Jonathan is the ultimate proof that satisfaction encourages stagnation. As long as he is satisfied walking pushing a chair and standing while leaning on a shelf (or mommy's legs) he will not learn to truly walk or stand. Further development is clearly a matter of motivation to achieve.
At almost 11 months of age Jonathan has finally clapped his hands! Until now, despite repeated demonstration on my part, with encouraging smiles, he has shown no interest in performing this feat! Now for some reason he has picked it up (probably following another child from his kindergarten), but still not with the same wholeheartedness as his second cousin, who claps really loudly and thus extorts the cheering smiles of his parents (my cousin and his wife) and any other adult who happens to be about – including me. I admit that as a mother I was a bot frustrated that Jonathan did not clap his hands before his little cousin...after all he rolled onto his stomach and stood up first! And so I am once again being taught by my son that babies are efficient beings, if there is nothing to be had from a certain endeavor, then why bother? And I guess clapping was somehow not of interest (even though my smiles and cheers were to be had...) until now.
Although he clearly loves music, he is not interested in children's song I sing with movements and clapping, and does not copy these movements in any way. Also I think he likes to create music (or noise) rather than just hearing it. The book combined with a piano I go for him at the supermarket for a bargain price has suddenly dies out! So now I haver to find a new music creating toy! As long as the book worked, and Jonathan could cause it to play songs by pressing its keys, it was most definitely his favorite toy!
Jonathan's walking while pushing a chair is becoming more steady and determined. He is also learning to navigate, and can turn corners with the chair, pushing merrily and complaining bitterly when the chair will not continue forward, like when it is blocked by the carpet. He can get to any corner in the house either with the chair or by crawling and thus shows no interest in more independent methods of movement, like walking holding both mommy's hands, not to mention walking quite alone. I know it is also a matter of strength (he still needs to lean on something to stand – although he now can let go for a millisecond before landing on his bottom...), he must grow strong enough to walk on two feet, still I think motivation had to do with the speed of his development. As long as he is happy to move about as he now does, he will simply not bother to take the next step...literally!
Despite the fact that his cousin has caught up with him and even surpasses Jonathan in some of the baby achievements that the books discuss as development stages there is not reason to worry about Jonathan's development. He seems to be a healthy and happy baby with endless curiosity and who (just like his dad) loves to communicate with people. He is always flirting with old ladies in the street when we take a stroll, reaching out to them and smiling! And they love it! Cooing to him they complement me on how cute he is. Who am I to argue with that... I always tell them that I know it is so! When we are “driving” in the stroller (or in the car too) he is sitting up straight and looking about him, taking it all in! In the bathtub he chases the transparent water, clearly following its flow, and when we spin together on a chair in the living groom he enjoys the sensation and I can clearly see his pupils moving as he follows the objects around him from the spin. He turns his head always in the right direction in reaction to sudden sounds or music and he is always chatting merrily, even mumbling first syllables in relation to mom, dad and food!
Next week we have an appointment at the “Development Doctor” (Jonathan was supposed to be inspected at the age of 9 months, but we could not get an appointment) and it will be interesting to hear the analysis, although I am sure she will only repeat what I have just written. Jonathan is displaying acute sharpness...when it suits him, of course. As already said, motivation is the key...
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Friday, October 17, 2008
Various Delays
Sometimes the thought hits you sometime after something else does ... a DELAYED conclusion is the result.
And one needs a talent to sing in a choir so early. I think the kind of singing, when one repeats the phrase of the other in a short DELAY is called a cannone, no?
DELAYED proof is sometimes needed to make a humorous anecdote into a true story.
Read all about these DELAYS in the following blog entry.
Jonathan likes to toss things, just like any baby his age (10.5 months) and his motoric movements are not optimal or 100% controlled, he also does not really understand his true strength (neither do I...amazing how strong babies can be...) and so today, he flung a wooden stick so that it hit him on the head. In his frenzy to keep tossing things, he did not stop to cry after being hit by the stick but rather continued to look for the next toy to toss, and then in mid action he stopped short, screwed his face , as if about to cry and then scratched his head where previously the stick had hit him, obviously hurt, but not understanding why... a classic delay in thought and registration. The kind of stuff that makes sitcoms (situation comedy, if anyone was curious...) right up there with slipping on a banana I think.
Tonight, as we put Jonathan to bed he was not too happy about it and was complaining rather vocally for a while (until he got too tired and gave up, falling asleep). The funny thing was that at exactly the same time an equally unsatisfied child was climbing up the stairs in our apartment house and wailing as well. Jonathan's room is close to the wall that separates our apartment from the public stair case, and hence the effect that I heard from the living room was a wailing duet! Anyway, Jonathan and the boy (one of the neighbors...but I do not know which) were answering each others calls, and it was almost like a conversation in which one complains and the others join in to strengthen and support the bad opinion being expressed. Truly a master piece. Probably the other boy did not want to go to sleep either...
A third delayed occurrence, almost like a cannone song, shows itself in the following little anecdote.
The ladies at the day care center love to complain about Jonathan's activity, after all when the boy is loose, he is everywhere and nothing remains in place. He leaves a trail of havoc, just like a hurricane. The last story they supplied was that one of the day care center ladies was sitting with one of the mothers and they watched the children in play. Jonathan was on the move , as always, and the care taker was always trying to prevent him from making a mess. And so she found herself always repeating his name with the word “don't!”. Jonathan, don't pull the hair of child X (he is 10.5 months old how can he know he is pulling? He is just being friendly) , don't bite child Y (he likes to shove everything in his mouth – like all babies his age - people are no exception, and he had two teeth, how can a bite be prevented? He is not being mean, he just doesn't know better) Jonathan don't toss the toys from the drawers, Jonathan don't topple the drawers over your head...and so on...
After a while the care taker went to the toilet, leaving the children with the mother who was sitting there. From the toilet she could hear that the mother had taken over the role of instructing Jonathan as to what he should not do, even if her style was different...she liked to ask questions rather than scold. And so sitting on the toilet the care taker could hear the following monologue “ Jonathan, why do you pull child Z's hair, it hurts her you know...Jonathan why do you bite child C, you really should not bite him, Jonathan why do you toss the toys over there, you could put them back in the drawers, they are still standing you know...” and so on.
Two days after hearing this story I was sitting on the toilet in my parents house and my mother was looking after Jonathan and sitting with him in a near by room. And then I heard it! “Jonathan, don't! Jonathan you cannot pull the DVD off the TV table! Jonathan! don't toss the DVD cassettes! Jonathan! No!The books belong on the shelf! And so Jonathan landed in his pen, where he could play freely and my mother could rest and bask in the fact that her house was still standing, and I could finish my business in peace....
And one needs a talent to sing in a choir so early. I think the kind of singing, when one repeats the phrase of the other in a short DELAY is called a cannone, no?
DELAYED proof is sometimes needed to make a humorous anecdote into a true story.
Read all about these DELAYS in the following blog entry.
Jonathan likes to toss things, just like any baby his age (10.5 months) and his motoric movements are not optimal or 100% controlled, he also does not really understand his true strength (neither do I...amazing how strong babies can be...) and so today, he flung a wooden stick so that it hit him on the head. In his frenzy to keep tossing things, he did not stop to cry after being hit by the stick but rather continued to look for the next toy to toss, and then in mid action he stopped short, screwed his face , as if about to cry and then scratched his head where previously the stick had hit him, obviously hurt, but not understanding why... a classic delay in thought and registration. The kind of stuff that makes sitcoms (situation comedy, if anyone was curious...) right up there with slipping on a banana I think.
Tonight, as we put Jonathan to bed he was not too happy about it and was complaining rather vocally for a while (until he got too tired and gave up, falling asleep). The funny thing was that at exactly the same time an equally unsatisfied child was climbing up the stairs in our apartment house and wailing as well. Jonathan's room is close to the wall that separates our apartment from the public stair case, and hence the effect that I heard from the living room was a wailing duet! Anyway, Jonathan and the boy (one of the neighbors...but I do not know which) were answering each others calls, and it was almost like a conversation in which one complains and the others join in to strengthen and support the bad opinion being expressed. Truly a master piece. Probably the other boy did not want to go to sleep either...
A third delayed occurrence, almost like a cannone song, shows itself in the following little anecdote.
The ladies at the day care center love to complain about Jonathan's activity, after all when the boy is loose, he is everywhere and nothing remains in place. He leaves a trail of havoc, just like a hurricane. The last story they supplied was that one of the day care center ladies was sitting with one of the mothers and they watched the children in play. Jonathan was on the move , as always, and the care taker was always trying to prevent him from making a mess. And so she found herself always repeating his name with the word “don't!”. Jonathan, don't pull the hair of child X (he is 10.5 months old how can he know he is pulling? He is just being friendly) , don't bite child Y (he likes to shove everything in his mouth – like all babies his age - people are no exception, and he had two teeth, how can a bite be prevented? He is not being mean, he just doesn't know better) Jonathan don't toss the toys from the drawers, Jonathan don't topple the drawers over your head...and so on...
After a while the care taker went to the toilet, leaving the children with the mother who was sitting there. From the toilet she could hear that the mother had taken over the role of instructing Jonathan as to what he should not do, even if her style was different...she liked to ask questions rather than scold. And so sitting on the toilet the care taker could hear the following monologue “ Jonathan, why do you pull child Z's hair, it hurts her you know...Jonathan why do you bite child C, you really should not bite him, Jonathan why do you toss the toys over there, you could put them back in the drawers, they are still standing you know...” and so on.
Two days after hearing this story I was sitting on the toilet in my parents house and my mother was looking after Jonathan and sitting with him in a near by room. And then I heard it! “Jonathan, don't! Jonathan you cannot pull the DVD off the TV table! Jonathan! don't toss the DVD cassettes! Jonathan! No!The books belong on the shelf! And so Jonathan landed in his pen, where he could play freely and my mother could rest and bask in the fact that her house was still standing, and I could finish my business in peace....
Thursday, October 2, 2008
An Anecdote:
By the way, recently Jonathan has taken to turning out our DVD shelves. Until now he avoided the precious collection. He got his hand on some historical DVD's and even opened some of the boxes, scratching a particular DVD mercilessly on our floor. Turned out the scratched DVD was that of a BBC series of lives of great men! The DVD Jonathan presumably ruined was that reporting about the life of Jesus! We played the DVD to see what had remained of it, and short of two small hiccups the film played without a flaw, almost miraculously I'd say...now can it be connected the Jesus? My husband , as a protestant, likes to think that just might be the case...anyway, its nice to know Jonathan is not as harmful to DVD;s as one might think... still he is forbidden from approaching the DVD shelves again!
By the way, he has his own special CD to play with now (as in ruin and scratch to his hearts content!)
By the way, he has his own special CD to play with now (as in ruin and scratch to his hearts content!)
Thinking Baby II
Even when in the bathtub, Wet through and through, Jonathan presents his new thinking abilities...
When he was really little, Jonathan did not like the water at all. It was clear that the baby just did not enjoy his bath (maybe because it was cold winter then) , and so it became a short routine for us. As he grew bigger, and combined with the fact that it was the warm summer months, I decided to give the bath tub a second chance, and Jonathan seemed to agree. In the large tub (he already our grew the baby tub ) he seemed to like the water, splashing around and watching different items such as shampoo bottles and soap float with fascination and growing interest, trying sometimes to catch them too...
I guess the only part he does not like is being washed! Our bathing ceremony includes his nails cleaned with a brush, his two cute teeth being brushed with a special baby toothbrush (no harm in getting him used to the concept early, even if it is not really efficient) and getting his head and private parts soaped and washed! He protests against any form of brush and tolerates water flowing over his head only for a short while, otherwise trying to flee the flow by standing up and moving about, signaling also that he has had enough by lifting his arm to say that he wants to leave the bath. So I get the washing part done quickly at the end of the bath, after he has had the opportunity to play for a while with a dry head (to avoid his catching cold).
And so, sitting in the warm water with several brushes serving as bath time toys, the boy just loves it!
Already when I fill the tub he is thrilled to stand near it, trying to catch the flowing water. Happily looking forward to being put inside and showing his glee in a wide smile, even a cute laugh.
Recently he added two more skills to our bath time arsenal:
1 – Jonathan tries to hold flowing water, I fill a cup and pour the liquid and the boy tries to catch it, grabbing into the flow and being only too disappointed when it all flows through his fingers. Yet not such as Jonathan will simply give up! And so he tries again when I again pour the water.
2 – he followed the water as I empty the tub, once again trying to catch it and stop it from going down the drain. It is fascinating to see how he can follow the motion of the transparent fluid and clearly tries to intercept it on tis way down the drain...
Today he added a new display that truly shows he is indeed a thinking baby. For some time Jonathan has watched me empty the tub, and he knows only to well what the cork looks like. Today, instead of chasing the running water down the drain, he simply picked the cork and tried to close the hole! He could not get it quite right, but I am sure he will soon. Thinking baby or what?!
When he was really little, Jonathan did not like the water at all. It was clear that the baby just did not enjoy his bath (maybe because it was cold winter then) , and so it became a short routine for us. As he grew bigger, and combined with the fact that it was the warm summer months, I decided to give the bath tub a second chance, and Jonathan seemed to agree. In the large tub (he already our grew the baby tub ) he seemed to like the water, splashing around and watching different items such as shampoo bottles and soap float with fascination and growing interest, trying sometimes to catch them too...
I guess the only part he does not like is being washed! Our bathing ceremony includes his nails cleaned with a brush, his two cute teeth being brushed with a special baby toothbrush (no harm in getting him used to the concept early, even if it is not really efficient) and getting his head and private parts soaped and washed! He protests against any form of brush and tolerates water flowing over his head only for a short while, otherwise trying to flee the flow by standing up and moving about, signaling also that he has had enough by lifting his arm to say that he wants to leave the bath. So I get the washing part done quickly at the end of the bath, after he has had the opportunity to play for a while with a dry head (to avoid his catching cold).
And so, sitting in the warm water with several brushes serving as bath time toys, the boy just loves it!
Already when I fill the tub he is thrilled to stand near it, trying to catch the flowing water. Happily looking forward to being put inside and showing his glee in a wide smile, even a cute laugh.
Recently he added two more skills to our bath time arsenal:
1 – Jonathan tries to hold flowing water, I fill a cup and pour the liquid and the boy tries to catch it, grabbing into the flow and being only too disappointed when it all flows through his fingers. Yet not such as Jonathan will simply give up! And so he tries again when I again pour the water.
2 – he followed the water as I empty the tub, once again trying to catch it and stop it from going down the drain. It is fascinating to see how he can follow the motion of the transparent fluid and clearly tries to intercept it on tis way down the drain...
Today he added a new display that truly shows he is indeed a thinking baby. For some time Jonathan has watched me empty the tub, and he knows only to well what the cork looks like. Today, instead of chasing the running water down the drain, he simply picked the cork and tried to close the hole! He could not get it quite right, but I am sure he will soon. Thinking baby or what?!
Thinking Baby
Jonathan is showing signs of true thought! Developing new skills all the time! He is ten months old and truly developing into a little person. He has clear wishes and protests loudly when they are not fulfilled. He is also turning into glue – that is becoming inseparable from his mommy...
Ever since Jonathan was sick last week, and thus permitted to spend the ENTIRE! day on mommy, he has been regularly coming back for more! I guess I can relate, I would love to able to cuddle into something soft, warm and large, but those days are over for me! I am an adult now! It can sometimes be a bit of a nuisance, hell, I can't leave the room anymore without hearing his crying protest following me! For the first time I can understand why my mother always protested that I was like glue! As a little child, I loved to hang onto her handbag when we were walking somewhere and it drove her nuts!
It's a mixed feeling though, after all Jonathan is still so small and so cuddly that its nice when he comes to me for a hug, and yet he pulls so when I try to get up, and carrying him about with me is not always an option. Sometimes he really gets it on and cries whole heartedly as soon as I am out of his sight! It can really put the strain on a mother! After all,hearing him cry can break my heart...still, life must go on and I continue with whatever I am doing despite Jonathan's protests, I do call to him to let him know I am still near by (that is if I did not leave the house). And he follows my voice!
My mother says that when she was babysitting him two weeks ago, he was crawling all over the house, as if looking for me. Even if he is crying his heart out he crawls slowly in the direction of the kitchen (usually where I come from when I disappear...) The crying may slow his motion, but it does not slow his wits. He is clearly thinking when he crawls towards the direction in which I had gone, knowing help will come from that same direction. Sometimes following my voice is a game. He comes near and takes peak at me, as if playing hide and seek. Then he goes back a bit and returns to take another peak...did I say a game? Did I say thinking baby? I think this peaking game is proof enough!
Want some more proof that his thought is developing? He has been pushing chairs about and walking after them for about a month now, but he always got stuck, having pushed the chair into another one, or into a table or up to the carpet, there are many obstacles in our house. Now he just turns around pushing the chair and trying to see in which direction it would move again. Once he has found that direction, he just starts pushing and walking again, happy as can be! This exercise of turning around the chair and fixing the problem of its not moving is definitely a new development! He has also become sure of his actions when trying to get of a high chair or our bed. We only had to show him twice that he needs to go down backwards, now he is doing this almost as second nature and his actions are growing more confident every day! My sister also reports he can push a slide door open, but I have not yet seen this.
Another new trait is returning his toys into the red basin in which they are kept. He likes to throw them all out and then return some of them back to their place, to only throw them out again! He also has discovered the two large drawers in his room, which contain more toys. So now he has the full variety – not only two locations of toys but the choice of the entire inventory we have. Yesterday we played with a box full of cubes. I had to empty it for him , but then he gladly returned the cubes into the box.
He is also eating small pieces of soft foods like banana and tomato (saying “mumum” when indicating that he likes the food! Or is he calling to his mum? I do not know that yet for sure). He loves to munch on a piece of bread, especially with the crust. When a piece is too large he will usually spit it out and sometimes he coughs them out, I rarely need to assist him. He seems to be coping well enough with the experience of eating and taking action if something is wrong! My thinking baby! He grows so fast!
Ever since Jonathan was sick last week, and thus permitted to spend the ENTIRE! day on mommy, he has been regularly coming back for more! I guess I can relate, I would love to able to cuddle into something soft, warm and large, but those days are over for me! I am an adult now! It can sometimes be a bit of a nuisance, hell, I can't leave the room anymore without hearing his crying protest following me! For the first time I can understand why my mother always protested that I was like glue! As a little child, I loved to hang onto her handbag when we were walking somewhere and it drove her nuts!
It's a mixed feeling though, after all Jonathan is still so small and so cuddly that its nice when he comes to me for a hug, and yet he pulls so when I try to get up, and carrying him about with me is not always an option. Sometimes he really gets it on and cries whole heartedly as soon as I am out of his sight! It can really put the strain on a mother! After all,hearing him cry can break my heart...still, life must go on and I continue with whatever I am doing despite Jonathan's protests, I do call to him to let him know I am still near by (that is if I did not leave the house). And he follows my voice!
My mother says that when she was babysitting him two weeks ago, he was crawling all over the house, as if looking for me. Even if he is crying his heart out he crawls slowly in the direction of the kitchen (usually where I come from when I disappear...) The crying may slow his motion, but it does not slow his wits. He is clearly thinking when he crawls towards the direction in which I had gone, knowing help will come from that same direction. Sometimes following my voice is a game. He comes near and takes peak at me, as if playing hide and seek. Then he goes back a bit and returns to take another peak...did I say a game? Did I say thinking baby? I think this peaking game is proof enough!
Want some more proof that his thought is developing? He has been pushing chairs about and walking after them for about a month now, but he always got stuck, having pushed the chair into another one, or into a table or up to the carpet, there are many obstacles in our house. Now he just turns around pushing the chair and trying to see in which direction it would move again. Once he has found that direction, he just starts pushing and walking again, happy as can be! This exercise of turning around the chair and fixing the problem of its not moving is definitely a new development! He has also become sure of his actions when trying to get of a high chair or our bed. We only had to show him twice that he needs to go down backwards, now he is doing this almost as second nature and his actions are growing more confident every day! My sister also reports he can push a slide door open, but I have not yet seen this.
Another new trait is returning his toys into the red basin in which they are kept. He likes to throw them all out and then return some of them back to their place, to only throw them out again! He also has discovered the two large drawers in his room, which contain more toys. So now he has the full variety – not only two locations of toys but the choice of the entire inventory we have. Yesterday we played with a box full of cubes. I had to empty it for him , but then he gladly returned the cubes into the box.
He is also eating small pieces of soft foods like banana and tomato (saying “mumum” when indicating that he likes the food! Or is he calling to his mum? I do not know that yet for sure). He loves to munch on a piece of bread, especially with the crust. When a piece is too large he will usually spit it out and sometimes he coughs them out, I rarely need to assist him. He seems to be coping well enough with the experience of eating and taking action if something is wrong! My thinking baby! He grows so fast!
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