Story Time Adventures

Ayden was really adventurous at story time this morning!

 He was crawling all over my sister's lap and towards the story teller (is that what you'd call her?). And, for the first time, he was also really interested in the big bin of toys that she always brings out afterward. Now we are not overly germ conscious, and even think that germ exposure is actually beneficial, but there does have to be a line. Like most babies his age, Ayden puts EVERYTHING in his mouth. A bin full of community toys that I'm pretty sure has never been sanitized is a little much for me to allow him to put his mouth all over.  Not only to protect him from any germs that may be lingering on the toys, but out of courtesy for the next little hands that will touch them.  Then, he noticed the tunnel!  He crawled up to it and sat next to the opening to observe.  Bigger kids were passing him by and crawling through while he watched.  He seemed interested, but I didn't think he'd actually go through it.  Then, when all of the other kids had left, Ayden finally decided to go for it!

The video quality is terrible because my mom texted it to me from her phone but he was so excited to be crawling through it.  It was super cute!  We love how playful and curious Ayden is, it is just so fun :).

Another fun thing that Ayden has started getting recently is when we hold our hands out to him and say, "Up?" he sits down, looks up at us and raises his arms.  It is so stinking cute!  We've said it every time we've gone to pick him up and it took around a week for him to respond the way he is now.  Now that he is understanding what "up" means, we will probably start using it in longer phrases like, "pick you up?" and eventually full sentences like, "Do you want me to pick you up?"  or "Come here so I can pick you up." For language development, it is good for babies to be exposed to full sentences and proper syntax through listening to adults talk and having books read to them.  This way they get an ear for their native language and can be working toward becoming fluent when it's time.  On the other hand, as far as comprehension goes, it is good to start small by giving a labeling key word and then gradually working that key word into longer phrases and sentences as they begin to understand more and more.  Having children around similar aged peers when they first begin to talk is great for this too! Receptive language always develops much faster than expressive language because the oral muscles take time to develop.  This is why we also plan to use some sign language with Ayden as we wait for his expressive language to catch up.  Babies can mimic motor motions much easier than they can form words and sign language can help reduce frustration and tantrums in most toddlers since most tantrums are thrown because they are trying to communicate a strong want or need and the adults in their lives just can't make out what it is that they actually want.  Giving a baby signs for the things that they need or love most can give them tools to use while those pesky oral muscles catch up.

Baby Led Weaning is still going great.  I think it is helping really him develop his fine motor skills.  Typically with a baby Ayden's age, parents (ourselves included) tend to keep all small objects picked up and out of Baby's reach because they obviously pose a choking hazard. Since Ayden is well supervised during mealtimes and has started biting off smaller pieces of food on his own and exploring it in his mouth, we've started giving him some smaller options.  This morning I cut some blueberries in half and put them on his tray, not sure if he'd be able to pick them up, let alone get them into his mouth.

I should have never underestimated him! I really love how this method of eating helps him work on his skills and development.  Focus, independence, fine motor, sensory integration, communication, etc.  It really has been great all around and we highly recommend it to anyone who is willing to give it a try. 

Ayden with his celery stick :).  He tried steamed cauliflower for the first time and loved it!  This kid hasn't met a food he doesn't like.

~Sarah