Friday, September 5, 2008

Chat 'n Play at the Library and Progress Report (long)

Today we went to our first Chat 'n Play at the local library. This is something, along with Mother Goose Time, that I have been wanting to do for some time. The programs just started back up since school is back in session so today was our first day. I wasn't sure what to expect so off we went. I was pleasantly surprised by the room we had to play in. There was a mat with lots of soft shapes to build things with, a tunnel to crawl through, cushions to tumble on, books and a rocking chair, a trampoline with handles for the child to hold on to, blankets with toys, tables set up with puzzles, ink stamps and paper, and my personal favorite, shaving cream. What a great idea. We smeared shaving cream on the table and used popsicle sticks to draw in it, and of course our fingers too!! It was loads of fun. Daniel played with several children and I got to talk to several moms and just be a regular mom myself. With me being the fabulous mother I am, I forgot my camera so at the end of the post you'll just have to settle for pictures from the other day!!

As for progress I thought I would try to list out some areas of improvement.

Attachment:

Just today at the library Daniel fell backwards on the mats where we were all sitting and right into another mother's lap. She instantly put her arms around him and swung him side to side being playful and he started arching his back pointing at me going, "Mama, Mama". They all thought it was sweet (and so did I), but also secretly I was cheering him for only wanting me. He also backs away from other women now when they want to hold him unless he knows them (family).

Speech:

"Fantastic" is his new favorite word and mine. He is starting to initiate conversation now for basic needs and to tell me something he sees. He still doesn't understand the concept of answering a question (just repeats the last few words I say), but we are working on it. Just today I pointed at something and said "How about that?" to which he repeated the same words perfectly! We also taught him how to ask for help with something by saying "help, please" instead of crying when he wanted something. Now he'll run around the house saying "help, please, help please." It's pretty amusing!! We are still working on colors and numbers but we think he's come a long way.

Potty Training:

We've just started and so far we are not getting anywhere very fast. He will go when we put him on the potty to which he gets an M&M, a sticker to put on his chart and he gets to (are you ready for this) flush the toilet. Flushing the toilet is great incentive. Of course the M&M seems more important because when I ask him if needs to go potty he instantly says "M&M?" Wish us luck!

Sleeping:

Still a good sleeper although we're figuring a few things out. The biggest thing is he hates to be woken up. Talk about not a morning person!! I only wake him up on the days I have to go to work and even then I try to bang around and make alot of noise so he'll technically wake up on his own. He likes to wake up and play then he's ready to get up. If he isn't totally awake and done playing when I go in there, he pretty much gives me the evil eye and crys when I take him out of the crib. I guess it's too bad for me, who is a total morning person!! His naps are getting shorter but still decent. I usually have a couple of hours to get a few things done in the afternoon.

Eating:

Hmmmm....this goes back and forth. Since trying the tea with milk I've been able to transition him to just milk at mealtime and he drinks it!! Although he drinks it slower than juice it still goes down and he tends to eat a little better. We still have days where he decides he doesn't like anything. We're also having days where he just wants to play with his food. I don't mind a bit of playing but lately he's been banging his fork alot and squishing his food up. Yuck!! Table manners are cinsidered an ongoing learning process and of course he is only 2!

So there it is! The update I've been wanting to post for a while but just had not gotten to it!
The pictures below are of Daniel on our new play toy that I picked up a yard sale for a whopping $10.00~~I was so excited to find it and couldn't believe the price when I saw it. I even had to go home, get Troys truck, go back load it up, tie it down, get it home, spray it off and then I put it back together again all by myself!! I don't think before becoming amom that I could have done all that!! It was worth all $10.00 and then some!!



19 comments:

Patti said...

What a great progress report! It's great to hear you are getting out with him in other social situations, and he's recognizing you as his mom - yay! We have the exact same playground slide. Now you've inspired me to update our blog (soon!).

Mama Fish said...

I LOVE the play gym for $10!!! That was such a steal and you will totally use it! Rachel what a great update on Daniel! I love to hear how he wants you and is hesitant of other women wanting to hold him. Good luck on the potty training! I waited until my boys were 3 and by then it went pretty smoothly. So take heart if he doesn't get it right away. He will! M&M's work great! :-)

Kim Abraham - Mom to the Fabulous Five! said...

Score on the playset! Sounds like Daniel is doing great! Your update makes me miss the library story hours.

And I 2nd Jackie's comment about waiting to potty train boys until age 3. We did that with our last two and one took a week, the other just one day!

Amy said...

Great yard sale score!!! I am proud of you for getting it all together. My cousin and I bought one for her kids this summer and had to have 3 guys help take it apart!!

Carey and Norman said...

Thanks for the progress report. I've been meaning to do one myself this week. Glad you got the ball rolling.

It sounds like Daniel is doing so well. I'm excited about your days off and these fun new activities. Too bad we don't live closer to each other. I'd enjoy spending time together like that too.

What a great buy on the play equipment. You got a steal!!

Sira said...

He is doing great!!! Love the attachment part. He loves his Mama. Everything else will fal into place. Potty training will come. My child pees off the back porch, what ya going do???

Susan said...

I'm so happy for you that you get to spend more time at home with Daniel. It sounds like your days are full with lots of fun stuff.

I love your yard sale find and it looks like Daniel is pretty fond of it too.

I tried Playdough with Artem and it was a no go. He didn't like the texture of it and much preferred to just put the lids on and off the container like Daniel.

Mary and Michael said...

Thank you for sharing that great update on Daniel. He seems to be settling in so well, I love that he knows his mama! What a wonderful find with that playset.

Shane & Marie said...

You got a great deal on that playset! The library sounds like it was so much fun. It sounds like he is doing well in all the areas. It also sounds like you are enjoying working part time.

Michael, Carrie, and S said...

That is awesome that you got that playset for such a good deal. It looks like he is really enjoying it! It sounds like he is doing great in every area! I'm impressed by his words and his potty training. That is great that he loves to flush and that it is a reward! :) I hope you all are doing well!

Kim said...

I know I am new here but I wanted to say that we are trying the potty training with our son too. He is 2 and we are doing the same plan - M&M's and flushing the toilet. We did the same routine with our older son (4) and he was potty trained before 3 so, that's the goal. :-) It is the greatest feeling in the world when our kids show signs of attaching to us. Way to go Daniel!

Kim

Joy said...

I think that the way a child looks for his Mommy is so special. Eat up every minute.
Joy

Becky and Keith said...

That little guy is just the cutest! GREAT deal on the $10 slide too - so good you are! Potty training is thrilling, isn't it? Andrew was talking in his sleep last night and said "1 M, 1 M" which means he was dreaming about going potty! :-) Daniel is doing so well... he has a great mommy and daddy!

Kevin T. said...

That is so cute how he was looking for his Mommy - That must be the most amazing feeling!
That is a great deal on the play set! He looks like he loves it - such cute pictures.
Tag sales are the best!

Tony and Dawn said...

That is one happy looking little boy! Our youngest love going to the flea market. We will usually give them like $5 each and they will walk away with an armful! If they destroy it, which they often do, no big loss. Glad to hear he is attaching. God Bless -

Gary & Rosalie Clute said...

Nicole got that exact same playset when she turned two (1994) and we still have it (now it is used as a pool slide). Victor uses it when he is in the pool.

DEFINITELY built to last and it even has been moved from Los Angeles to Orlando.

Dan and Alicia Marlowe said...

Gotta love those garage sale finds. My mom gave Dmitry just a slide a like that and we have already more than gotten our money out of that thing. I really relate to everything you said in the 'Speech' section. That is SO Dmitry. He blew me away last night. He showed me that he has the capacity for more language but the motivation needs to be strong enough. He LOVES popcorn and so after dinner last night he came into the kitchen and said, "foofee peas, mama? peas?" I about fell over. That was a lot of continuous verbage for my kid. He was asking "movie please mama, please?" because he knows that if we watch a movie (something he is totally NOT into) he'll get 'pakern' (something he totally loves)! Enjoyed your post!

junglemama said...

Sounds like things are going good. He is a cutie!

Chris said...

Glad you had fun at the library! The attachment progress is really encouraging. We went through the same things, and now our girls seem to be firmly attached to us, especially when they fall or bump into something, they come running for mommy.

Good luck with potty training! The M&M's sound like a good idea, along with the flushing.

Nice playset! What a deal!