So, in the time that I wrote the previous blog on swimming and the time it posted (4 days)......we have a fish on our hands! He asks to go swimming every day, he loves to go 'deep' like a scuba man, he wears his goggles and smiles at us under water. Seriously, it was the quickest jump in confidence that I have seen with him.
In part I would like to thank the makers of the Toy Story dive figures, as that his is favorite thing to do. He will grab them on his own if he has is goggles on (we are of c ours holding him and pushing him to the bottom), or he likes to ride on your back and go under to get them. Next, I would like to thank all the brave little friends that he has seen go under and play in the water. Monkey see, monkey can be an amazing tool at this age.
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Swimming (or something like it)
John loves to get in the pool, but he is really one of the most cautious kids I have seen. I know I should feel lucky, but a part of me wants him to dive right in becuase I know how much he will love it once he does it!
Summer #1, hardly ever got in the pool as he was still an infant. When we did slip him in there, he really did not care one way or the other.
Summer #2, most of the time in the water was spent in floats or sitting on the swim out. I do not think he even realized you could go under water, much less want to.
This summer - he wants to get in the pool when we talk about it and loves it when we are in it, but he does not beg to get in it like I thought he would at this age.
When we are in the pool now, the majority time is spent on the swim out or walking around the steps where his head is still above water. However, in the last week or so (thanks to seeing Kaitlin do it) he is loving this little fish ring thing. It is by no means a safety item (i.e. floaties or life jacket), as he can slip right out of it. However, he holds on tight out of fear or just becuase we tell him too and is able to kick around and have some freedom in the pool. We all love this and I think it is a great step towards the next step.
At the beginning of the summer when we would put him under water, he would come up coughing, but not crying. He did not love it, but did not hate it. Now when we go under (after watching several other kids do it), he will come up without coughing, so I think he is getting the hang of holding his breath. When you ask him if he wants to go under, he says NO and proceeds to death grip your neck. But once he does it, he is okay with doing it again and again. I have heard the next step is to get him to open their eyes under water and they will love it even more. So I want to get him some goggles.
I was thinking about waiting until next spring to get him swim lessons, as from what I understand, at this age it is just getting them used to the water anyway.
Would love any feedback or personal stories if you would like to share....
Summer #1, hardly ever got in the pool as he was still an infant. When we did slip him in there, he really did not care one way or the other.
Summer #2, most of the time in the water was spent in floats or sitting on the swim out. I do not think he even realized you could go under water, much less want to.
This summer - he wants to get in the pool when we talk about it and loves it when we are in it, but he does not beg to get in it like I thought he would at this age.
When we are in the pool now, the majority time is spent on the swim out or walking around the steps where his head is still above water. However, in the last week or so (thanks to seeing Kaitlin do it) he is loving this little fish ring thing. It is by no means a safety item (i.e. floaties or life jacket), as he can slip right out of it. However, he holds on tight out of fear or just becuase we tell him too and is able to kick around and have some freedom in the pool. We all love this and I think it is a great step towards the next step.
At the beginning of the summer when we would put him under water, he would come up coughing, but not crying. He did not love it, but did not hate it. Now when we go under (after watching several other kids do it), he will come up without coughing, so I think he is getting the hang of holding his breath. When you ask him if he wants to go under, he says NO and proceeds to death grip your neck. But once he does it, he is okay with doing it again and again. I have heard the next step is to get him to open their eyes under water and they will love it even more. So I want to get him some goggles.
I was thinking about waiting until next spring to get him swim lessons, as from what I understand, at this age it is just getting them used to the water anyway.
Would love any feedback or personal stories if you would like to share....
Sunday, June 27, 2010
Morning Talk
One of my most favorite times is in the mornings when we have no place to be and we can take our time. On mornings like this, I go up to get John and we just talk and play in his room before we start the day. Another reason this is my favorite time is that there are no toys and you can really get him talking because he is using his imagination.
Friday morning was one of the most talkative ones I have ever had with him and I wanted to document it as it was a perfect example of conversations at this age. These stories are not necessarily funny or interesting, just a glimpse of inside his head.
Also note that although I tried to include exact wording as I remember it, there truly are no transitions into each conversation, he only stays on one subject so long. :) There was so much said, so I know I am forgetting some things, but this is my best effort.
First thing out of his mouth-
John: Did you sleep in Daddy's bed? Can you fit in my bed? You too big and Daddy is too big. I fit in here.
Me: You do fit in this bed, do you love it?
John: I love it.
Me: Do you want a big boy bed?
John: yes, where is it?
Me: We will have to get one.
John: at the store?
Me: Yes, you can pick out whatever you want
John: (jumping) I want a big boy bed, a blue one! a blue one!
(guess we are going shopping soon)
Next -
John: Where are we going today?
Me: Your friend Amelia and her baby brother August are coming over to play at your house.
John: What's that Mommy's name?
Me: Lindsey
Next:
John: I see the leaves on the trees, Giraffes eat the tall leaves, lets get in the chair and look at the giraffes.
Me: (Opening the blinds and putting him on my lap to look out the back window) Do you see the giraffes?
John: I do! the green one. A Mama, Daddy and a brother and sister giraffe.
Me: Do you want a brother or sister?
John: I have a brother.
Me: Oh ya, who?
John: Garrett.
Me: No, Garret is just your fri....
John: A DOG A DOG (seeing the neighbors dog in their backyard). Can her come inside my house?
Me: No, he lives over there in that backyard.
John: I see my backyard, and my pool, two pools a little one and a big one.
Next:
Me: Do you want to read a story?
John: ya, that one (pointing at all of the books)
Me: which one? The polar bear book?
John: No, that one makes Daddy cry. (this is a precious story called "God Gave Us You" that Grammie and Granddaddy gave us and we read it to him the week he was born, and both of us cried. We put it in the closet for a while b/c both of us would cry anytime we read it. Apparently Daddy still does.:) Softy!)
Next:
Me: Are you going to show Amelia your dinosaur when she comes over?
John: Her likes the big dinosaur, not the little dinosaur. Her not like sharks. Amelia is my sister.
Me: No sweetheart she is just a friend too.
John: Oh, no the sharks are coming. (jumping into the chair) Get in the boat, Mama you get in that boat (pointing to the other chair).
Me: what kind of shark is it?
John: A great white shark! He not get my toes, oh, Mama, pick you feet up. Swim over here. (as he jumps from one chair to the next) get in my boat.
Me: lets swim real fast and see if we can make it downstairs before the sharks get us.
John: Hold me. Swim swim swim.
And thus my plan to get him downstairs to eat breakfast worked... and our day begins...
Friday morning was one of the most talkative ones I have ever had with him and I wanted to document it as it was a perfect example of conversations at this age. These stories are not necessarily funny or interesting, just a glimpse of inside his head.
Also note that although I tried to include exact wording as I remember it, there truly are no transitions into each conversation, he only stays on one subject so long. :) There was so much said, so I know I am forgetting some things, but this is my best effort.
First thing out of his mouth-
John: Did you sleep in Daddy's bed? Can you fit in my bed? You too big and Daddy is too big. I fit in here.
Me: You do fit in this bed, do you love it?
John: I love it.
Me: Do you want a big boy bed?
John: yes, where is it?
Me: We will have to get one.
John: at the store?
Me: Yes, you can pick out whatever you want
John: (jumping) I want a big boy bed, a blue one! a blue one!
(guess we are going shopping soon)
Next -
John: Where are we going today?
Me: Your friend Amelia and her baby brother August are coming over to play at your house.
John: What's that Mommy's name?
Me: Lindsey
Next:
John: I see the leaves on the trees, Giraffes eat the tall leaves, lets get in the chair and look at the giraffes.
Me: (Opening the blinds and putting him on my lap to look out the back window) Do you see the giraffes?
John: I do! the green one. A Mama, Daddy and a brother and sister giraffe.
Me: Do you want a brother or sister?
John: I have a brother.
Me: Oh ya, who?
John: Garrett.
Me: No, Garret is just your fri....
John: A DOG A DOG (seeing the neighbors dog in their backyard). Can her come inside my house?
Me: No, he lives over there in that backyard.
John: I see my backyard, and my pool, two pools a little one and a big one.
Next:
Me: Do you want to read a story?
John: ya, that one (pointing at all of the books)
Me: which one? The polar bear book?
John: No, that one makes Daddy cry. (this is a precious story called "God Gave Us You" that Grammie and Granddaddy gave us and we read it to him the week he was born, and both of us cried. We put it in the closet for a while b/c both of us would cry anytime we read it. Apparently Daddy still does.:) Softy!)
Next:
Me: Are you going to show Amelia your dinosaur when she comes over?
John: Her likes the big dinosaur, not the little dinosaur. Her not like sharks. Amelia is my sister.
Me: No sweetheart she is just a friend too.
John: Oh, no the sharks are coming. (jumping into the chair) Get in the boat, Mama you get in that boat (pointing to the other chair).
Me: what kind of shark is it?
John: A great white shark! He not get my toes, oh, Mama, pick you feet up. Swim over here. (as he jumps from one chair to the next) get in my boat.
Me: lets swim real fast and see if we can make it downstairs before the sharks get us.
John: Hold me. Swim swim swim.
And thus my plan to get him downstairs to eat breakfast worked... and our day begins...
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
28th month
This may be the first monthly update I have done on time in a long time! I am pretty proud of myself. :)
- Games: He started to play a few games. He does not necessarily grasp the concept, but he thinks it is fun. When he plays hide and seek, he will close his eyes and count and let you hide, then sometimes he will look for you, sometimes not. Then if it is his turn to hide, he just runs out of his hiding place (typically in plain site) and laughs when you are done counting. "I spy" is another one he will play for hours if you let him. He understands that you take turns and he is sure to tell you when it is your turn. He is pretty good about finding whatever the other person "spys", but sometimes when it is his turn, he says the color first and then tries to spy it. And lastly, "Ring around the rosy". He gets this one, as it is pretty simple, but it is not a favorite of mine, I get dizzy SUPER easy, wonder why that is?
- Imagination: I am sure I have said this one before because watching him play and use his imagination fascinates me. He can take any inanimate object and make it come to life. Some of the most common story lines involve eating/biting something or someone; rescuing something/someone; some form of ocean life or dinosaur that makes loud noises; flying; running; fixing someone/something that is hurt (doctor kit).
- Clean up song: Will randomly clean up all of his toys and try to sing the clean up song. I attribute this one to Kara. I will do it with him every now and again, but I think she makes it a game every time she is here.
- Favorite things: He got his first jigsaw puzzle at the Zoo and he will sit and help you "make the picture" almost always until it is done. He is particularly loving his tent upstairs again, he has made it is "doctor" tent. He made Daddy get in there one night and fixed him all up with medicine and kisses after he poked him in the eye with a snake (smile). Swimming or any pool time (a separate post on this one to come). Toy Story anything. He also likes to practice his alphabet in sign language. He knows through "E" really well but knows through "I" with some help. Anytime he makes a shape with his hand he says "what letter is this?". Kara has been teaching him.
- Language: This month, like every month, he has surprised me with how much he is communicating with us. He absolutely knows what he wants to do and does not want to do and he tells us about it. Daddy asks him every night when he gets home what he did that day, I have to prompt his memory a bit, but he will tell him. Although he does not like to be put on the spot, so don't expect too much next time you see him. :)
This also includes him becoming a tattle tale! Be careful what you do and say! He told Daddy what his fathers day present was before he opened it; when we go to the store he tells on Da and points out the chips that he gets; etc.
He calls me Mommy more than Mama now. I still prefer Mama, but what do you do?! He uses "you" in place of "your"; "You hair is messy"; "You turn"; "lets get in you car". Which brings me to the latest, he says "lets" all the time now and for some reason I think that is so cute! "lets play with my times", "lets do it", etc. He also insists on knowing everyone's names including all of this friends Mommy's names.
- Sleeping: sleeping awesome! It is rare that we wakes up before 8:00, but typically about 8:30, and sometimes 9:15! Then still takes a 2 - 2.5 nap and gets in bed at 8:00. He is in a better mood when he sleeps this much.
- Games: He started to play a few games. He does not necessarily grasp the concept, but he thinks it is fun. When he plays hide and seek, he will close his eyes and count and let you hide, then sometimes he will look for you, sometimes not. Then if it is his turn to hide, he just runs out of his hiding place (typically in plain site) and laughs when you are done counting. "I spy" is another one he will play for hours if you let him. He understands that you take turns and he is sure to tell you when it is your turn. He is pretty good about finding whatever the other person "spys", but sometimes when it is his turn, he says the color first and then tries to spy it. And lastly, "Ring around the rosy". He gets this one, as it is pretty simple, but it is not a favorite of mine, I get dizzy SUPER easy, wonder why that is?
- Imagination: I am sure I have said this one before because watching him play and use his imagination fascinates me. He can take any inanimate object and make it come to life. Some of the most common story lines involve eating/biting something or someone; rescuing something/someone; some form of ocean life or dinosaur that makes loud noises; flying; running; fixing someone/something that is hurt (doctor kit).
- Clean up song: Will randomly clean up all of his toys and try to sing the clean up song. I attribute this one to Kara. I will do it with him every now and again, but I think she makes it a game every time she is here.
- Favorite things: He got his first jigsaw puzzle at the Zoo and he will sit and help you "make the picture" almost always until it is done. He is particularly loving his tent upstairs again, he has made it is "doctor" tent. He made Daddy get in there one night and fixed him all up with medicine and kisses after he poked him in the eye with a snake (smile). Swimming or any pool time (a separate post on this one to come). Toy Story anything. He also likes to practice his alphabet in sign language. He knows through "E" really well but knows through "I" with some help. Anytime he makes a shape with his hand he says "what letter is this?". Kara has been teaching him.
- Language: This month, like every month, he has surprised me with how much he is communicating with us. He absolutely knows what he wants to do and does not want to do and he tells us about it. Daddy asks him every night when he gets home what he did that day, I have to prompt his memory a bit, but he will tell him. Although he does not like to be put on the spot, so don't expect too much next time you see him. :)
This also includes him becoming a tattle tale! Be careful what you do and say! He told Daddy what his fathers day present was before he opened it; when we go to the store he tells on Da and points out the chips that he gets; etc.
He calls me Mommy more than Mama now. I still prefer Mama, but what do you do?! He uses "you" in place of "your"; "You hair is messy"; "You turn"; "lets get in you car". Which brings me to the latest, he says "lets" all the time now and for some reason I think that is so cute! "lets play with my times", "lets do it", etc. He also insists on knowing everyone's names including all of this friends Mommy's names.
- Sleeping: sleeping awesome! It is rare that we wakes up before 8:00, but typically about 8:30, and sometimes 9:15! Then still takes a 2 - 2.5 nap and gets in bed at 8:00. He is in a better mood when he sleeps this much.
Monday, June 7, 2010
27th month
A few things from the past month:
- He 'burps' after every drink he takes. Not real sure where he learned this (if anyone wants to confess, please do). He thinks it is funny. We have tried telling him no, but have since moved on to ignoring him. What do you do?
- Potty Training: a little lapse since we have come back from our FL trip (blog to come on that), but overall, still about 90% done with pee-pee.
- Fits: Good news first - the fits of getting out of the bath have stopped! YEA! Bed time fits are still 50/50, but I suppose it will be that way for years to come. Fits in public have shot up this month, awesome. Newest fits are when we get out of the pool, going to be a long summer.
It seems to work (sometimes) when we talk him through it before we stop whatever we are doing. If you start to say "no whining..." he finishes it "no crying, no fussing". All with a smile on his face. Although he still sometimes does it. Just part of this age I guess.
- Things we hear often: "I want to take a bathtub"; "I can't like that"; "me do it"; "no don't get me"; "its not nite time"; Me: John what do you want to eat? John: "papcanes" (pancakes) or "chicken and fres fries"
- Current favorites: Toy Story (we can't wait for June 18th when Toy Story 3 comes out!) movies and toys; drawing; reading; finger paints; being outside; swimming
- He loves to sing! He wakes up singing, he falls asleep singing, he sings in the car, while playing, in the bath, EVERYWHERE!. His current favorites are 'old macdonald', 'twinkle twinkle', 'muffin man', 'you are my sunshine' and 'abc'.
- When he is really trying to tell you something, he will take his time and give you this certain look, but he will look you in the eye and keep repeating himself until you understand. I love it.
- Everything seems to be getting easier when we leave the house. No more high chairs at restaurants (unless it is a long meal), or sippy cups, I rarely bring a change of clothes (which will bite me one day), no strollers, or toys. We just get in the car and go. Now, of course, long trips are a bit more involved, but overall, i have this under control.
- goes in eating spurts where he 'can't' like anything and I hardly get any food down him, to eating anything and everything I put in front of him. I do my best and offer mostly healthy choices, but sometimes I finally go with what the Dr. said.... He will eat when he is hungry. He does choose healthy things on his own....case in point.... We took him for ice cream on memorial day and he asked for almonds in his ice cream in the face of 20 jars of different candies!
- still plays with your ear or face when he is cuddling with you. :)
- He 'burps' after every drink he takes. Not real sure where he learned this (if anyone wants to confess, please do). He thinks it is funny. We have tried telling him no, but have since moved on to ignoring him. What do you do?
- Potty Training: a little lapse since we have come back from our FL trip (blog to come on that), but overall, still about 90% done with pee-pee.
- Fits: Good news first - the fits of getting out of the bath have stopped! YEA! Bed time fits are still 50/50, but I suppose it will be that way for years to come. Fits in public have shot up this month, awesome. Newest fits are when we get out of the pool, going to be a long summer.
It seems to work (sometimes) when we talk him through it before we stop whatever we are doing. If you start to say "no whining..." he finishes it "no crying, no fussing". All with a smile on his face. Although he still sometimes does it. Just part of this age I guess.
- Things we hear often: "I want to take a bathtub"; "I can't like that"; "me do it"; "no don't get me"; "its not nite time"; Me: John what do you want to eat? John: "papcanes" (pancakes) or "chicken and fres fries"
- Current favorites: Toy Story (we can't wait for June 18th when Toy Story 3 comes out!) movies and toys; drawing; reading; finger paints; being outside; swimming
- He loves to sing! He wakes up singing, he falls asleep singing, he sings in the car, while playing, in the bath, EVERYWHERE!. His current favorites are 'old macdonald', 'twinkle twinkle', 'muffin man', 'you are my sunshine' and 'abc'.
- When he is really trying to tell you something, he will take his time and give you this certain look, but he will look you in the eye and keep repeating himself until you understand. I love it.
- Everything seems to be getting easier when we leave the house. No more high chairs at restaurants (unless it is a long meal), or sippy cups, I rarely bring a change of clothes (which will bite me one day), no strollers, or toys. We just get in the car and go. Now, of course, long trips are a bit more involved, but overall, i have this under control.
- goes in eating spurts where he 'can't' like anything and I hardly get any food down him, to eating anything and everything I put in front of him. I do my best and offer mostly healthy choices, but sometimes I finally go with what the Dr. said.... He will eat when he is hungry. He does choose healthy things on his own....case in point.... We took him for ice cream on memorial day and he asked for almonds in his ice cream in the face of 20 jars of different candies!
- still plays with your ear or face when he is cuddling with you. :)
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
3 years!
Today marks our three year wedding anniversary! I just wanted to take this moment to tell my wonderful husband how proud I am of everything you are and am so blessed to be spending the rest of my life with you! I love dreaming big with you! ;)
Here is to another exciting year!
I love you!
Here is to another exciting year!
I love you!
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