5 on Friday

Sorry I missed last week; between traveling and a Marino illness, I was a little frazzled.
Here are 5 special reasons I am loving my boy this week:

5. Marino did great while I was gone but the day after I returned, he was sick and extra snuggly. Throughout the day, he would say "Come here you" and give me a big bear hug.

4. While standing at the potty the other day, Marino announced "KABOOM! Its a pee pee volcano!"

3. Marino is so excited about Christmas - we talk about it numerous times every day. Last year, my friend Rachel sent us a bunch of beautiful, hardcover Christmas stories, and we have really been enjoying these books. This whole month, we have read nothing but How the Grinch Stole Christmas, Polar Express, 'Twas the Night Before Christmas and the Olivia Christmas book. I was surprised he enjoyed Polar Express so much, since there is a much greater word to picture ratio than the books we usually read, but he loves it. It's really been a joy experiencing this season with him this year.

Even more adorable, last night we were reading 'Twas the Night Before Christmas when we got to the page that is just a picture of reindeer. Marino announced "This reindeer is Flyer. This one is named Doctor Rahman [his pediatrician] and this one is Hugo [the name of Jen's puppy]".

2. The other night we discussed that we were having a little family get together for Christmas this Saturday. "Are people bringing me presents?" Marino asked. "Yes, some of them might bring you presents," I said. "Well, can I give presents to everyone, too?" he asked.

1. My sister-in-law Rianne showed me a You Tube video of a toddler singing "Don't Stop, Don't Give Up" from Yo Gabba Gabba. She said it was her inspiration for getting through finals week. Little did she know, this is the song we sing on the potty every day! So I made her this little video for further inspiration. Does this boy have energy, or what?

5 on Friday

As always, here are 5 special reasons I am loving my boy this week:

5. The boy has finally gotten the hang of riding a bike. It's his favorite thing - he asks to ride it constantly - at night, in the rain, etc.

4. Conversation with Marino at bedtime last week: Marino: "I am a kid. And Daddy is a kid."
Me: "Is Mommy a kid?"
Marino: "No, you are a doll."
Me: "You mean an adult?"
Marino: "No, a doll. You are a Barbie Doll."

3. Potty training is a challenge. The other day, I spent 30 minutes in the bathroom with Marino trying to convince him to use the potty. It didn't work. I finally agreed to go back downstairs, at which point Marino said "Aw, don't give up now!"

2. On Friday, Shi Shi came over for dinner and Marino told her "Daddy picked me up from school in his car. He likes me because I say "Daddy, daddy, daddy".

1. Marino has become very interested in sight reading. When I read to him, he asks me to point to which words I'm saying and then identifies the words on other pages. I'm really excited about this development!

Teaching Toddlers to Read - Part I

Teaching Marino has been on my mind a lot lately. That may seem totally neurotic, considering he is just 25 months old, but my mother taught me how to read at 2 and a half. She also taught me to love to read, which I feel like is an important distinction. I hope to instill this same love of reading in Marino for 2 big reasons:

1. If you love to read, you can always entertain yourself, no matter where you are or what your financial circumstances are.

2. Even when you read for pleasure (including the chick lit I love reading in the summer), you continuously expose your mind to new things: new vocabulary, different perspectives, etc.

My mom introduced me to the book The Read Aloud Handbook. One of the key points in the book is that if reading is a pleasurable, comfortable thing for children to do with their parents, those feelings about reading will continue as the child grows into adulthood. (Another key point in the book is that the number of vocabulary words a child has been exposed to by the time they reach kindergarden is the greatest indicator of educational success throughout their life...quite a case for reading to your kids, huh?) I have great memories of sitting on my mom's lap in a rocking chair with her reading me stories. Even long after I was reading on my own, my father used to read me a chapter from a book each night, like A Cricket in Times Square, using different voices for all the characters. I loved it!

Marino is always on the move, so lately I've been attempting to read to him when he's eating (captive audience) and when he's tired. As much as I would love to have him reading all day, I make sure not to make reading a chore...I want it to be something fun he does with Mommy and Daddy, not something he HAS to do. If nothing else, it's undivided attention and he certainly loves that!

I asked my mother to write a guest blog (which I will post in the morning) about how she taught my brother and I to read as toddlers. Having not grown up with younger siblings or around children younger than me, the concepts behind teaching young children are unknown to me, so I found what my mother wrote really interesting. Hope you enjoy it!