• Kaizen
  • I worked on putting my journal thing into a container and creating a form for new entries.
• Us
  • I went to the dentist. One tiny new cavity – oh well!
  • While the kids played, Melissa and I talked about copywriting and pitches.
  • I filed HSA claims for some of our expenses.
  • I cooked falafel.
• Gross motor
  • We made it to the drop-in centre before the first circle time and stayed until closing. A- was fascinated by the pool noodles in the gym.
• Fine motor
  • A- was interested in some of the wooden building toys at the drop-in.
• Sensory
  • A- liked swishing the dried navy beans around.
  • A- had fun dancing with W-.
  • A- liked being rolled up and down.
  • A- enjoyed sledding down the tiny pile of snow in the backyard.
  • A- had so much fun with the cushion-and-scarf fort that one of the other parents of 3-year-olds organized. It was all one big wriggling pile of preschoolers for a little while.
  • I made a batch of giant bubble solution and A- had fun catching them on the deck.
  • A- kept fidgeting today. I asked her about it and she said her dress was too big, but she kept fidgeting even after she had changed into a T-shirt and shorts for bed.
• Language
  • “I'm not a big fan of gray and black.”
• Self-care and independence
  • A- really wanted a lollipop. She asked me several times throughout the day. In the evening, we all discussed it. I explained I was concerned about how lollipops mean teeth are exposed to sugar for a long time. We settled on three licks before rinsing the lollipop and freezing it for next time.
  • W- trimmed A-‘s bangs.
• Eating
  • A- learned about dipping cookies in milk to soften them.
• Sleep
  • A- was motivated to go to sleep because she wanted to wake up early the next day to see W-. She whispered a song to herself (Tommy Thumbs are Up, complete with hand motions), tossed and turned a little, and fell asleep.
  • I reminded A- that if she wanted to wake up to have breakfast with W- (and be well-rested enough to avoid having a tantrum), she should sleep early. And she did!
• Emotion
  • A- had a tantrum about not wanting her cantaloupe cut into chunks. (“I don't want lines!”) After some time crying on the floor, she accepted our suggestion of trying it with her eyes closed. She ended up calming down completely and having lots of cantaloupe, savouring the experience of eating it with her eyes closed.
  • A- was a little grumpy today, hitting me and reflexively negating what I said. We experimented with me translating her “No, you do…” negation as “I need love!” instead, and she seemed to respond well to that. She invented a hand signal for it too, and she used it throughout the night. I guess I need to get better at paying proper attention to her and maybe having a routine of special time / independent time.
• Household
  • A- insisted on buying Raincoast Crisps with her allowance. The crackers were pricy, but she decided they were worth the expense.
  • So much cooking! We made baked beans, arroz caldo, applesauce, and ice cream in a bag. All of us spent the whole day cooking or eating, and it was great.
  • A- gleefully used the apple corer to help make applesauce.
  • A- helped tidy up the the water table. The tray was on a chair, and the kids went back and forth as needed. Maybe next year we'll help her learn to set up the tray.
  • A- can seal some kinds of Ziploc bags now.
  • A- took the initiative to wash the mirrors in the bathroom.
• Social
  • I got really grumpy about feeling touched out in the middle of the night, when A- woke up and kept asking for snuggles. W- woke up to help. Having a bit of alone time helped a bit. A- was calm enough to plead with me, saying, “Please don't push.”
  • We had another problem-solving conversation over dinner. I suggested seeing if spooning would meet A-‘s snuggling needs without triggering my aversion to being handled. We also talked about the idea of using a timer.
  • A- was asking the same question again and again, so we talked to her about different ways to keep the conversation going when she can't think of something to add. W- suggested talking about the weather, and I suggested saying something she observes or saying something positive about the other person. A- took W-‘s suggestion and started talking about the nighttime sky, which led to a conversation about seeing stars.
  • A- was really excited about getting face paint on Sunday morning. She sprung out of bed when our alarm went off at 7. When we went to check on W-, I crawled into bed for a snuggle and a nap. A- turned on the lights and loudly sang a song about asking for face paint.
  • After the drop-in program ended, Melissa and H- joined us at the library, and then came over to our house to play. The kids were having so much fun playing games like hide and seek that I was even able to cook dinner for all of us.
  • “I'm wearing a dress my Mama made!” A- proudly showed it to Mrs. Ewa during Music class.
  • After the drop-in program, we joined Melissa and H- for a trip up to a craft store in the Stockyards. A- and H- were able to stay close, be careful with things, and not have tantrums. After that, we visited H-‘s house, where the kids played all afternoon.
  • On our way home from playing with Melissa and H-, I asked A-, “Were you and H- good friends today?” She replied, “She's becoming one.”
  • A- cheerfully greeted many people merry Christmas. She also sang Skinnamarink to the parent worker (complete with hand gestures). She was in great spirits.
  • A- noticed Lola sounded sad. A- said, “Don't worry. It's okay. We'll always be here.”
  • We chatted with Lola, Tita Kathy, and A-‘s cousins in the morning.
  • “Ana is on the yes list.” (talking about babysitters)
• Pretend
  • A- asked for astronaut face paint, so that's what we did.
  • After reading Amy Wu and the Perfect Bao a few times, A- and I made playdough bao.
  • A- was really interested in modeling a toilet connected to a septic tank, complete with having a sewage truck come by, empty the tank, and go to the treatment plant.
  • A- enjoyed the big cardboard box at the drop-in centre. “A cardboard box can be anything!”
• Cognition
  • It's pretty amazing to see A- becoming more reasonable. Yesterday, she was on the verge of a tantrum, but she was able to calm down because she chose to keep playing with her friend. Today, she went to sleep because she wanted to be able to wake up early tomorrow.
  • A- asked for bedtime stories about a little fairy named A-, so the little fairy helped a Christmas tree by doing addition and the Mama fairy helped the little fairy fix the moon by doing subtraction.
• Other
  • A- hummed as a way of trying to whistle.

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• 2019-12-16 Emacs news

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