One thing that has made living in Arizona difficult on some days for Ryan and I is that neither of our families lives here. Both our parents and our siblings live in Washington, which of course is our home. Since being pregnant with and now having X the distance has been even harder. I am often sad that everyone doesn’t get to see him and see how much he is growing and changing everyday. To ease some of this long distance hardship we have fallen in love with Skype. Skype, if you are not familiar with it, is a free program for your computer that allows you to video chat (you’ll need a webcam) with other people who also have Skype. We’ve been chatting with Ryan’s parents each Sunday since Christmas and we love being able to give them the weekly update and see our nieces and nephews because someone is always over at Nana and Papa’s house! My parents just got Skype this month and my mom and I will often just chat together and I’ll hold X on my lap so he can get some Grandma time in. While its not the same as seeing them in person it helps hold us and them over during the long months where we can’t go home to see everyone. I know Skype has been around a while but I just wanted to thank this nifty little program for allowing us to stay close to our families, even when there is great distance between us.

Looking for music that is suitable for children and tolerated by adults can often be a tough search. One of my favorite children’s music series is Putumayo Kids: World Music Adventure.

I found these kids CDs last year when I was looking for fun music for my classroom that would be nice to play when my students were doing independent work or quiet reading. I really wanted something that was not a sing-a-long, which is often what children’s music is. In my classroom I have the World Playground CD. This past year I played it many, many times and my students never tired of all the fun upbeat sounds, they often asked which language or country each song was from because we had discussed that the music came from countries around the world. I loved that I could use the music not only as a calming quiet keeper, but also as a teaching launch point to discuss cultures from around the world.

X is also beginning to enjoy listening to music and Nana and Papa actually sent him a CD from this collection as well, he has Asian Dreamland. This World Music Adventure CD is a bit calmer than World Playground, with lullabies from various Asian countries. Ryan and I have played it for X a few times already and he quietly listens as we get him ready for bed. As he gets a bit older and we start establishing an everyday bedtime routine I’d like to incorporate music into this time, and I know Asian Dreamland will become a favorite, because of its gentle sounds and the variety the soundtrack offers.

So, if you are looking for some different children’s music the Putumayo Kids: World Music Adventure
collection offers some great choices!

a book review.

As a teacher I can’t say enough about the importance of reading to your child. So in that spirit I thought I’d share the first book that I have been reading to X, Bear Wants More. Now X can’t sit up on his own, nor really focus on the storyline, but I think he likes this book all the same.

Bear Wants More is just one of the books in the Bear series written by Karma Wilson and illustrated by Jane Chapman. It is a sweet rhyming story that tells how a bear wakes up from hibernation and is hungry so his forest friends help him eat and eat until he is so full he can’t fit in his den! The pictures are bright and colorful, the animals are adorable with cheerful expressions, and the rhyming pattern allows you to use a sing-song voice as you read it to your child.

I chose to read this book to X as his first picture book because this is my first graders favorite read aloud. At school I have the big book version and my whole class will chant along as we read the book. At home X has the small board book version and his interaction so far includes looking intently at the pictures and making a cute “ooohhing” face.

So whether you are reading to a newborn or a young child this book is sure to be a pleasure to share and one that will quickly become a favorite.

a book review.

Summer has long been the time that I read books. I love to devour a whole book (if its good) in a day or two, and summer is the only time of year that I can actually do such a thing. My latest read was Uglies by Scott Westerfield. This juicy young adult novel is the first in a series of three, and thank goodness it has two more because I couldn’t put it down.

The central theme of Uglies is a coming of age story in a world where average is ugly and at 16 you get a surgical transformation to make you exceptionally beautiful. The best thing? No one is excluded. Tally, the heroine, is only days from this exciting fate, when her future is turned upside down when she befriends Shay. Shay is planning to run and stay an “ugly” and lets Tally in on her plan. On the day of her own surgery, Tally is faced with the hardest decision of her life, betray Shay or stay an ugly forever. The decision she makes leads her on a journey to the mysterious Smoke where everyone is an ugly. At the Smoke, Tally discovers a vicious truth about the transformation to become a “pretty,” that makes her question the motives of the authorities and what she wants in her own future.

Uglies brings to light many questions about the humanity of our present day and Westerfield poses a possible answer in the society he creates, where superficial equality is the law of the land. What kept me reading was the underlying hints as to what lead to this outwardly beautiful society, flawed in its apparent vapidness, and Tally’s struggle to decide at what cost is this beauty not worth it anymore. Westerfield answers these questions while simultaneously bringing the reader along on a fast paced adventure complete with high-tech toys and a love story that highlights the beauty that is found in the originality of being average.

Keep on the look out for the review of the sequel Pretties (Uglies Trilogy, Book 2) because if its anything like Uglies I’m sure Westerfield won’t disappoint.

a book review

I’ve always been a pretty big fan of Shel Silverstien, but I do have to admit, its a been a while since I’ve really looked or read through one of his books. Yesterday, I decided to read the short yet fun book, The Missing Piece (An Ursula Nordstrom Book).

Although the tale is simple and the illustrations un-grandiose, the moral affection I personally took away from ‘the missing piece’ was a little surprising. Take some of the simplest of shapes, give them needs and wants of social acceptance, but then turn it all around by expressing the importance of individuality and personal enjoyment…  am I making any sense? In other words, I think young children will love this book for its simplicity, and cute storyline… however, I also believe you could give this book to a very mature young adult (even as a graduation present) as somewhat of a “Welcome to the rest of your life” tale. It’s nothing like “Oh the Places You’ll Go,” but it’s definitely fun.

Ryan’s grade: A really great short read for kids, but don’t be affraid to pull it out for the older crowd. Lessons of social acceptance and self preservation can be fun sometimes! A-

One of the unforeseen challenges about being a new mom, has been feeding my child. I started all bright-eyed and bushy tailed thinking I would exclusively breast-feed X only to find that route riddled with problems, including but not exclusive to his lack of ability to suck and swallow properly, my low milk supply, his latch, and what seems like both of our overall dislikes for the activity. Enter: the bottle. X has taken a bottle ever since being in the NICU but finding one that really works for both him and I so far has proven to be elusive.

The first bottle X tried at home was the Playtex Drop-In system. Ryan and I had registered for these bottles with the thought that we weren’t going to use them too much so the Drop-In idea would be convenient when needed. Well, here’s the problem… when you are feeding your child 8 times a day that adds up to a lot on drop-in liners, and I still had to wash all the bottle pieces! Needless to say I grew tired of this.

On to bottle number 2: the Playtex Vent-Aire. Besides the inconvenience and wastefulness of the liners both X and I were satisfied with our choice of Playtex so I decided to try the Vent-Aires. Unfortunately the nipple shape of the Vent-Aire is completely different than the nipple of the Drop-In and X’s lips kept folding under when he sucked, which just wouldn’t do. So that meant both Playtex choices were out.

Our next bottle was the Avent. I thought this one looked promising. The nipple shape was the same as the Playtex Drop-In, and there was no extra pieces, plus it claimed to release the air so the baby didn’t suck it in. What Avent doesn’t tell you is that in their quest to release the said air, the bottle is the leakiest thing ever! Every time the bottle was turn rightside up milk would dribble out the sides, not okay. So Avent was out.

This brings us to today, the bottle quest. X and I headed to Babies-R-Us to find our perfect bottle. We came home with two choices the Born Free bottles and the Medela bottles. We decided to start with the Born Free. So far X has had three feedings from these bottles and both of us have been happy! The flow is great for him not too fast which is important, it doesn’t leak, the nipple shape is perfect, and no waste (drop-ins). So we feel satisfied so far. I am keeping the packaging and the receipt as well as the Medela bottles on hand in case the Born Frees end up in disaster all of a sudden. As for the all the others, well they will be finding a good home at a women and baby center near my house, so in the end everyone wins: X and I can proceed into bottle bliss, and hopefully we can help a few other moms and babies do the same.

~Cheers!

Playtex Drop-Ins: 3/5 – I just can’t get over the fact that the waste is ridiculous on those bottles.
Playtex Vent-Aire: 3/5 – Although we didn’t try these more than a few times, the nipple size just didn’t fit X’s mouth.
Avent: 1/5 – Pretty much because they made X screech. Also, they leaked everywhere.
BornFree: 4.5/5 – Works great! My only issue is with the two additional bottle pieces to wash.

As it has been a while since my last post, I decided that it would be a good idea to basically start over and begin from scratch. Therefore, welcome to the new www.MakingHappyHistory.com.

In the future, look for new posts on parenting, babies 101 (from my perspective), shopping, and children’s books! Although I’m just starting out, feel free to make suggestions on books you think I should review! I’m always looking for new and great books to share with my classroom, and my new baby boy!

Until then, Cheers!