Winston writing

I have given Winston a set of write and wipe letters.


ABC's Lowercase Write & Wipe Flash Cards
 They are nice and big , about 7" tall.

 The only downside is that the side with the picture on is not wipeable and that get. Winston did a fantastic J this morning. I show him a bit from time to time, but mainly leave him to it.

He likes wiping them clean again after.

22m

Quantities - Doman dots and words

Winston's reading is so good that it seemed like a good idea to use this to show him the Doman dots again. I started with the Doman dots when Winston was about 12 months, but it was always second to the reading and sort of fell by the wayside, It certainly wasnt done with the frequency suggested by Doman (How to Teach Your Baby Math: The Gentle Revolution ).

It's difficult, he has done this set about 4 times, and can only really identify 1-3 for sure. He has just about got 4 and 5 is borderline.  The higher numbers are too much. He seems to enjoy it. If i say numbers, he shouts out "numbis", and when he doesn't know he is keen to find out .. "daddy, daddy ..."

ECing with Henry

Since Henry arrived we have been trying to spot when he wants a wee or poo and hold him over the potty to catch it. Some call it Elimination communication (we have read The Diaper-free Baby )

Sometimes he is really clear. He will arch his back a lot, or shout around. It is also reliable to give him the chance to go to the toilet whenever he wakes up.

When we hold him in position we make various noises to encourage him to go and to associate going with the relevant word ... wee poo kiss bais.  Also blowing on his head or willy seems to make him wee.

He wont have any nappy rash.... that much is certain!

This afternoon he was laying down on a changing area while we were having lunch.  He kicked his blanket off and did a wee.  (some of) The wee went in his big toilet bowl that was next to him ... Good shot Henry!

TAG books

I bought a  Leapfrog Tag Reading System before Winston was born.  He is now 22months, and I decided to get it out again a few weeks ago.  He seems to quite like it.

He gets it of the shelf himself, turns the pen on and looks for his favourite word in the book (which is yipeeee!) .

He doesn't follow sentences yet, which i think is because you have to be quite accurate with the pen, but he does 2 or 3 words in a row, and there is quite a lot of other information in the books from the pictures.

He is also not interested in listening to whole stories or pages, he just wants to point at words he likes or pictures he likes and hear those.

Everyone has a cough and a cold at the moment, but all the snow has melted and the sun is shining and the sky is perfect blue!

matching words to pictures

I have printed out some nice pictures in sets of about 10-14 items in fairly random categories.. Then with Winston I write what the items are on separate bits of card and cut them up with him. He likes every stage of the making of these. Then I go through them with him once or twice, and spread them out for him when he asks. I cant believe how quickly he knows which words go with the right ones.

So far we have

Instruments 1
Instruments 2
Birds
Sea Creatures
Primates
Stuff around the home
Countries with flags (10 countries)
Countries on a map (about 25 countries)
Herbs and Spices
The solar system
Jobs
Polygons
Human body
Flowers

 First thing in the morning he is asking for Primates or Instruments or Polygons. If he could, he would only play with these. So if I need 10  minutes to do something else these are a good baby sitter!

He always claps when he finishes. If he gets something wrong, he usually realises before he finishes. He is totally absorbed in what he is doing.

21months old now.

Hello Henry!

Hello Henry Valdemar King  (or King Henry V)

Big bollocks, because they are full of water!  That will go by itself.
4126grams or 9lbs 2oz
31st January 2012
Trollhättan

Winston seems quietly pleased .. and quietly jealous..  we will see how it turns out in the next few weeks.

Winston is really loving his picture and words cards now... especially the flags. I printed about 10 flags with a world map on the back with the country coloured in.  Reading the words is so easy for him now.  He is less interested in the flags and more in the map on the back .. probably from watching youtube videos like this one ...

I'm pretty sure he could get to grips with a new set of 10 cards everyday.

In the hospital, Winstonwas a very good boy, and loved pointing out semi-circles (which were on all the fire point signs)

Winston is learning some sign language now ... hopefully he can help Henry with that when the time comes.