Whadya Know?! Preschool is Pretty Cool!

So the munch started preschool last week and I have to say, why didn't I think of this before?! Well, of course I did, but the kiddo missed the cutoff for several programs following the school rules of needing to be a certain age before Sept 1st last year, then I never got around to enrolling her in the new year and all of a sudden it was summer and we were moving! So here we are heading in to the first of many years of instruction and I'm keeping my fingers crossed. To be honest, this mama was more nervous about preschool than the kiddo, probably because what kid understands the ins and outs of preschool if they've never seen the inside of a school room? I went over and over in my head the possibilities and potential for all-out disaster, everything from the morning trials and tribulations of getting a so-not-a-morning-kid out of bed before 8:30 am to the crying and screaming as attempts were made to pry little arms and legs off my body. From the other kids not wanting to play right on down to her refusal to follow the rules and being left in the land of Time Out forever. Not kidding people, I actually lay awake in the early dawn of the first day worrying about the coming hours. I kept my phone attached to my person like it was sewn on, afraid I was going to miss the call from the school, demanding I pick up this crazy child.

But guess what, and this is no surprise to the veteran mommies out there.....the call never came. The almost pleasant visit to the doctor's office came and went. The hours of quiet in which were filled with quality work time and household organization were extremely fulfilling. The lunch which was eaten without having to get up once was wholeheartedly enjoyed. The kid was returned to me smiling, happy, excited to share her experience, and, after the second day, proudly announced she had napped during quiet time. So this is what it's like! It's a total win-win for everyone. The munchkin gets to be educated, entertained and have a whole day filled instead of being with a mom who is pretty darn good at filling up the time with cool things to do but is in no way SUPERMAMA. The mama gets to get things done during the day instead of in the early dawn or the wee hours of the night. Both get to enjoy afternoons together, catching up after what seems like being apart for decades. Totally awesome.

Now, this peace will be all mine for exactly two more months. After that, the fourth player in this family will be making his opening appearance and that's gonna be a whole new ballgame! It's going to take a whole new set of skills to juggle the times and trials of being a parent to two fabulous little peeps.  I can only imagine the adventures awaiting my full participation and patience. Ummm, how soon do they accept babies into preschool? Just kidding folks, cause if the little guy is to be my last baby in bunting, I'm probably going to be sobbing when his school bell rings.

Marin Mama Hears Real Words....With Real Meaning!

My kiddo has been off the charts awesome on the child sign language hoopla. We got some videos as a gift and man, did they work! The kid had like 40 or 50 signs down in 4 months, something crazy! We were so proud and truly, it did lessen the level of frustration a non-verbal toddler might have from the simple lack of communication tools. I was very happy and excited. Until I thought (first child syndrome here) it might be time for her lovely little voice to make an appearance. I KNEW she knew how to say the words, but signing was easier, and more comfortable. I wasn't mad at all, no, in fact, more of the opposite, because I loved how she could just feel good about communication. But I really wanted her to talk. I wanted to hear her count to ten or show me colors or say her friends' name.

Eventually I just took a deep breath and said to myself, "mama, she's talking just not verbally, chill out man, it will happen." So we chilled out...and waited and remained supportive. Then, about two months ago, even one month ago, someone must have loosened her tongue or given her the magic potion to unlock speech because this kiddo will NOT STOP TALKING! She's so excited about being able to say exactly what she means, express her feelings, tell me about her day, tell her dad about her day, talk to her friends during playtime, talk to her Nana and Baba and Mimi during FaceTime, the words just keep pouring out.

Everyday she gets better! Two syllables today, heck, four tomorrow! Three word sentences today, oh yeah? 5 word sentences tomorrow! The amount of confidence and vibrancy speech gives to my tot is so special and so precious and so much fun to witness. For a few weeks it was 10 new words everyday and what a joy to hear them coming from the little creature who only 2 short years ago was spitting up on my shoulder. What a trip. Such an adventure. So much fun.

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Gaa, gooo, lalala, "No Mama NO!!!!.......Wait, what did you just say?!!!

If you're wondering just what I meant by my blog post title, well it's pretty simple. My 20 month old daughter has figured out how to use her tongue to form words, all kinds of words! "Mama" was there a few months ago, a given ;), and there was a favorite dog at Nana and Grandpa's who became known as "baa baa" a well produced version of his name, Ricky Bobby, then we heard "Daa Dee" which excited my husband to no end, he just loves hearing her say Daddy, over and over and over and over. Well this mom loved hearing all the words too. I love the animal sounds she's figured out, sounds like moo, woof and a lions roar. All amazing, all fun and yes, she's so smart!!  Then yesterday arrived......and so did the word "NO." Yup, the kid has learned how to say No and in an amazing amount of time ( did I mention she's sharp?) she also has figured out just what that word means. The fun shall now begin.

No mommy, no! No, mommy NO!!! NO! NO! NO! NO! No diaper change, no clothing change, No leave the pool, No get in car seat, NO, NO, NO!!. In the course of a mere 48 hours I can honestly say I've heard NO at least a hundred times. Which got me to thinking, should I have not used that word while helping her understand there are limits? Mommy and daddy know best and that no, you can't go into the street? Or, no jumping on the couch? She's not trying to defy me, just yet anyways, I mean, the darling is only 20 months old and a very good girl. I chalk it up to new words and that wonderful time in a child's life where there is so much to learn and do that it is simply overwhelming. It's pretty funny though, when I think about how it must look, a child kicking and screaming NO MOMMY NO!! She's not the first and she won't be the last, so I find comfort in knowing there are so many other mommy's out there having dealt with the very same issues now challenging me. In fact, I happen to know that yours truly was a fine tantrum thrower and used NO quite often, according to my own dear mother.

Sign Language for Babies: Yes it really does work!

When I was in college, at some point I read a study about babies being taught to use American Sign Language (ASL)  to communicate before having mastered the means to do so verbally. After reading it I laughed and giggled with friends about how silly it seemed to use sign language with babies. How pretentious, how over-the-top, we'd say. They are just babies, after all, let them enjoy being babies!!!! Fast forward about 10 or so years and I'm a mom. With a 15-month daughter who uses sign language to communicate, a lot. This wasn't something I planned to have happen but it's one of the secret weapons I will now and forever keep stashed on my super-mommy utility belt.

It all began on the munch's 1st birthday when she (me) unwrapped a set of videos from my father and stepmother. My Baby Can Talk, a three video set including 1. First Signs 2. Sharing Signs 3. Exploring Signs. Now please remember that I had laughed at this very topic a mere 10 years ago in college when I had all the answers. Can you blame me for being a little hesitant? No, you cannot. Up to this point in her life, my daughter had watched little to no TV or videos, excusing football Sundays and the San Francisco Giant's championship post-season performances.

Nevertheless we'd had a great day, the present were unwrapped and we thought, "why not? Let's see  what this "signing business" is all about." Pop in First Signs and then the video shows a pretty lady signing words such as cat, milk, more, banana, dog, sleep, etc. Then there is a series of images of real and pretend items corresponding to each sign. It's Baby Einstein blended with ASL with all the classics, Mozart, Beethoven, thrown in for good measure. Brilliant, just brilliant. The wee one sat and watched almost the entire video without moving, her attention span wowed everyone in the room.

If this kind of thing is even remotely interesting to you, or not interesting at all, Google it anyways because I'm not sure how to explain these fabulous keep-mom-sane-while-expanding-brain-capacity videos. There are numerous books on the subject of ASL and babies and I've even had the good fortune of taking a music class that incorporates signs into the songs. I also know there has been some debate in regards to the legitimacy of such videos, including the early morning paid programming favorite, My Baby can Read. This is the real deal, I am a complete devotee. .

From that night on she has asked as nicely as a 12-15 month old child can do, to watch at least one video a day. Don't get me wrong, she'd watch all three all day long if we allowed her to do so and I'll be honest, there have been a couple of days when she's done just that. I found it to be a wonderful way of getting her to sit in one place and found myself thinking, was I being a terrible mother by letting a 13 month old girl watch DVDs, albeit educational ones? Well the day she started using sign language to tell me what she wanted, my hesitation flew out the window. It was one of the most amazing moments in my career as a Marin Mama. She is able to tell me what she needs! To see her use the sign for dog, or eat or more; to see her make the sign for turtle or giraffe, it's simply incredible. Every day I'm constantly blown away by her fabulous sponge-like abilities to sop up information and use it to her advantage.

So blown away in fact sometimes I can't tell what she's signing. I have watched the videos, and I sign whenever I get the chance but wow! Occasionally she'll whip out a sign and mix it up with another sign that could be one thing but maybe another and I'm speechless. I'll ask her to tell me again, and she'll do the sign again, until finally, hopefully, I catch on. She's able to express herself before speaking and although I'm no expert I know her sweet, perpetually happy disposition is related in some way to her being able to tell us when she's hungry, tired, or wants to go down the slide at the playground. I would absolutely tell any parent to buy these videos or try in some manner to incorporate ASL into the daily routine of a child. Even if you think you may be that weird parent at the playground signing to a toddler. It's worth every look!

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