We have been very strict about giving Anna sugar. She wasn't picking up food on her own at her first birthday so I only gave her a very small piece of cupcake. She seemed to enjoy it but didn't get upset when I took it away so I decided to wait until she could do it herself.
She started eating on her own a few months after her first birthday, but we continued to keep sweets away from her since she didn't know what she was missing.
By the time Anna reached her second birthday she still had had very little sugar. So I decided it was time to treat Anna. I bought an ice cream cake for her birthday and since by this time she was eating with a spoon, I gave her some in her own bowl. At first, the coldness of the ice cream surprised her so she didn't dive in the way I expected. But as soon as she got over the initial shock, she devoured it with a great big smile.
We still don't let her have sweets on a regular basis, but it was unavoidable a couple of Saturdays ago when we had some friends over. She was still up when it was time for dessert and everyone was sitting around in the Great Room enjoying a delicious pineapple cake. I knew it would be virtually impossible to keep Anna from begging at my feet so I sat on the floor with her and gave her tiny bites in between my own. She looked like a little dog as she leaned in with her mouth open and even went as far as climbing on top of me so she could get as close as possible to the plate of cake. She was quite a sight.
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Uncle Jimmy
Anna spent the night at Grandma and Granddad's last night. Dave was in Chicago and I had the night to myself! Yay! It was nice while it lasted, but I missed my 'guys' a little bit too!
Uncle Jimmy visited Anna at my parents for a little while. He took her out in the yard and played with her for over an hour. Anna must have had an amazing time because she didn't want my brother to leave. My brother tried to explain that he had to go, but she continued to get upset.
Finally, she went over and gave him a great big hug and kiss - this must have satisfied her because Jimmy was allowed to leave peacefully and Anna continued her evening with Grandma and Granddad!
I know I can't be around for every cute moment, but that is one I definitely am sad I missed!
Uncle Jimmy visited Anna at my parents for a little while. He took her out in the yard and played with her for over an hour. Anna must have had an amazing time because she didn't want my brother to leave. My brother tried to explain that he had to go, but she continued to get upset.
Finally, she went over and gave him a great big hug and kiss - this must have satisfied her because Jimmy was allowed to leave peacefully and Anna continued her evening with Grandma and Granddad!
I know I can't be around for every cute moment, but that is one I definitely am sad I missed!
Last Saturday - Part II
As you may have seen, last Saturday we visited our friends Lisa and Glenn and their four children - Nicholas, Candace, Rebecca and Rachael. Anna had so much fun with her new friends and they were such a big help. They were the perfect playmates and babysitters.
The part I didn't include in my last posting was when we got ready to leave. I was in the hallway with Candace, Anna and Rachael and told Anna to give them a hug goodbye. Anna has been giving adults hugs and kisses, but she hasn't given any to kids yet. But this time when I asked, I didn't have to ask more than once. Anna quickly ran to each of them and gave them a great big hug as if they had been friends for years (in Anna's case, two!). She looked like a mini-adult thanking her friends for a lovely evening!
We hope to have the 'gang' to our house sometime soon. In fact, I purchased a play parachute earlier today and I hope they'll help us break it in! What do you say guys?
The part I didn't include in my last posting was when we got ready to leave. I was in the hallway with Candace, Anna and Rachael and told Anna to give them a hug goodbye. Anna has been giving adults hugs and kisses, but she hasn't given any to kids yet. But this time when I asked, I didn't have to ask more than once. Anna quickly ran to each of them and gave them a great big hug as if they had been friends for years (in Anna's case, two!). She looked like a mini-adult thanking her friends for a lovely evening!
We hope to have the 'gang' to our house sometime soon. In fact, I purchased a play parachute earlier today and I hope they'll help us break it in! What do you say guys?
Playground
Anna loves going to the park and playing on the playground. When she first sat up, we took her to the park and put her on the baby swings, and she absolutely loved it! Now she enjoys climbing to the highest point she can manage and peering down on everyone that passes by. She also loves to walk back and forth on the suspension bridge and 'driving' the car wheels.
She has gone down on the slides a couple of times but this doesn't seem to be her favorite activity. Perhaps because it means she has to climb back up again and it's a bit of an effort for her to do so, or maybe she just doesn't enjoy the sensation. The look on her face, though, was priceless. I'll have to remember to bring a camera the next time we head to the park.
One of the first times we went to the park this spring, she tried to walk onto the suspension bridge from the standing platform. I had to help her on, but once she got on, she walked back and forth and was thrilled with the way it moved along with her. She even tried to jump up and down a little to make it move more. She has now managed to get onto the suspension bridge at at least two different playgrounds (some have wider gaps than others). It's so fun watching her conquer something new.
It's rained a lot of this week so we haven't made it to the playground since Friday, but once the weather allows, we'll be back to work on the tube slide!
She has gone down on the slides a couple of times but this doesn't seem to be her favorite activity. Perhaps because it means she has to climb back up again and it's a bit of an effort for her to do so, or maybe she just doesn't enjoy the sensation. The look on her face, though, was priceless. I'll have to remember to bring a camera the next time we head to the park.
One of the first times we went to the park this spring, she tried to walk onto the suspension bridge from the standing platform. I had to help her on, but once she got on, she walked back and forth and was thrilled with the way it moved along with her. She even tried to jump up and down a little to make it move more. She has now managed to get onto the suspension bridge at at least two different playgrounds (some have wider gaps than others). It's so fun watching her conquer something new.
It's rained a lot of this week so we haven't made it to the playground since Friday, but once the weather allows, we'll be back to work on the tube slide!
Tape Recorder
To help with Anna's speech, I recorded consonant and vowel sounds (ba, bee, bi, bo, bo) on a mini tape recorder and play it back to Anna in the car. I was doing it myself while we drove back and forth to my mom's but my mouth begins to vibrate after five minutes of ba, ba, ma, ma, etc.
The other day, I recorded some sounds with Anna. I would make a sound and then wait a second for Anna to respond and then play it back to her to show her what she did. She seemed to enjoy it and I even captured a couple of "hi's". When Anna listens to this version, she says 'hi' back and babbles along with it.
We haven't listened to it in a few days since I don't want her to get bored with it. I'll have to take it out again tomorrow or the next day and see if it inspires her a little more.
The other day, I recorded some sounds with Anna. I would make a sound and then wait a second for Anna to respond and then play it back to her to show her what she did. She seemed to enjoy it and I even captured a couple of "hi's". When Anna listens to this version, she says 'hi' back and babbles along with it.
We haven't listened to it in a few days since I don't want her to get bored with it. I'll have to take it out again tomorrow or the next day and see if it inspires her a little more.
Mouth Massage
Our OT suggested massaging Anna's mouth to help with her low tone. It makes her more aware of her mouth and the different ways she can use it. So my mom helps by doing it while she changes her diapers, and I work it into our stretching regimen. Anna usually doesn't mind it so when she gets annoyed, I let it go. Mostly I massage her cheeks, but I also massage her chin and upper lip.
Hi
We're working on speech and it's coming, albeit slowly. Anna babbles a lot; we're just waiting for her to add a few more words to her vocabulary. One of the words Anna does say very well is 'hi'. She was starting to say it awhile ago but wasn't very consistent with it. And sometimes it came out more like 'I'.
So one day we were driving home from my mom's and I started saying 'hi' to everything we passed: the trees, the cars, the houses, etc. We continued to play this game in the car for the next couple of days and it did the trick. Anna says 'hi' to everything and everyone. Sometimes she'll just walk up to me and say 'hi'. It's hysterical! And when we go to the playground, forget about it! Every child that comes into sight gets a big wave and 'hi' from Anna the Playground Greeter.
Last night Anna slept at my parents' house so I called this morning to see how everything was going. In the past my mom would put the phone on speaker so Anna could hear me say 'hello' and sometimes she would babble back, but this morning she said 'hi' nice and clearly a couple of times. It was the first time I heard her talk on the phone - very fun!
So one day we were driving home from my mom's and I started saying 'hi' to everything we passed: the trees, the cars, the houses, etc. We continued to play this game in the car for the next couple of days and it did the trick. Anna says 'hi' to everything and everyone. Sometimes she'll just walk up to me and say 'hi'. It's hysterical! And when we go to the playground, forget about it! Every child that comes into sight gets a big wave and 'hi' from Anna the Playground Greeter.
Last night Anna slept at my parents' house so I called this morning to see how everything was going. In the past my mom would put the phone on speaker so Anna could hear me say 'hello' and sometimes she would babble back, but this morning she said 'hi' nice and clearly a couple of times. It was the first time I heard her talk on the phone - very fun!
Story Time
I've been taking Anna to story time since she's been eligible for our town library's program (six months old). She has always enjoyed the stories, songs, rhymes, games and other children. It used to only be twenty minutes so it was over before it began. But now that she's a little older, it's thirty minutes. Anna is not as easy to keep in her place in general so we've used the extra ten minutes to teach Anna a little discipline.
The first ten minutes is spent saying 'hello' and reading a couple of books. Whenever Anna gets impatient and tries to escape my lap, I whisper to her that it's time to sit and that all of the other kids are sitting. This usually works. And luckily this usually happens only moments before the teacher has everyone stand up for a game. During the first couple of sessions, Anna listened and watched the other kids follow the directions of the game. But now that she's been a few times and has learned what to do, she turns around, touches the ground, etc. along with the other kids. I never grow tired of watching her follow directions!
Story time always ends with 'ring around the rosy'. At first Anna would walk in the circle with everyone but stood and watched the other kids as they 'all fell down'. Now she falls down with such glee even though it's with a bit more effort than the other kids. And instead of jumping up when told to, she simply gets up, but it's a start.
Next Tuesday is the last story time for awhile, but we're trying to get a Mom's Group together so we can get together more often with other kids Anna's age (more or less) in a less structured setting such as the park and the zoo. If you live in the area and are interested in joining the group, send me an email with your name, email address and phone number (optional) and I'll add you to the list.
The first ten minutes is spent saying 'hello' and reading a couple of books. Whenever Anna gets impatient and tries to escape my lap, I whisper to her that it's time to sit and that all of the other kids are sitting. This usually works. And luckily this usually happens only moments before the teacher has everyone stand up for a game. During the first couple of sessions, Anna listened and watched the other kids follow the directions of the game. But now that she's been a few times and has learned what to do, she turns around, touches the ground, etc. along with the other kids. I never grow tired of watching her follow directions!
Story time always ends with 'ring around the rosy'. At first Anna would walk in the circle with everyone but stood and watched the other kids as they 'all fell down'. Now she falls down with such glee even though it's with a bit more effort than the other kids. And instead of jumping up when told to, she simply gets up, but it's a start.
Next Tuesday is the last story time for awhile, but we're trying to get a Mom's Group together so we can get together more often with other kids Anna's age (more or less) in a less structured setting such as the park and the zoo. If you live in the area and are interested in joining the group, send me an email with your name, email address and phone number (optional) and I'll add you to the list.
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
The Peanut
The peanut is a red exercise ball shaped like a peanut. We first used the peanut with Anna when she began PT and OT, and since I was doing so much PT and OT at home inbetween sessions, I bought one for our home gym. I would sit her on it and roll it back and forth to strengthen her core muscles and rock it side to side to work on her reflexes. I'd flip her on her belly to work on her shoulder and arm strength and to teach her out to reach and grab items on the floor. Anna didn't always enjoy these exercises, but a lot of the time I would put Sesame on and she'd tolerate it long enough to go through our routine or most of it.
I don't use the peanut as much as I used to, but I still try and take it out and go through a modified version of our routine. Now I use it mostly with Anna straddling it while I bounce her up and down to work on her hip strength. It also helps with her posture and core strength. She's now strong enough to swing her leg around and get off the peanut or at least try hard enough that it makes it impossible for me to continue the exercise. So I have to go with the flow a little more now!
I took the peanut out yesterday, probably the first time in about two weeks or so. At first she resisted but then settled in for a quick work out while she enjoyed Curious George. She let me go through most of the exercises so I gave her a break and put the peanut aside. I went into the kitchen, and when I came out a few minutes later, there was Anna sitting on the peanut! She had pushed it against a chair and was hanging on to the chair with her left hand for balance. She was bouncing up and down and rocking back and forth, and now that she was in control, this was all of a sudden a fun activity rather than a chore!
She was making me a little nervous so I patiently watched her for a few minutes but then decided it was time to move onto another game. But this time instead of simply putting it aside, I actually had to put it out of reach. She attempted for a little while to grab it off of the dining room table but decided it was best to move on! If only I had had the video camera rolling!
I don't use the peanut as much as I used to, but I still try and take it out and go through a modified version of our routine. Now I use it mostly with Anna straddling it while I bounce her up and down to work on her hip strength. It also helps with her posture and core strength. She's now strong enough to swing her leg around and get off the peanut or at least try hard enough that it makes it impossible for me to continue the exercise. So I have to go with the flow a little more now!
I took the peanut out yesterday, probably the first time in about two weeks or so. At first she resisted but then settled in for a quick work out while she enjoyed Curious George. She let me go through most of the exercises so I gave her a break and put the peanut aside. I went into the kitchen, and when I came out a few minutes later, there was Anna sitting on the peanut! She had pushed it against a chair and was hanging on to the chair with her left hand for balance. She was bouncing up and down and rocking back and forth, and now that she was in control, this was all of a sudden a fun activity rather than a chore!
She was making me a little nervous so I patiently watched her for a few minutes but then decided it was time to move onto another game. But this time instead of simply putting it aside, I actually had to put it out of reach. She attempted for a little while to grab it off of the dining room table but decided it was best to move on! If only I had had the video camera rolling!
Saturday
We visited friends on Saturday that have four children. The youngest is 5 so I figured that they'd play with Anna for a little while until the novelty of having a little kid around wore off or that Anna would be a little overwhelmed by them and hang with me and Dave for the majority of the evening. Well, was I wrong! What a blast they all had together!
From the minute we arrived, they brought out toys and played with her like she was one of their best friends who visited all of the time. It was so cute watching Anna sitting among them like part of the gang not even giving a second thought as to where mommy and daddy were. It was so nice to go out with her and not have to spend most of the night watching her instead of visiting with the friends we went to visit!
So thanks Nick, Candace, Rebecca and Rachael for being such great friends and babysitters. And thanks Lisa and Glenn for such a nice evening and for raising such great kids!
From the minute we arrived, they brought out toys and played with her like she was one of their best friends who visited all of the time. It was so cute watching Anna sitting among them like part of the gang not even giving a second thought as to where mommy and daddy were. It was so nice to go out with her and not have to spend most of the night watching her instead of visiting with the friends we went to visit!
So thanks Nick, Candace, Rebecca and Rachael for being such great friends and babysitters. And thanks Lisa and Glenn for such a nice evening and for raising such great kids!
Thursday, April 24, 2008
Sippy Cup Part II
So as many of you know, Anna refuses to use a sippy cup or straw cup, and it drives me nuts. On line at the grocery store I was perusing the usual gossip rags (have to pass the time somehow) and saw a picture of Suri Cruise (and by the way, I don't remember them making a big deal about the other two Cruise children when they were little, what's that about?!). Suri had a bottle in her hand and she is also two now albeit a little younger than Anna. Somehow it made me feel better that there are other children out there that refuse to give up the bottle. And I understand that it drives Katie Holmes nuts. Once again a little solace knowing that someone who can have just about anything in the world, also has typical problems like the rest of us! Silly, I know, but true all the same.
Tuesday, April 8, 2008
Sippy Cup
Anna is now two and I've been trying to get her to use a sippy cup since she was six months old to no avail. I know it's because she has low tone in her mouth and somehow this child knows her limitations and doesn't like to do anything until she feels comfortable, but it still doesn't make it any less annoying to me that she still drinks out of a bottle! I know she won't go to college with a bottle in her back pack, but I find it kind of embarrassing when we meet others at restaurants and they see Anna happily gulping down a bottle of milk. Ugh. Oh, how I wish I didn't care what others thought and feel the need to explain our situation to everyone we meet. I've gotten better. After all, I will never see these people again and it's none of their business. So let them talk! But if anyone has any suggestions, I'm listening. Of course, I've probably already tried it. . . but, hey I'll still listen to (read) anything anyone has to offer.
Once Anna started cruising every chance she got, I knew she would walk in her own time and I was able to relax. But there doesn't seem to be a similar situation in connection with the cup. I'm hoping that once she really gets a hang of the talking that she'll be more receptive to me teaching her how to use the straw cup or even a regular cup. Anything is better than the darn bottles. I started modeling the straw cup again the other day. And she walked around with it for a little while last night and let me put the straw to her lips even though she didn't put her lips around it. I figured it was a start but truly there are days that I can't be bothered. There are only so many times you can be told no by your two year old! I feel like I'm beating a dead horse and would rather spend time working on her speech or doing something for myself, if truth be told! The sippy cup has been the only thing that has truly stumped me since she has made absolutely no progress with it. Oh, well, she's going to pay me back for the braces she winds up wearing because of this darn bottle use, that's all I have to say!
Ok, the venting is complete. I'm moving on with my day and am not going to think about it anymore. Yeah, right!
Once Anna started cruising every chance she got, I knew she would walk in her own time and I was able to relax. But there doesn't seem to be a similar situation in connection with the cup. I'm hoping that once she really gets a hang of the talking that she'll be more receptive to me teaching her how to use the straw cup or even a regular cup. Anything is better than the darn bottles. I started modeling the straw cup again the other day. And she walked around with it for a little while last night and let me put the straw to her lips even though she didn't put her lips around it. I figured it was a start but truly there are days that I can't be bothered. There are only so many times you can be told no by your two year old! I feel like I'm beating a dead horse and would rather spend time working on her speech or doing something for myself, if truth be told! The sippy cup has been the only thing that has truly stumped me since she has made absolutely no progress with it. Oh, well, she's going to pay me back for the braces she winds up wearing because of this darn bottle use, that's all I have to say!
Ok, the venting is complete. I'm moving on with my day and am not going to think about it anymore. Yeah, right!
Saturday, April 5, 2008
Balance Beam
I'm pretty sure I already told you that we made a balance beam for Anna. We painted it black and I painted some colorful bugs on it. I'm still thinking it needs one more bug but I'm afraid I might mess it up if I don't plan it out. So for now, this is it! We place it between the parallel bars and she has a good time with it even though she doesn't quite get the concept of staying on it for its full length. Hey, it's a start!
Friday, April 4, 2008
Finally. . .
Finally! I got a couple of good pictures of Anna last night. She was playing with a toy that vibrates and was pressing it against her 'castle' so it made a very funny noise. I was able to capture some great smiles without movement so the pictures aren't blurry! Hooray! Here is my favorite. Enjoy.
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