Recent Random Observations

[Note: I’m going to move the Thursday entries from morning to late evening. That’s just how my work schedule has been going lately. I’ll be keeping up with posting entries on Thursdays, but most of you will likely not see them until Friday morning.]

We’re learning stuff just about each and every day. A couple of things that I’ve been noting and thinking about lately:

We could have saved a bit of money on toys had we realized that all we really needed was a couple of mostly-empty plastic water bottles. Really. Jack is fascinated by them. He’ll climb over stuff to get at them. If he’s fussy, they make serviceable distractions. When I set up a pile of toys and distractions beside me for when we’re hanging out, I make sure to include a water bottle.

Now, I’m not an idiot. The caps are securely on. Should he still be this interested in water bottles after he’s learned how to unscrew them, I’ll set up some special bottles with the caps glued in place.

That said, I don’t mean to suggest he doesn’t play with or enjoy his other toys. I exaggerate a little. He enjoys his toys–from the simple stuffed animals to the things that rattle or go beep-boop-beep. I think I was just surprised by how a simple, crinkling, plastic water bottle could also keep his attention.

Pacifiers. I’ve written about how they’re a veritable godsend when it comes to calming a child. Still, in the back of my mind I have also been a little concerned about a dependency on them. I sometimes see kids who look like they’re four or five still sucking on these things and, fair or not, I find it a little creepy.

I’ve noticed that Jack’s relationship with the pacifier has eased up a little. It’s no longer the guaranteed go-to to stop fussiness. Oh, it still works from time to time, but not always. He’s not an overly fussy kid to begin with, so he’ll go a good half a day without needing a pacifier. He doesn’t even need it for going to sleep anymore. Quite often, in fact, he’ll either use the edges as a teething toy, or he’ll just wave it around until he flings it behind something inconvenient. I still carry a few pacifiers in my shirt pocket, but they aren’t as needed as they once were, and I no longer have concerns about any over-reliance on Jack’s part for them.

Jack is also learning to entertain himself. Is this normal for seven months? I’m not saying he can do this for hours on end, but I’ve found that I can put him in his exer-saucer for an hour and do a couple of light chores, quick work tasks, or even a little bit of writing on the couch as he plays with various toys, widgets, and so forth. It’s good if I’m in sight. At the same time, he’s also very insistent on entertaining himself while I’m holding him on my lap. Specifically, he crawls all over me while trying to reach for toys, or books to gnaw on, or his own socks to stuff in his mouth. (And the aforementioned plastic water bottles.)

Normal, right?

I’m going to assume so. He’s such a happy kid.

Hokay… back to work.

Cheers!

–John

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About jdteehan

John is a proud geek and nerd, a publisher, a freelancer, and a new dad. He's into books, gaming, and music. He's a good cook, a passing musician and artist, and terrible fisherman. The biggest thing in his life right now is being a new dad and he has started a blog all about that. Visit Dearjackrabbit.com for more on that. Also visit Merryblacksmith.com for word on publishing projects.
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