2nd Degree from Walden: September 2012

Friday, September 28, 2012

My Connections to Play

Select two quotes that you feel summarize what play represented for you in childhood.

Play gives children a chance to practice what they are learning…They have to play with what they know to be true in order to find out more, and then they can use what they learn in new forms of play.” ~ Fred Rogers (Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood)

“Play builds the kind of free-and-easy, try-it-out, do-it-yourself character that our future needs.” ~ James L. Hymes Jr. (child development specialist, author)

Include two to three pictures of essential play items for your younger self.

I was the only child for so long before my aunt had children. However, I was involved in so many activities at an early age. Tball, dance, gymnastics and etc. I also remember playing board games with my family and kickball out in the street with my aunts. Even though I was an only child for so long, they always did things to interact with me and keep me busy.

I believe play today is the same as when I was young. I offer and engage in my children the same opportunities for play as I was provided as a young child. I think any parent who was offered the opportunity to play will offer the same to their children.

Throughout my life I feel as though play has made me a person who enjoys learning and finding out about new things and has also made me a kind of free spirit. Like my quote stated, I feel like a “free-and-easy, try-it-out, do-it-yourself type of person”.

Monday, September 17, 2012

Relationships

Relationship Reflection

There are many important people in my life. I was raised by my grandmother and four aunts. However, the relationship between my grandmother and the eldest aunt that assisted in my upbringing is the most important. Today, I am close with all of my aunts because they all had a hand in my upbringing. However, I am extremely close to my eldest aunt and my grandmother. They instilled Christian and familial values in me that I use with my own kids. In addition to them taking care of me since I was born, bringing me home from the hospital, and providing me with shelter, clothing and unconditional love, they also paid my way and supported me through college. They are the reason that I am the woman, mom, and wife that I am today.

Identify several people with whom you currently have positive relationships and/or partnerships

My grandmother

4 aunts

Husband

children

Describe the ways in which each relationship is positive and factors that contributed to developing and maintaining each relationship

My grandmother has been my rock through so many of my ups and downs. She loves me unconditionally and keeps me lifted and grounded in prayer.

My eldest aunt is my best friend. She too has always supported me financially, mentally, spiritually and any other way in which I needed her.

My other three aunts have all contributed in one way or another to my upbringing. One is a principal, and inspired me teach. One used to keep my hair fixed. She always kept my hair looking nice. She provided me with the skill to keep my daughters hair done and looking nice. My baby aunt is the one with the kids. By example, she showed me what a good mom should be like.

My husband has been my rock and my provider. He takes very good care of me and my children. We have a beautiful home, cars, and he takes care of all the bills without even complaining. He only wants me to take care of the kids, cook, and maintain the house. My children are the loves of my life. I am not sure who I would be if it weren’t for them. The love I have for them is unmatched. Everything that I do and am is because of them. My daughter is a mini me. She and my two year old son are alike in that they always want to please me and make me happy.

Describe insights regarding challenges to developing and maintaining relationships that you have learned from your experience over time

The challenge is that people change over time. However, as they change when you love someone you take their challenges and changes and get over it. Love is unconditional and no obstacle is too hard to break relationships.

What do you see as special characteristics of these relationships that make some, if any, partnerships?

My partnership is with my husband. He is our provider. We are partners in love, spirit and as parents.

How might your experiences with relationships/partnerships, including your ability to be an active, reflective contributor, impact your work as an effective early childhood professional?

I think it will help me to realize the importance of relationships and how they can impact a child’s development and learning. My experiences and readings have taught me that any person who comes in contact with a child plays a part of that child’s learning and development.

The Birth of my first son!

I chose to write about the birth of my first son, who was born preterm at 19 wks and passed away. I chose this birth to write about because it was the most tramautic and most memorable. I also chose this birth because after reading the chapters and sections I think it is important to be knowledgable about your body and to keep up with appointments and take proper test and procedures to ensure that your baby is born full term and healthy. Five days before going into labor, I felt really bad and had an inkling that something was wrong. The physician that I was using at the time had an office in my town but was only there on Thursdays for appt. This was a Friday afternoon and if I wanted to see her I would have to drive over sixty miles to her next office. So, i gnored the signs and went on thinking that I was ok. On Wednesday morning, I woke up with slight stomach cramps. Took a shower, got dressed for work, and daughter off to daycare. Stopped by my Mother in laws house and when I got inside I had to sit down, the pain had gotten progressively worse. Still I continued on to work and and worked through the morning with the pain getting getting worse. Then I went to the restroom and noticed a bloody show. I had a coworker take me to the local er where I had to got through an hour long ultrasound of the baby and my cervix. My baby looked great and I found out I was having a boy!!!! How exciting, that is just what me and hubby wanted since we already had a daughter togther and he has an older daughter from a previous relationship. This was perfect. Now, all they had to do was stop these cramps so I could get home to inform my husband of the picture perfect family we were going to have! Well after waiting hours for a dr, to come in and see my I was delivered the horrible news!! His words exactly was "you are going to lose this baby". He said it with no sympathy at all. I immediately started crying and askign why. He stated that I had developed an infection. My cervix had already dialted to 5 cm, the blood I saw earlier was my mucus plug and when he checked me, the water bag was coming through my cervix. I pleaded with him to do anything to help save my baby. He stated that if the bag would go up some, he could stitch my cervix closed but he couldn't do that with the bag protruding out of the cervix. So I waited nervously overnight, laying basically upside down in the hospital bed hoping that this would help the bag to go back up and at least give him a little room to stitch me up. The next day he came to check me again and told me that there was nothing else he could do. I had developed an infection from having my cervix opened for so long and that if I didnt deliver the baby I would die. I felt like dying right there. This just couldnt be. I was 19 wks pregnant, certainly I could hang in there three more wks. But he said no. I called my normal dr's office and they called a major medical university located near their office who has one of the best neonatal hospitals in the world. However, they wouldnt even accept me since I wasnt at least 21 wks and due to the fact that I had the infection. So I had to accept that I was going to lose my baby boy. The nurse came into to give me something to break my water and everything just seemed like a blur. I was told that I didnt need an epidural since the baby was less than a pound. However, after hollering and screaming in pain from the emotional and physical stress, they gave me an epidural. Even with the epidural, this was the most painful and emotional births of my three births. Even with the epidural I could feel every single thing, I was in a lot of pain but dont know if it was really physical pain or the emotional and mental pain that was causing me to be in pain. Jackson Reed Hemingway was born on July 23, 2008 at 12:18pm. I decided that I didnt want to see him but having to be sedated after the birth, when I calmed down, I wanted to see my baby. I was able to see him and hold him. The hospital provided me with pics and foot prints. Me and my husband decided not to have a memorial for him. Instead, we mourned privately. Although Jackson did not live, I know that if he had, he would have had tremendous health issues to battle. Pre-term babies literally have to fight for their lifes. I would have wanted him to live. However, when I think of all the pain and issues that would have plagued him the first couple of months of his life, I would never want to see my child suffer. His development would have been slowed but learning from this weeks resources on growth and development it is not to say that he wouldnt have grown up to be a healthy baby boy.