What Southern Mamas Say

Over the last week I've had playdates with a few diferent Southern Mamas. Being a transplant to the deep South, it's taken me a couple years to work words like "ya'll" into my everyday vocabulary. And I must say that it's very strange to say things like "ya'll want some coffee?" with "ya'll" being as Southern as can be, and my still distinct NY accent coming out on "coffee." Oh, and then throw in the long O's of the Pennsylvania Dutch accent I picked up in college. I'm a hot mess the say the least : ) So anyway...

There is one thing all Southern Mamas say to their daughters - and I have definitely picked up on over the last few months. And that is "No, ma'am!"

In the same vein as how "bless his/her heart" is used as a sweet, Southern way of saying "They're NUTS!,"   "No, Ma'am!" is a sweet was of disciplining our baby girls. It can be said gently as you take away something she shouldn't be playing with. It can be said with a slight tone paired with a hand slap if they take something that isn't theirs. Or, it can be used in full force with clenched teeth and the evil eye, when they've done something really bad - NO! MA'AM!!

You should try it. It's a great catchall for discipline, and you'll still sound sweet as a Georgia Peach while saying it. And if you're in the South, pay attention to how many times it's used at your next playdate. I lost track at the last few I've been at : )

Baby Sign Language: Advice from the Expert

Happy Monday Mamas! I have a special treat today - a guest post from Misty Weaver, the Chief Editor of BabySignLanguage.com I've been trying to teach Paige baby sign language since birth without much luck. I asked Misty what I may be doing wrong, and how to get the ball rolling in a more productive way... And here is her advice!! Enjoy!

How To Get Started With Baby Sign Language And What Signs Should You Teach First
When you are first starting with Baby Sign Language it’s best to begin with signs you can use every day, such as Mommy, Daddy, Milk and More. Signs that represent something exciting and meaningful to baby will be easier to learn. Begin with these starter signs then build up your range to include other objects, ideas and emotions.


How To Get Started With Baby Sign Language
First of all, you need to remember to make the sign every time you say the relevant word to your baby. It’s important to say the word that goes with the sign clearly, using good eye-contact, while pointing to the thing or person you are describing. Sign when your baby is alert and not fussing. Remember to practice the signs beforehand so you feel confident and clear about what you are doing.

What Signs Should You Teach First And How?
Start with these signs: Mommy, Daddy, Milk and More. These signs are simple to learn and are really interesting to your baby. To sign Mommy extend and spread apart your fingers. With your little finger facing forward, tap your thumb on your chin.

• To sign Daddy, extend and spread out your five fingers on your strong hand. Tap your hand on your forehead. Done right you will look like a turkey.

• The sign for Milk is a lot like milking a cow, but without the vertical motion – you are just squeezing the udder. Take both hands, make them into a fist, relax, and repeat. You will notice most babies have trouble moving their fingers together this way, but any kind of repeated squeezing and relaxing of the hand is likely Milk.

• To make the sign for More, flatten out your hands then bring your thumbs under to make an O shape. Then, bring your hands together and separate them repeatedly. Baby will often simplify More by clapping their fists together. As they get older and more proficient you may want to encourage the more correct sign of flattening out their hands and creating the O shape with their thumbs as a fun way to help them develop fine motor skills.

Repetition
Repetition is the key to Baby Sign Language . When you first start, be sure to make the sign and say the word every time you do an action or use an object. Soon this will become second-nature. Your baby will learn the signs through repetition and constant exposure.

Be Patient
Don’t expect too much too soon – from your baby or from yourself. If you forget to sign for a day it’s doesn’t matter – just begin again with renewed effort. Have realistic expectations. Research by Dr. Joseph Garcia, one of the founders of Baby Sign Language, found that a typical baby who starts learning signs at seven months old needs about two months of repetition and exposure to a sign to start using it.

Poop Happens

TGIF!!! Never thought it would get here, but HALLELUIA, at last it has!

So last week while I was on my death bed (and by "death bed" I really mean "super sick, but more mad/cranky than anything else about the fact that I couldn't eat") something pretty hilarious happened. Now, last year at this time - before I was a mama - I probably would not have seen the humor in this at all. But now it's pretty much the funniest thing that's happened in along time. And it's all about poop. No, not MY poop. Paige's poop : )

So one day last week I was moping around the kitchen, opening the refrigerator and cupboards just to see all the things I couldn't eat thanks to my sore throat. After I tortured myself enough, I sauntered back into the living room where Paige was playing. As I approached Paige, I noticed she was squirming around on her back, kind of rubbing her butt against the floor. When I was finally next to her, she rolled over and I saw a bunch of "mud" on the rug. And I thought to myself - "How in the world did that mud get into the house?!" So finally after a few seconds of pondering the mud, it hit me - it wasn't mud at all! It was POOP!!! (DUH! I know, I know - let's blame my stupidity on the NyQuil...) And not just normal poop - explosive diarrhea poop. The kind that shoots out of the sides of diapers and up the front, back and everywhere in between. Totally grossed out, I raced her up the stairs and put her in the bathtub, clothes and all. Now covered in poop myself from carrying her up the stairs, I jumped in the tub with her. Oh, we were a sorry, sh*tty sight to say the least : ). So as I'm trying desperately to de-poop both of us, I think about the gross mess on the carpet downstairs and how I'm going to clean up the smashed up poo. And then I realized - where was Lenni LuLu (the dog)?! Still in the tub, I screamed for her. I hear her bolt up the stairs, run into the bedroom, then bathroom, and then I see her - licking her chops like she just had a juicy steak! Yes, that's right... Lenni ate the poop. I started dry heaving. By the time I got back downstairs, you almost couldn't even tell where the poop had been - that's how "good" of a job Lenni did on it. I worked for the next 45 minutes scrubbing and disinfecting, just to make sure all the poop (or what was left of it after the "clean up crew") was gone. Then I went upstairs to give Paige a bottle and put her down for bed. Just as she was dozing off, I heard the garage door go up - Daddy's home!!! : ) I put Paige down, and headed downstairs, excited to tell Daniel about the craziness that was the last 2 hours. And as I hit the last few stairs, I saw it - as if it was happening in slow motion... Daniel was bending over, greeting Lenni... and Lenni was LICKING DANIEL'S FACE!!! Yes - that's right - licking him with the same tongue that only 1 hour earlier had eaten Paige's poop! Needless to say I woke Paige up because I was laughing so hard. It was an "almost peed myself, can't breathe, crying my eyes out" kind of laughing. I couldn't even get the words out to tell Daniel what was going on. When I did finally tell him, he wasn't as amused as I was. But I still crack up at the thought of it, even more than a week later. Last night I woke up in the middle of the night laughing about it. It's the little things... : )