Gianna WALKS!!!

by John
Today as she turns 14 months Gianna took her first steps. We were so excited. The lure we chose: Cake. You can catch any girl, I think, with cake.

Amazing how after this event Gianna had no idea what a day this was. She did not grasp the milestone or the implications of her first steps. I am finding out more and more of what it is to be a parent. Neither her understanding, her enjoyment, nor her involvement matters in how her mother and I celebrate our baby every single day. This must be a deeper level of love I am experiencing: That her identity of who she is, is all I need.

Leave a Map

Today's Toddler tip of the day comes from Lisa. When she has babysitter from out of town (Nice relatives who give parents a break) she leaves maps of important things around town.
I did this today as I drew a map to both hospitals and the park. The park map is bigger :)
If you are going to be out of town for longer periods of time, you might also want to include maps of fun places to see and do.

SNOW!!!!

Today's toddler tip came because we woke up this morning to SNOW! Now that may not be amazing to some (Grandparents who live in Alaska), but for us- we were excited. None of it stuck, but it was fun to watch it fall for that brief hour. And after that hour the clouds parted and it looked like a warm sunny Spring day.
So what's the tip? Toddlers like schedules and predictability. When the weather didn't cooperate with us to go on our normal daily walk we had to have a back up plan.

#7 Have a back up plan.

Whether it's saving a stash of new crayons for a rainy day, or getting out toys that had been put away for a while. Have something waiting in the wings is sure to help out when things don't always go according to plans. Talk to your toddler about it and let them know what's happening. It gives them words, a plan, and some understanding that the predictability is going to be different today. So that one day when you say, "I'm sorry we can't... because...." they don't have a total meltdown (just a small controlled one!!!! :) And it lets them know you are disappointed too- not just withholding the fun, but more importantly it gives them a concrete answer in our abstract world. So make your back up plan fun, and enjoy the "change."
Because in the words of Cousin Julie, "When your one- Everything is an adventure."

The times they are a changing

# 6
Today's Toddler tip of the day is:
Time change is Sunday. If you are on a schedule, i.e. up at 7 nap at 9 snack at 10:30 etc... Then start to move your times forward by 10-15 minutes per day. So 7 am wake up now becomes 7:10 and adjust through out the day. Do this until the new time becomes the "old time." Remember we are Springing forward.
I did it in the fall and it seemed to work well. I started just a few days before the time change and kept going a few days after until it worked. I haven't tried this for Spring forward because last year we weren't on a predictable schedule yet. Any other tips for the time change? Any one else think that we should pick a time and stick with it?

Toddler Tip #5

Here it is the # 5 Toddler tip of the day:

Give them cotton balls in a bowl and a spoon to stir- Just like mom.

This one I got from my Friend Sara M. She just ran a half marathon. How cool is that? Keep those ideas flowing. Leave a comment and idea for Toddler FUN!

Hats Off!!!!

Dr. Seuss' Birthday was March 2. And to celebrate a bit late, but still celebrating is our toddler tip of the day.

Read the Cat in the Hat and try on some hats. Toddlers love it! Let them put on your hat and
you try on theirs. They will laugh when they see their hat on you!

New Layout and Such

Well, I had some time this weekend. And I decided to play around with blogger. Who knew there were all these cool layouts? Probably all you tech savvy people. I'm not tech savvy- I'm just married to one. So he gave the blog to me about a year ago and it's taken me this long to figure stuff out. Oh well, at least I know how to upload pictures!!!!
After talking to some girls in my Bible study I've decided to post a Toddler tip of the day for all of March. So if you read this blog and you know someone who could use a tip or has a tip to share- share this blog with them!
So I know it's March 3 so I have some catching up to do!
#1

It's Easter time. Give that toddler some empty plastic eggs.

#2 Take those same eggs and fill them with different things that make noise. Try to guess what's inside with the baby. Like this sounds like a block. It's heavy. What's inside?

#3 What to do on a rainy day? Pick a cabinet and clean it out. Have baby help. Give them safe- real toys to play with that let them "help" Mom.

Tune in every day this month for a tip, and feel free to leave a tip of your own!