.little sprouts.

Today was a big day for us. We finally made the decision on a preschool for Nyah. This decision had been stressing me out for a while now. Some people say preschool is just for fun and some say it sets the foundation for learning. Either way it was important to us to find a preschool that would be a good match for our girl. Knowing that Nyah is very cautious and shy, I wanted an environment that wouldn't be too overwhelming and where she would feel safe. I had visited a lot of preschool website and there were 2 in our neighborhood that I thought would be so convenient.

The first one I visited was Creative Kids Preschool. It had a lot of positives and a few negatives. A big draw back for me was that it had no real outdoor space to play in. Some of my greatest memories as a kid are from the playground! I left there feeling like it was ok and I really didn't want just ok. I wanted "Wow!".

The second one we visited was Little Sprouts Preschool. This program is located inside Rosemary Heights School which would be Nyah's elementary school. It's set inside a very small classroom which at first glance I thought wasn't very impressive. But as I talked to the teacher, it all came together. There philosophy and low teacher to child ratio (10 kids max to 2 teachers) didn't need a large overwhelming environment to succeed. The more I thought about it, the more I realized this is the type of environment that Nyah would thrive in. There were so many little details that I loved about this program.... the family wall with photos, the workbook for each student put together with the teacher, the baking, the teaching of 10-15 French words a month and did I mention they go outside almost everyday!!! Love it! They also had access to the school's facilities like the library, gym and kitchen. What a great opportunity to also get her comfortable with her school before  full days of Kindergarten! (Oh my god... I can't believe I just typed the word Kindergarten.... Ahhhh.... I'm freaking out... before I know it she's gonna be graduating and I'm gonna be really old!) 

The teacher was so sweet and soft spoken with Nyah. It wasn't long until Nyah was interacting with her and my heart felt at ease. One of the highlights of our visit was when a little student came over to the teacher I was speaking with just to check in with her and give her a hug! So sweet! You could tell they genuinely cared for the kids and in return the kids loved them.

One of the defining moments for me was when we were speaking about separate anxiety and how they would handle it. She explained to me that because of the low kid to teacher ratio it gives them the opportunity to have a teacher step away and give some individual time to a student if they are feeling upset and needing some special cuddles or some redirection to a fun activity to get their mind off the separation. She said that once the child was settled and comfortable that they would give the parent a quick call to let them know things were fine! This was exactly what I needed to hear. Not only did they have a great strategy with dealing with a child's separation anxiety but they took care of a momma's anxiety too! The teacher also said we were welcome to come drop in for visits leading up to September to help get her comfortable with the environment. Isn't that amazing and so kind!

I left the preschool knowing in my heart this was the one. There were only 2 spots available and I knew there were 3 families visiting today so as soon as I got in the car before I even talked to Jay I called the program director to let her know we loved it. And just like that... we were in for September! Every Monday and Wednesday!

My big girl is going to Little Sprouts Preschool.

.sticker love.

Nyah LOVES stickers. She loves to peel them off the paper and stick them one by one where ever her heart desires... Which is usually up my arm or on the back of my shirt.  She's not fussy when it comes to stickers... She loves them all... Kitty ones, seasame street ones or even Telus animal ones that daddy brings home from work. I often find stickers through out the house in random spots.... On the leg of the table... In the cover of the fireplace. So you would think that armed with this knowledge of how much she loves her stickers it would have been obivious when this happened....

This came out of Nyah's nose when she sneezed... At first glance I thought "Holy crap! That's a yogurt covered raisin! Gross!". But upon further dissection...

Its a Telus bobcat sticker! This probably too much information... But it smelled so bad! My guess is that it was up there a while. The night before it came out, Nyah had a really rough night which was very sleepless and with lots of crying. I image this bad boy was the culprit! 

Girlfriend this takes sticker love to a whole new level! Let's try and keep them on areas outside of the body from now on! 

.full.

Have you ever had that feeling of being so full? Not just your belly but your heart too?

Tonight, we spent the evening with friends and their sweet girls. And as I type this Im overcome with the feeling of being SO full. Yes, my belly is full of bevies, pizza and cupcakes. But my heart is also so full. Full of gratitude for these friends. Full of joy for the friendships our daughters have made. Full of excitement for the experiences they have yet to share. Full of love. 

Thank you Tricia for the super cute photos!

.merry & bright.

From our family to yours, we would like to wish you a very Merry Christmas! May all your days be merry & bright.

All our love,
Leah, Jay and Nyah

.34.

The best part of turning 34 years old today was coming home from work to daddy having taught Nyah to say " happy birthday momma"! 

She melts my heart.

.2 has arrived.

Nyah is two! Let me say that again... Two.... The big 2. I swear she woke up on the morning of her birthday and she was a grown up! It happened that fast. 

She really is becoming quite the opinionated little girl. You can often find her making a fish face while repeatedly saying No, No, No over and over again. Most of the time its SUPER cute... except that time at ballet where she lost her marbles because she didnt want to wait her turn and decided to have a full blown tantrum in the middle of the floor (although tantrums in tutu's are almost cute...).

Everyday she is saying new words and learning how to communicate. If she cant pronounce the full word she makes up her own abbreviation for it... like co for coloring or wa for water. She is very good with her manners... Peas and  wellwum. My favorite is when she says meme for excuse me after she farts. Such a lady!

I am still waiting for her to sleep through the night. This has been our greatest challenge. I know that when she is ready it will just happen but lord can momma use 8 consecutive hours. Just once! 

Jay and I decided that we didnt really want to introduce tv to her when she was a baby. We felt it was important that she learn to play both independently and with friends first. Recently, we have started to let her watch sesame street and SHE loves it. She dances with the music and tries to sing-a-long. To say she is obssessed with Elmo would be an understatement. Thats why picking a theme for her birthday was a no brainer!

Im so thankful that this year everyone was healthy and I was actually able to execute the party as I had planned. It was so nice having Kym here to help out too! Its always super special when your bff gets to share in the important moments of your child's life!

This year I let Jay off the hook and made all the decorations myself. Elmo themed decorations are pretty basic and easy. I got all my ideas from pinterest. 

Today's party was brought to you by the number 2.... (I was pretty happy with the way it turned out... Who knew coffee filters could look so pretty).

.... And by the letter N

I'm so lucky to have so many talented friends! Deanne made these cupcakes and they were delicious!

.police, fire or ambulance.

Yesterday, was a very scary day. I had put Nyah in her crib while I used the washroom. Something I've done a million times but this time was different. I guess she decided she didn't want to be in there. It happened so quick. All I heard was a big thud... silence for a couple seconds... and then crying... I ran as fast as I could to find her laying outside of her crib, flat on her back. My instant reaction was to pick up my baby and comfort her. As soon as I swooped her up in my arms, she threw up all over me. I knew that throwing up could be a sign of something serious so I tried to stay calm but really on the inside I was panicking! I'd like to say I called 911 first but I didn't... I called Jay... I told him what happened and while we were talking I was holding her and she seemed to be a little shaken but ok. He said he would leave work right away and that he would see us soon. After hanging up the phone, I placed Nyah down on our bed and she burst into tears saying "ouchie, ouchie"... That was it... I was calling for an ambulance... I called Jay told him I was calling and then I dialed 911.

We had to wait a really long time for the ambulance... over 15 minutes. For a panicked momma, that felt like forever! While waiting, Nyah seemed to be returning to her usual self. By the time the ambulance arrived she was wanting to kick her ball around and build a tower of blocks! I felt like such a loser for calling 911 and now she was fine. I hated to be that person that was wasting their time. The attendants checked her over and said she seemed ok. They gave me signs of things to watch out for and said to call then back if she started to display any of them.

I'm so thankful that it wasn't anything serious. Just super scary! And I'm so thankful that Jay jumped into action and knew that we needed him by our side right away and for the ambulance attendants who I'm sure thought "Oh great! Another first time mom "emergency"" but made me feel like I had done the right thing. We received a lot of love and support from our friends too which made us feel so blessed. I have to share the text exchange between Deanne and I because it shows what a true friend she is... when she shares a sacred parenting tip with me!

Deanne: OMG!! So scary... Do they think she could have a concussion? If they didn't take her to the hospital the $50 will not be covered as there was no transportation.

Me: No... they said if she was continuously throwing up then they would be worried... She's totally fine. It's me that traumatized!

Deanne: Of course! Kids kill us

Me: It's shocking that more parents aren't alcoholics!

Deanne: We are... You just get good at hiding it... lol

This beautiful photo was taken by my amazing friend Kelly. Check out her blog On my Toes at http://kellyalexandrawilliams.blogspot.ca/ This woman has got some serious talent!