Friendship

Jocelyn and I spend a lot of time with other kids and Mommies.  Between Mom's Groups, My Gym, and other activities, Jocelyn interacts a lot with other kids.  But I think she has found her first real friend! I don't know at what age kids are supposed to go from parallel play to interactive play, but Jocelyn and her friend Ayaka are certainly playing together and it's so much fun to watch!!  Ayaka is a few months younger than Jocelyn, but I think that works for them quite well.  Jocelyn looks forward to playing with Ayaka and talks about her all afternoon when their playtime is over.
I must say I am enjoying getting to know Ayaka's mother too.  We seem to have very similar ways of raising our girls, and I enjoy her company.  Sounds like a win-win for all of us!

Gymnastics

I don't generally like to overload Jocelyn with too many classes, especially now that she is doing My Gym, but she has really enjoyed going to Columbia Gymnastics for Mom's Group sessions, so I decided to let her do a 6 week program through Howard County.  Today was the first day.
She was very excited about putting on her leotard...

And she loved sliding into the foam block pit...



But as usual, her favorite activity is jumping...

And here is the video to prove it!

Uncle Scott and Aunt Rachel come for a visit

Pat's brother Scott and his wife Rachel came to visit this past weekend.  While they were here, we actually took the opportunity to play tourist in our own back yard, AND have some adult time.  Aunty Lorraine was nice enough to babysit Jocelyn, and on Saturday night we went to the Baltimore Inner Harbor, and Sunday afternoon, we went into Annapolis.  I felt some serious guilt leaving Jocelyn so much, but I doubt she missed me with all the fun she and Aunty were having, and honestly?...  It felt really good to go out with adults and spend some time with my hubby. 

The Brothers Hanging Out In Annapolis



Constellation in Baltimore



Harbor in Annapolis


But in case you're wondering, there was still plenty of time for fun with Jocelyn.  Nothing like the "Ants go Marching" to get a parade going with Aunty Lorraine, Jocelyn, Daddy, Aunt Rachel, and Uncle Scott!!  And of course, she had loads of fun Trick-or-Treating, as I've mentioned.



I don't know when we will get to see Scott and Rachel again, Indiana is so far away!!  We hope it will be soon, because we really enjoyed their company in so many ways!!

Trick-or-Treat!!

What a fun time Jocelyn had Trick-or-Treating this Halloween!!  Uncle Scott and Aunt Rachel were here, so they joined us on the trip around the neighborhood, and not only did we love having their company, but they were nice enough to take photos and help to carry the extra loot!!  Jocelyn stayed out just shy of the whole two hours and became a pro at saying "Trick-or-Treat!" and "Thank you!"...   Quickly followed by "It's another one house!!" 

Our neighborhood really gets into the fun.  We had plenty of houses to visit and lots of people in character, just a few of which are pictured above, SpongeBob, and the Mad Scientist, along with witches, cats, and the like.  Jocelyn loved her Funshine Care Bear costume and actually let me put a little makeup on her face.  This is the first year that she had any interest in the mountain of candy she came home with.  Her newest discovery?  Lol'pops!!  My favorites are the small toys some people give out instead of candy.  Jocelyn got a cute cat puppet this year. What great fun we had!  I just hope I won't have trouble getting Jocelyn to accept that this fun won't come again for another year!

Halloween Cuties Over the Last Three Years

For the third year in a row, we joined our Mom's Group for a Halloween party.  It's photos like this that make us realize just how much our little ones have grown. 

Our little Pumpkin - 9 months old



The Very Happy Crew!  Not really... - Jocelyn, Jillian, Cadence, Leora, Amedeo, and Jack

Jocelyn LOVED Trick-or-Treating last year, so I can't wait to take her out this year. 

Eeyore Trick or Treating - 1 Year 9 months



A Little Happier?  - Amedeo, Brooks, Cadence, Colin, Jack, Jillian, and Jocelyn



Jocelyn's Halloween costume this year was a challenge.  She loves the CareBears, particularly Funshine Bear, (or as she calls him, "Sun Bear", for obvious reasons).  I knew she would really love a Funshine costume, but the right costume in the right size was just impossible to find, so with a little fabric dye, some felt, so fabric glue, and embroidery thread, Sun Bear was born.   Jocelyn loves her costume, and frankly (patting myself on the back...) I'm pretty proud of myself for pulling it off!  

"Sun Bear" AKA Funshine CareBear - 2 yrs 9 mths



The Happy Crew - Finally!!  Jocelyn, Henry's Monkey costume (he was napping),  Henry's big brother Jack, New Baby Jessica with Big Sister Jillian, Amedeo, and Brooks



Auntie Erica and Uncle Mark

I can't remember the last time, prior to this year, that I have been to a wedding, probably not since my own!!  Funny thing, this year, we went to two of them!  In June Uncle Scott and Aunt Rachel got married in Indiana, and last weekend Pat, Jocelyn and I attended the wedding of my dear friend and Jocelyn's adopted Auntie Erica.  The wedding was held outside of Harrisburg, PA, and the setting was absolutely gorgeous!  Erica had hoped for an outdoor fall wedding complete with foliage and the like, and she got it, perfectly.  The only thing that would have been nice is another 10-15 degrees!!



The Beautiful Setting

The Bride and Groom



The Bride and Flower Girls

Jocelyn was in Erica's wedding as a flower girl along with two other little ones, and knowing that we would need a cooperative, happy child, we planned ahead as much as we could.  We left home at nap time and brought snacks for her to have before the wedding.  She DID NOT sleep in the car, and she DID NOT want to eat.  We thought for sure that we were doomed, but we underestimated the wonderful child we have!  She was the only one of the three that walked happily down the isle (with the handhold of her new friend Elena, the junior bridesmaid), and was content to sit with Elena through the whole wedding!  Pat and I were then free to watch our friends get married, reminisce a bit about our own wedding, and not worry about Jocelyn.  

Elena and Jocelyn dancing at the reception

After the wedding, we took advantage of the beautiful setting to take some pictures of our own.



This is my absolute favorite!

Erica and Mark are now on their honeymoon on the other side of the world!  But we are SOOO happy for them both!  Congrats to Auntie Erica and Uncle Mark!!





Control your kid!!

Over the last few weeks I've had a situation come up and I'm stuggling with how to handle it.  Jocelyn is in a couple activities that involve her with kids that are what I consider too aggressive.  If you can call toddlers bullies, well then, I call them bullies.   There have been a couple incidents where Jocelyn has been pushed by a kid that decided she was too slow and he didn't want to wait, and another child had no problem grabbing toys right out of Jocelyn's hand when this child didn't want Jocelyn to have them.  I find myself biting my tongue to keep myself from screaming at the mothers  "PLEASE control your child!!" 
Jocelyn is often a timid, and shy child when it comes to dealing with other kids.  Her only reaction to these incidents was surprise and sadly, fear.  She won't stand up for herself, but I have and I will.  I've told children not to do things, and I've taken toys back.  I'm really not worried about the opinions of the parents I don't know, but what do I do with the one mother I see on a regular basis?  Avoiding her means missing out on activities I would like Jocelyn to be able to participate in. 
I don't know if Jocelyn will ever become the kind of kid that will stick up for herself.  In some ways, that comes with it's own issues.  But I'm afraid she will get bullied and possibly hurt one day by these kids. 

Care Bears

Because Jocelyn has 2 older sisters, she has discovered many of their toys that are actually now out of popularity, but like her sisters in past years, have become her favorites.  She likes Polly Pockets, Littlest Pet Shop figures, and Little People, but by far, her favorite is Care Bears, in particular, Funshine Bear, or Sun Bear as she calls him.  He's the yellow bear with the sun on his belly.  She has him as a stuffed toy and a couple figures (in her hand).  She lost the Sun Bear figure in her room yesterday and I search for 1/2 hour wondering what in the world I would do if we had to replace him because IF you can get any of that stuff, they're all considered collectibles now!!   As it is, we are trying to get Jocelyn a Funshine Bear costume for Halloween.  I had one on order, but it ended up being out of stock.  I'm now looking at my options.  I have a feeling if I could get Jocelyn a "Sun Bear" costume she would never take it off!!
Anyway, this morning when she got out of bed, all these guys had to come too.  She lined them all up on the sofa and for the first time EVER, smiled upon request.  Too Cute!!
Not to be forgotten though, Dino-snore from Indiana!

Ms. Beth and Ms. Lisa

Before Jocelyn even left the NICU, I got that first call from Beth (on right), from the Infants and Toddlers Program.  This is a program that offers services to kids with potential to have special needs due to disabilities or in Jocelyn's case, prematurity.  Beth visited us at least monthly for a year and a half, monitoring Jocelyn's progress and reassuring me always that she was just fine and progressing well.  The only glitch Jocelyn ever had was she had this aversion to using her hands and arms for strength.  She had no problem reaching for things and feeding herself, but she was not about to use them to catch herself or balance herself.  Beth recognized this, and Lisa the Physical Therapist on the left, joined our happy group from the time Jocelyn was about 10 months to 18 months old.

One of the tasks Jocelyn had to be able to do was stacking small blocks.  As I told Beth, who wants to stack blocks when you can stack yogurt containers?!?!

By August of 2009, Jocelyn was standing and walking without help, and she had reached the accomplishments that ultimately, as I jokingly said to Beth and Lisa, got us fired from Infants and Toddlers, and PT.   Both these ladies had been such a big part of Jocelyn's beginnings, and so encouraging to me as her mommy, that the day they left and I realized I was on my own, was a scary day, and a very sad day.  I have stayed in touch with them over the last year and shared Jocelyn's wonderful progress, and yesterday, Beth, Jocelyn and I had a wonderful lunch together.  Jocelyn talked all the way home about having lunch with Ms. Beth, and playing with Ms. Beth.  It was so great to share Jocelyn's progress with Beth and the next time we get together we hope to be able to schedule it so Lisa can join us.  I suspect I will always try to stay in touch with these ladies, and I will always remember the integral part they played in Jocelyn's early development, and how supportive they were of me, the new Mom.

A sign of what's to come?

Do you think this is a sign of things to come?

We are starting to think about getting Jocelyn into a big girl bed in the next few months, if not by her birthday.  She hasn't really shown any interest in escaping the crib yet, but this was a new sign yesterday!  Her crib can become a full sized bed, and though it might be a bit big for her small room, I think that may be what we're going to do.  If she makes it to her 3rd birthday without climbing out on her own, then maybe we can do it for her birthday as a big girl transition.  In the meantime, I think this may be an indicator that we need to be prepared for anything!