I work an usual schedule so I am off around noon on Fridays. I went to pick up Christian at daycare early. Everyone else was already done with lunch and laying down with the lights off for nap time. But my son was sitting at the table, in the "dark" still eating his lunch and had quite a bit left to eat. I asked what was going on and they said he was just taking him time. Really?!?! He eats so fast at home but he piddles at daycare. The lady told him when he was done it was time to go home. He stood up, spit out the food in his mouth all over the floor and ran for his coat. So the part where he was excited to go home was heartwarming, but the spitting food all over the floor was not cool. So while he was getting his coat, I cleaned up the mess while trying not to disrupt the other kids who were trying to nap. The lady told me what time to come so I wouldn't arrive in the middle of things, but I think I need to arrive 5-10 minutes before when I did.
I was a little nervous because the chicken chunks on his plate were a little big, especially for him, who doesn't really chew all the well yet. He ate everything else but not the meat and I think it might have been because it took too long to eat. I think I'm going to ask her to cut his food into a little smaller pieces. He didn't get to finish his lunch and when we got home he was really hungry.
Otherwise, he seems to be doing well at daycare and following the rules. He runs to me when I pick him up so that is a good sign of bonding and leading to attachment!
This is a full week coming up, so hopefully it goes well.
~Amy
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Daycare - Day #2
Well Christian went to daycare for the first time on Monday and then we were home Tues. and Wed. because he was sick. So today was his second day and he did great when I dropped him off. He ran to me when I came to pick him up at the end of the day.....the best feeling in the world!
I didn't get the chance to ask the daycare ladies how he did on Monday so I asked today. They said when he was eating and wanted something, he would raise his hand. Aaaawwww :) They said they have never seen a 2 yr old do that and wished the other kids would raise their hands. I did not teach him that and he hasn't been around anywhere with me to see that raising your hand gets you an answer. So the only thing I can figure is that they taught him at the orphanage. They also said he was eating good and taking a nap when the time comes. I am glad he is understanding what they want, I was worried due to the language delay. But I think he understands more English than I realize :)
It's supposed to be rainy and possible snow this weekend. I am definitely keeping Christian inside to not aggravate his cold. I'm going to see if he wants to make paint handprints.....we'll see how that goes :)
~Amy
I didn't get the chance to ask the daycare ladies how he did on Monday so I asked today. They said when he was eating and wanted something, he would raise his hand. Aaaawwww :) They said they have never seen a 2 yr old do that and wished the other kids would raise their hands. I did not teach him that and he hasn't been around anywhere with me to see that raising your hand gets you an answer. So the only thing I can figure is that they taught him at the orphanage. They also said he was eating good and taking a nap when the time comes. I am glad he is understanding what they want, I was worried due to the language delay. But I think he understands more English than I realize :)
It's supposed to be rainy and possible snow this weekend. I am definitely keeping Christian inside to not aggravate his cold. I'm going to see if he wants to make paint handprints.....we'll see how that goes :)
~Amy
Inchworms
I need to work with Christian on his large motor skills: climbing, jumping, somersaults, etc. because he is behind in those areas. I have a small house with nothing but the furniture to climb on. My backyard is small but I was still looking into getting one of those small Lil' Tikes kind of climbing units, but they are not cheap. So I am waiting for garage sale season to begin and hopefully I can find one.
I looked into any types of classes at the YMCA by my house and found one for 18-36 month old kids. It's called "Inchworms" and tonight was our first night out of 7 sessions. They have things to crawl on/over/under, a small trampoline, mats to somersault on, colored circles to jump on, and an overhead bar thing to hang and swing from. Remember Christian has been sick so tonight did not go well. He didn't want to be there but he didn't want to leave, he didn't want to play on the units but he'd butt in front of other kids, the list goes on. At least he wasn't the only kid not having a good day. They had some music they turned on and wanted the kids to "march" in a line, hop, clap, stretch, etc. The minute the music started he ran for me and wanted to be held. I was SO shocked! He LOVES music but for some reason he was scared. The only thing I could figure was he was afraid of the actual "boom box" because it had a large glowing red ring around the whole front and he kept staring at it. The music was kids singing kid kinds of songs, the same ones we have at home that he likes. I guess when you don't feel good, nothing makes sense and irrationality is ok.....at least it is for me. I feel so bad that Christian does not feel well but I can tell he is making progress. So hopefully he will like next week's class :)
~Amy
I looked into any types of classes at the YMCA by my house and found one for 18-36 month old kids. It's called "Inchworms" and tonight was our first night out of 7 sessions. They have things to crawl on/over/under, a small trampoline, mats to somersault on, colored circles to jump on, and an overhead bar thing to hang and swing from. Remember Christian has been sick so tonight did not go well. He didn't want to be there but he didn't want to leave, he didn't want to play on the units but he'd butt in front of other kids, the list goes on. At least he wasn't the only kid not having a good day. They had some music they turned on and wanted the kids to "march" in a line, hop, clap, stretch, etc. The minute the music started he ran for me and wanted to be held. I was SO shocked! He LOVES music but for some reason he was scared. The only thing I could figure was he was afraid of the actual "boom box" because it had a large glowing red ring around the whole front and he kept staring at it. The music was kids singing kid kinds of songs, the same ones we have at home that he likes. I guess when you don't feel good, nothing makes sense and irrationality is ok.....at least it is for me. I feel so bad that Christian does not feel well but I can tell he is making progress. So hopefully he will like next week's class :)
~Amy
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Sick, Sick, Sick
My poor angel is so sick! He caught it at the daycare test runs last week, darn it. He had one full day of official daycare and we stayed home sick today. We got into the doctor to find: 103.5 temp, ear infection, runny nose and chest congestion. He is miserable! He just lounged around all day, cat napping on and off, which is definitely not him. This was all between coughing bouts, sneezing and blowing nose. I feel so bad for him.
The doctor gave me medicine for his ear infection but not the "cold symptoms". So I found some all natural cough syrup expectorant at Walgreens and have given him that and it seems to be lessening his coughing bouts. I also have to give him Tylenol for his fever, which lowers it for a few hours and then the fever shoots back up again. I hope the fever stays in check and he starts to feel better tomorrow.
Great, my first day back to work yesterday and now I'm gone again. I hope they don't start thinking I'm going to be one of those problem employees. I know kids catch all kinds of things at daycare and until they build up their immunity, they have to go through the sickness. I just hope for Christian's sake, he builds up his immunity fast, I hate to see him so miserable.
~Amy
The doctor gave me medicine for his ear infection but not the "cold symptoms". So I found some all natural cough syrup expectorant at Walgreens and have given him that and it seems to be lessening his coughing bouts. I also have to give him Tylenol for his fever, which lowers it for a few hours and then the fever shoots back up again. I hope the fever stays in check and he starts to feel better tomorrow.
Great, my first day back to work yesterday and now I'm gone again. I hope they don't start thinking I'm going to be one of those problem employees. I know kids catch all kinds of things at daycare and until they build up their immunity, they have to go through the sickness. I just hope for Christian's sake, he builds up his immunity fast, I hate to see him so miserable.
~Amy
Monday, February 21, 2011
First Official Day at Daycare
Christian did great today!!! He didn't cry when I left, just looked anxious and before he could "break down" I left. I however, broke down, and called around 10:00 a.m. to see how he was doing. They said he was doing great, playing with Legos just then. When I picked him up, he hesitated because he was playing with a new toy we don't have. But after a second, he came and gave me a big hug and said, "bye, bye?" I think I missed him more than he missed me :)
Well it is official, he DID catch cooties last week during our test runs from the kids that were sick. My little angel sounds like a frog....no voice. His nose is running as well as stuffed up and he has a deep cough. I go to Walgreens to find something to give him, can't find anything, so I talk to the pharmacist. She tells me that they do not recommend anything over the counter for a child under 4 yrs old. So I got some vapor rub and spread it all over his chest and neck. I'm on the way to the attic to find my cool humidifier to put in his room also. He did have a 100.5 temperature when I picked him up, gave him Tylenol and hope he feels a little better tomorrow. Poor little guy......
~Amy
Well it is official, he DID catch cooties last week during our test runs from the kids that were sick. My little angel sounds like a frog....no voice. His nose is running as well as stuffed up and he has a deep cough. I go to Walgreens to find something to give him, can't find anything, so I talk to the pharmacist. She tells me that they do not recommend anything over the counter for a child under 4 yrs old. So I got some vapor rub and spread it all over his chest and neck. I'm on the way to the attic to find my cool humidifier to put in his room also. He did have a 100.5 temperature when I picked him up, gave him Tylenol and hope he feels a little better tomorrow. Poor little guy......
~Amy
Sunday, February 20, 2011
Daycare and Cooties
We did test runs at daycare last week and several kids were sick. We then played outside almost every day last week at the park. I did have Christian bundled up, but with the two combinations, he caught a cold. He only coughs a little but is sneezing and has a very runny nose. We've already caught the daycare cooties......and so it begins.
I return to work tomorrow which means it's Christian's first full day of daycare tomorrow. I hope he does ok! I know every mother goes through this anxiety when they first put their child in daycare and I am no different. My biggest concern is that he still doesn't chew his food like he should and when he gets in a hurry he just swallows immediately. Plus after my "choking scare" with him a few weeks ago, I really hope they watch him when he is eating. I told them about this but they also have the other kids to watch too. I'm sure he will be fine, but being a mother now, it is now my job to worry :)
Getting up early tomorrow is going to be tough! I am not a morning person anyway. I have been getting us up early all week to prepare for our normal schedule starting tomorrow. I was dragging EVERY day, it was pathetic and I had to take a nap every day. I am totally screwed because I can't take a nap at work. So much for cutting back on soda, I was trying to reduce but will need the caffeine as I don't drink coffee. It will be interesting to see how fast I can get back into the swing of things at work. I used to be pretty fast and efficient at my job, hope I didn't lose that these last two months!
~Amy
I return to work tomorrow which means it's Christian's first full day of daycare tomorrow. I hope he does ok! I know every mother goes through this anxiety when they first put their child in daycare and I am no different. My biggest concern is that he still doesn't chew his food like he should and when he gets in a hurry he just swallows immediately. Plus after my "choking scare" with him a few weeks ago, I really hope they watch him when he is eating. I told them about this but they also have the other kids to watch too. I'm sure he will be fine, but being a mother now, it is now my job to worry :)
Getting up early tomorrow is going to be tough! I am not a morning person anyway. I have been getting us up early all week to prepare for our normal schedule starting tomorrow. I was dragging EVERY day, it was pathetic and I had to take a nap every day. I am totally screwed because I can't take a nap at work. So much for cutting back on soda, I was trying to reduce but will need the caffeine as I don't drink coffee. It will be interesting to see how fast I can get back into the swing of things at work. I used to be pretty fast and efficient at my job, hope I didn't lose that these last two months!
~Amy
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Park Continued
So happy it has been incredible weather this week so Christian and I could get to the park so much this week! We go in the mid-morning and then again after he gets up from his nap. I must say the afternoon park visits are much more crowded and prove for interesting people watching.
I cannot believe how many parents do not pay attention and do not have a visual of their little kids. I mean I saw 4-5 parents that were letting their 2-3yr olds run free and had no idea where they were. I had three kids ask me to help them on the jungle gym and/or be put on a swing....no parents in sight. Not to be paranoid or over protective but I had Christian in my sights at all times which sure gave me some much needed exercise.
We did have a minor incident that I did feel bad for but honestly was kind of funny. We were on the swings and a 2 yr old boy wanted to swing too. He walked behind our swing and just missed getting hit by a second. I told him to look out and couldn't get behind our swing fast enough, but it was like one of those pendulum games where you try to dodge the arm, and he did! He wanted me to put him in the swing next to us and I told him he had to ask his Mom or Dad first. I didn't want to put him in a swing if his parents didn't want him to or have a parent get upset with me because I touched their kid, which I can understand. Keep in mind that with all the snow melting this week, the areas under the swings were nothing but mud. Everyone else was telling their kids they couldn't swing because of the mud. Well being the innovative and awesome parent that I am, I scooped up leaves and made a little pad of them over the mud so I could lift Christian in and out of the swing. So back to the little boy who wanted my help into the swing. I told him to ask his parents so he took off like a flash....right in front of our swing. I reached down to get him before Christian swung back and hit him but I was too late. Down he went, ~splat~ full body, face plant in the mud. He looked up at me with accusing eyes and started to cry. He wasn't hurt and ran off to his Dad and I managed to hold my laughter until he walked away. He had mud across his forehead, down his nose and across his chin, both arms had mud the entire length along with his chest and fronts of his legs. I am sorry, but it was such a funny sight! Then Christian says, "oh boo, boo" with this sympathetic look that made me laugh again. What kind of example am I that my 2 yr old son is sympathetic and I'm laughing. Hey at least I didn't laugh so the kid could see or hear me, right??? So this wouldn't have happened had the parents been watching him and been in close proximity is my standpoint :)
If people would keep their dogs off the jungle gyms and not freak Christian out, who is terrified of dogs, then the days at the park would be perfect. It was fairly windy today and he enjoyed the simple act of throwing leaves up and watching them blow across the yard. Such innocence and a joy to watch.
~Amy
I cannot believe how many parents do not pay attention and do not have a visual of their little kids. I mean I saw 4-5 parents that were letting their 2-3yr olds run free and had no idea where they were. I had three kids ask me to help them on the jungle gym and/or be put on a swing....no parents in sight. Not to be paranoid or over protective but I had Christian in my sights at all times which sure gave me some much needed exercise.
We did have a minor incident that I did feel bad for but honestly was kind of funny. We were on the swings and a 2 yr old boy wanted to swing too. He walked behind our swing and just missed getting hit by a second. I told him to look out and couldn't get behind our swing fast enough, but it was like one of those pendulum games where you try to dodge the arm, and he did! He wanted me to put him in the swing next to us and I told him he had to ask his Mom or Dad first. I didn't want to put him in a swing if his parents didn't want him to or have a parent get upset with me because I touched their kid, which I can understand. Keep in mind that with all the snow melting this week, the areas under the swings were nothing but mud. Everyone else was telling their kids they couldn't swing because of the mud. Well being the innovative and awesome parent that I am, I scooped up leaves and made a little pad of them over the mud so I could lift Christian in and out of the swing. So back to the little boy who wanted my help into the swing. I told him to ask his parents so he took off like a flash....right in front of our swing. I reached down to get him before Christian swung back and hit him but I was too late. Down he went, ~splat~ full body, face plant in the mud. He looked up at me with accusing eyes and started to cry. He wasn't hurt and ran off to his Dad and I managed to hold my laughter until he walked away. He had mud across his forehead, down his nose and across his chin, both arms had mud the entire length along with his chest and fronts of his legs. I am sorry, but it was such a funny sight! Then Christian says, "oh boo, boo" with this sympathetic look that made me laugh again. What kind of example am I that my 2 yr old son is sympathetic and I'm laughing. Hey at least I didn't laugh so the kid could see or hear me, right??? So this wouldn't have happened had the parents been watching him and been in close proximity is my standpoint :)
If people would keep their dogs off the jungle gyms and not freak Christian out, who is terrified of dogs, then the days at the park would be perfect. It was fairly windy today and he enjoyed the simple act of throwing leaves up and watching them blow across the yard. Such innocence and a joy to watch.
~Amy
Monday, February 14, 2011
First Day at the Park
It was beautiful weather today and I wanted to take Christian to the park. We haven't been able to get outside and play since I brought him home. We went after our first daycare test run visit to a park near our house. It has two big play units and some swings. I took him up on a unit and he was terrified. I got him calmed down and when I went to set him down, he clung to me and cried again. So I just held him and walked around on the platforms and up and down the stairs. After about 10 minutes, he would stand there and not cry but wouldn't move. Another 2 yr old boy and his Mom came over and started to play. Once the other little boy ran around a few times, off Christian goes after him! After that, he ran all over but stayed away from the slides. I convinced him to sit on my lap to go down with me and I just prayed my butt would fit on the slide! It did and he loved it. He pretty much knocked me out of the way to get up the stairs to go down the slide again, and again and again. He was laughing and was so excited as I snapped pictures and videos of him.
We made our way over to the swings, mainly because the other boy went there. I put him in the child's seat and he fussed some, not sure if he liked it. I gave him a little push, his eyes got huge and he reached out for me. I did the "woooo, isn't this fun," thing and gave him another little push. Then he laughed and off we went. I must have pushed him in that swing for 20 minutes straight. I couldn't help it, he loved it so much. So we went home for lunch and a nap and went back after nap time. There were more kids there so he was a little more timid, watching them as they ran around him. Most of the kids were bigger than he was but there were two other little boys. We ended up on the swing again for about 20 minutes and then I coaxed him back to the play units where he ran around and had a good time again. It started getting cold so we had to leave and he cried and cried. Tomorrow the weather is supposed to be nice again so I hope we can get to the park again. It is amazing to realize that he has never seen or tried so many things that we've been doing!
~Amy
We made our way over to the swings, mainly because the other boy went there. I put him in the child's seat and he fussed some, not sure if he liked it. I gave him a little push, his eyes got huge and he reached out for me. I did the "woooo, isn't this fun," thing and gave him another little push. Then he laughed and off we went. I must have pushed him in that swing for 20 minutes straight. I couldn't help it, he loved it so much. So we went home for lunch and a nap and went back after nap time. There were more kids there so he was a little more timid, watching them as they ran around him. Most of the kids were bigger than he was but there were two other little boys. We ended up on the swing again for about 20 minutes and then I coaxed him back to the play units where he ran around and had a good time again. It started getting cold so we had to leave and he cried and cried. Tomorrow the weather is supposed to be nice again so I hope we can get to the park again. It is amazing to realize that he has never seen or tried so many things that we've been doing!
~Amy
Daycare Test Run
Today we visited the daycare for an hour and half to get Christian accustomed to it. He sat on my lap for the first 15 minutes or so, just taking it all in. Then he got down to look through the toys a bit, but when someone would come near him, he jumped right back on my lap. After about 40 minutes we was walking around, checking everything out and moving amongst the kids like it was no big deal but he kept looking to make sure I was still there. He held back a little, just watching them play, but it seemed like he wanted to join in but wasn't sure yet. I feel good about the place and think he will do good there after he gets comfortable. We go again on Wednesday, at a different time, so he can see what those activities at that time of day look like. I want to see if we can go again on Friday, with me leaving for a little bit so he understands I will leave but I will come back. I start back to work on Monday, so as much time as I can get him exposed to the daycare and try to ease him into it, the less stressful it will be for him I think.
~Amy
~Amy
Sunday, February 13, 2011
Baptism
Today was Christian's baptism and it was wonderful! I had it at the church where I grew up and where all my siblings, nieces and nephews were baptized (except for two nephews in Florida). We have a baptismal cloth/vestment type of thing that all of us were baptized with and we used it on Christian. It was so special for me to use it and made me feel he was "part of the family". My sister Cindy surprised me with a text on Friday saying she bought a plane ticket and was coming from Florida for the baptism! She and her husband are the godparents and she didn't want to miss it. It was a very fast trip for her but it meant so much to me that she made the sacrifice and came. Love you Cindy!
We had the ceremony before mass because I didn't think it would go well and I didn't want to disrupt mass for everyone. He did pretty good actually. He balked at being held on his back to have the holy water poured over him. I couldn't get him to lay down so my sister held my hair back while my brother-in-law helped me get him to lay down for the few seconds needed to pour the water over his head. He was screaming and upset, as expected, but when I turned him back upright, he gave the priest a look like, "what did you do that for?" The facial expressions he has are so funny sometimes.
We stayed for mass then and it was so nice to have people that I grew up with come up to me after mass and congratulate us. That's what I love about a small town, people know you, they care and are supportive.
Then we all had lunch at my parent's house, Christian received some beautiful gifts and I got to bring home some leftovers. YAY! I don't have to cook for a few meals :)
~Amy
We had the ceremony before mass because I didn't think it would go well and I didn't want to disrupt mass for everyone. He did pretty good actually. He balked at being held on his back to have the holy water poured over him. I couldn't get him to lay down so my sister held my hair back while my brother-in-law helped me get him to lay down for the few seconds needed to pour the water over his head. He was screaming and upset, as expected, but when I turned him back upright, he gave the priest a look like, "what did you do that for?" The facial expressions he has are so funny sometimes.
We stayed for mass then and it was so nice to have people that I grew up with come up to me after mass and congratulate us. That's what I love about a small town, people know you, they care and are supportive.
Then we all had lunch at my parent's house, Christian received some beautiful gifts and I got to bring home some leftovers. YAY! I don't have to cook for a few meals :)
~Amy
Friday, February 11, 2011
Not when I ask
It just amazes me how Christian will not do what I ask but will then do it much later. For example, I ask him to repeat certain words and he won't so I don't know if he understands me, is learning what I am telling him or simply just doesn't want to repeat me because he's 2 yrs. old. He loves to read and we read every day: colors, animals, shapes, story books, nursery ryhmes, Dr. Seuss, etc. He will repeat the colors once in a while but would only repeat the circle shape. So we have been reading these books since the day he came home, 2 months now. Tonight, sitting at Grandma and Grandpa's house, we are looking at the shape book, he points to each shape and says them all but one! He even said the difficult ones like diamond and octagon. I guess he was listening and understanding me :)
We went to the occupational therapist today for an evaluation to see where he needs work. I have been trying to get him to do more large motor skill things because I know that is what he is lacking. One thing the doctor's keep asking is can he jump, at least a little. You guessed it, when I try to get him to he just looks at me. I finally got him to bend his knees in preparation to jump but he just stays in the bent knee position and gives me a look like, "I'm supposed to do what now?" So this morning at the OT he wouldn't jump either and then when we got to Grandma and Grandpa's he wouldn't jump then at the prompting from Grandma. Two hours later, as he is running around the house, he comes into the living room where we are sitting and starts jumping! We all just laughed and then told him what a great job he was doing and then he turned into a jumping bean. So I guess he is understanding, he just wants to do what he wants in his own time. It is a relief to know he is catching on to what I have been saying, reading and showing him. You always worry if they are developing appropriately and if you are doing the right things. It also helps when people who haven't seen him in a month, say they notice a big change in him and how much he's learned. Yay for you Christian!!!
~Amy
We went to the occupational therapist today for an evaluation to see where he needs work. I have been trying to get him to do more large motor skill things because I know that is what he is lacking. One thing the doctor's keep asking is can he jump, at least a little. You guessed it, when I try to get him to he just looks at me. I finally got him to bend his knees in preparation to jump but he just stays in the bent knee position and gives me a look like, "I'm supposed to do what now?" So this morning at the OT he wouldn't jump either and then when we got to Grandma and Grandpa's he wouldn't jump then at the prompting from Grandma. Two hours later, as he is running around the house, he comes into the living room where we are sitting and starts jumping! We all just laughed and then told him what a great job he was doing and then he turned into a jumping bean. So I guess he is understanding, he just wants to do what he wants in his own time. It is a relief to know he is catching on to what I have been saying, reading and showing him. You always worry if they are developing appropriately and if you are doing the right things. It also helps when people who haven't seen him in a month, say they notice a big change in him and how much he's learned. Yay for you Christian!!!
~Amy
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Choking!
Terrified! Christian decided to hold three raviolis in is mouth and of course he choked on them. I had my back to him standing at the kitchen counter and heard him gasping, you know that horrible sound. I hit him on the back and one ravioli popped out. He took in a huge breath but didn't exhale and gave me this look of fear. So I picked him, turned him over and hit his back again. Out popped ravioli number two and he started crying. Whew! Crying is a good sign, it means he can breath! I put him down and then he "choked" again, that gasping sound. So I picked him up, hit is back and out popped ravioli number three. Even though he was crying (again another good sign that he was breathing) I kept him upside down and hit his back a few more times just in case another ravioli was still lurking in there. It felt like that coast was clear so I put him down, ripped off the messy bid and just held him for several minutes while he cried and my racing heart slowed down. Scared me to death!!!
It brought back feelings of fear from an incident in my past. I was working one college summer in a hospital cafeteria on the hot food line. After the line closed and we cleaned up, people would sneak a french fry or whatever because the food was being thrown away. One 60+ yr old woman, who had worked there for 20+ years, ate a piece of fish. She started choking and leaned over to try to get it dislodged, but the bad thing was she was behind a cash register and no one could see her. She finally realized she couldn't get it by herself, came out from the behind the register with a deep red face, holding her hands to her throat. A couple of us rushed over and tried to help her but couldn't. Thank goodness we were in a hospital because one worker ran out into the seating area and yelled, literally, "we need a doctor in here!" Three doctors can running in and immediately starting the hiemlich in the woman, which didn't work, even with all three taking turns. Her face was getting purple, no really, it was a purplish color and her eyes were rolling around, she was passing out. One doctor yelled to the other, "get a knife, we have to do a trach!" It was so surreal and terrifying to think that she might die right in front of me. One doctor rushed back to the kitchen while the other two still did the hiemlich and what appeared to be a limp rag doll at this point, the woman was so out of it. The doctor raced back in with a kitchen knife and towels while the other two starting lowering her to the floor. The change of position did the trick because she took in a deep gasping breath. They stood her up again, hiemliched her and out popped the piece of fish. She stood there gasping and crying for 10 minutes, hugging all three doctors over and over again. She didn't come into work the next day because she was so sore from being beat on and am sure exhausted from the lack of breathing! Of course we all got lectured and were threatened by the supervisor that if we ever snuck food again, we would be fired.
That was one of the most terrifying moments of my life and now whenever someone chokes, I kind of freak out. I must say though that I was calm when Christian choked today. God was helping me not to freak out, knowing that would be the worst thing that could happen. So now I'm going to just stare at him while he eats to make sure each piece is chewed to death and down the hatch before he takes another bite! Yeah right, he's 2 yrs old, like he's going to allow that :)
~Amy
It brought back feelings of fear from an incident in my past. I was working one college summer in a hospital cafeteria on the hot food line. After the line closed and we cleaned up, people would sneak a french fry or whatever because the food was being thrown away. One 60+ yr old woman, who had worked there for 20+ years, ate a piece of fish. She started choking and leaned over to try to get it dislodged, but the bad thing was she was behind a cash register and no one could see her. She finally realized she couldn't get it by herself, came out from the behind the register with a deep red face, holding her hands to her throat. A couple of us rushed over and tried to help her but couldn't. Thank goodness we were in a hospital because one worker ran out into the seating area and yelled, literally, "we need a doctor in here!" Three doctors can running in and immediately starting the hiemlich in the woman, which didn't work, even with all three taking turns. Her face was getting purple, no really, it was a purplish color and her eyes were rolling around, she was passing out. One doctor yelled to the other, "get a knife, we have to do a trach!" It was so surreal and terrifying to think that she might die right in front of me. One doctor rushed back to the kitchen while the other two still did the hiemlich and what appeared to be a limp rag doll at this point, the woman was so out of it. The doctor raced back in with a kitchen knife and towels while the other two starting lowering her to the floor. The change of position did the trick because she took in a deep gasping breath. They stood her up again, hiemliched her and out popped the piece of fish. She stood there gasping and crying for 10 minutes, hugging all three doctors over and over again. She didn't come into work the next day because she was so sore from being beat on and am sure exhausted from the lack of breathing! Of course we all got lectured and were threatened by the supervisor that if we ever snuck food again, we would be fired.
That was one of the most terrifying moments of my life and now whenever someone chokes, I kind of freak out. I must say though that I was calm when Christian choked today. God was helping me not to freak out, knowing that would be the worst thing that could happen. So now I'm going to just stare at him while he eats to make sure each piece is chewed to death and down the hatch before he takes another bite! Yeah right, he's 2 yrs old, like he's going to allow that :)
~Amy
Monday, February 7, 2011
Plastic Bowls
Christian loves plastic bowls, like most kids. Every day he drags them out of my cabinet, why I put them back every night is beyond me. He fills them with toys, empties them and fills them again. He puts them on his head and feet. He stacks them inside each other and also stacks them like a tower. Today he has decided to sit inside a bowl. Maybe that will be him used to sitting on the potty when it's time for potty training...uuummmm, let's hope :)
Sunday, February 6, 2011
I LOVE YOU!!!
Yes he said it! "I love you" to me for the first time tonight!!!! I was telling him that I loved him and said, "say I love you," and he did! Now this is HUGE to me because he doesn't typically repeat things when I ask him. He usually just looks at me and then will say whatever I wanted him to at some random time later.
We are also working on blowing kisses. He puts the palm of his hand to his mouth and that's as far as he's gotten for now. But when I say, "blow kisses," he knows that means to put his hand up but just doesn't follow through yet. He's just so darn cute when he does it :)
We spent the weekend at my family's. Christian is getting his back teeth in so he wasn't in the best of moods but still managed to have fun with his Aunts and cousins. We practiced saying their names on the way home and of course he would only repeat me when he felt like it. But I was happy that when each person asked him to say their name, he did! Of course the more difficult names were cute versions but you could still tell who he was trying to say. His cousins took him sledding too which he liked until his face got cold and then it was all over.
He's still afraid of my sister's little dog and now the new puppy they have but he loves their two kittens. I have determined it is the fast movement of the dogs he doesnt' like. We have two cats and he is fine with them. But the other day, the cats where rough housing, annoyed with each other, and were flopping each other around pretty fast and Christian ran and jumped up on the sofa. So it is the quick movements he's not sure about, not just the fact that they are dogs. So with time he will get used to them and be fine, although we don't see the dogs on a regular basis but as he gets older, it will work out.
Did I mention that he said, "I love you," to me?? YAY! :)
~Amy
We are also working on blowing kisses. He puts the palm of his hand to his mouth and that's as far as he's gotten for now. But when I say, "blow kisses," he knows that means to put his hand up but just doesn't follow through yet. He's just so darn cute when he does it :)
We spent the weekend at my family's. Christian is getting his back teeth in so he wasn't in the best of moods but still managed to have fun with his Aunts and cousins. We practiced saying their names on the way home and of course he would only repeat me when he felt like it. But I was happy that when each person asked him to say their name, he did! Of course the more difficult names were cute versions but you could still tell who he was trying to say. His cousins took him sledding too which he liked until his face got cold and then it was all over.
He's still afraid of my sister's little dog and now the new puppy they have but he loves their two kittens. I have determined it is the fast movement of the dogs he doesnt' like. We have two cats and he is fine with them. But the other day, the cats where rough housing, annoyed with each other, and were flopping each other around pretty fast and Christian ran and jumped up on the sofa. So it is the quick movements he's not sure about, not just the fact that they are dogs. So with time he will get used to them and be fine, although we don't see the dogs on a regular basis but as he gets older, it will work out.
Did I mention that he said, "I love you," to me?? YAY! :)
~Amy
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Learning
I love to read (which I have been missing lately) and am reading as much as I can to Christian. I hope he develops a love for reading as well as to help him learn English faster. We have a stack of books we read at least twice a day, by his request, on a variety of things: shapes, colors, numbers, animals, things, and Dr. Seuess eyes, ears and foot books. People have told me that he is too young to learn his colors or shapes yet. But guess what??? Monday when we were coloring, he picked up the yellow marker, looked at me and said, "yellow"! He did the same thing with the brown marker. Why those specific colors, I do not know. I thought it might have been a good guess so I mixed up the markers several times, told him to pick out the yellow and then the brown and he did it about 4 more times. So I'm sure he really does know those two colors. Then he did the same thing with "circle". He points to circles and says in a tone like he's asking me, circle? YES! Circle! The last few weeks he has been talking more and more, saying alot more English words. He still has to catch up, but I feel a bit of a sense of relief that I think he'll catch up fine and fast.
~Amy
~Amy
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