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.