project #3

One of Henry's favorite things to do is put things in and take things out. Doesn't really matter what the things are, as long as they have a container to fit them. Enter our latest project. This one is also great for fine motor skills. I gave him an empty minced onions container and some q-tips. Oh, happy day! He loves putting the q-tips through the holes one-by-one. We gave this to him on Sunday and now two days later, he's still coming back to it. I'm trying to think of something else that's skinny enough to put through the holes to add to his q-tip stash.

Oh, and the cutest part of all this is that he now tries to request a project but it turns out that word is really hard to say. It comes out something like, "pwagik." Adorable :)

we're still not sure how to feel about this...

BEFORE

AFTER

He's still the cutest boy in the world, but he just looks so old now!!!!!

projects

Each day Henry and I are going to (try to) do a project. At this age, my criteria for a project are that it needs to involve some sort of sensory experience, it needs to be hands-on, and at least part of the activity needs to be something he can do independently. When I first introduce the materials for a project, I don't do any instructing. So...no speaking and no demonstrating. I just let him explore. Sometimes this is hard because I just want him to figure out the point of the activity right away. My adult self gets in a hurry! But it's so much better to bite my tongue because often times he comes up with other purposes for the materials that I wouldn't have thought of. We usually do our projects in the kitchen because they are easier to clean up and I like to keep it separate from his other toys.

 

Yesterday's project went like this: I put out a bunch of kitchen utencils and three big bowls. I poured some dry macaroni noodles in each bowl and let him do the rest. He was completely fascinated for a solid 30 minutes. Stirring, pouring, and switching the noodles from one bowl to another. He was deep in silent concentration! After 30 minutes, he took a break to roam around the house which is when we ate lunch and then took naps. He came back to the projects after he woke up. Success!

 

Today's project was called Muffin Tin sorting. I took a few toilet paper tubes and cut them into shorter tubes. Then I put them in a large ziplock and set them next to the muffin tin on the floor. Henry is a kid who likes order, so I knew it would be best to have 12 tubes...one for each spot on the muffin tin. At first he wanted to dump the tubes out. Fine with me! Then he put them back in the bag. He wanted to shut the bag. I then realized he would likely get stuck on wanting me to open and close the bag because he loves to open and close things. So, I went ahead and put one tube into the muffin cup. He caught on right away and filled the rest of the cups one by one. Then he put each one back in the bag and started over again. He loved it! I watched the clock and this kept him busy for a good 20 minutes.

And, of course, everything gets flipped over and turned into a drum eventually :)

 

My plan is to drag out one of my fun containers from when I was teaching to store all these projects in, so that I can build up my stash. I'll let him play with the same ones for awhile and then pack them away for a bit so they seem new when I reintroduce them. The best part is that most of the projects are free because you just use stuff you have around the house. Though I guess you do have to adopt a bit of a hoarder mentality. Yesterday I stopped myself before throwing away an empty oatmeal container! Thanks to Pinterest, the ideas are endless. I can't wait for tomorrow's project because I have a good feeling he's going to love it. More to come...

Baby #2

See? Told you I'm big.

Hooray for almost being through the first trimester! It has been a lot the same as my first pregnancy with a few definite differences. With Henry, my nausea was mostly contained to the evenings. This time it's been more evenly distributed throughout the day. I also feel like I'm a lot more tired this time around but that probably has to do with the fact that I'm chasing a toddler around. Although, he's really good at playing by himself on those days when I just can't get off the couch. So, here's a little Q & A about this pregnancy...

When did you find out? July 18

How did you tell Dameon? We were both suspicious leading up to the actual positive test result. I didn't want to talk myself into it too much because I didn't want to be disappointed but right before I took the test I got extremely nervous and I just knew. It was positive right away! To say I was shocked would be an understatement. Just that rush of reality setting in comes with a lot of excitement and, at least for me, a lot of fear. I basically just walked into our bedroom with test in hand and said, "We're pregnant!" I think Dameon was equally shocked. But in a good way, of course!!

How far apart will the kids be in age? 2 years and 3 months. Perfect, I'd say!

Does Henry have any clue? No. Sometimes I'll say, "What's in Mommy's belly?" to which he always responds, "A button!" and then lifts my shirt to see my belly button. (Which, in case you're wondering, is already almost completely flat.) I don't think he'll really understand until the baby has been living in our house for a couple weeks.

How did you tell your families? First we had to get them face-to-face, which was a bit difficult to do without blowing the surprise. Then I told them I had seen a project on Pinterest where you make a book of your child's favorite things and have his favorite people read it to him. The idea is to make it into a video blog by video taping the reading. The book reveals the big secret! Yep, we have the reactions on video. So fun!

When are you due? March 25. This is a bit scary because Dameon will be in Florida with his band during the end of my 38th and beginning of my 39th week. GULP.

Will you find out the gender? Nope. Although, this is going to be harder for me than it was the first time because with Henry I had such a strong feeling he was a boy that I didn't need the ultrasound tech to tell me. This time I don't have a strong feeling and the suspense is really getting to me! At first we were both sure it was a girl but now we're both wavering.

Cravings? Yes. Oh yes. Let's see.... iced tea (not good when you're supposed to avoid caffiene), puppy chow, salad...but only the kind from Texas Roadhouse or a really good salad bar with all the toppings, soft pretzels from the mall (too bad we don't have a mall), ramen noodles until i got sick of them yesterday, and apples without the peel because the peel makes me gag when I'm pregnant.

Most prominent symptom? TIRED. I am so thankful to be a stay-at-home mom because I can nap when Henry naps. I seriously admire women who work all the way through their pregnancies or have multiple children at home and don't have the chance to nap. I am so spoiled to be able to nap every day. Plus, I have an amazing husband who does whatever I ask even after a full day of work. He has made many trips to the grocery store when I can't muster the gag reflex control to go myself, sat up with Henry on several nights (more to come on that topic later...uffda), worked long hours into the night so he can be available to help out with anything and everything in the evenings, and put up with being out of clean clothes on several occassions because I have failed to keep up with laundry. Such a good guy I have :)