Terrible Twos... Right on time for Christmas

 Dear Lord,  

For all my sins, the ones I’ve committed knowingly and unknowingly. Please accept my patience with this kid as my penance.

Actually, please accept it as prepaid penance for the next 35 years. 

Amen. 

...said me, after every tantrum that Xavier threw last week.  

If you’ve read my earlier posts, you’d know that I shared that Xav has a language delay. He’s definitely made awesome progress since I wrote that post but the challenges are still hanging around, especially now that he knows how to throw an amazing tantrum. 

I’ll bet my last dollar that every mum has experienced this in one way or another, and when you’re in the thick of it, you can’t help but think it’s never happened to anyone else before and that your kid is some kind of moody prodigy. In this household, we go from tears to smiles in the matter of minutes... sounds familiar, right?

Preparing for Christmas has been a great time for Xavier when it comes to language stimulation. We’ve been listening to new music, watching Christmas themed shows, and playing with new things like metallic ribbons, gift wrap, and other Christmas ornaments that are all exciting play things for a two year old. Yes, he’s experienced Christmas before, but now that he’s retaining ideas and concepts in a bigger way, things are so much more fun!

I didn’t realise that the introduction of new experiences is one of the best ways to stimulate language development. For example, a child knows the sensation that comes from playing with water. But have you ever tried giving them an ice cube that’s been coloured with a little paint? Throw in a big sheet of paper for making art, and you’ve got yourself a watercolour art work... the perfect summer activity. The familiar sensation of water coupled with the cold temperature of ice is a great sensory learning experience. This is one of the activities Xav loved at day care and I am definitely going to do more with him at home. 

Yesterday I put up a makeshift car ramp out of a large piece of wood particle board. I then let him open a small Hot Wheels toy car I had wrapped up earlier. He was so excited by my $1 purchase it made me second guess the rest of the toys sitting under his little tree! We played with his cars and trains on this ramp for at least 20 minutes. With all the enthusiasm I could muster, I kept repeating simple phrases like “1, 2, 3, Go!” Within a few minutes he was joining in and calling out words I was using. Yes, we’ve done this before, at the park on the slide and with other activities at home. But there’s definitely something to be said for the excitement and added element of fun that came with unwrapping the car and playing with it right away.

Another fun game we’ve been playing involves my mother’s collection of loose buttons. There are hundreds of them in all shapes and sizes, colours and textures. We move them from cup to jar to bowl, and mix them up with a wooden spoon, then put them in cupcake papers. During this activity I use simple one syllable words to describe what I’m doing like mix, pour, tip, and shake. This is one of his favourites, especially the part where he makes it rain buttons, and I get to spend the next 3 hours cleaning them up. 

Then there are days like today, where I’m exhausted and little man just needs to have some fun on his own. Comfy organic cotton play clothes by Mad About Mini, piled pillows, toys all over the place and The Wiggles on repeat... because sometimes a mama just wants to have her coffee while it’s still hot.

He’s definitely not complaining.   

Shop this look here  #xavthefashionblogger

Fav outfit by Mad About Mini...Stylish, super soft, breathable and great for play.