The Rookie Mama

We had a great routine going! Her naps and sleep cycles were predictable, she mowed down food like a champ, and she loved every second of bath time. Then it all changed.  She must be teething.  Maybe she's under the weather? We probably did too much today; she's overstimulated.  Perhaps we didn't do enough today; she's under stimulated.  Too long of a nap. No, too short of a nap.  Or maybe, just maybe... SHE'S A BABY.  We're on the cusp of our panda becoming a toddler - when we stop counting months (eleven! What?!) and start counting years. And yet, we still play the guessing game. We'd love to have a reason for her crappy sleep and disgruntled mornings. For the whining and whimpering and out-and-out tears that we had rarely seen before. After an entire night of the little one needing parental soothing every three hours, I begged for a full set of teeth in that tiny mouth just to give me a reason for the madness. Alas, this was not to

A small thing occurred this past Thursday while the panda and I played in the living room. A small but very meaningful thing. We have been practicing her little "tricks" - waving, shaking hands, high-fiving, etc. She's gotten pretty adept at them but sometimes it depends on her mood and distraction level. One thing we have been working on is a little gesture from her Filipino side called "blessing" - mano or mano po . For those of you unfamiliar with this, allow me to explain: Our culture has great respect for our elders. Mano po is an outward sign of that respect and a way of asking for a blessing from them. Imagine some chivalrous person kissing the back of someone's hand; now imagine that instead of bringing that hand to his lips, he touches that hand to his forehead - that is mano po; that is how we teach our little ones to ask for blessing. Now, my daughter and I have been practicing this gesture for awhile. Sometimes she does it quite well, ot