Great Stuff from Dee Dee's Morning, Sept 12

This morning after our breakfast together, Daniel looked at me and said, "Dee Dee SOO happy."  What a heart melter.  Its true he got cream cheese AND almond butter AND jelly on his waffle and that we had a dark chocolate square for breakfast-dessert.  But I think maybe he was so happy because we were sitting together for breakfast and having great conversation.

We did dry undies all morning and he was so proud of this.  He beamed as he told me they were dry!

We discussed getting some new construction tractor toys.  He wants them and seemed like he would go for "selling binkies to buy new tractor toys".  He actually SAID THOSE WORDS!

He also keeps getting after me to watch him play.  I do a little chore here and there and have to go back in and watch for a few minutes.  Its great he wants the extra attention, I think.  Especially while sister is asleep!

What Your Evenings Look Like in Summer 2011

Last week you turned two, but your older age didn't bring any seriousness to your life.

You are still so goofy, Daniel.

You are so happy and love for us to be happy, too.

Most evenings, we spend 15 minutes or so in your room playing as a family.  Often you dump all your puzzles and cars out and we try to sort through one activity at a time with you.

You always want us to play right down on the floor with you.

You would rather play than read books before bed, but sometimes when I read to Elsie, you get jealous and want to get in on the book reading and holding of your sister.  So you climb up and say, "Hol- due" to hold her.

And then then hop down and play some more.

Soon after, its time for brushing teeth, potty, books, praying, blankets, binky, and bed.  When we tell you this, you dive into bed and pretend to be asleep.  But you never last long!  We do all the other things together, and usually your father puts you down to sleep at 7:45 PM.

Its very unusual for you to wake before 7 AM these days.  We often check in on you around 8, 9, and midnight, and you are snuggled in your bed, usually flat on your stomach, usually cuddled with a stuffed animal, a blanket, or a book.  Its so very sweet.  We pat your head and kiss you and thank the Lord for you.

Video Example of Daniel Working

Daniel loves working.  He wants to do the tasks we are doing and would much prefer to help us than to play alone.  Therefore, he has had practice with house chores and doing other procedural tasks.  Here is a  longer movie of DHH working on his dad's tools.  He is using a small brush to clean some equipment.  I especially like how focused he is and how he keeps trying to hang the brush up when he is done.  

Little Laundry Helper.

Daniel can hear the words "wash" or "laundry" or "dirty clothes" from any room in the house.  He even picks up on these terms when they are used differently, like 'Wash my hair" or "We need more laundry soap" or  "Your clothes are dirty from the chocolate pudding".

He will run into the laundry room and shout, "UP!".  He will also make washing noises and say "Wsh".  He wiggles his hips and moves back and forth, a lot like The Twist, but we call this dance the Washing Machine dance instead.

His helping tower was in the laundry room, and it helped him perfectly reach to dump clothes in the washing machine.  He is also able to put only one full scoop directly into the machine, no spills (a lot of practice!).

Usually these days we don't have to watch an entire laundry cycle, but we do need to check in on the laundry a few times when he hears the rinse cycle or spin cycle begin.

Interesting Trends in the 18th Month...

Daniel has begun napping from noon or 1 PM for about three hours.  This is wonderful because it means he is not too tired by 5 PM when his dad arrives home from work, so he can play, eat dinner, and be a friendly boy.

He mimics all that we do.  This includes helping with his diaper change, spitting while he brushes his teeth, stirring his food, and ... pretending to vomit in the toilet.  (Its sad that he has noted this several times this week as morning sickness has returned with avengence!)

He prefers to sit through only three books, but he wants to read the first story several times.  He is not as interested in the subsequent stories.  He is equally interested in pointing out neat pictures as he is identifying print on the page.

He has stopped enjoying prayers.  He gets very upset when its prayer time before bed.

He has stopped going to bed so smoothly, and often fusses for awhile after we put him down.  He talks to the fish "FEE" in his crib soother and hollers at us for awhile, but always settles down by 7:30 PM. This is nearly an hour later bedtime than a few months ago.

He isn't as good of an eater, but he enjoys self feeding so much.

He tries to put on his shoes - no success - and tries to put his shoes on our feet - no success.

He jabbers and says the same "phrases" over and over.  He does perfect impressions of us on the phone, giving time for another person to talk, then he responds.  He often mutters or talks more quietly on the phone than in real life.

He is gaining composure at day care drop off.  Usually he pouts and hugs me tightly, but is able to be distracted and in a good mood before I leave the drive way.

Dots, Dots, Dots

These are some of Daniel's favorite things to draw.  He loves DOTS DOTS DOTS and he says the words as he violently thrusts the marker into the paper.

Shower!

Daniel has loved showers for over six months.  He doesn't get the chance to take many, but he loves to tell us about the shower head and use big gestures to demonstrate what he is thinking.  Here are some photos I took of him while he was pretending to shower.  I put him in there so I could tidy up the bathroom and keep him out of the way... but he stayed in long after I was done!

Note: He still calls the shower a "Sha!!!!".  He does recognize that its also a bath tub, but he points to the lower faucet and says bath like  "bab" or "bah" or "bat".

Bath Time Show Off

Bathing is still one of Daniel's most fun activities. 

 Usually the scene looks  like this:

Daniel gets scrubbed by his father for about two minutes, and then spends over ten minutes playing with bath toys.  He especially likes playing with these cups and transferring water from one cup to the other.

He only lays down when I come in and then he starts some monkeyshine business.  He bats his eyes, pretends to sleep, giggles, beams with a big smile, and acts so sweetly silly.

He could play this game for hours.  But usually the bathwater gets chilly and his dad grows tired of this super long bath routine, and we are ready to move on to jammie and story time.

Current Daniel Past times

Bathing.  He knows the word bath and gets very excited about bathing just as soon as he has finished dinner.  He points to the bath and runs into the bathroom.  He spends much of his time filling up bottles and cups and transferring water from one container to another.  He really likes the nesting cups we have that have different hole patterns on the bottom and enjoys watching the water run out of them.


Library - We attend a story time for new walkers at the library once a week.  He really enjoys walking around in the library, pointing to the art and clocks, and then trying to get to the play center.  He enjoys the story times less.  I think the other children are distracting.  He likes when there are stories, finger plays, and songs, but he gets too distracted by the other kids anytime puppets are involved or there is a sing and dance time with a CD.  He points to the exit and tries to leave!  He spends a lot of time playing at the library's toddler kitchen and doing their puzzles.  We do not often read at the library because there are too many fun things to see that we don't have have home (lots of books at home!).


Drumming- Daniel makes most objects into drums.  We have several old formula cans and oatmeal canisters that he uses. He lines up various sizes and plays on them with a plastic mallet and a wooden chopstick.  He enjoys making different pitches of sound, but has only mastered one volume - LOUD.  He also keeps a constant beat and does not deviate into erratic rhythms or songs.


TV - Lately, Daniel has slept through Curious George at 7 AM, so he doesn't have that show to delight him.  We usually watch an episode of Sesame Street every day, usually from DVD and from the 70s.  He enjoys the muppets and the number cartoons. I think he pays attention for about 15 minutes at a time, then does something else, then comes back to it.  He also enjoys Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, but since we don't have cable, he can only watch if we get it on DVD or he is at my parents' house.  He really enjoys dancing to the Hot Dog Dance at the end of the show.


Nesting Cubes - He started to play with six boxes that we got as a Christmas gag gift (all wrapped inside another with a present in the very last box).  He likes putting them inside each other, stacking them, taking lids off and on, and putting objects inside the boxes and then trying to find them.  This holds his attention for a VERY long time.


Reading - Usually we read four times a day, but Daniel sometimes goes to get books on his own and reads them to himself.  He especially likes to read books to himself that have animals (cute, furry ones like kittens or monkeys) inside.  He brings us books that he wants to read, and he helps us pick out three books for before bed time and naps.  He often wants to start his day, even before diaper change and breakfast, by reading books.


Laughing - He makes himself laugh by tickling his belly.  He laughs when other people laugh.  He laughs at stuffed animals.  He laughs at the TV.  He laughs so often.  We sometimes encourage the laughter with tickles and silly games, and he LOVES this.  He loves chase games, sneak up on another person games, and wrestling games that are ticklish in nature.  


Pretty much, his other hobbies of sleeping, pointing, dancing and singing, and jabbering, eating and looking for snacks, watching the washing machine, and playing with my hair fixing accessories are the same as in the last three months.

DDD for Tuesday, November 16

Daniel loves muffins! He helped me make this batch of muffins, too.

He poured in the ingredients I had pre-measured and stirred them. He

also put the cupcake papers in the muffin tin. He did NOT like

waiting for them to bake, but turning the light on the oven seemed to

help him relax! When they cooled, he ate four of them. He REALLY

likes muffins!

He is also saying, "HOT!".  He really is good at warning me about the temperature of our oven and other hot things.

DDD for Monday, November 15

This is how most of the last week was spent with a sickly baby and parents.

DDD from Sunday, November 14

Photograph taken the first weekend of November duirng a pizza lunch

when Daniel's maternal grandparents visted Columbia. He ate more

pizza than I did during this lunch!

Watch and Learn! and Play Time with Puffy Coat Photos

Daniel is learning so much from us.  Sometimes it takes us a while to pick up on what he is doing, but usually it is just copying what he has seen us do.

For example, today when I was taking some potatoes out of the oven, I told him it was hot and to back away.  A few seconds later he was at the (closed) oven door wearing oven mitts.  He rapped on the oven window.  I didn't even know he knew about oven mitts!  I think he's seen his dad use them in the morning when they make biscuits!

He has learned how to fold his hands to pray before bed. Dan has done this with him for awhile, but tonight he said, "Let's pray, Daniel!" and he had his hands ready automatically!

He has learned how to copy his father's fake snore and sometimes lays down and pretends to sleep with a fake snore.  This is really funny to me.

He also has learned how to make moooooing noises.  I usually say MOO, but his dad does a more authentic cow bray.  Daniel copies his father with a long Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm noise anytime he sees a cow (or an animal that looks like a cow, as many cartoon animals do, apparently).

He also has learned how to brush his teeth more effectively by watching me do mine.  He wants me to wet it several times, like I do, and also tries to spit at the sink.

He has tried to use my hair straightener and face lotion, too.

These are just a few of the examples of Daniel's body language and actions that he has picked up from his parents.  I am so curious to see what he learns from other kids and what is DHH Original Material!

Below are photos taken of Daniel last Friday before his 15 month well child check up.  It was chilly this morning, and it was the first time he had worn his winter coat!  What a marshmallow!

New Thing: Pointing at the Bed

Daniel has started to point to his crib when he is tired.  He does this during nap or bed time routine.  Sometimes he does this before we've read any books.  And so we put him down in the bed.  He finds his pacifier (they are only used in the bed now except for the rarest of occasions) and lays down on his belly.  It is just so sweet to see him curl up, tush in the air, and close his eyes.  Its like he is saying, "Sweet dreams to me!' or "Enough already parents.  I am tired!".

We think this is an example of him communicating his wants nonverbally.  We try to use vocabulary for him when he is being nonverbal so he can associate his action with the words "go to bed".

Playtime at 14.5 Months.

Playtime can happen almost anytime Daniel wiggles free from my grasp.    In this case, it was during morning dressing time. He suddenly remembered the switch on the underside of the musical table and had to investigate.

Then he remembered another noisy toy - the See and Say.

My mom told me this was my favorite when I was very young.  She said I drove her crazy with the spinning and the animal noises.  I think I can remember this, because the voice tone and cadence is SO familiar to me. Could it have changed in 27 years?

We got this toy for him 6 months ago, but he wasn't strong enough (or perhaps clever enough to remember to) pull the lever down all the way to get the animal noise.

Since he is so enormous now, he can do it.

He can recognize all the animals if you ask him to point to one.  I think he recognizes all the sounds, but can only really repeat the cat noise.

I really don't mind the noise of this toy, so it must really have been something I enjoyed as a kid!