About 4 1/2 years ago, when looking at classes that a facility in Boise was offering to see if there I was something I could add to the classes at the hospital I work at, I heard about a class called "The Happiest Baby On The Block". It caught my attention so I decided to check out what it was all about. Dr. Harvey Karp, a pediatrician for over 30 years, wrote the book and program to help parents that had fussy/colicky babies to help prevent postpartum depression, improve breastfeeding success, decrease marital stress, prevent SIDS and help prevent child abuse (shaken baby syndrome). That's a long list isn't it? As I checked into it I learned about the 5 S's (swaddling, side/stomach, shushing, swinging, and sucking), and how they can trigger a baby's calming reflex to help settle them when fussy/colicky and help a baby to sleep longer. His technique and material got very high reviews when I checked into it and it seemed like he was very passionate about wanting to help parents, so I decided to pursue becoming a certified HBB educator so I could teach the class where I work. I applied and received a partial scholarship and completed the certification to start the class 4 years ago.
I used the techniques with Oliver and can say they work wonderfully. I now make all my baby gifts for people with my main gift being swaddling blankets. About a month ago I found out that Dr. Karp was coming to speak at the Idaho Perinatal Winter Conference about "The Happiest Baby On The Block" and "The Happiest Toddler On The Block". You can imagine how excited I was and asked if I could attend the conference. I was given approval by my employer and decided to e-mail "The Happiest Baby On The Block" to see if it was possible to schedule a meeting with Dr. Karp while he was at the conference. I couldn't believe how quickly the e-mail was forwarded on to him and to how quickly I received a response from him that yes he would love to have a meeting set up with him. The meeting was arranged and last week I met him. He spent over 1 1/2 hours talking with me! I will have to admit that I was a little nervous going to meet him because I wondered if the impression I had of him would change after I met him in person. Fortunately I can see that my impression of him was just as wonderful. I never looked at my watch once and could not believe we just talked for as long as we did. The next day when I attended both of his sessions at the conference and thought that they were just as good.
Today is Elton's 6th birthday! On the weekend he celebrated with a few friends at school at "Mardi Katz", a place in our local mall with miniature golf and games. Then last night we surprised him with our present, his "Toy Story" bedding that he wanted. He has never had new bedding because of having an older brother to get things from, so this was really special to him.
About 4 1/2 years ago, when looking at classes that a facility in Boise was offering to see if there I was something I could add to the classes at the hospital I work at, I heard about a class called "The Happiest Baby On The Block". It caught my attention so I decided to check out what it was all about. Dr. Harvey Karp, a pediatrician for over 30 years, wrote the book and program to help parents that had fussy/colicky babies to help prevent postpartum depression, improve breastfeeding success, decrease marital stress, prevent SIDS and help prevent child abuse (shaken baby syndrome). That's a long list isn't it? As I checked into it I learned about the 5 S's (swaddling, side/stomach, shushing, swinging, and sucking), and how they can trigger a baby's calming reflex to help settle them when fussy/colicky and help a baby to sleep longer. His technique and material got very high reviews when I checked into it and it seemed like he was very passionate about wanting to help parents, so I decided to pursue becoming a certified HBB educator so I could teach the class where I work. I applied and received a partial scholarship and completed the certification to start the class 4 years ago.
So I have been a blond my whole life. That is, until a few weeks ago! A year ago there is no way I thought I would ever have dark hair, but gradually over the last 6 months I have gotten braver. A few weeks ago I took the plunge and became a brunette and I love it! Now I can't believe I didn't do it sooner. It is definitely a fun change and who knows if I will ever be blond again!
So yes, I am about a month late posting this, but I figure better late than never! On January 16th, Oliver was 2 1/2. On January 19th, daddy decided it was time to convert his crib into a toddler bed. Here he is showing Mimi his big boy bed and how easy it is for her to share his bed with him now! Oliver is quite the cutie! While he still has the occasional tantrum, fortunately his cute moments outweigh them. He loves to ask for kisses and hugs whether it be from us or from the dogs. He is talking in full sentences which is a first at this age for one of our boys. He can sing his ABC's and counts to 7 on his own. One of his favorite phrases he has picked up from Elton is "no fair". At first when he said this I thought he was just saying it to say it, but then as he said it a couple more times, it became clear he was saying it in the right context whether what was happening was "no fair", it definitely seemed "no fair" to him. The other is "ok mama, ok". He knows that is best to agree with me if he wants things to work in his favor!
