Happy Fall, everyone!
Sunday, October 12, 2014
Monday, May 19, 2014
Almost 3
Well, A is almost 3 and talks a lot. Here is a typical conversation with A
playing wii sword fighting,
Older brother asks, "Who is that?
A," I have no idea, but I MUST win!" :)
Or daddy sings him a song titled "Mommy is the best in the world" (instead, daddy changes, "mommy" to "daddy" and A says, "OKAY, daddy, IF you say so". ha-ha.
Lately, as we plan on going to China very soon, A has been telling me he is excited to go every day. A big part of the excitement is he thinks there will be many little friends waiting to play with him. :) And "I will share my sucker with all of them". Since he knows his birthday is in June and is coming up, he is excited he will get a BIG birthday cake. I ask him, if he wants chocolate cake or vanilla or one with a lot fruit or one with lots of frosting, he says, "lots of fruits". So eventually, he wants " a big fruit birthday cake". I say, your friends are going to say, yum, it tastes so good" and A replies, "Yup, it sure is!" :)
Or if we tell A we are going out to eat and what would he like to eat, instead of answering, he asks, "WHERE?"
Anyway, this is a fun age. The best is when A sees other friends, then he play well with other kids. Otherwise, he needs me to pay attention AKA play with him. So in the fall, he will be going to preschool 2x a week. Hoping that will be a great experience for him and give him more opportunity to play independently but also with other children.
playing wii sword fighting,
Older brother asks, "Who is that?
A," I have no idea, but I MUST win!" :)
Or daddy sings him a song titled "Mommy is the best in the world" (instead, daddy changes, "mommy" to "daddy" and A says, "OKAY, daddy, IF you say so". ha-ha.
Lately, as we plan on going to China very soon, A has been telling me he is excited to go every day. A big part of the excitement is he thinks there will be many little friends waiting to play with him. :) And "I will share my sucker with all of them". Since he knows his birthday is in June and is coming up, he is excited he will get a BIG birthday cake. I ask him, if he wants chocolate cake or vanilla or one with a lot fruit or one with lots of frosting, he says, "lots of fruits". So eventually, he wants " a big fruit birthday cake". I say, your friends are going to say, yum, it tastes so good" and A replies, "Yup, it sure is!" :)
Or if we tell A we are going out to eat and what would he like to eat, instead of answering, he asks, "WHERE?"
Anyway, this is a fun age. The best is when A sees other friends, then he play well with other kids. Otherwise, he needs me to pay attention AKA play with him. So in the fall, he will be going to preschool 2x a week. Hoping that will be a great experience for him and give him more opportunity to play independently but also with other children.
Friday, March 7, 2014
A is making progress playing independently
Someone told me that after the child turns 2 and 1/2, the child will be able to play more independently. That has def. been the case with Mr. A. Of course, he still like for someone to play with him but there are times in the day where I found him playing by himself. For example he will play with animals and he is doing the pretend talking. Before, it was always "I want you to make the (insert animal) talk".
A is also making progress socially. While the older kids are in their homeschool classes, moms with small children gather in the nursery and the children play. It is very unstructured. Before, it was very difficult for me to talk with other moms since A needs me a lot more. But recently, probably in part because he has become used to the routine, he has been playing more independently. Last week, I was there for about 1 1/2 hours, and A did not need me at all! I was shocked. It was wonderful. I had a great time chatting with other moms and he was happily playing. Also recently while we are in the library, A played with another little boy who is 4 and even let the other boy hold his hands and lead the play. Before that, the two boys played on their own. Mostly because A gets defensive when other children comes close. He is very protective of his personal space. When he came back, he says J is his friend and he likes him. :)
One activity I have found that occupies A for quite some time is water play. I give him a big bowl filled with water and add little detergent and little water color to make it more appealing. I also give him a funnel, a test tube and two containers to pour water back and forth. Of course, I also give him a towel to wipe his spills. He loves this and plays happily by himself for 15-25 minutes. This is great since sometimes A will say "I want to do something!" which is his way of saying I'm bored.
Ok, just now, A is saying, "Somebody play with me!" :) Also, at church, gone are the days when I have to worry if I will get paged or not because A is crying. In fact, he likes going to Sunday school. We'll just have to work on him liking preschool in the fall because we do plan on sending him. I think that help him get more comfortable with other children and adults. Just yesterday, I told him I am going to take him to see different preschool and see which one he likes. He points and touches my nose, and says, "I like mommy preschool." ha-ha! Guess I can't trick him.
A is increasingly aware of his feeling and is not shy of saying them in front of others. A favorite saying is "I don't like you!" :( He has little outbursts of emotions but in general recovers quite quickly. A lot of times, he put himself in timeout, like facing a corner or hide in the pantry and close the door for 5-10 sec. then he'll come out and be happy.
One thing that has been consistent is he never wants to go bed although on rare occasions, he will say, "I want you to put me to bed". A also never wants to take a bath. So we still struggle with that.
Something A continue to love is singing. He knows quite a few songs and surprisingly is not afraid to sing it in front to others. I have taught him few simple Chinese songs and he loves to sing them. We love to hear that, makes me happy to hear him sing. It def. makes him happy.
So overall, A is doing fantastic! He has not been sick at all this winter and is the only person in our family who has that distinction. Most he has had was a little running nose. For that, I'm extremely thankful.
A is also making progress socially. While the older kids are in their homeschool classes, moms with small children gather in the nursery and the children play. It is very unstructured. Before, it was very difficult for me to talk with other moms since A needs me a lot more. But recently, probably in part because he has become used to the routine, he has been playing more independently. Last week, I was there for about 1 1/2 hours, and A did not need me at all! I was shocked. It was wonderful. I had a great time chatting with other moms and he was happily playing. Also recently while we are in the library, A played with another little boy who is 4 and even let the other boy hold his hands and lead the play. Before that, the two boys played on their own. Mostly because A gets defensive when other children comes close. He is very protective of his personal space. When he came back, he says J is his friend and he likes him. :)
One activity I have found that occupies A for quite some time is water play. I give him a big bowl filled with water and add little detergent and little water color to make it more appealing. I also give him a funnel, a test tube and two containers to pour water back and forth. Of course, I also give him a towel to wipe his spills. He loves this and plays happily by himself for 15-25 minutes. This is great since sometimes A will say "I want to do something!" which is his way of saying I'm bored.
Ok, just now, A is saying, "Somebody play with me!" :) Also, at church, gone are the days when I have to worry if I will get paged or not because A is crying. In fact, he likes going to Sunday school. We'll just have to work on him liking preschool in the fall because we do plan on sending him. I think that help him get more comfortable with other children and adults. Just yesterday, I told him I am going to take him to see different preschool and see which one he likes. He points and touches my nose, and says, "I like mommy preschool." ha-ha! Guess I can't trick him.
A is increasingly aware of his feeling and is not shy of saying them in front of others. A favorite saying is "I don't like you!" :( He has little outbursts of emotions but in general recovers quite quickly. A lot of times, he put himself in timeout, like facing a corner or hide in the pantry and close the door for 5-10 sec. then he'll come out and be happy.
One thing that has been consistent is he never wants to go bed although on rare occasions, he will say, "I want you to put me to bed". A also never wants to take a bath. So we still struggle with that.
Something A continue to love is singing. He knows quite a few songs and surprisingly is not afraid to sing it in front to others. I have taught him few simple Chinese songs and he loves to sing them. We love to hear that, makes me happy to hear him sing. It def. makes him happy.
So overall, A is doing fantastic! He has not been sick at all this winter and is the only person in our family who has that distinction. Most he has had was a little running nose. For that, I'm extremely thankful.
Thursday, November 21, 2013
Feeling thankful
It's busy around here, but feeling thankful that A is healthy and doing well. One of our dear friend's son (3 years old) is going to through some health issues and currently back in hospital having surgery. So in light of this, I'm feeling grateful that A is healthy and haven't even been sick since he's been born other than a rare running nose. In fact, all the kids have been healthy and doing well. :)
A just finished his 2 years old (mommy and me) session 1. We had great time and appreciate the structure the program provided. That was my once a week, ultra concentrated one on one time with A. Other than when he's watching TV, A wants to play with someone, and it is usually me. Recently, he's been making great progress in stacking blocks and can do 10+ with little cylinders and planks. He is also discovering the fun of pretend but still needs a lot of input from other people. A favorite is little people animals. Before I forget, A is really into pretend sword play but he hates to be the "bad guy" and will protect with crying. He wants to "fight the bad guy".
Another reason to be thankful is A is a great eater. He have no issue eats vegetables, and esp. loves cabbage, broccoli and carrots. And he loves "cuties" oranges and eats 4-5 or more if I let him. One thing I 'm hoping is he will drink more plain water. Right now, he still loves his rice milk, doing good with tangy (crytal multivitamin mixed with water) and honey/lemon water.
Now his nap is getting shorter and shorter, usually about 30 minutes in the afternoon. So not much free time for me. Thankfully, his brother/sister happily plays with him when I really need a break.
A is a lot more vocal with them than with other children. I think a big part is probability due to his comfort level. So sometimes he gets little bullied and was feeling hurt and crying when a 3 years old didn't want him to play with a toy. But in the 2's, I noticed that is fairly common. The 2's haven't quite mastered the art of sharing or asking using words. They use more body language than their voice.We are going to work on that.
Okay, maybe more later. But right now, I have got a healthy and happy 2 asking me to play with me.
A just finished his 2 years old (mommy and me) session 1. We had great time and appreciate the structure the program provided. That was my once a week, ultra concentrated one on one time with A. Other than when he's watching TV, A wants to play with someone, and it is usually me. Recently, he's been making great progress in stacking blocks and can do 10+ with little cylinders and planks. He is also discovering the fun of pretend but still needs a lot of input from other people. A favorite is little people animals. Before I forget, A is really into pretend sword play but he hates to be the "bad guy" and will protect with crying. He wants to "fight the bad guy".
Another reason to be thankful is A is a great eater. He have no issue eats vegetables, and esp. loves cabbage, broccoli and carrots. And he loves "cuties" oranges and eats 4-5 or more if I let him. One thing I 'm hoping is he will drink more plain water. Right now, he still loves his rice milk, doing good with tangy (crytal multivitamin mixed with water) and honey/lemon water.
Now his nap is getting shorter and shorter, usually about 30 minutes in the afternoon. So not much free time for me. Thankfully, his brother/sister happily plays with him when I really need a break.
A is a lot more vocal with them than with other children. I think a big part is probability due to his comfort level. So sometimes he gets little bullied and was feeling hurt and crying when a 3 years old didn't want him to play with a toy. But in the 2's, I noticed that is fairly common. The 2's haven't quite mastered the art of sharing or asking using words. They use more body language than their voice.We are going to work on that.
Okay, maybe more later. But right now, I have got a healthy and happy 2 asking me to play with me.
Wednesday, October 2, 2013
27 months update on A
A started a 2 year old program few weeks ago and I think he really likes it. He thrives having me there, seeing other children his age there, the new toys and the structure. His teachers thinks he's a sweetie, saying he looks "happy all the time". HA-HA! Well, yes, if things are going his way, and mommy gives him her full attention which does happen at the 2 years old program. It is my special time with him.
Other than that, not much else is new. Though just yesterday, I vowed to start speaking to A exclusively in Chinese after reading that in bilingual families, one should speak to the child in the foreign language exclusively. And even when the family does activities together, if I address A specifically, then I should still do it in Chinese. I was doing that but mixing a lot of English in and that didn't work too well. I think I was afraid he won't understand, but actually A understands more than he can say.
Much to my dismay and the declining health of my sanity, A is staring to skip his nap. Arghhhh!! And in Sunday school, he is refusing to stay in the room and we have been paged the last 3 times. Same thing with gym so I am taking a break but hoping to try again soon. I know it's all temporary, but it's hard.
One little success, I did "wean A off" on the ipad. He still looks at my phone a lot but not as long if I were to give him the ipad. I'm going to try to get a schedule going for A and do something similar with him like the 2 year old program. He was hooked on these plastic insects, and last time it was the bears. So that will be on his Christmas list along with a few puppets.
Other than that, not much else is new. Though just yesterday, I vowed to start speaking to A exclusively in Chinese after reading that in bilingual families, one should speak to the child in the foreign language exclusively. And even when the family does activities together, if I address A specifically, then I should still do it in Chinese. I was doing that but mixing a lot of English in and that didn't work too well. I think I was afraid he won't understand, but actually A understands more than he can say.
Much to my dismay and the declining health of my sanity, A is staring to skip his nap. Arghhhh!! And in Sunday school, he is refusing to stay in the room and we have been paged the last 3 times. Same thing with gym so I am taking a break but hoping to try again soon. I know it's all temporary, but it's hard.
One little success, I did "wean A off" on the ipad. He still looks at my phone a lot but not as long if I were to give him the ipad. I'm going to try to get a schedule going for A and do something similar with him like the 2 year old program. He was hooked on these plastic insects, and last time it was the bears. So that will be on his Christmas list along with a few puppets.
Monday, September 2, 2013
Some new sayings at 26 months
We are surprised by him every day.
Most recent is "Daddy, don't leave me", 3 seconds pass, he says, "Daddy, please don't leave me" when lights is out and daddy is trying to put him to bed.
I say "Thank you, Alex" and he will reply" You're welcome, mom." :)
"Don't hit my butt" to brother when he bounce a ball on Alex's butt just I'm writing this.
He also says, "Bless you" when someone sneezes and today, he said, "I am really tired" while we are driving home.
Although more common, is "I don't want to go to bed!!" :( and when he doesn't have a shirt, he says, "I'm naked and sexy too" Where did he learn that?! But tonight I talked it out with him. I told him if I don't get enough sleep, then I will have have grandma take care of him. :) and that worked liked magic and he let me go to bed.
He also says, "This clothes is FeiFei's, not Alex. What the? " :)
"You gotta be kidding me". :) That, I know he learned from his brother. The amazing thing he uses it in correct context.
Alex likes to sing a lot and he sings "Happy birthday", "Twinkle, twinkle little star" and "Row Row Row your boat".
He was little sick a couple of days ago and now every night he wakes up at 4:15. Arghh!!
I'm excited he is going to be starting a 2 years old program one day a week. It's like a mommy and me program. And I'm thinking about signing him up for Music and Me in the winter.
We also went to the zoo recently and he really liked the giraffe.
He is getting used to going to gym childcare and about 2 weeks ago, no longer cries when he is going in so that is great progress. I don't think he really plays with other kids but he does watch them. And at church, daddy thinks he is playing and exploring more with the toys rather than just observing. But whenever he sees relatives, he still refuses to say hi or say anything. And if you approach him, he will tell you, "NO, NO, NO!!!" so still can use some progress in this area. I try to remember every kid is different and that he will be fine as he grows older and learns to trust people more.
Most recent is "Daddy, don't leave me", 3 seconds pass, he says, "Daddy, please don't leave me" when lights is out and daddy is trying to put him to bed.
I say "Thank you, Alex" and he will reply" You're welcome, mom." :)
"Don't hit my butt" to brother when he bounce a ball on Alex's butt just I'm writing this.
He also says, "Bless you" when someone sneezes and today, he said, "I am really tired" while we are driving home.
Although more common, is "I don't want to go to bed!!" :( and when he doesn't have a shirt, he says, "I'm naked and sexy too" Where did he learn that?! But tonight I talked it out with him. I told him if I don't get enough sleep, then I will have have grandma take care of him. :) and that worked liked magic and he let me go to bed.
He also says, "This clothes is FeiFei's, not Alex. What the? " :)
"You gotta be kidding me". :) That, I know he learned from his brother. The amazing thing he uses it in correct context.
Alex likes to sing a lot and he sings "Happy birthday", "Twinkle, twinkle little star" and "Row Row Row your boat".
He was little sick a couple of days ago and now every night he wakes up at 4:15. Arghh!!
I'm excited he is going to be starting a 2 years old program one day a week. It's like a mommy and me program. And I'm thinking about signing him up for Music and Me in the winter.
We also went to the zoo recently and he really liked the giraffe.
He is getting used to going to gym childcare and about 2 weeks ago, no longer cries when he is going in so that is great progress. I don't think he really plays with other kids but he does watch them. And at church, daddy thinks he is playing and exploring more with the toys rather than just observing. But whenever he sees relatives, he still refuses to say hi or say anything. And if you approach him, he will tell you, "NO, NO, NO!!!" so still can use some progress in this area. I try to remember every kid is different and that he will be fine as he grows older and learns to trust people more.
Saturday, August 17, 2013
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