Vee fixes a 6-piece puzzle by himself.

Inspiration this month: I thank God for giving me a strong and healthy child. Even though he’s ill today, I’ve faith that he’d recover and be back to his normal self very soon.

Vee turned 23 months old on Tuesday, but was hospitalised for a day due to high fever of 39.6 degrees Celsius that even led to febrile seizure (fits). I’m writing with a heavy heart as he’s still having diarrhoea, and not eating nor drinking much. I’m very concerned about him being dehydrated. While he’s napping and recovering, let me jot down his recent developmental milestones and try to cheer up a little…

Learning & Communication

• Finally, my little singer has blossomed! Over the weeks, he started singing many of his favourite songs, including most of the lyrics and the correct rhythm. He even had his first karaoke experience, and totally enjoyed himself.
• He’s speaking in short, complete sentences such as “爸爸，快点下来！” (Daddy, come down quickly!). Since we’re planning to send him to a Mandarin school in future (and I find Mandarin a tough language to master), I’m glad that he’s doing well in its pronunciation, sentence structure and has a wide range of vocabulary.
• For the first time, he fixed a 6-piece puzzle by himself!
• He started counting up to 30, with a bit of help in between. When he plays with his Melissa & Doug Peg Puzzle*, I observe that he recognises most (if not all) of the alphabets. He also knows the basic phonics.
• We started practising pre-writing skills and he can draw vertical, horizontal and circular lines. He likes “writing” and is more interested in colouring on blank sheets of paper than on pictures.
• Vee enjoys speed reading and memory games — he can recite the 10 animals in The Very Busy Spider’s Favorite Words (by Eric Carle)* faster than I flip the pages! To meet up to his challenge, I also learnt to recite as quickly as him. Nowadays, he wants to recite without holding the tiny book. It’s such fun home-schooling him and witnessing the wonders of right brain education.
• His new favourite book of the month is Dr. Seuss’s ABC*. It covers the capital and small letters with interesting rhymes and illustrations. Great for practising speed reading (while trying not to get tongues all twisted) and widening vocabulary.

Motor

• Working as a team, both of us broke last month’s record and stacked 21 blocks!
• He feeds himself well with a spoon and can drink independently from an open cup.

Behaviour & Social Skills

• He asserts his independence by saying “excuse me” to us when he wants personal space.

Diet & Feeding

• He became fussier during meals and started spitting out food and rejecting some food just after glancing at them. He’s not interested in greens, which he used to eat a lot. Also unwilling to try new foods. Hope his previously good appetite would return soon.

Potty Training

• He’s mostly potty-trained in the day. Even when outdoors (and in Shichida class recently), he’d request to pee in the toilet. At night, he’s wearing fitted cloth diapers without a cover. Once I feel that he’s wet, I’d change him. Hopefully, over time, he’d learn to hold his pee until morning. (Tip for easy night-time diaper changes: let child wear diapers and leg warmers instead of pants. Place a fleece blanket underneath child to protect bedsheet.)

Sleep

• Due to the current high fever, he has been sleeping like a newborn: needing a nap after being awake for 2-3 hours.

Vee’s turning 2 years old next month and all I wish is for him to get well soon.

Any Mummy with experience of child having high fever, febrile seizure, diarrhoea and dehydration, please share your knowledge in the comments box. Thank you very much!

P.S. View more developmental milestones (from 8 months old onwards).

—

*: affiliate link to support the growth and maintenance of Mummy’s Reviews™

© 2009-2012 Veezian Pte. Ltd. | All rights reserved - This feed is provided for the convenience of Mummy's Reviews™ subscribers. If you like this post, you may share its link: Vee Turns 23 Months Old (But Hospitalised). Any reproduction of the content within this feed is strictly prohibited.

Related posts:

1. Vee Turns 16 Months Old
2. Vee Turns 21 Months Old
3. Vee Turns 14 Months Old

Inspiration this month: Time is so precious — once lost, it can never be earned back again.

Finally, our home-learning activities resumed full momentum this month. I’m so charged up with the regained energy and we’re making good use of every waking moment. Here goes his progress…

Learning & Communication

• Vee has begun reciting nursery rhymes in Mandarin (“排排坐，吃果果”) and English (“Rain, Rain, Go Away”). Just last week, he attempted to sing “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star”, in a rather garbled way. And when he recites or sings, he’d be upset if anyone tries to guide him. Ha!
• He likes to describe opposite terms: big vs. small, long vs. short, high vs. low, etc.
• His favourite learning activity is “Linking Memory” and he attempts to arrange the cards in the correct order. He enjoys sticker activities, but is still not keen on colouring. As for counting, he tries to count daily items in this manner “1, 2, 3… 10, 11, 12, 13, 8, 8, 9, 9, 20″ (?!?)
• We’ve started on the 2nd cycle of The Shichida Method‘s 63-Day Lightning Rapid Calculation Programme. His attention for the daily short flashcard session is still considered good. Tip learned from the Principal: insert some interesting flashcards such as pictures of favourite family members and cartoon characters.
• His new favourite book of the month is The Very Busy Spider (by Eric Carle)*. It has textured pictures, beautifully illustrated, and again suitable for practising linking memory. Vee loves reading it with My Favorite Words Library (also by Eric Carle), to match the small and large animals from the 2 books.

Motor

• Stacked 12 blocks when I can only do 14 with the same blocks!
• Going up and down stairs with no or minimal support
• He has finally started jumping with both feet lifted off the ground! Erm… or more like hopping forward like a frog.

Behaviour & Social Skills

• He’s asserting more independence by wanting to do things by himself or his way — no touching him when he’s on the potty, and he must wear NICE shorts for going out (mini vainpot!)

Diet & Feeding

• To help him pee less at night, we increased his milk intake in the morning and afternoon, and let him drink only half a cup before bed. It seems to work! Now, he pees only once at night or early morning.

Potty Training

• Fantastic progress! Since the day I started using prefolds + Snappi (without diaper cover), he has been telling me several times a day before pee-ing, with sufficient time to reach the potty. Once, he was “bottomless” while I was in the bathroom and he needed to pee. I told him to go to the potty by himself and he DID IT! AND once last week, he woke up DRY after sleeping for 10 hours!!! Otherwise, he’d request for a diaper change if he pees at night. Hope he’d repeat the feat again.
• Now, I let him eat 2 prunes FIRST thing in the morning when he’s hungriest, so that there’s no excuse for skipping them. Result: only 5-10 minutes needed on the potty for his big motion. Great for earlier bedtime.

Sleep

• To let him learn falling asleep independently, after our bedtime routine, I’d lay him on his tummy while I sit behind him. Quite often, he turns around to look at me. Then it’d take a little coaxing / negotiation (that sometimes escalates into threatening!) before he’d obediently drift off to dreamland by himself.

It’s amazing that Vee’s reaching the final year of toddlerhood when he turns TWO in 2 months’ time. I must treasure this very innocent and lovable stage…

P.S. View more developmental milestones (from 8 months old onwards).

—

*: affiliate link to support the growth and maintenance of Mummy’s Reviews™

© 2009-2012 Veezian Pte. Ltd. | All rights reserved - This feed is provided for the convenience of Mummy's Reviews™ subscribers. If you like this post, you may share its link: Vee Turns 22 Months Old. Any reproduction of the content within this feed is strictly prohibited.

Related posts:

1. Vee Turns 17 Months Old
2. Vee Turns 14 Months Old
3. Vee Turns 15 Months Old

Vee's obsession with trains and vehicles has started!

Inspiration this month: To take good care of my child(ren), I must stay healthy.

This update is overdue for 2 weeks as I just recovered. Vee grew up over the month with minimal care from me. Most of the time when he was playing, I could only lie down and give him some guidance. It was a month when every toy in the house came in useful, especially his new LEGO Duplo Legoville Deluxe Train Set*. (If you’re planning to splurge on a Christmas gift for a child who loves trains, this is THE one.) Otherwise, I read, sang or chatted with him. Here goes his progress…

Learning & Communication

• Vee’s speech development accelerated at an amazing pace. The longest phrase he said contains 7 Chinese words — 我和妈妈捉迷藏 (translated as “I play hide-and-seek with Mummy”), which is the title of a book he loves. He also began using short phrases such as 谢谢爸爸 (“Thank you, Daddy”).
• Since we’re a bilingual family, he has picked up both English and Mandarin in his unique way. He uses terms such as “ter ter 水” (for water), “包包 bread” and “玩 play”. When he’s eager to play, he even says “玩 play” PLUS the hand sign for “play” — that’s 3 languages at one shot! Very effective way of delivering your message, dear son.
• His favourite book of the month is Polar Bear, Polar Bear, What Do You Hear? (illustrated by Eric Carle)*. It’s colourful, builds his vocabulary, and suitable for practising linking memory.

Motor

• Like most toddlers at this age, he tries to jump. But with words sounding much LOUDER than action — feet still not lifted off the ground yet.

Behaviour & Social Skills

• During the past month of resting, I began to appreciate his behaviour. Being a food-lover, he’s very cooperative during meal-times. At play-time, he would play near wherever I was resting, without tearing the house down. As long as he’s well-rested, there’s hardly any tantrums. What more could I ask for?

Diet & Feeding

• Since he’s nearing 2 years old, I’ve started letting him taste more restaurant food, such as vegetarian pizza and lasagna. So far, he enjoys everything that he has tried, except for olives.

Potty Training

• Progress with pee control is still slow. Before nap and bedtime, he’s able to give sufficient notice before peeing in the potty. During the day, he doesn’t bother telling me, probably because he’s engrossed with playing.
• Though he’s potty-trained for poo, he MUST eat 2 prunes daily to soften his stool. Otherwise, at bedtime, he’d feel uncomfortable and INSIST on sitting on the potty for up to one dreadful hour, sometimes without any output.

Sleep

• After 1 month of effort, he’s finally sleeping on his own side of the bed, without squeezing onto me at night.

In the upcoming weeks, I must resume momentum for our home-learning activities, while juggling loads of writing backlog. Enjoy your weekend!

P.S. View more developmental milestones (from 8 months old onwards).

—

*: affiliate link to support the growth and maintenance of Mummy’s Reviews™

© 2009-2012 Veezian Pte. Ltd. | All rights reserved - This feed is provided for the convenience of Mummy's Reviews™ subscribers. If you like this post, you may share its link: Vee Turns 21 Months Old. Any reproduction of the content within this feed is strictly prohibited.

Related posts:

1. Vee Turns 18 Months Old
2. Vee Turns 14 Months Old
3. Vee Turns 16 Months Old

Inspiration this month: I hope to let Vee learn from life’s experiences, beyond what books can teach.

Here goes Vee’s progress…

Learning & Communication

• Vee had his first overseas vacation to Perth, and we stayed in a working farm for 1 night. The trip certainly broadened his exposure to geography, nature and animals. Since returning, he has been blabbering about roo-roos (kangaroos), chook-chooks (chickens), trains and buses. Before having Vee, I used to think that bringing young children overseas is a waste of money since they won’t remember the trip years down the road. Now, I think it’s a great opportunity to bring his home learning to life — reading about a kangaroo is entirely different from feeding a REAL kangaroo. And Perth is a fantastic destination for children. Our trip was mostly about nature, hardly any shopping.
• With 2 trips during the past month, we had no Shichida Method‘s classes for 4 weeks! I almost didn’t make any new flashcards and now he gets super-distracted during flashcard sessions at home. In contrast, he was a PERFECT student during class last week. He really missed his sinsei (teacher), lessons and friends. This reinforces my belief that weekly classes are important in getting our learning momentum going.
• He still loves linking memory and we’re at our 4th set, practising with 6 cards each time. (Each set typically consists of 72 cards.) If it’s a familiar picture, he usually gets the position correct.
• While waiting for our return flight at Perth airport, Vee was captivated by this board book, Dear Zoo by Rod Campbell*. I bought it with our remaining small change. Before this book, Vee has NEVER seen the picture of a camel and I’ve not taught him the word. On our second reading, he actually said “mer-mer” when I paused at the camel’s picture! This little boy is full of surprises…

Motor

• Occasionally, he stands in an inverted “V”, with his head on the floor and attempts to roll over. Gosh… I always try to pull him back in case he makes “forward rolls” a favourite past-time.
• Throughout the week, we’d do a mixture of drawing and water play. Yesterday, instead of water, I gave him some uncooked pastas and red beans to practise his scooping and pouring.
• I’m 90% sure he’s right-handed, as he prefers using his right hand for activities such as threading.

Behaviour & Social Skills

• During Perth, he suddenly started shouting “Ahh!!!” whenever his request isn’t granted. This certainly gets on my nerves. Sometimes, he can go “Ah! Ah! Ahhh!!!!!” Occasionally, he’d even try to hit us! It’s his way of expressing discontentment, which seems absolutely RUDE. To counter this, I tell him to “calm down”, “Shh!”, “be gentle” or say “Please” instead. Lots of patience is needed in dealing with toddlers.

Diet & Feeding

• I tried rubbing a little tofu (soya beancurd) onto his arm and there was no redness. Soon, I’d feed him some and pray that his soy allergy is gone. Egg white is another food he needs to try again too. Eczema, please go away!

Potty Training

• Using prefolds or fitted cloth diapers without any stay-dry layer helps him feel wet in the day. Yet, he can ignore the wetness at times and I need to make him change after every pee.

Sleep

• Technically, he’s sleeping through the night without waking up for milk. However, during the night, he’d always squeeze over to sleep over my chest and disrupt my beauty sleep. Grr… I must find a way to glue his head onto his pillow!

And it’s unbelievable this boy is TWENTY months old and turning TWO in 4 months!

P.S. View more developmental milestones (from 8 months old onwards).

—

*: affiliate link to support the growth and maintenance of Mummy’s Reviews™

© 2009-2012 Veezian Pte. Ltd. | All rights reserved - This feed is provided for the convenience of Mummy's Reviews™ subscribers. If you like this post, you may share its link: Vee Turns 20 Months Old. Any reproduction of the content within this feed is strictly prohibited.

Related posts:

1. Vee Turns 14 Months Old
2. Vee Turns 16 Months Old
3. Vee Turns 17 Months Old

Inspiration this month: I hope to be a Mummy whom Vee looks up to!

Here goes Vee’s progress…

Learning & Communication

• After mastering his Chinese name, he is now learning to say his English name and age: “My… is Vee!” and “I… two… old!”
• With his progress in speech, we realise that he knows MANY books and songs by heart. One of our favourite activities is to pause while reading or singing, allowing him to fill up the blank.
• He knows the sequence of numbers (1 to 10) in English, Chinese and Bahasa Melayu, pronouncing some of the words rather clearly.
• We have FINALLY completed 1 cycle of The Shichida Method‘s 63-Day Lightning Rapid Calculation Programme, spending an extra month, since we skip the programme during busy weekends.
• Currently, his favourite book is The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle*, which we go through twice a day before nap and bedtime. Amazingly, he remembers the entire story, including the sequence of the TEN items that the caterpillar ate on Saturday. (This is similar to the  linking memory exercise we do in The Shichida Method).

Motor

• He grips the pen very well and enjoys doodling.
• Walks up the stairs by holding on to the wall for support
• An expert at fork-feeding and getting much better at spoon-feeding.

Diet & Feeding

• He loves drinking watermelon juice and can down a glass after a full meal! Of course, this is restricted to about once a week.
• Night-weaning is successful! This means he has been weaned off the breasts for about 2 weeks. A full-stop to our once-in-a-lifetime breastfeeding relationship.

Potty Training

• No significant progress from last month. Sometimes he tells me before pee-ing; sometimes he’s engrossed with activities and REFUSES to let me remove his wet diapers.
• In the day, we’re using more of prefolds without any stay-dry layer. And change after every pee, which is about 1 per hour.

Sleep

• Besides sleeping through the night, Vee has weaned himself off the early morning feed. Which means he can last 12 hours without any food – counting from his last milk feed to breakfast. His body has adjusted by taking in more milk during supper.

Vee is such a pleasant boy at this stage and I really love it!

P.S. View more developmental milestones (from 8 months old onwards).

—

*: affiliate link to support the growth and maintenance of Mummy’s Reviews™

© 2009-2012 Veezian Pte. Ltd. | All rights reserved - This feed is provided for the convenience of Mummy's Reviews™ subscribers. If you like this post, you may share its link: Vee Turns 19 Months Old. Any reproduction of the content within this feed is strictly prohibited.

Related posts:

1. Vee Turns 18 Months Old
2. Vee Turns 20 Months Old
3. Vee Turns 21 Months Old

Vee's First Trip to the Play Gym

Every day holds a surprise as Vee is growing up at a blazing speed. Here are his little achievements over the month:

Learning & Communication

• After learning his name for a few weeks, he suddenly started blurting out his first perfect 5-word phrase in Mandarin: “我是 _ _ _” (which means “I am _ _ _”). I was amazed!
• He loves reading and has been pulling out books while saying part of their titles. I am wondering if he is starting to recognise words.
• He “sings” parts of songs when relaxed. I am looking forward to singing with him soon!

Physical

• Finally, we brushed aside fears of hand-foot-mouth-disease and brought Vee to the play gym. He had tonnes of fun climbing, sliding and being buried in hundreds of small, colourful balls.
• After many sessions of water play, he has mastered pouring and scooping water from one container to another. (Read about water play tips.)
• He has been diligently practising scooping and transferring small items with a spoon.
• He can also put a thread through a large wooden bead.

Diet & Feeding

• New favourite foods include soup (a large bowl during lunch) and sushi (gobbled down 5 cucumber makis after his dinner). His Daddy needs to work harder to feed our little glutton.
• He has progressed from finger-feeding to fork-feeding. Still not very good at spoon-feeding though.
• Night-weaning is almost successful! (Read section on Sleep below.)

Potty Training

• On two occasions, his diaper was completely dry after nap. *Impressed Mummy*
• In the morning, his diaper is less soaked than before and he can frequently hold the first pee (A LOT!) until sitting on the potty

Sleep

• Naps are near-perfect as he falls asleep rather easily and through 1.5 to 2 hours. No more nursing during naps. Yay, freedom at last!
• Mr. Fussy Sleeper FINALLY relaxes enough to doze off in the car-seat or stroller when he is tired and ready to nap. (Instead of screaming his lungs out.) He even continued sleeping when I carried him out at home. This has NEVER ever happened in the past.
• His recent best performance at night: sleep for about 2 hours, fuss and let me soothe him back to sleep with light patting. Then suckle only once during early morning, and continue sleeping. I can finally declare that he is sleeping through the night, at 18 months old.

I am a happy and well-rested Mummy who is suddenly dreaming of organising play-dates and attending Pilates lessons. I seriously need to enjoy life before having baby #2! Time to practise my rusty driving skills again.

—

Need Your Help: Mums-who-drive, how should I overcome fears of driving alone with a potentially-fussy toddler?

—

View more developmental milestones (from 8 months old onwards).

© 2009-2012 Veezian Pte. Ltd. | All rights reserved - This feed is provided for the convenience of Mummy's Reviews™ subscribers. If you like this post, you may share its link: Vee Turns 18 Months Old. Any reproduction of the content within this feed is strictly prohibited.

Related posts:

1. Vee Turns 21 Months Old
2. Vee Turns 16 Months Old
3. Vee Turns 17 Months Old

Laundry Basket + Marker Pens = ?

What would you do when you see a laundry basket and a set of marker pens? Vee thought of doing this:

…

…

…

…

…

Haha… I was amazed by his little art piece. Here is his progress over the month:

Learning & Communication

• He is very intrigued with recognising and saying aloud “o” (alphabet) and “0″ (for zero) everywhere he goes. He is no longer interested in plain alphabet flashcards, which is a sign that he knows the alphabets. Phonics still keep him interested.
• A few months ago, I started teaching him to say / sign “Please”, “Thank you” and “Sorry”. It is now paying off: he would say “谢谢” (xie4 xie4, for thank you) when someone serves him food.
• Often, he would run enthusiastically to the world map, point to the teeny-weeny Singapore flag and say “pore-pore”! Sometimes, he would also point out Malaysia’s flag. (Hee… got to be fair here.)
• We finally set up a mini library for him, which he can access easily. It is now his favourite spot and he would indulge in books anytime of the day. From my observation of him when we practice speed-reading, I have a strong feeling he would start reading by himself soon. This is soooo exciting.

Physical

• The fit and burly boy charges around everywhere. When he spots me move towards him with a cloth wipe or diaper, he would run away cheekily.

Diet & Feeding

• He loves bread so much that I need to make it the last item of his breakfast. At restaurants, we need to cover it until he finishes his meal. Otherwise, he would say “包包” (bao1 bao1, for bread) NON-STOP and refuse to eat anything else.
• For lunch and dinner, he has progressed to eating rice or pasta, like me. Saves time on cooking porridge.
• Night-weaning is still Mission Impossible, leading to menstrual cycle being Missing-In-Action. Bleh!

Potty Training

• Poo-trained except for a few mini “accidents” at home.
• And he started telling me before he pees!!! He would say “poo poo”, “wee wee” or “wet wet” when he wants to pee or just pee-ed. A marked progress. The only thing is I need to bring him to the potty many times a day. (7 diaper changes in 9 hours yesterday. Thankfully, we are using cloth diapers, so no additional cost involved.)
• Our potty-training is so “successful” that sometimes he would say “poo poo” just to get attention!

Sleep

• This section is still graded F9. Several nights, he fussed, cried, and insisted to be nursed to sleep. Hubby observed that this happens when he is in the room. When he is not around, Vee could fall asleep rather easily on his pillow within 15-30 minutes.
• During nap, he could fall asleep on his pillow within 15 minutes. But recemtly, he would cry after being asleep for 10-15 minutes and need to be nursed and carried. OMG… Regression again!

© 2009-2012 Veezian Pte. Ltd. | All rights reserved - This feed is provided for the convenience of Mummy's Reviews™ subscribers. If you like this post, you may share its link: Vee Turns 17 Months Old. Any reproduction of the content within this feed is strictly prohibited.

Related posts:

1. Vee Turns 14 Months Old
2. Vee Turns 16 Months Old
3. Vee Turns 19 Months Old

Vee loves puzzles!

For the first time, it took me a little longer to remember Vee’s age by months. He is now somewhere between a big baby and a toddler with an independent mind.

Learning & Communication

• Our first term at Shichida is coming to an end and we would be continuing as long as both of us enjoy it. It is amusing that he attempts to read aloud in his own baby language when he sees numbers and words on his cup.
• He can recognise so many animals, their hand signs and sounds, and other objects that it is impossible to keep track.
• When he hears us mention “Singapore” or “Malaysia” in the room, he would point to or bring us to the world map poster. I am planning to buy him a globe for learning geography.
• He is super-sociable and greets EVERYONE in the family all day long, calling out their respective titles in Mandarin. His pronunciation is getting much clearer, for instance “baby” and 妹妹 (mei4 mei4, for younger sister/girl).

Physical

• He attempts to climb onto and stand on chairs and mattresses, pulls open drawers, walks backwards, turns in circles (trying to wear his shoe), tip-toes and grabs whatever he can reach on our tables, etc. Every non-child-safe item has to be moved upwards or inwards. And not a day passes when he does not bang himself somewhere. I am on my toes all day long!

Diet & Feeding

• He still enjoys eating and gobbles down whatever is offered with two exceptions: hard boiled egg yolk (must be hidden in other foods) and tomato (totally rejected). I love egg yolks and tomatoes, so he must have inherited this from his Daddy.
• He is completely weaned off breastmilk in the day, except when he fusses during naps to be nursed back to sleep. After he is asleep at night, he still keeps waking up to nurse, perhaps due to teething. (I am so looking forward to my next menstrual cycle so that I can try cloth pads and mentrual cups!)

Potty Training

• He is successfully potty-trained for poo, with no poopy diapers for the entire month! When we travel, he uses a portable potty seat placed on the adult toilet. There is no progress on telling me before he pees though.

Sleep

• For the entire month, he has been falling asleep with his head on his pillow on his mattress. However, sometimes it takes as long as one hour before he falls asleep. He is willing to sleep only when I am very assertive. Every couple of minutes, he would try to sleep ON me. If I cringe, he would never learn to sleep on his pillow.
• Four new teeth have finally erupted a little, which means the past two nights have been more peaceful. Otherwise, he tried to latch on THOUGH the night and pulled on my n*****. Ouch!!!

If you have tried cloth pads and mentrual cups, which is/are your favourite(s)?

—

Some mothers have asked about our typical daily schedule for a 16 months old toddler. You may view our schedule here.

© 2009-2012 Veezian Pte. Ltd. | All rights reserved - This feed is provided for the convenience of Mummy's Reviews™ subscribers. If you like this post, you may share its link: Vee Turns 16 Months Old. Any reproduction of the content within this feed is strictly prohibited.

Related posts:

1. Vee Turns 18 Months Old
2. Vee Turns 14 Months Old
3. Vee Turns 15 Months Old

Vee achieved two major milestones in sleeping (our toughest challenge) and potty-training. Read on:

Learning & Communication

• I bought a ‘truckload’ of materials from Shichida and other books and puzzles for our home practice sessions. He loves jigsaw puzzles (just like me) and has attempted to put each piece into place.
• He surprised me by showing that he recognises alphabets! I was washing my hands and did not want him to follow behind, so asked him to bring the “Q” alphabet foam over. He dug it out and brought it to me. I tried again and he brought the next “Q” over again!
• Instead of knocking down towers of blocks, he suddenly started stacking blocks up and looks very pleased when doing it.
• He is starting to speak in short sentences such as “Ma-ma, poo poo”. My heart melts whenever he says “妈妈” (Ma-ma) in perfect Mandarin pronunciation.

Physical

• He is toddling all over the place recklessly and the biggest danger: not going down steps carefully.

Vee insisted on climbing the stairs yesterday and suddenly fell backwards, hitting the back of his head. Though I was right behind, I could not break his fall in time. It happened too fast. He was shocked, did not cry and stared into space. I carried him, asked him to call me — no reaction. He remained silent for about a minute. I knocked on my mum-in-law’s door for help — he called out “mama” (Granny in Cantonese). Phew! Luckily until now, he has been his normal self. I have been super paranoid since his fall. Pray that all would be fine.

Diet & Feeding

• Four teeth are STILL in the process of erupting. Thankfully, no fussiness due to this.
• His current favourite food is BREAD, to the extent that I need to hide bread during meals so that he eats his other food before getting bread.
• Weaning him off breastmilk is progressing very slowly. I only managed to drop the feeds when he is awake in the morning and after his nap. After he is asleep, he still keeps waking up to nurse. One month away from my target…
• Besides drinking fresh organic full cream milk, he also loves the fresh yoghurt that I make.

Potty Training

• He finally tells me when he wants to poo! I was elated when he said it the first time. Next target: telling me before pee-ing (very tough because he pees about every hour)

Sleep

• For most nights during the past week, he has been falling asleep with his head on his pillow on his mattress (not on me). This is possible with lots of massaging and singing to him. I totally feel like a human jukebox.
• The longest is sleeping for 3 hours before cuddling up to me again. Still a distance away from sleeping through 5 hours.

Please help: How do you wean your toddlers off the breasts?

© 2009-2012 Veezian Pte. Ltd. | All rights reserved - This feed is provided for the convenience of Mummy's Reviews™ subscribers. If you like this post, you may share its link: Vee Turns 15 Months Old. Any reproduction of the content within this feed is strictly prohibited.

Related posts:

1. Vee Turns 16 Months Old
2. Vee Turns 18 Months Old
3. Vee Turns 19 Months Old

It has been an eventful month, when Vee (and I) started Shichida classes and home practices, started walking very fast and experienced a record high fever. Oh… and I was ill for an entire week.

Learning & Communication

• I felt sooooo “proud” on our first Shichida lesson. My boy’s first day at “school”… oh gosh!!! Anyway, he enjoys the lessons because there are four classmates of about the same age and lots of singing, which he adores. I am amazed by his (and his classmates’) performance — for both classes, he got 5/6 correct!
• For a month, we have been doing home learning for an hour each morning (between breakfast and lunch). He recognises some colours and shapes. For instance, any rectangular toy becomes a remote control in his hand, so I deduce he knows the shape. (I observe instead of ‘test’ him as I learnt that children do not like to be tested.)
• He is starting to say two-word phrases such as “deh-dao” for 跌倒 (fall down) and is trying to sing when he hears familiar nursery rhymes. It is such a joy watching him dance to music with his hands.

Physical

• He is FINALLY walking quickly and rather steadily. This also means he goes all over the house opening drawers, cabinets and pulling things down. It is hectic clearing the mess after him and I started installing child-proof locks at every vulnerable corner. Refrigerator latch, wardrobe latch, bathroom latch, socket covers — you name it, I have it!!!

Diet & Feeding

• Four teeth are in the process of erupting and that affects his appetite. Anyway, he loves juicy fruits (pears, apples, grapes, plums, peaches) and would eat more when fruits are offered.
• After consulting with our home-visit nurse, I have finally decided to wean him off breastmilk in two months. Reason: Six months for my body to ‘recuperate’ before trying for baby #2. It is going to be a HUGE challenge for the night and early morning feeds. Wish us luck!
• He has tried fresh organic full cream milk and enjoys it right out of the fridge, so he would be drinking that in replacement of breastmilk. To ensure that he gets sufficient nutrition, I would be supplementing his diet with a multivitamin, as advised by his nurse. (Apparently, there is only ONE brand of liquid multivitamin for children in KL; Singapore, here I come for vitamin-shopping time!)

Potty Training

• He still uses the potty at every diaper change; I am still waiting for him to give me signals beforehand that he needs to let go. Patience is key here.
• He has gotten his first pair of Imse Vimse organic cloth training pants, as I could not resist getting them when helping his cousin to buy a few. Can’t wait to try them on him and find out what’s all the rage about Imse Vimse!

Sleep

• We shifted room (AGAIN!), this time from the playroom back to our master bedroom. (The playroom is now a dedicated play and learn area.) Since the change, Vee refused to let Daddy carry and bounce him to sleep. For a week, he decided to roll over me for up to 30 (read: THIRTY) minutes before plonking his entire 11kg body on me to sleep. *Gasp… I need air!*
• We bought a Twin mattress for Vee and placed it beside our King mattress. Hopefully, he would soon feel attached to his sleeping corner.
• For more than a week, I have been using the Five-Minute Suggestion Method learnt from Shichida’s Parent Education Course. He made improvements and is able to fall asleep without rolling around. Milk feed, story, songs, massage, lights out, lie down on mattress tummy down, turn his head side to side for a few minutes, zzzZZZ… *Impressed!* (He still fusses a few times at night. Again, we need patience…)

Please help: Is your toddler taking any multivitamin? Which would you recommend?

© 2009-2012 Veezian Pte. Ltd. | All rights reserved - This feed is provided for the convenience of Mummy's Reviews™ subscribers. If you like this post, you may share its link: Vee Turns 14 Months Old. Any reproduction of the content within this feed is strictly prohibited.

Related posts:

1. Vee Turns 15 Months Old
2. Vee Turns 16 Months Old
3. Vee Turns 17 Months Old