Our Evolving Spaces

We were going to be moving but Mike’s job wasn’t the right fit for our family; which was so disappointing. And as a result I really felt like I was stuck in a rut with this house. We have rented this house for over three and a half years now and have accumulated too much stuff. Everything felt cluttered and disorganised.

So, I have been simplifying and re-organising every room (still have much to go!) and trying to create more Montessori-inspired spaces.

We switched the play and living rooms so that the play areas are on tiles. This has freed up lots of space because I also pushed our dining table against the wall where the 6ft fish tank was (it’s now in the living room).

The space above has had a few changes and more to come. I finally found some appropriate sized glasses for Cam (he had grown out of the espresso one’s that I purchased after he grew out of shot glasses) and bought some proper smaller bowls and plates for him (up until now he has had plastic ones). Cam now sorts his cutlery and puts away his own dishes from the dishwasher. He loves sorting our cutlery too now and puts them all away while I put away the rest. We also purchased another step for him (Ikea 2 step stool) so that one can be out here and the other in the bathroom.

These smaller shelves now hold our instruments and Lucy’s toys are on the bottom shelves. The black box at the top is full of her other toys. The light table is to the right for now and (not pictured) I have bought a coffee table with a shelf under it to hold his sensory tub (which is currently space themed with mini rockets, rocks, homemade moonsand and various scoops/cups/tweezers/etc).

Here are Cam’s shelves. The top four are storage (mostly art supplies and practical life activity items). His 12 shelves hold his dough & materials, collage/gluing/stickers box, cutting practice tray, nature basket, puzzles, more puzzles, Montessori cylinders and sandpaper letters, a blank spot which will house his nesting boxes which are on their way, his farm & animals, some duplo, play silks and play foods.

Cam is just about ready, I think, to start using regular kids scissors. He has truly mastered these beginner ones.

This box gets a lot of use. Not all of the art supplies fit in the boxes up the top of these shelves; I’m only storing the things we use regularly (different types of paints/mark makers/stamps/papers/contact paper/etc). The rest is now neatly stored in a chest of drawers in our spare room.

I’ve added more helpful things for Cam as his abilities & interests have evolved (i.e. a laundry hamper, writing materials, appropriately sized soap to wash himself before I thoroughly clean him, etc)

Cam asked to do all four mini-cylinders at once. It was a bit too challenging & asked for help after finishing a little over half the pieces, but he put them back on their shelf without prompting. I am going to need to purchase a smaller work mat for him, he can’t roll this one independently & I’m going to try to get him using one now. Up until now I have only used it with him a handful of times.

Lucy is loving batting at toys and likes this handmade organic crocheted rattle (from etsy) for grasping practice.

Stay tuned for more. Please feel free to ask questions and/or make suggestions!!

Rambling about my almost-2.5-year-old

Cameron’s play has really evolved in the past few months. I hear the loveliest stories from him and it is fascinating to watch his imagination unfold and flourish.

The importance of open ended toys and play has been clear in this house. For example, Cameron played with a jug (pretending it was a blender, making all kinds of concoctions) for over half an hour today.

The thing that I love about his play now is that it is often a glimpse into how he views the world and how he is processing things.

My favourite thing is experiencing how he views me. Through his play I get to see him impersonate things that I do and say. It is a real eye opener, and makes it all the more clear what a profound influence we have on our children.

Cam helps me see that I’m doing a good job; when my mind is accusing me of the opposite.

Manners have been a biggie lately too. I had been getting frustrated by Cameron interrupting conversations when I realised that it was my fault. He has never been expected to wait, or taught how to excuse himself.. So what could I expect?

Now it is something that he almost always does well. We do need to work on whether the reason for the interruption is important, however

Cameron has been very keen to be involved in food preparation. Until recently it was more of a novelty. He has started to work on or perfect – buttering toast, peeling an egg, cutting a banana, helping make smoothies and omelets, etc. he gets such pride from it.

Other practical life activities (sweeping,cleaning windows and surfaces, pouring a drink, spooning, brushing his teeth, removing his clothes, and more) have always been of interest to him. But it’s only in the past few months that he has shown any interest in putting on clothing, washing himself properly, helping with the washing and folding, feeding our cat (he used to enjoy it.. But as a game rather than a proper task) and fish, as well as more, I’m sure, that I can’t think of now.

Cameron has also started to show an interest in writing (writing ‘o’ and ‘m’ – his 2 favourite letters) and his pencil grip has matured too. His love of art hasn’t lessened and he now names his drawings as he draws them.

Cam has also found a newly sparked interest in numbers. He used to count sporadically.. I would often hear him saying “1, 2, 1, 2, 1- yayyy”. Every effort to include numbers & counting into our play was met with disinterest.

In a clear display of toddlers learning what they want, when they want; Cameron counted to 9 one morning when getting dressed for the day. I was counting his buttons and he took over from 3 and counted to 9! “you can count?!” I questioned him with surprise and he answered me with a full belly laugh. Along the same lines, he now likes to ‘trick’ me with colours. Pretending he doesn’t know or hasn’t heard what I have said is extremely funny, apparently.

So Cammy now counts to 12 and counts backwards too (exclusively for rockets, which he is obsessed about). He likes to count things in books that we read now as well.

Speaking of books, I purchased a second hand book sling for the playroom and have been amazed by the positive response from it. I knew it would make reading more accessible for us, but I had no idea how much so. Until now his books were all on his bookcase in his room.

It also seemed to coincide with a change in Cam’s attention span and ability to follow a narrative. I would never turn down reading a book to him so some days we will read ten or so books in a row. He now asks questions as  we read (“is she sad?” “where did it go?” etc); it makes it all the more enjoyable for me.

Cam & his cousin with a wild wallaby

So much of what Maria Montessori believed in has became so clear in my observations of Cameron. I have always believed in much of what Montessori stood for, but as I’m moving along in this parenting journey I’m finding myself so passionate about it.. Because I’m watching the magic of Montessori (even in a less than Montessori-pure environment, within our home) with my own eyes.

I will be back to talk about and share some photos of Lucy (who is almost 11 weeks old).

(Sorry about the poor quality photos guys, and the lack of posts. I have become more of a blog reader than a blogger, hah)

Lucy Violet is here!

Lucy Violet entered the world at 6:25am on the 25th of March after a 17 hour labour. She weighed a petite 6 pound 8, was 51 cm long and had a head circ of 34cm. I pushed her out in one push!

We are all in awe and in love with her! She is just beautiful and such a dream baby. Aside from a post-dural-puncture ‘headache’ (so not a headache, as those in the know would know!) & the consequent visit to theatre for an epidural blood patch, we have been doing beautifully. I am so blessed and this is such a different experience to last time!

25 Months – tot school and where we are at..

Cam is almost 25 months old – 2 years old!

I saw this on a blog that I follow & decided that I want to record how C is doing developmentally before we start our tot school units (more on that later).

Brush Teeth, with Help – C is great at putting the toothpaste on and imitating the brushing action. However, I always brush them after he has a go because I want to make sure they are clean. 
Wash and Dry hands – C loves getting onto the step himself and dispensing the soap on his hands and rubbing his palms together. But  I still offer assistance on parts of the process (turning on the tap, rubbing the soap all over his hands) but he can rinse them and dry them well (I have a towel on a low hook for him to do this independently)

Should be able to:

Take off an article of clothing – C can completely undress himself (nappy, shoes, socks and all) with some outfits. Shirts prove to be the most difficult and he is yet to master zips and buttons consistently.

Feed a doll – he has done this on occasion.

Build a tower of 4 cubes – Easily

Identify 2 items in a picture by pointing – Most definitely. More than I could possibly count.

Will probably be able to:

Build a tower of 6 cubes – Yes. 

Throw a ball overhand – yes, not with accuracy though.

Speak and be understood half the time – C speaks a lot and pretty well but is quiet. I don’t think many people can understand some of what he says yet (aside from myself, my husband and sister).  He mostly expresses needs and narrates what we are doing and/or seeing. His speech isn’t conversational yet.

Identify 1 item in a picture by naming – Definitely. More than I can count.

Identify 4 items in a picture by pointing – again, yes. He can do this for most every noun he knows.

May possibly be able to:
Jump up - he loves to jump (or ‘pump!’ as he calls it) and succeeds half the time but sometimes it’s more like bouncing…one foot leaves the floor but not both.

Put on an article of clothing – Cam can put on a hat independently and some shoes. He attempts other clothes sometimes with limited success.

May even be able to:

Draw a vertical line in imitation – yes, he draws vertical lines and circles when I ask him to. 

Build a tower of 8 cubes – He has done this before.

Carry on a conversation of 2 or 3 sentences – He is speaking pretty well.  His speech isn’t conversational yet; although he can narrate 2-3 simple sentences in a row.

Other milestones:

Colours
Can always name and point to – blue, yellow, red, pink, orange, black, brown
Can sometimes name but always identify – white, purple, green, gold

Shapes
Can always name and identify – circle, star, moon (crescent), triangle, square and diamond
Can often identify – rectangle, pentagon, hexagon, heart

Letters

Can name the phonemes for – s, b, m
Can sometimes name the phonemes for – f, a, c, t, r, o, h, u

Numbers

Can say/read – 1, 2, 3, 5, 8
Can say 1-10
Can count to 6 without prompting (has only done this twice)

Body Parts

Can name and point to – hair, eyes, eyelashes, nose, teeth, tongue, mouth, cheeks, chin, toes, fingers, feet, hands, arms, belly, belly button, bottom, privates, nipples, head, legs
Can often name and identify – knees, ears, neck

Potty Training – he is no where near potty trained. Until recently he kept cutting teeth (which means runny poo for him) so we haven’t focused on this. He is aware of his bodily functions and I feel that he has been ready for some time. He has successfully weed on the toilet (with padded inner seat) several times and often tells me he is going to wee or poo.

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Sorry for the boring post update! I just wanted to keep record of this and thought I would share! We are starting our own little tot school at home tomorrow (more info on tot school ideas/printables/packs/etc here – http://www.1plus1plus1equals1.com/TotSchool.html)

I have been organising fortnightly themes (with coordinating sensory tub, dough activities, letters (2 per unit), number, shape and colour) for the next 5-6 months. I am using free printables from around the internet, some cheap books/toys and library books. I will be using Montessori-inspired printables when possible.

I will do a post reviewing our first week, this weekend and list of my resources and thoughts. Hopefully that is something interesting to some of you? I will also try to do a pregnancy update, I’m 31.5 weeks and had a midwife appointment today!

Thanks for reading!

This Time Of Year

I don’t have tonnes to update you with, hence the lack of posts. I have asked Michael for a camera for Christmas, so hopefully soon there will be decent quality photos on my blog?!

I have been so busy these past couple of weeks as Mike has been studying and spent all of last week at his parents place doing assessments. I have always had the upmost respect for single parents but being alone over nights with a teething toddler (hello 15th and 16th teeth!) has been plain hard so my respect has risen even further!

We had a gorgeous birthday party for a little friend with baby farm animals and all sorts of fun this weekend. Cam had a blast despite me being late!

This time of year is always busy for everyone. We have only a couple of little things to get for Cameron for his Christmas and birthday presents (he is born on New Years Eve!) but we have so much coming up in these last 6 weeks of 2011!

I have been so busy (& loving it) with organising & finalising presents for everything coming up! We have Cam’s best matey’s b’day, my nephew’s b’day & Australia Zoo, a big Christmas, Cam’s birthday & party – all before the end of the year!! Not to mention my baby shower plans for February. It’s all so much fun!!

This weekend I’ve been focussing on Cameron’s birthday plans. I’ve finalised a guest list, menu, the favours and printed out & readied all the invitations, decorations, labels and what not.

His party won’t be as big as last year (thank goodness, our poor little house & my pregnant self couldn’t handle that!) but I’m so looking forward to Cam’s birthday because he knows what a birthday is & will love it all! He talks about birthdays a fair bit now and likes to blow out candles and thinks all balloons mean it’s someone’s birthday.

I’m not yet into the spirit of Christmas, but I’m looking forward to that too. Cammy waves at Santa now and said he’d like to ask for “a plane” from Santa (I assume a toy – hah!). However, I’m not convinced he’ll be into the whole sitting-on-a-strangers-lap or getting-a-photo thing… which I’m absolutely fine about!

Aside from the craziness, there has still been plenty of time for normality. We have read and re-read books (Cam is loving all things phonics as well as expanding on his animal loves – newest faves being lizards, ants, rhinos and hippos), and sung many songs (new faves are ‘little Peter Rabbit’ & ‘galumph went the little green frog’).

Anyway, I’ll leave you with our fun from today - playing with ice

Random Cuteness

Today has been one of those days. It has been raining, Cameron is teething (still, he is so unlucky with teeth!), and I’m out of money for going anywhere or doing anything.

But I have been forcing myself to see the sweet, cute, clever and funny things that Cameron has been doing to get myself out of this funk. I love…

- seeing his pride as he does something new (in this case, swinging on the big boy swing)
- hearing how he pronounces some things… like “spep” (step) and “dancee” (dancing)
- watching him put away all his train tracks and trains piece-by-piece without me asking
- looking down to see this:

- hearing him say “oh no” with concern when he hears the sirens of an ambulance or fire engine
- Cam’s enthusiasm for feeding my fish every morning
- watching his brain gears turning as I ask him to point to different shapes (he now knows star, crescent (moon), circle, triangle and square… and sometimes rectangle and diamond.
- listening and watching intently as Cameron reads a book back to me after I have finished it, pointing out the things that I did and nodding.
- hearing him complain about the stickers being “stitee” (sticky) when I set up this quick, cheap colour sorting activity (simply drawing circles with crayon in corresponding colours to the stickers & pointing out how they matched – he did the rest)

Tomorrow we have Montessori playgroup in the morning and Saturday is my Dad’s wedding so hopefully my next post will be full of lovely photos and things to share

My Babies

*sighs* It’s so lovely to say/type/think ”my babies”…

Today I am 15 weeks pregnant! Most of the more unpleasant symptoms are gone (goodbye nausea!) but I’m still always tired and the reflux has begun. These things pale in significance to the wonderful things… like my belly button starting to pop out (yes, already!) and teeny flutters below my belly button. Hi Bud, Mummy feels you!

Cameron is 21 months old! This is a busy age where I can literally witness his development daily.

New developments include: drawing lines and circles. Pointing out shapes (circle, crescent, star, diamond). Doing rolly poleys! (too cute!) and his colour sorting skills are evolving. He also expertly kicks a ball with the inside of his foot (much to Mike’s delight).

He is eating so much more. He has cut some new eye teeth and since then his appetite is crazy. He starts most days with two weetbix and loves snacking all day (cashews, berries, sultanas, crackers and apples feature heavily).

Cameron can now undress himself (shirt, shorts, nappy and all!) so I have to watch him in public! I encouraged undressing himself for bath-time and toileting so now it’s time to teach appropriateness of timing

Speaking of toileting, toilet learning isn’t going so great. With a combination of a busy toddler who only vaguely is interested half the time and a Mum who is equally as wishy-washy with enthusiasm, we have a recipe for little progress. We have only had a couple of potty successes. Although he enjoys the routine – running to the toilet, taking off his pants and nappy, getting up on the seat (with trains on it!) and asking for tissues… and he looks mighty cute in teeny ‘big-boy’ undies!

Next weekend my Dad is getting married so you can expect some super-cute photos of Cameron all dressed up in a mini-suit! I also have several posts in drafts that I’ll hopefully get around to finishing soon

Thank you for the lovely comments on my last post!

I’m Still Here

Sorry for the delay in updates! We all got sick & the nausea and exhaustion was getting the better of me.

But now I’m doing heaps better. I’m booked into my hospital and have a scan booked for a weeks time. My doctor has been seeing me regularly since my anxiety attacks and I’m now medicated again on a low dose SSRI and feeling like myself.

The stigma associated with antenatal and postpartum mood disorders is hard sometimes. Particularly if medication is concerned.

I struggled at first with the idea as I’m someone who takes every risk very seriously concerning my children.. But I have to remember the risks associated with untreated anxiety and depression. & I have learnt to give myself a break – if it were another illness that I had to be treated for, I doubt I would hesitate. I talk about it because I know that it is more prevalent than we realise.

I also have struggled recently with the fact that all these factors have meant that I haven’t been mothering like usual. Poor sleep from anxiety in the evenings and at night meant that mornings were hard and I’m not overly proud to admit that a Thomas the Tank Engine DVD got a work out at any time prior to 7 AM.

Our days weren’t filled with well-planned activities or outings. Instead they were spent mostly in pjs and we often went to my sisters house where Cam could be entertained by his cousins while I lounged. My ‘sanity-kit’ has included his dough kit (minimal Mum-input activity), books, his train set (which he will play with for decent periods of time without me), crayons, his magnadoodle, and his little nursery rhyme CD player. Oh, & a willing hubby who takes over when he gets home.

1.5 weeks ago. C said “my baby”

This pregnancy my nausea has been the kind where it helps to eat (hello weight gain) but I still feel ill even after food. & it is constant, even upon waking at night. But I keep all the food down, which is fortunate. I’m exhausted almost always even if I sleep for 10 hours.

I don’t want to sound ungrateful, but I tell it like it is. I must admit that I haven’t been like I was with my previous pregnancy. I loved every part of my previous pregnancies, especially Cameron’s (aside from the fear of course). This time I’ve been more reserved, although I still feel very blessed. I can’t wait for Mike to see Bud next Monday (although I’m also very nervous as the dates are all so similar to 3 years ago).

Cameron has been doing great despite all. He talks about the baby often and he speaks in little sentences a lot now. At 20.5 months, he is currently loving - the letter ‘m’ (spotting it everywhere), planes (still), circles, getting powder in his nappy, eating cheese, helping wash up dishes, and telling me if something is ‘mean’ or ‘nice’.

He makes me so darn proud and I have been so lucky with how sweet and helpful he has been while I have struggled. For example, he patiently and happily waited for over an hour at the doctors the other week. & the other day he asked Mike “is she sad?” when I was resting and came over to give me a kiss.

 

My Week

My week has consisted of getting a tooth pulled, getting dry socket due to said tooth, celebrating my nieces 2nd birthday, playdates, reading (parenting books, reference books and Cameron’s books over & over), adventures, Montessori playgroup, park dates, & lunch at my Mum’s where we got to talk to my Grandma and Grandad.

I also enrolled Cameron into the Montessori Children’s House that is associated with the Infant’s House that he goes to playgroup at. Eep! He could be eligible to start when he is 3 (2013) 2 days a week (short days, but still!) which would mean that next year is his last year at home full time with me!

I truly hope he does get in then though. It is perfect and I couldn’t choose a better environment with better people and resources for him to develop as a little person. I always get filled with a sense of something special and peaceful about the Montessori Children’s House.

Cameron has started to ‘read’ to me.

Our strawberries have started growing.

Our coriander is taking over!

Cameron’s fascination for transportation is only escalating. He is now hearing and spotting airplanes so enthusiastically that he hears and sees them well before anyone else. (note also, the new space for the outdoor play kitchen and the cats sunning themselves! hah!)

Cameron is obsessed with babies at the moment. He is so gentle, quiet and naturally caring that he just melts my heart! Here he is giving his baby ‘boobah’. Bless! (in the photo he is yelling “baaaybeeee”)

This pic is from earlier this evening… Cameron went to sleep in his own room in his special bed. We got my pillow, read his favourite (for the moment) story and then I asked him “do you want to go to sleep in your special bed?” and he nodded and said “yes, nigh nigh, boobah, please”.

Such a non-event and a nice start to the gentle transitioning into his own bed. Hopefully the rest of the journey is as painless.

I, however, feel lost. I’m ready to go to bed and I feel odd without him there. Wish me luck!

Flat

There are days where I just can’t keep up with my own expectations regarding motherhood. Days (like today) where I wake up and feel flat.

I don’t want to read the “ah-pool booh” (alphabet book with an apple on the cover) again. Or I don’t feel like putting up with the giggling-and-running-around when I’m attempting to dress him.

Or I can’t be bothered making anything past a hastly thrown together sandwhich for lunch (organic peanut butter & jam on wholegrain bread if you were wondering… not that the ‘organic’ bit matters that much when he decided to smother the majority of it through his hair, on himself, over his high chair and throw the rest on the ground). 

It is days like these where the whole sense of rhythm and harmony is thrown aside. Very little in the way of productivity or creativity has occurred.

This is when I wish my husband didn’t play soccer, so that his Tuesday evenings were free to take over while I relax for no good reason other than I want to.

I don’t have several children, Cameron is just your average young toddler, I’m not pregnant, I had a full nights sleep (poor Cam on the other hand was crying for quite some of the evening last night with teething pain and didn’t fully get to sleep until 8:30PM – his usual bedtime is 7) and how flat I’m feeling is a far cry from the difficulties I’ve fought through in the past.

Yet, here I am, amusing my toddler with an ice-cream and some toys so that I can type up a blog about my shortfalls as a mother. Sigh.

I’m very blessed to be a stay at home mum and mostly I love it. It’s just that every once and a while I’d like to just do what I want.

I guess what I can take from days like today is that they are few and far between, and that they are part of life. Cameron has to know that I’m not perfect and that sometimes I won’t be as engaging or mindful.

Please tell me someone can relate! Hopefully tomorrow (or even the rest of this afternoon!?) I can shake that flat feeling.