One Month Reflection

Largest Carrot

Dear daughter, you are one month old already.

You arrived at 38 Weeks, 1 Day, on Monday September 10, 2012.  My parents arrived on the airplane from Minnesota.  It froze the night they arrived, so as they settled in, we froze frozen green tomatoes, harvested carrots, and picked high-bush cranberries.  The next day, I tried to stay on my feet and suggested we go for a hike at Creamer's Field.  We walked a mile or two, much much more than I had walked in months.  That night, I went into labor and after 3 hours of labor and 45 minutes of delivery, you entered this world "perfect," they said, at 7 pounds 7 ounces, 20 inches long.  You drank mom's milk for an hour and a half immediately after you arrived and found your finger within the first couple of days to calm yourself as you were being changed.  You surpassed your birth weight by one week of age and by two weeks had already gained close to a pound.  You have short dark brown hair, blue eyes, a scrunched up nose, pinned back ears, and a very chubby face.

Creamer's Field Wildlife Refuge

You have been a good sleeper since your birth, napping long stretches and going to bed at bedtime each night.  Still, the last month sort of seems like one long day.  Maybe that's because I am holding onto it so tightly, trying to cherish every single moment and freeze time.  I tried to do the same with your brothers too, but the fact is that I have forgotten the little things and even some of the big things.

I love the way that you purr when you are sleeping, sighing in your cute little baby girl voice during each exhale, the chirping sound that your throat makes as you quickly inhale air after each gulp of milk, the fantastic sugar and oil smell of your head, the fuzzy blonde fur on your skin, and the chubs around your neck that are so thick I can barely get in there with my tiny fingers to clean and dry them.  I will try not to forget the way that you laugh in your light sleep, how you gaze at your biggest brother in adoration when he holds and sings to you ... and how he gazed in adoration at you when he met you for the first time.  I will try not to forget the way that you calm down and pucker your lips just before you make an explosion in your diaper, how you groan and grunt and stretch each morning for about an hour as you are awakening.  Most nights, you are awake for several hours before bedtime, but you are not very grumpy.  You calm down if I hold you, rub your forehead, or sing to you.

One Hour

Due to your good behavior, I have a decent amount of energy.  I have only felt like having one nap since your birth.  I am able to make meals almost every day, keep the house clean, bring all three of you to the museum or library, and still have enough energy to enjoy my husband and the kids at the end of the day.  A lot of this is due to the good food and rest that I received during the last month of my pregnancy (kudos to my husband there!) and to my parents help (lots of dishwashing and laundry and getting up early with the boys!) around here during the first month of my healing after childbirth.  Taking care of three kiddos requires a lot of energy.  There are a lot of butts to wipe, clothes to hang and fold, dishes to prepare and clean, and crafts to facilitate.  I am already able to fit into my pre-pregnancy jeans due to this.  I'm not talking about my pre-first pregnancy pants which were incredibly slim, but my pre-third pregnancy pants ... although you will more often see me still wearing 20ish week maternity pants because they are more comfortable at the end of the day.

One Week

I have been starting to realize recently that you will soon be a girl and then a woman and not forever a sweet baby with a closet packed full of tiny pink oufits and a basket full of tiny white diapers.  I am sure that you will be excited about the outdoors like your brothers (who for example asked me yesterday if they can display the spare set of moose antlers on their bedroom wall).  You might preserve berries, go moose camping, and stack wood.  You may even like pirates and knights.  But, there are some things that moms and girls can do that moms and boys cannot.  I will likely french braid your hair, make you dresses out of your daddy's old button-up shirts, take you to dance class, and teach you to knit.  I know your daddy always wanted a little girl and for sure all of your grandmas (especially the greats:  Carol and Jan) had been waiting for you also.

New Hope Montessori Preschool

Our son is attending a new preschool this year.  It is a Montessori-based non-profit school, and it has quite a different philosphy than our previous preschool.  The children work individually on different academic tasks that they chose from shelves in the classroom, and then there are group activities that are very imaginative or practical.  Their progress, including photos and work, throughout the year is recorded in a binder that they will receive at the end of the year.  Montessori school has a "softer" feel.  The classrooms are cute and cozy, organized, and welcoming.  The children are quiet and very well-behaved.

One part of the Montessori philosophy is "practical life."  The preschool director and the teachers work with the children on real-life tasks such as lacing/tying, buttoning, pouring, cooking, carrying groceries, setting the table, feeding the dog, folding laundry, and so on.  I have noticed our son even more willing to help than he is normally.  He has done his share of hanging and folding laundry and has no problem doing something like peeling 20 carrots for me while I prepare dinner.  Not only is this portion of school good for helping at home, manners, influencing younger siblings, but it really gives the children themselves a sense of pride and independence.

The children made a doctor's office and spent quite a bit of time learning about the human body.  They also explored skeletons, did yoga, and learned to rattle off the five senses as quickly as they can count to five.  Then, before I knew it they were scientists, complete with badges and laboratories.  They cooked vegetables (even kohlrabi), and related the food preparation process to the five senses.  They learned how to weigh things with real laboratory scales and pretended to be paleontologists.  Now, they are creating bar graphs based on the types of clothing that they wear as they explore how different people dress around the world.  Our son has entertained himself at home drawing/coloring/cutting/gluing pieces of clothing together to create the people in his family over the last week.  The ideas and concepts they explore are very exciting to him!

Perks with this preschool that I like:  Tuition discount if you pay on time; Make-up days if one of your regular days falls on a scheduled day off, such as an inservice or holiday; No sweets or treats on Birthdays or Holidays; No field trips and few programs (which allows for more real learning time); Small class sizes; Healthy snacks only (our son chose carrots, hard boiled eggs, plums, and peaches for his first snacks); No free play / recess time; For outside activities, children must dress themselves completely in warm gear; No "show and tell;" The choice to attend between 2 and 5 days per week.


I noticed our son's writing skills are already improved after just over a month.  Part of this is because he has grown in body and mind so much from last year, but part of it is because this school is focused more on academics than self expression and socialization.  He can write practically anything you spell and always signs his work with both his name and his brother's name (probably used to doing this when he and I make birthday or thank-you cards).  He often brings home books that he made based on the "letter of the week" and is excited to read them to us.  He can count almost to thirty, and his teacher tells me he will be one of the few kids this year who make it to one-hundred.

In addition, the preschool is attached to a church so we are welcome to take part in the church community events.  For example, I have started quilting once a month with some very nice ladies.  The quilts we make will go to families whose homes have burned.

Our son is so excited about is school and the things he is learning.  I and am so happy New Hope Montessori Preschool is close to our home, and that we found it as soon as we did.  It should be a great year!