Monday, January 31, 2011

Alphabetical Order

I know that I posted earlier about Tavish knowing his ABCs. This is still true and recently improved. He now identifies letters in stories and unknowingly shares his knowledge by song with a Daddy accompaniment.

MOMENT: Now I know my ABCs, next time Tavish will sing with me

A catchy little tune to catch with the camera. You may have to turn up your volume a little for the full effect ...

Behind Closed Doors

“I usually take a two hour nap from one to four”
- Yogi Berra

This is a fitting quote to describe Tavish's nap time pattern these days. We have no idea what he does up there in his crib, but there is laughter, chatter and blather to accompany it. It sounds like he's pretty funny in the morning, hysterical at nap time, and entertaining in the evening. It is wonderful and certainly beats the crying that was once a guarantee for being put in his crib. Until we rig up a camera in his room, we are left to hear his one-man show from behind his closed door.

MOMENT: The Outside Listening In

This sometimes goes on for a long, long time. One day, it was 2.5 hours of fun before he fell asleep. No protesting, no crying - just unsolicited entertainment. Clearly, this is just a small sample of what is usually endless excitement up there. Hopefully you can hear through the hum of the fan. (If you're not clear on the story behind the fan, check out my October 4th "Hairstyling and Humidifying" entry for an explanation.) Enjoy hearing what a non-restful 'nap time' sounds like at our house.




MOMENT: Insight

One day, the camera captured a peak into the excitement going on at the end of his nap. Notice the door being stopped by something on the floor? That would be the few books that started off in his crib ... sometimes it's laughter, chatter and blather with a few thuds thrown in for good measure while he's playing ... Without further ado, here is Tavish all rested and ready to take on the rest of the day!

Clap, Stomp, Jump!

Tavish appreciates songs ... songs with actions? Even better! His voice is endlessly heard from the backseat saying "mooh songs, peease". This keeps this Mommy's vocal cords well tuned (in an out-of-tune sort of way). This old favourite from his first cd continues to bring out the clap, stomp and jump in him.

MOMENT: Oldie but a Goodie

Doesn't matter what Tavish is doing when this song comes on - he joins in. (Note the grand entrance in this video.) The origins of this song in his life dates back to his first long car ride - moving from Toronto to Ottawa. The "Kiddie Mix" was a parting gift from friends in Toronto. His ability to participate in this song has grown since then. It remains obvious that he's heard it most often in the car though. Even without the carseat restraints, his 'jumps' sometimes involve simple arm raises and 'woo's. Enjoy and feel free to join in!

Monday, January 17, 2011

Homecoming

It's proven to be quite handy to have a bus stop outside our front door. Initially, it was handy for taking the bus. Then, it was handy because Tavish liked to stare out the window and point at buses. Now, it sets the stage for a celebration that signals the end of a long Daddy-less day ...

MOMENT: A Shout-out from the Inside - Out

Tom's arrival home from work garners great excitement from Tavish. For Tom, he always sees the silent version from outside the window. I decided to add some sound perspective to his homecoming as heard from the inside. It's a moment worth embracing for.



Wednesday, January 5, 2011

ABCs

Tavish knows his ABCs. Well, his wooden alphabet puzzle anyway. He'll pour the pieces onto the floor, pick up an arbitrary letter, make it's sound and put it into it's correct spot. He's obviously a quick study because we haven't intentionally taught it to him. Tonight Tavish showed us that his alphabet knowledge goes beyond just those puzzle pieces.

MOMENT: "Same - Same"

Tavish and I were playing around on the floor, doing some drawing/colouring and using the magnetic board. He was identifying anything I would draw including: oveh (oven), frij (fridge), foohn (phone), canule (candle) - which he'd 'blow out' and I'd erase it (chuckle), teeh (tree), teeh tahr taugh (tree star top) - yeah, it's impressive. Then I glanced over to the disheveled pieces of alphabet heaped on the floor and started to write letters on the board. He'd collect the wooden letter to match the one I'd drawn, hold the puzzle piece to the magnetic board and proudly announce "same - same!". Here's a demo that will leave you asking: what the "f"?!? Um, guess it's time to really start watching our 'p's and 'q's.



FLASHBACK: Oval Only

This video was taken just over a month ago. It occured to me to look for it because of the puzzle theme of this post. The reason it's a 'flashback' is because he has changed so much verbally in this short time. Our Tavish is now a talker - he says all of the shapes without prompting and colours too. Granted, it is seldom the correct colour unless something is 'boo' (blue) or 'leloo' (yellow), but he has the words for them now. It sure is hard to puzzle together how colourful his vocabulary is these days! haha.