Ellie's been collecting sounds over the last few months. Recently she added a cat's meow to the list. But honestly, it sounds like a pained cat...we think she's picking just the "owww" of the me-owwww.
Before it actually becomes a meow, we wanted to capture and share. As a bonus, you'll get to hear 3 of her other favorites....lion, elephant and dog.
Saturday, February 25, 2012
Friday, February 10, 2012
17 Months
Here we are again. Time for the monthly update. Let's see... big things for this month. 4 more teeth (all her "eye" teeth) broke through. So she's up to 16 teeth. Looks like a full set now. Her hair is loonnnngggg, like past her shoulders now.
Our first full month of ear tubes and we (the parents) love them! They have been wonderful and have given her a month without any ear infections. We hope this trend continues.
She's starting to remember little actions we show her. I ask her "How old are you?" She holds up her little pointer finger and says one. Papa Weitzel taught her the "Home Alone" face. So now when you ask, she'll go "ahhhhh" as she holds her face. I think what's most interesting about all this is that long term memory is coming on line. We might not do these tricks for days or weeks but she remembers what to do when prompted.
You can also see language comprehension really taking off. As we sing songs or read books, she'll act out words she recognizes. Like the word train. She'll make a "Choo-Choo"/engineer pulling the whistle gesture if she hears either the word or reference to train. She's also connecting to the characters in her favorite books. She know who's who and knows the sequence of the story. Her current favorites include: Story County, Bear's House, I Like it When, Eric Carle books (Brown bear, Brown Bear, Hungry Little Caterpillar, etc)
Language comes and goes. There will be days or weeks when she's trying new words and speaking clearly. Then all of a sudden it's like that system takes a break or something. The words seem less pronounced and she struggles with anything new. That's the kind of week we seem to having this week.
I have to say that I have had a successful month parenting a toddler. I have worked on showing more calm and patience with her fits and tantrums. I have also started to out smart her. I know she is seeking more independence and self reliance. So I have try to think of ways of giving it to her while maintaining the Alpha status between the two of us. For example, she has been very vocal and determined to decide what she eats. So rather than asking her what she's interested in, I pick out 2 things I'd be more than happy with her having and letting her decide. She gets to make a decision and I still oversee her menus. Go me! This parenting stuff isn't always very intuitive so I get excited by my parenting victories :)
Ellie's loves her dry-erase board!
Our first full month of ear tubes and we (the parents) love them! They have been wonderful and have given her a month without any ear infections. We hope this trend continues.
She's starting to remember little actions we show her. I ask her "How old are you?" She holds up her little pointer finger and says one. Papa Weitzel taught her the "Home Alone" face. So now when you ask, she'll go "ahhhhh" as she holds her face. I think what's most interesting about all this is that long term memory is coming on line. We might not do these tricks for days or weeks but she remembers what to do when prompted.
You can also see language comprehension really taking off. As we sing songs or read books, she'll act out words she recognizes. Like the word train. She'll make a "Choo-Choo"/engineer pulling the whistle gesture if she hears either the word or reference to train. She's also connecting to the characters in her favorite books. She know who's who and knows the sequence of the story. Her current favorites include: Story County, Bear's House, I Like it When, Eric Carle books (Brown bear, Brown Bear, Hungry Little Caterpillar, etc)
Language comes and goes. There will be days or weeks when she's trying new words and speaking clearly. Then all of a sudden it's like that system takes a break or something. The words seem less pronounced and she struggles with anything new. That's the kind of week we seem to having this week.
I have to say that I have had a successful month parenting a toddler. I have worked on showing more calm and patience with her fits and tantrums. I have also started to out smart her. I know she is seeking more independence and self reliance. So I have try to think of ways of giving it to her while maintaining the Alpha status between the two of us. For example, she has been very vocal and determined to decide what she eats. So rather than asking her what she's interested in, I pick out 2 things I'd be more than happy with her having and letting her decide. She gets to make a decision and I still oversee her menus. Go me! This parenting stuff isn't always very intuitive so I get excited by my parenting victories :)
Ellie's loves her dry-erase board!
Monday, February 6, 2012
Flinging Mom's Good Intentions
Picking Ellie up from school/daycare is always an interesting event.
We go through the initial euphoric excitment to be reunited. We hug, she shows me things in her classroom, we wash hands and then head for the car. As we walk the hallway from her side of the school to the front enterence, the euphoria starts to wear off and we begin to realize that it's been a long day for both of us.
It's become an expected routine to have a snack on the car ride home (which is about 10-15mins). First starting with a bottle of milk in the early months, to now something little like an applesauce crusher or some yogurt drops/puffs/animal crackers. (Ellie always seems starved on her school days although the teachers assure me she eats her full portions. So I figure it's just all the activity she's getting. Or just the anticipation of an established routine at this point). Either way, I faithly ensure I don't leave the house without something in hand to provide.
Ellie crushed this Mom's good intentions last Thursday though. We get in the car, she gets buckled into her car seat, I pour some puffs into a little bowl and proudly present them to her. She looks at me, she looks at the puffs and flings them towards the nearest door. As silly as it may be, I was hurt. She could have just shook her head and given her "noooo" like most other times. But to so coldly throw something I put effort into making sure she has on a regularly basis was just mean. It was like my love and good intentions were being flung.
A battle of wills ensued.
She wanted something else. I felt strongly that such behavior should not be rewarded in any way. So needless to say, it was a long car ride home. She whined and fake cried. I ignored (as best I could). Thank goodness Braden was home to receive both of us. It gave us some time apart and allowed for a reset.
Ahhhh... the joys of parenting a little human with 17 months of life experience.
We go through the initial euphoric excitment to be reunited. We hug, she shows me things in her classroom, we wash hands and then head for the car. As we walk the hallway from her side of the school to the front enterence, the euphoria starts to wear off and we begin to realize that it's been a long day for both of us.
It's become an expected routine to have a snack on the car ride home (which is about 10-15mins). First starting with a bottle of milk in the early months, to now something little like an applesauce crusher or some yogurt drops/puffs/animal crackers. (Ellie always seems starved on her school days although the teachers assure me she eats her full portions. So I figure it's just all the activity she's getting. Or just the anticipation of an established routine at this point). Either way, I faithly ensure I don't leave the house without something in hand to provide.
Ellie crushed this Mom's good intentions last Thursday though. We get in the car, she gets buckled into her car seat, I pour some puffs into a little bowl and proudly present them to her. She looks at me, she looks at the puffs and flings them towards the nearest door. As silly as it may be, I was hurt. She could have just shook her head and given her "noooo" like most other times. But to so coldly throw something I put effort into making sure she has on a regularly basis was just mean. It was like my love and good intentions were being flung.
A battle of wills ensued.
She wanted something else. I felt strongly that such behavior should not be rewarded in any way. So needless to say, it was a long car ride home. She whined and fake cried. I ignored (as best I could). Thank goodness Braden was home to receive both of us. It gave us some time apart and allowed for a reset.
Ahhhh... the joys of parenting a little human with 17 months of life experience.
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