Month: June 2012

Last Day of Preschool.

On June 6th Dayla had her last day of preschool.  I didn’t feel sad, just proud.  Our girl has grown so much in this last year.

And honestly, I think Dayla’s school had a lot to do with it.

But more than just going to school, or even North City in particular,  it was Dayla’s teacher.  Miss Cullison was an answer to prayers and a dream come true.

Below is a  note I wrote to Dayla’s Preschool teacher, Miss Christy Cullison.  Because it says it all for me and I don’t want to forget the emotions of today: the last day of her first year of school.

Dear Christy,

As the school year comes to a close, in what feels like a blink of an eye, I can’t help but reflect on the emotions I had at the beginning of the year.  Emotions that now feel silly, but at the time had such validity (I am a first time parent in and out I suppose).  I wasn’t scared to let my Dayla go; she is an independent spirit and I feel like I have been letting her go since the first day she crawled away from me.  No, my fear was that she would be understood and that she would be loved.  I don’t expect her to be loved by others the way that we love her (that is a parents job I think, to love unconditionally), but I did hope that she would be loved.  You see each parent loves their child deeply (even the quirks that also drive us crazy, we love) and I think that is the biggest fear of the parent:  that the world won’t love them; that the world will break their hearts or somehow break them.  So I prayed.  I prayed for the school that she would be sent to and I prayed for her “first teacher” that would undoubtedly have an impact on her. I prayed and prayed.  You Christy, you are an answer to every prayer.  Not only did you help Dayla grow to love going to school, learning,  her friends, and you in a way that I hoped…you did so much more.

I dropped Dayla off at school each day knowing that she would not only be taught and cared for, but that she would also be loved.  I could see from the beginning that you let each of the kids into your heart, and now as the school year closes and you have tears in your eyes, I know they take a little piece of your heart with them.  What a gift that is to us the parent!  Your smile each day, your welcome hugging arms, your “How are you?”‘s were just the icing on the cake.

What I am trying to say in the longest way possible is: thank you. Thank you for teaching, for cultivating, for inspiring, and for growing those little people.  Thank you for making our first school experience better than I hoped or dreamed it would be.  Thank you for taking care of my Dayla…and me.  Most of all, thank you for letting us into your hearts and loving our little beings.  You are a blessing, a gift, an answered prayer.

With our love and hugs,

The Sundin Family

 

Thank you Miss Cullison!  Thank you North City!  We love you and can’t thank you enough for the sweet, dear, memories you have given us.

Sebastian. 6 months old.

In a way it has flown by, but I also feel like I am soaking in the days and the joys much more with Sebastian than I did with Dayla.  I love having the knowledge of how fleeting this time is.  Sebastian is a absolute JOY to be around and steals hearts everywhere he goes.  Today he is 7 months old, but being that he is a second child, this is really his 6 month update. Here is a little more about him at his 6 month mark:

New Tricks:

  • Sebastian is still our mellow guy, but we have also seen a new side of him: the Hercules side.  Our Sebastian is the strongest little guy!  So strong that he even surprised our pediatrician!  I can’t tell you how many times she kept saying “Oh WOW” at his 6 month visit, ending the visit with utter shock on her face.  “He is the strongest 6 month old I have EVER seen.”  And so to accompany his nickname “Bash” he has also picked up nicknames like Hercules and Incredible Hulk.
  • He is crawling…FAST.  He started crawling on April 21st, and now has mastered what I would call a text book crawl.  He can go from a sit to a crawl, and also from a crawl to a sit.  He zooms all over the house but loves to be whatever room we are in.
  • He PULLED UP.  He pulled himself up to a stand for the first time on May 24th and just now has tried to move his hands while standing…attempting to “cruise”.
  • Little did we know it would be, but “Bash” is turning out to be the perfect nickname for Sebastian.  Since he started crawling so young and is so daring when it comes to physical challenges, it seems like he is constantly running into walls, bumping into corners, and taking a tumble onto our tile floor; a constant bruise on his forehead since the beginning of May (poor guy).
  • Sebastian has no interest in solid foods.  I have tried a few bites every day now for almost a full month and he usually gags and spits it out.  This is SO different then his sister who ate everything, and to be honest, it really caught this mama off guard (I assumed since he was the boy he would be a good eater!) We have tried cereal, avocado, peach, mango, carrot, applesauce, and banana.  (He tolerates a few bites of banana)
  • He has two teeth!  (Just like his sister, his first two are in the center on the bottom)
  • He says “Da”
  • We found a tickle spot!  Under his right armpit…if you tickle it…you will get a pretty funny little laugh.
  • This boy is another blanket baby. I didn’t really give him any blankets to snuggle with like I did with Dayla, but every time he nursed he would grab my shirt or a nearby washcloth to rub on his cheek.  Then one day he crawled over to the kitchen towel, pulled it down, and started to sooth himself with it.  Finally Mama got the hint; I started giving him little blankets that we have around and he LOVES them.  He bites the blanket, rubs it on his cheek, and snuggles with it to sleep.

Likes:

  • Being on the move
  • Outside
  • Bath time.  He kicks and kicks like crazy the entire time (video of that yet to come…but will come soon)
  • Drumming anything that makes a sound (the table, a box, and his little toy drum!)
  • His sister.  Sebastian LOVES Dayla.  He lights up when she walks in the room and sometimes will even just start laughing when he sees her.  She can get him to stop crying or starting laughing better than either Daniel or I.
  • His Mama.  Like Dayla loved her Daddy at this age, this boy loves his Mama.
  • Sucking his fingers and rubbing a blanket on his cheek

Dislikes:

  • The pacifier/plug/binky.  It lasted until about 4 months, then he found his fingers
  • Food.  Just not interested.
  • Putting things in his mouth.  With all the tiny little toys we have in our house (think Barbie shoes), I am so thankful for this one. He loves to look and discover things, but is not very oral at all.
  • Being held too long (would rather be on the move)
  • Sleeping.  He doesn’t fight it or scream (which I appreciate), but I can’t tell you how many times I have found him practicing his new tricks in his crib instead of sleeping!

Just to make this long post longer….below are some of our favorite videos of our favorite little man (they are all under 1 minute).

First Bite of Food:

First Time Sitting:

First Time Mastering the Crawl:

Sit to Crawl to Sit Again:

Dayla and Mama find Sebastian’s tickle spot (and he is not sure he likes it):

 

We prayed for you fervently and now thank God for you everyday.  You are the sweetest, most mild tempered little boy in the world…and we get a kick watching you go go GO. We love you so much Sebastian Victor and can’t wait to keep watching you grow!