Tag Archives: standing

Month Seven Milestones

Posted on by Pauline
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Archie Swinging
My computer issues have greatly interfered with my blogging, which makes me sad. Things will eventually be resolved, but in the meantime, I’ve missed the seven month update/look back. So instead, I’ll just recap what Archie’s been up to for the past few months, which is actually quite a bit.

  1. He’s crawling everywhere: Everywhere! This has led to pretty major changes around the house in terms of childproofing. We’ve had to move the play area to his room, where there’s less going on. However, if there’s something he shouldn’t be playing with, he’ll find it. Why does he ignore all of his awesome toys and go straight for the extension cord?
  2. He’s standing on everything: Everything! He pulls up on anything he can get his hands on and this skill makes him, very, very proud. He’s starting to edge his way around the furniture too, so it looks like walking won’t be too far away!
  3. Gravity Lab has begun in earnest: Archie loves to sit in his high chair and drop his toys on the floor. It’s adorable to watch–he picks up the toy, moves his arm slowly to the side, pauses for a moment to think about his next step, then bam! He drops the toy! Adorable to watch, slightly tiresome to retrieve the toy again and again and again. But I preserver for him.
  4. Rolling: Now that Archie is mobile, we’re revisiting toys that are mobile. And he loves the Oball. He bats it across the room, crawls to it, bats it again. It’s kind of incredible how long this game can occupy his attention.
  5. Hugs: He loves both getting and giving them. The best!

 

 

Month Five Recap: I’ll Miss You Little Boy

Posted on by Pauline
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Archie StandingMy visiting friends had some reassuring words for me. “Every phases is our favorite phase,” they said of their daughter. I hope that’s true for Archie because I am loving being his mommy right now. He’s completed the first half of his first year and he couldn’t be sweeter, cuter, more fantastically amazing. I don’t want him to grow up. I want this time to go on. Is that wrong? Here’s what the little mushroom has been up to this month.

1. Recognizing Names: His own, yes, but more importantly the dogs. They have become his favorite playmates(things?). He clearly has a favorite. Somehow, the old, senile, curmudgeonly Fredo has won his heart. He has near daily giggle fits watching Fredo be a dog, made only more explosively hilariously either my husband or myself calling out “Fredo!” Sadly for Chalmers, his name spoken in the same tone of voice does not have any effect. This is how I know Archie know names of things.

2. Recognizing Parts of a Whole: We’ve been working on object permanence–a term my husband hates. “Can’t you just call it something normal?” he asked when I brought it up this morning. I don’t know what that would be besides “things stay there even though you can’t see them.” Object permanence, as a term, is much more sussinct.

Back to the lesson however. What I do is cover up the toy he’s playing with under a blanket. Right now, he still doesn’t quite get it. He looks for the toy but doesn’t move the blanket. But, when I leave part of the object on display he thinks, “Ah ha! This IS my rattle even though I see but an orange glimmer tempting me from beneath this blanket!” and lunges for it. Yes, this is a real cognitive lesson.

LeapFrog Learn and Groove Musical Table3. Pulling Up: Oh my, this is a big one. He pulled himself up in his crib. It had to be lowered and now basically it’s off limits because all he wants to do in it is stand, then fall, then hit his head on the wood bars. Now he practices pulling up on my hands. However, my husband and I have been investigating other options on which he can practice this skill and we came up with the LeapFrog Learn & Groove Musical Table. We already know he loves making music, so this seems like a perfect toy for him, plus parents reviewing the table say their little guys love to use it to pull themselves to standing.