Aaron has a tendency to fill his mouth up with food and request more. What toddler doesn't, really? But Thom is worried about him choking, so if he suspects Aaron is hoarding food in his mouth, he says "Show me your mouth." To which Aaron responds by opening his mouth and making a short, soft little "ah" sound. We didn't realize until he started doing this that Thom and I were saying "ah" when we initially showed him how to let us see what was in his mouth. It's the cutest little "ah" and sometimes we ask him to show us his mouth just to hear him do it.
So today at lunch, I was eating some falafel crumbs (I had made some frozen falafels and they fell apart in the pan). Aaron had had two bites of falafel (which he has eaten from Daphne's Greek Cafe and seemed to like) and decided he was done. But when he saw me eating the falafel crumbs, he wanted one. When I gave him one, he immediately offered it to me. He likes to feed people. On the third piece he was feeding me, he got it almost to my mouth, then pulled it back and went "ah" and showed me his mouth. He was asking me to show him my mouth! I went "ah" and then he gave me the piece. He repeated this for each piece afterwards and seemed quite pleased with himself.
He also surprised me yesterday by trying to get some pacifiers from under his crib. He was playing in his room so I was in there sorting through some hand-me downs. Suddenly, he noticed some pacifiers under his crib (they get pushed - intentionally and not - out the crib on the wall side and end up underneath). He crawled over there and I didn't think he'd be able to get them, but I just sort of watched out of the corner of my eye to see what he'd do.
We keep a toy under his crib that we use to sweep the pacifiers out when they are too far to reach. It is something I found years ago (at Cost Plus, I think) and thought was cool and figured I'd save it for when I had kids. It has a wooden handle attached to a long flexible stick with a wooden snake that is corkscrewed around it. You turn the stick upside down to get the snake to crawl back and forth. It is just the right length to get pacifiers out from under his crib and it was the first thing I had found to use when I first needed to get his pacifiers out from under there
So I notice Aaron is reaching for the snake toy. I figured he saw it and was distracted from his pacifiers by it. But I look over and he is sweeping the stick around under his bed trying to get the pacifiers! They were against the wall and he couldn't manage to get them, but I was still impressed with his attempt. I didn't realize he had learned how we use it. Usually I'm getting them out while he is in the other room or in the crib, but he must have seen one of us doing it and decided to try it out.
09 September 2008
08 September 2008
Little Stink Bug
I snapped this after Aaron had been napping over 3 hours. I opened the blinds to try to wake him up, then grabbed the camera to take a few shots. The tag on his sleep sack was sticking out, so after I got a couple of good shots, I tucked it in and when he didn't move, I snapped a few more shots without the tag showing. That is one sleepy kid! Better go wake him up...
07 September 2008
Swim Class
Yesterday, we had our first Parent and Child swim class at a local public pool. Aaron loves the water so I figured it would be a good idea to take an official class. It is geared towards kids from 6 to 18 months. It is a 45 min class every Saturday for 8 weeks. There are 8-10 infants in the class.
I was unfortunately disappointed with the first session. The instructor has never done the class before. She is very young and doesn't seem to really know what kids this age are like. The first thing we did was to put the kids on the edge of the pool and sing a song that goes like this:
5 little speckled frogs
Sat on a speckled log
Eating the most delicious bugs.
Yum! Yum!
One jumped into the pool (baby is brought into the water here)
Where it was nice and cool
Now there are 4 speckled frogs.
And it goes on down to the last speckled frog. Aaron loved this part and wanted to jump back in the pool after the first line. But the next part of the class, we were supposed to have the babies practice blowing bubbles in the water. I don't think any of the kids cooperated on this and the instructor didn't have any suggestions for how to get them to do it. At this point, Thom was holding Aaron and he seemed to want to be a dolphin. He was wiggling his body in a way that seemed to propel him forward (towards Thom).
Then we turned the babies in a circle and sang:
Motor boat, motor boat, go so slow.
Motor boat, motor boat, go so fast.
Motor boat, motor boat, put on the gas!
On the last line, the babies are supposed to blow bubbles in the water. Didn't happen.
Then we were supposed to put Aaron on his back and sing a song about a pancake that we turn over at the end. He did not like being on his back at all. It was sunny and the sun was directly overhead.
The last 15 minutes of the class we could practice whatever we wanted and there were little water cans and those foam noodles to play with. At that point, it was close to nap time and all Aaron wanted to do was jump off the side of the pool, and at the very end, even that made him unhappy.
I like the use of songs with the class and I think it is worthwhile to get in the water with him. And the price of the class is cheaper than Thom and I taking him for 8 weeks on our own. We'll see if it gets better. And really, what can you expect for a swim class for infants.
I'll try to get pictures next week!
I was unfortunately disappointed with the first session. The instructor has never done the class before. She is very young and doesn't seem to really know what kids this age are like. The first thing we did was to put the kids on the edge of the pool and sing a song that goes like this:
5 little speckled frogs
Sat on a speckled log
Eating the most delicious bugs.
Yum! Yum!
One jumped into the pool (baby is brought into the water here)
Where it was nice and cool
Now there are 4 speckled frogs.
And it goes on down to the last speckled frog. Aaron loved this part and wanted to jump back in the pool after the first line. But the next part of the class, we were supposed to have the babies practice blowing bubbles in the water. I don't think any of the kids cooperated on this and the instructor didn't have any suggestions for how to get them to do it. At this point, Thom was holding Aaron and he seemed to want to be a dolphin. He was wiggling his body in a way that seemed to propel him forward (towards Thom).
Then we turned the babies in a circle and sang:
Motor boat, motor boat, go so slow.
Motor boat, motor boat, go so fast.
Motor boat, motor boat, put on the gas!
On the last line, the babies are supposed to blow bubbles in the water. Didn't happen.
Then we were supposed to put Aaron on his back and sing a song about a pancake that we turn over at the end. He did not like being on his back at all. It was sunny and the sun was directly overhead.
The last 15 minutes of the class we could practice whatever we wanted and there were little water cans and those foam noodles to play with. At that point, it was close to nap time and all Aaron wanted to do was jump off the side of the pool, and at the very end, even that made him unhappy.
I like the use of songs with the class and I think it is worthwhile to get in the water with him. And the price of the class is cheaper than Thom and I taking him for 8 weeks on our own. We'll see if it gets better. And really, what can you expect for a swim class for infants.
I'll try to get pictures next week!
Cuddle Bug
Lately, Aaron will often get into a very cuddly mood. If I am sitting at the dining room table in the morning, drinking coffee, he will come over, stand up at the chair and put his head on my leg (or Thom's). Or he'll go under the table, grab my toes, and then try to hug my foot.
When I am on the floor with him, he might come over and just plow into me head first for a cuddle. Or he'll go and hug one of his dolls or his bear. It will be lying on the floor and he'll go over to it and rest his head on the doll or bear, and then maybe he'll lay across it for a big hug. Or sometimes, he'll give me the two dolls and the bear and when they are on my lap, he'll come up and try to hug us all.
Another cuddly thing he does is he'll hold a toy (anything from a doll to a Duplo block) against his chest (in a hug) and pat it. He'll do this with the stuffed animals in his bed, too, then hand them to me for me to hug them. I'm sure he is encouraged in this activity because we'll say "Awww. Do you love Bear (Puppy, Baby, Banana, your duplos)?"
His latest game is to get me to lie on my back with my knees up. He'll use my knees to help him stand up. He'll look at me and laugh, and then he'll fall foward on top of me laughing. I catch him and hug him and then he wants to do it over again. If I pretend I don't know what he is talking about, he'll sign "More" and then point to my knees.
Thom's favorite thing these days is when Aaron signs "more" and when he says "More what?", Aaron points to him. More Daddy.
When I am on the floor with him, he might come over and just plow into me head first for a cuddle. Or he'll go and hug one of his dolls or his bear. It will be lying on the floor and he'll go over to it and rest his head on the doll or bear, and then maybe he'll lay across it for a big hug. Or sometimes, he'll give me the two dolls and the bear and when they are on my lap, he'll come up and try to hug us all.
Another cuddly thing he does is he'll hold a toy (anything from a doll to a Duplo block) against his chest (in a hug) and pat it. He'll do this with the stuffed animals in his bed, too, then hand them to me for me to hug them. I'm sure he is encouraged in this activity because we'll say "Awww. Do you love Bear (Puppy, Baby, Banana, your duplos)?"
His latest game is to get me to lie on my back with my knees up. He'll use my knees to help him stand up. He'll look at me and laugh, and then he'll fall foward on top of me laughing. I catch him and hug him and then he wants to do it over again. If I pretend I don't know what he is talking about, he'll sign "More" and then point to my knees.
Thom's favorite thing these days is when Aaron signs "more" and when he says "More what?", Aaron points to him. More Daddy.
Obsessive Compulsive?
I've noticed that Aaron has a few "issues" that make me wonder if he is obsessive compulsive. I'm guessing it is normal toddler behavior. In fact, I remember similar issues when my niece Mattea was almost 3 and we babysat her for a few weeks while my sister was in the hospital (on bed rest with the twins). Mattea would point out if any of the kitchen cupboards were open when she was sitting in the kitchen to eat. She wanted us to close them. And one morning, I remember her getting up from the table, going to the dishwasher, pushing it closed (it had been 95% closed - but it wasn't latched), and then returning to her breakfast. She never said a word about it, but it must have bothered her and she felt better having it completely closed.
Aaron is troubled by open cupboard doors. Apparently not the lower ones that he opens and fails to close. But if a cupboard above the counters is open, he will whine and point until we notice the offending door and close it. This often happens during mealtime. He'll be turned around in his highchair facing the kitchen and start whining. At first we'll think he wants his milk from the refrigerator, or that he is just being fussy. But then I'll see that one of the cupboard doors is cracked open half an inch. I'm not sure if closing the door is just feeding his obsessiveness, but it seems to be the only way to get him to move on.
Another obsession is with his Bunny Love cereal. The cereal is comprised of little bunnies, little bunny heads, X's and O's (kisses and hugs for the "love" part of the cereal). Months ago, we noticed he wouldn't eat the O's, or would only eat them reluctantly. But now, he shows a strong preference for the X's. If you put a handful of the cereal on his tray, he will pick out the X's and then whine for more, despite the fact that he has other shapes left. He will eventually go back and eat the other ones if he has no choice. But occasionally, I will hold the dish of cereal in front of him and let him pick out the pieces he wants. He will look into the bowl carefully and then reach in and grab an X. (His eyesight and fine motor skills are impeccable.)
He is also obsessed with multiples. He'll often point to an outlet (with the little anti-baby plugs we have in there) and look at me. I always tell him "Outlet. Not for babies." And so he's waiting for me to say that. Once I say it, he'll immediately turn to another outlet within sight and point to that. He'll go back and forth. He can't do just one. Or he'll point to my nose, wait for me to say nose, and then immediately look for Daddy to point out his nose. And in the playroom, he has his stuffed bear and two dolls. He cannot give me one without giving me all 3.
I'm guessing his behavior has to do with a need for routine and his effort to understand the world he lives in. I suspect that like my niece, he will grow out of these compulsions. We will see!
Aaron is troubled by open cupboard doors. Apparently not the lower ones that he opens and fails to close. But if a cupboard above the counters is open, he will whine and point until we notice the offending door and close it. This often happens during mealtime. He'll be turned around in his highchair facing the kitchen and start whining. At first we'll think he wants his milk from the refrigerator, or that he is just being fussy. But then I'll see that one of the cupboard doors is cracked open half an inch. I'm not sure if closing the door is just feeding his obsessiveness, but it seems to be the only way to get him to move on.
Another obsession is with his Bunny Love cereal. The cereal is comprised of little bunnies, little bunny heads, X's and O's (kisses and hugs for the "love" part of the cereal). Months ago, we noticed he wouldn't eat the O's, or would only eat them reluctantly. But now, he shows a strong preference for the X's. If you put a handful of the cereal on his tray, he will pick out the X's and then whine for more, despite the fact that he has other shapes left. He will eventually go back and eat the other ones if he has no choice. But occasionally, I will hold the dish of cereal in front of him and let him pick out the pieces he wants. He will look into the bowl carefully and then reach in and grab an X. (His eyesight and fine motor skills are impeccable.)
He is also obsessed with multiples. He'll often point to an outlet (with the little anti-baby plugs we have in there) and look at me. I always tell him "Outlet. Not for babies." And so he's waiting for me to say that. Once I say it, he'll immediately turn to another outlet within sight and point to that. He'll go back and forth. He can't do just one. Or he'll point to my nose, wait for me to say nose, and then immediately look for Daddy to point out his nose. And in the playroom, he has his stuffed bear and two dolls. He cannot give me one without giving me all 3.
I'm guessing his behavior has to do with a need for routine and his effort to understand the world he lives in. I suspect that like my niece, he will grow out of these compulsions. We will see!
05 September 2008
Sleep
For a couple weeks there, we were having a tough time with Aaron and sleep. It started when he was sick and he didn't seem to go back to normal even when he was better. I'm so used to him going down fairly well most nights, that I thought his crying and screaming must be because he was teething or not feeling well in some way (even though it didn't start until we put him in bed).
Then, last Saturday, Kim was kind enough to babysit so we could go out to dinner. We told her that about every other night, he wouldn't go down easy, and I told her what we did. The two times prior to last Saturday that he hadn't gone down, Thom had walked Aaron back and forth in his room and gotten him settled down within 30 minutes. This was a huge improvement over some of the nights from when he was sick and we spent hours trying to get him to calm down and go to sleep.
So we get home from dinner and she tells us that he didn't go down easy, but that it was a temper tantrum, no doubt in her mind. She has 2 kids, so I figure she knows what she is talking about, and I kind of suspected that was part of it. She said she went back in to soothe him a few times, but he kept getting more and more upset because she wouldn't pick him up. Eventually, she stopped going in and he was asleep within about 25 minutes (from when she first put him down).
Well, that was good to hear. We figured we could wait him out next time. We expected him to cry for much, much longer. But since we'd been picking him up, sometimes walking him around the house, and he had still ended up crying and upset for long periods, letting him cry for 25 minutes didn't sound so bad.
So the next night, we were ready. Part of my plan has also been to put him down for his afternoon nap 30 minutes earlier and to try to get him to bed closer to 7:30, rather than almost 8:00. So far, since the night Kim let him cry it out, though, he has gone down easy for us every night.
On Tuesday, though, when I put him down for his afternoon nap, he immediately stood up and started crying. I decided to leave him anyway, and within 2 minutes, he had stopped screaming, within 3 minutes, he had stopped crying. Within 20 minutes, he was asleep. I was so happy!
One other night this week, he woke up at 4:30am. I nursed him as I still do if he wakes up in the early morning, and then went to put him back down. He stood up and started crying. I tried walking him back and forth in his room for 5-10 minutes since I didn't want to wake Thom up so close to when we had to get up for work. But my back was killing me and I had to put him back down. Even though he was tired, he started crying again, but I left him to go back to our room. In only a minute, he quieted down and apparently went back to sleep. He didn't cry again until 6:15am.
So we are learning. And we are all sleeping better. This morning, I heard him stir around 4:45am and I thought "Please, please don't wake up." And he didn't. In fact, he didn't wake up until after Thom got up and started the coffee. There is hope.
Then, last Saturday, Kim was kind enough to babysit so we could go out to dinner. We told her that about every other night, he wouldn't go down easy, and I told her what we did. The two times prior to last Saturday that he hadn't gone down, Thom had walked Aaron back and forth in his room and gotten him settled down within 30 minutes. This was a huge improvement over some of the nights from when he was sick and we spent hours trying to get him to calm down and go to sleep.
So we get home from dinner and she tells us that he didn't go down easy, but that it was a temper tantrum, no doubt in her mind. She has 2 kids, so I figure she knows what she is talking about, and I kind of suspected that was part of it. She said she went back in to soothe him a few times, but he kept getting more and more upset because she wouldn't pick him up. Eventually, she stopped going in and he was asleep within about 25 minutes (from when she first put him down).
Well, that was good to hear. We figured we could wait him out next time. We expected him to cry for much, much longer. But since we'd been picking him up, sometimes walking him around the house, and he had still ended up crying and upset for long periods, letting him cry for 25 minutes didn't sound so bad.
So the next night, we were ready. Part of my plan has also been to put him down for his afternoon nap 30 minutes earlier and to try to get him to bed closer to 7:30, rather than almost 8:00. So far, since the night Kim let him cry it out, though, he has gone down easy for us every night.
On Tuesday, though, when I put him down for his afternoon nap, he immediately stood up and started crying. I decided to leave him anyway, and within 2 minutes, he had stopped screaming, within 3 minutes, he had stopped crying. Within 20 minutes, he was asleep. I was so happy!
One other night this week, he woke up at 4:30am. I nursed him as I still do if he wakes up in the early morning, and then went to put him back down. He stood up and started crying. I tried walking him back and forth in his room for 5-10 minutes since I didn't want to wake Thom up so close to when we had to get up for work. But my back was killing me and I had to put him back down. Even though he was tired, he started crying again, but I left him to go back to our room. In only a minute, he quieted down and apparently went back to sleep. He didn't cry again until 6:15am.
So we are learning. And we are all sleeping better. This morning, I heard him stir around 4:45am and I thought "Please, please don't wake up." And he didn't. In fact, he didn't wake up until after Thom got up and started the coffee. There is hope.
Eating with spoons
Our sitter Kim has been teaching Aaron how to use a spoon. It's something I haven't been good about since I don't like messes, but she doesn't mind. She'll get out one spoon for Aaron and one for her to feed him with. Invariably, he ends up with both spoons since he likes to have one in each hand.The nice thing about working from home is that I can capture moments like this on camera. He was eating polenta. My favorite pictures is the one where he is presenting both spoons to be refilled.
He's actually not too bad, as long as he is eating something that sticks to the spoon pretty well.
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