It's been quite a day! Even though I finished my classes over a week ago and finished my final papers this past weekend, I still had some things that needed to be done on campus. So I decided to load up Ethan and take him on his first trip to campus since he used to come with me to class a year ago. All in all it was a wonderful day, though there were definitely a few hiccups.
We left at 9 to get there in time for my 10 o'clock meeting. Somehow in setting this up, I didn't think about the fact that we'd be traveling due west mid-morning when Ethan is most likely to try to fall asleep for a morning nap (even though he dropped it months ago, he still gets sleepy and has fallen asleep in the car as a result). So I spent the whole drive there trying to keep him awake and happy as he squirmed to get the sun out of his eyes. Once we finally made it to campus, I loaded him up on my back, and we climbed aboard for Ethan's first bus ride.
We started our day with a meeting with one of my professors to do my senior review (a graduation requirement in which you go over your senior portfolio). Ethan was a bit shy at first, but before long he was convincing the professor to get down on the floor with him to do a puzzle, and by the time we left, he was sitting in the professor's lap! This is the same professor who let me bring Ethan to class with me a year ago, and I'm so grateful to have such amazing teachers!
After the meeting, we headed down to the Cokesbury to get my rewards for taking the graduating senior survey: a new Common English Bible and a $40 gift certificate. I finally purchased my Book of Common Worship and had enough left over for some beautiful prayer beads. Then we headed to the chapel basement to see some of my old co-workers. No one was there when we arrived, so Ethan examined the nursery and nursed for a bit, and we caught up with two of my former co-workers as we were leaving. For our last errand, we headed to the university bookstore to pick up my graduation hood!
We chose the foot of a statue in the chapel quad as our lunch spot. Ethan scarfed down a Chick-fil-a grilled sandwich and was rewarded with his first try of a local popsicle shop's wares (this place has been featured in gourmet magazines, so this was an important milestone =P). After lunch it was time to head home. Here's where things got interesting.
The bus circle was closed down because there was a funeral at the chapel for some big shot in the community. As a sidenote, why in the world would it be necessary to have 4 hearses, a horse-drawn carriage-hearse, and 5 limos for one dead body?!?!? Anyway, rather than just moving the buses to the lower circle like they usually do for big events, they moved the bus stops all over campus. So we had to walk almost halfway to the parking lot just to get on the bus. I considered just walking the rest of the way, but with a toddler on my back and my arms loaded with bags decided it would be easier to just take the bus. I was wrong. As a result of the weird routing, they ended up skipping my bus stop. So the bus ride that should have taken 3 minutes ended up taking 30 as we had to go the entire length of the route.
Ethan was a great sport about all of this, even though we didn't get to the car until 1:00, 30 minutes after his usual nap time. I changed him, loaded him up into the car, and told him to have a good nap. I had decided to drive past our old house to kill time since I'd have to keep driving around as long as he slept. And Ethan decided not to nap in the car. By the time we could have been home if I'd gone straight there, Ethan had lost all patience. He began screaming just like he used to do on those long commutes home after class. I finally managed to calm him down by holding his hand, and when we were 10 minutes from home, he finally drifted off to sleep. So now I was almost home but had 2 hours to kill driving around. Awesome. It all ended up working out OK, though, and Ethan got a nice nap in.
Apparently all of the events of the morning coupled with his good nap led to Ethan being in overdrive. While I cooked dinner, he just ran laps around the house, chasing the kitties, laughing, and babbling non-stop. In fact, he continued to do the babble/run for the rest of the night, and I finally grabbed the video camera to capture the cute. Apologies for the nose in need of wiping... He was running around so much that I didn't notice it until afterwards.
I have no idea what type of toddler-ese that is, but it was cracking us up. Oh, and before I get a frantic phone call from my mom, that window has a toddler lock on it, and he's never unattended around it, so we're not going to have a Conor Clapton on our hands. Shockingly, he did end up going to bed with no problem! So despite a few issues, it was a very productive and enjoyable day!
Showing posts with label Baby Talk. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Baby Talk. Show all posts
Tuesday, May 1, 2012
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
Ethan Oliver's busy, busy house!
It's been a crazy couple of weeks, thus the blogging silence. Between a trip to Atlanta with just Ethan and me (more on that in an upcoming post) and a lot going on at school, I just haven't had time to sit down and write about all we've been up to. So here's a brief catch-up.
Classes are going well. We're rapidly approaching midterm, but since I have no midterms, that doesn't mean much. However, it does mean that I don't have to go to class at all next week due to mid-semester reading week. So yay! The past couple of weeks have involved a lot of work, though. From papers to exegetical questions to a presentation, all on top of seemingly endless reading, I've been staying up late and working through naps trying to get it all done. And so far I have, though I'm ashamed to say cleaning the house sometimes gets left behind, hopefully to be made up on weekends. I've done well with cooking dinner, still, so that's something at least, and the crock pot and I have become BFFs. I know this will all be worth it when I have that degree in my hand, but it seems like such a long road to get there. And that's partially literal since the commute is probably the worst part, mainly because it feels like pointless time away from Ethan.
So how is Ethan adjusting to the change now? First of all, he LOVES his sitter. Like, to the point that he will reach for her when I'm holding him. Clara has finally gotten the diapering down for the most part, and she accepted the challenge of getting him down for his afternoon nap on Wednesdays with gusto. Speaking of the afternoon nap, things have finally gotten closer to normal. He still cries when he's put down, but it's down to just a minute or two on most days. So I think he's finally adjusting. I hope.
In more general terms, Ethan is just awesome. For the past week or so, he's been sleeping late in the mornings, once even till 8:15! I figured this would mean a decrease in naps, but he's still taking a 1.25 hour nap in the morning and takes at least a 1.5 hour nap in the afternoon, though lately it's been closer to 2.5 hours! He's also been extremely cuddly since we got back from Atlanta and gives kisses AND hugs on demand now. The kitties have been subject to this extra-cuddliness, too, and his favorite new thing to do is run up to them, wrap his arms around them, and bury his head in their fur. He also waves anytime someone says "Say bye-bye/night-night!," waves at animals he sees on our walks, and even waved at a neighbor who waved from her passing car! He has now said "bye-bye" in front of both Grandmama and Clara, but he's yet to say it within earshot of his mommy and daddy. The little mischief!
Before this turns into one of my usual novels, I'll wrap this up with promises of a picture-filled post about our Atlanta trip, plus the next installment of "Mommy Must Haves." If I can ever find the time!
Classes are going well. We're rapidly approaching midterm, but since I have no midterms, that doesn't mean much. However, it does mean that I don't have to go to class at all next week due to mid-semester reading week. So yay! The past couple of weeks have involved a lot of work, though. From papers to exegetical questions to a presentation, all on top of seemingly endless reading, I've been staying up late and working through naps trying to get it all done. And so far I have, though I'm ashamed to say cleaning the house sometimes gets left behind, hopefully to be made up on weekends. I've done well with cooking dinner, still, so that's something at least, and the crock pot and I have become BFFs. I know this will all be worth it when I have that degree in my hand, but it seems like such a long road to get there. And that's partially literal since the commute is probably the worst part, mainly because it feels like pointless time away from Ethan.
So how is Ethan adjusting to the change now? First of all, he LOVES his sitter. Like, to the point that he will reach for her when I'm holding him. Clara has finally gotten the diapering down for the most part, and she accepted the challenge of getting him down for his afternoon nap on Wednesdays with gusto. Speaking of the afternoon nap, things have finally gotten closer to normal. He still cries when he's put down, but it's down to just a minute or two on most days. So I think he's finally adjusting. I hope.
In more general terms, Ethan is just awesome. For the past week or so, he's been sleeping late in the mornings, once even till 8:15! I figured this would mean a decrease in naps, but he's still taking a 1.25 hour nap in the morning and takes at least a 1.5 hour nap in the afternoon, though lately it's been closer to 2.5 hours! He's also been extremely cuddly since we got back from Atlanta and gives kisses AND hugs on demand now. The kitties have been subject to this extra-cuddliness, too, and his favorite new thing to do is run up to them, wrap his arms around them, and bury his head in their fur. He also waves anytime someone says "Say bye-bye/night-night!," waves at animals he sees on our walks, and even waved at a neighbor who waved from her passing car! He has now said "bye-bye" in front of both Grandmama and Clara, but he's yet to say it within earshot of his mommy and daddy. The little mischief!
Before this turns into one of my usual novels, I'll wrap this up with promises of a picture-filled post about our Atlanta trip, plus the next installment of "Mommy Must Haves." If I can ever find the time!
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Look Who's Talking
After his first official word, Ethan slowed down a bit on the talking. He still babbles and says Mama and Dada all day long, but he hasn't said "Ba" for ball or "Boo" for book in a while, and he even stopped saying "Ditty" as much, preferring instead a squeal of glee upon encountering a cat. However, last weekend, he finally figured out the "K" in order to say kitty correctly. But that doesn't really count as a new word, so he's been stuck with the same vocabulary for a few weeks now. Until tonight.
I always put him to bed by myself but only after he says goodnight to his daddy. Usually, I say "Tell Daddy 'Night night!'" and sometimes he waves, sometimes he buries his head into my shoulder, sometimes he bites my nose. Tonight, he grinned and exclaimed "Nite nite!" It was a bit muffled so we weren't sure if he was actually saying it or just jabbering. So I prompted him again, and he yelled "Nite, nite!!!" all the while beaming from ear to ear like he was so proud of himself. This repeated itself a few more times until we were absolutely sure he knew what he was saying.
Saying "Bye bye" first is so passe, apparently.
I always put him to bed by myself but only after he says goodnight to his daddy. Usually, I say "Tell Daddy 'Night night!'" and sometimes he waves, sometimes he buries his head into my shoulder, sometimes he bites my nose. Tonight, he grinned and exclaimed "Nite nite!" It was a bit muffled so we weren't sure if he was actually saying it or just jabbering. So I prompted him again, and he yelled "Nite, nite!!!" all the while beaming from ear to ear like he was so proud of himself. This repeated itself a few more times until we were absolutely sure he knew what he was saying.
Saying "Bye bye" first is so passe, apparently.
Sunday, August 7, 2011
First Word(s)
Ethan has probably been talking for weeks, if not months. He first said "Dada" at 7 months. He first said "Mama" at 8 months. In the past couple of weeks, he's been saying "ba" for ball, and a couple of times, he's gone up to the bookcase, grabbed a book, and said "boo." However, it's hard to tell when "dada" and "mama" stopped being babbles and started meaning mommy and daddy. And do "ba" and "boo" really count as words? Because of this confusion, we'd held off on counting any of this as his first words.
Finally, a "scientific" method was declared to determine when Ethan says his first word:
1) It has to be unprompted. This means what you can't say "Say mama/dada/ball." The word has to come from him. However, it is acceptable to say "Ethan, what's that?"
2) It has to be repeatable. Just doing it once does not suffice.
3) It has to be clear enough and close enough to the actual word that he is indisputably saying dada/mama/ball.
Today, we achieved all three criteria. Ethan's first word? Kitty. Or more exactly, "Ditty!" since he can't quite make that "k" sound. Ethan has loved the cats for months, excitedly grabbing at them and chasing them around the house. He's said "ditty" or "datty" in reference to the cats before, but today was the first time he said it meeting the above requirements. His daddy held him and pointed out Toby, asking "Who is that? What do we call that?" Ethan let out an excited, "Ditty!" before struggling out of his daddy's arm to attack. Shortly afterwards, Ethan was faced with both Toby and Henry. "What do we call them, Ethan?" "DITTY!!!" he cried in a high-pitched squeal. And there you have it. His first word!
As a result of this achievement, I think we're basically out of major milestones for the time being. This week he also finally started clapping and waving bye-bye. He walks. He talks. What else are we waiting on?
Finally, a "scientific" method was declared to determine when Ethan says his first word:
1) It has to be unprompted. This means what you can't say "Say mama/dada/ball." The word has to come from him. However, it is acceptable to say "Ethan, what's that?"
2) It has to be repeatable. Just doing it once does not suffice.
3) It has to be clear enough and close enough to the actual word that he is indisputably saying dada/mama/ball.
Today, we achieved all three criteria. Ethan's first word? Kitty. Or more exactly, "Ditty!" since he can't quite make that "k" sound. Ethan has loved the cats for months, excitedly grabbing at them and chasing them around the house. He's said "ditty" or "datty" in reference to the cats before, but today was the first time he said it meeting the above requirements. His daddy held him and pointed out Toby, asking "Who is that? What do we call that?" Ethan let out an excited, "Ditty!" before struggling out of his daddy's arm to attack. Shortly afterwards, Ethan was faced with both Toby and Henry. "What do we call them, Ethan?" "DITTY!!!" he cried in a high-pitched squeal. And there you have it. His first word!
As a result of this achievement, I think we're basically out of major milestones for the time being. This week he also finally started clapping and waving bye-bye. He walks. He talks. What else are we waiting on?
Friday, May 27, 2011
Thursday, May 26, 2011
Busy Week!
It's been an eventful and fun week so far! First of all, Ethan's Grandmama and Grandpapa came up last Thursday for a weekend visit. Much fun was had by all! Ethan loved showing off his new mobility and linguistic skills, and Grandmama and Grandpapa were more than happy to cheer him on. He even got his first upper tooth on their last day in town, which was much less happy for him but still exciting.
Monday was a quieter day, filled with cleaning and other preparations because on Tuesday, the local La Leche League came over for an enrichment meeting/tea party/goat petting. We had 6 adults and 11 kids. Ethan was apparently motivated by the bigger kids walking around because he decided to finally get up on all fours to crawl. He made it about 6 crawls before his 18-month-old friend Donna came over and touched him on the shoulder, causing him to drop back down to his belly. Silly boy! The goats were a big hit, and all in all, it was a very fun morning!
Wednesday was another fun time because yesterday afternoon was Ethan's first play date. Our neighbor has two boys: one is 2 and the other is one week younger than Ethan. We finally got them together, and the boys were so cute together! (I don't have any pictures of either event because I don't want to put pictures of someone else's kid online). Ethan decided to learn another new skill and began babbling "Mamamama" in earnest for the first time, which he's continued to do all morning so far! Plus, we learned the eerie coincidences between us and our neighbors continue. We were married within 5 months of each other, we moved to the neighborhood within 8 months of one another, we had children within two weeks of one another, both of our husbands are tax accountants, we were both born in April, and our husbands' birthdays are a day apart. Plus, her oldest is named Nathan, which sounds pretty close to Ethan. Too funny! Hopefully we'll be able to get together a lot more as the kids are better able to play with one another.
The rest of the week will be more low-key. My friend Presian, who is due a few days before Ethan's first birthday, will hopefully be coming over this weekend to see Ethan, whom she hasn't seen since January, and so that I can see her growing belly. Other than that, we'll just be resting up after our week of fun!
Monday was a quieter day, filled with cleaning and other preparations because on Tuesday, the local La Leche League came over for an enrichment meeting/tea party/goat petting. We had 6 adults and 11 kids. Ethan was apparently motivated by the bigger kids walking around because he decided to finally get up on all fours to crawl. He made it about 6 crawls before his 18-month-old friend Donna came over and touched him on the shoulder, causing him to drop back down to his belly. Silly boy! The goats were a big hit, and all in all, it was a very fun morning!
Wednesday was another fun time because yesterday afternoon was Ethan's first play date. Our neighbor has two boys: one is 2 and the other is one week younger than Ethan. We finally got them together, and the boys were so cute together! (I don't have any pictures of either event because I don't want to put pictures of someone else's kid online). Ethan decided to learn another new skill and began babbling "Mamamama" in earnest for the first time, which he's continued to do all morning so far! Plus, we learned the eerie coincidences between us and our neighbors continue. We were married within 5 months of each other, we moved to the neighborhood within 8 months of one another, we had children within two weeks of one another, both of our husbands are tax accountants, we were both born in April, and our husbands' birthdays are a day apart. Plus, her oldest is named Nathan, which sounds pretty close to Ethan. Too funny! Hopefully we'll be able to get together a lot more as the kids are better able to play with one another.
The rest of the week will be more low-key. My friend Presian, who is due a few days before Ethan's first birthday, will hopefully be coming over this weekend to see Ethan, whom she hasn't seen since January, and so that I can see her growing belly. Other than that, we'll just be resting up after our week of fun!
Thursday, April 21, 2011
The Return of Consonants
Ethan used to use consonants in his babbling all the time, but around 3 or 4 months, they disappeared in favor of working on sitting up, crawling, and such (this is extremely common). I was never concerned since he's such a social little guy, but I still missed his goos and boos. In the past week, the consonants have returned and have been joined with "dadadadada"s and "mana"s. Here is a video from this morning as he babbled to me from his Jumperoo. Notice, too, the weird way he's been holding his jaw lately as he gets used to his new teeth.
Thursday, December 16, 2010
Baby Talk
Ethan loves to talk. OK, so it's more babble, but it's no less adorable. He talks when he's happy. He talks when I'm talking. He talks when he's trying to go to sleep (this is perhaps the cutest of all). His vocabulary mostly consists of "AH-goo!" "Goo!" "Ach!" and random noises punctuated by blowing raspberries. This morning, he (finally) added giggling to his repertoire.
I read somewhere that you should repeat baby babbles back so that they understand how conversation works so I usually match him "Goo" for "Goo." Normally no one but Calvin is around to hear my baby talk, but this habit led to a fun scene on Tuesday morning. I was in the middle of a conversation with our pastor about membership, baptism, preaching, and the Christmas Eve services. Ethan was bundled up in my arms, grinning at me and babbling constantly. A few minutes into our conversation, I realized the pastor was trying to keep his amusement from showing on his face because my half of the conversation went something like this: "I'll have to look AH-goo at the lectionary and get back to you." "Were you GOO! thinking more along the lines of a scripture reading or a reinterpretation? Goo-AH!"
It's good to be a mom.
I read somewhere that you should repeat baby babbles back so that they understand how conversation works so I usually match him "Goo" for "Goo." Normally no one but Calvin is around to hear my baby talk, but this habit led to a fun scene on Tuesday morning. I was in the middle of a conversation with our pastor about membership, baptism, preaching, and the Christmas Eve services. Ethan was bundled up in my arms, grinning at me and babbling constantly. A few minutes into our conversation, I realized the pastor was trying to keep his amusement from showing on his face because my half of the conversation went something like this: "I'll have to look AH-goo at the lectionary and get back to you." "Were you GOO! thinking more along the lines of a scripture reading or a reinterpretation? Goo-AH!"
It's good to be a mom.
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