Friday, January 25, 2008

Knuckle Dan

This evening Ryan took Stephen to the rec facility to go swimming. They both seemed to enjoy it, though Stephen apparently wasn't fond of showering instead of bathing afterwards.

I just went to Lincoln Square to walk for half an hour since I know I need to be exercising more. I wish lap swimming were more accessible.

Now I'm sitting at home while Ryan is still at school. He has quite a bit to work on, and will be gone all day tomorrow and Sunday.

We have been trying and trying to get Stephen to say "Uncle Dan." He got pretty close the other night. It went like this:
Dan Dan Dan Dan Dan Knuckle Knuckle Knuckle Dan Dan
We now refer to him as Knuckle Dan. I don't think he will mind.

Asking the Deeper Questions of Life

Where is your nose? Where is your hair? Where are your ears?































Tuesday, January 22, 2008

Life Beyond the Recital

Ryan's recital on Sunday went very well. Here he is with his two piano accompanists. We were happy to have family in town to hear him, and we got the added bonus of time in hotel pools thanks to the grandparents!

Stephen is walking (even running!) , pulling his little white doggie toy around, riding on his truck, and expanding his repertoire of food that he will accept. I am very thankful for that! I've been surprised by what he asks for: minestrone soup, lentil casserole - YEAH! He still rejects anything but pancakes if those are an option. We all enjoyed a nice pancake breakfast with Grandma and Grandpa Leatherman and Aunt Carolyn on Sunday morning.

Today we went for Stephen's last appointment at the Infant Cognition Lab. They gave him a certificate of completion. Now he will be observed at the Language Acquisition Lab. No, we don't really get anything out of this for ourselves, but with just one child it really isn't too much work for me to take him in. And it's interesting to see what they are trying to discover. Almost every time at the Infant Lab he has confirmed what they think an infant might be able to understand. For example, once they put objects in containers and at one point they put an object that was too long to fit in the container and he supposedly knew that it wasn't going to work, based on how long he stared at it.

Some side notes:

A friend of mine in Champaign who also owns the diaper and toy store Little Ants was recently on the news talking about cloth diapers. It's posted on the station's website here.

Stephen went to a free Kindermusik class that was offered in Urbana last weekend. He LOVED it! From the beginning to the end, he excitedly marched around and watched the teachers and the other students participating. I have noticed that at library storytime he doesn't care much for the stories that are read but when a song is sung he is quite attentive.

We just posted a video of the new sound Ryan has taught Stephen.

Saturday, January 12, 2008

Eating "boom, " Drinking "burr," and going to "ool"

As hard as we try not to, Ryan and I seem to pick up "stephenish" and speak that language instead of pure English. It's fun to see him picking up new words on a regular basis. He is also walking all over the place now. It's refreshing to go to a bookstore or the library and have him walk down the aisles instead of pulling up to a shelf and pulling down everything in sight.

Ryan is practicing hard for his recital that takes place next Sunday. I have still been feeling really good - almost to the third trimester, and am working hard to be sure I get my daily protein. I make a menu that I try to stick to as much as our schedule allows, and so far it's working pretty well. Getting in the extra peanut butter on an apple - or a glass of milk before bed - can get me up to the recommended 80 grams of protein every day.

Stephen is still eating a banana every day—look what the sticker on it said today. We continue to be unsure what is causing his slight rash on his tummy. The dr. ran a basic allergy panel and found no positive allergies, which doesn't necessarily mean there is nothing wrong, so I guess we haven't learned anything significant yet. I still suspect a problem with corn, but we've decided for the time being to only avoid large amounts of corn, such as corn bread, corn cereals, etc. Avoiding it 100% is possible but it eliminates anything made with baking powder or cornstarch from his diet. That's tough to explain to a toddler ...

Well, I think the "little man" is waking up from his nap and would appreciate a visit from mommy.