October 9th, 2009 – 1 year and 10.5 month old
Jonathan ordered a lift for himself and almost used it too.
Jonathan loves elevators, the buttons light up when pressed and the movement underneath his feet is a thrill! When we are in a shopping mall or a hotel, he always runs to the excallators or/and the elevators. He has already once almost crawled into an elevator in a large baby shop when he was about 6 months old!
We were visiting friends and Jonathan just pressed the button and the elevator came. The doors opened and he simply walked in. I noticed it just as the doors were closing. I quickly pressed the button and the doors opened again – with my boy with a delighted sunshine smile on his face appearing before me, totally unconcerned that he had been closed in an elevator all alone, just glad to see that mommy has come too, I guess...lucky that it was a small building, so even if he had managed to press buttons and use the elevator, I could have easily found him.
Friday, October 9, 2009
Starting All Over Again
My sister had a baby – her daughter is just soooo small and dainty! I feel like I am starting all over again. I dug up all the baby clothes an toys from our high closet, took out the baby bath and baby sense, stroller, car seat, bottles and pacifiers etc. My sister's baby came early and they had nothing prepared – so it was up to me mostly to provide all the equipment. Luckily I still have everything on hand.
Then there was also remembering things again, as my sister called to ask questions and to get tips. It's her first child...Its amazing how easy it all seems, the baby just eats and sleeps. No need to chase and run after it... I remember that when Jonathan was born, his total dependence on me was so shocking for me that it became an extra weight. My sister seems to be more relaxed and is basking in her new motherhood status. All this makes me think that a second child is not going to be such a great shock as Jonathan was. I guess the shock is what compelled me to start this blog...now its just fun to document whatever is going on and what new things Jonathan does as he grows bigger and stronger every day.
Then there was also remembering things again, as my sister called to ask questions and to get tips. It's her first child...Its amazing how easy it all seems, the baby just eats and sleeps. No need to chase and run after it... I remember that when Jonathan was born, his total dependence on me was so shocking for me that it became an extra weight. My sister seems to be more relaxed and is basking in her new motherhood status. All this makes me think that a second child is not going to be such a great shock as Jonathan was. I guess the shock is what compelled me to start this blog...now its just fun to document whatever is going on and what new things Jonathan does as he grows bigger and stronger every day.
Thinking Processes and Improved Speech
Jonathan is still not talking – actually he is talking non stop, tone and all (true language melody included) just not any coherent words we might understand (and we understand 4 languages between my husband and myself). Still his speech is improving and slowly talk is becoming linked to actions. Despite the speech deficit, he has no problem whatsoever to manage his little world and all the adults in it!
Pulling me about and telling me I must either stand up (KUM is masculine imperative for get up in Hebrew) or sit (“Shev” is masculine imperative for sit down in Hebrew) is by now routine for Jonathan. If I do not sit to his liking, he will pull me up and show me the correct place in which I am to sit.
He now exercises this authority also on my parents (his grandparents), my husband (his daddy|) and my siblings (his aunts and uncles). All adults tend to obey his wishes, and his cousins too.
He goes willingly to bed when I ask him to, but he wants me to stay in his room. At first I was told that I must sit with him – Shev, he said and indicated a chair in his room. He even dragged the chair for me so that it would stand nearer to his bed. Now I am required to stay and sleep - “Shon” (short for “lishon” sleep in Hebrew) he says, standing perched inside his high bed and indicating the floor. I now have to lye down next to his bed for a while. If I do not, he will get us and stand in the bed. To be fair to my little tyrant, he has dragged over a small mattress we have in the living room for his use, so that I can lye on that in his bedroom in comfort, while I keep him company in the dark.
Yesterday, as I went to his room in the morning, he stood up in the bed and said “TUL” - short for “Chitul” which means nappy in Hebrew – the boy indicated his pants and showed me he was wet and that his nappy was full. He clearly was asking me to change it (even if he did not point to the changing table, as he had done before).
Today was the first time he informed me of the fact that he had just now pooped in his nappy. He was in his bed for the afternoon nap and I was on the mattress on the floor as usual, and he got up and said “kaki” which is children's language for poop in Hebrew. I change the diaper and then he quickly fell asleep, dry and comfortable with nothing pressing in his belly...
He slept 4 hours this afternoon and when my husband went to help him out of bed he repeated the announcement that he had a diaper full of “kaki”, as indeed it was. It's really cool to see how he is finally connecting words to deeds and how he is discovering himself.
It is nice to watch how his thinking process becomes more clear and focused. One morning he got up and ran directly towards the television. This was nothing unusual, as DVD is his main indoors activity – but this time he saw that our TV was not ready for the DVD. The cables were wrong. So he simply fixed it – he changed the cables, putting in the ones that belong to the DVD in the correct sockets (they are color coded) and brought me a DVD CD so that I place it in the player for him.
We were eating ice cream today and for the first time Jonathan ate alone from a plastic cup. I ate with him, from the same cup and using a different spoon. Jonathan decided to feed me and at first he offered me bites with his own spoon, then he decided that was not good enough and taking my spoon, he tried to transfer ice that he scooped up with his spoon, into my spoon so he could give it to me from my spoon. Although he failed miserably, got all dirty and sticky in the process and I got to eat no ice cream, it was so cute to watch his intention.
Jonathan can also count! He has no problem counting up to three! He can clearly count in Hebrew and associates counting before certain activities – like when I help him jump, or when I lift him into the bath tub. Recently he also started counting in German with his daddy. He also says goodbye in German (Tchuess) and NO in German (Nein). He clearly also reacts to his name, when it is called he turns around. His singing also improves (even though his kindergarten teacher asked me to take him to an ear inspection because he falls a lot – the doctor said the boy is healthy, but sent him to a hearing test because of his speech deficit) he sings with the DVD or when we play music in the car and even just so, singing when walking in the street or with mommy – although he usually tends to forbid me sing – scolding me when I do so. Although he is behind when it comes to speech, I have no reason to think he cannot hear properly and he is finally showing some advancement.
Pulling me about and telling me I must either stand up (KUM is masculine imperative for get up in Hebrew) or sit (“Shev” is masculine imperative for sit down in Hebrew) is by now routine for Jonathan. If I do not sit to his liking, he will pull me up and show me the correct place in which I am to sit.
He now exercises this authority also on my parents (his grandparents), my husband (his daddy|) and my siblings (his aunts and uncles). All adults tend to obey his wishes, and his cousins too.
He goes willingly to bed when I ask him to, but he wants me to stay in his room. At first I was told that I must sit with him – Shev, he said and indicated a chair in his room. He even dragged the chair for me so that it would stand nearer to his bed. Now I am required to stay and sleep - “Shon” (short for “lishon” sleep in Hebrew) he says, standing perched inside his high bed and indicating the floor. I now have to lye down next to his bed for a while. If I do not, he will get us and stand in the bed. To be fair to my little tyrant, he has dragged over a small mattress we have in the living room for his use, so that I can lye on that in his bedroom in comfort, while I keep him company in the dark.
Yesterday, as I went to his room in the morning, he stood up in the bed and said “TUL” - short for “Chitul” which means nappy in Hebrew – the boy indicated his pants and showed me he was wet and that his nappy was full. He clearly was asking me to change it (even if he did not point to the changing table, as he had done before).
Today was the first time he informed me of the fact that he had just now pooped in his nappy. He was in his bed for the afternoon nap and I was on the mattress on the floor as usual, and he got up and said “kaki” which is children's language for poop in Hebrew. I change the diaper and then he quickly fell asleep, dry and comfortable with nothing pressing in his belly...
He slept 4 hours this afternoon and when my husband went to help him out of bed he repeated the announcement that he had a diaper full of “kaki”, as indeed it was. It's really cool to see how he is finally connecting words to deeds and how he is discovering himself.
It is nice to watch how his thinking process becomes more clear and focused. One morning he got up and ran directly towards the television. This was nothing unusual, as DVD is his main indoors activity – but this time he saw that our TV was not ready for the DVD. The cables were wrong. So he simply fixed it – he changed the cables, putting in the ones that belong to the DVD in the correct sockets (they are color coded) and brought me a DVD CD so that I place it in the player for him.
We were eating ice cream today and for the first time Jonathan ate alone from a plastic cup. I ate with him, from the same cup and using a different spoon. Jonathan decided to feed me and at first he offered me bites with his own spoon, then he decided that was not good enough and taking my spoon, he tried to transfer ice that he scooped up with his spoon, into my spoon so he could give it to me from my spoon. Although he failed miserably, got all dirty and sticky in the process and I got to eat no ice cream, it was so cute to watch his intention.
Jonathan can also count! He has no problem counting up to three! He can clearly count in Hebrew and associates counting before certain activities – like when I help him jump, or when I lift him into the bath tub. Recently he also started counting in German with his daddy. He also says goodbye in German (Tchuess) and NO in German (Nein). He clearly also reacts to his name, when it is called he turns around. His singing also improves (even though his kindergarten teacher asked me to take him to an ear inspection because he falls a lot – the doctor said the boy is healthy, but sent him to a hearing test because of his speech deficit) he sings with the DVD or when we play music in the car and even just so, singing when walking in the street or with mommy – although he usually tends to forbid me sing – scolding me when I do so. Although he is behind when it comes to speech, I have no reason to think he cannot hear properly and he is finally showing some advancement.
Thursday, September 3, 2009
Kindergarten for big kids
Jonathan is 1 year and 9 months old and this means that it is time to place him in a kindergarten class that has bigger children in it, kids Jonathan's age and up! I do not think I am a fussy or over protective mother, but the transaction to the larger facility and into a class with 25 children has me all wound up! Jonathan on the other hand seams quite happy...
After a year and a half in the baby class (into which I entered him when he was just 3 months old), Jonathan is moving up in the world – to a kindergarten for bigger kids! The facility is larger and there is a real sand area for play and more toys and swings and slides. Everything that an average two year old can enjoy, board games and puzzles and a large variety of figurines! There is also new staff and the location is changed (closer to our apartment actually). All this takes getting used to, for the parent as much as the child. Leaving behind the trusted staff who took loving care of my boy for so long (and with whom I got on fabulously), and also watching the baby class being renovated just as we leave it behind, made me feel like I was leaving a home!
The start of the year takes into account this adjustment process and in the first three days parents are expected to be available for their children, spending the first two days with their kids in the kindergarten and being there only for half the day. In the third day they are no longer expected to be with the kids but they must stick around to be near if a need arises to call them back to assure their children. All this is supposed to serve for the children to be accustomed to and familiar with the new place and for the parents to develop a trust towards the new team of caretakers.
Although Jonathan loves for me to be around, as as close to him as possible (come, sit here!, get up ...always giving me instructions where to station myself in his vicinity) he also likes to play and run free! And so, once in the new kindergarten, he took full possession of the kitchen corner, cooking for mommy and offering water and coffee and making sure I sit down near the table, but also pushing away any other child (including children who are sometimes a year older that himself) away from the kitchen, not allowing others to play with him. Did I say possess? My boy showed full ownership from the first moment! In the garden this was repeated. Pushing kids so he can slide and pulling me to sit in the specific location in the large yard that pleased him. And so we happily passed the first two days of ciaos in the kindergarten, going home at lunch time.
25 children with their parents and the staff can be quite an over whelming experience for the average parent! (especially one with a first child – an adult that has to care for just one child in normal times can be hit quite hard by the presence of so many toddlers...) I admit I felt very uneasy about leaving Jonathan in such a large group (although recently in the baby class they were also 22 children – even though only 15 are permitted, still babies are calmer, stay in one place and seam smaller and less threatening to my big boy). But this morning, as parents of the older children (who are already attending the kindergarten a second year) did not stay, and parents of the new children stayed only a short while, things began to calm down and I felt a little better. There are 4 ladies in charge of the group of 23 children (I counted yesterday at breakfast) and one must hope they will get it all under control. My biggest fear is that Jonathan will simply walk off unnoticed. He can open the gate to the smaller sand yard, so if for some reason the large gate to the kindergarten is open (it has an electric lock, but sometimes a parent can leave it open unawares..) the boy can simply leave the kindergarten, and if there are so may kids in the group, will they indeed miss one that has left? Jonathan is also independent enough to try and leave...after all he is in an age of exploration and an age in which one has not yet quite learned to understand (and obey) all the rules. In addition, kids will always be putting their borders to the test, unaware of the dangers envoled. I can only hope that the staff is indeed watchful enough.
This morning I left the kindergarten after staying only an hour, I called about two hours later ands the kindergarten teacher said Jonathan was doing just fine (as expected...he is truly a child that adjusts to his environment quickly and easily – I am truly blessed). Although it was not the original plan, I decided along with his teacher to try and leave him there all day, including a mid-day nap. Hopefully this will work out. After all next week I am back at work (after indulging in three days off for the purpose of transferring Jonathan to the new kindergarten) so there is really not much choice but that he get used to the new place. I got recommendations regarding the staff (especially positive about the kindergarten teacher), but its not easy letting him go in such a large group. As a parent. you feel he may be exposed, unsafe and that he may suffer from lack of personal attention when the staff (however well meaning) has so many children to look after. But then again, in the Israeli school system this only gets worse, with up to 37 children in a classroom from a very early age. So he might as well get used to it early (actually I might as well get used to it early...)
And this has always been the case, classes are few and over crowded and teachers underpaid and overworked. In my attempt to be a good mother, I tried to look up the law about the rate of children per adults in kindergarten and found no rules for children of two years of age. For children of 3 years, where the supervision is better, as it is organized by the state, 30 kids are allowed with one teacher and an assistant by law.
I counted the children in my kindergarten – a picture from when I was five years old and found that with one teacher and one caretaker, we were 33 kids! And I was living in a nice village , not in a large city or a poor neighborhood. A picture of an “end of the year” party from when I was 3 years old, also suggest a large group of children (though I cannot tell exactly how many). The number of children in my kindergarten was not for lack of funds, its just the way things are here! So all this considered, with 25 kids and 4 staff (one teacher and 3 assistants) Jonathan is doing all right...it is I who needs to relax and adjust, he is well satisfied getting full of sand in the playground ( another new horror for the average mom...) occupying himself and playing happily, hardy mouthing a complaint (just a small cry of protest that last only as long as he has no sand in his spoon), as I leave the grounds and allow the staff to take over...
After a year and a half in the baby class (into which I entered him when he was just 3 months old), Jonathan is moving up in the world – to a kindergarten for bigger kids! The facility is larger and there is a real sand area for play and more toys and swings and slides. Everything that an average two year old can enjoy, board games and puzzles and a large variety of figurines! There is also new staff and the location is changed (closer to our apartment actually). All this takes getting used to, for the parent as much as the child. Leaving behind the trusted staff who took loving care of my boy for so long (and with whom I got on fabulously), and also watching the baby class being renovated just as we leave it behind, made me feel like I was leaving a home!
The start of the year takes into account this adjustment process and in the first three days parents are expected to be available for their children, spending the first two days with their kids in the kindergarten and being there only for half the day. In the third day they are no longer expected to be with the kids but they must stick around to be near if a need arises to call them back to assure their children. All this is supposed to serve for the children to be accustomed to and familiar with the new place and for the parents to develop a trust towards the new team of caretakers.
Although Jonathan loves for me to be around, as as close to him as possible (come, sit here!, get up ...always giving me instructions where to station myself in his vicinity) he also likes to play and run free! And so, once in the new kindergarten, he took full possession of the kitchen corner, cooking for mommy and offering water and coffee and making sure I sit down near the table, but also pushing away any other child (including children who are sometimes a year older that himself) away from the kitchen, not allowing others to play with him. Did I say possess? My boy showed full ownership from the first moment! In the garden this was repeated. Pushing kids so he can slide and pulling me to sit in the specific location in the large yard that pleased him. And so we happily passed the first two days of ciaos in the kindergarten, going home at lunch time.
25 children with their parents and the staff can be quite an over whelming experience for the average parent! (especially one with a first child – an adult that has to care for just one child in normal times can be hit quite hard by the presence of so many toddlers...) I admit I felt very uneasy about leaving Jonathan in such a large group (although recently in the baby class they were also 22 children – even though only 15 are permitted, still babies are calmer, stay in one place and seam smaller and less threatening to my big boy). But this morning, as parents of the older children (who are already attending the kindergarten a second year) did not stay, and parents of the new children stayed only a short while, things began to calm down and I felt a little better. There are 4 ladies in charge of the group of 23 children (I counted yesterday at breakfast) and one must hope they will get it all under control. My biggest fear is that Jonathan will simply walk off unnoticed. He can open the gate to the smaller sand yard, so if for some reason the large gate to the kindergarten is open (it has an electric lock, but sometimes a parent can leave it open unawares..) the boy can simply leave the kindergarten, and if there are so may kids in the group, will they indeed miss one that has left? Jonathan is also independent enough to try and leave...after all he is in an age of exploration and an age in which one has not yet quite learned to understand (and obey) all the rules. In addition, kids will always be putting their borders to the test, unaware of the dangers envoled. I can only hope that the staff is indeed watchful enough.
This morning I left the kindergarten after staying only an hour, I called about two hours later ands the kindergarten teacher said Jonathan was doing just fine (as expected...he is truly a child that adjusts to his environment quickly and easily – I am truly blessed). Although it was not the original plan, I decided along with his teacher to try and leave him there all day, including a mid-day nap. Hopefully this will work out. After all next week I am back at work (after indulging in three days off for the purpose of transferring Jonathan to the new kindergarten) so there is really not much choice but that he get used to the new place. I got recommendations regarding the staff (especially positive about the kindergarten teacher), but its not easy letting him go in such a large group. As a parent. you feel he may be exposed, unsafe and that he may suffer from lack of personal attention when the staff (however well meaning) has so many children to look after. But then again, in the Israeli school system this only gets worse, with up to 37 children in a classroom from a very early age. So he might as well get used to it early (actually I might as well get used to it early...)
And this has always been the case, classes are few and over crowded and teachers underpaid and overworked. In my attempt to be a good mother, I tried to look up the law about the rate of children per adults in kindergarten and found no rules for children of two years of age. For children of 3 years, where the supervision is better, as it is organized by the state, 30 kids are allowed with one teacher and an assistant by law.
I counted the children in my kindergarten – a picture from when I was five years old and found that with one teacher and one caretaker, we were 33 kids! And I was living in a nice village , not in a large city or a poor neighborhood. A picture of an “end of the year” party from when I was 3 years old, also suggest a large group of children (though I cannot tell exactly how many). The number of children in my kindergarten was not for lack of funds, its just the way things are here! So all this considered, with 25 kids and 4 staff (one teacher and 3 assistants) Jonathan is doing all right...it is I who needs to relax and adjust, he is well satisfied getting full of sand in the playground ( another new horror for the average mom...) occupying himself and playing happily, hardy mouthing a complaint (just a small cry of protest that last only as long as he has no sand in his spoon), as I leave the grounds and allow the staff to take over...
Bath time & WC
Jonathan loves water, so bath time is usually fun time. He is always learning and becoming more independent during his bath, and in general. He knows what he wants and strives to get it, instructing mommy in the process as to what she must do....now!
Jonathan has the unfortunate habit of coming in to the toilet when I am in there. It all started because the baby books said I should allow him to come in so he will see the concept of toilet from an early age, and so he will understand that there is another option except diapers, making the transaction from diapers to the toilet an easy one, when the time comes. Well the time has not yet come, and he likes to watch me in the toilet, because he just likes to be near me all the time (stuck to my aaa... literally). I have already begun to tell him he must leave the toilet when I am there, and sometimes he goes. Other times he shows me that my time is up! And I should come with him! He does this by coming to me and pulling up my pants and trousers and taking away a magazine I am reading (if I have brought one with me...) and to top it all, he starts pulling me to get up and leave the toilet! In the mornings he brings me my glasses as a sign that now that I am able to see better, I should get up and come with him!
Signaling that I need to come along, get up, sit down and lie down are all a matter of course to Jonathan by now. He communicates very well with his hands and body and has little need for words, and yet I understand perfectly what he wants. Pushing and pulling he shows me where I should locate myself. He can also show resistance and lack of satisfaction, and this comes very often when we must stop watching a DVD. The only time he will not come to the bath is if he is watching a DVD. Once in the bath he enjoys the water and soon forgets he ever refused to come. He likes to put all the shampoo and soap bottles in the tub and sit on them and between them, arranging them like boats. He enjoys the splashes he gets when he throws the bottles into the tub! He also has learned to soap himself. He extracts the liquid from the soap bottle (his favorite is a Johnson's & Johnson's tearless shampoo) and then soaps his belly and sometimes also his head. He also uses the brush to clean his feet (as I have done for him since his first bath) and also brushes his teeth alone (no toothpaste yet...) In the mornings if he sees me brush my teeth, I offer him his tooth brush and he brushes his teeth too. Now I am trying to teach him to stay in the bathroom during this morning brushing process.
Jonathan likes to sing! He is very musical and is getting close to the notes and repeating sounds and parts of words as he goes along! This is not new, what is new is is improving ability to truly sing words. Until now he also sang basically with the DVD tapes, but recently he has taken to join my singing, especially in the bathtub, when I sing the “i am so clean and so cute” song, that I learned from one of the tapes. The song is about washing hands with soap and water and becoming oh so clean and oh so cute...very suitable for bath time. He joins me to sing it even out of the bath, and his father likes to request that we perform the song together... It never fails to amaze me how exact he is in his singing, and that he always gets better.
Jonathan has the unfortunate habit of coming in to the toilet when I am in there. It all started because the baby books said I should allow him to come in so he will see the concept of toilet from an early age, and so he will understand that there is another option except diapers, making the transaction from diapers to the toilet an easy one, when the time comes. Well the time has not yet come, and he likes to watch me in the toilet, because he just likes to be near me all the time (stuck to my aaa... literally). I have already begun to tell him he must leave the toilet when I am there, and sometimes he goes. Other times he shows me that my time is up! And I should come with him! He does this by coming to me and pulling up my pants and trousers and taking away a magazine I am reading (if I have brought one with me...) and to top it all, he starts pulling me to get up and leave the toilet! In the mornings he brings me my glasses as a sign that now that I am able to see better, I should get up and come with him!
Signaling that I need to come along, get up, sit down and lie down are all a matter of course to Jonathan by now. He communicates very well with his hands and body and has little need for words, and yet I understand perfectly what he wants. Pushing and pulling he shows me where I should locate myself. He can also show resistance and lack of satisfaction, and this comes very often when we must stop watching a DVD. The only time he will not come to the bath is if he is watching a DVD. Once in the bath he enjoys the water and soon forgets he ever refused to come. He likes to put all the shampoo and soap bottles in the tub and sit on them and between them, arranging them like boats. He enjoys the splashes he gets when he throws the bottles into the tub! He also has learned to soap himself. He extracts the liquid from the soap bottle (his favorite is a Johnson's & Johnson's tearless shampoo) and then soaps his belly and sometimes also his head. He also uses the brush to clean his feet (as I have done for him since his first bath) and also brushes his teeth alone (no toothpaste yet...) In the mornings if he sees me brush my teeth, I offer him his tooth brush and he brushes his teeth too. Now I am trying to teach him to stay in the bathroom during this morning brushing process.
Jonathan likes to sing! He is very musical and is getting close to the notes and repeating sounds and parts of words as he goes along! This is not new, what is new is is improving ability to truly sing words. Until now he also sang basically with the DVD tapes, but recently he has taken to join my singing, especially in the bathtub, when I sing the “i am so clean and so cute” song, that I learned from one of the tapes. The song is about washing hands with soap and water and becoming oh so clean and oh so cute...very suitable for bath time. He joins me to sing it even out of the bath, and his father likes to request that we perform the song together... It never fails to amaze me how exact he is in his singing, and that he always gets better.
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
Jonathan's Latest Tricks
As Jonathan learns to know his world better he becomes more skilled at imitating it, hence his newest tricks.
Just recently I wrote that I was so proud of Jonathan going to bed when asked. Such an obedient boy! The ink is not dry on the paper which I printed of that blog entry (I print each entry as part of the documentation process this blog actually is...) and Jonathan has taken to resisting my request of going to bed and after he is in it to stand and even dance in his bed, when he does not want to go to sleep. This new tendency is the base of my fear of buying him a new bed. A pregnancy in the family is the catalizator of changing Jonathan's bed, and moving him up to a “big boy's” bed. The problem then is that he will be able to get out easily. Today if does not want to sleep he can stand, and call us (whining) but he cannot get out! With a bed for older children that option will become a possibility. Ahh, parents will do almost anything to maintain the peace achieved each evening, after the children are all in bed... but eventually we will have to allow Jonathan to sleep in a bed suitable for children and get him out of his crib...but I try to postpone this day as much as possible.
I have to give Jonathan credit that he does not call me to his bed in vain. He either wants me to bring him a drink (he likes to cuddle with his bottle and drink before he falls asleep, a result of not taking a pacifier...) or he may want some company (someone to sit with him a bit) or he calls us to announce that his nappy is full, and then he will clearly point to the changing table in his room, telling me what my nose has already guessed! It took me some time to recognize and understand he trick of gesturing towards the changing table, but once I got it, I was very proud of my clever little boy!
Another new trick - Jonathan has learned to drink our of a straw. Daddy thought him this and he is really quite skilled at it. He drinks from a bottle and from a straw, but when he tries to drink directly out of the glass or cup alone, he spills the contents. Drinking out of the glass calls for help from mommy and goes through without getting soaked only with the quantity of liquid in the cup is very small. Still whenever he sees adults drinking from their glasses, he want a sip too (Jonathan always liked to share food and drink...). Jonathan likes to practice drinking in the bath-tub – then he can get as wet as he likes.
The newest trick in the bath tub is to press the shampoo bottle, get some shampoo on his hands and then soap himself on the belly, imitating mommy soaping him up... I congratulate him on learning to use soap to get clean but am in ever angst that he will shove the soapy hand into his mouth and then start a tantrum following the bad taste...so far I have managed to prevent that from happening by continuously washing his soapy hands, he just dips them in more shampoo and soaps himself again, and I wash them again... and so on....
He also likes to wash mommy's hair. Pouring water from one plastic cup to another is his main entertainment when taking a bath. If mommy or daddy join him, he is happy to oblige us by pouring the water over our heads and helping us wash. The kindergarten teacher says that when they allow the toddlers into a makeshift pool (a necessity in Israels all to hot summer), Jonathan is quite a handful! He just loves water so much and splashes around and drives the caretakers crazy...
Imitating his surroundings becomes more and more prominent in Jonathan's actions. If we make funny noises, he will try to imitate them. A game is immediately created in that we will have a “conversation” of sounds. Mommy making a funny noise and Jonathan repeating it and vise versa...
We sat in a cafe this afternoon and Jonathan's daddy decide to have some fun by sticking a spoon onto his nose. Jonathan immediately followed suit and tried to do the same by grabbing a spoon and pressing it to his face. It was very cute to watch.
Just recently I wrote that I was so proud of Jonathan going to bed when asked. Such an obedient boy! The ink is not dry on the paper which I printed of that blog entry (I print each entry as part of the documentation process this blog actually is...) and Jonathan has taken to resisting my request of going to bed and after he is in it to stand and even dance in his bed, when he does not want to go to sleep. This new tendency is the base of my fear of buying him a new bed. A pregnancy in the family is the catalizator of changing Jonathan's bed, and moving him up to a “big boy's” bed. The problem then is that he will be able to get out easily. Today if does not want to sleep he can stand, and call us (whining) but he cannot get out! With a bed for older children that option will become a possibility. Ahh, parents will do almost anything to maintain the peace achieved each evening, after the children are all in bed... but eventually we will have to allow Jonathan to sleep in a bed suitable for children and get him out of his crib...but I try to postpone this day as much as possible.
I have to give Jonathan credit that he does not call me to his bed in vain. He either wants me to bring him a drink (he likes to cuddle with his bottle and drink before he falls asleep, a result of not taking a pacifier...) or he may want some company (someone to sit with him a bit) or he calls us to announce that his nappy is full, and then he will clearly point to the changing table in his room, telling me what my nose has already guessed! It took me some time to recognize and understand he trick of gesturing towards the changing table, but once I got it, I was very proud of my clever little boy!
Another new trick - Jonathan has learned to drink our of a straw. Daddy thought him this and he is really quite skilled at it. He drinks from a bottle and from a straw, but when he tries to drink directly out of the glass or cup alone, he spills the contents. Drinking out of the glass calls for help from mommy and goes through without getting soaked only with the quantity of liquid in the cup is very small. Still whenever he sees adults drinking from their glasses, he want a sip too (Jonathan always liked to share food and drink...). Jonathan likes to practice drinking in the bath-tub – then he can get as wet as he likes.
The newest trick in the bath tub is to press the shampoo bottle, get some shampoo on his hands and then soap himself on the belly, imitating mommy soaping him up... I congratulate him on learning to use soap to get clean but am in ever angst that he will shove the soapy hand into his mouth and then start a tantrum following the bad taste...so far I have managed to prevent that from happening by continuously washing his soapy hands, he just dips them in more shampoo and soaps himself again, and I wash them again... and so on....
He also likes to wash mommy's hair. Pouring water from one plastic cup to another is his main entertainment when taking a bath. If mommy or daddy join him, he is happy to oblige us by pouring the water over our heads and helping us wash. The kindergarten teacher says that when they allow the toddlers into a makeshift pool (a necessity in Israels all to hot summer), Jonathan is quite a handful! He just loves water so much and splashes around and drives the caretakers crazy...
Imitating his surroundings becomes more and more prominent in Jonathan's actions. If we make funny noises, he will try to imitate them. A game is immediately created in that we will have a “conversation” of sounds. Mommy making a funny noise and Jonathan repeating it and vise versa...
We sat in a cafe this afternoon and Jonathan's daddy decide to have some fun by sticking a spoon onto his nose. Jonathan immediately followed suit and tried to do the same by grabbing a spoon and pressing it to his face. It was very cute to watch.
Jonathan's Vocabulary
Considering that Jonathan is 1 year and 9 months old, one might say that the fact that he hardly speaks coherent words is something to worry about. I say he compensates so well with body language that he manges to explain exactly what he wants most of the time, thus he need not bother to learn to talk...
Maybe the fact that we intend to enter him into a new group in the kindergarten in September, in which older children are present will help speed up his talking, after all until now he was the oldest in a group that is formed from a mixture of babies and toddlers.
My husband is especially frustrated, because the little that Jonathan does say is in Hebrew. This is of course understandable when one looks at the odds. Kindergarten and family meetings are all in Hebrew, as is the noise in the street, as well as the many DVD's that Jonathan possesses and watched daily (a true TV junky from the start...). German is spoken only at home and only if daddy is around. The strongest argument for Hebrew is probably that it is the language that mommy speaks...when I am with Jonathan alone and my husband is not there, then I speak Hebrew. Even my husband speaks Hebrew with Jonathan sometimes – to practice the little he knows of the language.
So what can he say?
His first clear word was “Lo” which means “no” is Hebrew. A very powerful word and the means the boy has to show resistance and explain what he wants (or not, for that matter). The word is repeated, sometimes in an angry like tone to stress that he really is against what is going on...and recently he has added the finger gesture of moving the finger from side to side as a sign for “no” - a gesture that every Israeli knows...
He points his finger to a certain direction and then says “atze” a sound that is close the the word “this” in Hebrew. Jonathan can get quite a few things done by simply pointing... mommy brings him books, allows him to press the button to run the DVD etc...
“book” is the last syllable of the Hebrew word for bottle.
“bee” is the second syllable of “dubi” which means teddy bear – Jonathan has a favorite cuddling teddy, that he sleeps with and liked to carry with him about the house.
“or” means light, he uses it to ask to turn on the light himself or that his room be lighter up in the morning.
He says “se” and taps a chair – to signal that he wishes me to sit (on the particular chair tapped) the “se” sound connect well to the word “shev” which means “sit” in Hebrew and which he has heard mommy say often enough (he must sit to have his shoes put on every morning before leaving the house).
Waving his hand from side to side and saying “baba” means goodbye (baba is the closes t he gets to bye bye at this time).
A similar gesture of opening and closing his fingers and saying “bobo” has a total different meaning, it means to come with him. He walks in the desired direction as he calls for one to follow him. “bo” means come in Hebrew. “bobo” is a repetition, and Jonathan will continue to repeat himself until you indeed follow him where he want to go. Lately he has improved this particular word and he says “boi” which is the female form of “come” in Hebrew (very fitting to use the female form when one addresses one's mother, no?) and sometimes he even says “boi hena”, which means “come here”.
Another surprising choice of word is “maim, which means water. He will use it either to ask for a drink, or when in the bath tub, as he enjoys splashing around and pouring water from one cup to another.
A special place in his vocabulary belongs to animals. He has picked up certain animal sounds and has gotten very good at making them whenever he sees a relevant image. His favorite books now are animal books. He looks at the book, points at a picture, makes a sound and gets compliments from every adult around him! No wonder animal sounds are his hobby! “moo” is the most popular (he also has a blanket with a cow on it...) as he tends to confuse almost all large animals with cows. A monkey that goes “uh uh uh” is also a favorite. A dog barks “oh oh” and sometimes sounds like the monkey, Jonathan is not yet so strong on his H (in Hebrew a dog barks “Hav Hav”, in German it's “Wau Wau” - one never gives this kind of thing much thought unless one is married to someone who grew up somewhere else...). He knows that horses go “hihihi” and make clicking sounds when walking, he knows that zebras also go “hihihi” but does not associate the clinking sound with them...
he knows donkeys go “i-aah” but tends to confuse them with cows. He does not confuse the sheep's “meeee” with the cow's “mooo” but the cat's “miaoow” is a bit confused with the cow sound. He knows a duck goes “ga ga” but a hen goes “guk guk”.
Screaming and throwing a tantrum is also becoming a habit unfortunately. This is Jonathan ways to show that he is not satisfied with the goings of his world. I suppose some of the tantrums are a result of frustration in his ability to express himself, but others are just plain tantrums, a part of the almost two year old toddlers vocabulary and a source of pain for his parents. Let us hope that when he learns to speak the tantrums will lessen.
Another words he likes to use is “wow” to show enthusiasm. If he likes something or sees something new, he will say “wow” with true enjoyment.
He has also recently started saying “puwa” when he wants me to open something for him. The sound resembles the end of the Hebrew word that means “to open”. He also says “gur” which is the last syllable of the Hebrew word for closed. He will use it to ask me to close something. Strangely enough he usually catches onto the last syllables of words, but perhaps this is so because in Hebrew pronunciation the last syllable is the one most emphasized in 90% of the words.
He also imitates sounds he hears. He can sing notes almost to perfection and has some regular tunes he sings, he repeats words from his DVD and his toys. The most recent one is the words “doctor” that he repeated after hearing it spoken form a start trek figurine his daddy got at a Burger King shop (they come with the child meal)...
A light at the end of the tunnel has recently showed itself for my husband, when Jonathan started reacting the his first German work. “kuesschen” means kiss. Daddy asks for a kiss in German and gets one! Jonathan is generally a true Casanova! A professional flirt from birth. He has a few of the girls in kindergarten totally nuts about him, he can choose with which little girl to dance and which little girl to hug and kiss. Today he decided to “French kiss” a new candidate, daddy saw it and thought it was just so sweet when the two toddlers hugged and kissed. And with this positive note, I end today's entry.
Maybe the fact that we intend to enter him into a new group in the kindergarten in September, in which older children are present will help speed up his talking, after all until now he was the oldest in a group that is formed from a mixture of babies and toddlers.
My husband is especially frustrated, because the little that Jonathan does say is in Hebrew. This is of course understandable when one looks at the odds. Kindergarten and family meetings are all in Hebrew, as is the noise in the street, as well as the many DVD's that Jonathan possesses and watched daily (a true TV junky from the start...). German is spoken only at home and only if daddy is around. The strongest argument for Hebrew is probably that it is the language that mommy speaks...when I am with Jonathan alone and my husband is not there, then I speak Hebrew. Even my husband speaks Hebrew with Jonathan sometimes – to practice the little he knows of the language.
So what can he say?
His first clear word was “Lo” which means “no” is Hebrew. A very powerful word and the means the boy has to show resistance and explain what he wants (or not, for that matter). The word is repeated, sometimes in an angry like tone to stress that he really is against what is going on...and recently he has added the finger gesture of moving the finger from side to side as a sign for “no” - a gesture that every Israeli knows...
He points his finger to a certain direction and then says “atze” a sound that is close the the word “this” in Hebrew. Jonathan can get quite a few things done by simply pointing... mommy brings him books, allows him to press the button to run the DVD etc...
“book” is the last syllable of the Hebrew word for bottle.
“bee” is the second syllable of “dubi” which means teddy bear – Jonathan has a favorite cuddling teddy, that he sleeps with and liked to carry with him about the house.
“or” means light, he uses it to ask to turn on the light himself or that his room be lighter up in the morning.
He says “se” and taps a chair – to signal that he wishes me to sit (on the particular chair tapped) the “se” sound connect well to the word “shev” which means “sit” in Hebrew and which he has heard mommy say often enough (he must sit to have his shoes put on every morning before leaving the house).
Waving his hand from side to side and saying “baba” means goodbye (baba is the closes t he gets to bye bye at this time).
A similar gesture of opening and closing his fingers and saying “bobo” has a total different meaning, it means to come with him. He walks in the desired direction as he calls for one to follow him. “bo” means come in Hebrew. “bobo” is a repetition, and Jonathan will continue to repeat himself until you indeed follow him where he want to go. Lately he has improved this particular word and he says “boi” which is the female form of “come” in Hebrew (very fitting to use the female form when one addresses one's mother, no?) and sometimes he even says “boi hena”, which means “come here”.
Another surprising choice of word is “maim, which means water. He will use it either to ask for a drink, or when in the bath tub, as he enjoys splashing around and pouring water from one cup to another.
A special place in his vocabulary belongs to animals. He has picked up certain animal sounds and has gotten very good at making them whenever he sees a relevant image. His favorite books now are animal books. He looks at the book, points at a picture, makes a sound and gets compliments from every adult around him! No wonder animal sounds are his hobby! “moo” is the most popular (he also has a blanket with a cow on it...) as he tends to confuse almost all large animals with cows. A monkey that goes “uh uh uh” is also a favorite. A dog barks “oh oh” and sometimes sounds like the monkey, Jonathan is not yet so strong on his H (in Hebrew a dog barks “Hav Hav”, in German it's “Wau Wau” - one never gives this kind of thing much thought unless one is married to someone who grew up somewhere else...). He knows that horses go “hihihi” and make clicking sounds when walking, he knows that zebras also go “hihihi” but does not associate the clinking sound with them...
he knows donkeys go “i-aah” but tends to confuse them with cows. He does not confuse the sheep's “meeee” with the cow's “mooo” but the cat's “miaoow” is a bit confused with the cow sound. He knows a duck goes “ga ga” but a hen goes “guk guk”.
Screaming and throwing a tantrum is also becoming a habit unfortunately. This is Jonathan ways to show that he is not satisfied with the goings of his world. I suppose some of the tantrums are a result of frustration in his ability to express himself, but others are just plain tantrums, a part of the almost two year old toddlers vocabulary and a source of pain for his parents. Let us hope that when he learns to speak the tantrums will lessen.
Another words he likes to use is “wow” to show enthusiasm. If he likes something or sees something new, he will say “wow” with true enjoyment.
He has also recently started saying “puwa” when he wants me to open something for him. The sound resembles the end of the Hebrew word that means “to open”. He also says “gur” which is the last syllable of the Hebrew word for closed. He will use it to ask me to close something. Strangely enough he usually catches onto the last syllables of words, but perhaps this is so because in Hebrew pronunciation the last syllable is the one most emphasized in 90% of the words.
He also imitates sounds he hears. He can sing notes almost to perfection and has some regular tunes he sings, he repeats words from his DVD and his toys. The most recent one is the words “doctor” that he repeated after hearing it spoken form a start trek figurine his daddy got at a Burger King shop (they come with the child meal)...
A light at the end of the tunnel has recently showed itself for my husband, when Jonathan started reacting the his first German work. “kuesschen” means kiss. Daddy asks for a kiss in German and gets one! Jonathan is generally a true Casanova! A professional flirt from birth. He has a few of the girls in kindergarten totally nuts about him, he can choose with which little girl to dance and which little girl to hug and kiss. Today he decided to “French kiss” a new candidate, daddy saw it and thought it was just so sweet when the two toddlers hugged and kissed. And with this positive note, I end today's entry.
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