I just love listening to baby talk. If everyone sounded this cute learning to speak a language, everyone would be fluent in multiple languages.
In the last 6 weeks or so, Nellie has really started talking a lot. She says so many things I have lost count of her word knowledge. It is so fun to finally get a glimpse of what is going on in that little head. She can be very demanding and quite picky (with foods and her mode of transport, walking, carrying, etc)
Some of my favorite things to hear are of course all of our names. She calls Andy Da, Dada, Dad and me Ma, Mama, Mom. Caleb is Tabe (table without the l), Cabee, Or Cayib. Although she can say Lucy she usually just says "C", which is funny because we sometimes call Caleb that. She used to call Toby Tobo, but now it is usually Toy. She is also good at Neyee (Nellie with the l's as a y).
She answers me to every question with her hand raised, just like the big kids. She can say "me please" but likes to say "me's" instead. She says "help" if she needs help. If she bumps into you, she says "sorry". She says "bless you" when anyone sneezes and "one" (with one finger up) when you ask her how old she is.
She says "diaper" and "change you". She will not let me get her out of her crib without also grabbing a diaper and wipe. I keep telling her that when she goes on the potty she can wear undies and she just laughs. (I will not push it as I HATE potty training, but Lucy was wearing underwear full-time starting at 19 months. Nellie will be 17 months after Thanksgiving.)
She can say a ton of animal names and their sounds, cow, owl, sheep, horse, monkey, gorilla, dog, cat, wolf, lion, tiger, duck. I am sure I am forgetting some. She can say and identify many body parts: hair, ears, eyes, head, cheeks, teeth, mouth, tongue, eyes, nose, chin, arm, hand, fingers, tummy, legs, feet, toes.
She sometimes puts 3 or 4 words sentences together. Her first 3 word one was "I Love You Too," which was pretty awesome.
She sometimes talks paragraphs of nonsense but is trying so hard. She does this to "read" aloud too.
Baby talk may be one of the cutest things, but it is so fleeting. Pretty soon they are talking just like everyone else.
Another favorite part of my kids learning to talk is that I (usually) understand them, but have to translate for everyone else.
Wednesday, November 14, 2012
Sunday, November 11, 2012
He is off...and so are the training wheels: 5 Tips to Make Learning to Ride a Two Wheeler a Breeze
We have had just a gorgeous November weekend, with highs in the mid 60s. We took the opportunity to be outside and enjoy it, while we are bracing ourselves for the flurries forecasted for tomorrow. Toby bit the bullet and learned to ride his two wheeler.
Here are a few teaching tips we have learned along the way.
1) Master balance first. Before any of our kids were riding two wheelers, I asked a friend how she taught her son to ride his bike, at 4 years old. She said she had him balance on a 2-wheel scooter first. While they can scooter without really balancing (just coasting with one foot on and "scooting" with the other), if they can master coasting with both feet balanced on the scooter, they can ride a two wheeler. We have followed this tip with all three of our riders. They use their scooters almost daily anyway. We would practice coasting here and there. Once they could successfully balance, we started two wheeler lessons. Because they mastered the art of balancing on wheels first, our kids were able to ride their bikes the first day we tried. This step is so important. If you do not have a scooter, look for another way to have them master balancing while in motion.
2) The smaller the bike the better. The smaller the wheels and the closer the proximity to the ground make it easier to learn to ride on two wheels. We use a 12 inch bike. I had always thought 12 inch bikes were a little silly because they are so mall that kids outgrow it quickly. We inherited one from my parents when Caleb was a baby. My three youngest siblings had ridden it after they received it from a neighbor where at least one child rode it. Our kids have ridden them from when they were two with training wheels and then later without the training wheels. When Nellie rides it next year, she will be (at least) the 8th child to ride it. They are worth the investment and can be passed onto siblings or neighbors.
3) Make it a non-stressful experience. If they are having fun, even if they don't get it, they will want to continue trying. Even though I think the 12 inch bikes play an important role in learning to ride a two wheeler, we have "graduated" our kids to a 16 inch bike at age 3 or 4. This gives us the opportunity to remove the training wheels on the 12 inch bike, while they still have training wheels on their 16 inch bike. We, as parents, do not have to stress about taking on and off training wheels and the kids do not have to worry about not having a bike to ride. After they have learned to balance on the scooter and they want to try, we go to the parking lot at the nearby school and they are off.
4) Make sure you have a wide open area to learn on. Don't expect them to be able to ride on a sidewalk just yet. Part of the process of learning to balance on a bike is wobbling. That is why it is best to go to a parking lot or in the middle of a street verses a sidewalk. I think our kids continued riding their training wheel bikes when we went for bike rides for a few weeks until they were able to stay cleanly on the sidewalks.
5) Personalize the lesson. Although all children will wobble and fall when learning to ride a bike, each child will learn to ride a bike in a different way. If you find out what is aspect is making them anxious and help them over come it, they will be able to ride. Caleb (4 yrs. 9 mo.) felt awkward with us holding the back of the bike. We taught him how to start with one pedal up and the rest came easily to him. Lucy (4 yrs 1 mo), for example, would freak out at the first sign she was wobbling. As soon as we told her to pedal faster through the feeling. As soon as she did this, she was off. Toby first tried over the summer (3 1/2 at first attempt almost 4 at success) was fine with the wobbles and us helping him start, but was terrified of stopping. He was not putting his foot down. We decided to stop the lessons, although he could coast well on the bike, and have him practice his technique of braking with one foot and putting his foot down with the other while he rode his training wheel bike. He quivered at the suggestion of trying again, until this week, when he brought it up. We helped him to stop, by stabilizing the seat, while he fumbled to brake with one foot and put the other down. After a few attempts he was over his fear and needed no help to stop. Our kids were all on the younger side of learning to ride a bike and depended a lot on the time of year. Both Caleb and Lucy learned in the spring. Had we not had these warm days, Toby's success would have been suspended until spring as well.
Here are a few teaching tips we have learned along the way.
1) Master balance first. Before any of our kids were riding two wheelers, I asked a friend how she taught her son to ride his bike, at 4 years old. She said she had him balance on a 2-wheel scooter first. While they can scooter without really balancing (just coasting with one foot on and "scooting" with the other), if they can master coasting with both feet balanced on the scooter, they can ride a two wheeler. We have followed this tip with all three of our riders. They use their scooters almost daily anyway. We would practice coasting here and there. Once they could successfully balance, we started two wheeler lessons. Because they mastered the art of balancing on wheels first, our kids were able to ride their bikes the first day we tried. This step is so important. If you do not have a scooter, look for another way to have them master balancing while in motion.
2) The smaller the bike the better. The smaller the wheels and the closer the proximity to the ground make it easier to learn to ride on two wheels. We use a 12 inch bike. I had always thought 12 inch bikes were a little silly because they are so mall that kids outgrow it quickly. We inherited one from my parents when Caleb was a baby. My three youngest siblings had ridden it after they received it from a neighbor where at least one child rode it. Our kids have ridden them from when they were two with training wheels and then later without the training wheels. When Nellie rides it next year, she will be (at least) the 8th child to ride it. They are worth the investment and can be passed onto siblings or neighbors.
3) Make it a non-stressful experience. If they are having fun, even if they don't get it, they will want to continue trying. Even though I think the 12 inch bikes play an important role in learning to ride a two wheeler, we have "graduated" our kids to a 16 inch bike at age 3 or 4. This gives us the opportunity to remove the training wheels on the 12 inch bike, while they still have training wheels on their 16 inch bike. We, as parents, do not have to stress about taking on and off training wheels and the kids do not have to worry about not having a bike to ride. After they have learned to balance on the scooter and they want to try, we go to the parking lot at the nearby school and they are off.
4) Make sure you have a wide open area to learn on. Don't expect them to be able to ride on a sidewalk just yet. Part of the process of learning to balance on a bike is wobbling. That is why it is best to go to a parking lot or in the middle of a street verses a sidewalk. I think our kids continued riding their training wheel bikes when we went for bike rides for a few weeks until they were able to stay cleanly on the sidewalks.
5) Personalize the lesson. Although all children will wobble and fall when learning to ride a bike, each child will learn to ride a bike in a different way. If you find out what is aspect is making them anxious and help them over come it, they will be able to ride. Caleb (4 yrs. 9 mo.) felt awkward with us holding the back of the bike. We taught him how to start with one pedal up and the rest came easily to him. Lucy (4 yrs 1 mo), for example, would freak out at the first sign she was wobbling. As soon as we told her to pedal faster through the feeling. As soon as she did this, she was off. Toby first tried over the summer (3 1/2 at first attempt almost 4 at success) was fine with the wobbles and us helping him start, but was terrified of stopping. He was not putting his foot down. We decided to stop the lessons, although he could coast well on the bike, and have him practice his technique of braking with one foot and putting his foot down with the other while he rode his training wheel bike. He quivered at the suggestion of trying again, until this week, when he brought it up. We helped him to stop, by stabilizing the seat, while he fumbled to brake with one foot and put the other down. After a few attempts he was over his fear and needed no help to stop. Our kids were all on the younger side of learning to ride a bike and depended a lot on the time of year. Both Caleb and Lucy learned in the spring. Had we not had these warm days, Toby's success would have been suspended until spring as well.
Monday, November 5, 2012
Halloween 2012
Carving pumpkins.
Uncle Mark joined us in his authentic Captain Jack Sparrow costume. One of the houses we stopped at even insisted on a picture with him.
The kids were so hyper and had a blast. They got quite the haul of candy too. Although we were exhausted, Andy and I did our parenting duty and checked through all the candy once the kids were in bed, only a few of our favorites may have gone missing.
Trail of History
A friend invited us to join them at the Trail of History at the end of October. We had so much fun with great friends and even had awesome weather.
The day before, at Lucy's soccer game, the boys found 3 "walking sticks" that we brought along for the hike to the campsite.
Popping popcorn.
Putting on a bayonet.
He asked Caleb what he would do if someone came at you. I wish I had a photo of his flinch.
More Muskets
Candle Making
Fencing demo
More canldes
Making linen thread.
Weaving belts.
Blacksmith
Toby found his friend Toby the dog, who was on the scavenger hunt.
Bagpiper. He told of how the modern bagpipe came and played all the old versions too.
Grinding corn.
Jugglers. By far the highlight for the kids (we ended up seeing the show twice).
This was the other highlight. We got to sign the kids up to be endentured servants. They went in and were told to do various chores. All the parents had to stay on the outside and were all commenting on how this seemed too easy to get them to work.
Toby decided halfway through he was not interested. The guy was trying to find him something he wanted to do, but everyone got a great laugh from his faces.
Bullet making.
Cornhusk doll making. This was my favorite part. At first Caleb didn't want to participate, but when we told him he could make a boy doll with a sword he decided to join in.
The day before, at Lucy's soccer game, the boys found 3 "walking sticks" that we brought along for the hike to the campsite.
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