15 Mar
UofC MoA Day
It feels so good to get out of the house and walk around in the sunshine. A few weeks ago we went to pick up That Husband from school, and on the way we stopped in to see the Smart Museum of Art on the UofC campus (chosen because largely because they allow you to bring your camera and take pictures). T1 has not only graduated from babyhood, he’s moving out of toddlerhood as well! On our walk I asked him to sit down on steps of a church so I could take his picture.
And he did! He sat so sweetly on this little step and looked right into the camera for me.
*Cue my heart melting*
Our time in the museum was short, but I enjoyed walking around with him while pointing out things he had a vocabulary for. It’s actually a really fun exercise to try to look through the world with the eyes of a toddler and point out what he is familiar with in an unfamiliar environment.
On another visit to the Smart last week, T1 took the vinaigrette from my salad and drank it. Straight up. Every day is something new, something sweeter and funnier than the last. We still have our rough moments, but I am really enjoying this stage with him. My favorite development? He has started using the term “mama” correctly! I tried to teach him the phrase “mama help”, but because he can’t string two words together yet, he shortened it to mama. I love, love, love hearing his little voice calling out from the room letting me know he needs me.
I'm a farm-raised almost-crunchy stroller-pushing picture-taking lifestyle-blog-writing gastronomy-obsessed divine-seeking thrift-store-combing cheese-inhaling pavement-pounding laughter-sprinkling lover of individuality and taking chances.
That sounds like a lot of fun at the art museum! The vinaigrette reminds me of a story from when my brothers and I were young - my youngest brother, ~2 years old at the time, was biting people (usually our other brother and myself) and my aunt suggested to my dad that for consequences when he did that to have him bite a washcloth with vinegar on it. My dad misunderstood and started making him DRINK vinegar when he bit somebody! And it totally backfired - he liked it and to this day loves vinegar on anything.
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Jenna Reply:
March 20th, 2012 at 12:50 pm
I *love* this story! I wish my parents had done this to me, haha, it would be great to have a taste for the bitterness of vinegar. Instead I like cream and ranch dressing and cheese.
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What a cutie! Love the green hat.
He really looks like TH in some of these pictures!
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2I’m curious, did T1′s speech therapist tell you to focus on words he already knows? As opposed to pointing out lots of different things? My baby isn’t due for another 7 weeks, so I’ve never parented a toddler before, but my natural inclination would be to point out everything. Probably overloading him/her.
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tb Reply:
March 15th, 2012 at 3:56 pm
I thought that was a little odd that she only pointed out familiar things? why wouldn’t you point out everything for him? So I’m wondering if the speech therapist told her this same thing too…?
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Sandra Reply:
March 16th, 2012 at 6:06 am
I imagine it’s so his learning it’s not based on the context of a home environment. People test better on things they’ve learned in the same environment they learned them in. To rectify that, people should study in a variety of places. I imagine it’s the same for babies.
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Jenna Reply:
March 20th, 2012 at 12:56 pm
Right now we’re really focusing on repetition, because he isn’t very good at repeating what we say (he’s getting better!) (Also this trip happened like a month ago or something
). I want to point out items he is familiar with because I want him to repeat what I say. This doesn’t mean I don’t point out anything he doesn’t know (how would he learn otherwise?), but until he moves out of this stage this is the way the therapist has said is best.
Does that make sense?
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Oh he really is a boy now, he’s gorgeous. I am pleased his speech is improving
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4I don’t know how it’s possible, but T1 gets cuter and cuter every single day
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5Ah, so big!!
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6Those are darling pictures! I love museums so I am always taking my daughter to them, and surprisingly enough she generally enjoys herself (even when they’re not obviously child friendly, like art museums tend to be). S
I agree it’s so fascinating to see things from a child’s perspective. It’s one of my favorite things about taking her to museums actually.
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