Assignment 4 - 3 years 10 months

1. Our family likes to regularly take Sam to the park for physical activeness.  He likes to play on the swings and ride his bike.   We like to play basketball and baseball at home, even though Sam is a little young to follow the rules of the game.  We feel this is helping him develop a healthy love of physical exercise.   Additionally, we have been working with Sam on hand washing and good hygiene to promote a healthy immune system.

2. Sam's language and cognitive skills are above average which really just helps the whole family.  He is able to express his feelings to us, happy or sad.  Which helps keep the much needed harmony in the house.  Sam is able to listen and follow direction from both of us as well as from his teacher.   He also has the ability to satisfactorily complete the tasks we ask of him.  This helps him stay focused and keeps frustration levels  down.   Basically, Sam knows what is expected of him,  how to do it and knows how to express if he does or does not like it. 

3.  Sam really is doing wonderfully socially.  We have had some new events occur.  I recently had a baby girl.  Sam was very excited about her arrival.  He has been such the big brother.  He loves to hold and rock her and even gives her a bottle of expressed milk.   Sometimes he likes to pretend to be a baby, and I go right a long with it.   I do not recognize this as regression, simply a reminder that he is still my "baby" too!  Sam and the new baby are now sharing a room, he seems to be ok with it so far.  He sleeps right through the middle of the night cries.  

As far as school goes, he has a couple of close friends that he plays with.  He is cooperative and friendly and is able to stay on task which shows he is learning self control.  On occassion Sam can get clingy with the teacher and she just needs to provide a little extra encouragement to join his friends again.   I feel he is using her as his "surrugate attachment item."  I see it as a sign that he needs to have more time exploring on his own or with other close family members.  

My husband and I had been saving up to buy a new home.  We really were not thrilled with the crime rate in our neighborhood and wanted Sam in a better school district.  We have been doing ok financially, but saving has been stressful.  We have been arguing a bit lately.  One night I got so angry I left the house.  Sam got really upset and cried.  For a few weeks after that he was very fearful of me leaving him.   He does have some issues with separation anxiety.  Virtual Me, should be more cognizant of this fact and not do stupid thanks like yell at my husband in front of him and than storm out off.  

All the saving paid off and we just moved we are not sure yet how Sam is handling this change we will have to report back on our next blog.  For now though, we've meet some parents with kids his age and have arranged some play dates.  

Assignment 3, Thirty months

1. When Sam was 2 I was hospitalized for a week with pneumonia. It was really difficult on Sam because he was not allowed to visit. We tried to explain that Mommy would be home soon but we did not want him to get sick. After I came home Sam as appeared unhappy and tense. He was misbehaving and seemed much more clingy to me. I just decided to spend more time with him cuddling and loving and playing. Two weeks later he was back to his bubbly self.

I feel my absence that week helped him with other transitional times. Recently we elected a new leader in our Mommy and Me class. Sam had some difficulties at first with that transition but "Virtual Ken" and I really gave him extra encouragement and attention at home and at class to help him get through. He seems to be back to normal in the group.

Sam also had an incident were he fell on his tricycle and hasn't wanted to get back on. We had decided at the time to monitor him more closely and let him learn by trial and error. Based on his evaluation we apparently took the wrong approach as he was once an above climber is now below average. He has become more cautious. Perhaps if we had guided him through all of his physical activities more he would be less cautious.

2. Sam is now potty trained so we are definitely getting ready for preschool. He gets a long well with other children although it does take him a few minutes of observing the children until he joins them in play. Once playing he giggles and smiles and likes to imitate. Sam is starting to exhibit some reactive aggression towards other children when playing with a favorite toy. He just needs the occasional reminder to share. My friend the developmental specialist feels that we do not have enough routine in the house. She feels if we had better routines Sam would get better at staying on task and have a better grasp of self control.

3. I feel my parenting style is based on love and nurturing where by my guidance as well as my child's own unguided self exploration he is able to grow and develop. Without having realized it I seem to be following a combination of

I feel that Sam has been able to develop quite well through self exploration in his quite times, and his active times when he is exploring throughout the house unguided. Those behaviors lend themselves to Piaget's cognitive-developmental theory, where children actively construct knowledge as they manipulate and explore their world. Additionally, we are exposing him to Vygotsky's Sociocultural Theory by taking him to the museum and the zoo. And by introducing him to new children at the park and playgroups. Sam has been required to potty train before preschool, which was not exactly something he wanted to do on his own and this is more of a social requirement forced upon him then it was pourly developmental.

There is a bit of Freud going on as well. Through interacting with peers he is learning all about the ego and the superego. He is learning that all though he wants to rip that toy out of a playmates hands he must take the socially acceptable high road and share.

Assignment 2 Sam is 19 months

1. Initially at 8 months Sam had some difficulties with object permanence. He could find a toy if I hid it, but had problems locating a second hiding spot. In turn this would make him frustrated. Now at 10 months Sam is more in tune with this game and it has become quite fun for Sam. He has no difficulties with our hide and seek game. I can had it in multiple places and he always finds them. He is now in the throws of Piaget's 1st stage of Sensorotor.

2. Sam just had his 1st birthday and he is doing so well. He loves to use his motor skills by crawling and pulling himself up. He likes to imitate sounds and words. Sam is an active child. Sleep is not something he likes to do, he rarely naps and has difficulties going to sleep. I would consider Sam to be somewhere in the middle when it comes to sociability. He likes school and his friends. He still is having problems getting comfortable in new situations. He is not aggressive. He will not fight with other kids or his teachers. He may fuss a bit but will not engage. He is emotional he gets fussy still and it can be hard to get him back on track. Sam seems to exhibit self control. He is getting all around the house now but does not go pass his limits.

3. I was happy with his developmental assessment from the school. He is doing well with his motor skills, verbal and cognitive development. He is still a bit slow to warm up. We have been advised to get him into more social settings. Which shouldn't be that difficult for us to do.

Assignment 1

1. Sam's digestive system seems to be sensitive. Not sure what's going on but we will be testing for food allergies. He is primarily breastfed. We are slowly introducing new foods.

His sleeping habits seem to be normal as he is adjusting to a routine. Sam is right on track with his motor development. Crawling, sitting up and standing. He is not walking yet.

2. Purely basing Sam's temperament from Thomas and Chess I would say that he is an easy child. He is cautious around new people yet warms up fairly quickly to friendly people and new situations. He is difficult to sooth at times, but that does not make him a difficult child. He is on a fairly set schedule which helps his development . Sam is an active crawler and likes to laugh.

3. Sam is very attached to me. My husband has been getting more involved with the "caring" of Sam. He changes more diapers and is involved in more feedings (although I am breast feeding so not really sure how Virtual Ken is pulling that one off!)

Since I am able to stay home Sam and I are able to spend lots of time with face to face interaction and voice interaction. Sam has learned that his vocalizations illicit a response in me. He knows that if he gets fussy I will pick him up. If he is fussy after eating I will burp him. I have become his "attachment security."

As Sam is getting older he is developing a bit of separation anxiety when I am out of sight or ear shot. It is to be excepted, but again Virtual Ken is helping out in this area as well.