My Favourite Part of the Day

I think I might have mentioned before that my favourite part of the day is putting Declan to bed. It isn't as bad as it sounds. Our little bedtime routine is so enjoyable for me. 1) Put on pajamas (change diaper) 2) get milk and books 3) sit on chair outside if it is nice or inside if it isn't 4) read two or three books while he is drinking 5) sing songs from a song book 6) do a couple action poems - itsy bitsy, pat a cake, if you're happy and you know it etc. 7) pray (he doesn't really like praying yet) 8) say goodnight to dad 9) down to sleep.

I just love the times where he will just lay on my lap and drink back his milk while pointing to pictures in books. He is really catching on to a lot of the pictures and can point to them. He can do all the actions for 'if your happy and ..." He really thrives on the routine and we never have a problem getting him to sleep in the night. Ahh...my little sleeping baby! I absolutely love when he learns something new. During our one-on-one time on the blanket today, he really got into playing with the little tykes toys. He put the little people on the cars, in the houses etc.

The big accomplishment is that he will very contently play in the play pen for about 50 min!!! I think that is huge! He is have play play time in his play pen instead of having a morning nap. That gives me the same break that I have loved since he was born just after he wakes up.

I really want to keep teaching my little son to do things. He is getting to that point where he is starting to catch on to 'being taught'. Before I didn't feel like showing him stuff would make much difference . . .he would learn it when he is ready. Now he is really beginning to be aware of what I am showing him and he'll try it out himself. I want to keep teaching him body parts, different animals, little songs, people's names, objects in his books, names of clothes, etc. I've let him play with a couple of puzzle and he enjoys them. He doesn't quite understand them. He'll try the difference pieces in the same spot every time.

So much fun. I really want to make good use of my time with him. Often I just let him play on his own...because I'm 'busy'. But now I really want to have more one-on-one time with him.

Daily Schedule
7:00 - 7:30 Wake Time
7:30 - 8:00 Breakfast, Diaper, Clothes
8:00 - 8:45 Free play time (I think I want to start having one-on-one time at this point)
8:45 - 9:30 Play Pen Time
9:30 - 10:00 Free play time
10:00 - 11:00 Snack Time and Sesame Street . . . until he gets bored (or outside)
10:30 - 11:30 Outside or Free Play TIme
11:30 - 12:00 Lunch Time
12:00 - 2:30 Nap Time
2:30 - 3:00 Free Play TIme
3:00 Snack Time
3:30 - 5:30 Free Play TIme --I should try to have one-on-one time here ....It is when I start making supper though
5:30 - 6:00 Eat Supper
6:00 - 6:30 Free Play Time -- usually time with dad
6:30 - 6:45 Bedtime Routine
6:45 Bed

Becoming a little boy

Declan is really beginning to become a little boy. He has interests . . . he has favourite things to do . . . he has opinions . . . he has a personality! It is so great watching him develop into a little person. INTERESTS: animals! FAVOURITES: spoons and forks (to carry around with him) OPINIONS: he knows where HE wants to go PERSONALITY: loves to laugh, but he also loves to whine!

Declan is now 15.5 months old and he is using the potty at least once a day. He is beginning to hint to me when he needs to use it (he grabs his crotch). I'm going to take it really slow until he turns 18 months old. I'm just going to continue allowing him opportunities to go in the toilet . . . but not forcing it at all. If he hints, I think I'll take him so I am reacting to his needs in the proper way. At first I was thinking that if he hints I should just ignore it and let him pee in his diaper. However, it doesn't really make sense to me. If he is communicating to me that he needs to go pee, then I better take him to the potty. As soon as I say 'Do you need to go to the Potty' he runs right to the bathroom. He hasn't gone poo in the potty yet....he has probably peed about 10 or more times.

Declan is still working hard on trying to talk. He doesn't have a lot of words, but I am starting to hear some more effort. He still doesn't say any words ALL THE TIME. He does repeatedly say Da or da da, mom, or ma, and then all his favourite sounds when we say - truck, car, dog, cow, cat. He calls a lot of things bah like this toy bottle that he plays with, balls. When I say outside he lights up and says ba. He loves to point. He seems to understand so much! I've heard him say 'yah' a lot lately. He has spilled out other words like this, that, done, and some I can't remember. I think he is making some progress (definitely behind some other girls his age!!). I'm noticing that he is babbling in a different way lately. I was listening to him hum a little song to himself...that was adorable. Overall he is a fairly quiet little guy. I still notice that when I am by myself with Declan I get pretty quiet and catch myself not saying much...and then start talking with him again.

We are officially making the transition from two naps a day to one. The routine is still putting him down somewhere between 8:30 and 9, but instead of into his crib, I put him in his play pen. He lasted quite happily for about 40 min today!! I'll try to get him to stay in there for an hour . . . but that might be a huge thing to ask. Then he is ready to eat lunch by at least 11:30 and then to bed by at least 12. Really he could probably even eat at 11 and to bed by 11:30. The hard part with that is when I babysit and do that, it makes the afternoon seem longer. Well anyway, I better get going. I just got a bunch of parenting books from the library to read and also an enjoyable book too. . . though I do like reading books about kids (that is what my degree at school is Child and Youth Studies).

He doesn't seem so sweet today!

With parenting you are going to have constant ups and downs. Today I was in a crabby mood. I don't know if it is because Declan was first, which gave me this rotten attitude or if I was and so he seems crabby. Anyhow, I am finally beginning to realize that it could be because he is teething . . . once again. I am getting tired of that coming out of my mouth, but it seems to be true. His teeth have popped out so quickly I really can't keep track. He has all of his teeth through on his bottom (well...8). He has about 6 on top. Crazyness!

I haven't treated him very well today. I think it has just been one of those days where I had no energy to be all friendly with him. I just wanted him to obey without me having to be patient with him. I regret my meanness towards him. He really was cranky though! Whenever he is tired or cranky he consistently goes and does the exact things that he knows he isn't supposed to do. I think he knows that he will get attention from us as soon as he does something wrong. I guess that is one thing that is negative about being so consistent and predictable.

I was beginning to feel today that Declan didn't love me. He won't just sit with me and give me hugs and kisses. He is always pushing away from me. I started to take it personally. It sounds so silly looking back, but that was how I was feeling. I just wanted him to cuddle with me for at least one minute. He can't last more than 2 seconds in one spot. I guess that is how toddlers are . . . I just wanted to hold him. I tried to just force him to sit with me to see how long it would take for him to just stay with me. He screamed and cried with such force. It was so weird to see him like that. He did stop crying and we watched a little bit of Sesame Street together. Every few seconds he would try to get away, but then he would quit fighting for a bit. He really like watching big bird. He was always my favourite character too!

Anyways, the little guy is sleeping for the night. I should really get this house back in order...even though I really don't feel like it right now.

15 months old today!

My little Declan is growing up. He is now 15 months old. I just look at him lately and realize that he is really now a toddler and no longer a baby. I am so excited that he is growing up and learning new things, but it is hard to believe that we have no control in slowing it down. I can now understand how people say that their kids grew up and out of the house so fast, how it seems possible. I've been finding that he has grown out of some cute pants that he was wearing in the spring. It has been too hot for pants and then in the past few days I've wanted to put him in pants. I have about 5 cute pairs of pants that he will no longer wear....so sad. I'll have to go through all of his long sleeve shirts and I know there will be a bundle he won't wear again.

I know I have way too many clothes for him, but then I end up dressing him in my favourites all the time. I seriously probably have 25 pairs of pants for him (some that fit right, and some that are a little too big, and some that he will still need to grow into . . . but I have them in the closet because I don't want to forget about them. Yet....I only really dress him in the same 5 or 6. I guess that is what happens with hand me downs. I should probably go through them and put away the clothes I can't see me wanting him to wear.

I feel that Declan is at this point now where he will pick up a lot of stuff that we teach him. I feel a bit of pressure because I know there are these types of moms who 'teach' their kids so much stuff . . . yet i have some desire to be like that, but I just couldn't really bother. Does this make sense?? What I have been doing is having a nighttime routine that involves 1) reading a story 2) learning / reviewing an animal from a touch and feel flash cards that were a gift to him -- we've done dog -- he says wuf, we've done cow -- he says mmmm we've down horse --- he also says mmm and we've down rabbit (which i've been teaching him to wiggle his little nose). 3) Song time - we sing a song 4) Prayer Time - we do a quick prayer and then right to bed. It sounds like a lot, but each thing is really short and he enjoys it all.....though if he start pushing off me, I just end it quickly with the prayer. I can't believe that he is really starting to enjoy this time. It is becoming my favourite time of the day!

I need to remind myself to spend time through the day with him and playing with him. I am really finding myself distancing myself away from the kids (Declan, and the kids I babysit). I let them all play on their own (which they love to do). . . . while I do anything from tidying, cleaning, making lists - meal planning, party planning, wasting my time on the computer etc. However, I do feel like I want to get on the floor and play with Declan more.

Here are some pictures of my little sweety pie!

More Pictures

A lot of change!

Declan is now just about 15 months old. Boy has he changed since he was 9 months. He is now beginning to run around (he started walking at 12.5 months old). He has 6 teeth on the bottom and about 3 or 4 on top (he has his molars on the bottom in and one has come through on the top). He is still as happy as ever (unless he is sick). He seems to get sick every few weeks or so. We just get over one thing, and the next starts. We figure that he seems to get sick everytime that a tooth breaks through.

He is still sleeping well. He sleeps from 7 until 7. He still has his morning nap from about 8:30 until 10 and then 1 until 3. We've been so lucky with this. I know that a lot of it is because we've kind of just kept this routine going. There are times where he might be in bed for an hour before falling a sleep, but then he'll get back into sleeping the full lengths. Declan is really becoming quite a compassionate child. When he hits someone (by accident) he always says sorry by leaning over to give him/her a hug.

He loves making lots of different sounds, but has yet to really use many words. He can say ma, da, and he has said other words here and there, but he really doesn't say any of them regularly. He prefers to make sounds. He copies a lot of silly sounds that we make . . . wof, wof, (for dog), mmmm (for cow), mmm (for horse), he makes actions for words like strong, excited, happy, he sings, dances. He also is really beginning to follow instructions! This really amazes us. It really shows us how much he really knows even though he isn't saying these things. If we say, 'Time to change your diaper, lets go to your bedroom' he'll walk right over to his bedroom, no matter where in the house we are. He'll obey when we say 'come' or 'sit' or 'eat' or 'we're going to pray now', or 'put your diaper away (he wants to put it in the toilet). Declan has peed on his potty 3 or 4 times now! We just put him on his potty after every diaper change --- and he loves to just sit and read books. We've been successful a few times now!

He is just becoming such a humourous and fun loving kid! He has a great sense of humour which we just love. He likes to make people laugh. He is loving to explore all over the house. He'll climb on chairs now and reach up on tables. He is also beginning to play a little more with toys. He'll make car sounds when he plays with cars. He just loves walking around the house carrying toys spoons and anything with a handle. Just lately he is into shutting all of the doors. You can tell he thinks he is helping out by doing that.

We just love him so much. We've had a few breaks from him in the past little while. We both get to the point where we just need a break from the daily grind of feeding, changing, putting him to bed, and keeping him from doing things he shouldn't be doing. Luckily we have a big break from him after 7 when he is in bed, however then we are kind of stuck at home. When he was in his car seat we were able to bring him around where ever and when ever. It is a little different now that he doesn't really sleep in his stroller that well.

I'm going to upload a few pictures from the past few months.