B-Boy is SOOOOO close to being done with his paci.
I am really excited, because that means he is finding other ways to cope with uncertainty and things that upset him.
Some folks will disagree with me, but I believe there is no hard and fast age when a child should stop using a pacifier. Some stop before they are a year old, others wait until two or beyond. I would like him to stop earlier rather than later, especially before it becomes imprinted and more difficult to eliminate.
Every child is different, and goodness knows temperament plays a big part in the process. You won't find me judging another parent who lets their child use a paci at what others might consider a "late" age... parenting is too hard to be judgemental, especially when you don't have an inkling what their situtation is. But I digress.
Personally, I would like him to develop other coping methods, but prefer the pacifier to him sucking his thumb... as I know where the pacifier has been!
The daycare stopped giving it to him two months ago. I think the peer pressure helped, as none of the big kids use a pacifier. Somehow, he didn't question it, nor the fact that some of the younger kids in the room still get one. We kept one there just in case he was inconsolable, thinking he might need it, but they have not given it to him other than one time in the beginning.
So that meant that he was only getting the pacifier when he was with us. Eventually, we were able to help him with coping mechanisms to limit paci time to his crib and the car seat. You might notice that these times also correspond to times when Neb and I need some sanity!
We started by limiting when he got a pacifier. Initially, we scooped up all the extras around the house, and kept a few in each car. We did not limit how many he slept with and if he had a meltdown that we could not recover from, he got a pacifier to calm him down when EVERYTHING else failed.
Initially, I tried to hold out on giving him the pacifier in the car. He used to get in his seat and IMMEDIATELY look for it. I started distracting him with organic O cereal to snack on... but eventually he would remember about the paci and SCREAM. (Keep in mind we live about 40 minutes from daycare\work on a GOOD day.) I could get to about 10 minutes from the house before the pacifier was needed.
But for the last week (I am knocking on wood here, cuz I don't want to jinx this!), B-Boy has gone both ways without a pacifier!!!! YAY! This is a huge step. I am so proud of him!
Which means that they only place he gets a pacifier is in his crib.
One by one, we eliminated pacifiers from the crib, until only two remain. One for his mouth to help him get in the sleepy time mood, and one to hold. He likes holding them in his hands and spinning them around. It helps calm him, so I don't question it. He has been a great sleeper, disregarding when he is sick! (I am once again knocking on wood as I type this, as I don't want to suddenly jinx my good sleeper!)
He still gets his two pacifiers at bed time. Hey, the title of this installment said ALMOST, right?
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Monday, May 30, 2011
B-Boy gets another haircut
You probably noticed that B-Boy's hair was REALLY long in that last blog entry. It was, and so we went out to get it cut.
We decided to try a new place, one that was much nearer to our house. BIG MISTAKE. The woman who attempted to cut it soaked his head with spray while he screamed. She told us he looked like he needed a nap, to which I replied that he had just woken up. Nothing we did could get him to calm down. So, we tipped her and left.
We took him to the park and let him run around. Later in the day, after his big nap, we took him into town to the place we normally go. (Sports Clips, if you are wondering, because the TVs help distract B-Boy!) The woman who has cut his hair before.ended up cutting his hair again. She is a mom, and sprayed her comb away from B-Boy so as not to scare him. It was night and day compared to the earlier attempt! It went really well, he didn't cry at all!
Of course, letting him watch "Math is Everywhere" with The Count from Sesame Street on my iPhone might have had something to do with it!
I snapped this photo of him right after, his interest in the phone unbreaking.
He looks so different now! I swear he has aged two years just by getting the cut. The next day we went to the park and he had more fun. I got some cute pics that show off his new haircut, so I thought I would share them with you.
He looks different, right? I still haven't gotten used to it.
We decided to try a new place, one that was much nearer to our house. BIG MISTAKE. The woman who attempted to cut it soaked his head with spray while he screamed. She told us he looked like he needed a nap, to which I replied that he had just woken up. Nothing we did could get him to calm down. So, we tipped her and left.
We took him to the park and let him run around. Later in the day, after his big nap, we took him into town to the place we normally go. (Sports Clips, if you are wondering, because the TVs help distract B-Boy!) The woman who has cut his hair before.ended up cutting his hair again. She is a mom, and sprayed her comb away from B-Boy so as not to scare him. It was night and day compared to the earlier attempt! It went really well, he didn't cry at all!
Of course, letting him watch "Math is Everywhere" with The Count from Sesame Street on my iPhone might have had something to do with it!
I snapped this photo of him right after, his interest in the phone unbreaking.
He looks so different now! I swear he has aged two years just by getting the cut. The next day we went to the park and he had more fun. I got some cute pics that show off his new haircut, so I thought I would share them with you.
Wheeeeee!
I have lots to think about...
I am not ready to slide yet!
Mommy, I am NOT four!
He looks different, right? I still haven't gotten used to it.
Saturday, May 28, 2011
Happy Anniversary!
On May 19th, Neb and I celebrated 9 years of marriage. I still can't believe how fast those years have passed...
Neb and I were planning to take the day off and play golf, but we decided to move that to the Friday before Memorial Day, to have a long 4 day weekend. What I really wanted was for us to have a nice anniversary dinner together.
And, by tradition, that means that we are headed to Cracker Barrel. I explained why we go there in my anniversary post last year. B-Boy was so well behaved, and was a super little boy the whole time. It was one of the best meals we have shared together in a long time.
We finished the meal with two orders of Coca-Cola cake. It is so very very good! It comes with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, which we always get on the side because Neb does not like ice cream. We got the cake to go, but I ate the ice cream there. We got two bowls of it (because we had 2 orders of cake), and decided to see if B-Boy would like it.
You might think we are barbarians because we have not let him have ice cream... but you need to remember that we thought he was allergic to dairy for so long, and to be honest, I think he might be lactose intolerant. He does not like yogurt (neither does Neb) and so I thought he might not like it.
He did try it, but had more fun playing with it! We had brought one of his spoons from home, so that made it even more fun.
We took some photos outside right before we left for your enjoyment!
I didn't realize it at the time, but I think I wore the exact same shirt last year! (Noticed it when I re-read last years post!)
Comparing this photo to the photo of B-Boy last year, is really eye-opening. B-Boy could barely sit up on his own!
Really weird to see it right? It's hard to remember him that small!
And yes, Neb and I did make it to the golf course (after dropping B-Boy at daycare). It was a really fun day, overcast so it wasn't unbearably hot, and we finished before the torrential rain came! A great day.
Neb and I were planning to take the day off and play golf, but we decided to move that to the Friday before Memorial Day, to have a long 4 day weekend. What I really wanted was for us to have a nice anniversary dinner together.
And, by tradition, that means that we are headed to Cracker Barrel. I explained why we go there in my anniversary post last year. B-Boy was so well behaved, and was a super little boy the whole time. It was one of the best meals we have shared together in a long time.
We finished the meal with two orders of Coca-Cola cake. It is so very very good! It comes with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, which we always get on the side because Neb does not like ice cream. We got the cake to go, but I ate the ice cream there. We got two bowls of it (because we had 2 orders of cake), and decided to see if B-Boy would like it.
You might think we are barbarians because we have not let him have ice cream... but you need to remember that we thought he was allergic to dairy for so long, and to be honest, I think he might be lactose intolerant. He does not like yogurt (neither does Neb) and so I thought he might not like it.
He did try it, but had more fun playing with it! We had brought one of his spoons from home, so that made it even more fun.
What kind of glue is this Mommy?
We took some photos outside right before we left for your enjoyment!
HAPPY ANNIVERSARY! Argh!
I didn't realize it at the time, but I think I wore the exact same shirt last year! (Noticed it when I re-read last years post!)
Comparing this photo to the photo of B-Boy last year, is really eye-opening. B-Boy could barely sit up on his own!
Really weird to see it right? It's hard to remember him that small!
And yes, Neb and I did make it to the golf course (after dropping B-Boy at daycare). It was a really fun day, overcast so it wasn't unbearably hot, and we finished before the torrential rain came! A great day.
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
I want to hold your... ear!
I didn't used to be an aficionado of kids music. Since having B-Boy, we listen to Kids Place Live a lot on our XM radio.There are several different shows, and we enjoy listening to them. We have a long commute to work\daycare every day, so often the music is needed to help keep the drive light.
I used to think of kids music as that "annoying everybody is happy sugarsweet sounding stuff" that sticks in your mind for days. Yuck. But there are some really good groups out there that have songs for the kids with a sound for the adults. I mentioned we went to a Lunch Money concert in this blog post back in December. We had a great time, and really like listening to the music we purchased while there.
There is a group called ScribbleMonster that makes me giggle. There new album is really fun, as they re-did songs from Sesame Street. The first hit off the album is "I want to hold your ear." B-Boy responds to this song because it has a nice heavy guitar in it, and it kicks the song off. If he is crying in the car, this song gets turned on.. by the end, he is no longer crying. YAY!
But I digress. I was talking about the song. The music is catchy, but not in an annoying way. It could be on an adult station, but I must admit, the words would take on a serial killer type context that the Muppets from Sesame Street avoid.
The lyrics go:
The story from the show goes something like this (taken from Wikipedia):
A male muppet puts a female muppet's head together. He tells her that he loves her, but it turns out she doesn't love him. He then proceeds to take her head apart, bit by bit, as he sings "I Want to Hold Your Ear" (as well as eyes, nose, tooth, and hair). After she walks off in a huff, he notices to his shock that the parts he set aside have attached themselves to the tablecloth, who thinks he's kinda cute.
As I said, on a regular station, it would be really creepy. On a muppet themed show, not so creepy. Or maybe you need to hear the song to appreciate that.
I am writing this because this week the song made B-Boy do something new.
As the lyrics went through the body parts, I noticed B-Boy was touching them! He touched his ears, his eyes, his nose, his tongue (a tooth substitute) and then his hair. I did not realize he was listening to the words so closely, this was the first time he had interacted with a song before quite like this.
I wonder what the next song will be?
I used to think of kids music as that "annoying everybody is happy sugarsweet sounding stuff" that sticks in your mind for days. Yuck. But there are some really good groups out there that have songs for the kids with a sound for the adults. I mentioned we went to a Lunch Money concert in this blog post back in December. We had a great time, and really like listening to the music we purchased while there.
There is a group called ScribbleMonster that makes me giggle. There new album is really fun, as they re-did songs from Sesame Street. The first hit off the album is "I want to hold your ear." B-Boy responds to this song because it has a nice heavy guitar in it, and it kicks the song off. If he is crying in the car, this song gets turned on.. by the end, he is no longer crying. YAY!
But I digress. I was talking about the song. The music is catchy, but not in an annoying way. It could be on an adult station, but I must admit, the words would take on a serial killer type context that the Muppets from Sesame Street avoid.
The lyrics go:
I held your hand
And told you that
I loved you
You turned around and
Walked right out the door
Seems like holding your hand
Was not enough
So I want to do something more
Oh I want to hold your ear baby
Wanna hold it near baby
Wanna hold your ear
Until you hear that
I love you
And I want to hold your eyes baby
Lovely shape and size baby
Want to hold your eyes
So you'll see and realize that
I love you
I wanna hold your nose
I wanna hold your tooth
I won't let you breathe on me
Until you know the truth
I love you
Oh I wanna hold your hair baby
Show you that I care baby
And it's only fair to tell you
What I intend to do
I'm going to keep what I hold dear
Your nose
Your eyes
Your tooth
Your ears
And I'm gonna hold them 'till
You say you love me tooo!
The story from the show goes something like this (taken from Wikipedia):
A male muppet puts a female muppet's head together. He tells her that he loves her, but it turns out she doesn't love him. He then proceeds to take her head apart, bit by bit, as he sings "I Want to Hold Your Ear" (as well as eyes, nose, tooth, and hair). After she walks off in a huff, he notices to his shock that the parts he set aside have attached themselves to the tablecloth, who thinks he's kinda cute.
As I said, on a regular station, it would be really creepy. On a muppet themed show, not so creepy. Or maybe you need to hear the song to appreciate that.
I am writing this because this week the song made B-Boy do something new.
As the lyrics went through the body parts, I noticed B-Boy was touching them! He touched his ears, his eyes, his nose, his tongue (a tooth substitute) and then his hair. I did not realize he was listening to the words so closely, this was the first time he had interacted with a song before quite like this.
I wonder what the next song will be?
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
A Party at Work
My company turned 35 this year, and to celebrate, they threw a big party! Families were invited too, and so Neb and B-Boy joined me Friday night for the fun. There was good music, good food and lots of fun had by all.
Before I get far into this post, I thought I would give you an amusing opportunity to play my version of "Where's Waldo?". A guy at work took this photo, and B-Boy is in it. Can you find him? (The answer will appear at the end.)
Ok, back to the post... Because there was so much distance to cover, we decided to let B-Boy ride in his stroller.
There were several food tents, and B-Boy enjoyed eating the South African Paella... He really enjoys rice, and didn't seem to notice the hidden veggies! We headed over to the gelato tent but B-Boy was not a fan. We then headed to the Chocolate Fountain tent... with real Belgian chocolate!
There were pretzel rods, strawberries, marshmallows and cookies to dip in the chocolate. Yum! B-Boy has not had chocolate yet (my sister and I were allergic to it when we were kids, and I want to hold off giving it to him for a little while), so he just had a plain cookie, and he was quite happy about that!
We went to the game area, and let B-Boy have some fun. He was able to get out and run around, and watch everyone play games. Our favorite was the Human Slot Machine, only they didn't call it that. They had plastic fruit in boxes behind a cutout. Each person stood in a slot. The crowd shook maracas until it was time for the person in the "slot" was to select a fruit, and showed it when the maracas stopped shaking.
Neb took B-Boy in for a try. B-Boy wasn't thrilled with it until it was time to stop, and then he cried to get back in the "machine".
The first time they played, all three people got a match!
They got a small prize for the match, but B-Boy just wanted to play.
We then headed to the music stage to watch the bands play. B-Boy really enjoyed watching them play their guitars.
And then, B-Boy was tired, so we headed home... which was a good thing because then it poured! I hear they still had the fireworks, but we were long gone by then. We had a lot of fun, and were happy we went!
Before I end, it is time to give you the answer to "Where's B-Boy?". He's up in the left top corner near the white tent and the guy in the blue t-shirt.
Before I get far into this post, I thought I would give you an amusing opportunity to play my version of "Where's Waldo?". A guy at work took this photo, and B-Boy is in it. Can you find him? (The answer will appear at the end.)
Ok, back to the post... Because there was so much distance to cover, we decided to let B-Boy ride in his stroller.
I am not sure what is going on, but I like the ride!
There were several food tents, and B-Boy enjoyed eating the South African Paella... He really enjoys rice, and didn't seem to notice the hidden veggies! We headed over to the gelato tent but B-Boy was not a fan. We then headed to the Chocolate Fountain tent... with real Belgian chocolate!
There were pretzel rods, strawberries, marshmallows and cookies to dip in the chocolate. Yum! B-Boy has not had chocolate yet (my sister and I were allergic to it when we were kids, and I want to hold off giving it to him for a little while), so he just had a plain cookie, and he was quite happy about that!
We went to the game area, and let B-Boy have some fun. He was able to get out and run around, and watch everyone play games. Our favorite was the Human Slot Machine, only they didn't call it that. They had plastic fruit in boxes behind a cutout. Each person stood in a slot. The crowd shook maracas until it was time for the person in the "slot" was to select a fruit, and showed it when the maracas stopped shaking.
Neb took B-Boy in for a try. B-Boy wasn't thrilled with it until it was time to stop, and then he cried to get back in the "machine".
The first time they played, all three people got a match!
Bananas!
They got a small prize for the match, but B-Boy just wanted to play.
We then headed to the music stage to watch the bands play. B-Boy really enjoyed watching them play their guitars.
And then, B-Boy was tired, so we headed home... which was a good thing because then it poured! I hear they still had the fireworks, but we were long gone by then. We had a lot of fun, and were happy we went!
Before I end, it is time to give you the answer to "Where's B-Boy?". He's up in the left top corner near the white tent and the guy in the blue t-shirt.
Here I am!
Colors
We have been working on colors with B-Boy.
Some of the other kids in his class seem to know them, so we thought that might be something good to try next. A friend had given us a bath book on colors using the characters from Finding Nemo. Each page is a color with a picture of a Finding Nemo character that is that particular color.
B-Boy really likes saying "Blue!" which sounds more like "Booooo!" He can turn to the page that is blue, but has not yet made the leap to picking out things that are blue. He can also turn to the brown, pink and sometimes red pages when asked. Yellow and orange still haven't connected yet.
Then the other day, we were driving B-Boy to daycare. I handed him a book of colors to look at on the way. He then did something new.
We heard him say "Booooo!". I turned around, and was really surprised to learn that he was looking at the blue page.
After I dropped Neb at work and continued on to daycare, B-Boy did the same thing with brown and purple!
Purple was surprising because it was a color we had not worked on yet with him. He must have gotten that at daycare? Not sure, which his funny because his room is light green and purple!
Some of the other kids in his class seem to know them, so we thought that might be something good to try next. A friend had given us a bath book on colors using the characters from Finding Nemo. Each page is a color with a picture of a Finding Nemo character that is that particular color.
B-Boy really likes saying "Blue!" which sounds more like "Booooo!" He can turn to the page that is blue, but has not yet made the leap to picking out things that are blue. He can also turn to the brown, pink and sometimes red pages when asked. Yellow and orange still haven't connected yet.
Then the other day, we were driving B-Boy to daycare. I handed him a book of colors to look at on the way. He then did something new.
We heard him say "Booooo!". I turned around, and was really surprised to learn that he was looking at the blue page.
After I dropped Neb at work and continued on to daycare, B-Boy did the same thing with brown and purple!
Purple was surprising because it was a color we had not worked on yet with him. He must have gotten that at daycare? Not sure, which his funny because his room is light green and purple!
Monday, May 16, 2011
More Animal Noises
You may recall that we have been teaching B-Boy animal noises. (I posted about it earlier here.)
He has already mastered duck, kitty cat, doggie, lion, elephant, snake, cow, sheep, and kangaroo.
He has increased his knowledge of animals. My Dad suggested we teach him Monkey and Gorilla next. Those sounded like fun, so we decided to give them a try.
And in addition to making animal noises on cue, he has made a leap to a new concept. I have two examples to share!
One of our cats is named Mango. She enjoys toying with B-Boy, and we often say her name as a result. One day, Mango walked into the kitchen. I said "Hi Mango!" and then looked at B-Boy, who was happily eating in his high chair. I asked him "B-Boy, what does Mango say?". He replied, "Meow!".
I was really surprised! He knows that kitty cats say Meow. He knows that Mango is a Kitty Cat. He then could make the leap to infer that Mango says Meow! Wow.
And then, he did it again. One day we went into the nursing room at daycare to change him into his swim suit. He had just learned what a Monkey says, and on the door of one of the cabinets is a picture of a Monkey. I said "Look B-Boy, it's a Monkey! What do Monkeys say?" He replied with a funny monkey sound. Fast forward two days later.
Back to the room we went to change into his swim suit. He ran over to the picture of the monkey... pointed at the picture and made the monkey noise! It took me a moment to realize what he was doing, and a few minutes later, I snapped a photo so you could see it.
I did not expect him to connect the picture, the animal word, and the noise, especially two days after he first learned the picture was a monkey. What a great leap forward!
He has already mastered duck, kitty cat, doggie, lion, elephant, snake, cow, sheep, and kangaroo.
He has increased his knowledge of animals. My Dad suggested we teach him Monkey and Gorilla next. Those sounded like fun, so we decided to give them a try.
- "What do Monkeys say?" We taught him to open his mouth in an O shape and breathe in and out making a monkey noise.
- "What do Gorillas say?" I taught him to beat his chest and say "Ahhhhhh". He really likes that one, and seems to get into it. Although he usually only uses one hand to beat his chest instead of two. (Good suggestion GrandpaGator!)
- "What do Goats say?" Since the farm that we drive by before I turn into work has cows, sheep and goats, I thought this would be a good one to teach him. B-Boy had trouble saying a hard "NAY!" so I taught him "Nah-Nah-Nah" instead. This one is also a favorite, after sheep. For some reason, he still loves saying Baaa-Baaa-Baaa!
- "What do Owls say?" He finally got this one. He used to just repeat Owl! over and over again, happy that he could say it. Now he will answer "Hoo-Hoo-Hoo!"
- "What do Bees say?" B-Boy will smile and say "ZZZZZZZ".
- "What does a Mouse say?" I am not sure how he knew this, because before I could teach it to him, he answered "Squeak-Squeak-Squeak!"
- "What do Lizards say?" I know, you are thinking, um- lizards don't say anything! But they do! They stick out their tongues! B-Boy likes that one too- it's a great excuse to stick out his tongue.
- "What do Pigs say?" This one took several attempts, but now he makes snorting noises!
And in addition to making animal noises on cue, he has made a leap to a new concept. I have two examples to share!
One of our cats is named Mango. She enjoys toying with B-Boy, and we often say her name as a result. One day, Mango walked into the kitchen. I said "Hi Mango!" and then looked at B-Boy, who was happily eating in his high chair. I asked him "B-Boy, what does Mango say?". He replied, "Meow!".
I was really surprised! He knows that kitty cats say Meow. He knows that Mango is a Kitty Cat. He then could make the leap to infer that Mango says Meow! Wow.
And then, he did it again. One day we went into the nursing room at daycare to change him into his swim suit. He had just learned what a Monkey says, and on the door of one of the cabinets is a picture of a Monkey. I said "Look B-Boy, it's a Monkey! What do Monkeys say?" He replied with a funny monkey sound. Fast forward two days later.
Back to the room we went to change into his swim suit. He ran over to the picture of the monkey... pointed at the picture and made the monkey noise! It took me a moment to realize what he was doing, and a few minutes later, I snapped a photo so you could see it.
I did not expect him to connect the picture, the animal word, and the noise, especially two days after he first learned the picture was a monkey. What a great leap forward!
Ooo-Ooo-Ooo!
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