Ethan turned 2 1/2 on the 11th. He is doing a great job reading now. He can usually figure out new words if we help him focus on one letter at a time, and he readily recognizes and can spell quite a few words, like Ethan, Stop, Exit, On, Off, Go, Ice, Hot, up, cup, car, dog, cat, box, etc., etc. Pretty cool! :o)
One neat but potentially frustrating thing about his being so bright is that he doesn't take anything we say as absolute truth. He's so independent and sure of himself that he will argue his point with us, even though what he's saying has no basis in reality! In the movie Elf, there's a little puffin...Ethan fights with Jim about that, calling it a penguin every time Jim says it's a puffin, even though Buddy the elf calls it a puffin, too. I read the nursery rhyme "Little Boy Blue" to Ethan a few weeks ago, and that started an argument about sheeps' dietary habits. Apparently, sheep only eat hay, not corn. Never corn!
My favorite argument so far happened on Christmas eve. We were preparing Ethan to go upstairs by explaining that he had to go to bed so that Santa could come into the house via the fireplace and leave him some Christmas presents. He looked at us, looked at the fireplace, and explained to us that Santa had to come in through the window because he's too big for the fireplace. That discussion lasted a WHILE. But the following morning, Santa had left the fireplace screen open on his way back up the chimney. See, baby? Proof that Santa used the fireplace! Now, if asked how Santa gets into our house, Ethan happily replies "The Fireplace!!" :o)
But puffins are still penguins, and sheep only eat hay...
Monday, December 28, 2009
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
T-S-O-P!
Last night, I was playing with Ethan and started tickling him. He cracked up and started protesting: "No tickles, Mommy! Hahahaha! Mommy, stop! T-S-O-P, STOP!!"
Nice! He's spelling at us now! :o)
Nice! He's spelling at us now! :o)
Sunday, November 8, 2009
Reading and sleeping through the night
For a while now, Ethan has been playing with phonics and has been matching letters with the sounds that they make. He's been able to recognize certain words in context: "stop" on stop signs, "on/off" on switches, for example. But several weeks ago, he started recognizing those words out of the usual context...as stand-alone words in books, etc. Now he's starting to spell certain words or see a word and sort of sound it out to figure out what it might be. It's still kind of hit and miss, but he's definitely getting the idea. My favorite error that he's making right now is seeing the "o-n" combo in a word like (vacatiON) and he'll say "O-N spells on!" It's a big game to see if we can figure out which word he's "reading" so that we can tell him what the whole word actually says.
In other good news...I think we may actually have the sleep thing figured out! And it's only taken us 2 and a half years! :oP He's always been a terrible sleeper. We've tried sleep training, and it was horrible, HORRIBLE. Over the last few months, he was waking up 6-7 times a night and needing us to stay with him until he fell asleep. His bedtime routine was taking me 45 minutes every night...and this was AFTER his bath and storytime. It was ridiculous. Jim and I were tired and cranky, and we'd just give up after the millionth trip to his room and just let him sleep the rest of the night in our bed. Bad us, be consistent, blah blah blah, I know. But when you're exhausted, all of that goes out the window and you do whatever it takes to get an extra 5 minutes of sleep. Even if it's terrible sleep, you'll take whatever you can get, however you can get it.
So, after Halloween night and all the festivities, Ethan was pretty darn tired. I decided to explain to him that he was going to go to bed in his room all by himself, and mommy was going to go to bed in her room, see him when the sun wakes up, etc. We had a nice conversation about it, I explained our expectations, and I left. He cried. Screamed, actually. I think Jim went and checked in on him, made sure all was good, left and let the yelling start again. It actually didn't last too long, and he did fall asleep after a while. He woke up once or twice, called for us, cried a bit, and went back to sleep. He woke up as soon as the sun came up...5:45 or something crazy like that. But he woke up *in his room.*
As we drove around running errands the next day, Ethan announced "I cried in my room. Mommy left me." Ouch. We told him we were so proud of him for sleeping in his room all night, that he was okay and everything is good, and he agreed. That night, he cried a bit when I left his room, so Jim went in to say goodnight. Then Ethan konked right out and I don't think he woke up again until the morning. BUT he was still getting up ridiculously early, thanks to the time change.
After a couple of days of consistently sleeping through the night without crying, we bought Ethan a digital clock for his room and explained that he's supposed to sleep until it says 7. (I covered up the minutes and just left the hours section visible to minimize confusion...he *is* 2, after all!) We drilled him: "what if it says 5? 'I go night night!' What if it says 6? 'I go night night!' What if it says 7? 'I wake up!!'" Then we crossed our fingers. The first night went well. He woke up at 6:30, but he needed a diaper change so that was fair. After he was all clean, I asked him what time it was. He said 6 and went back to sleep. Since then, he's been waking up after 7. This morning, I woke up to a cheerful "Mommy! It's 7! I see 7!" on the monitor. Soooo much better than "MOOOOOOMMMY! WAAAAA!!" at 5:45!!
I just got him into bed about 30 minutes ago. We read 2 stories, I let him turn off his light, tucked him in, gave and got goodnight kisses and hugs, he said "night-night mommy" and rolled over. And I left. No peeps, no cries, nothing. Just a sweet little boy, drifting off to sleep. If you had told me this was possible 2 weeks ago, I would have laughed hysterically (mostly out of exhaustion!)
The impossible is possible tonight. :o)
In other good news...I think we may actually have the sleep thing figured out! And it's only taken us 2 and a half years! :oP He's always been a terrible sleeper. We've tried sleep training, and it was horrible, HORRIBLE. Over the last few months, he was waking up 6-7 times a night and needing us to stay with him until he fell asleep. His bedtime routine was taking me 45 minutes every night...and this was AFTER his bath and storytime. It was ridiculous. Jim and I were tired and cranky, and we'd just give up after the millionth trip to his room and just let him sleep the rest of the night in our bed. Bad us, be consistent, blah blah blah, I know. But when you're exhausted, all of that goes out the window and you do whatever it takes to get an extra 5 minutes of sleep. Even if it's terrible sleep, you'll take whatever you can get, however you can get it.
So, after Halloween night and all the festivities, Ethan was pretty darn tired. I decided to explain to him that he was going to go to bed in his room all by himself, and mommy was going to go to bed in her room, see him when the sun wakes up, etc. We had a nice conversation about it, I explained our expectations, and I left. He cried. Screamed, actually. I think Jim went and checked in on him, made sure all was good, left and let the yelling start again. It actually didn't last too long, and he did fall asleep after a while. He woke up once or twice, called for us, cried a bit, and went back to sleep. He woke up as soon as the sun came up...5:45 or something crazy like that. But he woke up *in his room.*
As we drove around running errands the next day, Ethan announced "I cried in my room. Mommy left me." Ouch. We told him we were so proud of him for sleeping in his room all night, that he was okay and everything is good, and he agreed. That night, he cried a bit when I left his room, so Jim went in to say goodnight. Then Ethan konked right out and I don't think he woke up again until the morning. BUT he was still getting up ridiculously early, thanks to the time change.
After a couple of days of consistently sleeping through the night without crying, we bought Ethan a digital clock for his room and explained that he's supposed to sleep until it says 7. (I covered up the minutes and just left the hours section visible to minimize confusion...he *is* 2, after all!) We drilled him: "what if it says 5? 'I go night night!' What if it says 6? 'I go night night!' What if it says 7? 'I wake up!!'" Then we crossed our fingers. The first night went well. He woke up at 6:30, but he needed a diaper change so that was fair. After he was all clean, I asked him what time it was. He said 6 and went back to sleep. Since then, he's been waking up after 7. This morning, I woke up to a cheerful "Mommy! It's 7! I see 7!" on the monitor. Soooo much better than "MOOOOOOMMMY! WAAAAA!!" at 5:45!!
I just got him into bed about 30 minutes ago. We read 2 stories, I let him turn off his light, tucked him in, gave and got goodnight kisses and hugs, he said "night-night mommy" and rolled over. And I left. No peeps, no cries, nothing. Just a sweet little boy, drifting off to sleep. If you had told me this was possible 2 weeks ago, I would have laughed hysterically (mostly out of exhaustion!)
The impossible is possible tonight. :o)
Sunday, August 30, 2009
Little boy
Ethan is not a baby. But if you ask him if he's a big boy, he answers "Nope! I'm a little boy!" And he really is. Over the last couple of months, he has really begun to master the whole language thing. He's been really great about putting together full sentences to express complex ideas. He's definitely not just parroting anymore. He's finally able to tell us what he's thinking and how he's feeling and to share his ideas with us.
I love our Daisy, but she has a real talent for getting underfoot at the most inconvenient moment. When I get frustrated with her, I sometimes let loose with a "Frickin' dog!" One night, I was trying to get Ethan to go to sleep. He wanted me to talk to him, but I was not replying. He tried to get my attention..."Moooommy. Moooommy." No reply. "Mom. MOM. Frickin' MOM!" I couldn't help it...I cracked up and had to hug and kiss my crazy kid.
He's starting to understand phonics. He will often see letters and tell us what sounds they make, or he'll hear a word, repeat the starting sound and say "Mommy starts with M!" or "Pillow starts with P!," etc. It's funny because he can't say the hard G or C sounds yet, so he'll say stuff like "duh, duh, doat starts with G!" or "tuh, tuh, tat starts with C!" (That's translated as Goat and Cat, btw. :oD)
He's also developing a cute little sense of humor. Who knew that little boy potty humor starts so early!?! He likes to pretend someone "tooted" and laugh. Sigh. He's also having fun pretending to be animals. He's usually a kitty thanks to "Kitten's First Full Moon", but sometimes he's a puppy and gives me puppy kisses. Sloppy, but funny.
Ethan also tries to be just like Daddy. He likes to pretend he's "going to work" and loves playing with doors and announcing that he's home. Several weeks ago, Jim took Ethan upstairs to get him dressed for the day. Over the baby monitor, I heard Jim asking him what shirt and shorts he wanted to wear. Ethan kept rejecting all of Dad's suggestions, but he finally agreed to a shirt and a pair of shorts, and I heard Jim laughing as he got Ethan dressed. When they came downstairs, Jim got my attention. He had been laughing because Ethan picked a shirt and shorts that matched the ones Jim was wearing...he wanted to dress like Daddy!
Another funny pretending story: we had a couple of hail storms come through over the last few months, so everyone in our neighborhood has been getting new roofs. Ethan has a firetruck tent that has a little ladder painted onto one side. A few weeks ago, I watched him lean the ladder panel of the firetruck tent against another little tent in his playroom. He picked up a toy hammer and pretended to climb the ladder, then he started hammering the top of the other tent and announced that he was fixing the roof. I was so surprised that he was able to put so many ideas and actions together and act them out...pretty complex!!
When we're driving around, he likes to yell "Green light meaaans, GO!" and "Red light meaaaans, STOP!" This has become a game during our evening walks and we now green light go and red light stop our way through the neighborhood.
He's very cuddly and sweet right now. He's generous with the "I love you's" and hugs and kisses. I'm totally eating this up because just a few weeks ago, he'd wipe away my kisses and tell me they were "Yucky! Blech!" I'm sure that phase will be back soon, so I'm going to enjoy the love while I've got it!
He's also doing a great job of following directions and trying to be helpful. He likes to "carry" things for me and help me clean. He's also enjoying putting things in time out...including Mommy. As I type, he's taking a school bus to time out, saying "Time out, school bus. Two minutes. What's the rule?? (I make him tell me what rule he's broken when we do a time out.) Stay in time out. Ok. All done."
Ethan is very hyper. He bounces, runs, talks and pretends non-stop, and he just wears me out! By the end of the day, I am exhausted. But although he can drive me crazy sometimes, he is so yummy and funny and CUTE, I feel lucky to be here with him all day.
I love our Daisy, but she has a real talent for getting underfoot at the most inconvenient moment. When I get frustrated with her, I sometimes let loose with a "Frickin' dog!" One night, I was trying to get Ethan to go to sleep. He wanted me to talk to him, but I was not replying. He tried to get my attention..."Moooommy. Moooommy." No reply. "Mom. MOM. Frickin' MOM!" I couldn't help it...I cracked up and had to hug and kiss my crazy kid.
He's starting to understand phonics. He will often see letters and tell us what sounds they make, or he'll hear a word, repeat the starting sound and say "Mommy starts with M!" or "Pillow starts with P!," etc. It's funny because he can't say the hard G or C sounds yet, so he'll say stuff like "duh, duh, doat starts with G!" or "tuh, tuh, tat starts with C!" (That's translated as Goat and Cat, btw. :oD)
He's also developing a cute little sense of humor. Who knew that little boy potty humor starts so early!?! He likes to pretend someone "tooted" and laugh. Sigh. He's also having fun pretending to be animals. He's usually a kitty thanks to "Kitten's First Full Moon", but sometimes he's a puppy and gives me puppy kisses. Sloppy, but funny.
Ethan also tries to be just like Daddy. He likes to pretend he's "going to work" and loves playing with doors and announcing that he's home. Several weeks ago, Jim took Ethan upstairs to get him dressed for the day. Over the baby monitor, I heard Jim asking him what shirt and shorts he wanted to wear. Ethan kept rejecting all of Dad's suggestions, but he finally agreed to a shirt and a pair of shorts, and I heard Jim laughing as he got Ethan dressed. When they came downstairs, Jim got my attention. He had been laughing because Ethan picked a shirt and shorts that matched the ones Jim was wearing...he wanted to dress like Daddy!
Another funny pretending story: we had a couple of hail storms come through over the last few months, so everyone in our neighborhood has been getting new roofs. Ethan has a firetruck tent that has a little ladder painted onto one side. A few weeks ago, I watched him lean the ladder panel of the firetruck tent against another little tent in his playroom. He picked up a toy hammer and pretended to climb the ladder, then he started hammering the top of the other tent and announced that he was fixing the roof. I was so surprised that he was able to put so many ideas and actions together and act them out...pretty complex!!
When we're driving around, he likes to yell "Green light meaaans, GO!" and "Red light meaaaans, STOP!" This has become a game during our evening walks and we now green light go and red light stop our way through the neighborhood.
He's very cuddly and sweet right now. He's generous with the "I love you's" and hugs and kisses. I'm totally eating this up because just a few weeks ago, he'd wipe away my kisses and tell me they were "Yucky! Blech!" I'm sure that phase will be back soon, so I'm going to enjoy the love while I've got it!
He's also doing a great job of following directions and trying to be helpful. He likes to "carry" things for me and help me clean. He's also enjoying putting things in time out...including Mommy. As I type, he's taking a school bus to time out, saying "Time out, school bus. Two minutes. What's the rule?? (I make him tell me what rule he's broken when we do a time out.) Stay in time out. Ok. All done."
Ethan is very hyper. He bounces, runs, talks and pretends non-stop, and he just wears me out! By the end of the day, I am exhausted. But although he can drive me crazy sometimes, he is so yummy and funny and CUTE, I feel lucky to be here with him all day.
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
Need a handle for Daisy
Ethan is 2 now, and we are constantly amazed (and often amused!) at the things that he says.
After dinner this evening, we asked him if he wanted to go for a walk around the neighborhood. He said yes, so we started getting shoes on and whatnot. Daisy started wagging and getting excited, too. As we put his shoes on, Ethan kept saying something, but we couldn't quite make it out. Then it clicked: "Need a handle for Daisy!"
She has a retractable leash, and it has a big red handle...he wanted us to attach her "handle" so she could walk with us!
After dinner this evening, we asked him if he wanted to go for a walk around the neighborhood. He said yes, so we started getting shoes on and whatnot. Daisy started wagging and getting excited, too. As we put his shoes on, Ethan kept saying something, but we couldn't quite make it out. Then it clicked: "Need a handle for Daisy!"
She has a retractable leash, and it has a big red handle...he wanted us to attach her "handle" so she could walk with us!
Saturday, May 30, 2009
It's Potty Time!
Ethan has been climbing onto our toilets and saying "I go potty!" every so often. But he's been mostly uninterested in whether his diaper is dirty or wet and hasn't really shown us any of the readiness cues. Still, since he's been pretending to go, we figured he might like his own potty. We got one this afternoon and he was SO excited! He'd sit on it fully clothed and say "Go potty!" while doing the sign for potty.
This evening, as I was running his bath, I took off his shorts and diaper and suggested that he sit on his potty while we waited for his bath to fill up. He did, and he went potty! It was just a couple of teeny drops, but he grinned at me and said "pee-pee!" and of course I clapped and cheered for him!
So, then we did his bath and brushed his teeth (and discovered that his second-to-last baby tooth is on its way in...last molar on the top right - one more to go!). After bath and toothbrushing, I asked if he'd like to sit on the potty again before bed. He said yes and hopped right on. Next thing I know, he's REALLY going pee-pee! When he was all done, he looked between his legs and then at me with this look of such pride. He was adorable!!
So yeah, even though I had fully expected a struggle and was not even thinking about actually trying to potty train now, it looks like Ethan has other plans. :oD
This evening, as I was running his bath, I took off his shorts and diaper and suggested that he sit on his potty while we waited for his bath to fill up. He did, and he went potty! It was just a couple of teeny drops, but he grinned at me and said "pee-pee!" and of course I clapped and cheered for him!
So, then we did his bath and brushed his teeth (and discovered that his second-to-last baby tooth is on its way in...last molar on the top right - one more to go!). After bath and toothbrushing, I asked if he'd like to sit on the potty again before bed. He said yes and hopped right on. Next thing I know, he's REALLY going pee-pee! When he was all done, he looked between his legs and then at me with this look of such pride. He was adorable!!
So yeah, even though I had fully expected a struggle and was not even thinking about actually trying to potty train now, it looks like Ethan has other plans. :oD
Monday, March 16, 2009
Happy Birfday!
Spring has sprung! It's gorgeous outside, so I bought a bunch of seed packets and a mini-greenhouse full of peat pellets. You add water to the pellets and they get all puffy like little chocolate cakes. Then you plant the seeds in the peat pots, put the plastic lid on the greenhouse, and presto! baby plants in about a week!
I thought this would be a fantastic little project for Ethan to learn about plants, so I was kind of disappointed (but not surprised) when Ethan had absolutely NO interest in what I was doing. He just ran around the back yard, chasing Daisy and playing in puddles. He did like the little round coriander seeds, though. He got a handful and threw some of them at the peat pots yelling "little balls!" That's my boy. :o)
Anyway, I got several colored toothpicks to mark out which herbs were in which peat pots, and I stuck a few into the sides of some of the pots. Ethan wandered over, pulled the colorful toothpicks out of the sides of the pots and moved them to the tops. After he had a nice little row of toothpicks sticking straight up, he sat down and started singing: "Happy Birfday to you, Happy Birfday to you..."
They DO look like teeny little birthday cakes with colorful little toothpick candles on top!! :oD
I thought this would be a fantastic little project for Ethan to learn about plants, so I was kind of disappointed (but not surprised) when Ethan had absolutely NO interest in what I was doing. He just ran around the back yard, chasing Daisy and playing in puddles. He did like the little round coriander seeds, though. He got a handful and threw some of them at the peat pots yelling "little balls!" That's my boy. :o)
Anyway, I got several colored toothpicks to mark out which herbs were in which peat pots, and I stuck a few into the sides of some of the pots. Ethan wandered over, pulled the colorful toothpicks out of the sides of the pots and moved them to the tops. After he had a nice little row of toothpicks sticking straight up, he sat down and started singing: "Happy Birfday to you, Happy Birfday to you..."
They DO look like teeny little birthday cakes with colorful little toothpick candles on top!! :oD
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