Tuesday, March 27, 2007

Make Believe...

Drew has recently begun "pretend play" and it's fabulous. Perhaps the understanding of such play comes from the puppetry we began when Drew was very young. It has since progressed to acting things out with his dinosaurs, animals, and even his bath scrubby. Now Drew does the animal make believe himself! He simulates conversations; he has his animals eating, drinking, and even hugging each other. This play continues with his picnic set as well. He will pretend to cook, eat, and serve Mommy and Daddy. It's so fun to see him fry chicken or pour milk. It seems like such a mature manner of play! And of course, he loves to engage others in this play too. Who wouldn't want to join him...in the world of make believe?!?

Sunday, March 25, 2007

Sign, Sign, Everywhere a sign

I am a big fan of teaching infants sign language. What a wonderful tool for communicating before baby learns to talk! It saves baby from so much frustration; and isn't it nicer to see a sign than to witness whining, banging, and pointing? Everyone needs tools to communicate - and those tools must be taught. I bought a signing book to use with Drew when he was about 7 months old. Unfortunately I didn't learn (or teach) as many signs as I would've liked, but he did learn "milk" "more" "please" "airplane" and "all done." There is a show on PBS, Signing Time, that others might also use as a teaching tool. As minimal as our signing experience has been, I found it valuable. I plan to do it again with baby # 2 and maybe even take a class!

Drew began signing before his first birthday. I can't remember exactly when it happened, but I remember encouraging him to sign "milk" before he got a bottle. It worked. And he quickly learned to express that he wanted more (or not) when eating solids. Later on I felt some manners were important and taught him to sign "please" which he quickly learned would get him what he wanted :)

Now Drew is 19 months and has an incredible vocabulary. He can say, or repeat, nearly anything. It's amazing! The irony is that he will not say the words: more, milk, or please. If I ask him to "Say Milk" he simply signs it. He continues to sign those three words constantly. I've heard the theory that children that sign often speak later, and I wondered if it was true. I think if you have a means to communicate you might be less inspired to learn to speak. I'm not sure. I do think it's interesting that Drew still refuses to speak those three words. It doesn't matter much to me how he communicates as that he can communicate.

Thursday, March 22, 2007

Calling all Germs!

Attention Germs near and far. This just in: Spring has arrived. It is time for you to abandon your race to the Kardos family. Thank you for seeking us out this winter...and leaving a bit of yourself behind. Thank you NoroVirus, thank you Coughs and Colds. Thank you Earache and Sore Throat. We are now happy to wish you farewell as you begin your hibernation. Should you decide to visit another family next Winter, we won't be offended. We had plenty of visits this year. It's time for you to move on!

Sunday, March 18, 2007

St. Patrick's Day!

With a maiden name like "McClanaghan" I'd be a fool not to celebrate the day of the Irish. Right? This year, instead of parades, bar hopping, and green beer (ah, the good ole days), we went to Rhodes on the Pawtuxet for some traditional Irish music, dancing, and corn beef! A celebration that I thought Drew would truly enjoy. We met up with our friends Kathy McGuigan, Alex, and Batla for the festivities.





After a bit of dinner (and cupcakes!) we headed on to the dancefloor for some live music & fun!

Eventually these two cuties got their groove on and boogied down.




True entertainment: The Irish Step Dancers really stole the show and left Drew begging for more!



Tuesday, March 06, 2007

Lunar Eclipse


There was a lunar eclipse on Saturday night. We were pleasantly surprised to find our neighbors admiring the moon through their enormous telescope! Pretty cool. So they invited us, and our fondue party guests, to take a peek as well. It was beautiful. A clear night, a beautifully lit moon, good company, and great food. Oh, what a night!