Reading Time

Sometimes Ky likes to pick out his own books, mostly to chew on, and then maybe to have Mommy or Daddy read to him once he's satisfied ;)

Kick Like a Little Fishy!

This morning was Kyle's third swim lesson, and we've already seen some improvement. He did a lot of kicking on his own today, and held a nice tight grip on his floaty bar while doing it.

Kyle Update

Lately I've been very bad about taking pictures of Kyle. I must get better about that. Must. Especially since he's growing SO MUCH these days. Once of the reasons for this is because ever since he started crawling - yes, crawling! - on the 17th, he hasn't stopped for one second, and Chris and I are always on the move, just trying to keep up with our little guy. We've very proud of how quickly he's picked it up, and obviously can't wait to cheer him on as he learns more and more skills over the coming months, years, etc.

Here's a little list of what else Kyle's up to these days:

1. Opening cabinets
2. Zipping through ABC Animal Flashcards on his iphone app
3. Chowing down on solids: rice cereal; oatmeal; apples; bananas; pees; carrots; sweet potatoes; broccoli; green beans; and butternut squash (a personal fav). Next on the list: zucchini (I just made some this week) and pears (coming this weekend).
4. Laughing (out loud ... it's hysterical) when his feet or tummy are tickled, or when Mommy and Daddy pretend to eat his food.
5. Holding his own bottle through pretty much the whole feeding
6. Signing. Chris and I are teaching him a few signs for basic words like Mommy, Daddy, Grandma, Milk, ball, book, food, sleep, and all gone/empty. So far he is actually signing for milk. It's really funny how quickly and adamantly he does it when he is seriously hungry.
7. Turning book pages (although like some of my students, he flips a little too quickly, and often skips a few pages in the process.
8. Grabbing Mommy's nose, eyes, cheeks, mouth, teeth, etc. during feedings.

Kyle's also chewing on everything: teethers; socks; fingers; toes; toys; books; other things he shouldn't; etc. So far no teeth, but he's working on it, and we're waiting for them. Patiently. ;)

Butternut Squash ... Amazing!

Kyle was all smiles for his first attempt at butternut squash last weekend ;) It's a relief to know he's a good eater who loves his veggies.

What a healthy guy ;)

Water Babies!

Last Saturday was Kyle's first swim class at the Community Center, and he (as well as we) absolutely loved it ;) The class - Water Babies - is designed for early swimmers ages 6 months to 3 years old. Of the 14 babies in the class, I'd guess that over half of them are under a year, and the rest under 2 years, so Kyle fits right in. Kyle did 5 laps around the pool area and through the current on his tummy, 5 laps on his back, 5 laps gripping a floaty weight bar and kicking, and 5 laps chasing after a rubber ducky. He also sang "Wheels on the Bus" and "5 Little Ducks Went Out to Play," while splishing and splashing with his classmates. Class ended with time for family free swim and pictures ... we can't wait for another class this Saturday!

7 Months!

Kyle turns 7 months old tomorrow! Since I have to work the seventh and eighth grade basketball games after school tomorrow, we attempted our monthly photo shoot a night early. Not sure if this was a good idea or not. Kyle was pretty tired (and yes, even a little cranky). Wish I had more time in the morning to work with him, but we are always rush, rush, rush these days ;) Good thing my sweet boy is even cute when he's cranky ;)

Green Bean Mush

The first two dinners where we served Kyle green beans were the saddest ever. Forget carrots. Carrots are a french delicacy compared to green beans. We're not sure if it was the more grainy texture or the less sweet taste of the beans, but Kyle's face pretty much sums up the whole experience: YUCK. Tonight was day three, but as we braced ourselves for major waterworks, Kyle pulled a complete 180 and downed his dinner as if it were a pie eating contest. I guess some foods just take a little more getting used to than others. This weekend I froze some pureed broccoli and butternut squash, so we'll see how Kyle welcomes those veggies in the near future.

A, Apple, /a/

The week before winter break I pulled together some of my resources and made a stack of letter/word/sound flashcards to practice with Kyle. I know he's a baby and all, but whenever he's in a super attentive mood (and I think about it), I whip out his cards and go over them with him. It sounds something like this:

A, Apple, /a/. A, Apple, /a/
B, Bat, /b/. B, Bat, /b/
C, Cat, /k/. C, Cat, /k/

I have one card for every letter of the alphabet, and a bunch of digraph and chunk cards. Digraphs are two letters together that make one sound like the /ch/ in chin or the /sh/ in ship. Chunks are groups of letters readers should be able to glance at and immediately know the sound they make because they appear together often like /all/ in ball or /ing/ in ring.

So far Kyle seems to smile at the pictures and laugh when I flip the cards ;)

Just the, Bear Necessities

For Christmas, Ky got a big teddy bear from Grandma and Grandpa P. I originally wanted to name him Ted, but Kyle and Daddy collaborated and they came up with something much better: Baloo. Suits him well. Ky likes lounging around in the jungle with his new soft pal.

NYE 2012!

Last night, Chris and I celebrated New Year's Eve by attending the wedding of James and Niki Mahon. James is one of Chris's best friend's (Rob's) brother. The entire place was sparkling, the champagne was popping, and the steaks were delicious. Chris and I got a chance to take a dip in the pool, and even enjoy the hotel hot tub before returning home to our sweet little boy, who, by the way, had a great time ringing in the new year with Grandma and Grandpa P ;)