A Language Explosion
We are in the midst of a language explosion with Walker and it has been so much fun hearing him start to talk and express himself with words instead of screams! He is saying new words every day, but let me back up and talk a little about his hearing and language development journey. In early November of 2015 when Walker was about five months old, he got his first nasty cold and double ear infection. It cleared up quickly with a round of antibiotics. |
Baby Walker Has Arrived!
Welcome Baby Walker! Baby Walker, the newest member of the ProSolutions Training Team, was born on Friday, May 29, 2015 and was a healthy 7 pounds and 13 ounces. Mom, Dad, Baby Walker and Big Brother Wilson are all doing great! We are taking this week to adjust as a family of four and will be back next week to begin our blogging series with Wilson and Walker. |
Birthday Boys!
Well, hello there! It’s been a while and I have so much to share. Work, vacations, summer, and life with two VERY busy boys has taken over and I’ve been absent from the blog for a bit. Let’s go WAY back to May when both of my boys had birthdays. Happy Birthday Wilson! First up: Wilson. My first baby turned four at the beginning of May and he was set on a Ninja Turtle party at a local bounce house. |
Bottle Woes
Both of my boys have been pretty happy, easy babies so we haven’t had a lot of crying for no reason or had trouble soothing them. I don’t really get stressed out because how much can really be wrong with a little baby? If Walker isn’t hungry, tired, or in need of a diaper change, he’s generally happy. The only thing that has caused me any stress with both boys is feeding them. |
Erica and Wilson Blog Video - August
Erica and Wilson Blog Video - August |
Establishing New Year's resolutions with your preschoolers
Help your young learners create resolutions for the new year. |
Father's Day
Father's Day is celebrated to recognize the contribution that fathers and father figures make to the lives of their children. Studies have shown that involvement of a father or a positive male role model has profound effects on children. Father (or father figure)-child interaction promotes a child’s physical, social and emotional well-being, and a child’s competency for relating with others. |
Happy Holidays!
Happy Holidays from our family to yours! |
Memorial Day
And I'm proud to be an American, where at least I know I'm free. And I won't forget the men who died, who gave that right to me. ~Lee Greenwood On this Memorial Day, the staff at ProSolutions Training gives thanks and love to all of the service men and woman who have served our country and who have given their lives in service to our country. We are so grateful for your tireless commitment, dedication and sacrifice to keep America safe and free. |
Mother’s Day
It is not how much we do, but how much love we put in the doing. It is not how much we give, but how much love we put in the giving. - Mother Teresa. On this Mother's Day I thought it would be fitting to celebrate a very famous mother, Mother Teresa. Mother Teresa was a Roman Catholic nun, who devoted her life to serving the poor and destitute around the world. |
Preparing for a New Sibling
Hi there! Welcome to our blog series featuring Wilson and Walker! Our new baby boy has been here for about two weeks and we are all doing great. We are slowly finding our groove and getting back into our daily routine. To begin this series, I thought I would back track a little and start with a post on how we tried to prepare Wilson for a new sibling. |
Preparing for plane trips
Here are a few suggestions to make your travel go as smoothly as possible. |
Separation Anxiety is Here
We have entered the separation anxiety phase – yikes! Walker has always had a MAJOR Mommy attachment but now it is further amplified by a strong dose of separation anxiety. Other then when he’s sleeping, he wants to be physically attached to my body at all times. If I put him down, we have a lot of tears. I’m finding myself having flashbacks to this same phase with Wilson – funny how you tend to forget the tough stages until you go through them a second time. |
Some Sentimental Thoughts on Birthdays
I have always been a sentimental person, but my husband would probably agree that I have become certifiably insane after having our boys. I can look at just about any infant outfit and distinctly remember the exact time and place it was worn. I take thousands of pictures and cannot bring myself to delete all 10 copies of virtually the same photo and keep just one. |
Spring Break Scavenger Hunt
A couple weeks ago, Wilson’s preschool was out for spring break so he was home with me while I worked – and I needed to come up with some activities. Like his mama, Wilson is a creature of habit and routine. He loves and needs the structure of preschool to provide a routine while allowing his wildly creative side to be expressed through play. |
Talking to preschoolers about news events
Children often have varying levels of media exposure and knowledge when it comes to news events. |
The First Few Days
I won’t try to pretend I am the first person to have more than one child. In fact, I never really had any anxiety over adding another child to our family. Sure, Wilson is three years old and he sleeps great, uses the potty by himself, communicates very well, entertains himself, and can get some of his own snacks, but we were well aware of the work and lack of sleep that comes with a newborn. |
The Great Treasure Hunt
Wilson is REALLY into pirates – he regularly goes out in public dressed as a pirate. He has a pirate costume he puts on as soon as he wakes up in the morning and it is only removed for sleeping. We also have a lot of pretend treasure hunts around our house. Exhibit A: Dressed and ready for the grocery store, Target, church…you name it. We went to visit my in-laws for a week earlier in August and they live in Florida at the beach. |
Tips for a Stress-Free Holiday Season
The next couple of months will be a busy time in early care and education. With the number of holidays that take place from October to December it doesn't take long for the classroom schedule to become hectic. To help prevent a stressful holiday season, consider the following tips: Provide plenty of advanced notice for parents to let them know when each special event will take place. |
Tips for social work interns
If you are beginning your social work internship soon, here are a few helpful tips to aid your success in the field. |
Walker is 4 months old!
Walker is four months old and he’s on the move! He started rolling from back to front on September 17th and now he is all over the place. He so badly wants to crawl, sit up, and stand and I have a feeling he will figure it all out soon. He watches his big brother and really wants to be able to play with him. |
Walker is 8 Months Old!
Well, we are closer now to nine months, but I wanted to make sure I got Walker’s eight month update posted. He is growing, learning, and doing new things everyday and I am quickly reminded how fast the baby stage passes. Here’s what Walker has been up to this month: Goodness, he loves to eat and only wants to feed himself. He still nurses every 2-3 hours and eats an adult-sized breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks. Oh, the snacks we consume in my house. |
Walker is One Month Old!
I'm not sure how an entire month has passed since Walker joined our family, but he celebrated his one month birthday on June 29, 2015. Walker is a very sweet and content baby who loves to eat, sleep, and be held mostly by Mommy. He does not like pacifiers or bottles! He's tracking objects with his eyes and has recently noticed lights and ceiling fans. |
Walker is three months old!
Walker is three months old! The poor second child – I’m three weeks late with his update but at least I took the photos on his three month birthday. This month, we are really seeing more of his little personality shining through. He is happy, happy, happy with a strong dose of stubborn and I can already tell he is going to be strong-willed like his brother. |
Walker is two months old!
Sweet Walker is now two months old and still a sweet, happy baby. He is very calm and only gets upset if he’s hungry or tired. He sleeps great at night – only waking once or twice – and takes good naps during the day. He’s slowly getting himself on a more consistent eating and sleeping routine during the day and he definitely associates the bedtime routine with sleeping for longer stretches. |
Walker: Nine and Ten Months Old
The months seem to be flying by faster and faster as we approach a big first birthday and somehow I missed the nine month update. Sweet Walker is now 10 months old but I wanted to do a quick recap of the last two months. Here’s what he’s been up to lately: He’s walking more and more and could really take off if he didn’t choose to crawl since it’s faster and more efficient. |
Welcome Baby Walker
Erica and Wilson announce the arrival of Baby Walker |