Who thought B-Boy, who adores people adoring him, would end up having Stranger Anxiety?
But, he does. It started with him just looking to us when a stranger approached. He would get the "it's ok" look from us (which usually included us issuing a big smile and an one of us saying "it's ok!") and then he would break into a big smile.
And he still does that. But this week, the Stranger Anxiety has hit with a whole new level. I have watched the other kids in his class go through it, with all different levels of anxiety. One little girl would break into absolute hysterics if a stranger came into the classroom.
B-Boy is not quite that bad, but when strangers come into the room, he breaks into crying. There is a new baby in the room (almost 3 months old, who started today)... the baby is not the problem. Actually, the three toddlers in the room were pushing each other like crazy to get a good look at her from the other side of the low bookcases. I watched B-Boy push the little girl who is three weeks older than him aside so he could get a better look... she just glided down the bookcase as if she was meaning to do it. I was grateful she didn't fall over but I was suprised when she did not react. (She has 2 big sisters, so perhaps she is used to being moved aside??? B-Boy would NEVER stand to be scouched across a bookcase, but I am getting off topic.)
The problem was the parents. They are great people, the husband actually works three offices down from me. But B-Boy doesn't know that. All he knows is that the room he LOVES to go to everyday, to the point of being downright GIDDY.... has been invaded by strangers. He breaks into a long and loud cry until one of his teachers goes and holds him. Then, he is fine.
Like it didn't happen. Almost like- Heh heh, I got what I wanted! Score!
But the same thing happens at pick up time at the end of the day. All the babies get put in strollers (usually double strollers) and wheeled to the common Atrium area. As the parents drive up, the teachers bring out the babies who are swooped into their car seats and then moved out as if on a conveyer belt. Sometimes, parents will park and walk in to get thier kids. That is where the problem happens.
B-Boy is ok with the other teachers and babies... but now as parents are coming in to get their kids, his Stranger Anxiety kicks in and WAH!!!!!!!
I am hopeful that this phase does not last long. I was a terribly shy child, and I hope it has not moved on to B-Boy... I know, you are shocked with the thought of ME being shy... but I was. Thankfully, I eventuallly found my voice and stature. Otherwise, what WOULD you read?
;)
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Just added... a Cast of Characters!
On the right side of the blog, you will see I have added an item called "the Cast of Characters".
With so many folks being mentioned, I was starting to think you might be getting confused. So as you read, if you think, "Who is that?"... click on the link for the Cast of Characters. It is pretty basic at the moment, but as time permits, I will add to it, I promise!
Enjoy!
With so many folks being mentioned, I was starting to think you might be getting confused. So as you read, if you think, "Who is that?"... click on the link for the Cast of Characters. It is pretty basic at the moment, but as time permits, I will add to it, I promise!
Enjoy!
Thursday, August 19, 2010
Meeting with the teacher
This week, Neb and I met with B-Boy's head teacher.
It was his "10 month" meeting, where we learned more about the transitions that are coming for him... as he prepares to move up to the classroom for one year olds. He is bcoming more of a toddler everyday, and we got to learn how to best be consistent between what happens at home and what they do at day care.
We also talked more about his eating solids and moving up to the Toddler Food Program. This means that the day care will supply the food for lunch, which comes from my company's cafe. I am looking forward to it, as B-Boy really wants to eat what all the other kids in the room are eating. He is really big on doing what the older kids do.
His teacher said he is the best kid in the room with a cup. No sippy cup for this boy. He drinks from a big boy cup (well, a little big boy!) and he does it really well. She mentioned we should start transitioning him off of the bottle to strictly cup... at our discretion. She suggested that we consider just using the cup at day care and use a bottle at home until we were comfortable stopping the bottle.
I am going to miss the bottle. Why? Because I am able to go over and feed him a bottle during the day. He is so snuggly and sweet when I go, and it is nice to feel so close to him. I know that it won't be long before he is grown and asking for the car keys. So trasitioning off of the bottle, although a natural part of him getting older, is a sort of bittersweet milestone for me.
But, this is not about me... and his teacher said I could still come over to play with him. That made me feel better. I love playing with B-Boy at daycare.
At eleven months old, B-Boy will go more on a set schedule than he is now, and his bed will turn around. His bed has 3 sides, and the fourth side is open. The open edge is currently against the wall, but in a few weeks, B-Boy will be able to get in and out of his bed as he wishes. This is mostly because the beds in the 1 year olds room don't have any sides. So having one side open helps him with the transition.
We also discussed where B-Boy is developmentally. We all seemed to be on the same page with that. He is doing REALLY well with mobility and object permanence (the understanding that objects continue to exist even if you can't see them). B-Boy is a bulldog when you hide something (like the remote control)... he knows it is there, and will go after it to no end.
He is still not communicating with us with words, but considering the boy is almost 3 feet tall... I'll cut him some slack. A friend told me that when one area grows (like mobility, size, vocabulary) other areas tend to slow down. Makes sense to me... at least where B-Boy is concerned.
One thing that came up several times is that he is... stubborn and strong-willed.
Funny, since those are the words we used when we brought B-Boy in for the first time. Nice to see some things don't change. We are all in trouble as he enters toddlerhood! But, we will endevour to be consistent with what daycare does.
We all agree that it is time for B-Boy to learn the word no. I asked if Neb could learn it too. Ha ha.
His teacher told us they give him three chances (kind of like Little Bunny Foo-Foo, but without the GOON part). After the third time being told no, they will move him to a contained area to get him away from what he did. Neb and I both looked at each other and asked "Do we have to wait until the third time?" Some days, our patience just won't last that long.
All in all, it was a good meeting. Before we know it, we will be meeting again to discuss moving into a new classroom. How is it that he is almost a year old?
It was his "10 month" meeting, where we learned more about the transitions that are coming for him... as he prepares to move up to the classroom for one year olds. He is bcoming more of a toddler everyday, and we got to learn how to best be consistent between what happens at home and what they do at day care.
We also talked more about his eating solids and moving up to the Toddler Food Program. This means that the day care will supply the food for lunch, which comes from my company's cafe. I am looking forward to it, as B-Boy really wants to eat what all the other kids in the room are eating. He is really big on doing what the older kids do.
His teacher said he is the best kid in the room with a cup. No sippy cup for this boy. He drinks from a big boy cup (well, a little big boy!) and he does it really well. She mentioned we should start transitioning him off of the bottle to strictly cup... at our discretion. She suggested that we consider just using the cup at day care and use a bottle at home until we were comfortable stopping the bottle.
I am going to miss the bottle. Why? Because I am able to go over and feed him a bottle during the day. He is so snuggly and sweet when I go, and it is nice to feel so close to him. I know that it won't be long before he is grown and asking for the car keys. So trasitioning off of the bottle, although a natural part of him getting older, is a sort of bittersweet milestone for me.
But, this is not about me... and his teacher said I could still come over to play with him. That made me feel better. I love playing with B-Boy at daycare.
At eleven months old, B-Boy will go more on a set schedule than he is now, and his bed will turn around. His bed has 3 sides, and the fourth side is open. The open edge is currently against the wall, but in a few weeks, B-Boy will be able to get in and out of his bed as he wishes. This is mostly because the beds in the 1 year olds room don't have any sides. So having one side open helps him with the transition.
We also discussed where B-Boy is developmentally. We all seemed to be on the same page with that. He is doing REALLY well with mobility and object permanence (the understanding that objects continue to exist even if you can't see them). B-Boy is a bulldog when you hide something (like the remote control)... he knows it is there, and will go after it to no end.
He is still not communicating with us with words, but considering the boy is almost 3 feet tall... I'll cut him some slack. A friend told me that when one area grows (like mobility, size, vocabulary) other areas tend to slow down. Makes sense to me... at least where B-Boy is concerned.
One thing that came up several times is that he is... stubborn and strong-willed.
Funny, since those are the words we used when we brought B-Boy in for the first time. Nice to see some things don't change. We are all in trouble as he enters toddlerhood! But, we will endevour to be consistent with what daycare does.
We all agree that it is time for B-Boy to learn the word no. I asked if Neb could learn it too. Ha ha.
His teacher told us they give him three chances (kind of like Little Bunny Foo-Foo, but without the GOON part). After the third time being told no, they will move him to a contained area to get him away from what he did. Neb and I both looked at each other and asked "Do we have to wait until the third time?" Some days, our patience just won't last that long.
All in all, it was a good meeting. Before we know it, we will be meeting again to discuss moving into a new classroom. How is it that he is almost a year old?
Saturday, August 14, 2010
Come on and take a free ride...
Cue the music. Yesterday, B-Boy got a ride at school. Let me explain.
On Friday, only two kids were in B-Boy's daycare class. B-Boy was one of them. There are usually six kids, but they were down to five because one of the teachers was pregnant and they wanted to lighten the load. This past week, one of the five kids moved up to the next classroom. So we are down to four kids for the three teachers to manage.
The two girls were out, so that left B-Boy and his friend KidN.
They got lots of extra attention, and found new ways to amuse themselves. KidN has just started walking on his own, and he wanted to practice some more. One of the teachers got out a Radio Flyer push cart, which is perfect for him to walk behind.
B-Boy got jealous, and a bit curious. So, into the push cart he went. Yep, KidN started pushing him around the room. B-Boy is quite long, and he did not fit inside the cart... his feet dangled out, starting at the ankle.
The classroom wasn't large enough, so they headed off down the hall to see the fish tank.
Wheeeeeee!
One of his teachers took some video of it, and it just makes me giggle. (For the sake of privacy for KidN, I won't post it here, but will be happy to send it to you if you email me.)
On Friday, only two kids were in B-Boy's daycare class. B-Boy was one of them. There are usually six kids, but they were down to five because one of the teachers was pregnant and they wanted to lighten the load. This past week, one of the five kids moved up to the next classroom. So we are down to four kids for the three teachers to manage.
The two girls were out, so that left B-Boy and his friend KidN.
They got lots of extra attention, and found new ways to amuse themselves. KidN has just started walking on his own, and he wanted to practice some more. One of the teachers got out a Radio Flyer push cart, which is perfect for him to walk behind.
B-Boy got jealous, and a bit curious. So, into the push cart he went. Yep, KidN started pushing him around the room. B-Boy is quite long, and he did not fit inside the cart... his feet dangled out, starting at the ankle.
The classroom wasn't large enough, so they headed off down the hall to see the fish tank.
Wheeeeeee!
One of his teachers took some video of it, and it just makes me giggle. (For the sake of privacy for KidN, I won't post it here, but will be happy to send it to you if you email me.)
Pardon Me while I get you caught up...
July was crazy for me work wise. Where I normally put in a 35 hour work week, I had been working at home at nights after work and on weekends.
Neb has been great through it all, and now that I have gotten past my deadline, I now have some time and energy to get caught up on the blog.
I am going back and blogging some posts about the end of July. To make it easy to find later, I am backdating them to reflect when they actually happened.
You can read them at:
GranE comes to visit
AuntJ and Limby come to visit
Nebelito Gazette gets an Award
Bye-bye GranE!
B-Boy finishes his swim class
Please excuse my tardiness... Better late than never!
Neb has been great through it all, and now that I have gotten past my deadline, I now have some time and energy to get caught up on the blog.
I am going back and blogging some posts about the end of July. To make it easy to find later, I am backdating them to reflect when they actually happened.
You can read them at:
GranE comes to visit
AuntJ and Limby come to visit
Nebelito Gazette gets an Award
Bye-bye GranE!
B-Boy finishes his swim class
Please excuse my tardiness... Better late than never!
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
B-Boy utters a word
B-Boy speaks.
Mostly, he babbles sounds like BA-BA-BA? BA-BA-BA! GA-GA-GA! DA-DA-DA!
Yesterday, he spoke his first word. It was pointed, obvious, and purposeful. It has been a while in coming, building with practice for the past few weeks.
You are curious, aren't you? What on earth was his first word... and why did he use it?
Well, if you ask Neb, he would tell you he was voting for Da-da. Me, I was hoping for Ma-ma... but I gave up on it when he only uttered that sequence once... DA-DA-DA was much more common.
We were both wrong.
Last night, I carried B-Boy upstairs to go to sleep. One of our two cats followed us up... I asked B-Boy "Do you see the Kitty?". Mango (one of the cats) then started to run back downstairs. I called after her from outside his room, and she came back upstairs. B-Boy took one look at her and said....
"Kit.... ty."
See, for the past few weeks, Mango has been taunting B-Boy. I believe she is the main reason he started crawling. She would sit just far enough away that he could not touch her, and when he crawled near, she would pick up her pace to stay ahead of him. He would follow her all around the room, and once in a while she would let him catch her. He would get one stroke of a petting, and then "Ptchow!" she would be off and out of reach. B-Boy would laugh and then start off after her.
Cassie, the other cat, has avoided B-Boy and has been mostly missing when he is around. Ironic, because she is always around when people visit, and Mango hides. One of my friends swore we only had one cat, as Mango was never seen when they would take care of them.
So there it is... B-Boy speaks. And yes Grandpa Gator (my Dad), B-Boy loves the kitties. Heh heh. But don't worry, he will NOT be a Yankees fan.
Mostly, he babbles sounds like BA-BA-BA? BA-BA-BA! GA-GA-GA! DA-DA-DA!
Yesterday, he spoke his first word. It was pointed, obvious, and purposeful. It has been a while in coming, building with practice for the past few weeks.
You are curious, aren't you? What on earth was his first word... and why did he use it?
Well, if you ask Neb, he would tell you he was voting for Da-da. Me, I was hoping for Ma-ma... but I gave up on it when he only uttered that sequence once... DA-DA-DA was much more common.
We were both wrong.
Last night, I carried B-Boy upstairs to go to sleep. One of our two cats followed us up... I asked B-Boy "Do you see the Kitty?". Mango (one of the cats) then started to run back downstairs. I called after her from outside his room, and she came back upstairs. B-Boy took one look at her and said....
"Kit.... ty."
See, for the past few weeks, Mango has been taunting B-Boy. I believe she is the main reason he started crawling. She would sit just far enough away that he could not touch her, and when he crawled near, she would pick up her pace to stay ahead of him. He would follow her all around the room, and once in a while she would let him catch her. He would get one stroke of a petting, and then "Ptchow!" she would be off and out of reach. B-Boy would laugh and then start off after her.
Cassie, the other cat, has avoided B-Boy and has been mostly missing when he is around. Ironic, because she is always around when people visit, and Mango hides. One of my friends swore we only had one cat, as Mango was never seen when they would take care of them.
So there it is... B-Boy speaks. And yes Grandpa Gator (my Dad), B-Boy loves the kitties. Heh heh. But don't worry, he will NOT be a Yankees fan.
Here Kid...Kid...Kid.
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
10 Months!
Today, B-Boy is ten months old! How that is possible is beyond me.
I am teaching this week, and so I did not get to spend much time with him today. Neb took him to daycare and picked him up. So I can't tell you too much about his day, but when I got home, we got to play together while Neb mowed the yard.
He was in a great mood, and we got to crawl all over the living room. He found his toy basket and proceeded to pull all of the toys out. Putting them back just did not seem quite so much fun.
B-Boy is pulling up like crazy. He is even feeling so confident to hold himself up with one hand. It won't be long before he starts walking, I am sure, but for now we are enjoying the crawling stage. B-Boy is so happy to be able to GO GO GO. He is loving the new found freedom.
I am teaching this week, and so I did not get to spend much time with him today. Neb took him to daycare and picked him up. So I can't tell you too much about his day, but when I got home, we got to play together while Neb mowed the yard.
He was in a great mood, and we got to crawl all over the living room. He found his toy basket and proceeded to pull all of the toys out. Putting them back just did not seem quite so much fun.
B-Boy is pulling up like crazy. He is even feeling so confident to hold himself up with one hand. It won't be long before he starts walking, I am sure, but for now we are enjoying the crawling stage. B-Boy is so happy to be able to GO GO GO. He is loving the new found freedom.
I'm 10 months old today!
I have FIVE teeth! Two on the bottom and three on top!!!
ARGH!!!!! Let me out Daddy!
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