Dear Children: February
Volume 1 Issue 2: February 2025
Welcome to Dear Children
Growing up, we wrote a Dear Dad letter at least once a week as part of our homeschool lessons. Since my dad traveled often for work, these letters not only helped us develop our writing skills but also became something fun for him to read when he returned home. Over time, we filled notebooks with these letters—many of which we still have. Dear Children is the grown-up version of those Dear Dad letters—a personal writing project to document our family life. One day, I hope my kids will enjoy looking back on these reflections. Here, you’ll find snapshots of our everyday adventures, favorite read-alouds, family memories, milestones and reflections on motherhood, faith, homeschooling, and stay-at-home mama life.
Dear Children,
This month has been a mix of sunny, warm days adventuring outside and bitterly cold days indoors. Early in the month, we all caught colds, which slowly made their way through the family, taking about two weeks to fully clear up. I’ve been especially aware of how fortunate we’ve been to avoid illness since Ida’s birth, and I’m so grateful this sickness was mild for all of us—especially for the baby.
Illness does have its silver linings—the forced slowing down, cozying up on the couch with plenty of fluids and movies. I actually have fond memories of being sick as a child. My mom, who was always navigating a lot with four kids, made a point to slow down when I wasn’t feeling well. She would rent movies for us—back in the Blockbuster days—choosing classics we loved to watch over and over, like Anne of Green Gables, Little Women, and Pollyanna. Her presence was comforting and made those moments feel extra special.
These days, with my background in childhood language development and the constant flood of parenting advice from all directions, I’m acutely aware of the concerns around screen time and its potential negative effects. As a parent, it’s easy to feel anxious about setting limits and worry about how screens might impact my children’s development. Yet, I treasure those tender moments from my own childhood—snuggled up beside my mom, watching our favorite movies for hours. It reminds me that there’s a time and place for screens, and sickness is definitely one of them. Otto and I enjoyed sharing the Curious George movies and 101 Dalmatians—inspired by all the Bill Peet books we’ve been reading lately (more on that below).
Aside from being sick, we managed to resume hosting our small group gatherings and invited friends over for dinner a few times. Otto loves having a house full of kids, and I love watching children of different ages play together. Hosting is something I enjoy in small doses right now but hope to grow in this year.
Valentine’s Day was simple but sweet, filled with everyday errands and chores made special just by being together. I woke up to a beautiful array of gifts on the kitchen counter—one dozen peach-colored roses, a new candle, a box of Russell Stover chocolates, and a PEZ candy dispenser for Otto (his first one!), all collected early that morning by Michael and Otto while Ida and I slept in.
Michael was home with us all day, and we took both cars in for routine maintenance, went grocery shopping, played Uno with Otto, danced with Ida, took a walk in the fresh snow, and finished sorting through our home library—an ongoing project of mine. That night, I made a simple dinner, and we miraculously got the kids to bed early. Then, we made popcorn and had a movie date on the couch.
Even the most ordinary moments feel special when we’re together—perhaps even more so on Valentine’s Day. It was a beautiful reassurance that life’s simplest moments can also be the most romantic ones.
Postpartum Healing Update
Reaching the 12-week mark feels like a big milestone. I saw my local pelvic floor physical therapist, and both my prolapse and have improved, along with my strength, sensation, and control. This month, I completed the integration phase of the Connect Pelvic Floor Rehab program, which focuses on combining breath and core engagement with more complex movements. I’m loving this program—it's incredibly well-designed, and I’m learning things about exercise form that I wish I had known years ago. I’m excited to see how far I can progress.
We recently added a large mirror to our living room/play space, replacing the old acrylic ones near the playmat. It’s perfect for checking my alignment during exercise. I’ve also been gradually building out our home gym with heavier dumbbells, a plyo box, and long resistance bands. It’s a work in progress, but having the right equipment makes a big difference.
This month, I’ve noticed a big increase in my stamina for walking longer distances. I’ve been making an effort to get outside twice a day, even for short walks—sometimes even completing our regular loop twice for a total of three miles. It feels so good to be outside more, and I’ve come to appreciate this routine regardless of the weather. One of my favorite simple pleasures lately has been slipping away for a solo walk, listening to an audiobook, or calling a friend for a quick chat.
Milestones
Ida is 3-months-old and started laughing (it's my favorite sound) and rolling in both directions this month! She still loves to play on the floor and almost seems familiar with her play spaces. She continues to become more and more intentional with her hands and grasping, often holding onto our shirts or her blanket.
Otto is really embracing dramatic play, lately. Often, inspired by a book or movie, he’ll go about assigning characters, putting together simple costumes and props to recreate the drama in play. I love it.
Out and About
Otto and I have been enjoying some of the preschool activities in our area lately. We’ve been very selective about committing to classes and lessons, as we cherish our time at home, but these have been a really sweet way for us to connect one-on-one while his sister naps or spends time with Grandma.
He continues private swim lessons with our friend Danielle and has already mastered all of the preschool level 1 skills, along with most of level 2. Swimming has been a challenge for him, but he’s made so much progress, and I’m really proud of his perseverance. We also attended a dance babies class together, which was a magical experience for Otto. He has always been fascinated by pictures of ballerinas in books, so when he saw the teacher, his eyes lit up, and he exclaimed, 'Mommy, there’s a real ballerina!'
One of Otto’s favorite activities so far has been preschool yoga and story time. It’s led by a retired first-grade teacher who beautifully weaves together singing, movement, and storytelling. Each class ends with the children lying on their mats while the moms rub their backs and snuggle them, all while listening to Jack Johnson’s My Own Two Hands. Then, we all say together, 'Kind thoughts, kind words, kind heart.' It’s such a peaceful and grounding moment for both of us. Later in the week, when I was scolding Otto about something, he reminded me, 'Remember, Mommy, Ms. Crystal says to use kind words.' It was a humbling moment, but I was proud that he not only remembered but embraced the lesson.
Everyday Adventures:
Lately, Otto and I have been going on little adventures close to home. Exploring our backyard, and sometimes the neighbors' backyards, picnicking at the big tree and taking little walks around the cul-de-sac. Spending time outside has been challenging when I'm on my own with both kids. If Ida's asleep sometimes I'll slip her monitor into my pocket while we play in the yard, other times she'll tag along in the baby carrier. She took her first stroller walk this month on one of the warmer days which opens up a lot of possibilities to explore further from home.
Out of the Mouth of Otto
Otto is a little boy with a big vocabulary. One of my favorite pastimes has been documenting his vocabulary growth since infancy and collecting all the cute things he says. Lately some phrases he's picked up on are:
That worked like a charm!
The problem is…
Clean as a whistle
Good as new
It's no use!
That was weird!
Sure, I don't mind that!
When Otto sees the universal studios movie intro with the earth, he says, ‘I want to watch the university part!’
At snacktime: I want a winter pear, mommy!
After bath: I want to be as dry as my toys outside the bath!
Otto has been asking me to tell him birth stories a lot lately. He loves hearing how Grandma was born on the steps of the hospital, mommy was born in a closet, he was born at the hospital and Ida was born at home. He helped us to fill the birth pool for Ida even though in the end I didn’t make it into the water in time. One day he told me, ‘Next time tell the baby to slow down so that we have time to fill the pool!’
New words: enthusiastically, definitely, corrosion, overwhelmed, unstoppable (whew)
What We’re Reading
Bill Peet ~ I’ve held off on introducing these to Otto until now but he’s is captivated by the lifelike illustrations and dynamic characters. These books can be enjoyed for years and even into adulthood, so Michael and I love reading them, too. We read parts of Bill Peet’s autobiography and learned that he illustrated many of the early Disney films before leaving Walt to pursue publishing his own work full-time. He is the only animator to have drawn all of the storyboards for an entire film, which is what inspired us to watch the 101 Dalmatians.
Frank Asch ~ We read most of the books in the Moonbear book series, including the original Moonbear story. Bear's ironic encounters with the moon and friendship with Little Bird are timeless and some of my favorite stories as a child. Otto’s favorite is of course Moon Cake in which Bear fashions his own rocket ship in an attempt to taste the moon.
Racey Helps ~ We’ve been enjoying these cute nature-based stories of woodland animal adventures. The text is fairly long but the stories are engaging. We read Kingcup Cottage and Just Wilberforce, first. These books are hard to come by but I know we would enjoy reading more if we happen to find them!
Guyo Fujikawa ~ We found a handful of vintage books by this Japanese American illustrator at a library free box. Rummaging through free boxes and local little libraries is something I love and has been a big part of building our home library over the years. These books are such a treasure! Gorgeous, diverse, playful drawings of children and fairies with simple text. Perfect to start sharing with Ida and grow with her.
This month I read the novel Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon and continued the daily devotionals in Nancy Guthrie’s Praying Through the Bible for Your Kids. It’s a manageable way to begin each day with reminders from God’s word.
Cheerful Heart Homeschool
Otto has asked if we can do “homeschool” a handful of times this month which makes me so happy. Most of our learning at this stage happens naturally through play but, even now, I want him to understand that he has school like so many of his friends. Sometimes when he asks, I give him a choice of language or math and let him choose the activity from the homeschool closet himself. Some things he’s chosen this month: pin poking, number tracing board, felt apple tree counting, rough vs. smooth textures lesson, world landmarks Toob (he loves to play with these miniature objects). This month we rolled out the huge world map and pretended to fly the landmarks around the world with his toy airplanes, which he loved. We also had fun building skyscrapers out of unit blocks, creating more polar habitats and learned a lot by painting, signing and mailing Valentine’s to friends and cousins!
It’s Okay to Rest
One night before falling asleep, Otto said, ‘Let’s just think a little first.’ I smiled and said, ‘Okay.’ Then he asked, ‘What are you going to think about?’ I told him, ‘I’m going to think about you.’ He responded, ‘I’m going to think about you. Okay, goodnight.’ It was such a sweet moment.
These days, Michael usually puts Otto to bed while I nurse Ida, so when the timing works out for me to lay with Otto at bedtime, it feels extra special. There are certainly nights when I feel frustrated or when it takes longer than I’d like for him to fall asleep, but I do miss being the one to do it every night. I have always treasured sharing those last quiet moments of his day—talking about what we did, speaking words of love, affirmation, and blessing as he drifts off to sleep. It feels like such a privilege.
I’m so thankful that Michael has continued to support this nurturing bedtime routine since Ida arrived and that he’s also gotten to experience the sweetness of watching our son fall asleep. I don’t know how long we’ll keep up these routines, or how long Otto will need them, but for now I’m soaking in these tender moments and enjoying them while he still does.
There is something about praying over him, offering comfort with my presence, and watching him doze off that puts my own heart at ease as the day comes to a close. Bedtime has always been more than just tucking him in—it’s a chance for us both to reconnect, to make amends for any wrongs in the day, and to acknowledge that whatever was left undone, God will provide. It’s also a reminder of something I’ve whispered to him since babyhood as I lay him down: It’s okay to rest.
Thank you for reading the second issue of Dear Children. You can read the first one here.
XOXO