Kathleen are Communications Coordinators for the Zionsville child care facility, a member of the AdvancED® accredited family of Primrose Schools (located in 16 states throughout the U.S.) and part of the network of Indiana child care preschools delivering progressive, early childhood, Balanced Learning® curriculum.

It's that time!

Have YOU started making your Holiday shopping list?! I sure haven't but after a conversation last night with a friend, I need to! The biggest shopping day of the year is fast approaching and there are SO many good deals coming up, I'm going to be one of those crazy psycho's (excuse me if you are one of those - no hard feelings) out in line at a store at 2:00 a.m. It's Jaliyah's first Christmas, and even though she won't remember it, I want it to be the start of many fun and memorable holiday seasons!

Here is my theory..tell me if I'm wrong/weird/silly/stupid..but before I actually became a mother, I always wanted to make the holiday season full of fun things - crafts, baking cookies, baking pies, making fun dinners, music, and all types of things. Soooo my theory is if I start now (even though she won't know what is really going on) she will begin to associate the smells and sounds she hears with the holiday season..what do you think? Am I crazy?

Anyways..Just a little update: Miss Jaliyah gets to see her sisters this weekend, she has not seen them in about 3 weeks so I know they are going to be excited to see her too. She is becoming much more independent when it comes to play time but still not sleeping well at night. In the last month and a half she wakes up every couple hours during the night :( I know this happens, it is just weird and taking some getting used to because she has slept through the night since about 1 month old.

Time to get ready for work :) Let me know what's on your shopping list!

Goobly Goblins

Tinkerbell's first October 31st was quite eventful! She got to spend all morning and after noon with her daddy - she missed him - and that is where she changed in to her outfit..

She looked so cute but booooy was she crabby lol We then flew on over to Auntie Laurens house to go trick or treating..

We didn't last very long out there, it was really cold and Lauren's daughter got scared, aww. So we then ventured on over to Grampa's house where she played and avoided sleeping at ALL costs..

We decided to go for pajamas just in time for cousin Ariana to come over in her costume, too bad we didn't get a picture of both of them dressed up.



I hope everyone had a great Halloween, share your pictures! :)