Nico's latest efforts
Jan. 10th, 2008 10:25 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
lollardfishReally, things couldn't be better. We're a little pressed for money, but love having Shannon or me home with the baby every day. We don't see each other as much as we'd like (I work mornings and early afternoons, she works 3 evenings and late afternoons and takes classes two of the other evenings. Not that much overlap). We really liked my winter break and are sad that it's over. But basically, everything is just fine.
Nico is what drives "fine" in our world. When he's good, we're pretty good. When he's not, we're not. He turns one tomorrow, and the last few weeks have been rich with development and new stages. His communication is progressing by leaps and bounds - words, signs, expressions - he has so much to say and so many ways to say it. We, as parents, just try to keep up. Is that open hand over his mouth a sign for "food?" Is it trying to sign "mamma" but missing? Is his "da-da-da-da-da" trying to say daddy? Does he know which one of us is Daddy? When he put his hand to his head was it the sign for daddy? Is he clapping his hands to say hooray or to sign more? What the hell is he doing by sitting in his highchair, raising his right hand in the air, and leaning his head against it and grinning? He's saying something, but what? It's thrilling.
His motor skills, gross and fine, each present various victories and challenges. He can scoop anything up with his palms and get it to his mouth, so he can do a lot of eating. Now how do we get him to process the spoon as a tool to scoop up food? How do we get him to realize that although yes, yes, his palms work great, maybe he might try the fingers? Fortunately, we have therapists to help us. Wendy, his OT, recommended two things - first, when putting a spoon in Nico's mouth, make sure the spoon is flat and then press down lightly on his tongue. It makes him, sort of, bring his upper lip closed and teaches him both how to "clean" the spoon in the process of eating, but also how to bring his lips together. The sound "M" comes from closed lips, so "M"ama particularly would like this sound to enter the vocabulary. Wendy also suggested putting morsels of food (puffed snacks, green beans, fruit pieces, whatever) in an ice cube tray and then putting that in front of him so he has to use his fingers to get the food out. This has been a big success so far, and today, while eating green beans sans ice-cube tray, he was much more "pincer" than "palm" with his grip. Hooray!
Meanwhile, the gross motor stuff presents, I think, our next big challenge. Nico's crawling around as he wants (which is only when necessary so far), we "wheelbarrow" around the house and that's fun, but we saw a physical therapist this last Saturday who confirmed our suspicion that he was "splaying" out his legs in sit. He sits on his bottom, and crawls for that matter, with his legs apart, far apart in sit, and we need to bring the legs in. Sitting with the legs far out forms a kind of tripod and is nice and stable, but we need to make him work the trunk muscles in order to move onto such things as walking and standing. Even worse, though comical, Nico's perfected a method of raising and lowering himself that involves doing things with his hips that aren't, in my view, actually possible.
and
It's all very exciting. But when I'm not filming him and he goes up or down over the middle, I bring him back up and make him go over the side (which is the correct method and much harder for him).
And that's the news!
Nico is what drives "fine" in our world. When he's good, we're pretty good. When he's not, we're not. He turns one tomorrow, and the last few weeks have been rich with development and new stages. His communication is progressing by leaps and bounds - words, signs, expressions - he has so much to say and so many ways to say it. We, as parents, just try to keep up. Is that open hand over his mouth a sign for "food?" Is it trying to sign "mamma" but missing? Is his "da-da-da-da-da" trying to say daddy? Does he know which one of us is Daddy? When he put his hand to his head was it the sign for daddy? Is he clapping his hands to say hooray or to sign more? What the hell is he doing by sitting in his highchair, raising his right hand in the air, and leaning his head against it and grinning? He's saying something, but what? It's thrilling.
His motor skills, gross and fine, each present various victories and challenges. He can scoop anything up with his palms and get it to his mouth, so he can do a lot of eating. Now how do we get him to process the spoon as a tool to scoop up food? How do we get him to realize that although yes, yes, his palms work great, maybe he might try the fingers? Fortunately, we have therapists to help us. Wendy, his OT, recommended two things - first, when putting a spoon in Nico's mouth, make sure the spoon is flat and then press down lightly on his tongue. It makes him, sort of, bring his upper lip closed and teaches him both how to "clean" the spoon in the process of eating, but also how to bring his lips together. The sound "M" comes from closed lips, so "M"ama particularly would like this sound to enter the vocabulary. Wendy also suggested putting morsels of food (puffed snacks, green beans, fruit pieces, whatever) in an ice cube tray and then putting that in front of him so he has to use his fingers to get the food out. This has been a big success so far, and today, while eating green beans sans ice-cube tray, he was much more "pincer" than "palm" with his grip. Hooray!
Meanwhile, the gross motor stuff presents, I think, our next big challenge. Nico's crawling around as he wants (which is only when necessary so far), we "wheelbarrow" around the house and that's fun, but we saw a physical therapist this last Saturday who confirmed our suspicion that he was "splaying" out his legs in sit. He sits on his bottom, and crawls for that matter, with his legs apart, far apart in sit, and we need to bring the legs in. Sitting with the legs far out forms a kind of tripod and is nice and stable, but we need to make him work the trunk muscles in order to move onto such things as walking and standing. Even worse, though comical, Nico's perfected a method of raising and lowering himself that involves doing things with his hips that aren't, in my view, actually possible.
and
It's all very exciting. But when I'm not filming him and he goes up or down over the middle, I bring him back up and make him go over the side (which is the correct method and much harder for him).
And that's the news!
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no subject
Date: 2008-01-11 05:05 am (UTC)I wish you hadn't taken him home with you. If you left him here you'd have a lot more free time you know.
no subject
Date: 2008-01-11 05:40 am (UTC)Free time is overrated. I mean what would we do with time? Clean something? Take more showers on a regular basis? What's our motivation? I think we're passing along just dandy. Plus I like my naps under the baby. Maybe if you're real nice I'll let you try it when you're here.:)
no subject
Date: 2008-01-11 05:48 am (UTC)In my dream the other night you and your David were calculating what month was nine from now. I think it's a sign.
See if you leave the current baby here for oh an extended several month visit okay okay weeks we'll settle for weeks. sheeesh. Then you will have copious and abundant spare time for one another :) See it's all part of the master plan.
I think if I can't get pregnant others should do so in my honor. And to tell you the truth it's not the whole big as a house part I'm really all that hot on anyway.
no subject
Date: 2008-01-11 05:53 am (UTC)Milestones
Date: 2008-01-11 02:13 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-01-11 03:30 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-01-11 06:05 pm (UTC)Hmmm.
no subject
Date: 2008-01-11 07:32 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-01-11 09:22 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-01-11 09:48 pm (UTC)In the world in which we actually live, I analyze every little thing for optimality (if that's a word) and talk to therapists and they watch him (since that's their job).
no subject
Date: 2008-01-11 10:22 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-01-11 10:34 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-01-12 08:19 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-01-12 08:21 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-01-12 08:53 pm (UTC)