She is ONE!

Sydnee was born 1 year ago on May 11th!  I can't believe how fast this year has flown!

Here are her one year stats:
Weight: 16 lbs 0.5oz  (3rd percentile)
Height:  28 inches  (25th percentile)
Head circumference:  17 1/3 inches  (25th percentile)
(She's still super light!  But she eats well, so we aren't really worried.)

What Sydnee does:
*  She now crawls like Speedy Gonzalez and sometimes it is hard to keep up with her.
*  She also LOVES to pull herself up on stuff and walk around holding on!  (It won't be long before she is walking by herself)
*  When she eats she loves to put food in her hair.  It doesn't matter to her that mommy just gave a bath five minutes before.
*  When Syd goes to sleep she has to roll around and stand on her head a few times before she will actually surrender to sleep.
*  She always has to have something in her mouth while she is crawling around.  (Usually it is a "play kitchen" spoon)
*  If something is not the way she wants it...she will let you know.  I took a piece of chalk from her today when she put in her mouth, and from the way she cried and squealed you would assume the world had come to an end.  There is no lack of drama with this child!  But I love her for it!  She is always keeping me on my toes.

What Sydnee says:
*  Her first word was:  "K-ee-aa" (Kyrah- her sister)
*  Her second word was: "hi"(she will say this about a hundred times every day.  The thing I love most is the way that she always smiles when she says it :)  )
*  Sydnee has yet to say "mama", but she has said "dada" before, but I don't know if she knows what it means.  Every time I try and get her to say either "mama" or "dada" she just looks at me like I am crazy and just laughs.  She is a to smart for her own good.
*  She also has to blow on all of her food that we give her before she will eat it, whether it is hot or cold. :)
*  Syd will sing in the car while she is playing or when there is music on.  She even likes to sing with us in church while we are singing the hymns.

What Sydnee likes:
*  Syd has become a lot more of snuggler than she used to be.  (And by a lot I mean she will snuggle for about 2 minutes or so instead of 30 seconds)
*  She also loves the piano and will bang on the keys and laugh
*  Her favorite food is peanut butter and honey sandwiches and string cheese
*  To color with her magnet board
*  She LOVES her Hippo Luvi Blanket and her binki.  They go everywhere with her.
*  She loves to splash in the bath tub and would seriously stay in the water all day if I let her.
*  She follows Kyrah around everywhere and likes to do everything she does.
*  Syd loves to read books and points to the pictures.

Best Friends!

Eating her Birthday Cake!  YUM!

We love you Syd!  You bring so much life to the party and there is never a dull moment with you around!  You are quite a little lady.  You seem to be 1 going on 5.  :)  Don't grow up to fast!  Happy (b-lated) Birthday baby girl!

Love,
Mommy, Daddy & Kyrah



 

Questions to Ask When Interviewing a Child Care Provider

Image courtesy of ladcblog.org

This past weekend was so awesome!  I was able to attend my sister's wedding :)  She and her sweetheart are now married for time and all eternity! I'm not going to lie, I'm glad it wasn't me getting married. Even though my wedding was one of the best days of my life,  it can be pretty stressful leading up to the big event.  There is a lot of take care of, but in the end it is totally worth it!  I am so happy for them and I wish them the best!

Recently, I was realizing that if I was going to get everything done at home and at work I needed some help.  So  I began the hunt for the perfect sitter for my kids.  (I would still be home if they needed something, but that way they would be entertained and I could get some work done at the same time.  (Genius!  I know, right?  lol :))  So the hunt began.  Luckily I was able to find a fabulous girl that actually lived right down the street from me.  She is amazing with my kids and they adore her.  I love the arrangement and I feel like I get so much more done now.  She comes Tuesdays and Thursdays from 4-6pm.  And those extra 4 hours a week make such a huge difference.  Now I just need to make sure I don't waste that precious time.  :)  Time management is the key.  But that is a whole another blog post.

So here are some questions that you should ask when you are interviewing a child care provider.

A Nanny or Babysitter

If interviewing a nanny or babysitter, be sure to ask:

Why do enjoy working with children?
Why did you choose to work in a private home rather than a center?
Are you available to work the hours I am offering?
Are you CPR and first aid certified?
What is your experience?  Ask follow-up questions relevant to the type of experience you expect a qualified  candidate to have.  For example, if you have a child with special needs, ask if the candidate has experience with special needs children.
What is your education?
Do you drive?
Do you have a reliable vehicle?
Do you hold any child care credentials or certifications?
What is your salary range?
When are you available to start?
Are you flexible with scheduling?
When do you plan on taking vacation?
Do you like to pick up additional hours for additional pay?
Are you willing to travel with our family?
How do you feel about light housekeeping?
Can you prepare meals for my children?
What was your last child care experience like?  Why did you leave?
How long are you planning to stay at your next job?
Are you willing to make a one-year commitment?
What is your parenting philosophy?
What methods of discipline do you use?
What would a typical day caring for children be like?
How do you feel about kids and TV?
Do you develop a routine for the children?  Are you structured?
What do kids like about you?
What kind of activities do you do with children the ages of mine?
How do you handle a baby that is crying inconsolably?
How do you handle a temper trantrum?
Are you willing  to take my children to age-appropriate activities and outings?
What is your relationship with your family like?
With whom do you spend most of your time?
How do people describe you?
Do you have any special skills?
Do you have any habits I should know about?  What do you do for fun?
Do you have any habits that may negatively influence my children?
Can I have informations for contacting three references?

Now, I know this list may be extensive. You don't have to ask EVERY SINGLE question.  Just ask the questions that you feel are the most important to you and your family.  But also remember that hiring a care provider for your children is really important because they will be taking care of your kids for you and you want them to do and be the best possible fit for you and your kids.  So be thorough when interviewing them.

A Mom's Ultimate Book of Lists: 100+ Lists to save you time, money, and sanity  by Michelle LaRowe

Family & Mexico

I am a week shy of not posting on the blog for a month! Normally I would say something like..."I've been really busy" or something like that.  Well, what I am going to tell you is...yes, I have been busy but that's not all of it.  Honestly, I just needed the break.  I have been getting some business coaching and it's been transforming my business and my life.  I highly recommend it if you are in business!  But because of that, a lot of what I was previously doing has been changing and evolving.  So I have needed time for these changes to take effect before I charge ahead!

Some of the changes are:  my blog has been really fun to update and I enjoy it, but I really want to be able to spend more time with my family on the weekends and not worry about work, so with my blog I will now be only posting only Mondays and Wednesdays.  And you can expect more videos as apposed to writing.  I enjoy doing videos so I am going to make them more of a priority :)

Oh, also feel free to grab a free diaper bag pattern from my website.  It's super easy to make and it's got lots of places to put all of the stuff you need for your baby!  :)

Another reason why I haven't been posting is because my hubby and I went on a trip to Mexico this past week.  Oh my gosh!  It was so much fun!  It was very warm and humid and beautiful!  We did so many fun things like snorkling and diving (my hubby saw a shark on his dive :)  Totally would have freaked me out! )  lol!  We also went zip lining and sky cycling.  We were able to see the ruins in Chichen Itza and Telum, (it was all so fascinating!  The architecture was unreal.)  We were also able to swim in underground pools called "synotes."  We had the best REAL Mexican you've ever tasted!  I am going to miss the corn tortillas the best.  You can't get them as good here in the U.S.

So a special THANK YOU to my parents for taking my hubby and I and my sisters to the beautiful country of Mexico :) We had an absolute blast!

One more special thing that happened this month:  My daughter Sydnee turned ONE on the 11th (Wed)!  So a special Happy Birthday to my adorable little girl!  We love you!

Well, I hope that you all have a wonderful weekend!  I am going to spend it with my family! We will see you on Monday!