Making Connections

I'm pretty sure I'll be able to post this exact sentence with each passing phase/age: it is so cool to see Caleb figure out new things and make connections! It's like you can see the wheels turning. Turning the hall light on, then off, then on, then off, then on... with that really fun lightswich! Getting the straw out of, then back in, then back out of the cup was a brilliant revelation! (at first... because now I swear he does it just to splatter milk/juice/water everywhere) Last week he closed the gate to his room while I was still in there, with the connection in his head being FREEEEEEDOM!!!!!!!

He has a good grasp of where he should and shouldn't be. We make it a point to not follow him every step of his explorations. If we see him heading down the hall, there's a pretty good chance he'll try to get into the office or our bedroom. The only allure to these rooms? They are the least baby-friendly rooms in the house and he knows he only has about 10 seconds until we come to get him and redirect him to another room. Same goes for the doggy door. Every time he enters the living room, you can watch his face light up if he looks at the sliding glass door and sees the doggy door isn't blocked. We have approximately 4.2 seconds to get and insert the plastic thingy that slides down next to the flap that closes the door... or we're instead chasing him out onto the deck. Yesterday at the park I watched him figure out that when he approached a bird, it would fly away. He was fascinated! He wasn't mad or upset he couldn't get close to the birds... he was surprised he could "make" the birds move. And as a little sidenote, I was watching from probably 50-75 feet away because I was working on NOT being a helicopter mom. He had some freedom, and I had time to just watch and enjoy his little bit of freedom :) Connections, connections everywhere!

For every bit of learning he's doing, we're trying to do the same. We read parenting books, parenting articles, research behavior that we question (for instance, the two latest queries: head banging and the concept of toddlers sharing their "stuff"). We ask his daycare provider if she has experience with X, Y or Z. We talk about our childhoods and watch other parents and either try to model behavior or become aware of what we might want to do differently. I knew parenting would be physically exhausting from holding a squirmy kid when changing diapers, chasing him at the park, and sleepless nights of teething and ear infections. What I didn't know is how mentally tired I would be. Are we doing this/that right? Is he happy? Is he doing age-appropriate things? Are we providing him with enough structure/down time/stimulation/educational opportunities/etc.? Are we preparing him for a Harvard education and the paycheck that comes with that? (whoops!!! how did that last one sneak in there?!?)

I have so many pictures to download from the camera, but I did snag one to send to a friend the other day. Here's a recent shot of our cowboy fireman: