Technorati Tags: Toddler
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
Oh yeah, playschool
Today is Daddy's day to stay home with Karston, but he needed to go to work for an hour. Karston was very good in the office, but when they parked and when they were leaving, Karston pointed toward his playschool (only one block from Daddy's office) and asked for Mo' baby? Oh yeah, he likes playschool now, no doubt about it! I'm already starting to forget the tearful mornings because of course he should want to play with other children. What a wonderful change!
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
Great Playschool
Karston's playschool meets until noon every Tuesday and every other Thursday. Back when he was tearful about playschool, that seemed like a frequent schedule. However, he loved it last week and this week, so now it seems like an infrequent schedule to me!
When Daddy dropped Karston off at playschool this morning, he discovered some wonderful items in Karston's cubby! One was Karston's little red Tootsie Toy truck (Tootsie Toys are no longer made, and Karston especially loves this truck so it is beloved and irreplaceable!), and the other was two blue caps from Florida's Natural Orange Juice. I know bottle caps rank somewhere between free and disposible and garbage for most people, but Karston loves them! The size fits well in his hand, and he will often ask for Blue? in a forlorn voice until he gets a blue bottle cap. It has to be right size, and given a choice he clearly prefers the caps from Florida's Natural. I think this is a sign of a very caring playschool: the teachers know what's special to Karston, and they put his special items in his cubby. Plus we were down to just one blue, so adding two more gave us some breathing room! Hurrah! (Never knew I would care about bottle caps this much.)
When Mimi picked Karston up at playschool this afternoon, she was just in time to see one of the bigger boys give Karston a hug and say You're my best friend. Karston was very happy too. Now that he's had two weeks of loving playschool, I think Karston has settled in to playing with and enjoying other two-year-olds. Another hurrah!
When Daddy dropped Karston off at playschool this morning, he discovered some wonderful items in Karston's cubby! One was Karston's little red Tootsie Toy truck (Tootsie Toys are no longer made, and Karston especially loves this truck so it is beloved and irreplaceable!), and the other was two blue caps from Florida's Natural Orange Juice. I know bottle caps rank somewhere between free and disposible and garbage for most people, but Karston loves them! The size fits well in his hand, and he will often ask for Blue? in a forlorn voice until he gets a blue bottle cap. It has to be right size, and given a choice he clearly prefers the caps from Florida's Natural. I think this is a sign of a very caring playschool: the teachers know what's special to Karston, and they put his special items in his cubby. Plus we were down to just one blue, so adding two more gave us some breathing room! Hurrah! (Never knew I would care about bottle caps this much.)
When Mimi picked Karston up at playschool this afternoon, she was just in time to see one of the bigger boys give Karston a hug and say You're my best friend. Karston was very happy too. Now that he's had two weeks of loving playschool, I think Karston has settled in to playing with and enjoying other two-year-olds. Another hurrah!
Technorati Tags: Toddler
Saturday, October 13, 2007
Croup
Unfortunately, Karston was getting sick, and I was only hoping I could blame the new tooth for his fussiness. I took Karston to his pediatricians' sick walk-in hours yesterday morning (Daddy joined us at the end of the appointment, to Karston's pure delight!), and she agreed with my diagnosis of croup. Yesterday morning, we had had four sleepless nights, the first two with fever, the next with barking cough, and the fourth with the full stridor of croup (see this child cough reference). Croup is caused by the common cold virus, but in the under-five set, they also get that distinctive cough because their windpipes are smaller and any windpipe inflammation can lead to stridor. Karston hasn't been sleeping, eating, or drinking; that's not going to help him get well. So we (mainly Daddy actually) haven't been sleeping well either. However, this is the first morning after a bad night that Karston has felt well enough to play without being on someone's lap, so I hope he's getting better. (Doesn't help that I caught his cold. Hack, hack.)
We've had these great weekend plans for October so far (beach, aquarium, zoo, museum), and we've ended up on the taking-it-easy schedule anyway. So based on the coughing, we plan to kick back this weekend and enjoy the view (October is so pretty).
We've had these great weekend plans for October so far (beach, aquarium, zoo, museum), and we've ended up on the taking-it-easy schedule anyway. So based on the coughing, we plan to kick back this weekend and enjoy the view (October is so pretty).
Technorati Tags: Toddler
Sunday, October 07, 2007
Seventeen Shadows
This afternoon, since the weather was gorgeous, we ate lunch outside on the deck. Karston discovered he could make moving shadows on the table by moving his hand, and this fascinated him for the tail end of lunch. You could see the discovery of shadows click, and then he even experimented with different shapes.
Our original plan this morning was to go to the zoo, but Karston seemed fussier and his forehead seemed warmer than usual, so we stayed home. (Since it was hot in direct sun, and we could enjoy the lake and the breeze at home, might have been for the best.) However, I thought we should go out for some fun, so we went out to dinner. I made faces at Karston while we were waiting for our food, and he made faces right back at me. When he imitated the wide open mouth, I caught a glimpse of tooth #17, one of his two-year-old molars just peeking through! So that explains the fussiness and the low-grade fever (his temperature wasn't outside the normal range, but was half a degree high for him)! Might even explain why he's been so restless at night lately. I'm glad that he's not (getting) sick!
Oh, and this evening's small victory ... Karston ran into the bathroom, grabbed his toilet seat reducer, and nearly threw Daddy off the toilet so he could have a turn. He does ask to (try to) use the potty, but rarely with such determination. As it turns out he had a reason: it was time, he knew it, and he tinkled in the big toilet! To celebrate, he ran around the house naked and laughing while we chased him with diapers (but also let him revel in his victory)!
Our original plan this morning was to go to the zoo, but Karston seemed fussier and his forehead seemed warmer than usual, so we stayed home. (Since it was hot in direct sun, and we could enjoy the lake and the breeze at home, might have been for the best.) However, I thought we should go out for some fun, so we went out to dinner. I made faces at Karston while we were waiting for our food, and he made faces right back at me. When he imitated the wide open mouth, I caught a glimpse of tooth #17, one of his two-year-old molars just peeking through! So that explains the fussiness and the low-grade fever (his temperature wasn't outside the normal range, but was half a degree high for him)! Might even explain why he's been so restless at night lately. I'm glad that he's not (getting) sick!
Oh, and this evening's small victory ... Karston ran into the bathroom, grabbed his toilet seat reducer, and nearly threw Daddy off the toilet so he could have a turn. He does ask to (try to) use the potty, but rarely with such determination. As it turns out he had a reason: it was time, he knew it, and he tinkled in the big toilet! To celebrate, he ran around the house naked and laughing while we chased him with diapers (but also let him revel in his victory)!
Technorati Tags: Toddler
Monday, October 01, 2007
I Got You, Dada!
It's really hard to say anything definite about Karston's vocabulary right now. He will often repeat words, seemingly with the knowledge of what he's saying, but I'm not sure he'll retain it. For instance, when we ate out Saturday, I asked if he wanted french fries. He said French fries! quite happily, and then ate four. (Hey, that's a meal-time success with Karston!) But does he remember today that french fries are called french fries? I don't know. (He's only eaten them four times in his life, so it hasn't been reinforced either.)
On the other hand, he is stringing together words that he knows into sentences. Some concepts don't need complete sentences. Dada! Juice! will accomplish what he wants. However, he said the same phrase yesterday and today while grabbing his father's leg after chasing him down: I got you, Dada! I'm sure he knows what he's saying when his timing is that accurate. And of course, in that sweet little voice, you know what he's saying is right on target on more than one level.
So the vocabulary may be hard to pin down, but he has advanced from words to sentences. Add a few more words, and we'll really have some communication!
On the other hand, he is stringing together words that he knows into sentences. Some concepts don't need complete sentences. Dada! Juice! will accomplish what he wants. However, he said the same phrase yesterday and today while grabbing his father's leg after chasing him down: I got you, Dada! I'm sure he knows what he's saying when his timing is that accurate. And of course, in that sweet little voice, you know what he's saying is right on target on more than one level.
So the vocabulary may be hard to pin down, but he has advanced from words to sentences. Add a few more words, and we'll really have some communication!
Technorati Tags: Toddler
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