Over the weekend, we decided it was time for Daniel to "make friends" with a potty chair. We bought a potty chair and a potty seat that fits on the regular toilet at Babies R Us ("baby store!"). Daniel is well pleased. He enjoys "sit on potty" and even enjoys looking at a book while on his new throne. After he sits on the potty, he's rewarded with a single square of toilet paper which for several months has been only available to people who use the potty.
We also found a book on potty training, a caddy for books and a copy of "Once Upon a Potty". We have a ways to go before training starts in earnest. The good news is that Daniel is interested and comfortable with some of the equipment.
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
Friday, February 24, 2012
Soda & Fries
Daniel had his first sip of soda today - while I was preparing a PB sammich for him in the kitchen, he snatched my Diet Coke fountain drink off the dining room table. When I came back into the room to put him in his chair, he was slurping happily away. Finally! The forbidden fruit, that which Mommy & Daddy won't let me have! When he saw me, he offered it right up and said, "soda?"
Along these lines ("forbidden fruit"), it should also be noted that at 26 months, Daniel already recognizes the McDonald's logo, he knows they're the "gol-den arches," and he knows that's where french fries come from. Neither Christy or I have taken him there, yet, but he has visited once or twice recently with the elder Tidds, and it stuck. Behold, the power of McD's fries... and branding! Our 2 yr old isn't forming complete sentences yet, but he knows where to get the fries.
Along these lines ("forbidden fruit"), it should also be noted that at 26 months, Daniel already recognizes the McDonald's logo, he knows they're the "gol-den arches," and he knows that's where french fries come from. Neither Christy or I have taken him there, yet, but he has visited once or twice recently with the elder Tidds, and it stuck. Behold, the power of McD's fries... and branding! Our 2 yr old isn't forming complete sentences yet, but he knows where to get the fries.
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
Toddler Chef
Over the weekend, we visited IKEA to redeem a gift card we'd received. After lunch, we gravitated toward the kid's area and watched Daniel play with the race track and play kitchen. We came home with two boxes full of kitchen assembly bits, felt food, pots 'n' pans, and kid-sized utensils. Daniel has been tossing stuffed fruits and veggies all over the living room for days.
Yesterday, my plan was to start building the kitchen while Daniel was napping. I figured I'd wait for Jarl to get home if I found I needed another pair of hands. Well, Daniel didn't nap. He chattered away in his crib for nearly 3 hours. And, I managed to assemble the bottom part of the kitchen unassisted. I rescued Daniel from his crib and asked that he not walk off with hardware and tools while I built the top of the kitchen. Luckily, Jarl arrived shortly after that to maintain a Daniel-free perimeter.
Daniel spent the evening turning the "burners" on and off ("Grocery store!" because the burners look like glowing, red Target logos), filling/emptying/removing the sink, throwing felt "food", and piling toys in the cabinets and microwave ("Microphone!" starts the same). The kitchen withstood the test beautifully. I am well pleased!
In other news, I realized I forgot to mention one of Daniel's word games. He's playing around with possessives and it goes something like:
D: Mommy's fries!
Me: Right! Your fries are on your plate.
D: Daddy's fries!
Me: <wait for it>
D: Daniel's fries!
This game works with lots of things: books, pens, water, beds, cups...
Yesterday, my plan was to start building the kitchen while Daniel was napping. I figured I'd wait for Jarl to get home if I found I needed another pair of hands. Well, Daniel didn't nap. He chattered away in his crib for nearly 3 hours. And, I managed to assemble the bottom part of the kitchen unassisted. I rescued Daniel from his crib and asked that he not walk off with hardware and tools while I built the top of the kitchen. Luckily, Jarl arrived shortly after that to maintain a Daniel-free perimeter.
Daniel spent the evening turning the "burners" on and off ("Grocery store!" because the burners look like glowing, red Target logos), filling/emptying/removing the sink, throwing felt "food", and piling toys in the cabinets and microwave ("Microphone!" starts the same). The kitchen withstood the test beautifully. I am well pleased!
In other news, I realized I forgot to mention one of Daniel's word games. He's playing around with possessives and it goes something like:
D: Mommy's fries!
Me: Right! Your fries are on your plate.
D: Daddy's fries!
Me: <wait for it>
D: Daniel's fries!
This game works with lots of things: books, pens, water, beds, cups...
Thursday, February 16, 2012
Fun & Games
Bedtime was a traumatic battle of wills tonight. Daddy reports that nap time led to a similar battle. So while soaking in a hot tub while my son screamed himself to sleep, I thought about the games Daniel enjoys. Many of these have been documented in previous posts, but they are still favorites.
What Are You Doing?
This game is initiated with the question "what-r doing?" (months ago the question was simply "doing?"). I reply with whatever I happen to be doing: driving the car, making dinner, trying to have a conversation with your dad, sitting with you while you fall asleep, etc. Then ask Daniel, "What are you doing?" His reply is invariably "speaking." To which I respond by asking "Are you speaking with me? Oh wonderful! I love speaking with you."
Dark Here
To play this game, we need to go some place dark. Daniel's bedroom closet is an ideal spot but under a blanket or behind a hat works too. Participants are not all required to be in the dark place simultaneously and after Daniel proclaims "Dark here!" your role in the game is flexible. You can:
a) agree that it is "Dark here"
b) find another location where it is dark
c) revisit the original location
Name That Tune
Daniel sings the first words (or word) of a song and you guess it and continue singing. He particularly likes to sing "whennnnn" because this word could be the beginning of the "Fireman Sam" theme ("when he hears that fire alarm...") or "When You Wish Upon a Star". If you guess incorrectly, Daniel will sing a few more words to clarify. If you pause, he will often sing the next few words.
Jump On Bed
Pretty self-explanatory - Daniel jumps on Mommy and Daddy's bed. If you help him to jump higher, great. If you sing "see how I'm jumping, jumping, jumping", awesome. The key to this game appears to be never ending it. Daniel often requests a round of "Jump on bed!" while Jarl and I are finishing our dinners. If we explain that we're still eating or trying to talk or just don't feel like jumping, the volume of the request is increased. Sometimes tears are added or he will ask another person - if he started with Mommy, he'll move to Daddy and pull you room-ward.
Grocery Store
Daniel makes many trips to the grocery store. Usually we shop at Target because it has groceries, diapers, inexpensive clothing in one convenient location. Daniel points out the Target logo wherever he sees it: a sign in the parking lot, flyer in the mail, box of raisins, saying "grocery store". When we get in the car and the destination is unclear (or sometimes even if it's been announced), he will recommend that we go to "grocery store".
What Day Is It?
Our weeks follow a general pattern:
Mondays - Daddy is in class and Mommy is home
Tuesdays - kid gym
Wednesdays - Grandma & Grandpa Tidd visit
Fridays - music class on Fridays
Sundays - breakfast at a restaurant
Daniel likes to ask about certain activities and hear when they will happen. For instance, "Mu-sik class?" is answered with "We'll have music class on Friday. That's next week/tomorrow/in a few days." Once the time frame is established, Daniel will confirm additional details of said activity. "Mu-sik class" is coupled with "Pizza!" because we pick up pizza after class. "Grandpa Tom" may be combined with "French fries" or "Museum" or "G-P-S!"
What Are You Doing?
This game is initiated with the question "what-r doing?" (months ago the question was simply "doing?"). I reply with whatever I happen to be doing: driving the car, making dinner, trying to have a conversation with your dad, sitting with you while you fall asleep, etc. Then ask Daniel, "What are you doing?" His reply is invariably "speaking." To which I respond by asking "Are you speaking with me? Oh wonderful! I love speaking with you."
Dark Here
To play this game, we need to go some place dark. Daniel's bedroom closet is an ideal spot but under a blanket or behind a hat works too. Participants are not all required to be in the dark place simultaneously and after Daniel proclaims "Dark here!" your role in the game is flexible. You can:
a) agree that it is "Dark here"
b) find another location where it is dark
c) revisit the original location
Name That Tune
Daniel sings the first words (or word) of a song and you guess it and continue singing. He particularly likes to sing "whennnnn" because this word could be the beginning of the "Fireman Sam" theme ("when he hears that fire alarm...") or "When You Wish Upon a Star". If you guess incorrectly, Daniel will sing a few more words to clarify. If you pause, he will often sing the next few words.
Jump On Bed
Pretty self-explanatory - Daniel jumps on Mommy and Daddy's bed. If you help him to jump higher, great. If you sing "see how I'm jumping, jumping, jumping", awesome. The key to this game appears to be never ending it. Daniel often requests a round of "Jump on bed!" while Jarl and I are finishing our dinners. If we explain that we're still eating or trying to talk or just don't feel like jumping, the volume of the request is increased. Sometimes tears are added or he will ask another person - if he started with Mommy, he'll move to Daddy and pull you room-ward.
Grocery Store
Daniel makes many trips to the grocery store. Usually we shop at Target because it has groceries, diapers, inexpensive clothing in one convenient location. Daniel points out the Target logo wherever he sees it: a sign in the parking lot, flyer in the mail, box of raisins, saying "grocery store". When we get in the car and the destination is unclear (or sometimes even if it's been announced), he will recommend that we go to "grocery store".
What Day Is It?
Our weeks follow a general pattern:
Mondays - Daddy is in class and Mommy is home
Tuesdays - kid gym
Wednesdays - Grandma & Grandpa Tidd visit
Fridays - music class on Fridays
Sundays - breakfast at a restaurant
Daniel likes to ask about certain activities and hear when they will happen. For instance, "Mu-sik class?" is answered with "We'll have music class on Friday. That's next week/tomorrow/in a few days." Once the time frame is established, Daniel will confirm additional details of said activity. "Mu-sik class" is coupled with "Pizza!" because we pick up pizza after class. "Grandpa Tom" may be combined with "French fries" or "Museum" or "G-P-S!"
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
Freedom, Horrible Freedom!
As of two years, two months & one day, Daniel has figured out how to escape his crib. He climbed out today.
The day was pretty high energy. First we went to his "My Gym" class, then we met his Mommy for lunch @ Mimi's Cafe.' He didn't eat a lot at lunch. When we came home, he was groggy, but decided he didn't want to nap. I left him in for an hour, and went in to check: poopie. After changing him, I put him back in the crib and reminded him it's naptime (which he never likes, honestly, but I don't like getting stiffed on his nap, either). I left him in his crib, and (according to standard operating procedure) resolved that if he stayed awake for another hour, I'd cancel the nap attempt. He must have been hungry, because he started calling out all different kinds of food, and finally ended up chanting (for some unknown reason): "Yellow Jello! Yellow Jello! Yellow Jellow!" ...and then... *CLUNK* *WAAAAAAAAH!* He boosted himself out of the crib and fell. Daddy just about had a heart attack. A brief review determined that he didn't appear to have seriously hurt himself, I think he clambered out on the lion and then fell from there. But I'm afraid the carefree days of "put him in his crib 'til he sleeps, don't worry" are over.
But the gym class must be working. It's only his second class, and already he's figured out how to climb stuff, mostly from watching other kids. The monkey is loose.
The day was pretty high energy. First we went to his "My Gym" class, then we met his Mommy for lunch @ Mimi's Cafe.' He didn't eat a lot at lunch. When we came home, he was groggy, but decided he didn't want to nap. I left him in for an hour, and went in to check: poopie. After changing him, I put him back in the crib and reminded him it's naptime (which he never likes, honestly, but I don't like getting stiffed on his nap, either). I left him in his crib, and (according to standard operating procedure) resolved that if he stayed awake for another hour, I'd cancel the nap attempt. He must have been hungry, because he started calling out all different kinds of food, and finally ended up chanting (for some unknown reason): "Yellow Jello! Yellow Jello! Yellow Jellow!" ...and then... *CLUNK* *WAAAAAAAAH!* He boosted himself out of the crib and fell. Daddy just about had a heart attack. A brief review determined that he didn't appear to have seriously hurt himself, I think he clambered out on the lion and then fell from there. But I'm afraid the carefree days of "put him in his crib 'til he sleeps, don't worry" are over.
But the gym class must be working. It's only his second class, and already he's figured out how to climb stuff, mostly from watching other kids. The monkey is loose.
Verb! That's What's A-Happenin'
Daniel is composing multi-word sentences and carefully considering his words. When he asked for more orange juice at dinner tonight, his request for orange juice illustrated this nicely:
D: Orange Juice!
Me: You would like some orange juice?
D: Eat...<think>...Drink! Orange Juice. Drink orange juice.
He's singing more and more. Added to the repertoire: "Peanut Butter and Jelly", "Sing a Song", "When You Wish Upon a Star", "Good-bye Song" (from My Gym), "Wash Wash Wash" (from Noodle and Doodle). With me, he sometimes sings to diffuse tension. If I'm getting irritated by his behavior or he doesn't feel part of a conversation, he'll start to sing the first few words of a song and pause to see if I'll pick up the melody.
D: Orange Juice!
Me: You would like some orange juice?
D: Eat...<think>...Drink! Orange Juice. Drink orange juice.
He's singing more and more. Added to the repertoire: "Peanut Butter and Jelly", "Sing a Song", "When You Wish Upon a Star", "Good-bye Song" (from My Gym), "Wash Wash Wash" (from Noodle and Doodle). With me, he sometimes sings to diffuse tension. If I'm getting irritated by his behavior or he doesn't feel part of a conversation, he'll start to sing the first few words of a song and pause to see if I'll pick up the melody.
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