When I Grow Up...

As a child, I thought I would be all sorts of things when I grew up.  What exactly I thought I would be depended on my age when asked, and mood and mindset at the time.  The thing is, I still don't feel that I have reached that magical, mystical age called "grown up" and there are still a great many things I might want to do or be.

My list of potential occupations, past and present, includes the following:

1. An artist.

2. A ballerina.

3. A camp counsellor.

4. A writer.

5. A babysitter.

6. A photographer.

7. A mixed martial arts fighter.

8. A marine biologist.

9. A speech-language pathologist.

10. A mother.

I'll leave it to you to work out which of these were the passing fancies of childhood, which have already been achieved, and which I am still toying with.

What do you want to be when you grow up?

Monthly Recap: What I learned in March 2011

Amber Strocel does a monthly recap and has invited others to play along and link up. So here's what I learned in March:

1.  My husband can rock a rainbow butterfly bag like no body's business.

2.  Monthly trips to the aquarium provide a yardstick for Lilah's development.  On our most recent visit, the changes that had taken place since our last visit were striking.  She got so much more from the exhibits - exclaiming in excitement over the "pishies" (fishies), "boggies" (froggies) and "boogas" (Belugas).  One thing that hasn't changed?  She's still convinced that the otters are kitties that swim.


Watching the sea "kitties" with Daddy

3. Writing a letter to myself as a brand new mother was extremely therapeutic and sparked some valuable discussion.

4.  Nap battles are not fun for anyone.  However, if losing the battle means a short catnap next to this sweet sleeping soul, I can be okay with that.

Lilah finally napping - in Mommy's bed

5.  My kid is a puker.  Anytime there is a bug going around, we can assume she's going to catch it.  And just when we think she's all better, we can expect a mini-relapse.  But according to the comments I received, the mini-relapse is actually fairly common.  Wish I knew why that happens and how to prevent it!

6.  I'm not a fan of guns but I do enjoy a good gun show once in awhile.
7. I finally understand what all the fuss around smart phones is about.  Oh, and Hipstamatic?  Dripping in pure, undiluted awesomesauce.  Retrolicious!

8.  Lilahbility: fashion icon.

9.a) It takes over an hour to clean a public pool that has been pooped in. 9.b) The technical term for poop in the pool is "a fouling."  9.c)  There's only so long a toddler can spend on the ramp into the hot tub.  (In case you're wondering, Lilah was not the fouler and we were thankfully not in the pool when said fouling actually occurred.)

10.  When you walk down the street with two small toddlers holding hands, you are sure to get a whole lot of smiles and exclamations of "awwwww!"

Walking down Main Street with her boyfriend

Tell me, what did you learn in March?

Wednesday of Few Words: Career Aspirations Part 2

Last week, she demonstrated that she could have a promising future as a surgeon.  This week, she's practicing to be an engineer.  Further proof that she can be anything she sets her mind to.

Just getting started...

Such focus!  Such determination!



Such frustration!



A little support from Daddy...



And... presto!



Meh, been there, conquered that.  Now on to something new!

"Listen to the musn'ts, child.  Listen to the don'ts.  Listen to the shouldn'ts, the impossibles, the won'ts.  Listen to the never haves, then listen close to me... Anything can happen, child.  Anything can be."  - Shel Silverstein

Anecdotal "Evidence"

Turns out, I might actually be good at my job.

You see, like any good speech-language pathologist, since I started my carreer five years ago, I've been telling parents of children with speech and language delays that they should model language and play slightly above their child's current expressive language level. For example, if their child is currently using one word at a time, I encourage them to model additional single-word vocabulary and two-word phrases. This should make it easier for their child to copy and move on to the next level of language learning.

Okay, kinda boring, right? I'm getting to the interesting part. I tell parents to think of themselves as their child, only six months ahead. I don't remember whether I picked up this little tidbit from one of my practicum supervisors, or from one of my teachers during my Master's program, or whether it was just a rule of thumb that I myself invented when I was just starting out and trying to find ways to explain the whole idea of "modeling language at the appropriate level" to parents. In any case, it turns out that this little nugget of wisdom has actually been borne out in my observations of Lilah!

Without fail, every single time we hit the playground, Lilah seeks out a child about six months older than she is and sticks to them like glue. It seems that her brain knows exactly what kind of stimulation it needs and commands her body to seek it out. She is utterly determined to keep up with these kids. Her gross motor skills aren't actually that far off, for the most part, since she's quite steady on her feet, but the differences in language and play skills are striking. It absolutely amazes me that kids as young as Lilah can know exactly where they are headed and who can teach them how to get there. It also feeds my conviction that children should be exposed to playmates of all ages, not just children in their immediate cohort.

Before I became a parent, I always felt slightly uncomfortable about teaching parents how to interact with their children. Yes, I had my fancy degree and my book-learning and the research to back it up, blah, blah, blah, but I worried about my credibility. Turns out, I was giving pretty good advice all along! In truth, I always knew that, but now I have my experiences as a parent to back it up. I knew there was a good reason I wanted kids (you know, apart from that whole "unconditional love" thing)!

I can only hope that my new-found confidence and understanding balance out the absent-mindedness, separation anxiety, sick days, and early departure times that are sure to come with the territory of heading back to work after a year maternity leave. Yeah, I may be a total mess when I return to work, but at least I'll have my street cred!