Gymboree Class 3

Took Claire to Gymboree class #3 of 5 yesterday. Just as expected, she played and danced, bounced and climbed her little heart out. Ok, I would say realistically it was 75% dancing this time, mostly by herself in the middle of the room on the bright green rug. She sure loves the music they play. She wasn't quite as adventurous during this class, refusing to attempt to climb any ramps and not too keen on sharing the trampoline. She did enjoy the "3 frogs on a log" bouncing game more so during this class than any prior. During the parachute activity, which is one of her favorites from what I can tell, she decided to claw a chunk of flesh out from under my eye and make it bleed. Boy, didn't that shock some of the other kids during what they thought was a typical rendition of Down By The River. That definitely wasn't the highlight of my morning...but we talked about her being gentle and being a "niiiiigh gurl" (nice girl) then continued with the activities. I also noticed that my girl may have inherited her mama's clumsy gene as she ran into multiple kids during the class. Perhaps, at 18 months, it's only because their spacial awareness is not quite on point? Yeah, let's go with that.

I don't have many photos of her time at Gymboree because I try really hard not to be that mom. You know, the one that lives more of her life in a digital world than the actual world. The mom with the kid so sick of having camera phones in their faces that they refuse to ever smile for an actual camera. Yeah, that mom. There is nothing wrong with memories, but I think there's a time and a place. I figure Gymboree's sole purpose is for parents to interact with their children in a child-centered environment. I love engaging with Claire while growing her confidence as she masters new skills. I have seen her blossom so much already and hope that my effort in teaching her through play has a little to do with it. Plus, I can tell she enjoys the undivided attention from her mama and that makes me happy!

Thinking there are only two classes left really makes me sad. Trying to find a way to work these classes into the budget is going to be a challenge but I'm going to try. I was skeptical at first but I do think she is learning valuable skills that make it worth the money. What better to invest in than stimulating your child's mind, right? Right. Continuation of classes is TBD.

Claire aka Mike Tyson

My roommate in college had a boyfriend that would share stories about how he was in pediatric therapy for anger issues. The mantra that his therapist encouraged his parents to use when enforcing kind gentle behavior is that they needed A passive panda, not an angry alligator. Well, as much as I hate to admit it...my daughter is the latter. 

Claire is a biter. A biter, a pincher, a hitter. The kid has aggressive tendencies and it's getting old quickly. In the course of putting her down for her nap today, she aimed to scratch my eye out but fortunately only got my entire left cheek. The searing pain reminded me that we need to figure out a new way to reinforce that this hitting/scratching/biting phase is unacceptable. And that I need to clip her nails. Ouch! Then, within about 2 minutes she intentionally bit my finger hard enough to leave teeth marks. Both of these incidences, which happen only once per day if we're lucky, are her way of telling us whatever we are doing is not acceptable to her. The problem is, I don't know what I am doing to cause her to hit/bite/scratch me. Today, she was showing no signs of discomfort or anger, she wasn't even crying about having her diaper changed. She was drinking her bottle then, like a mama cat protecting her young, she swooped out of nowhere and made contact with my face. Since this isn't the first time, I have noticed that there is a pattern to her aggression. It seems to only come out when she's tired or frustrated. What's even worse is that I don't have a clue where she picked up this behavior!?! Operation: Teach Child not to Hit (or bite or scratch) is in full session. **Wine and/or margarita donations are gladly accepted.**

Sunday Funday at Saturday Market

To beat the scorching heat on Sunday, we met up with most of the Boss clan at Saturday Market down on the waterfront. Against all better judgment we chose to push back nap time to "until we hit meltdown" and forge ahead. I'm so glad we did! The day was full of browsing the outdoor booths, watching local performers, eating local fair from the food trucks and letting the kiddos cool off in the fountain. I remember thinking last summer about how much fun it would be to let Claire loose in the fountain this summer when she was old enough to actually appreciate it. Now, the summer is finally here and I was anxious to see what her reaction would be. Let me tell you, my girl loved every minute of it. Running around, trying to drink from where the water sprays out, practicing her ABC's by pretending to recite the names of the letters engraved in the fountain (touching each one by one), grooving to the music and shaking her booty. She would get out when her little body would start to shiver from the cold water, dry off in the sun, then go right back in for another round. Since water and camera's don't mix too well, I didn't take many photos but here is a phone snapshot of Claire, dripping from head to toe, taking it all in:

Claire zonked out pretty much as soon as we got her in the car and took a long nap once we got home. All that sun and running around sure wore her out. It was definitely a good way to spend a hot Oregon summer day. Can't wait to go back again! This is what summer is all about.

18 Month Photos

My mom met Claire and I at Picture People in the mall this morning to have Claire's 18 month photos done. This was probably our most challenging photo session yet. She wasn't too into just sitting there and looking pretty. Fortunately, after much coaxing by grandma, some toddler-enticing oversized number blocks and a little Justin Bieber's Baby bribery, we got a few good shots. I took some quick shots of the prints on my phone so they are not the best quality but....check out this cuteness:

I just cannot believe she's already a year and a half old. She's growing so quickly. This is such a fun age, especially during the summer. I love my girl and I know I will cherish these photos for years to come!

Bye-bye to Bah-Bah?

First thing in the am, she asks for her bah-bah and drinks it in her crib.
Before her nap, she lets out an excited squeal for her bah-bah.
In the afternoon, she sometimes asks for a bah-bah to sip while watching tv.
Before bed, she always takes a bah-bah. Always.

I have major major major anxiety over taking away Claire's bottle. At 18 months, she still takes 3-4 bottles per day, totalling 20-24 ounces of milk per day. And apparently, that is like the worst thing ever. I cannot even tell you how many people have said things like:

She's still on the bottle? 
She's howwwwww old?
You know that will ruin her teeth, right? Hope you want to pay for braces.
Bottles are for babies and she is a toddler.
She's not a baby anymore.
Why do you let her have that much dairy? It's too much for her system.
Why don't you just take them away?
If she won't drink milk from a sippy, then tell her she gets no milk at all.
You're the mom!

And it goes on and on and on and on. Honestly, I just really don't see why it's such a big deal? Think about the fact that she's been drinking milk since she was born. Why, because she is all the sudden considered "too old" according to google or my pediatrician or my coworker's friend's sister, should I take away her bottles? If I were still breastfeeding, nobody would be telling me to wean because of her age (or they all would but thats a whole different issue!) It just seems unfair, like I am forcing her to grow up too quickly. I try to live by the if it ain't broke, don't fix it mantra. 

My anxiety is not only because the bottle is her last baby item, but also because she will only drink water in addition to milk. She rarely drinks juice. If I take away her bottle, she won't drink anything else out of a sippy. What happens if we successfully wean from the bottle but she refuses to drink any milk from a sippy? Or, even worse, what if she wants the milk heated in the sippy cup like her bottles are? Isn't that like basically like giving her a bottle, just in a different form? See! There are too many variables...and it's stupid. What happens if her naps get all screwed up because mama took away her pre-nap bottles. It's like taking away her comfort. And for what? I just mull it over and over in my head trying to figure out what I/Claire will gain by doing this and I cannot think of many pro's. 

Sometimes this mom-job is seriously irritating because everyone else thinks they can make better choices or can do a better job raising your child than you can. I still maintain I know my child best and will ultimately do what I feel is best whether or not Dr. Sears agrees with me. Take that!

Gymboree Class 2

On Monday, we made a special trip to Gymboree while Grandma Karen was in town. To my surprise, Claire tackled a few more challenging obstacles this time including climbing the wooden incline with pegs that you have maneuver around and the woven rope incline that you must climb like a monkey without letting your hands/feet fall through the holes. This mama was very proud! She worked well with some of the other kids while on the trampoline or the modified child-friendly teeter totter.

She only participated in about one-third of the group activities, opting to ride the rocking horse or crawl around popping bubbles that had landed on the floor without popping. She enjoyed the parachute game, huddling underneath with the other toddlers squealing with excitement, and the crazy clown hand puppet the teacher brings out every time. It is pretty creepy in my own opinion but those kids go ape over it.

On a funny note, Claire makes it clear when she thinks the group activities are stupid. Her face says it all:

What are all you people doing? 
Don't you see they have a rocking horse and a mini trampoline!?!
::insert scowl face here::

Just like the first class, Claire enjoyed getting her boogie on to the music, running around on the magic green carpet pumping her arms in the air and bobbing her booty up-n-down. Both Grandma and I would say Claire's second class was successful. Cannot wait to see what she can impress me with next week. That girl is just so smart!

Gymboree Class 1

Months ago I purchased a smokin' Groupon deal for Gymboree classes for Claire. I had always wanted to enroll her but the class rates were not exactly paycheck-to-paycheck budget friendly. So, once I saw the deal, I knew it was my chance. Yesterday was our first of five Learn and Play 4 classes and Claire had a blast!

Learn and Play 4 is for 16-22 month children. Being 18 months, Claire seemed to be within the average age and really excelled in an environment full of similarly-aged children. She made efforts to engage with other kids in activities and tried out her abilities to share, wait her turn, work as a team. The advantage to these classes is they allow your child the freedom to explore and learn at their own pace. The instructor did encourage open play for exploration but also incorporated interactive activities with the parents and classmates. The parents are encouraged to take a step back, watch them blossom and only intercede when necessary so the kids can feel safe and uninhibited. It's also encouraged not to make your child participate in any activities they do not want to. This is supposed to be a fun environment, not a forceful one. Claire was clear about which group activities interested her (the musical ones) and which ones she wasn't comfortable with (she didn't want a stranger to touch her in any way). During one segment, the instructor blew these amazing hard-to-pop bubbles and Claire went crazy locating all the bubbles that had landed on the floor and toys around her, careful to pop each one she found. Too funny! She also kept returning o the mini trampoline with a handle bar and the plastic rocking horse. Rock, rock. Rock, rock.

Needless to say, I am so thankful to have purchased the Groupon. In addition to the five 45-minute classes, the deal includes unlimited open gyms (unstructured drop-in play times) for 5 weeks and a lifetime membership ($40 fee waived!) including exclusive discounts to Gymboree children's clothing stores (to-freaking-die-for adorable) with the option to enroll Claire in more classes when we become millionaires in the future. Cannot wait for next week. This time, we are taking Grandma Karen!