Thursday, March 17, 2011

Child Labour

"I like hugs and I like kisses,
But what I really love is help with the dishes!"

~Author Unknown

It's true - help with the dishes is pretty wonderful. Besides, is it really child labour if it's a labour of love for everyone?

MOMENT: Big Plate

Tavish has long been helping to set the table. Believe me when I say that he wants to. I hand him the cutlery and he counts out "Mommy, Daddy and Tavish". Interestingly, he always puts the smaller utensil at his spot. Lately he's taken to clearing the table as well. He seems to like it when there's "mo' deeshes" especially "beeg pates" that he can take to the dishwasher.

Sunday, February 6, 2011

End of an Era

This moment is not exactly a highlight moment of motherhood for me. Tomorrow I will spend my day with two classes full of other people's children and not with my own. Tavish will spend the entire day with a nanny named Nicole. Everyone insists that he'll be fine and that it's always harder on the Moms than it is on the kids. With how I feel tonight, I think they might be right ... Will he be upset when I leave? Or will that just be me? Will he wonder where I am and what I'm doing during the day? Or will that also be me? Will he be excited at the end of the day when I'm home? Or will that be me as well? I guess time will tell, but one thing is certain - tomorrow is the end of an era in all-day every-day Tavish and Mommy time. (sniff, sniff) Where does the time go? I miss him already ...

MOMENT: Going Bananas

This is a little tribute to the sing-songy craziness that is Mommy and Tavish together. I look forward to singing and playing after a big hug and kiss tomorrow when I get home from work, Tav.

xoxox,
Mommy

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.