Tuesday, September 28

Make Believe

Remember the days when playing under a sheet or blanket could change your whole world, immediately setting imagination free? Nyah and Elsa no doubt experienced this during our last lazy Saturday morning.  I found a hand-me-down tent intended for the beach under Nyah's bed and pitched it for the girls in the living room. Oh the endless fun...

Remind me of this on a rainy day.




Monday, September 27

Beach Party

We had an extremely busy, fun filled weekend. Nyah had two birthday parties to attend, which I think we look forward to as much as she does. Parties in the Caribbean are always a good time. Watching your child run, laugh, and shriek with joy while playing with other kids could never be a bad time. At every party Nyah's first task is always to find the candy stash and then proceed to get her sugar buzz on. There is no stopping her.

Kids parties are a big deal here and are way different from Midwestern parties. Here music is cranked and alcohol is flowing. I was speaking to a friend the other day and we realized we had never been to a child's birthday party here when alcohol wasn't served. Cultural differences which always reminds me that I really can't blame George for his occasional need to let loose, guess partying is in his bones. 

Lucky for us, one of the parties was a beach party. It felt so nice to get back in the water. We usually spend our weekends at the beach but life has kept us away lately. Wether we spend the whole day at the beach or just go for an evening soak, we always try to fit a beach time in. Its kind of our "thing" we do as a family. Guess its good for the soul.

Note the sand around the mouth. Its inevitable no matter how hard I try.
Going to the beach in St. Croix is always adventurous, especially when going with George. Since George grew up here he knows every beach imaginable to explore. He is still taking me to beaches I never knew existed. Some private beaches and others busy, where we know we will run into friends, depending on our mood for the day.

Overall it was a great weekend. I know Nyah enjoyed herself as she wound up with her clothes off by the end of both parties. See video below of Elsa bustin' a move.
Love to all...


Friday, September 24

Let's Talk Breasts

I am passionate about breastfeeding. I nursed Nyah until she was about eighteen months old which is one of my greatest achievements... right up there with natural child birth. I am currently nursing Elsa and she doesn't seem to be thinking of giving it up anytime soon. You might say this child was born to nurse, she latched within minutes of being born and hasn't let up since.




I have been seeing some great breastfeeding promotional videos lately, probably because August was National Breastfeeding Month. Yeah, I am a little late. I thought this was a cool idea to support a great cause. 


Though I didn't send in a video, the question has been in the back of my mind so I thought I would just answer the question here. 
I breastfeed because...hmmm. Why would I actively choose to wake up every two to three hours in the night for a little girl who won't go back to sleep unless she gets a little somethin' somethin'? The obvious reasons are the benefits for baby, too numerous to list.  But other than that, I breastfeed because I am a woman, a mother and its my job. I like to use my body to its fullest potential. I breastfeed because it makes me more in touch with my body and what I put in it. I breastfeed because as Nyah watches me and actively participates in nursing Elsa, I hope she is developing pride in herself and her body that she will carry with her for a lifetime. I breastfeed because I am a little lazy and because I don't have to think twice when the electricity goes out. I breastfeed because I love the way Elsa rubs my arm when she is eating, plays with her ear, squeezes my lips and the look of pure contentment and joy when she is finished eating. I do it because it makes everything in Elsa's world all right. 


I breastfeed because now that I am on my second child it is honestly all I know. I breastfeed because I can.


How many times can I say breast in one post? Enough already! Here is funny video, watch until the end!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hy_LPsHXwlg


Hope everyone has a nice weekend and those traveling stay safe. I think Elsa might be walking by next post! 
Love to all!

Wednesday, September 22

The Playdate

To me playdates are trendy thing. I only recently started hearing the term possible because I am only now paying attention. My K Mart sunglasses are about as trendy as I get. Seems like playdates are for the over achieving mother who loves to over schedule and push her child. Scary. 
With that being said, we do attend a playdate every Wednesday and I am starting to understand why parents are so into them. I will use the term playdate here because I can't think of a better word for what we do, which is meet other kids/parents at the park and let the children run, get dirty and act like the wild animals they are. While the kids get energy out and learn how to act I get a chance to attempt to socialize with other adults, which makes me feel normal.


After we all meet up though it never fails, the kids want to start snack time. Doesn't matter if we just ate before we left home, Nyah wants snack. I know, at least in Nyah's case, she just wants to see what other kids brought with the slightest hope that possibly they might have brought junk food. No matter the contents of the other child's snack container, to Nyah, others snacks are always better than her own. Following snack time the kids play on the playground equipment for a bit but it never takes long for them to migrate to the trees and run in the grass. I love this, reminds me of the goodness and innocence of children. 
Nyah spent a good forty- five minutes last week with another girl mixing berries and leaves with a sick in a hole they found on the top of a table. Oh the fun. I am sure she was singing the Bob Marley song in her head because when she hears this song in the car she literally "Stirs it Up" in the back seat with her big pretend bowl and wooden spoon. 


Elsa, always looking for something to put in her mouth.
The mothers who attend this playdate are from everywhere, Bulgaria, Russia, Dominica, Philippines, St. Croix, and of course Franklin, Indiana. It's a great mix, we have fun but more importantly the kids have a great time. 
We went to the park in Fredriksted last week while George was in class and ran into another organized group of parents and kids playing. It was so unexpected and turned out to be a great evening. Strangest thing though, I started seeing coolers and the mothers holding green glass bottles. Sure enough, those West End Mommies brought beer to the "playdate". Oh how I love this island...and playdates.

Tuesday, September 21

Thanks Aunt Nik

So I finally did a better job as a mom, got my elbows up, and captured a video of Nyah at dance class. Actually, they let us stay a little at the beginning of her last class so I was able to get a quick video of her.

The highlight of Nyah's day yesterday was getting a package from Aunt Nikki.  As you can imagine, Aunt Nikki is kinda at superstar status in our house.

By the way, she loved the stickers. I have learned a silent 3 year old is never a good thing.


I finally registered to vote. Voting is a must in the St. Rose Family. Registering to vote was up there on my list of things to do before becoming a St. Rose, along with learning to make George's mom's famous and delicious baked macaroni. Happy to have achieved both as November is quickly approaching.

Here is Elsa at the coffee shop this morning before her nine month doctor appointment. She is of course healthy as can be, weighing 18lb 9oz and stretching almost 30" long. At nine months she is taking a few steps but still needs some assistance, she is speed crawling all over the place, climbing, and saying "dada", "momma" and "nana". She is a bottom feeder as my Dad calls it, constantly searching the ground for even the tiniest crumb to put into her mouth. She is giving kisses, full open mouth kisses, which when on the receiving end makes you feel like the most blessed person on Earth to be covered in her slobber. I live for those kisses. 

Hope this blog isn't boring anyone. I am having a lot of fun keeping it up to date. Hope everyone has a beautiful day. We are off to pick up our little Montessorian.
Love!





Monday, September 20

Routines

Routines are Nyah's life. She loves them and thrives off of them as any child her age does. She has most of our daily tasks down to a science. Starting with waking, getting dressed, getting juice and pleading for cartoons. The rest of the day is one big routine. Her nighttime routine is getting longer by the day. After dinner and bath the stalling begins. She first begins by stalling to pick out her stories, followed by potty, brushing teeth, taking clothes off, taking hair down, songs, one more song, scratching and kisses and more kisses. (This is the quick version mind you). 


When I did pushed her to pick her book the other night as she was standing in front of her bookshelf for way too long she told me, "Mommy, I'm thinking". I don't know what she had to think about, she picks the same books every. single. night. 


She has recently added a new dimension to her morning routine which is kind of comical and a little time consuming. When the time comes to fix her hair, she consistently requests, "I want my braids". I have to really strategize a plan before hand if there is no time for braids and a ponytail will have to do. Breaking routine is scary. I think she must get a lot of positive reinforcement for her braids when we are out or she is at school because she loves braids and insists on braids. Every morning. 
Different cultures obviously have different styles and the culture in St. Croix, which I love so much, values braids and fixed hair for their children. Girls and boys get their hair braided pretty much as soon as their hair is long enough. It sometimes seems the tightness of the braids or hairdo is directly related to how much you love your child. I learned this soon after I moved here and Nyah would come home from the babysitter, who was from down island, with her hair greased and in tight braids/rubber bands. Women on island constantly make suggestions of how I can fix both Nyah and Elsa's hair because I so often leave their hair down and natural because they have the most beautiful hair I have ever seen. I hope they always love it.    


So needless to say, I am thankful I know how to braid, especially when my daughter requires me to step up my hair game and get with her routine. Funny how things learned in life come back to be useful, even simple ones like braiding hair.


Off to school this morning.

Thursday, September 16

Celebrate

The littlest girl turned 9 months today. Elsa and I celebrated the day doing our usual Thursday thing, waking up really early, taking Ny to school then heading to the laundry mat. We have our favorite laundry mat but we go to the cheapest one. There are a ton of laundry mats on the island along with churches and bars. Though it can be challenging to keep Elsa occupied through the whole wash, dry and fold process, there is something so satisfying about washing weeks worth of laundry in two hours. Elsa made lots of friends today at the laundry with her contagious personality.
Elsa  spent the later part of the day with Nyah at her first dance class. This is an event that Nyah has been anticipating since Saturday. The anticipation gave Ny a good lesson in the days of the week. Every morning and when I pick her up from school I hear, "Mommy, can I go to dance class today?" 
So the day finally arrived and she got to put on her tights, her leotard, and ballet shoes and off we went.  


I would have liked to post a video on here in her first class but the sheer volume of mothers trying to peep into the windows to watch their precious little ones bust a move was ridiculous. The teacher shut the window. I of course wasn't one of those mothers...right! I did sneak this picture of the beautiful dance studio. 

There were about fifteen little girls of every race, height and age (2-5 years) following the teachers instructions so nicely, galloping around the room and jumping. It was so wonderful to see Nyah shine. She was completely 100% into the class for the entire hour. She kept right up and loved looking at herself in the mirror. She walked out of class proud, sweaty, and thirsty and asked when we could return. 



It is so fun to watch our girls grow up. I feel like the every day is worthy of celebration.

Tuesday, September 14

Dog Days Are Over

Today is beautiful, life is grand. I am sitting here on the porch with Elsa, she just said "momma" and we are playing a new game in which she looks up to the sky, then I look up to the sky and she laughs.


My computer broke, well kinda. Elsa chewed on the end of the power cord which plugs into the computer and ruined it. So no charge for my computer. Getting my computer serviced at Best Buy is kinda hard when there is no Best Buy on the island. After some research, long hours on hold with Best Buy, and some help from Chris and George I was able to find a certified Mac place here on island. I had to get out the old phone book, it felt old school but turned out to be a useful too. Might have to use it more often.


I watched bits and pieces of the VMA's between Elsa's frequent night feedings the other night. I heard this song and can't get it out of my mind. Crazy video but the song totally makes me move.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iWOyfLBYtuU

Friday, September 3

Back to School

It's that time of the year again...


Nyah is just growing up before our eyes. Not only the physical changes but she is becoming the most sweet and caring little girl. She is really into brushing her teeth now and identifying who is a "boy" or "girl". This usually involves her going through a list in her head of I guess everyone she knows. She had her first day of school and she didn't want me to walk her up to the door and kiss her over the gate as we did last school year. Guess its on of those moments every mom talks about. It honestly makes me so happy that she is becoming independent and confident in herself. I still like to spy on her though...The teaching assistant told me she said "I don't miss my mommy anymore" and that she spends most of the day hammering. So sweet! This is Nyah nursing her baby!


Hurricane Earl passed us with no damage, just some wind and rain. We spend the evening before the storm at Cane Bay listening to some reggae and were blessed to witness this beautiful sunset!
 I wasn't feeling too hot the day of the storm so luckily George got to come home from work early and he did all the work for the storm and took care of the girls... with no electricity in the house. He's quite the guy! He and Nyah ate lots of KFC and played with Elsa. I stumbled out of the bedroom in the evening and found Nyah and George just lying on the bed in our living room together (yes, you read right, we use a mattress as a couch, classy I know) watching the candles and talking about life I guess. Sweetest sight ever. Nyah was so worried and constantly asking me "mommy, you feel better"?


Elsa is growing before our eyes and doing so much silly stuff. She is really into playing peek a boo, something she surprised me with but it is the funniest thing. She is really getting confident doing the coffee table shuffle but in our case its the mattress on the floor shuffle. I put her first pair of shoes on her today and she looked so old. George though he was going to cry. :) Elsa is just so amazing, she brightens my day every day. Since it is just her and I now in the mornings we are trying to get back into our routine. We usually go to the gym in the morning and she stays in the daycare with Ms. Georgie (who she loves). When I walk into get her after my workout I get the best greeting from her. Makes my day.


George is back in school also on Fridays. So we are just living and loving each day and anticipating the wedding and crossing our fingers more hurricanes don't come our way. 


Well, the girls are sleeping so I will attempt to get some house work done...until next time!
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