5 Favorites - Best Gifts for Young Kids

Trying to keep it simple for my one blog post a month.  Here you go!  ;-)

In three weeks Augie turns 4.  One week later Catie turns 3.  Two kids birthdays and a week later...Christmas.  I have been filling up the wish list with some ideas for our families.  Today I stumbled upon this list, Top Ten Toys for the Active Child and it inspired me to create my own list.  Run down, I have one 6 year old princess, one 4 year old very active warrior, one 3 year old shy girl who still needs help with learning simple concepts...and a newborn (who is set for life)!

So, without further ado...my best gift ideas based on our favorites.

1. Peaceable Kingdom Cooperative Games
A few years back I stumbled upon this game on clearance at Barnes and Nobles.  It has been a favorite to play with the kids since then.  It was my first encounter with a "cooperative game".  When we have guests over they are still convinced they need to be the winner.  It takes some explaining to help them understand the concept is to work together to achieve the common goal.

We have also acquired Fish Sticks.  It is designed for 5 + year olds so we haven't played it with Augie & Catie with any success.  

I bought Feed the Woozle for my nephew's 4th birthday.  I heard from my brother that it was a hit.  

The Peaceable Kingdom website has lots of games along with video previews.  

2. ART SUPPLIES

We go through art supplies like crazy!  Crayons are frequently in short supply around here.  After 5 years of crayons in my home, I have finally decided Twistables are my favorite by far.  I have children that think breaking crayons is fun.  Otherwise they are unwrapping and leaving shreds of teeny crayon paper everywhere.  Note: leaving a pack of Twistables with a a two year old may result in twisted out crayons...but they are easy to fix!  

For the record after this unfortunate but epic episode a few years ago, I try to steer clear of markers and art supplies are restricted to public places. 

3. Learning Toys

Learning Resources is another favorite brand.  We have used many of these during therapy sessions.  I was recently gifted with Alphabet Soup Sorters. 

Lauri Toys Peg Sets are another that we love.  

The thing about these is you probably want to keep them stacked out of reach with the board games and bring them down for when you are playing with the kids.  Our Alphabet Soup & Pegs only come out with supervision.  And yet...I am still endlessly cleaning up pegs around the house.  They become swords (Augie) or Cakes & Candles (Rosie).  I find my kids prefer playing with the pegs to playing with Duplo blocks. 

4.  Books

We read every night and love when new books arrive on the scene.  Let me take this opportunity to plug a friend.  Anthony Destefano has become quite the author since I worked with him back in the day.  We LOVE his books.  Little Star is a perfect Christmas gift!  But I have to say I love all his children's books.  And that is not just spoken with bias.  

Dr Seuss is perfect for this age...and another favorite is Margaret Wise Brown.  If you do not yet have "The Moon Shines Down" it is a must have for your library.  

For my new reader we love Bob Books.  If you do not yet own these...please invest!!  

My favorite chapter books to read with Rosie are Laura Ingalls Wilder and Nancy Drew.  Note to the family, we do not own any of these!  ;-) I didn't learn until recently that quality chapter books for young kids are hard to find!  There are many many bratty characters or not-so-catholic themes (fairy's, magic, etc) to be weary of in early chapter books.  

5.  The gift of time, the gift of a sport (of $ towards it), the gift of an amusement pass, etc.  

My mom's growing up friend talked about taking her nieces out for whole day dates as a birthday gift.  I would love this for my kids!  A great godparent gift idea!  Also, we have some kid oriented amusement parks near by and that always seems to be a bit extravagant for the budget.  But, anything along these lines...a gift card for a special outing with mom, etc....we love these creative gifts!  

Have to wrap up to attend to other things...hopefully this will inspire some wish lists or givers.  

a birth story

I was due on September 23rd.  The midwife that delivered Rosie told us she would be on call the night of 9/22.  It sounded like a perfect time to have a baby.

Friday September 20th, I went to my cousin's football game with my mom & Rosie.  I came home and that evening started to feel contractions.  They never got stronger than 30 seconds and a minute apart and died down before the end of an hour.

Saturday, went with the family to the Padre Pio Shrine...no signs of labor.  The weekend ended and my due date (Monday) passed...and I waited.

I experienced contractions off and on through the week.  I had several sessions of timing contractions.  One night I almost woke up my husband.  I did lots of googling "are these real contractions?".  I considered calling the midwives to let them know I was in pre-labor....but everything that came, disappeared. I grew more disappointed and frustrated.

I tried many natural labor induction techniques.  I drank lots of red raspberry leaf tea and took Evening Primrose Oil tablets, a long walk...and other things.  On Thursday I finally worked up the courage to try Castor Oil.  1 tablespoon here and there, with the okay of the midwife.

Friday September 27th I went to the chiropractor and requested the "Webster" technique.  Though my baby was not breech, a doula friend recommended the treatment.  More contractions that night.  Stronger, but not more than 30 seconds and 3 minutes.

Saturday September 28th - some where in the very early morning I lost my mucus plug - Hallelujah!  I was super excited about that.  Morning contractions, some strong, but nothing terribly regular.  My husband and I made plans to go to the movies to distract ourselves. Around 1pm the contractions started to seem a bit more regular, I decided to call the midwife on the way into our 1:30pm movie to give her a heads up.  I timed them throughout the whole movie on a contraction app.  On the way out of the movie they were starting to get a bit more intense, but not over powering.  When we arrived home hubs informed my mom I was in labor and I retreated to the bedroom to rest,  sit on the birth ball and listen to a hypno babies session.  Just before 7pm I went to the bathroom during a strong/long contraction.  As I was sitting on the toilet my water broke with a "pop".  I had more bloody show.  The water was cloudy.  I texted my doula friend about when to go to the birth center.  Her response was when I loose my smile and can't stand to be around my children any longer.  That happened pretty quickly.  I told hubs to call the midwife.

at the birth center

The midwife on call was at a hospital birth.  She called her back up to meet us at the birth center.  We arrived about the same time she did, shortly after 7:30pm.  At this point contractions were regularly 1 minute long and 2 minutes apart.  We went in and she checked....6cm.

Incidently, this is the same room where Rosie was born.  With her, we arrived at 4cm at 10pm and delivered at 2am.  I don't recall how long transition lasted, but it was painful and I was in a little tub. 

This time, we planned a water birth.  As the midwife set up the tub, I labored with hubs.  I remember having an overall less intense laboring experience with Rosie.  This time it seemed more painful for longer.  When the midwife realized I was GBS+ (she misunderstood me the first time she asked)...she got me prepped for an antibiotic IV.  First attempt, in the wrist...fail....fluid accumulating in my wrist.  As this is going on, I am sitting on the bed having very painful contractions and not paying attention...this part of the account was from my husband.  Second attempt, she got the IV in my arm, but did not get the connection properly hooked up, she dropped something and blood was quickly draining onto the floor.  She fumbled to get a new connection piece and dropped that as well.  Finally, she got the connection in order and she and my husband massaged the bag to get the IV in me as quickly as possible.  I stepped over the large blood puddle and climbed into the tub.

At this point we set up the camera to attempt to video the birth.  I was chanting "help me Jesus, help me God."  And I remember a string of curses of the S variety.  The video clips hubs took of me laboring at this point were not pretty.  I am not sure when transition began, but I was in PAIN.   Around this time the midwife on call returned to relieve the back up.  The nurse arrived as well.  I was sitting in the tub, leaning forward on my knees, with our fan blowing on my face.  The midwife checked me and told me I was 9.5cm dilated and if I wanted to start to push through contractions I could.  I was still cursing through the contractions.  (((Please note here, I was not actually using hypnobabies...I never got into the program, but would definitely try to embrace the program should we do this again)))

The midwife checked me again.  Bad news.  She told me I was 8cm, not 9.5 as she previously thought.  This killed me.  There was lots of "I can't, I can't".  I asked the nurse about something to take the edge off the pain.  The midwife explained that if she would do that I would have to get out of the tub as sleepy babies can't be delivered underwater.  I liked the tub.  More pain and my first ever involuntary pushing.  I told her "I'm pushing, I'm pushing".  My feet had fallen asleep so I moved to sitting on my bum, with my arms spread out across the tub.  Looking at the video my husband describes this as my cruciform position.

I don't know how long I was in the position, but I got the okay to push again.  Some more pushing and hello ring of fire.  I kept asking for the play by play...but more like "how long is this going to take???  how much looooonnnger?"  I was getting more pushing advice...every time I felt like it should be it....but it wasn't.

Finally, on video, a really tough push - pain and I ask "push or relax?" Then I choose relax.  I got my final instructions "If I tell you to push, push; If I tell you to stop, I need you to stop, etc".  Aaannndd, PUSH - with EVERYTHING inside of me.  She was delivered underwater at 10pm...all 9lb 7oz, with her hand beside her face.  She was placed on my belly.  

I checked, said "it's a girl!" Then in a breathless wobbly voice I tell her "thank you for coming out".  As she lay on my belly, she looked up at me with the most beautiful of wide awake eyes.  Quiet alertness.  I held her like this as hubs cut the cord.

Hubs held her and I climbed out of the tub and onto the bed.  I only had a small tear that did not need to be repaired.  Then we got a detailed anatomy lesson on my placenta after it was delivered (at my request to see it).

I held her, nursed her and snuggled her skin to skin for a good hour or more before she was taken to be washed and weighed.  That I love about the birth center!  After she was cleaned up, it was my turn.  I showered and got dresssed in clean jammies.  And then we waited.  They like you to stay 4 hours after the birth for monitoring.  Same as with Rosie, we were counting down the hours and minutes until we could leave.  The kind nurse okayed us to leave at 1:45am.

We went through the McDonalds drive through (I am starving after birth) and fortunately they serve egg mcmuffins in the middle of the night.  I ate two.  We made it home and I laid for a few hours before I heard the kids wake up.  Roll camera again.

better than Christmas morning!

I have been contemplating what her blog name should be.  The formula used on our other kids, did not work for her.  I have a family member with a similar name who was always called "Joy" as a nickname.  I mentioned Joy as a possibility and another blogger commented that "God gave you Joy".  If you have read the blog this past year, Joy has been something I have pondered and sought.  Her comment, bringing light to that connection, made the name perfect.  So, for blogsake...baby Joy!  

not yet 1 day old