Our friend Anthony came for dinner last night and Anna couldn't stop saying 'hi' to him. He enthusiastically answered back but I wouldn't blame him if it got a little old! She did her own thing for the most part before and after dinner, but after we finished dessert and went into the kitchen to clean up Anna's outgoing personality really shone!
All of a sudden Anna walked up to Anthony and threw her arms around his legs. And then she proceeded to walk through his legs (the tunnel, as Dave calls it). We explained to Anthony that Dave started this game as a therapy exercise so, of course, Anna proceeded through Dave's 'tunnel' next. But she didn't want to leave out Anthony or me so she took turns throwing in a hug or two just to mix things up! For a kid that doesn't say much, she sure does manage to communicate with fun and affection!
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Toys 2 Sell
I bought Anna a Little Tikes table with two chairs from a woman I found on Craigs List. I saved about $40 and the table is like new. I thought I'd share her website since she resells toys as a hobby. When I picked up the table, I saw where she stored everything in her garage - everything is really clean (she power washes everything), and she even goes to the trouble of trying to replace missing items from various items, i.e., a phone from a kitchen set. Here's her website (her name is Barbara): www.toys2sell.com
FYI, she is in Wayne, NJ and only sells to those willing to pick up in case anyone is interested. . .
Coloring
I'm not sure when I first gave Anna crayons but it was probably not too long after her first birthday. I'd put her in her high chair and taped a piece of paper to her tray. She'd play for a little while but didn't have a very good attention span for it. She'd threaten to put the crayons in her mouth and then throw them when she was done and wanted out. I didn't push the issue too much since she was so young, but I was definitely looking forward to a time when we could work on creative projects together.
She gave up the high chair about six weeks ago so I've been hesitant about using crayons since we don't have a good place to use them. But after our play date with Lisa and Aly last week, I decided to give it a shot. Not only did she seem to really enjoy it at Aly's house, but she really did a good job covering the majority of paper with scribbles and swirls. Also, most of the artwork she's done in 'camp' has also shown a vast improvement from her high chair work.
So I taped some paper down on the slatted table we've been using for meals since Anna gave up the high chair. She had a ball - used all of the colors, held the crayon well and impressed me with her attention span for it. However, I wasn't very excited when it came time to clean up. It's one thing to wipe up banana or juice spills from this table but not too easy to get crayon marks out of it. So I found a used play table and chairs from a woman on Craigs List. It's in great shape and is a lot easier to clean up. Anna colored on it for the first time yesterday and she didn't want to stop when Pam came to play. Poor timing on my part, but I get so excited when I see Anna take an interest in something, especially something creative!
I think I'm going to take a portion of yesterday's coloring and turn it into a card for a special occasion down the road or maybe even make something for Dave's aunt and uncle whose birthday party we're going to this weekend. Do you think they'll appreciate it?! Well, not as much as I, but I'm sure it'll still bring a smile!
She gave up the high chair about six weeks ago so I've been hesitant about using crayons since we don't have a good place to use them. But after our play date with Lisa and Aly last week, I decided to give it a shot. Not only did she seem to really enjoy it at Aly's house, but she really did a good job covering the majority of paper with scribbles and swirls. Also, most of the artwork she's done in 'camp' has also shown a vast improvement from her high chair work.
So I taped some paper down on the slatted table we've been using for meals since Anna gave up the high chair. She had a ball - used all of the colors, held the crayon well and impressed me with her attention span for it. However, I wasn't very excited when it came time to clean up. It's one thing to wipe up banana or juice spills from this table but not too easy to get crayon marks out of it. So I found a used play table and chairs from a woman on Craigs List. It's in great shape and is a lot easier to clean up. Anna colored on it for the first time yesterday and she didn't want to stop when Pam came to play. Poor timing on my part, but I get so excited when I see Anna take an interest in something, especially something creative!
I think I'm going to take a portion of yesterday's coloring and turn it into a card for a special occasion down the road or maybe even make something for Dave's aunt and uncle whose birthday party we're going to this weekend. Do you think they'll appreciate it?! Well, not as much as I, but I'm sure it'll still bring a smile!
Sippy Cup Part IV
Once Anna mastered the sippy cup without the valve, I put it back in. This meant that she had to suck on the spout to get anything rather than simply pour the liquid into her mouth. Her stubborn refusal to use the cup came back and I felt so defeated. Here I had finally gotten her to use a cup rather than a bottle for juice and here we were again at the beginning with her flat out refusal to try the cup again.
I wanted to take the valve out again, but the speech therapist said that even though it was a step in the right direction having her use the cup without the valve, it was better to put it back in since the sucking would strengthen her mouth and tongue. I was concerned that I would turn Anna off to the whole cup 'thing' altogether but decided to tough it out.
Now that Anna had at least been open to playing with the cup and finally putting it in her mouth, Pam said she would get it with a little practice. And she was right. As soon as Pam left, I tried the tough love approach and spent about fifteen minutes forcing her to put it in her mouth so I could close her mouth around the spout and try and assist her until she successfully drank from it. I figured once she was successful, she wouldn't be so frustrated and would be more willing to try again. But after fifteen minutes of torture(!), I feared Anna would walk away from the experience hating not only her cup but me as well.
So since dinner was upon us, I decided to use Anna's love of food in my favor. Before receiving her next helping of something or her next 'course', she had to take a couple of sips from her cup. If I was happy with the way she held it and how she placed it in her mouth, she could have more. The first night she reluctantly took the required number of sips in order to continue her dinner. And about a half an inch of juice disappeared. Not much, but a start!
I was hoping after two or three meals, she'd get the hang of the cup and willingly drink when thirst struck. But the next couple of days didn't show the improvement I was hoping for. Even when she did drink, she did it so quickly, it was hard to believe she got anything from it. And her dislike of the cup was discouraging - she said 'no' as soon as I took it out of the refrigerator and would push it to the furthest spot on the table when I placed it next to her bowl. Not to mention the stand offs. At least the first couple of times she did what I said, albeit reluctantly, and we moved on. But the third, fourth and fifth meals lasted a long time as I waited for Anna to finally give in and drink in order to move on with her meal. She's stubborn but not as stubborn as her mother!
After about 5/6 days, my perseverance paid off. Finally, Anna surrendered a bit on Tuesday when we had lunch with Jen and Julia at a local bagel place. She must have really worked up an appetite and thirst from camp that morning. Plus, it probably didn't hurt that she wanted to look like a big girl in front of her friend. I still had to ask her to drink, but she did it quickly and took nice long gulps. I think she may have even initiated a sip or two - I was so pleased! And last night when we had dinner with Anthony, she picked up the cup and walked around with it taking sips along the way. She must have wanted to impress this infrequent visitor!
So I'm satisfied that she can definitely drink from the cup even though she still refuses to drink milk out of it. First things first, right?! We're going away this weekend so I'm just pleased that I can bring a sippy cup to the party rather than a bottle - that was beginning to get embarrassing!
I wanted to take the valve out again, but the speech therapist said that even though it was a step in the right direction having her use the cup without the valve, it was better to put it back in since the sucking would strengthen her mouth and tongue. I was concerned that I would turn Anna off to the whole cup 'thing' altogether but decided to tough it out.
Now that Anna had at least been open to playing with the cup and finally putting it in her mouth, Pam said she would get it with a little practice. And she was right. As soon as Pam left, I tried the tough love approach and spent about fifteen minutes forcing her to put it in her mouth so I could close her mouth around the spout and try and assist her until she successfully drank from it. I figured once she was successful, she wouldn't be so frustrated and would be more willing to try again. But after fifteen minutes of torture(!), I feared Anna would walk away from the experience hating not only her cup but me as well.
So since dinner was upon us, I decided to use Anna's love of food in my favor. Before receiving her next helping of something or her next 'course', she had to take a couple of sips from her cup. If I was happy with the way she held it and how she placed it in her mouth, she could have more. The first night she reluctantly took the required number of sips in order to continue her dinner. And about a half an inch of juice disappeared. Not much, but a start!
I was hoping after two or three meals, she'd get the hang of the cup and willingly drink when thirst struck. But the next couple of days didn't show the improvement I was hoping for. Even when she did drink, she did it so quickly, it was hard to believe she got anything from it. And her dislike of the cup was discouraging - she said 'no' as soon as I took it out of the refrigerator and would push it to the furthest spot on the table when I placed it next to her bowl. Not to mention the stand offs. At least the first couple of times she did what I said, albeit reluctantly, and we moved on. But the third, fourth and fifth meals lasted a long time as I waited for Anna to finally give in and drink in order to move on with her meal. She's stubborn but not as stubborn as her mother!
After about 5/6 days, my perseverance paid off. Finally, Anna surrendered a bit on Tuesday when we had lunch with Jen and Julia at a local bagel place. She must have really worked up an appetite and thirst from camp that morning. Plus, it probably didn't hurt that she wanted to look like a big girl in front of her friend. I still had to ask her to drink, but she did it quickly and took nice long gulps. I think she may have even initiated a sip or two - I was so pleased! And last night when we had dinner with Anthony, she picked up the cup and walked around with it taking sips along the way. She must have wanted to impress this infrequent visitor!
So I'm satisfied that she can definitely drink from the cup even though she still refuses to drink milk out of it. First things first, right?! We're going away this weekend so I'm just pleased that I can bring a sippy cup to the party rather than a bottle - that was beginning to get embarrassing!
Cheese
If you've followed my blog, you know that Anna is terrible when it comes to posing or performing for the camera. She acts like a moody teenager as soon as she sees Dave or me head for the camera. But on Anna's first day of 'camp', I decided I had to get a picture no matter what. Below is the result of me asking her to sit on the step, look at mommy and say 'cheese'! Well, she sure got the idea, but I have to say even though I'm her mother therefore a bit biased, she is much cuter than this. But this picture is still a keeper since it'll come in handy when she refuses to introduce me to her boyfriend or let me visit or at college! 
Hats
All of a sudden Anna has shown an interest in hats. Every time I make a crown for someone, she wants to put it on. She sees my or Dave's baseball cap and she snatches it and most of the time puts it on backwards! So cute. Of course, as soon as we take the camera out to snap a picture she makes it as difficult as possible to get a good shot. Frustrating! She even makes taking a video close to impossible since she keeps walking toward the camera or out of the shot. I have a feeling it's only going to get worse with age!
And Anna doesn't stop at traditional hats. She loves to drape towels and blankets over her head too. And the laughter escalates when Dave puts silly things on her head such as a small bag or even recently an orange traffic cone. Clearly the sillier the better!
If I had to predict Anna's profession based on her personality right now, I'd say a comedienne. She finds humor in so many odd situations and she constantly performing. As Granddad says, 'I can watch her all night'!
And Anna doesn't stop at traditional hats. She loves to drape towels and blankets over her head too. And the laughter escalates when Dave puts silly things on her head such as a small bag or even recently an orange traffic cone. Clearly the sillier the better!
If I had to predict Anna's profession based on her personality right now, I'd say a comedienne. She finds humor in so many odd situations and she constantly performing. As Granddad says, 'I can watch her all night'!
First Mountain - Part III
Well, Anna had a delayed reaction to camp. She cried Tuesday but not for long, gratefully. And when I picked her up, she looked happy as she played at the water table with the rest of the kids in her group.
It's so strange to see my baby already in a school setting with other kids and teachers. It doesn't seem strange to see other kids enter that world especially ones I didn't know as babies. But to see Anna already interacting in this way after a little over two short years. . . well, I'm sure most of the people reading this understand how times goes even faster once you've had kids.
She cried again this morning (Thursday) but, again, not for long. She was in her bathing suit sitting on her towel with her group when I arrived. Her teacher Allison told me she really loves the water. Sometimes I think I project my own opinions of things onto Anna so I was happy to hear this report from a relative stranger.
Anna didn't seem to want to leave even after I mentioned 'lunch'. I think she was hoping to go back in the pool! Perhaps we'll head over to the local pool when she wakes up if I can muster up the energy - I've been a little under the weather for the past three days. Hopefully the cool water will do me some good as we're heading to Albany tomorrow for the weekend and traveling is no fun when you're feeling crummy!
It's so strange to see my baby already in a school setting with other kids and teachers. It doesn't seem strange to see other kids enter that world especially ones I didn't know as babies. But to see Anna already interacting in this way after a little over two short years. . . well, I'm sure most of the people reading this understand how times goes even faster once you've had kids.
She cried again this morning (Thursday) but, again, not for long. She was in her bathing suit sitting on her towel with her group when I arrived. Her teacher Allison told me she really loves the water. Sometimes I think I project my own opinions of things onto Anna so I was happy to hear this report from a relative stranger.
Anna didn't seem to want to leave even after I mentioned 'lunch'. I think she was hoping to go back in the pool! Perhaps we'll head over to the local pool when she wakes up if I can muster up the energy - I've been a little under the weather for the past three days. Hopefully the cool water will do me some good as we're heading to Albany tomorrow for the weekend and traveling is no fun when you're feeling crummy!
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Play Date
We had a play date with Aly and Lisa today. We went to their house so Anna took a few minutes to warm up but once she did, she had a great time playing with all of Aly's (and Emma's) toys especially the crayons and drawing paper. I was really impressed at her improved scribbling - camp must be having a big influence on this as they do a craft every time.
After playing for quite awhile, Lisa showed off her new guitar skills to her captive audience and then the 'girls' had a snack of Puffins which Anna seemed to enjoy. Aly loved Anna's hair and giving her hugs. At first Anna wanted to be left alone but eventually warmed up to Aly's 'advances'! I guess Aly liked having someone around more her size (she's the baby of her family). Right before we left Anna practiced going up and down the two steps going from the kitchen into the family room without holding on. She went down very well but still used her hands a bit going up. Regardless, it was fun watching her realize her new strength and ability and then proceed to practice until I finally interrupted her to go home for lunch.
Thanks Lisa & Aly - it was fun!
After playing for quite awhile, Lisa showed off her new guitar skills to her captive audience and then the 'girls' had a snack of Puffins which Anna seemed to enjoy. Aly loved Anna's hair and giving her hugs. At first Anna wanted to be left alone but eventually warmed up to Aly's 'advances'! I guess Aly liked having someone around more her size (she's the baby of her family). Right before we left Anna practiced going up and down the two steps going from the kitchen into the family room without holding on. She went down very well but still used her hands a bit going up. Regardless, it was fun watching her realize her new strength and ability and then proceed to practice until I finally interrupted her to go home for lunch.
Thanks Lisa & Aly - it was fun!
Therapy
So as I've reported, Anna started camp last week and has done really well with the transition. Unfortunately, she's been a bit ornery with her therapists over the last week. The independence she's exhibiting at school is not translating to our home therapy. I'm sure observing the other children helps her recognize her own autonomy at school whereas she has no peer pressure at home. So if she's not in the mood to listen or cooperate, she acts up a bit. I've sat in on the last two sessions (one OT, one speech), but I'd much rather relax or work upstairs.
One problem is that she has speech and OT right after her nap on Wednesdays and Fridays so she doesn't have a chance to 'wake up' before the therapists start making requests of her. On non-therapy days, we generally have a little free play and inevitably something to eat and/or drink. On therapy days there's not always time for this. I guess I'll just see how the next couple of sessions go before making any changes especially since we're having our EIP review soon. It wouldn't make sense to make changes before talking with the whole team first.
One problem is that she has speech and OT right after her nap on Wednesdays and Fridays so she doesn't have a chance to 'wake up' before the therapists start making requests of her. On non-therapy days, we generally have a little free play and inevitably something to eat and/or drink. On therapy days there's not always time for this. I guess I'll just see how the next couple of sessions go before making any changes especially since we're having our EIP review soon. It wouldn't make sense to make changes before talking with the whole team first.
First Mountain - Part II
Anna had her third day of camp yesterday (second week) and she did great. She seemed excited as we pulled into the driveway and went right for the book rack when we arrived. Since she seemed so comfortable right away even after four days away, I took off.
When I arrived to pick Anna up, the kids were inside as the weather was kind of questionable. Anna was in the back of the school so she didn't see me right away. It was fun to 'spy' on her a little watching her interact in her new environment with her teachers and fellow campers. As soon as she saw me, she came over and gave me a great big hug and showed me the rainbow fish they made earlier. This time, however, she didn't want to stick around. She took my hand and headed for the door - something tells me she was pretty hungry!
We're heading back tomorrow and fingers are crossed for another successful morning. If nothing eventful happens, I guess I'll put this topic to rest for a little while until there's something fun to report. Wish us luck!
When I arrived to pick Anna up, the kids were inside as the weather was kind of questionable. Anna was in the back of the school so she didn't see me right away. It was fun to 'spy' on her a little watching her interact in her new environment with her teachers and fellow campers. As soon as she saw me, she came over and gave me a great big hug and showed me the rainbow fish they made earlier. This time, however, she didn't want to stick around. She took my hand and headed for the door - something tells me she was pretty hungry!
We're heading back tomorrow and fingers are crossed for another successful morning. If nothing eventful happens, I guess I'll put this topic to rest for a little while until there's something fun to report. Wish us luck!
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
First Mountain Nursery School
Anna started school last week - well it's camp for the summer. She is going twice a week (Tuesdays and Thursdays) from 9 am to 12:30 pm. So far so good. The first day she walked right in and started playing with a puzzle. We were lucky because our neighbor's five year old also attends and she happily took Anna under her wing the first day and showed her the ropes. When I went to pick her up at 12:30 pm, she was certainly tired and happy to see me but no worse for wear.
Her second day went just as well. She said 'no' when we pulled up, but went right in and started to play 'tea' with some cups and spoons. She ignored me as I talked to her teacher and stocked her cubby. She 'no' again when I went to leave but quickly went back to what she was doing. This time when I picked her up, she seemed much more alert and wanted to show me the water table where she was playing. All of the other kids in her group ran to their parents crying; Anna just peaked her head through the slats of the fence and said 'mama'! I was so proud!
She had her third day this morning and this time she headed for the book rack. She didn't want to kiss or hug me good bye but made no fuss when I went to leave. Another little girl was crying and luckily Anna didn't seem bothered by her since sometimes Anna starts to cry when others are crying near her. Instead she seemed happy enough to explore her new environment. As you can imagine, I was thrilled. Hopefully there will be nothing to report to the contrary when I pick her up in a couple of hours. Wouldn't it be nice if all transitions went this smoothly from here on out?!
Her second day went just as well. She said 'no' when we pulled up, but went right in and started to play 'tea' with some cups and spoons. She ignored me as I talked to her teacher and stocked her cubby. She 'no' again when I went to leave but quickly went back to what she was doing. This time when I picked her up, she seemed much more alert and wanted to show me the water table where she was playing. All of the other kids in her group ran to their parents crying; Anna just peaked her head through the slats of the fence and said 'mama'! I was so proud!
She had her third day this morning and this time she headed for the book rack. She didn't want to kiss or hug me good bye but made no fuss when I went to leave. Another little girl was crying and luckily Anna didn't seem bothered by her since sometimes Anna starts to cry when others are crying near her. Instead she seemed happy enough to explore her new environment. As you can imagine, I was thrilled. Hopefully there will be nothing to report to the contrary when I pick her up in a couple of hours. Wouldn't it be nice if all transitions went this smoothly from here on out?!
Monday, July 21, 2008
Queen Anna
I make felted crowns for babies/toddlers. Anna calls them hats. I was taking a picture of one I made for a hemi friend in Michigan this morning and she kept saying 'hat, hat'. So I put it on her expecting her to take it off as fast as she could, but instead she proceeded to walk around with it for close to an half hour. She was quite a sight considering all she had on was a long t-shirt and her purple sandals. I couldn't believe how tolerant she was of it for so long - if only she'd keep her sun hat on for that long. Maybe I should try that one again, who knows!
Pool III
It's official, Anna is a water rat! Not only does she love to play with water but she also loves to play in the water. We've been going to the town pool quite a bit this summer and each time we go, she kicks and paddles more and more. We've been trying to teach her to close her mouth so she can put her face in the water. In fact, we dunk her a couple of times each session so she can get used to the feeling. She doesn't like it, but amazingly she doesn't scream when she comes up for air. She has caught on to me though and gets a little more agitated when she realizes what's coming next! We only do it two or three times throughout the 45 minutes to an hour that we're in the pool because I don't want to turn her off to the pool altogether. Gratefully she seems to like to put her mouth/face in the water as we swim along, but she still hasn't quite figured out that if she closes her mouth, she won't swallow a mouth full of water!
Yesterday we went to our neighbor's pool, and Dave put her on a raft for the first time. She absolutely loved it. She couldn't get enough of the pool. At one point, she was sitting on the top step kicking away - I think she enjoyed the bit of independence it offered her. Last summer she enjoyed being in the water but really didn't move around at all. This year her improvement from the beginning of the summer to now is remarkable. The only thing she doesn't like is the first minute or so when the pool is a bit chilly, but once she's warmed up, she's willing to stay in for a long time with us. And if the pool is as warm as it has been since we've had such a heat wave, she can't wait to go in. Dave and I are swimmers so we're thrilled that she seems to be following in our footsteps. Hopefully next year she'll be tall enough to stand in the pool, which should make even a bigger difference as far as her swimming and independence in the pool is concerned.
Yesterday we went to our neighbor's pool, and Dave put her on a raft for the first time. She absolutely loved it. She couldn't get enough of the pool. At one point, she was sitting on the top step kicking away - I think she enjoyed the bit of independence it offered her. Last summer she enjoyed being in the water but really didn't move around at all. This year her improvement from the beginning of the summer to now is remarkable. The only thing she doesn't like is the first minute or so when the pool is a bit chilly, but once she's warmed up, she's willing to stay in for a long time with us. And if the pool is as warm as it has been since we've had such a heat wave, she can't wait to go in. Dave and I are swimmers so we're thrilled that she seems to be following in our footsteps. Hopefully next year she'll be tall enough to stand in the pool, which should make even a bigger difference as far as her swimming and independence in the pool is concerned.
Our Little Gardener
Anna was outside this morning with while I did some work in the garden. I gave her a bucket of water and a foam paint brush so she could 'paint' the back yard - a favorite outside game that Grandma came up with a couple of weeks ago. After she grew tired of 'painting', she decided to help me with the watering. She walked along the garden path with the watering can, albeit an empty one, and proceeded to water the garden for the remaining time we were outside. I think I'll give her a smaller watering can next time and put some water in it so she actually help out next time!
Sippy Cup Part III
Anna has finally figured out what to do with a sippy cup! Hooray!
I finally pinned her down (literally) last week and made her put it in her mouth so she could see that it's not poison. She didn't suck from it but still allowed it to be in her mouth - a good first step. She had speech later that day so I took the cup out to show Pam which one I used. I then placed it on the little table in the Great Room and watched Anna walk over to it, pick it up and put it in her mouth! So Pam encouraged her and showed her how to use it a little better. When I came downstairs after their session, Pam told me she used it throughout the entire session. I was so thrilled and Anna seemed pretty proud of herself as well!
Later that night I tried to give Anna her milk in the sippy cup - clearly I took it too fast. She started to drink but since she wasn't getting it fast enough, she put it down and refused to try again. I left her alone with it for a little while figuring that if she got thirsty enough, she'd try again. When she didn't go near it for about ten minutes, I asked her nicely to show me how she drank from her cup. She picked it up and walked over toward me and asked to sit on my lap. So we moved over to the couch where she proceeded to play with the cup but didn't drink from it. I started to get a little frustrated so I made her get down and placed the cup back on the table and told her to drink like a big girl. Big mistake! She picked it up and walked over to me in the kitchen, threw it down and started crying. So I decided enough was enough, made her pick it up and hand it to me and then gave her the milk in her bottle. I know that wasn't necessarily the best idea, but perhaps I took things too fast. Gratefully, she quickly gulped her milk down and peace was restored for the evening!
The next day I offered her juice in the sippy cup. Happily she didn't reject it, but she was clearly not getting much, if anything, out of it. She just wasn't understanding how or was unable to suck from it for maximum output. So I offered her another kind of cup. It was a spout cup with the valve removed so all she had to do was pour the water into her mouth - sounds easy, but this means she has to control the amount going into her mouth so it doesn't all just spill down her front! At first most of it wound up on her shirt, but after some practice, she managed to get most of it in her mouth - I was just impressed that after all of this time of flat out refusing to try, she was willingly holding it and putting it to her mouth.
Since that day she's been more and more accepting of the cup, well for juice anyway! I haven't attempted the milk again; I figured I'd give it a few more days before I introduce a little milk at a time when she's not too hungry/thirsty. For now I'm just thrilled that she's willing to use the cup at all - it's been a long time in the making!
I finally pinned her down (literally) last week and made her put it in her mouth so she could see that it's not poison. She didn't suck from it but still allowed it to be in her mouth - a good first step. She had speech later that day so I took the cup out to show Pam which one I used. I then placed it on the little table in the Great Room and watched Anna walk over to it, pick it up and put it in her mouth! So Pam encouraged her and showed her how to use it a little better. When I came downstairs after their session, Pam told me she used it throughout the entire session. I was so thrilled and Anna seemed pretty proud of herself as well!
Later that night I tried to give Anna her milk in the sippy cup - clearly I took it too fast. She started to drink but since she wasn't getting it fast enough, she put it down and refused to try again. I left her alone with it for a little while figuring that if she got thirsty enough, she'd try again. When she didn't go near it for about ten minutes, I asked her nicely to show me how she drank from her cup. She picked it up and walked over toward me and asked to sit on my lap. So we moved over to the couch where she proceeded to play with the cup but didn't drink from it. I started to get a little frustrated so I made her get down and placed the cup back on the table and told her to drink like a big girl. Big mistake! She picked it up and walked over to me in the kitchen, threw it down and started crying. So I decided enough was enough, made her pick it up and hand it to me and then gave her the milk in her bottle. I know that wasn't necessarily the best idea, but perhaps I took things too fast. Gratefully, she quickly gulped her milk down and peace was restored for the evening!
The next day I offered her juice in the sippy cup. Happily she didn't reject it, but she was clearly not getting much, if anything, out of it. She just wasn't understanding how or was unable to suck from it for maximum output. So I offered her another kind of cup. It was a spout cup with the valve removed so all she had to do was pour the water into her mouth - sounds easy, but this means she has to control the amount going into her mouth so it doesn't all just spill down her front! At first most of it wound up on her shirt, but after some practice, she managed to get most of it in her mouth - I was just impressed that after all of this time of flat out refusing to try, she was willingly holding it and putting it to her mouth.
Since that day she's been more and more accepting of the cup, well for juice anyway! I haven't attempted the milk again; I figured I'd give it a few more days before I introduce a little milk at a time when she's not too hungry/thirsty. For now I'm just thrilled that she's willing to use the cup at all - it's been a long time in the making!
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