Poor BB is teething again, and he is having SUCH a time of things. Out of the 9 babies I have card for, he is definitely having the roughest time of getting his chompers in, and we are still on front teeth, numbers 7 and 8 to be exact.
Otherwise, all is well in my corner of the (nanny)hood. In fact, my employers surprised me with the early birthday present of a trip to Nannypalooza 2011! So amazing and generous of them - I don't even have enough words to say how excited and blessed I am.
And of course, this is National Nanny recognition Week, so the nannies are heading out to brunch this weekend to celebrate.
I am mentally composing a post about the efforts to (re)legislate workers rights for nannies and other household employees, but that will have to wait or another time.
Showing posts with label M. update. Show all posts
Showing posts with label M. update. Show all posts
Thursday, September 22, 2011
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
Baby Signs
I've been signing with M., as I mentioned below, since before he could really focus on my hands and what I was doing, so having him sign "milk" back to me at about 7 months of age was exciting, to say the least. We're still working on "more", "all done", and several other signs, but so far he's only mastered "milk", and he uses it for just about everything.
I've signed with my charges since I started caring for my 4th kiddo in 1997. E.'s mom asked me to read the book she'd purchased, and we started signing right away. E. was very even tempered, and wasn't prone to meltdowns if she couldn't be understood. Her little sister O., on the other hand, was...less of a calm and mellow baby. I am convinced signing saved her from exploding in anger on a regular basis. Just knowing she could communicate basic info to me and to her parents helped her so very much!
I also have found that my charges seem to talk early and prolifically, even as they continue to sign when needed. Of course, this is all anecdotal, but I feel strongly that signing helps encourage all levels and forms of communication, regardless of how many signs a child learns. Once they realize they can "talk" to their adults in any way, the joy of back and forth communication encourages them to keep learning how to talk!
I find, actually, that the more "high maintenance" a child is, the faster they learn to sign and the better they are at it at a very young age. And that may be why M. is kind of just easing into the idea. He's so mellow, generally speaking, that he is able to stay calm and happy even if we adults don't understand what he is telling us.
Of course, he is inventing his own sign for "all done" right now. It involves ripping his bib off, scattering food on the floor, and chattering at me until I start cleaning him up. I think we need to work on using MY sign instead!
If you are looking to learn and use baby signs with your charges, I was recently contacted by http://www.babysignlanguage.com/ and their site has a lot of great information available to help you get started or help you expand your and your child's vocabulary!
I've signed with my charges since I started caring for my 4th kiddo in 1997. E.'s mom asked me to read the book she'd purchased, and we started signing right away. E. was very even tempered, and wasn't prone to meltdowns if she couldn't be understood. Her little sister O., on the other hand, was...less of a calm and mellow baby. I am convinced signing saved her from exploding in anger on a regular basis. Just knowing she could communicate basic info to me and to her parents helped her so very much!
I also have found that my charges seem to talk early and prolifically, even as they continue to sign when needed. Of course, this is all anecdotal, but I feel strongly that signing helps encourage all levels and forms of communication, regardless of how many signs a child learns. Once they realize they can "talk" to their adults in any way, the joy of back and forth communication encourages them to keep learning how to talk!
I find, actually, that the more "high maintenance" a child is, the faster they learn to sign and the better they are at it at a very young age. And that may be why M. is kind of just easing into the idea. He's so mellow, generally speaking, that he is able to stay calm and happy even if we adults don't understand what he is telling us.
Of course, he is inventing his own sign for "all done" right now. It involves ripping his bib off, scattering food on the floor, and chattering at me until I start cleaning him up. I think we need to work on using MY sign instead!
If you are looking to learn and use baby signs with your charges, I was recently contacted by http://www.babysignlanguage.com/ and their site has a lot of great information available to help you get started or help you expand your and your child's vocabulary!
Thursday, June 23, 2011
8 months and growing...too fast!
Seems like a good time for another update on M., since he's seems to be marathon napping at the moment! He's exhausted from Music Class, which is one of his new things - he seems to like it a lot, although he does get shorted on his AM nap that day.
He is almost completely on table foods, and this boy loves to eat. Of course, since he went from "scooting" around to full-on crawling to pulling up to standing to cruising in about 2 weeks, he also burns a lot off. As Neighbor Nanny said, "He went 0 - 60 when it comes to moving."
He's been battling an annoying diaper rash, but nothing seems to phase this little guy - he's a cheerful flirt, an amazing cuddler, and absolutely skilled at finding whatever he shouldn't be playing with as soon as you turn your back on him.
We've been working on signing for months now, since way before he could really get it, and he's been signing "Milk" for a few weeks. Hopefully "more", "all done", and some others aren't far behind. More on signing in another post later!
I'm personally hoping for some slightly milder weather here soon - the last month of spring was more like August, so we didn't get lots of outside time!
He is almost completely on table foods, and this boy loves to eat. Of course, since he went from "scooting" around to full-on crawling to pulling up to standing to cruising in about 2 weeks, he also burns a lot off. As Neighbor Nanny said, "He went 0 - 60 when it comes to moving."
He's been battling an annoying diaper rash, but nothing seems to phase this little guy - he's a cheerful flirt, an amazing cuddler, and absolutely skilled at finding whatever he shouldn't be playing with as soon as you turn your back on him.
We've been working on signing for months now, since way before he could really get it, and he's been signing "Milk" for a few weeks. Hopefully "more", "all done", and some others aren't far behind. More on signing in another post later!
I'm personally hoping for some slightly milder weather here soon - the last month of spring was more like August, so we didn't get lots of outside time!
Saturday, May 21, 2011
And since I apparently blog either not at all or all at once...
I thought a wee update on M. might be in order! He's now 7 (!?!?!) months old, and he's a big healthy boy. I actually thought about using the excuse, "But I carry around a 21 lb. baby all day! I have arm fatigue!" for my reason for not posting much recently, but that seemed kind of lame.
We are getting out and about a lot these days, hitting playgrounds, local lunchtime concerts, playgroups on occasion, and spending time with K. and L., M.'s neighborhood buddies, whose nanny, S., is one of my besties.
M. is threatening to start crawling any darn day now, although I guess a purist would say he started crawling last week, when he managed to move over 4 feet to get to a bag of animal crackers tucked into Nanny S.'s tote. The boy is motivated by food. Even so, since he just started moving from back or belly to a sitting position on his own, I think we'll hold off on declaring him officially mobile. Because I am deluded.
The job overall is going wonderfully, with a baby I adore and awesome employers. I asked to leave work 1.5 hours early last week so I could go to a former charge's middle school graduation, and there was no issue at all, just a "Sure, we can do that, sounds terrific!" I am so happy to work for people who treat me well.
We are getting out and about a lot these days, hitting playgrounds, local lunchtime concerts, playgroups on occasion, and spending time with K. and L., M.'s neighborhood buddies, whose nanny, S., is one of my besties.
M. is threatening to start crawling any darn day now, although I guess a purist would say he started crawling last week, when he managed to move over 4 feet to get to a bag of animal crackers tucked into Nanny S.'s tote. The boy is motivated by food. Even so, since he just started moving from back or belly to a sitting position on his own, I think we'll hold off on declaring him officially mobile. Because I am deluded.
The job overall is going wonderfully, with a baby I adore and awesome employers. I asked to leave work 1.5 hours early last week so I could go to a former charge's middle school graduation, and there was no issue at all, just a "Sure, we can do that, sounds terrific!" I am so happy to work for people who treat me well.
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