Uncategorized – Page 40

Jacob has started crawling in the last week. He turned 11 months yesterday. He had been scooting on his bum for a while but then started crawling more and more at Miracle Camp. See my mom's explanation about her breaking her femur on the blob at her post Busted.

Jacob is also saying "all done" a little but it isn't very clear. He is also starting to point a little. I think now is the time we should probably start working on the sign language.

We also got a lot of clothes from Dan and Kim's boys Andrew and Kyle, which we sorted out and put away yesterday. We also put all of the baby stuff in the crawl space (jolly jumper, baby seat, baby tubs, baby island/exer-saucer, pack 'n' play change table, bottles). Jacob never drank from a bottle. He just went from nursing (which he is still doing) to sippy cups.

Ryan continues to say interesting things. Of course I forget them if I don't write them down immediately but he said this morning that he was setting up "barricades." His l's aren't pronounced all that well – more like w's. "Wook at that!" is a common phrase. I don't know anything about basic speech therapy to work on that. We'll see.

Jacob is crawling around now following Ryan as he plays with toys, which of course makes Ryan frustrated. Every time Ryan goes to the bathroom or sits at the table he frets about what Jacob might be doing to the toys. He has taken to hoarding and hiding, which we are trying to stem.

Ryan really likes jumping on the bed but my brother's root canal as a kid are causing me to start to want to limit that.

Our neighbors gave Ryan a bike with training wheels and then yesterday knee pads, elbow pads, a helmet and gloves. He still prefers his big wheel but he is trying the bike a little.

At our time at Miracle Camp, Ryan grew to "love golf." He goes and puts the ball an inch from the hole and then knocks it in. Almost all holes in one for him. There is no convincing him to take a tee shot.

Ryan also went tubing with me once at about 1 mile per hour. But most of the time at Miracle Camp, he of course just played in the sand. There is a song called "Tropical Sand" on our Sandra Boynton Rhinoceros Tap: 15 Seriously Silly Songs (Book & CD), which says,

"I got the sand in my toes and the sand in my nose, the sand in my ears and the sand in my clothes. I got the sand in my hair and the sand in my face. I think I got the sand most ev'ry place."

This song is often appropriate at our house.

In other news:
We enjoyed watching bits and pieces of the Olympics and watching the online highlights. I am hoping Barack Obama picks Tim Kaine as his running mate. John Edwards admitted an affair. Russian invaded Georgia but say they are going to return. My courses begin a week from tomorrow. I need to review my German and I have a bunch of projects around the house I would like to do. Amy is gearing up for the start of children's ministry this fall at the church.

Five rules for Ryan we instituted this week.

Playing and speaking nicely with Jacob.
“I did not hit, did not take toys, and did not yell at Jacob.”
Obeying Mommy and Daddy.
“I obeyed when it was time: to leave, to get dressed, to go potty, to
take a nap , to put away toys, and to go to bed.”
Acting politely at meals.
“I spoke nicely about the food and ate what Mommy and Daddy told me
to eat.”
Making requests politely.
“When I wanted something, I said, ‘May I please’ and did not whine.”
Greeting adults politely.
“I looked at the person’s eyes and said ‘Hello I’m Ryan. It is nice to meet you’ and shook their
hand.

If he does these things, he gets stickers.