Combination Bag

Well I made bean bags and I made smelly bags, but I decided I needed one more, a combination bag.  I made it just like the bean bags, because I wanted the sturdier canvas, but I filled the liner with coffee beans this time.  It smells SO good.

Lil Leonardo?

We did our first painting project (other than bathtub paints)!  Xander had soaked his shirt with his water bottle after our walk, so I decided to just feed him naked.  After all, why change outfits again?  As I was feeding him his prunes, he turn his head, getting it all over his nose.  Something is wrong with me, so instead of thinking "what a mess" I thought "wow, that really shows up on his skin."  Hence the inspiration for painting.

I grabbed some paper and put some of the prunes in the lid of the baby food jar.  I dipped his fingers in and touched them to the paper, showing him what to do.  After that, he took off with the idea. 

Concentrating so hard.

This is what we did as soon as we were done...

It may not be much, but I am still proud to put his first picture on the fridge.

Toys Around the House - Jingle Bells

Since Xander loves his shakers so much, I decided to try another noise making "toy."  I put a bunch of jingle bells in a cool whip container for him.  He really enjoyed it.  He liked shaking the container and banging on it like a drum.

Eventually he got it open and was able to shake and chase the bells.  Unfortunately they don't sound as pretty when shaken in a hand.  He was pretty proud of himself.

This is what happens when Mommy says "no" firmly (he was trying to eat a bell).  Apparently he doesn't like that word or tone of voice.

Music Lessons

I've mentioned many times that Xander LOVES music. He loves to dance, he loves listening to music, he loves banging on his drum, etc. I have tried hard to expose him to a variety of types of music. He also has had exposure through Trebellina and Your Baby Can Discover. However, a few weeks ago I decided it was past time to start a more organized music curriculum with him.

I suppose I should first start with the background on the idea of teaching music to babies.  Babies and young children (generally five and under), have the remarkable ability to distinguish all of the various sounds of every language.  Adults and older children, on the other hand, can only distinguish the sounds of their native language (languages).  It kind of follows the "use it or lose it" theory of brain development.  Why waste brain space being able to distinguish sounds you never hear?  Well since babies have this ability, they can also distinguish the various sounds of the notes, meaning they can be taught perfect pitch.  Since the baby can already hear the differences between the notes, they aren't really being taught anything new.  Instead, they are being given a name for those sounds.  By using the name for the sound and practice, the child should be able to retain the ability to distinguish the notes.

I not only hope to teach Xander perfect pitch, but to read music as well.  For our lessons I dug out the music note flash cards I ordered months ago with our Trebellina disc.  I know there are free printable flashcards elsewhere on the net as well.  I show him the front of the card with the music note on the staff, tell him what note it is, and play the note on the piano.  Then I flip the card over where it has the corresponding letter for the note and play it again on the piano.  I am fortunate enough to have an electric piano, so we go through all of the notes in the treble clef twice, once on the grand piano setting, and ones on one of the other settings.  I want him to understand that a C is a C whether it is from a piano, strings, bells, etc.

Xander absolutely loves the lessons.  The first few days he would literally shake with excitement, although luckily that has stopped.  He sits very still and quiet, watching and listening.  When we are all done I encourage him to bang around on the keys, experimenting for himself.  While he enjoys playing the piano, he seems to like me going through the notes with him better, go figure.  I would love to get him some hand bells if  I can be sure they are accurate.  A glockenspiel might also be fun and offer variety.

Silly String

My brother was over for a few hours and was kind enough to help with a sensory play activity!  Tough work spraying Xander with silly string, but somehow he managed.  Xander was a bit confused, but was entertained.  He didn't even make a big deal about not being able to eat it!

Object Permanence

Way back in my childhood education class in college I learned about the idea of "object permanence."  It is the developmental milestone when babies learn that objects exist even when they cannot see them.  I hadn't thought about object permanence until a couple of weeks ago when I read an article about babies developing separation anxiety  around 8-10 months and how it corresponded with object permanence (hard to be mad mom isn't with you if you don't think she exists).

Xander has understood the concept for a while.  He knows that if he pulls the blanket away during peek a boo, I will be underneath.  He also knows he can crawl to find me if I put him in the hall and go into a bedroom.  I decided to make a game of it, though, to see how strongly he understands the concept.

I grabbed two bowls and a biscuit.  He LOVES those Gerbers biscuits, but they are so incredibly messy that he doesn't get them often.  I showed him the bowls and put the biscuit underneath one, letting him see where I put it.

After a little bit he moved the bowl and got the biscuit.  I let him eat some and then did it again with the rest.  He got really upset with me for hiding it again.

The second time took him longer to get to the cookie.  I also had to show it to him a few times to remind him it was there.  I think it was just because he was unhappy that I didn't immediately give it to him.

He eventually got it, although his face still shows he is not thrilled with me. 

Happy to be eating it again.

I hope to play this game a few more times, so that eventually he learns to look.  Someday I want to be able to hide an object without showing him.  Then I could use different colored bowls or cups and direct him to find it under the "blue" one, or some other adaptation.  We just have to work our way up to it.

Baby School - 9 Months

Last week, in addition to doing most of our regular lessons (outline here), I printed off some of the tot pack activities from 1+1+1=1   Since we love to read The Very Hungry Caterpillar, I decided to start with those printables.  I printed the different sizes of caterpillars, cut them out, and laminated them.  There are actually five sizes, but we only used three.  A few times during the week I got them out and pointed out the big/large caterpillar, the medium/middle caterpillar, and the small/little caterpillar.  Right now, I am just focusing on introducing the vocabulary that goes with sizes.  Eventually, I will have him point to them as I name them, or even put them in order, but those activities are still a ways off.

Not only did he like watching me order them for me, he also enjoyed throwing them around.

I also happened to find some colored spools at a garage sale.  We have been stacking and sorting them lately.  Of course, he really enjoys knocking down towers I build him.

 For some reason Xander really wanted to hang on to the couch while playing with them, hence the awkward position.

Yummy.

Click below to see what other moms are doing with their toddlers.