Saturday, April 25, 2009

AN at 24 months

Once upon a time, there were tonnes of things I could write about AN. Now at 24 months, everything that she does just becomes really natural I don't know where to start writing from.

Let me see...
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She forms 3-word sentences and is once in a while coming up with 4 words now. I am able to understand what she wants or is saying most of the times (else she has her way of telling me, so communications wise isn't much of an issue between us). Problem comes only when she's not in the right mood. At times like that, she prefers to whine or scream and that's when discipline comes in.

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It's hard not to get angry at her and I admit I lose temper most of the times (not surprising given I'm not a very patient person by nature as well). I'm exploring other ways of discipline and am currently trying "Time Out".

It's been in effect for the past 4 days and she's starting to understand when I start counting down as a warning before I put her away should she decide not to obey or stop her nonsense. It's been good so far for me too. Prior to using time out, I'd feel my blood boil and shoot up into my head. There are times I feel myself really going crazy when she goes out of control. Time out is good in that I can avoid exploding and she gets the drift. She'll cry, scream and quieten down before I bring her out to explain to her a second time why she gets put away. Time out also gives me time to cool off.

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With regards to her eating habits, I'd like to think she's improving. She's still a small eater and doesn't really enjoy eating but at least she eats and once in a while she'll finish her food. She's still picky and given choices in the same meal, she will pick food she likes and proceed to try the next type of food in the same bowl only after she finishes the first that she liked.

She still prefers to eat off my bowl even if we are eating the same stuff (except that hers has that extra tablespoon of Olive Oil to fatten her up. I'm not evil ok? That was as advised by her doctor ;p)

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As for her pooping, she's starting pooping every 3-4days since she started drinking prune juice. Stools are hard on some days, ok on others. It's been more frequent this week (no more prune juice tho. I didn't top up supplies after she finished the 1st bottle and moreover she seemed to have lost interest). She's pooped every alternate days since last Saturday and on both Wednesday and yesterday. Hope it continues to be this regular. Been giving her brown rice and brown rice pasta as staples (done different ways) and she seems to eat more of these than other stuff.

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Adrielle is really quiet in classes and doesn't speak (I can't remember if she ever made a single noise before today..) There was once she would rather sign "Thank You" to Ms Erin than express it verbally. I think Ms Erin thinks AN can't speak. hehe. So, this morning in music class when she passed the microphone around like she does every week and AN finally whispered something really soft into it (after more than a month!), Ms Erin got really excited (Ms Erin's so cute. hehe). AN ran back to give me a big hug after she whispered into the mic too (shy at her first attempt and I believe, proud that she finally dared to do it). It felt nice to have my baby run back to me shyly. :)

Music classes are always fun and I think AN adores Ms Erin. She will stay close beside Ms Erin and imitate her, even at home! AN will make use of whatever stuff we have at home and use them like Ms Erin uses them in school. Nice to see AN improvising with existing materials from home as substitutions.

She's not very excited about pasting and drawing in class tho. Given a choice, she would rather go play with the container filled with soapy water or dig into the sand box. One thing I noticed tho, is that after having tried painting once, she started painting on the mirror with her toothbrush every morning and night. It's going to be very messy but maybe it's time I let allow her to start painting?? hmm... Let me think about it first. She already has crayons and magic markers (that are basically colourless on anything else other than the magic papers)..but she seems to enjoy painting... *considers hard*

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AN enjoys re-enacting past events or warn me using words I'd usually use, like "No climb, fall, pain pain how?", or "Mummy scratch here, bleed." etc. She'll tell me how she fell of the chair a couple of days back, how her play-doh has dried up and gone all crumbly, how things have affected her, in really simple words. *heartwarming* She goes on to 'mother' Baileys and Maen, telling them what they can do and snatching from them their bones which she is convinced should only be given to them when we leave the house (I don't know why she thinks that).

And she'll share food with BM (I try my best not to let them happen but I can't be around to stop that 100% of the time). I've caught her coaxing Maen to lick yogurt off her spoon and then put the same spoon into her mouth (after 2 years of being in the same family, I think she's long immuned to whatever you guys are thinking about now. hehe). I even overhear her praising Maen "Good girl" and after Maen licked that off, AN continued to ask "Good? Nice? YES! Want more?"

*faint*

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Oh, not to forget to mention her new bad habit of chewing things till they are tasteless and then spitting them out.

THIS GETS ON MY NERVES A LOT! I'd step on things she spat out anywhere I go and IT'S ALL CARPETTED HERE! I kept telling her to tell me if she needs to push food out of her mouth but she kept doing it when I'm not looking. There are food pieces all over the carpet, on her clothes, on the sofa.....*faint*

So blood boils, I'll scream at her (poor AN), she'll get frightened but still does it anyway.

This afternoon after she had enough of cheese for snack and decided to get rid of those she didn't want to swallow, I saw her attempting to spit it into her bowl. I think she gets what I mean, finally *phew* So proud of her attempt (even tho some bits and pieces fell out of the bowl but it didn't matter).

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I thought I had nothing much to write about AN. I was so wrong :p

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