Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Monday, September 14, 2009
Biting
The director at Brady's daycare center called me into the office this morning when I dropped him off. Apparently his biting has escalated (breaking skin) and he may be kicked out. Yay. I know the biting has increased recently, but I had no idea the bites were so severe. Seems one of the parents has called the licensing board, so the county is coming out to see what is happening. This is a new director and she is much stricter than the last (likely why there is a new director). Until now, no one has told me that 1) he's biting harder, and 2) he could be kicked out. In fact, I've been told he isn't really hurting anyone and that it was no big deal, just typical toddler behavior. He is biting when fighting over toys or when someone gets in his way on the playground. Also seems to bite more when over-stimulated and/or tired.
So, the director wants to move him into the two-year-old room starting today. She said that in her experience, biting can sometimes come with boredom. We're going to try it, but I think he bites more when over-stimulated, so lets throw him with with larger group of kids that are running, jumping, yelling, and months to a year older than he is, all day long! Yeah, that's going to help. To add to the fun, my job ends tomorrow and we are going to have to go to part time for as long as I can afford it. Maybe it is best to have all these changes happen at once, but I fear the biting will get worse before it gets better, which will likely mean he gets expelled. He's in the cheapest daycare center in the area right now, so there really is no where else to go after this unless I look for home-based daycare, which is not my preference.
Frustrated, upset, and worried.
So, the director wants to move him into the two-year-old room starting today. She said that in her experience, biting can sometimes come with boredom. We're going to try it, but I think he bites more when over-stimulated, so lets throw him with with larger group of kids that are running, jumping, yelling, and months to a year older than he is, all day long! Yeah, that's going to help. To add to the fun, my job ends tomorrow and we are going to have to go to part time for as long as I can afford it. Maybe it is best to have all these changes happen at once, but I fear the biting will get worse before it gets better, which will likely mean he gets expelled. He's in the cheapest daycare center in the area right now, so there really is no where else to go after this unless I look for home-based daycare, which is not my preference.
Frustrated, upset, and worried.
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Toddler Times
My vow to myself to update this blog more often apparently didn't work. So, here's a quick update and a bunch of pictures, with another vow to update more often in the future! Much easier and less overwhelming to do it more often. Not to mention, I won't forget half of what has been going on!
Words, Words, and More Words
Brady is an absolute chatterbox. Even though he is still only using single words (nouns), he jabbers constantly while playing and tries, sometimes unsuccessfully, to get Mommy to understand what he is saying. His favorites, of course, are all things transportation -- names and sounds. There is a play-by-play whenever we are in the car as he points and shouts car, choo-choo, truck, tractor, mo-mo (motorcycle), and bus, non-stop. For some reason, a cement mixer is ma-mo. I'm not even gonna consider why. His teachers at daycare think it is hysterical -- many cement trucks go by behind the playground -- since it sounds like "mama". And the kid can spot an airplane that is nothing more than a speck on the distant horizon that I have to squint to see. He used to call them choo-choos, but after my persistent prompting of "airplane", they are now known as "air-choos." Gotta get that on video.
Took this video almost two months ago. He is more articulate and even more enthusiastic now.
We've made great advances with "Mommy" although it took awhile, which I attribute to the fact that there is no one in the house calling me Mommy in front of him. I refer to myself as Mommy all of the time, but he still doesn't really get it. Since he has been home, I have guarded whatever drink I've had near me as he is reaching for it by saying, "No, that's Mommy's." Now, he points at every coffee cup, wine glass, or soda can and proudly yells "mommy!" So, next I tried pointing at myself (chest, cheeks, whatever) and saying "Mommy." Then he points at his chest, cheeks, whatever, and says "mommy." Poor confused kid. Just within the last couple of weeks, he has been playing a game where he points at something and I name it. So, we've been pointing at each other (and the cat or friends or pictures of people we know) and naming them. He now knows Mommy's name is Mommy. YAY!!! Still hasn't used it outside of the name game though. Baby steps.
Books, Books, and more Books
Brady LOVES books. I love that he loves books, but I'd also love it if I could go to the bathroom, just once, without the child trying to climb on my lap with a book in hand! His favorites are, naturally, anything about trains, trucks, tractors, airplanes, etc., however, he does have a few Elmo books, several Little People books, and a couple of animal books that he likes as well. If I pick up a book that he doesn't find interesting after looking at the cover or maybe by the first page, he'll grab it out of my hands, close it, say "night-night" to it, and fling it aside.
School Days
His Fall enrollment is complete and Brady is still lovin' daycare. I'm still reeling from having to re-enroll him, pay the enrollment fee, and filling out all 14-pages of the paperwork all over again for a child that has been attending the same daycare without interruption from the beginning! I just don't get it.
Emergency Room Visit #1
Why daycare has a huge sandbox where a gaggle of toddlers play and fling sand at each other is beyond me. I know the kids love it, but the teachers don't, and as a parent, I like it even less. I picked Brady up one afternoon from daycare while he was in the sandbox. He saw me, came running, but also started rubbing both eyes (something he was doing often), with sand-covered hands. About halfway home the screaming started. I tried to rinse his eyes out at home, but could tell that wasn't enough. I called my next door neighbor to drive us to urgent care (thank goodness she was home). The doctor at urgent care wouldn't even look at him and told me we should probably just go to the ER. Poor kid is screaming this entire time. Anyway, they confirmed he had minor abrasions on both eyes, then rinsed both eyes out using a nasal canula as a dripper and a liter of saline, then sent him home with antibiotic drops that I had to put in his eyes every four hours (when he was awake) for five days. That was fun. Fortunately, he was already scheduled two days later to see his ophthalmologist for a routine exam. She said his eyes looked fine and to stop the drops. Whew.
Since Brady loves his sunglasses and will wear them in the car and outside or just for fun, he now also wears them while on the playground at daycare. He has always been sensitive to having the sun in his eyes and rubbed them all the time. The sunglasses have really helped on both the sand and sun fronts. Given the extra brightness of the sun at this elevation (6,000 feet), this is actually a very good thing.
Cool kid pointing at the cars.
A Little OCD?
Brady certainly likes routine and especially having things in their place (except for his toys, of course, which can be all over the house). It is almost a little weird. If he sees my shoes in the hall, he takes them to the laundry room, he knows just which toy boxes certain toys go in (when asked to put them away), and when I move the trash can in my bathroom, he picks it up and puts it where it is supposed to be. He does this with everything! It is delightful in some ways, but should I be worried?!
The Work Front
Finally got the word about my job after our company was acquired last month: My job ends as of September 15th. They actually wiped out my entire department. Unfortunately, there isn't much out there in my field in this area right now. It's going to be very tight and I will need to find something fairly soon. I'm going to try to keep Brady in daycare part time for as long as I can for both of our sakes. I am actually looking forward to having some time off while the weather is still decent. I have several projects to complete yet: sanding and staining the deck, painting the front porch, etc.
Summer Activities
Cannot believe summer is over. It has been a strange one in Denver. Most afternoons have been cloudy and stormy, with several intense downpours and 3 tornado warnings. Only a few really hot days as well. Then we were in the direct path of the smoke from the LA wildfires and had several days of red-tinged air -- couldn't see the mountains for the thick haze and you could actually smell the smoke in the mornings. Very bizarre.
Brady found the nearly full box of swim diapers and put them to good use, since being in his little pool in the yard didn't happen very often.
We have had some fun outings, including a day at the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo in Colorado Springs, several single mom group get togethers, and a playdate with a pair of gorgeous Kaz girls. Coming up is Thomas the Tank Engine at the Colorado Railroad Museum and a weekend in Estes Park for the annual Fall Festival.
Checking out the wallaby at the zoo.
.JPG)
Gorgeous Kaz kids
Words, Words, and More Words
Brady is an absolute chatterbox. Even though he is still only using single words (nouns), he jabbers constantly while playing and tries, sometimes unsuccessfully, to get Mommy to understand what he is saying. His favorites, of course, are all things transportation -- names and sounds. There is a play-by-play whenever we are in the car as he points and shouts car, choo-choo, truck, tractor, mo-mo (motorcycle), and bus, non-stop. For some reason, a cement mixer is ma-mo. I'm not even gonna consider why. His teachers at daycare think it is hysterical -- many cement trucks go by behind the playground -- since it sounds like "mama". And the kid can spot an airplane that is nothing more than a speck on the distant horizon that I have to squint to see. He used to call them choo-choos, but after my persistent prompting of "airplane", they are now known as "air-choos." Gotta get that on video.
Took this video almost two months ago. He is more articulate and even more enthusiastic now.
We've made great advances with "Mommy" although it took awhile, which I attribute to the fact that there is no one in the house calling me Mommy in front of him. I refer to myself as Mommy all of the time, but he still doesn't really get it. Since he has been home, I have guarded whatever drink I've had near me as he is reaching for it by saying, "No, that's Mommy's." Now, he points at every coffee cup, wine glass, or soda can and proudly yells "mommy!" So, next I tried pointing at myself (chest, cheeks, whatever) and saying "Mommy." Then he points at his chest, cheeks, whatever, and says "mommy." Poor confused kid. Just within the last couple of weeks, he has been playing a game where he points at something and I name it. So, we've been pointing at each other (and the cat or friends or pictures of people we know) and naming them. He now knows Mommy's name is Mommy. YAY!!! Still hasn't used it outside of the name game though. Baby steps.
Books, Books, and more Books
Brady LOVES books. I love that he loves books, but I'd also love it if I could go to the bathroom, just once, without the child trying to climb on my lap with a book in hand! His favorites are, naturally, anything about trains, trucks, tractors, airplanes, etc., however, he does have a few Elmo books, several Little People books, and a couple of animal books that he likes as well. If I pick up a book that he doesn't find interesting after looking at the cover or maybe by the first page, he'll grab it out of my hands, close it, say "night-night" to it, and fling it aside.
School Days
His Fall enrollment is complete and Brady is still lovin' daycare. I'm still reeling from having to re-enroll him, pay the enrollment fee, and filling out all 14-pages of the paperwork all over again for a child that has been attending the same daycare without interruption from the beginning! I just don't get it.
Emergency Room Visit #1
Why daycare has a huge sandbox where a gaggle of toddlers play and fling sand at each other is beyond me. I know the kids love it, but the teachers don't, and as a parent, I like it even less. I picked Brady up one afternoon from daycare while he was in the sandbox. He saw me, came running, but also started rubbing both eyes (something he was doing often), with sand-covered hands. About halfway home the screaming started. I tried to rinse his eyes out at home, but could tell that wasn't enough. I called my next door neighbor to drive us to urgent care (thank goodness she was home). The doctor at urgent care wouldn't even look at him and told me we should probably just go to the ER. Poor kid is screaming this entire time. Anyway, they confirmed he had minor abrasions on both eyes, then rinsed both eyes out using a nasal canula as a dripper and a liter of saline, then sent him home with antibiotic drops that I had to put in his eyes every four hours (when he was awake) for five days. That was fun. Fortunately, he was already scheduled two days later to see his ophthalmologist for a routine exam. She said his eyes looked fine and to stop the drops. Whew.
Since Brady loves his sunglasses and will wear them in the car and outside or just for fun, he now also wears them while on the playground at daycare. He has always been sensitive to having the sun in his eyes and rubbed them all the time. The sunglasses have really helped on both the sand and sun fronts. Given the extra brightness of the sun at this elevation (6,000 feet), this is actually a very good thing.
Cool kid pointing at the cars.A Little OCD?
Brady certainly likes routine and especially having things in their place (except for his toys, of course, which can be all over the house). It is almost a little weird. If he sees my shoes in the hall, he takes them to the laundry room, he knows just which toy boxes certain toys go in (when asked to put them away), and when I move the trash can in my bathroom, he picks it up and puts it where it is supposed to be. He does this with everything! It is delightful in some ways, but should I be worried?!
The Work Front
Finally got the word about my job after our company was acquired last month: My job ends as of September 15th. They actually wiped out my entire department. Unfortunately, there isn't much out there in my field in this area right now. It's going to be very tight and I will need to find something fairly soon. I'm going to try to keep Brady in daycare part time for as long as I can for both of our sakes. I am actually looking forward to having some time off while the weather is still decent. I have several projects to complete yet: sanding and staining the deck, painting the front porch, etc.
Summer Activities
Cannot believe summer is over. It has been a strange one in Denver. Most afternoons have been cloudy and stormy, with several intense downpours and 3 tornado warnings. Only a few really hot days as well. Then we were in the direct path of the smoke from the LA wildfires and had several days of red-tinged air -- couldn't see the mountains for the thick haze and you could actually smell the smoke in the mornings. Very bizarre.
Brady found the nearly full box of swim diapers and put them to good use, since being in his little pool in the yard didn't happen very often.
We have had some fun outings, including a day at the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo in Colorado Springs, several single mom group get togethers, and a playdate with a pair of gorgeous Kaz girls. Coming up is Thomas the Tank Engine at the Colorado Railroad Museum and a weekend in Estes Park for the annual Fall Festival.
Checking out the wallaby at the zoo..JPG)
Gorgeous Kaz kidsWednesday, July 22, 2009
Meetcha Day
One year ago today, in a land far, far away, I looked into the sparkling eyes of one particular bouncing baby boy for the very first time. And then he giggled and spit-up all over me.
Except for the frequent spitting up part, he is still a sparkly-eyed, bouncing, giggly baby boy. Well okay, except maybe for that baby part. He has grown so much and so fast in the last year. Surreal still applies, especially when I look at the photos and videos from our bonding days. Is that really the same little boy that is tearing up the house now?!
7.5 months old
A few sweet moments while we were getting acquainted in Aqtobe.
A few recent photos of Brady in action.
My little guy loves to read books, especially if those books are about cars, trains, trucks, or tractors -- anything with wheels. Elmo is okay too, but Thomas the Train is even better.
Won't wear a hat when I put one on him, but he found this baby swim hat, put it on himself, and wore it for a good hour (in the house).
Faster! Faster! Brady giggled and giggled when his friend Brandon pulled him in his Megablock wagon.
We went to the park on the Fourth of July for the neighborhood celebration. They had a little petting zoo. Brady was afraid of the pony, the burro, the sheep, the goat, and the calf, but the bunny was okay for a couple of seconds.
Brady's love of trucks AND water -- what could be better?! He put this truck in the pool by himself.
I've been missing the simpler life in Kazakhstan rather intensely the last few weeks. No doubt it is because it is summer and this anniversary is upon us. The sweltering, quiet, and repetitious visits twice a day to the babyhouse, the creative meals and warm hospitality served up by Regina, the chuckles and smiles from our native Kazakh driver, Ceric, and the list goes on and on. It was a wondrous and life-changing journey. As stressful as the process and, initially, that first visit to Aqtobe was, I'd do it all over again, a thousand times, for the same result.
I'm SO glad I met you, one year ago today, in a land far, far away!
Except for the frequent spitting up part, he is still a sparkly-eyed, bouncing, giggly baby boy. Well okay, except maybe for that baby part. He has grown so much and so fast in the last year. Surreal still applies, especially when I look at the photos and videos from our bonding days. Is that really the same little boy that is tearing up the house now?!
7.5 months old
A few sweet moments while we were getting acquainted in Aqtobe.
What a difference a year makes!
A few recent photos of Brady in action.
My little guy loves to read books, especially if those books are about cars, trains, trucks, or tractors -- anything with wheels. Elmo is okay too, but Thomas the Train is even better.
Won't wear a hat when I put one on him, but he found this baby swim hat, put it on himself, and wore it for a good hour (in the house).
Faster! Faster! Brady giggled and giggled when his friend Brandon pulled him in his Megablock wagon.
We went to the park on the Fourth of July for the neighborhood celebration. They had a little petting zoo. Brady was afraid of the pony, the burro, the sheep, the goat, and the calf, but the bunny was okay for a couple of seconds.
Brady's love of trucks AND water -- what could be better?! He put this truck in the pool by himself.
I've been missing the simpler life in Kazakhstan rather intensely the last few weeks. No doubt it is because it is summer and this anniversary is upon us. The sweltering, quiet, and repetitious visits twice a day to the babyhouse, the creative meals and warm hospitality served up by Regina, the chuckles and smiles from our native Kazakh driver, Ceric, and the list goes on and on. It was a wondrous and life-changing journey. As stressful as the process and, initially, that first visit to Aqtobe was, I'd do it all over again, a thousand times, for the same result.
I'm SO glad I met you, one year ago today, in a land far, far away!
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