Graduating from Daycare

Kalia and I headed over to Logan's daycare early so his teacher could set up for the big graduation ceremony. The kids seemed really interested in the baby and Logan loved showing off his sister.I drew out a city to keep the boys interested --a gas station, a car wash, the highway...A store, a house and a building site which they brought sticks to

The graduation ceremony starts...and Logan realizes he's going to get a gift

The three kids graduating from daycare to preschool!

Logan always hangs around the cake

Logan's poses are the funnest...

Our graduating B-Boy

Time to eat the icing!

Next adventure: Preschool!!!

Hat Day at Daycare

Logan's First Day at Big Boy Daycare

On Tuesday Logan started at his new daycare. Momma and Dadda were both there to take Loggie to meet his new teachers.

Logan ended up having a great first day! We expected to go and just meet his teachers but he seemed okay so we decided to leave him for a few hours. He ended up staying for lunch (he ate 4 personal pizzas!) and when we came back he was already napping his own little cot so we waited another two hours and came to got him. We decided to celebrate by going to the park...

Most likely our last time at the splash park until next summer -brrrr!

Playing basketball with Dada.

Logan's Last Day at Shining Stars Daycare

"I don't want to leave!"

Today was Logan's last day with Marian at Shining Stars. He was so sad saying 'buh-bye'. He is going to miss his teacher and friends. At home, he opened up his gifts from the cats and dog -books! And Marian gave him some craft supplies too. Thank you!Dear Marian,

When looking for daycare for our ten month old son we were nervous about finding the right place for him. He was just crawling, everything he encountered went into his mouth and he seemed to thrive on the routine we had established at home. We were thrilled and happily relieved when we met you and found the perfect fit for our son.

Right from the beginning we could tell that our son Logan had found a caring, patient and loving teacher. Logan has thrived in your care; he’s now a 18 month old who ‘sings’ many songs, according to his doctor has above average vocabulary for his age, loves to go to daycare to see his friends and always has a hug and smile for his teacher, Marian.

Under your care Logan has had the flexibility in routine to go from two naps to one, has moved from sitting in a high chair to sitting at a table and has improved his attention span with your structured activities. We find that through his vocabulary and the baby sign language that he learnt from you that he is able to communicate better than other children his age. He was thrilled to perform at the concert you had all the kids perform at and watches the DVD you made of it often. Recently his bean plant from your science activity grew its first bean –he was so proud!

We have highly recommended you to our friends in the area and would be delighted if you were to care for our next child Please do not hesitate to share this as a letter of recommendation to other parents inquiring about Shining Stars Daycare. They are welcome to contact either of us if they would like to speak to a reference.

Thank you again and all the best,


Muriah and Allan

Logans First Consert

Wednesday at lunch and after work I went to the Queens Park May 13th protest regarding the violence against Tamils in Sri Lanka. I'm undecided on the 'Tamil Tiger debate' but feel that it has become a human rights issue. I think that Canada should have a role in speaking out and was happy to show my support. Allan and I participated in the anti-war marches and protests during the outset of the whole Iraq/Afghanistan Bush fiasco. I hope we can pass this on to our son -to exercise your freedom of speech, stand up for what you believe in, participate in public protests peacefully and to appreciate how great a country Canada is.
Then it was off to Logan's first 'concert' at his daycare. Here he is sitting on the stage ready to preform -note the lack of the other kids sitting beside him. Two kids starting crying and one clung to his dad and wouldn't let go. Logan is the youngest and other kids were only between two and four years old, so this wasn't a surprise .

So instead of watching a live performance we watched the dress rehearsal on tv. The kids got a big kick out this. Logan's teacher even made a copy of the DVD for everyone to take home -what a great idea!

We can't wait to show Lola, Lolo, Grandma and Grandpa Logan's performance! For those of you who will miss it -it consists of Logan just sitting there while all the kids do the actions to the story and then him rolling around and getting up and trying to run away. LOL What a superstar!

There was even a little slideshow...

Our Little Walker

Logan's new favourite game is playing hide-and-seek with Daddy...

And he's getting really good at walking on his own.

Daycare Update:

Logan's teacher says that Logan really catches on routines quickly, has an excellent memory and very good attention span. He's also learning to use paint brushes and crayons and not put them in his mouth.

A kid also hit him today. Allan is kind of upset about it but I think it's normal. In good news, he sat with the older kids for Circle Time for five minutes today.

Logan is Sick

Logan has been sick the past week. It started with a running nose and cough. On Thursday Allan had to pick up him early from daycare because he had a fever -102F. On Sunday a tooth started to break through on his top-right -seven teeth now! And then on Monday Allan had to stay home with him because he had diarrhea. He has been taking really long naps and wants to go to bed early and we thought things were getting better. But today (Wednesday) his diarrhea was back and worse and the daycare asked us not to bring him tomorrow. Poor little Logan. And yet this kid's personality has stayed the same -happy, playful, social and always the life of the party! One would expert him to be miserable and complaining all week but he hasn't been. This part of his personality reminds me of his Grandfather. He certainly isn't taking after his father, who wants me to baby him when he gets the sniffles. LOL

Here are some videos from a few days ago of 11 month old Logan being his crazy self...

A Full Week

Here is a picture of a happy Logan after his first full day at daycare. Allan and I just eat up the little timbits of information from his teacher at the end of the day -he really likes having the other kids around him, he got really happy when he heard the familiar Twinkle Twinkle song, he napped really well on the third day...things that only a parents would care about.

We also had a visit from Grandma and Grandpa!

And it's Grandma's and Grandpa's Birthdays this month so I made this mind-blowing ice cream cake. It looks ho-hum but it is amazing. I just might put DQ out of business...

And here is Logan giving out kisses before bedtime....

Logan woke up very hot yesterday morning -38.5 degrees Celsius (101.3 Fahrenheit). I sent Allan off to work and made a doctor appointment for Logan as I thought it might be an ear infection. The doctor was able to fit us in for 2pm.
He was feeling so bad that he didn't want to play with his toys! He just wanted to lie down in Mommy's lap, complain and watch his Baby Einstein video. Sometimes taking out the camera cheers Logan up. He likes when I take a video and replay it back for him....well, he normally does. Not this day!

After hearing this crying on the phone, Daddy came home at lunch and we took him to the doctor together. She said it's likely the onset of a bad cold and to expect the temperature to last up to a week. She checked to see if it could be teething and Logan bit her. LOL Logan started to get a runny nose in the evening but seemed better. Normally he sleeps through the night but he woke up at 12:30am, 3:30am and 6am. He just wanted his soother and his blanket to be 're-tucked' and then went right back to sleep.

This morning we woke up happy and no fever at all! So after his morning nap I took him to his first 'real' day at daycare. I let his teacher know about yesterday and asked her to call me if he got warm or seemed unsettled. Daddy keeps calling the house to see how I'm doing and my heart stops each time the phone rings!

Period of Adjustment

Yesterday Logan and I went to his daycare. We played there together for a bit and then his teacher suggested I leave for an hour and come back. When I came to collect him she said he screamed and cried when he realized I left the house not just the room . However once he was distracted with juice and some goldfish crackers he was fine -just like his Daddy! He was a bit clingy when I picked him up but seemed okay.

This afternoon we're trying it again. I brought him to daycare around 3pm and his teacher met me at the door. She suggested I just say goodbye there and see what happens. So I said bye and closed the door...and waited. LOL I heard the other girl and the teacher saying hello to Logan and some talking but no crying. I exhaled and went to the car and then it was me who started crying. It was only a few tears and few second -I'm not sad or worried about his well being. I really don't know. . Daddy has even blogged about little Loggie going to daycare.

I found this useful to understand things from Logan's perspective (the whole article is here):

"Developmentally, young children have a hard time with separation because they don’t have a sense of how time works and they don’t yet know the nature of families. For instance, babies and toddlers can only think about the present moment. If you leave, they can’t imagine you coming back, because they are not fully capable of thinking about the future. They also don’t yet know that you are going to be "their people" for the rest of their lives, so they don’t automatically assume that you will always come back...Children need to learn (through experience) that you will come back and that the people who are caring for them are safe, responsive and nurturing"

We're doing these things to help him adjust to daycare:

*We're leaving diapers, wipes etc. there and then packing a daily backpack with comfort items and change of clothing the will smell like home.

*In his bag we've packed his blanket for naps. Transitioning to napping away from home can be hard. We've noticed that Logan clutches his blanket and brings it up just under his nose when he is falling asleep so it will be nice for him to have a blanket that smells like home. And okay, I admit it, I slept with the blanket after I washed it so it would smell like Mommy. I know he's not a puppy but if it might make him feel better, it is worth a try.

*We've packed soothers and given the teacher the okay to use them if it helps. I've been cutting Logan's soother use down and since Wednesday he's only used it for naps. But we're in a 'period of adjustment' and if it will help him, I'm all for it.

*We've packed some Baby Einstein flash cards. Logan's likes to hold these while getting his diaper changed and has been really still the last week while holding these.
*We've left a bib and a sippy cup at daycare that are just like the ones used at home...again, just trying to make things familiar.

*I wrote up a little bit about Logan for the teacher to know what foods he is eating, what words he knows, what his current schedule is, etc. so that she can help him adjust.

*And we're easing into the daycare thing slowly.

Anyway, here are some pictures of Logan sharing his cookie with his turtle friend this morning...

Daycare Update

Our Male Model

We found out we got into our first choice of daycare!!!!...but not until April 1st. This creates a small problem as I am going back to work mid-January. :(

Finding a spot for Logan that we are comfortable with for two and a half months is not easy. I've already 12 home daycares in the Cornell area and only 1 has gotten back to me. There are agencies that have nannies who come to your house and provide childcare. However the registration fees are about $500-700, which isn't worth it since we are looking for only a temporary placement. I'm feeling a little desperate but I don't want to rush into anything. It's important that Logan is in a safe and happy place and that both Allan and I feel comfortable with...

Fight Night and Daycare Woes

This Saturday was UFC Fight Night at our place. Logan had lots of fun hanging out with his cousins and his Auntie Vicki.

We also celebrated Lolo's birthday!

Some say the cupcake trend is coming to an end. My prediction is that 'mini cakes' are on their way up!

And in other news...

Finding daycare in our neighbourhood is more stressful than I anticipated. I'm actually loosing sleep over it. I didn't think that I would be 'one of those mom's' but I am terrified of having to leave Logan at a daycare that I'm not 100% comfortable with.

So far there has only been one place that I would completely trust with Logan's care but they do not have any availability in their infant program and we've been advised to get on the toddler program waiting list! We're dropping off our registration forms and deposit tomorrow and hope we can get into the toddler program for summer 2009.

So the search continues for infant daycare for Logan, which is so much harder to find than toddler daycare. We need a place that is close by as Allan and I commute to work. As well, I'm concerned about how much time the babies are strapped into a high chair or put in a crib rather than crawling and playing around. I think I might even look into home daycare as things are not looking so fabulous...we're ninth on a waiting list for one daycare that has had mixed reviews and two other places we've looked at don't have waiting lists -you just call two months in advance to see if there is space and then it's first-come-first-served. :P