DDD for March 30

Here's a good one!

This is Daniel right before kids' swim time at the local pool. He was
a little tired before going into the pool, but the humidity and
peacefulness of an empty pool seemed to almost put him to sleep! He
woke up quickly once the lifegaurds blew their whistles and all the
children and babies began to yell and splash!

This experience has also taught him to say the word POOL. Pretty neat!

Potty Chair... Over 6 Months In

We had to give up Potty Chair time for at least 8 weeks.  It was causing too many power struggles, wails, and frustrations.  

He: Just wanted to get in the bath already.  Bath time is his best play time of the day.  Potty chair was a road block, even if it was utilized properly.

Us: Wanted him to continue this developmental milestone.  Ended up deciding hatred of potty chair was ineffective way to reach milestone.

Now that Daniel has grown a bit and is starting to understand consequences (and REMEMBER them!), we are back at it again.  He is also better able to communicate diaper needs/issues with us... or at least understand the concepts of changing diapers and washing them.  He is able to select a diaper to wear and also seems ashamed of poop diapers, like he would rather not have had them.

Getting back on the potty chair horse:

First step:  Sitting on chair = one M and M.  This is a huge motivator for him.  Worked well the first night.

Next step: Sitting on chair for at least 5 seconds = one M and M.  Worked second night.  We actually got him to sit for over a minute reading one of his Potty Only Books.

Next Steps:  Using potty = one M and M.  Continue to give one for sitting though if its before bath time.  Will increase number of times we recommend he use the potty.

Next time... we will start earlier than one year.  Probably 6-8 months to get a normal feeling.  Will start more communication and rewards about 12-15 months. Will use potty first thing in morning rather than introduce it at night time.  Will not have expectation of success.  Will have expectation of "its our routine, you can do it.".

List of Daniel's Words at 20 Months

Daniel has learned some new words, including:

Pa - Grandpa Zeke
Nod
Spin
Toot toot (as in honking or train whistle)
Elm (Elmo)
Tap
Clap
Hot Diggyty (hot diggety, the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse)
Hot Dog (what he calls Mickey Mouse)
Sings They Might Be Giant's Song "No, NO, No!"
snack
Doots - boots
Tweet (for birds or flying)
Out
Poop
Oot (means hook or hang up)
Hey!
Repeats lots of alphabet now, new letter he loves is H.
Tries counting, favorite numbers to say are 6 and 8

List of Daniel's Words at 18 Months

All of these words were said (at least twice in context to count!) before the end of Feburary 2011.

Mom, Mom-Mom, My Momma, Mom- Ma
Dad, Da-Dad, Dad-Dad
That
Yeah
No
Cheese
Please
Jeez - (Jesus)
Jeez-Momma (Mary)
Jeez-Dad (Joseph)
Pizza (sometimes ZA!)
Out
Bath
Hot (as in temperature)
Hot! (the grill, the oven)
Hot (a hot dog)
Nanas (banana)
Nana (Grandma Douglas)
Nana Pop, Pop (Grandpa Douglas)
Shh...
UP
Fooz (Juice)
Foof (Snow)
Dog
Mmmmmoo (cow)
Hat
Ow
Oh
On
Off
Ern (Ernie from Sesame Street)
At (Aunt Rachel)
Oon (moon)
Oon (balloon)
feesh (fish)
Fiii (fire, fire place)
Eeeow, meeow (cat)
Ite (write)
I Ites (I write)
ashes, ashes (as in, we all fall down)
Block
Chock (chocolate)
Bap (bath)
Bup (cup)
Bamp (lamp)
Wish-Wish (washing, laundry)
Nigh-nigh (good night, sleep)
Een Up! (clean up, always sang)
Repeats many letters in alphabet song, especially A, B, C, E, H, S, T, P, R, Z

DDD for March 29

Here's today's Daily Dose of Daniel!

Any ideas about what we should call this friendly email when Daniel is
no longer an only child? Should I sent out 2 seperate photos? Or
just ignore Daniel in favor of the newest baby?

DDD for March 28

Today Daniel enjoyed the Bubble Wrap from Uncle Randy. He REALLY
enjoyed it. He was afraid of it at Christmas, but four months later
he stomped and danced on it for a long time!

DDD for 3/27/11 - His Dad's Birthday

Daniel opened all of his dad's gifts on Sunday, but I think that being
29 means you aren't as excited about wrapping paper anyway, or at
least as excited as a 1 year old!

DDD March 26

He enjoys watering plants... or at least playing in the water!

DDD for March 25

Daniel wants to write all the time. He also wants to show people the
alphabet. He points out the letters on the driveway to my mother this
week in this photo. But it doesn't end there. He also tries to tell
people at the grocery store about the letters on the boxes of food, me
about letters on his sip cup, and really talks to the TV during the
show "Super Why", which is a cartoon with characters who collect
letters to spell words.

He is becoming a preschooler boy, and is not a baby at all!

DDD for March 24

He's having fun doing the watering!

The Time with the Apples.

This morning getting Daniel ready for one of his last times of daycare and one of the last times I would go to work before the new baby, I left Daniel alone in the main part of the house while I went to get his diaper bag ready and find his other shoe.

When I came back, he had pushed his yellow step stool over to a chair at the kitchen table, climbed on the chair, and reached precariously for the fruit bowl.  He'd taken a bite out of every single apple in the fruit bowl and was working on gnawing through a banana.

"Ap!" he said.
"Anana!" he said.

"Good grief," I said.

DDD for March 23

Daniel enjoying half a donut for afternoon snack. Even with a fork,
its a messy business.

Art Projects.

Daniel really loves writing these days.  Not coloring or drawing... don't call it that.  He will get his yellow step stool from the living room and bring it to the chair with his yellow booster seat (still not using this seat for meals yet).  Then he'll climb up and try to attach the seat belt.

He will yell "Ite!!!!", which is to say, write.

He will request an assortment of materials - crayons, markers, pens, pencils, colored pencils, stickers... and start creating.  I only give him one art supply at a time, and this drives him nuts.  He wants to dump out all 16 of the crayons, but then he gets distracted by putting them back into the carton instead of drawing.  Usually I am so impatient to see what he creates that I don't like this!

Here is an art project he did after nap time on St. Pats Day. He is only in a diaper because he raced from the bedroom right into this art project.  I guess this wasn't a bad thing... the markers did end up on his body!

Here is the finished product!

DDD for March 22

Isn't this a funny picture? Its the expression necessary to have the
strength to push open the patio door. (Which now, by the way, is
permanently locked!)

DDD for March 21

Daniel enjoyed a great visit with his Nana. (He started to call her
more of a Na - na )

DDD for March 20

Sidewalk Chalk that look like Eggs! What a fun afternoon activity!

DDD for March 19

Here's how Daniel looks half an hour after he starts to help his dad.
He usually needs to come in for a chocolate milk break and watch a
little of his show - Mickey Mouse Clubhouse on the computer!
Hopefully in a few years we'll get more work out of him!

DDD for March 18

What a funny way to nap!

First Time on Trampoline!

This wonderful experienced occurred in early March.

He was a bit cautious at first.

Then he started to bounce. 

And test the springs.

Jumping on his knees.

And resting.

DDD for St. Pats Day

Did I ever have a hard time getting him to wear something green and
stand with his St. Pat's drawing!! All the green clothing got dirty
before lunch, so it was a green diaper this afternoon! He also
refused to hold the sign after he was done "writing" on it.

DDD for March 16

Daniel had crackers and bunny marshmellows for a snack. Look how he
arranged the bunnies on the crackers! For some reason, he would not
eat the bunnies this way, even though he usually likes marshmellows.

Also, I asked him to say, "Cheese!" for the photo, and he complied.
This makes him REALLY look like my family. Dan said its because my
sisters and I do fake smiles with teeth, just like Daniel is doing!
What do you think?

Play: Sink Time With Grandma Becky

Daniel has really enjoyed playing in water for as long as he has been able to notice he was in water... basically, from the beginning!  

Recently we've been letting him use his learning tower at home to explore water and cups and transferring water in the sink.  He does similar things each night at bath time.  We have had problems getting Daniel to QUIT this activity in our sink, and due to time or logicistics, we have to force him to stop (its dinner time! its been half an hour! we need to access the dishwasher!).

In the middle of March we visited Hermann and Grandma Becky let Daniel help her wash dishes.  He was able to stay and play for an hour and a half at her sink.  He really, REALLY enjoyed this time, and she was patient enough to enjoy his company, too.

He enjoys watching water trickle through holes and fall into the basin.

Pouring is a huge skill for him now.  He loves it!

The soap bubbles were new for him, too.  We don't usually hand wash dishes and don't have bubbles in his bath, so this was fun.  Of course, he tried to eat the bubbles... luckily, a little dirty dishwater didn't affect him adversely and he decided he wasn't very interested in tasting any more!

DDD for March 15

This morning, Daniel hollered, "Mom!!!!!" and when I came to see what
was going on, he proudly showed me how he bundled up with blankets on
the couch. How sweet. Of course I sat next to him and giggled about
Curious George for a few minutes!

Pretend Play (Eating).

A big change in Daniel's play time happened late this winter.  He started playing pretend!  Around Christmas, he would try to share his food with us... offering his sip cup or a cracker.  Since that time, he has started to offer these things to stuffed animals or small play figurines, too.  It is funny to watch him try to feed a toy or share a pacifier with one of his crib toys!

He often helps us unload the dishwasher, and on this occasion in early March, I found him with clean dishes, making slurping and smacking sounds and feeding himself some type of food.  It was one of the first times I'd seen him prepare pretend food (stirring it, tasting it, stirring again) and then serving himself!  

We made pudding a few times that week, so I wonder if that is what he was enjoying?

DDD for March 14

Daniel looking at his father. They were digging in a barren garden
and enjoying some 65 degree weather.

This was not taken today... today Daniel and his dad bulit a snowman
with the 5-8 inches of snow that fell!