We have had three straight days of sunshine! It's wonderful. It's also incredibly odd that I'm even noticing three days of sun in a row... It's been such an oddly wet summer. I saw in the newspaper the other day that this has already been the second-wettest summer on record, and we only need another 6mm of rain to set a new record. Given that August is usually the rainiest month of the summer, we're probably going to get there.
II
We have made good use of our not-rainy week: Tuesday the rain let up in the afternoon and we had my family over for supper to celebrate Little Bear's baptism day (and belatedly, his birthday); Wednesday Little Bear and I went to tea with my mom, sister, and a family friend who is moving out of state; yesterday my mom and I took Little Bear and my youngest sister to a park, and we had a good friend from Matt's office over for supper; and tonight, as long as it stays sunny, we're going to walk through the Tanana Valley State Fair. It's been a great week: I love being able to get together with people and get out and do fun things in the summertime!
III
Ever since Tuesday night, Little Bear has been having a blast with his pony from Grandma and Papa. He probably spends equal amounts of time riding it around the deck and house, and dragging it around by the tail.
IV
Poll: Walking around the fair tonight with roughly 27 pounds of child, should I bring the Ergo or the stroller? Honestly, I hate using the stroller in crowds, and Friday night of fair week is definitely going to be crowded! But the stroller would let him eat or drink while we walk without pouring anything down my back... Which would you use? He's heavy and squirmy enough that alternating between just letting him walk holding my hand and carrying him on my hip probably isn't a good option.
V
Is there a difference between a kid "speaking in sentences" and "using words together"? It seems silly to say that a kid isn't "talking" because they don't use articles and transitions, but where is the line? Is there some actual definition the pediatricians use? I told Little Bear's doctor last time we saw him that no, Little Bear wasn't using sentences yet, and received a referral to an audiologist for his "speech delay." We haven't gone, because it's going to be expensive and I don't agree that he has a speech delay: in the car heading home this morning, for example, he said "Home garage button garage door beep beep beep," clearly (to me) expressing "we're going home to the garage and I'll push the button to close the garage door and it'll say beep beep beep." (Our garage door beeps before and as it closes.) I frequently hear "Dada, work," when Matt's at work, or "Grandma, car? Nope." when he's looking out the window at the driveway. Not "sentences," but surely that's not "delayed" language development for a newly-two-year-old?
VI
The cheese snob is back: When Little Bear was younger, he went through a phase where he would only accept sharp cheddar and would turn up his nose at medium. He's always liked Parmesan, and it's pretty clear that he can tell the difference between freshly-grated and from a canister ("shakey cheese"). He's been pretty good about eating the more affordable medium cheddar recently, but last night I set out a plate of Gouda, Brie and smoked salmon for the guys while they were grilling, and apparently Little Bear managed to eat as much of the Gouda as his father did. Today as I made lunch he was dancing and singing about cheese, but when I offered him a slice of cheddar, he let me know that that was not the cheese he wanted.
VII
Someday, it would be lovely to have a pressure cooker so that I could can food without using the boiling water bath method. I have a big pot of pasta sauce sitting in my fridge that needs to be portioned out for later use, and we have such a small freezer that I really wish I could can it! Tomatoes and meat both fall in the "pressure cooker required" category, though, so I'll have to do some creative freezer reorganization this afternoon.
Sorry I'm so boring this week! For many more interesting batches of Seven Quick Takes, visit Conversion Diary!
I'm pretty sure "sentences" means that the child strings together two or more words that he also uses separately.
ReplyDeleteSo, when my little sister said "Hold you" or "Open it", those didn't count as sentences because she used them as a single verbal unit. But when she said "Eat more", there was much rejoicing and she got all the granola she wanted, because she had taken two separate words and put them together.
(She was genuinely speech delayed. I will have to trawl Facebook and see if I can find when she said "Eat more.")
That seems like a good definition for it. Thank you!
DeleteIV: If it were me, I'd probably put Peter in the ergo to walk around crowds, and just sit down with him to eat. Bring a sippy cup that Matt can hand to him if needed while he's on your back. I find it so much easier to manage crowds when he's in the ergo! I feel like I can just walk and enjoy myself, and he's pretty content. Although re-reading, you've probably already been to the fair! I hope you guys had fun! :)
ReplyDeleteV: Last week Peter put together more than one syllable for the first time "Hi Da!" and "Air-roo" (Andrew). Other than that, he's still into one syllable words alone. In my unprofessional opinion, Little Bear probably doesn't have a speech delay. Looking back, you might have used an example of what he CAN say to see if the doctor agrees they are sentences. Regardless, I disagree with your dr that a lack of sentences by age 2 is a cause for seeking intervention. (but that's me! He's talking and he's progressing, so that's good.) All of that said, many counties in the US have early intervention offices that offer free evaluations. We had one done for Andrew when he was about 2 1/2 for social. Some people just regularly call them in for their kids when they're about 2 or 3 just to make sure. I'd encourage you to see if they have such a place near you, and if someone could come in and evaluate Little Bear. It's free and it'll get a professional's opinion and input. Andrew wasn't able to demonstrate to them peer social interactions, so that part of the evaluation was mostly based on my telling them observations.
VII: When I first read that I thought "I can my tomato sauce in a boiling canner!! Just add some lemon juice!" And then I saw it has meat in it... :( Sounds like a pressure canner is on your Christmas list!
We did have fun, thanks! My sister wound up coming with us, and we decided that with three adults to pass him back and forth, Little Bear would probably be happiest if we didn't confine him to the stroller or ergo. The fair wasn't super crowded so he was able to walk holding our hands when he wanted to.
DeleteI'm leery of talking with a professional at this point, because I'm not really concerned that there's any problem and I worry that they might decide to stick a label on him anyway. Silly, I know. But I would be more comfortable holding off on seeing someone unless/until we actually thought something might not be right. I know that early intervention can be important, but I don't think we're in a situation where it's needed right now.