Sewing February 22, 2009

This is not really about Hayden, but I don’t keep up with my old blog so I’m writing it here!  I got a sewing machine a few weeks ago.  The main reason for this is whenever Hayden moves out of his crib (which is not anytime soon, but you know moms are always thinking!) he will move into the double-bed that we have in one of the guest rooms (currently called ‘Nanny’s room’ because it is where John’s mom stays when she visits).  The bed is brand-new so there is no sense getting him another bed and having that one go to waste.  However, once we were in there playing for a change of scenery, and he tried to maneuver his way through the slats in the footboard.  He got his whole body through but could not fit his head through.  Luckily, I was right there watching him (not stopping him because I was curious as to if he could fit – important to know!) so I just lifted him out.  So that got me thinking about the safety of the bed for a little kid when the time comes for him to sleep there.  I decided it wouldn’t be very hard to make something textile-y to go over the footboard, like a slipcover.  I loved sewing in middle school home ec but hadn’t done anything with a sewing machine since then.  Since a footboard slipcover is not something you can buy, I knew it would be up to me to make it happen.

My friend Faith sews all kinds of things, so I was lucky to have her on tap (she was on bedrest for her pregnancy at the time, so she didn’t have a lot else to do) to help guide me through getting started – website resources, different projects she has done that I would like, where to get fabric, what books were good, etc.

I have now made a couple of baby blankets, a tote bag, 2 credit card/business card holders, and just finished what I am calling a ‘dribble bib’ for Hayden.  (Hayden usually has to have a bib on because he gets his shirts wet with drool, but the bibs that are for sale are so big that it covers most of his shirt.  So this is like a short bib that leaves more of his shirt exposed.  Of course, the last couple of days he has not been so dribbly so it might be a little while until he needs the bib!)

There is a new section in the photo gallery with some of the things I have created.

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Tubes

Hayden has had a chronic ear infection for about 3 1/2 months now (probably longer, as when he was first diagnosed it was at a well-child appointment and we didn’t even know there was anything wrong with him).  He has been on four different antibiotics trying to treat it (some of them more than once), including one that had to be injected, and the infections and fluid in his ears just aren’t clearing up.  So he is getting tubes put in his ears on Wed.  It is a really quick op.  We have heard from many parents whose kids have had it done and it takes about 10 minutes.  It does require general anesthesia which is the riskiest part.
The tubes have immediate effect and apparently the fluid drains out right away and he will be able to hear better then.  We are hopeful that this will help his speech develop, and we have heard from many people that the results on speech are amazingly fast as well.  Hayden has great comprehension but very few words, so hopefully the latter will change after this.

Back it up!

Hayden loves, loves, loves books.  We have probably written about this before because he has loved books for a long time, but things change so often with toddlers that one day they love something and then the next they aren’t into it anymore.  Hayden has always loved books and that hasn’t changed.  Something funny that he has been doing the last few weeks is he will get a book and bring it to us, but when he is still a little ways away from us he will turn around and walk backwards into us until he is sitting on our laps (this works particularly well when we are sitting on the ground).  Sometimes it is subtle and he only has to take a couple of steps before he sits on our laps, but sometimes he starts from pretty far away and then has to walk backwards (with his little butt sticking out) for a little while before he reaches his destination.  Usually he gets a little ‘BEEP BEEP BEEP’ from Mommy or Daddy while he does this.

He is really good at pointing things out in books and LOVES matching things up.  Our neighbor gave him a toddler look and find for Christmas, and it didn’t take him long to figure out that he had to find the item that is in the box in the picture somewhere.  Now he will take any book, point to something in it (say, a lamp) and then point to it in the room.  He is quite creative with this, because he will point to a car in a book and then point to the garage, and he will point to a football in a book and then point to the tv!  He knows we watch football on the tv.  ha ha!

Hayden and his digger…. February 12, 2009

Hayden loves all his push along toys, but we keep some inside and some outside.  One of the ones we keep outside is his Home Depot digger.  If we take him out he will immediately go and find it and point ecstatically at it until we bring it outside.  As soon as we do he is off.  He pushes it all over our neighborhood and he is unstoppable (if we try to stop him he throws this huge fit!).  We were lucky with all the snow on the ground because he would hit a point where he couldn’t push it over so he would turn it around and go back.    We have to try and trick him into pushing it around cul-de-sac’s and then get him to cross the road and he doesn’t always realize that we’ve got him!  He is smart so he’ll learn soon though!!

A Funny Man

Hayden is a natural comedian.  Everyday he cracks me up multiple times a day.

He has just learnt peek-a-boo.  The funny thing is, it’s normally the adult that is doing the peek a boo’s – not Hayden – at bath time he gets his towel, hides his faces, and then I go “where’s Hayden” and he dramatically pulls it down and starts laughing!

Whenever I get my guitar out, he comes along and just starts randomly strumming and looks very proud of himself.

Sometimes when I’m behind him, I shout to him Hayden I’m going to get you – he screams and runs away as fast as he can, but keeps peeking back to make sure I’m chasing him.

Sometime when Kara is lying on the ground, I’ll tell Hayden to “get mummy”, he’ll run and jump on her and try to start to tackle her!

If I tell him to stick his tounge out – he does it – I’m teaching him some good habits!

Head, shoulders, knees and toes February 7, 2009

Hayden knows so many of his body parts!  I think I have the right order here for how they were learned: head, feet, ear, belly, nose, mouth, tongue.  He is sooo cute when I say ‘nose’ because he’ll point to my nose!  Then I’ll say that’s Mommy’s nose, where is Hayden’s nose and he’ll point to his nose.  He does the same thing for mouth.  The cutest part about it is he has the biggest smile when he does it and laughs when he points to me. 

I sort of just happened upon the fact that he knew belly.  We were reading the book ‘where is baby’s bellybutton,’ and I just said ‘bellybutton’ and he looked down and pointed to his chest (his torso is his ‘belly’). 

Eighteen month checkup

Hayden had his 18 month check up today.  He is still just off the charts in height and head circumference and is 50 – 75th percentile in weight.  Unfortunately, he still had an ear infection (in both ears this time – up to now it has always just been in the right ear), and since he has been on three different antibiotics and even gotten a shot as a last resort to try to clear it all up, the only remaining step is to have tubes put in his ears.  So we go to the ear, nose, and throat specialist the week after next and hopefully we will finally get him fixed.  You’d never know he was sick, though, he doesn’t give clues that there is anything wrong so he is either not in discomfort or is a super trooper!