20 months

by now, 20 months and some weeks. he is such a little boy. all traces of baby are virtually gone and we are quickly approaching two years. it's still a hard concept for me. two years ago i was pregnant. he has had every first holiday, and almost every second holiday. it's crazy.

i don't have any stat updates as we don't see the dr. until two, but he's slightly heavier than at 18 months and taller for sure. he can reach things that used to be safe from his grasp. he is active and sleeps less at naps. he's had trouble sleeping at night and wakes between 5:45 and 6:45 am sobbing but still tired. i've tried to let him cry it out because honestly, no one in our house is ready to get up then, but most days i have to go in and put him back to sleep for another hour or so. he's always slept later (7:30-8:45am wake up) so i don't believe that he is ready for the day at 5:45 am.

he eats fine but is more independent and picky as the weeks go by. one day he loves kiwi, the very next he gags over it. sometimes he'll eat dinner that the family eats and other times he won't. i dont make two meals but i do add items to his plate (in advance, not after he rejects other food) that i know he will probably eat.

developmentally, he is growing leaps and bounds. we've only had three total EI session (developmental only) but we've spent a considerable amount of time working on structured activities rather than all day open play and it seems to be helping. he is great at puzzles already and he will spend a bit more time doing things he doesn't prefer. verbally, he is just beginning to advance. a day or two before his EI eval he said his first officially word: car. that was less than a month ago (i think?).

for my own sake, here are the words he can now say:
mama (technically his first word, but it hadn't been used with purpose)

dada


ball
bee
baby
bus
boat
bye
car
go
hi
more
uh-oh

he knows most of his body parts, the signs for more, please, all done, thank you and help, and a variety of animal noises/actions. his fish mouth is particularly cute ;) he threads beads, matches items, plays with play doh, uses finger paints - typical kid stuff.

we start speech therapy this monday so i am anxious to see how it helps him. he seems to finally be interested in saying words with purpose and understanding their connection with communication and objects, so i'm hopeful that he'll catch up in no time and chatter my ear off soon :)

halloween 2011

perhaps a bit late, but we had a good halloween. finley went as nicholas the bunny from richard scarry's i am a bunny book. it's his favorite story and we read it 5+ times a day.


(not sure why this image quality is poor...)

i tried to dress him as a lion since he can roar, but he hated the costume. every time we put it on him he freaked out and had a sob story meltdown. i decided to go the homemade route in hopes of keeping it more like everyday clothes. i bought the red overalls on ebay and he already had the yellow shirt and brown shoes. i made the bunny hat, tail, hand covers, and shoe covers out of fur fleece. easy, and even though it looks homemade, he was cute.



i thought he would hate the makeup but he didn't mind me putting it on. the first time he saw himself dressed up he cried and shook his head, but eventually he'd run to see himself in the mirror. and he only rubbed a bit of the makeup off while we were out.



he wasn't as into the pumpkin carving this year and did not enjoy touching the seeds and strings. it was a short lived project :) happy (belated) halloween 2011!

15 minutes as a toddler

i have lots of updates but for now, a run down of the last fifteen minutes inside my toddler's head:

3:55pm i should army crawl. right now. ok, yes, belly on floor dragging body. good. done.
3:55pm i need to take off my pants. pretty new to this...
3:57pm pants back on, thanks mom. let's ride my wheely bug towards the dogs. and again!
3:59pm hmmm, mom is cutting up meat. she's busy. i will take over on the computer.
3:59:20sec vvvvvvvcchhhhhhh (oh, hai mom!)
4:01pm this office chair in the middle of the room is no good. i can't reach the computer.
4:02pm vvvcc... oh, hi mom. ::gets down from chair::
4:03pm wheely bugged! ::leaves room::
4:05pm then i'll just carry this laptop around instead.
4:06pm rude! ::minor fit after laptop removed from arms::
4:06 35sec ok, better now. ::throws ball 17 times:: ... ::turns printer on::
4:07pm which shoes are mine?
4:07:30sec these women's pink gym shoes fit perfect. clomp clomp.
4:08pm walking to the kitchen. walking to the living room, walking to the kitchen. ::trips::
4:09pm wheeeeellllyyyy buuuuggggg! printer!!
4:10pm ::sits down:: "mama?"

somehow i thought a 50 minute nap would leave him more tired than this. i was obviously mistaken. i may have missed turning the printer on and off possibly 3-4 more times, as well as a minimum of 3 musical/sounds toys/books being operated.

DIY chalkboard tray

i had some leftover chalkboard paint and decided to make finley a little art tray so he could craft without making a huge mess. the chalk can't roll off the table and he can't draw off the edges onto other surfaces.

supplies:
martha stewart chalkboard paint in gray (these are medium sized bottles perfect for smaller surfaces and i got mine for $4.00 on sale at michael's)
unfinished serving trays (set of 2 for $3.99 at michael's)
chalk and a disposable/plastic cup

do:
paint 3 layers of chalkboard paint onto the inside of the tray. i taped mine off at the edges and used a foam brush. i'm considering attaching the cup to the tray but i'd also like to stack it so i'm not sure.

he loves it! very simple, very cheap, and somewhat portable so i can bring it (vs. a chalkboard table) into various rooms. and i must mention that the chalkboard paint comes in a variety of colors (pink, blue, black, possibly others) but i really love this subtle gray version.

the trays come in packs of two, so i used the larger one as a drawing board. i glued one clip onto the top center so we can secure paper onto the tray. same concept - he can't draw off the edges onto my tables and the markers/crayons won't roll onto the floor.

early intervention

there are times in parenting (in life) when things seem equally good and bad simultaneously. qualifying for early intervention is one of those times, at least for me.

i went into our evaluation this morning believing that finley has a speech delay. i know what he can and can't do based on daily (everyday!) interaction. i know he doesn't speak. but to hear a professional speech therapist, after evaluating him, say that he is performing at a 50% delay for his adjusted age and that he needs weekly therapy...that feels like a low blow. to top it off, the cognitive/developmental therapist determined that his fine motor skills are also behind. he qualified for weekly developmental therapy as well.

more than sharing with everyone else, i'm writing this down because it's part of his life, part of who he is, and i'd like to remember it. and maybe this might help you. maybe your child is doing big things, exciting things...but maybe they also aren't talking. or they are easily frustrated with seemingly simple tasks. maybe our journey through EI will help someone else. hopefully it helps us :)

basically, finley has trouble problem solving and gets upset with his inability to put together puzzles, match objects, put pegs into holes, or stack blocks into a tower. he can't communicate his need for help or his frustration, so he throws said items and moves on to something he likes to do. something he can easily do. things like pointing out semi-complicated concepts in books. things that older children do. like pretend play - creating scenarios in his mind and acting them out without prompting. climbing narrow beams a few feet in the air after easily hoisting himself up alone. yes, he can grasp tiny objects. he can paint plaster animals. but requesting the completion of a task he doesn't excel at? if he can't do it, he cries or turns away to focus on something else. his attention span is short and he doesn't transition well (getting up from naps, leaving the table, putting away/exchanging toys). he is smart. so very smart. but he struggles with communicating verbally, following commands of problem solving, and doesn't imitate actions or sounds.

so we'll meet with two therapists on two different days every week. i don't know for how long but i hear it's fun for finn and that he'll learn quickly. they say his social skills (already great!) will help the process. he'll also get a hearing test to be sure everything is fine. and EI isn't the worst thing in the world, obviously. yeah it's hard to hear he's behind. but it's good that he has the opportunity to get help.

arts & crafts

(click it for bigger)

as fall arrives and cooler temperatures hit us, i'm starting to think about things to occupy us in the house. soon the standard head to the park or beach won't be an option for long periods of time. i've been on pinterest watching for toddler activities and pinning things i know finn might like.

i'm pretty artsy so i tend to gravitate towards those activities and it seems finn doesn't mind :) i had collected some non-toxic paint on clearance (29 cents each!), a plastic paint try, and some plaster dog and cat figurines for a painting project and was surprised to see him totally "get" it.


to prepare, i stripped him down to his diaper, taped paper bags to the surface, and slid an intact one over the back of our chair. he's now at a ($10, made-from-receycled-materials, fully dishwashable, from walmart) booster seat so this was easily done at the table. not that this is rocket science, but i showed him the materials first. i squirted the paint and demonstrated brush strokes on a figurine. i gave him a brush (he's painted before but it was a mess and he ate most of it) and he put it into his mouth, so i told him no and he seemed happy not to do it again. (who is this kid?) his favorite part was dipping the brush into all of the colors repeatedly. this made for some cool swirling and when he did paint his cat figure, the paint remained uniquely swirled. a true visionary, i'd say. my budding artist sat and painted for about 25 minutes before he took to his ear (no, he didn't chop it off) with the paint brush and i called it quits. he was upset to finish but enjoyed the subsequent (extended) hand washing.

and now we have this lovely hand painted cat figurine to display on our bookshelf. bring on the cold weather crafts!

first bike ride (take two)

mr. h3b is an avid biker and has been searching for a gently used bike seat for months. he finally found a great one and was able to take finley for an evening bike ride a few weekends ago.



he was unsure at first. he didn't mind the helmet because he wears it outside when he rides his trike, but he wasn't so sure about being strapped into the seat. he didn't cry but remained pensive (typical) rather than excited.



but then they were off. a quick jaunt and he was fine, so they set off for an evening cruise. admittedly i was nervous because his precious skin was exposed but he came back free of injury (of course) and happy to have had the wind in his face.

tomorrow he's 19 months...

oh this lunch-faced kid? yeah, he's more than a year and a half old. these pictures have nothing to do with this post, but posts should include pictures, right?

i did have his 18 month dr. visit and wasn't surprised to find that he is small and tall. 23 lbs 2 oz (10-20%) and 33 1/2" (75-90%). he was having a small reaction to has chicken pox vac so we had to skip the flu vac because i didn't want to put 2 in the other (healthy) leg. i'm beyond pro-vac (is there such a thing?) but i also want to consider his bump-laden thigh and how much he should have to tolerate in one visit.

he is doing everything he should be doing at his age (pointing, running, knowing his body parts, and responding to a variety of prompts), but he is still not talking. he says mama (for everything) and occasionally dada, but does not mimic sounds/words or even attempt to speak. he babbles and can make a variety of consonant sounds but he doesn't seem to connect those with words. because of this we're meeting with early intervention just to see if he qualifies based on this behavior. i'm not overly concerned because i know he will talk, but since he has almost zero words (not even "hi" or bye" or "ball") i'd like to know if we can do anything to help. we read to him everyday, do flash cards (for fun), practice animal sounds (he repeats none)...he just doesn't seem interested.

click on that to see larger lunch action. or don't if food on faces bugs you. i don't mind a bit of neutral colored crumbs here and there, but spaghetti face? no way.

overall, he's a healthy, happy kid (yes, kid!). he'll be 19 months tomorrow. it's not a huge milestone, but from here on out people will care less and less about age in months and more that he's "almost two". um, what?

18 months (!?)

oh, hai. i'm back and i have an 18 month old. that's one and a half years for normal people (non-parents). true story, i recently heard someone say, "well, she's 39 months" and i was like, hold up let me get my calculator. (obviously i didn't say that, but i don't know [/care] how old 39 months is and most people would probably be ok with, "she's two".) *edit, see! she'd be three. i can't even do math slowly.*

back to my precious darling who is a full blown, 100% boy toddler. i haven't updated on his stats in a while and that's because i haven't taken him for a check-up yet. he's still pretty skinny (wearing 6-9 month shorts and 12/12-18 month shirts) but he is very tall. so tall he can easily see out our windows. yesterday (i'm pretty sure it was yesterday), he was just barely able to reach the ledge and stood on his tippy toes to get just a glimpse.

he's running and walking, no more crawling. he can climb onto adult chairs and stands there precariously with a glimmer in his eye. i tell him no and remove him and he does it 500 times more in a single hour. he refuses to eat most foods  - only some fruit, cookies, yogurt. some days a whole pork chop, others perhaps a lick of PB from his PB&J. it's a battle that i try not to fight.

he listens. he can find objects you want, put magnets on the fridge, put books on a shelf. he'll show you his hair, ears, eyes, nose, tongue, belly, and feet. he loves to put on his shoes (in your lap) and loves being outside. he has perma-dirt under his toenails; a sandbox and beach lover to the extreme. he loves to dance to my favorite songs and will drop everything to stand in his dance spot and bust-a-move when he hears certain intros.

he is funny and likes to be funny. if he's doing something funny and you miss it, he'll fake laugh to get you to watch. he's naughty and likes to be naughty. if he's doing anything, it's probably right before or right after he just ate/broke/threw/tore/opened something he shouldn't have.

he's still a studious, serious boy. he's loving (but he hits and kicks, too) and sweet. he's in love with his dogs, his mommy, and his daddy. he's finding friends, having favorite books, and forming opinions. he doesn't talk a peep but that isn't stopping him :)

also? he has curly hair. did you notice? i seriously love his hair and not a day goes by when no less than 4 people stop to comment on his (or "her") ringlets. such a lucky momma to this 18 month old tiny baby boy that i still try to rock and hold like a newborn. i can't help it!

growth chart

sorry for my absence. it's summer, we're busy. i haven't been pulling out my camera for the randoms fun things we've been doing (and i was sick for over a week!). but i'm back with a fun craft i made after thinking about how big finn is now. my parents always charted our height on a door, but we're in a condo and can't take any doors with us when we move. so i looked for a growth chart and found the cute ones to be around $50...yeah, no. i made one myself, instead. and i'll show you how :)

 

here's the infished product. a canvas height chart to measure your child as they grow. you should be able to click the pictures for larger images.

supplies:

a 6ftx9ft canvas drop cloth ($10.98 at lowe's)
brown acrylic paint
sponge brush
letters & numbers stencil set
3/8" wooden dowel
brown sharpie
also: sewing machine/thread, hot glue, twine/ribbon/string

cut a rectangle from drop cloth measuring 9" wide by 60" long. this allows for a chart that includes 20" - 72", which leaves space for marking newborn length up to adulthood. you won't use the entire cloth, obviously. but you'll have spare canvas for another one or a different project!

fold the sides and bottom edge once about 3/8", then again to enclose the raw edge, iron and pin. sew two lines of long stitching along the pinned edges for a clean yet industrial look. fold the raw top over about an inch and sew 7/8" from top to create a sleeve for the dowel.

starting an inch from the bottom, use a ruler to measure inches, marking at each one. begin with 20" and end with 72", making larger marks for 2-6 feet.

using a straight stencil piece (i used the center of a "cent" symbol from my set), paint on tick marks at each inch. make a longer mark at each foot. stencil corresponding numbers (2-6) at foot marks, as well as the child's name at the top. (as a note, i tried the brown sharpie for thicker markings, but it bleeds. they make paint sharpies that could work. you can see in the sample picture with the "1" stencil.)

once dry, insert dowel and hot glue a strand of string/twine/ribbon to hang. growth chart finished! use the sharpie to make small ticks and date to remember how little your little once was. fyi: this chart is not waterproof or safe for washing or ironing on the paint.

4th of july

we celebrated the 4th of july in minnesota. mr. h3b wasn't with us, but finn's aunt joined us for a small town celebration. it was hot, a little buggy, and full of fried food and fireworks. which is pretty much what the holiday is all about (aside from our independence, of course).

auntie snapped this shot of finn and i (and a few others that day) and i just love it. i'm so rarely in pictures with my boy and i want him to have these memories and know that i was actually there, too.

see, i was there! note poor finley's giant cheek bite. the mosquitoes were so bad and we were both bitten to no end. but that didn't keep us from enjoying the festivities. here he's distracted by a live band.

when it got darker, we lit some sparklers and waited for the big show. this was finley's very first sparkler and he did surprisingly well. he was in awe of the light and it was all fun and games until he used his other hand to grab the sparks. (he's totally fine.)

this was my favorite shot of the night. just before he reached for it, he gave this perfect little ooooh face. and who doesn't do that for sparklers?

auntie and i played with them some more with finn safely contained in the the stroller and then it was time for the real fireworks. to my surprise, finn loved them. he wasn't scared of the booms and he just sat in our in awe. he didn't squirm or cry during the entire show. such a good, patriotic boy!

playing at grandmas

we're visiting grandma right now and finn is taking advantage of warm summer nights in a big open yard near the woods. he doesn't seem to notice mosquitoes (i wish i didn't either!) and could run around for hours out there.

he's been a pretty good boy recently, but we're dealing with some major sleep issues and a change of schedule. he's dropped the afternoon nap and prefers to go down for about 2-3 hours in the middle of the day. but i'm stuck trying to figure out what time of day is best to do that. 11 is too early for him, it seems. so lunch first, then nap? then snack later? i'm not used to a sleeping baby in the afternoon - those have historically been his prime play hours.

he's been signing "more" all of the time now (mainly for snack foods and objects he can't have) and responds to many commands like sit down, let's go outside (walks to the door), and bring me this or that. he says mama and dada clear as day but still won't do it directly towards us. he uses "nananana" for milk and food consistently. today he heard a dog bark far away and said "doh doh". he points at everything. he recognizes airplane sounds and looks to the sky for them. he's so very smart and i think he's starting to move towards a huge growth in communication.

he doesn't sit still, ever. he's running, rolling around, climbing up and down furniture and up stairs. he's smart enough to slide belly down off of docks (over water!), off the bed, down the slide. i caught the above picture only because i perched him atop some rocks and he couldn't turn to shimmy off.

i'm struggling to keep up with him, but i'm working to find ways to manage his adventurous side. i take him to splash decks, parks, and play areas. i find suitable alternatives to dangerous items. running with sticks in your mouth? um, no. how about this ball? if there's something he can hurt himself with, that item is exponentially better than anything i could offer, unless of course said offer was more dangerous. ah, 16 month old little boys. love them :)

happy father's day!

happy second father's day to the best dad around. finley is so lucky to have such a good daddy. from the minute we found out we were having a baby, to the day we found out it was a boy, to the seconds after his birth - mr. h3b has been amazing.

he is hands on. every.day. he doesn't seem to need breaks or time to himself. and finley loves his daddy time like nothing else. trips to the park, the beach, wrestling and chasing, and nightly baths. those are cherished moments for all of us.

i am so thankful that finn has a loving father. a good role model, companion, and teacher. i, of course, knew this would be true well before any baby came along, but to watch it play out in real life? that's something special.

so finley decided to don his very best summer clothes and his daddy's bowtie (i learned to tie one!) and we snapped these shots just for dad.

 

(this one's clicky! don't you just love that vintage bw?)

nice doggy

in an effort to post more frequently, here are some pictures of finn and miles, our younger dachshund.

we have been lucky that finn loves dogs and that, for the most part, the dogs love finn. he's learning to be gentle and we're just trying to instill some bit of understanding that they are living things and deserve to be treated nicely. some days they play together (chasing balls) a bit and share food (finn throwing scraps from his highchair), but they generally keep their distance.

he's recently taken to petting them. it starts out nice and he softly pats their backs. but then he gets curious. he'll pull their fur a little. poke their toenails. and for poor miles (who tolerates this more than our other dog), finn will inspect his nose and try to grab his eyes. i'm doing my best to keep both parties protected and i just hope finley can continue his love for animals in a kind way. and we'll keep the eyeball poking to his baby dolls.

playing in pjs

finn and i played outside in our pjs this morning. he's obsessed with keys (only real ones) and just learned how to push the car alarm button to cause the car horn to honk. our poor neighbors...

he spent a good 15 minutes running around and honking the horn. and then he found our front door, spent some time stretching, and tried to figure out how to use the keys to open it.

such a funny boy. i'm thankful for summer because he's generally happy if he's outside. i imagine we'll spend mornings, afternoons, and evenings out there.

toddlers are hard

blogging was so much easier when finn was a baby. there were more nap times and less running around. and now that summer's around the corner, we've been taking advatage of good weather by spending it without a care in the world - beach time, park time, friends, picnics, nightly concerts.

i'm not complaining. real life has been fun. crazy and wild and a learning experience for all. i just find it hard to collect and edit pictures, post thoughtful, or even any, entries, and keep up with other blogs. but this blog isn't my job ;)

and so i have this day at the park to share. a rare occasion where i brought my camera to capture an afternoon playing. i do bring my camera to lots of places, but if we're just headed out to play, i usually leave it behind so i can focus on playing face-to-face rather than lens-to-face.

finley is full on walking. he pretty much walks everywhere and i rarely see him crawl anymore. i'm so glad i caught some of his last days crawling on video. i knew they were coming to a close and here he is, proving me right. he can climb onto the couch. he can see out the windows standing on the floor. he loves to crawl up the slide and go down on his belly. he's a bundle of energy and needs almost constant stimulation.

he's still mr. serious. he does laugh and play and have fun, but he is often pensive and stares at everyone and everything. he throws tantrums often and fights to get his way. he can be found doing something naughty 9 times out of 10. he knows "no" and disregards it with twinkle in his eye. he's trouble, but still sweet and loving. open mouth kisses, soft hugs, and hair petting...he does know how to be nice.

he's a little boy now. searching the world, finding his place. testing the waters and the boundaries. i'm just trying to keep up.