Wesley's Tot School (27.5 months)

We had a fun week with many great activities. Letters and numbers continue to be big hits this week. We also had a lot of Halloween fun.

Wesley got out these fraction puzzles and enjoyed putting them together on multiple days. At first he used his hands, but then, "OH! I HAVE A GOOD IDEA!" (cue the pitter patter of feet running to his truck bin). He could pretty consistently identify which piece went into the whole/half/third/quarter section, but he would often turn the piece pointing out, or a more common  mistake was to have it on it's side...the dimension (laying flat) was the hardest part for him.

We went to our park and raked leaves on a couple of occasions. It was so fun! He really liked it when I'd make a big pile of leaves that he could then rake away. New meaning to the phrase "rake a pile of leaves".

Our friend Liz at Harpsichordian knitted legwarmers for Wes when he was a little guy, and a hat that fits him this season. When I told Wes that, he said he'd like to learn to knit, too. I saw this little weaving loom and picked it up for him. We enjoyed working together to pull the loops across. I imagine it will be a couple years at least before we can fully weave something, but it was good precision work.

And there was jack-o-lantern making...

Drawing the face

"scooping guts!"

Matching starting letters is now very easy and seems less exciting to him this week, so we have moved on to ending sounds.

After playing the ending sounds matching game a couple of days, Wesley's ability to hear the ending sound of words took a huge leap. At first it seemed like he didn't understand what I meant by ending sound, but after just a couple days he could hear words much better. 

I just choose random objects within reach and "magenta pick-up truck" delivered them on the ABC road to their ending sound, per the telephone request of Ankylosaurus (Anky for short) and Antelope (pictured below). This pic is of him delivering a bolt at the start of our play session when we were doing first sounds...

This puzzle was a hit this week and got a lot of play, though less as a puzzle and more as a prop for word building and "starts with" thought experiments...

He liked making words with the letters, and is starting to hear some word sounds that are not beginning or ending sounds if we say the word slowly.

I love how it's his little guy (Dark) who unloads the pick-up and returns the letters to their spots...

Brother Bear, looking at phonics blend cards...

Wesley became really excited about "Marker-y Time!". That basically means tracing worksheets in a page protector (so we can do them again). We haven't done tracing for awhile, and his motorskills have dramatically improved since we last did it. He can trace on letters and numbers so that they are recognizable. He loves this work.

I have a "Get Reading for Pre-K" binder I bought at Costco with a bunch of activities, which is great, because it would have been unlikely for me to be able to find and print all the stuff in there. Wes likes flipping through it and choosing a page.

I love it when Wesley serves me tea. Today he was more interested in filling up the sugar with water and pouring it into the teapot. It is challenging to pour from a container that has no spout, which I think is why he liked it as he's not as challenged as he once was by the teapot or creamer.

My mother-in-law brought back this amazing Van Gogh memory game for Wesley from a trip she took. It's a stunning game involving matching Van Gogh's paintings. Wesley was up for matching them, but didn't like the memory component of flipping them over. We may have started with too many pairs (too hard or confusing), or he may not have been interested at that time. I am sure he will be, though. I love this set!

We collected leaves to make a leaf identification book. They are pressing now. Wesley routinely asks "what's the name of this leaf" on walks, so we better study up.

We also did some pumpkin printables from the pumpkin pack at 1+1=1. He liked the letter maze best and asked to do more like it. (which I need to try and find). He followed the numbers from pumpkin to pumpkin, making sure not to mark any letters. He could identify letters vs. numbers, but I had to help him with the concept of a connected path. So we filled in gaps by my asking "is this a number? how about this one?", etc.

Visit the other great blogs at 1+1=1 for other Tot School fun...

27 months

Wesley is 27 months old. 

He makes us laugh, sometimes because he's trying to be funny, and sometimes just because what he says is so surprising we can hardly believe it. There is so much surprising cuteness at this age.

He is very friendly and talkative. If someone says hi to us when we are out and about, he is quick to start chatting them up which is surprising to many adults. Sometimes they can't understand everything he's saying, but he is quick to engage in conversation with them.

Wesley is a Strider Biking Wiz. It is a pedal-less bike on which Wes glides down the road. He's so fast--he can easily outpace us, which allows us to cover more distance around town. It's lightweight and he can move it around with ease. I am shocked at the kids of bumps and uneven roads he can manage. We stride up the streets noting the model and make of the cars we see.

Conversation

Man pruning hedges: Nice bike.

Wesley (stops bike): It's a Strider Bike. (Runs his finger along word Strider slowly saying) s-t-r-i-d-e-r bike. It doesn't have any pedals. I just use my feet. I like my Strider bike. I go fast. Just no pedals. I go all the way to town. I saw the boats. Then I come back. Sometimes my tire get dirty. This is my Strider bike. It's blue.

Man (surprised look): Oh, yes

I can't remember the rest of the conversation, but Wes kept talking for maybe three more minutes before we moved on. So sweet and ready to engage.

And, when you miss your Strider bike ride...a tunnel will do.

His imaginary and "real" world experiences still blend seamlessly. The stories he tells are often surprising, though filled with familiar characters (trucks, construction equipment, planes, various animals). He also really likes to explain how things work, or what happens detail by detail, play by play (which I find adorable).

Conversation 1:
Wes: "And I saw a Camero. It was a convertible! It put down the roof and then it was a shiny Porsche convertible!"
Me: "You mean it transformed into a Porsche?"
Wes: "Yes!" (then proceed to repeat the same explanation about it formerly being a Camero)

Conversation 2:
::Looking at the globe::
Me: And that big country there is Russia
Wes: Russia! I used to live in Russia. I had just a little bit of food and water.

Conversation 3:
"This is Emily's coal. You put the coal in the steam engine and burn it to give energy to make it go. Steam comes out the smokestack"

One interesting development is that when we tell Wes he can't do something, he says, "I read the instructions..." and then it seems like he wants to change what the instructions said to make them in his favor, but he doesn't quite know how to lie yet. I told him that he was only allowed to have one vitamin because that's what the instructions was healthy for a kid of his age. He'll ask for another vitamin throughout the day and say, "I read the instructions...", or he'll ask for various things he wants and say the same.

Tea Time
We've had some lovely tea parties. Wes is so careful in his pouring and has gotten to the point where he will very rarely overflow our cups. "Would you like some cream in your tea?". Why yes, thank you, Wesley.

Brotherhood
Life with a little brother is a big adjustment. Wes is often very sweet with Sabien. There is also a hearty dose of stress and jealousy around the situation, but we'll focus on the sweetness for now.

Sabien loves watching Wesley.

Wes loves his train set. They are trains that go with Thomas the Train, so they all have names, "That's Thomas. He's the Little Blue Steam Engine that Could"

Construction site matching letters game.
Matching the letters is easy for him, but he really loves it. It's good coordination practice as he backs up his dump truck and dumps the load. It was very fun and good practice for starting sounds and quick letter identification. He would fill up his dump truck at the work site, and then deliver the load to the appropriate letter. We also play the same game with the front loader.

Wes has started reading Sabien's baby books. He runs his fingers across the big, bold words and "sounds them out", saying them very slowly. He has also started noticing more letters in words on the page when we read to him. He will read us books that he has memorized. He has all of the little turns of speech, each word exactly committed to memory. I love it when he reads me books.

Grandma D has been coming over every Saturday to spend the afternoon and evening with us. We have enjoyed her company, and she and Wesley have been having so much fun together. They like to go on adventures around town. Wesley even lets her read books to him and put him to bed. It is very sweet, and we are fortunate to have the help on one of Casey's long work days.

Despite the fact that our house often looks like a tornado wreck, there is so much orderliness in Wesley's play. Trains line up precisely. Cars do, too.

And Oma came to visit which was great fun as always.

Numbers

Wesley has an increased interest in numbers. He can now count up to six. I think he understands the one to one correspondence of numbers 1-3, but not higher. Meaning he can point to objects and count three, recognizes when he sees one-three dots, etc. 

Potty Time
Wesley has basically home daytime potty trained himself this month, at least for now. He has worn mostly underwear at home for the last few weeks, at his request. Grandma M had sent some cool underwear a couple months ago. He was interested in them for awhile, inconsistently, and then all of a sudden he decided he wanted them.

At first he had a few accidents, then just with number two, or would ask for a diaper when he knew he had to go. But now he is going consistently on the potty all day long. I rarely ask him if he needs to go, but he tells me and then wants help and company.

We have been putting a diaper on him when we go out of the house, for our ease. However, we've tried a few outings with undies, because he has started saying he wants to wear his underwear out, too. I just have to remember to ask him when he comes back home, or else he'll have been holding it, but forget to go on the potty. It definitely adds a challenging element when I'm out with the boys on my own, so we stay close to home with just the three of us and underwear.

I'm glad he decided he wanted to on his own, because I certainly didn't know how I'd increase his interest beyond what it has been (spotty) at various points. Also, it's really hard to change a diaper with a baby in the carrier, but not so hard to pull down pants for the potty.

Adventure Update

Casey comes home tomorrow at dinnertime. It feels so good to say that.

He was able to call Tuesday via the emergency satellite phone that staffers are basically never allowed to use. It really helped to hear his voice, to have Wes hear his voice. I am so glad I answered the phone! Wes walked over to me as I was making breakfast and started saying "da-da-da" and then I could hear the faintest ringing from the phone on the bookshelf. With a massive surge of adrenaline, I dashed over in a slight panic and caught it just in time. I doubt I would have heard it if it hadn't been for Wes.

The days have gone pretty well, considering. Wes asks about Daddy a lot and usually gets quite upset about his whereabouts at least once or twice a day. Big breakdowns. He kisses his picture throughout the day and carries around the Magnadoodle when we draw Daddy on it. Wes has started calling every man we see "da-da". We watch the videos that Casey recorded for Wes. The video of him reading a book was a brilliant idea and works very well. Hearing his voice on the phone was helpful for both of us. I am thankful that Wes is old enough to be able to express that he is thinking about Casey when he is upset. It helped me to properly support him.

Night has been the most confusing for the little guy. Wes gets up each night for about an hour or an hour and a half which is extremely rare under normal circumstances. He bolts up in bed, looks around, says "da-da" then wants to get up. We then go to the living room where he intends to wait for Casey to come home, sometimes standing by the door. It's sweet and sad and happens at 2:30 or 3:30 AM. One night he went to sleep with a picture of Casey.

 I think Wes really missed Casey, but I think he felt connected to him via pictures and videos and Casey's things, so I don't think he felt abandoned and I don't think it'll have any lasting negative effects. I think we managed it well. This all sounds so sad, but actually, we did have a lot of fun these past nine days, too. We read a lot of books, played with water. We didn't go to town much, but we danced a lot and had slews of fun playtime. We saw friends and family which was really nice.

I feel disembodied right now. I can now feel tiredness creeping in now that the finish line is in sight. This family may have a very sleepy Saturday.

I can hardly wait for our family to be together tomorrow night. I am so excited for Casey to be home. For me and for Wes. I look forward to melting into his arms in that way which happens after long separations. Goodnight.

Full Range

I uploaded my pictures and was struck by these images. I like them side by side.

Wesley has a wonderfully silly, playful side...


and he is often focused and serious...



Unexpected Wonders

There have been things I hadn't imagined about this first year of parenthood. It's hard to capture the feeling of all of them, but at I want to remember some. I couldn't have imagined:

1. How when Wes was first born, I didn't know how to hold him, was seriously perplexed as to how I could possibly position his body for breastfeeding, how I could move him from one side to the other. He was so tiny and fragile. I was truly confounded.
2. How easy it is to fall into deep sleep while nursing in the weeks after birth, even while sitting up.
3. How often Casey and I crack each other up when the baby had fallen asleep. This could be because he made a funny noise or face, or because one of us does something amazingly loud on accident. The harder it was to get the baby to sleep, the more likely we will have a laughing fit, it seems.
4. How often when we're trying to be reeeeally quiet, we end up doing something dramatically loud like kicking a pot across the floor or setting off a baby noisemaker.
5. How soon after the birth we felt the same as before in that we wanted to go out to restaurants and do our normal things, but that those desires just fade and change shape.
6. How sweet it is to have a baby wake up next to us and give smiles and a laugh that is brighter and more purely joyous than any I could have imagined.
7. How young Wes was when he got a sense of rhythm and enjoyed dancing to music.
8. How many silly faces I could make, effortlessly. I have never been one to be very ridiculous, but I surprise myself sometimes with how fun it is to dance like a fool and to make funny faces.
9. How little time there is to do anything except watch the baby.
10. How hard it can be to get yourself fed. Prior to having Wes I never understood people who would "forget" to have a meal, but I have been incapable of getting myself fed reguarly for much of the year.
11. How much I felt like I was in a cocoon after birth, not able to imagine beyond the immediate of our little sphere. I slowly emerged throughout the months.
12. How different my awareness is post-baby. I feel always partially conscious of Wes even when doing other tasks. At first this meant I was almost entirely unable to focus on a conversation, and felt like I wasn't making any sense, like I wasn't grounded in my mind/body during conversation. Also, in any room with cross-conversations going on, I'd feel crazy, unable to focus, and slightly overwhelmed in the chaos. My ability to talk to others has returned, but I am more sensitive to chaotic environments than I used to be. Prior to parenthood I never had trouble focusing on conversations even in a busy environment, though I did have trouble studying with music playing...
13. How Wes senses our presence. As an infant he'd start nursing in his sleep when I entered the room. Or he smiles when Casey comes home. Frequently he wakes up (briefly) about a minute or two before Casey pulls into the driveway at night, as if he senses his approach.
14. How confusing it is to know what to do with a colicy baby--and the answer is, there's not much you can do except be there for them.
15. How newborns sleep with their eyes open, half open, or opening and closing.
16. How little some babies like to be swaddled.
17. How much I would want my mom nearby.
18. How thankful I am for Skype.
19. How quickly babies go through phases. What Wes loves one week, what works for him one week, will not necessarily work the next, it is a constant dance of adjustment, of cues and response and connections and attention.
20. How quickly I lost the baby weight, but how different both my body perception and my actual body is than before.
21. How it's hard to imagine Wes at his next big milestone (pushing up, sitting, crawling, walking), and just how amazing it looks when it arrives, how unbelievably cute he is when he is doing a new skill.
22. How special it is to see all the tiny nuances of change on a daily basis.
23. How impatient I can be. I have always thought of myself as a patient person, but I have been to my limits this year in ways I had not anticipated.
24. How patient and present I can be. I have spent much of the year giving, being in synch, and sharing with a third person this year (the second being Casey).
25. How loud the world is. I cringe and suffer lawn mowers, slamming doors, sirens, loud trucks and motorcycles, teenagers, barking dogs on walks with my sleeping baby or was-drifting-off-to-sleep baby.
26. How parenthood takes growing into and it's a 'learn on the job' kind of thing. So, our parents had to figure it out as they went along, too. They weren't experts. And the baby keeps changing, so there is always something new. As a parent I'm always trying my best to handle something I haven't dealt with before.
27. How parenthood has accentuated my strengths and my weaknesses--thrust them into the spotlight.
28. How parenthood makes me want to be a better person.
29. How we will all give our children psychological complexes of some sort or another. So, I will apologize in advance, try to work to be a better person myself, and try to give Wes the best tools possible.

Additional things about Wesley in his first year that I'd like to remember:

1. How after he was born he inched his way bit by bit from my tummy up to latch on without assistance, just little head movements and scoots and he found his own way.
2. How for his first two weeks he'd make little oinking pig noises when he was hungry, rooting for food.
3. How much he has loved books this year. The books have changed throughout the year, but he's always adored them.
4. How much he wanted to be a part of the world, wanted to see what was going on, be part of the action.
5. How strong his neck was and how much he wanted to stand up very early on (like before 6 weeks).
6. How exuberant he is--full of loud squeals and talking.
7. How when he gets excited his entire body tenses, his legs and arms straighted straight out.
8. In the later months, how he clings on to me like a little lemming with his arms and legs. This is especially true when I am holding him on my hip, I think sometimes if I let go, he'd still be hanging on.
9. How playful he is, how he can laugh so hysterically if you keep doing the same 'funny' thing over and over, until you couldn't possible have the energy to do it one more time...
10. How aware and alert he was from very early on.
11. How he pushes himself to the point of frustration in order to overcome barriers.
12. How he multi-tasks with an easy (like spinning his music wheel) and a difficult task (like a puzzle) in order to manage his frustration with the difficult task.

There are a million other little things I wish I could capture and keep so that I can remember. And, so that one day, when Wesley wants to know, he can have bits of information with which to imagine himself so young. But I can't document it all, so some will fade away and some will live in differen't people's memories, getting rehashed and reshaped throughout the years because that's how life goes...

So for now, I'll end this list and say, this has been an amazing year. Truly transformative. It has been so challenging and rewarding and beautiful which sounds cliche but is true.

First year of parenthood complete. Many more adventures ahead/currently in progress.