DDD 10-31-10

A black eye isn't slowing him down! He had a fall when running in the
yard with a push car on Friday. He was busy playing with his flag and
drinking juice shortly after!

DDD 10/30/10

It was chilly enough for a coat yesterday! Daniel really looked like
a marshmallow!

Daily Dose of Daniel - October 29, 2010

Finding sticks, pine needles, and acorns to amuse himself.

Daily Dose of Daniel - 10/28/10

Yes, there is an acorn hidden in the fist of this little boy.
Luckily, it did not go into his mouth!

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".

Loads of Fun with a Tiny Car

Daniel LOVES playing at the steering wheel of our vehicles.  Don't worry... never with a key!  Earlier this month my mom found this car for him at a yard sale.  I think he is getting his $10 worth of fun from this re-used toy!

I enlarged my favorite photos from the playtime.

He is turning on the ignition.

This is a much faster way to go!

He really played with the doors, going in and out and opening and closing them!

He kept trying to get in the side without the car door.  Hew as persistent, but the results weren't so good!

Dad gave him a push.  This was less fun for him than just playing with the doors or pushing it himself.  I think this is his independent streak showing!

Potty Chair: Week 3

Even with a lapse of potty chair routine for Saturday night, Daniel hasn't broken his stride of going.  He has used the chair for his urinary business each day, and even surprised us with very smelly excrement another time.  We often cannot tell if he has peed because he is so quiet, so I've learned that if he gets up from the chair and immediately dives into my lap for a hug, that means he's gone.

He also will only use the chair in the bathroom, not other rooms. I suppose this is a healthy boundary!

I am pleasantly surprised by these results and continue to work on elimination communication with him.  He is learning more about patterns in our day and how to express what he wants to do, so this can only help with the process!

DDD 10/27/10

Ear muffs, like sun glasses, are very hilarious things to this child.

DDD 10/26/10

Happy Birthday Aunt Rachel!

Another New Word! OFF

Daniel has mastered the word off in less than 24 hours!!

He and his dad have been practicing the F sound as in Flag (his favorite word, we think) for a week.  Last night I was telling him to take off his socks.  He said off in a strange accent.  But today, I placed him on a step stool near my closet light switch so he could turn it off and on. What a hit that was with him!  He kept saying in a quiet voice OFFFFF  OFFFFFF.  We went to turn all the lights off in the house, and he said OFFFF each time.

DDD 10/25/10

Daniel fell asleep during the parade. It was a morning of intense
excitement for him. Too many balloons and tigers, I suppose!

DDD 10/24/10

Taken at the MU Homecoming Parade! He really loved the first half
hour, but got very tired during the middle of the parade so he took a
nap in our arms!

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! 

DDD 10/23/10

Daniel has had a very happy Homecoming!

Ernie

Daniel has an Ernie doll I found at a store.  He laughed and laughed, and never enjoys a toy through the whole store, so I bought it.  It has been a good buy!  He enjoys this toy in the car and has started to play with it.  He used to just laugh at it!  He identifies his facial features, kisses him, bites his nose and toes, brushes his hair, and feeds him fake food.

I found an Ernie VHS tape at the library and checked it out. I knew he hadn't seen Sesame Street for more than 15 minutes total, so he really didn't know why we were calling this doll Ernie.  When we started to play the movie, Daniel's face lit up!  He pointed to his doll and laughed!

We've watched 123 Count with Me Ernie four or five times, and each time he plays with Ernie and makes him dance to the songs.  Here are some photos of Daniel watching the movie while sitting in a box eating a snack.

We've had the toy for about a month, and now Daniel calls him Ern.  I think that's great!