19 Months Old

Gulliver entertains us with new tricks and activities every week. It's amazing how much he has grown and learned over the past few months. At 19 months old, Gulliver:

Walks!!!
And walks... and walks... and walks... and walks.

Sleep
Gulliver still takes a morning nap and an afternoon nap. He typically goes to bed between 7:30 and 8:00pm, but often doesn't fall asleep for an hour or so. Instead, he lays in his crib and babbles and makes all kinds of funny noises. He is perfectly content with his quiet time. Lately he has been waking up around 1:00am crying for about 5 minutes, but then falls back to sleep for the remainder of the night. He usually wakes up between 7:30 and 8:00am, but he needs at least 15 minutes until he is actually ready to get up out of the crib. He's a sleeping champ and mom and dad are so grateful for this boy's sleep schedule!

Teeth
He has three molars popping through, with the fourth on the way.

Meal Time
Gulliver eats all of his meals at his high chair unless we are away from home. He still eats just about everything we put in front of him (which is 98% healthy, all-natural food). His standard breakfast is oatmeal or a mixture of grains, yogurt, and fruit. Lunch and dinner consist of things like pasta, cheese, lots of fruit and veggies, and some meat. He doesn't typically eat many snacks throughout the day because he eats so much at his three main meals. Gulliver is slowly starting to show some dislike for certain foods, like asparagus and beets (his dad doesn't blame him for that one bit) or pork and chicken. He drinks beverages (milk & water) from a sippy cup. Sometimes he will pick up the spoon and play with it but he prefers to eat with his fingers, and will often stuff an entire handful of food into his mouth at one time. Gulliver enjoyed his first PB&J sandwich last week.

New Things
It usually takes Gulliver about 10 minutes to warm up to new people, places, activities. After that, he is ready to jump in.

Outdoors
Gulliver absolutely loves to be outside! I'm thrilled he is showing a love for nature at such an early age and we can take advantage of the many many wonderful places to explore outdoors.When we go to the playground, he prefers walking around and around over sliding or swinging. He walks up and down our street constantly. When it is warm enough in the morning, we play out on the deck. He still enjoys our bike rides, cruising behind me in the Chariot.

Books
Gulliver Loves. To. Read. Gulliver recognizes and points to many, many pictures like the moon, stars, mouse, dump truck, Old McDonald, ball, Goldilocks, baby, red truck, dog, and fire engine. He also knows what a cow says... oooooooooo (no "m"). He is becoming a pro at pushing the little mouse around in "There's a Mouse About the House."

Communication
Gulliver has learned the power of No.  Although he does not speak it yet, he shakes his head "No" when he doesn't want to do something. We're still teaching him how to nod his head "Yes" more often. He makes lots of sounds, like "ma", "da", and "ba" but does not have any real words. He babbles and babbles when the mood strikes him. It's a bunch of nonsense that sounds like he knows exactly what he is saying, but we don't understand any of it. He continues to use a few signs for things like dog, cookie, and eat. He understands so many things we say:
-"Let's go outside. Go get your shoes, Gulliver."
-"Do you want to read? Go pick out a book."
-"Are you ready to eat? Get in your high chair."
-"Let's go play downstairs."

Tantrums
Gulliver has started throwing tantrums from time to time. Sometimes they are very easy to predict, while other times they come completely out of the blue. He just gets in a bad mood and can't snap out of it. These are the times I really wish he had words so he could tell me what is wrong.

Body Parts
Gulliver points to his nose, ears, mouth, head, belly, and toes!

Play
Gulliver walks up to the ball and runs into it. We call it kicking, but it's really more like dribbling. He also rolls the ball and throws it.  He throws it forward every so often, but he really prefers to drop the ball behind him and then look to see where it went. He stacks lots of blocks on top of each other, including the mega blocks which piece together. He is showing a real fondness for trains and loves to stand at the table rolling the train back and forth along the track while saying. "ooo ooo" (choo choo w/o the "ch"). He likes to play with the stand-up house out on the deck. And still loves pushing his wagon all around, sometimes hopping in to catch a free ride. He loves bubbles. Lately he likes to play in the empty bathtub with all his clothes on. He sits on Rody and hops up and down. Now that the hummingbirds are finally starting to arrive, he points to them and watches them drink from the feeder on the deck.

Hugs & Kisses
Gulliver is extremely generous with hugs & kisses. Oh how I love this!!!

Night Night...

It was getting close to naptime. I looked at Gulliver and said, "Are you ready to go night night?" He smiled, walked over to his crib, put both hands on the rails, and lifted his leg up to try and get in his crib. He's always been a good sleeper. But this one takes the cake... even for him.

Hugs & Kisses

My favorite part of this age... hugs & kisses. Gulliver has learned how to give us hugs and kisses and it's just THE BEST!!! Sometimes I'll say, "Gulliver, can I have a kiss?" And he shakes his head no. Then I'll say, "Can I have a hug?" And he reaches out, puts his arms around my neck, and lays his head on my shoulder.

Other times I'll say "Can I have a kiss?" and he puts his face out toward mine, puckers up or opens his mouth, and I kiss him. Then he just giggles.

The other thing I just love, love, love is when we walk outside. Gulliver will be about 10 feet away from me. I'll squat down, hold out my arms, and say, "Gulliver, can I have a hug?" and he quickly walks toward me, puts out his arms, and lands on me with a huge embrace.

Ahhhh, now if I could just figure out how to bottle that feeling and savor it forever!

Parenting

Last month I attended a parenting presentation sponsored by the Crested Butte Community School's PTA. The speaker was Susan Stone Belton from Northern California. I enjoyed her presenation and want to record some of the notes I took, as the information may come in handy further down the road. Highlights from her session:

Three Golden Rules
Susan ended the presentation by sharing her Three Golden Rules of Parenting:
1. Spend time with your kids
2. Laugh and have fun
3. Tell your child you love them at least once per day - because you do!!!

Goal
"The goal of parenting is to raise a successful adult."

Vision
What do you want your child to be like as an adult? Loving, responsible, good decision-maker, giving, solid work ethic, happy… Whatever you choose, parents must start instilling those values in their child as early as possible. It is imperative that parents continuously model that behavior themselves. Children will model their parents' behavior.

Family Rules
Every home should have a written set of family rules. The kids should know exactly what the rules are, as well as what the consequences are if broken. It is the parents' responsibility to follow-through on the enforcement of the rules.

Discipline = Choices + Consequences
Susan does not believe in punishments for children. Rather, she encourages discipline through choices and natural consequences. In order for this system to work, everyone needs to understand the rules and the consequences of not following the rules (see above). When a child makes a bad choice, they must suffer the consequences. And learn from their mistakes. This will help the child learn to handle their disappointment. Teaching kids about making good choices and bad choices at a young age will prepare them for more difficult choices later in life, and hopefully they end up making GOOD choices when the consequences are even greater.

Here is a clip I found on her blog to better articulate this point:

"My child refuses to wear a jacket to school. What should I do?”

Many parents have asked me this question, and I laugh every time. My strong, healthy 25 year old son last wore a jacket when he was ten years old. Well, maybe eleven, but you get the idea. 

When my son refused to wear a jacket on a cool, rainy day in fifth grade, I pointed out to him that if he chose not to wear a jacket, he might feel cold and wet. If he chose to wear a jacket, he could always take it off if the rain stopped or if he got too warm. And then I allowed him to make his own choice, and to experience the consequences of his choice. I believe that children must be allowed to make some of their own choices and that people learn from making mistakes.

When deciding what choices to allow your children to make, you need to ask yourself, "What’s the worst that can happen?" I believed that the worst that could happen to my son is that he would be cold, wet, and uncomfortable. I could live with that – I was warm, dry, and comfortable because I made a better choice than he did. I also believed that my son was smart enough to learn from his mistake... if indeed he felt it was a mistake.

When I ask parents what’s the worst that can happen if their child does not wear a jacket, I always hear "My child will catch a cold". Today I found an article that supports my answer of "No, they won’t!" Children's Health at EverydayHeath.com says "bad weather does not cause colds" and indeed, "cold weather appears to activate the immune system", actually boosting your child's ability to fight off a cold. 

So this fall, let your child leave their jacket at home if they make that choice, allow your child to discover for themselves if that was a good choice or bad, and rest assured that the worst that can happen is not so bad after all!

Earning Responsibility
How do you change and adapt the rules as your child grows? Children earn responsibility. When they have followed the rules successfully and demonstrate they are mature enough to handle more responsibility, then give it to them. Susan thinks all kids should do their own laundry at some point before leaving home. She also suggested that Seniors in high school have no curfew. Many of the parents in the audience groaned at that statement. But her point was they would be out of the house going off to college in 6 months anyway. Why not set them up for success while still at home? If they fail, at least you are there to help pick up the pieces and get them back on course.

Insanity
Albert Einstein defined insanity as:
"Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results."

Susan reminded us that the same definition can be applied to parenting. If something isn't working, then try something else!


Mealtime
Susan's belief about dinnertime is that it is about being together, talking, and sharing your day. Sit down together as a family. This is a wonderful time to connect as a family. She does not believe in force-feeding. If a child does not want to eat what is in front of them, don't make them. But they should still sit at the table and participate at dinnertime. When they get hungry, they will eat. And certainly don't offer dessert or a late-night snack if they did not eat the meal that was placed in front of them.

Allowance
One parent asked what Susan thought about allowances. Her opinion is that parents should decide whether or not they want to give their kids an allowance - there is no right or wrong answer. But if they do decide to give an allowance, it should not be tied to chores. She believes the purpose of an allowance is to teach a child financial responsibility. Period. The amount of the allowance should be based on what it is to be used for. For example, if it is just fun spending money for the child to get toys and frivolous stuff, it should be a small amount. If the child is expected to use their allowance to buy clothes, then the amount should be larger. She suggests setting up guidelines that match your own financial goals (ie x% goes to saving, x% goes to charity, x% goes to spending). If you don't want to give your child cash, you can set up an allowance register. When you are out shopping and your child wants something, pull out their allowance register so they can see how much they have on account and can decide if they want to make the purchase or not. If so, deduct that amount from their allowance register. Help them understand the value of a dollar.

Some interesting ideas...

24 Hours of Rain and Snow

After having a taste of summer and enjoying several days of outdoor time, it's a real challenge when it gets cold, rainy, and snowy… in the middle of May. My poor little bulbs (at least the deer haven't munched on the tulips yet)...

Here's a recap of how we have kept ourselves entertained for the past 24 hours….

Trains
We hadn't set the train set up for awhile, so seemed like a good time to bring it back out. What a hit! Gulliver just loves to push the train back and forth on the track. He loves to watch it zoom down the hill and grins every time.

When dad got home last night, Gulliver showed off his train set and played some more. And then they got into a silly "a-hem" contest that left us all cackling.

Art
Gulliver is still learning how to use markers, crayons, stampers, stickers, and paints. But we keep them handy and try new art projects regularly. He gets a little bit better each time.

Wagon
The wagon is back on the "Favorite Toy" list. Spent lots of time pushing it all around the house. And then took several rides back and forth, down the hall and back, between mom and dad. That's always fun!

Petting the dogs
Cocoa is the dog of choice lately. She seems to tolerate the petting better. Cassie is a little more skittish, true to her nature.

Reading
Oh how this boy loves his books! We spent 45 minutes straight this morning reading books. Gulliver brings over a book (lately it's one of the several selections from the "First 100" this or that series) and plops down in my lap. It's such good cuddle time! Sometimes we point at pictures, say the word, and make a sound. Sometimes we just look at the pictures and turn the pages. It doesn't matter… he loves the together-time. And so do I.

Hunting for Easter Eggs 
It's a never-ending egg hunt around here. I hide eggs in Gulliver's room several times throughout the day. He never tires of finding the colorful treasures (which are completely empty, by the way). The hiding spaces have become trickier, but so far, no egg has been left unturned!

The Children's Museum
We ventured up to Mt. Crested Butte this afternoon to check out the Children's Trailhead Museum. Such a wonderful place! It's relatively new to the area (started a few years ago), but provides a great place for indoor play & exploration. So what was the first thing Gulliver checked out while there? The Train Table of course! He also spent lots of time in the Dig Pit, going down the slide, pushing around a cart, playing with the air tubes, and crawling through tunnels.

The Pea Pod

The few times we have traveled and needed a portable bed for Gulliver, we have used the Pea Pod. It's a little tent with a blow-up air mattress. It folds up so small that I've packed it in my carry-on bag on the plane. It really has been quite convenient.

We used the Pea Pod on our GJ trip last month. Our hotel room had 2 double beds, so we set the Pea Pod tent up on the far side of the room so the second bed provided a bit of a barrier. The tent zips up so we don't have to worry about him crawling out, and it has multiple flaps that can either be left open or shut to keep the light out. We put Gulliver to bed both nights around 8 or 8:30pm. Mark and I carried on normal conversation and had the TV on after Gulliver went to bed. It was a small hotel room, so he certainly heard all this noise. But we figured he would feel better knowing we were right there with him.

The first night of bedtime, he went down with ease. He did not fall asleep right away, but he was very content in his sleeping quarters. We left one flap open so that we could check on him periodically. Well, he quickly discovered the open flap and enjoyed seeing daddy on the bed next to him watching TV. He laughed and tried to get his attention, but Mark just ignored him for the most part. Eventually he fell asleep.

The next night, he went down very easily again. This time, we closed up all the flaps so he would not have the distraction of watching Mark & me.

Well I simply could not resist checking on him, so once Gulliver was quiet for awhile, I found a small crack in the flap where I could peep in. Imagine my surprise when I looked in and saw a giant eyeball peeking right back at me! The little stinker had figured out the same trick and was again watching Mark & I from inside his little tent. We couldn't contain our laughter, and Gulliver thought it was pretty funny, too. He tried everything to get our attention now that we had discovered his little secret... he kicked his legs on the sides of the tent, he started rolling the tent over to the point where it was at a 45 degree angle, and he made all kinds of babbling noises. We were cracking up at his antics and he just went right along with us, never getting the least bit upset, but enjoying our little "game." Eventually, he petered out and fell sound asleep.

I don't know how much longer we'll be able to use the Pea Pod for sleeping, as Gulliver was already starting to figure out how to unzip the zippers this last trip. But it sure has come in handy.

Now anytime I see the Pea Pod, that last night in GJ comes to mind. Recalling that memory just makes me smile!  :)

Photo Catch-Up

Cinco de Mayo:

Friday night sushi:
The tradition lives on... at home!!! My first attempt... more to come.

Loves. To. Walk!
And always with the left arm up in the air...

The Trailhead Children's Museum:

Favorite exhibit - the Dig Pit!

The Girls:
who don't get much camera time these days...

Mother's Day

"The history of Mother's Day is centuries old and the earliest Mother's Day celebrations can be traced back to the spring celebrations of ancient Greece in honor of Rhea, the Mother of the Gods."

Whoever came up with the idea of Mother's Day is genius! What a delightful day...

The day began with Mark getting up with Gulliver while I had a nice chat with my own mom followed by reading in bed. After breakfast and playing downstairs for awhile, Gulliver came up and bounced around in bed with me. Always a fun activity! Mark put G. down for his morning nap, then made a delicious breakfast of corned beef hash and eggs for the two of us. And sometime before breakfast, he also emptied the dishwasher and folded the laundry. Now that's a Mother's Day treat!  Thanks, Sweetie! :)

We spent the afternoon taking a hike in a new location... the Dillon Pinnacles trail, west of Gunnison above the Blue Mesa Reservoir. It was the perfect length and intensity. Two miles in and two miles back out, took just under two hours. Gulliver rode in the backpack the entire time. The girls got to participate as well. It was a beautiful bluebird sky day, in the high 60's and breezy. We all wore plenty of sunscreen.  Gulliver left his hat on for the whole walk (except when it blew off a couple times).

Attempt at a family photo:

Mark and the girls:

Perhaps our best self-photo yet, somewhere along the trail:

After the hike, Gulliver explores on his own two legs:

Oh, that would be mom's back sweat covering his frontside. And the scratch on is face is fresh... fell on one of his trucks this morning.

The day isn't over yet... Mark is grilling dinner. Pork filets that we received from the Gerardi's at Christmas (yea, it's finally grilling season!) along with grilled veggies.

Happy Mother's Day!!!

Doctor Appointments

I took Gulliver to see a Pediatrician in Montrose this week for his 18-month checkup. She was so pleased with Gulliver, especially given his early start to life.

He weighed in at 24 lbs, 1 ounce and measured 31 and 3/4 inches long. Our growing boy!

After the appointment, we found a park where we ate lunch and walked around. Then headed back to CB.

We also saw the eye doctor for Gulliver's annual checkup when we were in GJ last week. He said Gulliver has a mild astigmatism, but nothing to worry about. Not surprising, since Mark and I both have this as well. Otherwise, he said his eyes look fabulous!

Zen Garden

When we temporarily relocated our home to Grand Junction for 2 months following Gulliver's birth, Mark would arrive town every Friday night to stay for the weekend. The first week after we got settled into the rental house, we ordered sushi to-go one night because I simply was not up to going out and facing the world. Every Friday after that, we went out for sushi at the Zen Garden.

The Zen Garden became a very special place for us. It was our routine. It was our time to sit down together and catch up face-to-face after spending five nights apart. It was an attempt to bring normalcy to a not-so-normal situation. It provided a much-needed treat during a stressful time.

I always felt incomplete on those nights. We just had a baby, but he was not there with us. Nor was he at home. It was a very odd sensation. Something was clearly missing. I distinctly recall one of those evenings as we imagined out loud the day our little Gulliver would be dining here with us instead of receiving dinner through an NG tube in the hospital.

That day arrived this past weekend.

We introduced Gulliver to our favorite Grand Junction restaurant on Friday night. We enjoyed a quiet, relaxing dinner - no small feat with a one-and-a-half year old. Gulliver had a wonderful time and exercised exemplary restaurant etiquette.

The waitress brought him a bowl of noodles the minute we sat down. He DEVOURED them! We ordered him an avocado roll, which he enjoyed fiddling with. But preferred to eat the noodles and other veggies we had brought with us. He thought the chop sticks were pretty cool, too.

The meal concluded, of course, with a fortune cookie. 

The Zen Garden was the perfect place to enjoy our first dining-out experience as a family.

I felt complete.

Walking for Babies

Went to Grand Junction on Friday to walk in the March of Dimes "March for Babies" event. What a lovely weekend getaway! The weather in Crested Butte was crummy all weekend, so we didn't miss out on much here.

At the start of the walk, one of the NICU nurses was seeking out dads to wear a purple tutu. Mark got tagged. He received many, many comments from walkers and passers-by all morning. He was a good sport about it. Don't those hairy legs look great in a skirt?

Unlike last year, Gulliver stayed awake during the entire walk.

We saw so many of the NICU staff near and dear to us - even more than last year. Drs. Aldoretta and Garmany were both there. And so many nurses... Pam, Karen, and Natalie (the first three nurses we met at St. Mary's who tended to Gulliver when he was at his smallest and most critical period); Sherri, Gary, Therese, and others I am forgetting to mention. We saw both of the OT's, Missy & Theresa, who worked with Gulliver. And we saw Gulliver's guardian angel, Linda.

Linda was the Nurse Practioner on duty the morning Gulliver was born. She was the third person to touch our little boy... right after Dr Bonney and the hand-off nurse. Linda was the one on deck to receive Gulliver. She was in charge. She cleared all his fluids, intubated him, weighed him, and got him settled into the isolette for transport to St. Mary's Hospital. She made sure that Mark and I had time to meet and touch our little boy. She took photos with a disposable camera so that we would have physical memories of Gulliver's birth day. She escorted Gulliver via ambulance, airplane, and another ambulance to the NICU. She continued to follow Gulliver's progress throughout his hospital stay. She was amazing.

Nurse Sherri started a new tradition last year... all the preemie participants trace their hand onto a large piece of material. Then she embroiders it with their birth date and the date of the event. We traced Gulliver's hand right next to the one we did last year. My how it has grown!

Gulliver also got to meet a special friend for the very first time. Delaney Rose was born in Gunnison three months after Gulliver. She arrived 14 weeks early, weighed under 2 lbs, was immediately transported to St. Mary's Hospital, and stayed there for 80 days. Her first weeks were rougher than Gulliver's. Her family was by her side the entire time. She went home (on Mark's birthday) a happy, healthy baby. Delaney's mom and I have shared a special connection from the beginning. And it was fun for our two little preemies to finally meet.

After the walk, we went back to the hotel for some pool time and play time.

The hotel was a zoo... a LaCrosse tournament drew families throughout the Western Slope to GJ for the weekend. Kids were everywhere!

Gulliver thrived on the activity. He held his own in the loud, crowded swimming pool and trapsed through the common areas like he owned the joint. When we awoke Sunday morning, he immediately wanted to leave the room. He was most content when he was out in the thick of things.

We all enjoyed our weekend in Grand Junction. And it's nice to be home....