Lactation counseling at the library

I met up with a mama at the library for a lactation session. Her baby is 3 months old and in a few months mom will be going back to work. Little one nurses well but is not taking a bottle and mom is concerned that she will have trouble at daycare when mom goes back to work in a few months. Mom brought in all the bottles and cups she has been trying at home. I showed mom how to offer the nipple like you would a breast. A lot of moms try to put a bottle in a baby's mouth straight. I showed her how to to angle it more towards the roof of her mouth and to get as much of the nipple in her mouth as possible. I think the trick that will work for this family will be to start offering the bottle when little one is happy and not wait till she is starving and only wants mama milk. I am so happy to be able to help moms gain confidence with their breastfeeeding experience. Besides it is fun!!!

Another fun day at the library

I took Evan, Eliot, Lyn, and Annika to the library to see a short Scoooby Doo play. Of course a day with Scooby Doo would not be complete without pizza. The library provided a little pizza party afterwards.....

St. Patrick's Day

The sun was shinning and the kids played hard. I took the 4 youngest to the St. Patrick's Day party at the library. Ben was a bit challenged by all the excitment.I was going to start taking him to group storytime at the library but he may not be ready for it yet. It would be one thing if he went to daycare everyday and wqs used to structored group activities with other todddlers but he stays at home. We will probably just stick with more informal play groups and play at the library. After the story at the party the kids could choose to eat some snacks or work on some craft projects. Of course food came first. I did not know there were so many artifically colored green snacks out there to tempt children. Ben was still a bit agitated so I held him as Annika, Evan, and Eliot worked on making leprachaun hats and bookmarks. We played in the preschool section for a little while afterwards but the kds were pretty tired even though we weren't there very long. Ben fell asleep on the way home and slept about 4 hours. Since the weather was so nice I encouraged the 3 little kids to play outside. They had peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and orange slices for lunch outside. When they became a little bored I brought out the ice for ice play. I showed them how to 'paint' with teh melting ice and just plain have fun with it. To put a St. Patricks Day twist on it I added a little green food coloring. They played for hours more......

And now some ice play pictures................

I wish I lived within walking distance of a library

The joys of babysitting for a friend are never ending. I feel so lucky to be helping her and her family out. She is in the process right now of adopting a child from Eastern Europe. I am helping out by watching her older children while she and her husband are overseas. Please check out her page on Reece's Rainbow to find more information about their adoption. Feel free to donate to their adoption fund. It may seem like they already have a lot of money raised but every penny counts and is still needed for expenses.....

Oh, I have missed the library....

I have been without a library card for about a year now. I just could not take it anymore. I really like the library system in a different county than I live so we have to pay to have a card. It is so worth it though. Between getting Ben out of the house and Lyn's homeschooling not to mention the fun all the other kids have there it is so worth it. Who could resist a library where you get to check the puppets, larger than a 2 year old, out and take them home!

Drum Circle fun at the library

I took 5 kids to the library to participate in a drum circle at the library last night. They all had fun but it was a bit much for the little kids. I ended up taking them to the kid's area to explore and play. Tonight they are showing Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows part 1. I am all for free movies with free popcorn and drinks!!!

Another saturday....

We made a trip to the library again today. We made it there 15 minutes after it opened and it was already packed with kids and families. We hung out in the preschool section for a while and picked out a few books and puppets to check out and headed home. Lyn and the little kids had a little impromptu puppet show before Granny came over to visit. They put on a bigger show for Granny. Dad and I took advantage and went to a dollar movie. We watched The Clash of the Titans. It was worth a dollar. If they would have worked on the storyline more than the 3D effects it would have been better. Over all it was a good day.  

Merry May Day!!

What did you do today?

We had four kids at home this weekend. The other three kids were at their dad's for the weekend. As soon as the library opened we headed there. The library we visit has a great children's section. The little kids played on the computers, played with puppets, explored puzzles, and read books. When their interest wained we headed for the outdoor playground nearby. We had picked out some books to check out so Dad walked them to the car as we got ready to walk to the playground. As we were waiting for Dad to come back we got a nice surprise. Walking towards us was my boss and her husband. We visited for a minute and we all went on our way. We then walked to the playground. They kids played. Ben slept in his sling. We walked around the lake by the playground. The kids found turtles in the water and a family of ducks. We stopped by the playground again as Dad went to get the car. Another family we passed while walking around the lake joined us. The mom was expecting. They commented on Baby Ben and asked how old he was. The dad looked around at my kids and asked if I had 4 kids. I told him I actually had 7. He smiled and said that was great. He said they get a lot of flak for having 5. I mentioned that my kids alternated boy, girl, boy, girl..... The mom said their kids were the same! I then herded the kids into the van and we drove off. Now, I am sad that I did not stay and talk more with this family. They were so welcoming and I feel that we cold have become friends. I only wish I knew a way to find out who they were. I did not even get their name!