Watch Her Grow...

This Week's Focus: Practical Life

 
Interactions with Materials

• We are still doing lots of pretend play.  Her baby doll loves to go potty, play ball, eat, go on errands, and even nurse! This morning I ate breakfast at the table with her baby while she ate at the counter.  But, she does let me know when her baby is not happy- she's developed a high-pitch cry for the baby.
• She has continued to enjoy loading and unloading bags, baskets, and boxes.  This activity alone can keep her interested for several minutes.
• I think she has started to want to work with real books over board books.  She seems to have taken a keen interest in the correct way to turn pages.

Interactions with Others

• Q-ball is certainly trying to exert power over others. At the end of church last week, Q-ball stood at the door and pointed for everyone who passed to get out.  A similar situation happened at the park, where she dominated the water fountain, shooing away any other thirsty tots. 
• It is interesting to watch her practice social norms like laughing or showing disappointment. When we read some of her books, she'll see something she thinks is funny and start laughing really loudly.  Or, if I do something she's not happy about (often...) she makes a little "oh..." sound.  I can only assume I do these things too- it's just interesting to see them mirrored. 

Critical Thinking

• I'm amazed at her memory and the connections she makes.  When we are out and about, she'll see something that will remind her of something we recently did and work to tell me about it.  At the grocery store, she saw a picture of a tractor and happily pointed it out and yelled "Daddy, Daddy, Daddy!" I think she was remembering last weekend's pumpkin patch and tractor ride.

Interactions with Life

• We've had some more major potty success.  Yesterday, Q-ball actually started to have an accident and then ran to her potty to finish.  Certainly not 100%, but we have the concept!

We are linking up with Vibrant Wanderings!  Check out what the other kiddos are up to!

Watch Her Grow...

This Week's Focus: Language

We've been doing lots and lots of climbing!

Interactions with Materials

• Q-ball has really started to like pretend play. The baby doll that Grandma and Grandpa gave her has been spending lots of time on Q-ball's potty.  Q-ball is even making the sign for potty the our verbal cue for pee for the baby.  She also has continued to enjoy the old computer keyboard and mouse that we gave her awhile ago.
• She has started to enjoy art more. She likes drawing with pens and pencils.  I have not done a good job of setting up an art area, so right now it seems colored pencils are everywhere, so this is certainly in the works for our next home. (Yes- we are moving in just about 2 weeks!)
• And, of course, we have continued reading!

Interactions with Others

• Yesterday at a neighborhood playgroup, we had one of our first breakdowns with other children.  Who knew that a slinky was really so cool?  All of the kids wanted it, but the stronger 3-year-old took it from Q-ball.  Many tears and screams ensued.  We eventually got the slinky back, but then it was time to go, and again giving up the slinky to its owner was very, very stressful!  Q-ball was not interested in making friends with any of the other kids involved in this stressful situation.

Critical Thinking

• She is continuing to practice speaking. She often attempts to imitate words that we say, repeating them over and over.  Additionally, she is clearly interested in new words. If I am reading a book and say a new word, Q-ball will often ask me to stop and repeat that word.

Interactions with Life

• We (finally) got around to getting Q-ball her own glass cup for drinking during meals.  As she had shown quite a bit of interest in drinking out of a cup, I thought she love it.  However, the novelty quickly wore off, and she began requesting her straw cup.  She has practiced a bit and is getting closer to mastering drinking from a cup.

We are linking up with Vibrant Wanderings!  Check out what the other kiddos are up to!

Our Fall Sensory Basket

   Fall offers such amazing and incredibly easy opportunities for sensory play for little ones! Because we had so much fun with the activity last year, I couldn't wait to pick up some gourds for Q-ball this season. In fact, I've been making several "field" trips to the grocery store throughout the week to let Q-ball explore their huge selection of pumpkins and squashes (really I've never seen so many, so I like to check it out too!)  It's closer and cheaper than the Children's Museum.  And, Daddy helped add a special addition to the basket by bringing back some pine cones from our recent vacation.  Q-ball has even added her own pieces as she picks out some fallen leaves during our time outdoors to bring inside.

   Here are the skills I've noticed Q-ball honing as she's been exploring her basket for the past two weeks:

• Touch:  With such differences among the gourds it's easy to explore different textures!
• Sound:  Q-ball is able to make the well-known crunchy leaves sound of fall when she is exploring the leaves.  And, like any good toddler, she has enjoyed rhythmically banging her gourds around the house. 
• Sorting/Counting: Q-ball has enjoyed counting the gourds and pine cones and carefully sorting them by placing them into a basket or placing them on a shelf.  At 18 months, she hasn't mastered numbers yet, but she chants a "nah-nah-nah" for "1-2-3."
• Sight:  Of course, fall is best known for it's variety of colors!  While sorting by color is something we have not mastered yet, she has certainly seen the contrast between the gourds.  
• Movement:  Q-ball loves moving!  Especially running and jumping! As with pretty much all of her materials, the gourds eventually made it into her wagon and joined her for circles around the house.
• Balance:  In addition to moving her gourds around the house in her wagon, she was been working on carrying the basket, full of gourds.  She really has to concentrate to ensure that nothing falls out of the basket.  If she continues to be interested in practicing balance, I plan on introducing pouring and having her carry her plate to the table.

Watch Her Grow...

This Week's Focus: Language
Here are Q-ball's 18 month stats:
24.8 lbs, about 65 (up from 23.5 lbs at 13 months)
33 in, about 80 percentile (up from 30.5 in at 13 months)  
She's obviously thinning out!  Her tummy is disappearing before my eyes, and it turns out she even has a neck under the baby fat!

Interactions with Materials

Listening to music at Oktoberfest.

She's starting to model for the camera.

• I've said before that Q-ball loved books, but in the past two weeks, she has set new reading records.  She has been able to sit and read the same book for 20-30 minutes.  At this time, I'm the one that needs the break, so we move to something different.  But, within a few minutes, she'll want to sit and read another book for just as long!  We've done this several times a day!  In fact, she walked out of storytime while signing "book."  The librarian was saying a few too many nursery rhymes and not reading enough, I guess!
• We introduced our Autumn sensory  basket with gourds and pinecones, and Q-ball has loved exploring it!

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Interactions with Others

• I think Q-ball has really made some gains with interacting with others. When we are at the library or the park, she always tries to initiate interactions with other little ones by handing them a book or a rock.  She's also much more eager to say hello and approach other little people.  I can't necessarily say the same for adults, but maybe soon.
• Q-ball is baby crazy!  She started saying "baby" a few days ago, and now says it constantly.  Most books we are reading are about babies, and she loves looking for babies when we go out.  This morning someone passed her and said, "Hello, baby!"  Q-ball started looking about for the baby.  Apparently, the passerby did not realize that Q-ball is a toddler.

Critical Thinking

• She seems to really be near a little language explosion. I thinks she's saying a new word every day.  We seem to be up to almost 10 words.

Interactions with Life 

• Biggest potty learning success yet happened yesterday! She peed in the potty! She was very excited to get to wipe and flush just like grown-ups. Since this happening, she seems more eager to sit on the potty and keeps looking inside the potty to see if it's full- even if has hasn't been sitting on it...

 We are linking up with Vibrant Wanderings.  See what the other kiddos are up to here! 
To see the rational and purpose for the Watch Her Grow series, please check out this post!

Less Words Wednesday: Socks

  When we are just hanging out at home, Q-ball is typically minimally dressed.  Frankly, thanks to potty learning, she's typically not dressed at all.  So, we really haven't bothered with socks since the newborn phase.  But, lately there's been a chill in the area (ok, it was 60...), so I decided we needed socks!  Q-ball found the Thomas the Train socks at the store and has been very proud to wear them ever since.  She runs around the house (carefully, of course- socks, we've discovered, are slippery!) saying "choo-choo" and making her version of the sign for train.

Still a little groggy. No one likes pictures when they first wake up!

Awake enough to show off her socks.

Watch Her Grow- 18 Months!

This Week's Focus: Likes and Dislikes

This past week, Q-ball hit the 18-month milestone!  As usual, we'll be going to the doctor about a week or so after the day, so height and weight info is forthcoming. To celebrate (and to meet my goal of up-dating the baby book...) I thought I'd change up this week's update.  

 We are blessed to have a very happy baby!  I'd plan to list "likes" and "dislikes" today, but I realized that Q-ball pretty much rolls with the punches, and I couldn't think of many dislikes!

Q-ball likes... 

• Bicycles
• Airplanes- we just got back from an airplane trip where she was excited to say we were going, "up, up, up!"
• Any type of moving- dancing, running, jumping
• Washing machines and dryers
• Pretending to type on keyboard (and sometimes trying to work her way to the actual computer.)
• Barnum, the cat
• Nursing (she's gotten quite verbal about this request now, often chanting "ma..ma...ma..." while running around the house)
• Trains
• Old MacDonald (she's nearly mastered E-I-E-I-O!)
• Jokes!  Her personality is really coming out, and she loves playing jokes on us!
• Roughhousing with Daddy
• Going to the park, especially if there is a slide!
• Meat- who knew this vegetarian would have a kid that could probably eat more meat than Daddy!

 We are linking up with Vibrant Wanderings.  See what the other kiddos are up to here! 
To see the rational and purpose for the Watch Her Grow series, please check out this post!

Less-Words Wednesday: Ah, Fall..

We just returned from a wonderful vacation where Q-ball was able to expereince a bit of an actual Autumn. 

Coming home is hard!

Disequilibrium at the Half-Year

   As Q-ball very quickly approaches 18 months of life, I am reminded of what I consider to be yet another fascinating observation by Gesell. 
    By observing over 10,000 infants and children, Gesell concluded that all children go through predictable stages of development, but the timing (starting points and length) are specific to each child.  The stages are composed of periods of equilibrium  and disequilibrium.  As you may imagine, the periods of disequilibrium can be tough on the child. Rapid growth and development can lead to issues with eating, sleeping, and behavior.  Consequently, these times can also be rough on parents.  And guess what Gesell's first period of disequilibrium is?  18 months!  
     As you can see in the diagram below, Gesell's stages of development progress in a spiral pattern- the periods of disequilibrium happening around the half-year and the periods of equilibrium occurring at the year mark.    

Photo credit: centerforparentingeducation.org

    So, what behaviors can I expect around this time period?

• Difficult, impatient (occasionally)
• Frustrated when she can’'t communicate, cries or tantrums when not understood (I can see the frustration, but luckily we don't have too many tantrums.)
• Can'’t make body do what she wants (I really haven't observed this.)
• Can'’t do what she is asked, if she doesn't ’want to do it (Hmm....this is an interesting idea. I've always thought of reluctance to do something you don't want to do as a choice. I certainly see that she is starting to exert her opinions about what we do and don't do.)

  If your child is hitting a "half-year" and you've noticed some out of character behaviors, don't despair!  He'll will swing back to equilibrium in no time!

Source:
Halverson, L.& Guddemi, M. (2008). Stages of development: Ages 2 to 7.  Retrieved from http://www.gesellinstitute.org/pdf/AgesAndStagesHandout.pdf
Understanding your child: A development point of view. (n.d.) The Gesell Institute. Retrieved from http://www.gesellinstitute.org/pdf/DevelopmentalPOV.pdf