Parenting Thursday: Oh, Mr. Sage

My name is Sage and trouble is my game.

Over the last couple of weeks it has been quite apparent I'm entering, at full force, my toddler stage.

The other night I made my first daring escape up the staircase.  I popped that baby gate off at an angle, crawled under and I was off.  Well that was until daddy heard me and caught me halfway up the stairs.

My new favorite perch is the couch, I must have just grown a couple inches or figured out how to get up just right on my tippy toes.  I can now climb up there all by myself, then I am quite content to just sit for a little while until no one is looking and I take a high flying dive right off onto the floor.

I'm a little rough and affectionately known as baby thor.  Earlier in the week I took a not so loving whack at my big brother's face.  I clobbered him upside the nose with a play kitchen toy; there was blood and a not so happy mommy.

While I 'm pretty new at being able to get up on the couch I'm an old pro at the stool, chair and both end tables.  I like to stand right up on them and let out a big scream.

I love to go outside.  In fact to let everyone know I'll even go get my shoes and yell at you to put them on.  Once outside mommy's not to keen on my fascination with trying to go into the road; to me it just looks like the right place to walk.

My favorite toys are anything I can drum, bang or pound together or onto something else.  Kitchen spoons, spatulas, wooden blocks, toy cars and mommy's phone.  They make the best sounds on the windows!

I got 'em good the other night when I didn't want to wear my sandals in the car.  I took them right off and tossed one out the open window; that took care of that.

I'm usually quite content when I'm well feed, entertained, the center of attention and attached to mommy's side.  Ahh... the musings of a 13 month old.  We love him, wouldn't have it any other way.

EXPLORE ART project with BABY

While I think it is important to incorporate art into childrens' lives, I will admit it is more difficult to find appropriate material/ projects for babies.  Babies younger than 12 months or even 18 months will not be able to grasp the concept of how to use materials, especially without putting things in their mouths.


Now don't get me wrong, this does not rule out including art in their lives altogether.  When they are still too young to use art materials you can still be building their visual dictionary by showing and talking to them about art.  


But back to the dilemma of art projects with babies.  Sage just turned 1 year old and we, my art partner in crime Mr. Cyrus, have decided to start including him in on some of our art projects.  Sage is usually entertained by snacks in his high chair while Cy works.


Our materials are still a bit limited because not only does everything go in Sage's mouth he even eats it.  We've caught him a few times with crayon pieces all over his mouth and in his teeth.  Yum.  He also likes to get a hold of (clean) paint brushes and put them in his mouth. 


So we went for finger painting, which did end up to be more like full body painting.  A few tips: make sure to use non-toxic paints, get baby in play clothes or just a diaper, pick a room where the floor will clean up easily and block all exits.

Materials:

• Crayola washable, non-toxic paint
• Large paper or paper roll
• Tape
• Optional found objects- we used cars and hair picks to drag through the paint

I taped a big piece of paper to the kitchen floor, and laid out the paints for Sage to investigate.  Cy then helped me pour different colors of paint directly onto the paper.  We worked fast to keep Sage's interest.  

Cy got right in there, showing Sage how the paint can be spread all over the paper using their hands.  

At first Sage did put his hands in the paint and then directly into his mouth.  It took a few tries then he got the idea it was to paint on the paper with and not to taste.

Sage liked exploring the feel of the paint, smushing it in his hands and at times rubbing it on his body. He really got into the idea of running the cars and hair picks through the paint.  I tried to think of "tools" he could use that wouldn't go right into his mouth.

They both had a blast, rubbing, smushing, smearing, rolling and walking through the paint.  Sage's attention span lasted about 10 minutes for the project, which is expected.  As he gets to play and experiment with more art materials his attention span, interest and understanding of materials will grow.
Luckily Sean came home just in time to help grab one kid while I got the other and we carried them right up to the bathtub.

So we are still working on the concept art materials are to paint/ draw with and not to eat, but we'll get there.  In a couple months there will be so many more materials/ projects we'll be able to all do together.  Stop by Friday for a few of my favorite baby/toddler art materials and project ideas.

And keep on EXPLORING ART- Baby!

Sage's Buggin' out Party

 Sunday we celebrated Sage's 1st birthday with a buggin' out party.  The whole theme for his party was based around this cake.  A saw the idea months back of how to make a caterpillar cake using a bundt cake pan.  

It ended up turning out really cute.  I added an orange for the head, google eyes, pipe cleaner and a swedish fish for the tongue.  Cy helped decorate all the worms 'n dirt cupcakes the night before. 

 We named him Carl the caterpillar and well he was quite yummy.

We also had melon ball bug eggs, ants on a log, veggie bug legs, butterfly crackers, garden bruschetta, spinach swap dip 'n chips and snail roll ups (that weren't out in the photo).

Sage loved that he got to run around with a bunch of screaming kids, eat frosting and tear off all the "grass" streamers.  Afternoon well spent.  Glad we know how to keep the 1 year old happy-- Happy 1st Birthday my little love!

A year later: Sage's Birth Story

One year ago today we welcomed Sage Jackson Jones into the world.  We’ve retold his story over and over again and it still makes us smile.  Although at the time Sean wouldn’t have agreed. 

A week late, it seemed like he might never arrive.  After many false alarms I had given up and shrugged off those sharp pains because hey this kid just wasn’t coming out.  Sean had taken off work the week after Sage’s predicted due date, which we did enjoy just without the baby.  

So it was Sunday, the day before he had to go back to work and also the day of my niece’s 2nd birthday party.  After lunch we had to get ourselves together and get the birthday girl’s present wrapped.  I have to say at this point I knew in the back of my head that those sharp pains weren’t fading away like they had been.

We made it to the birthday party, about a dozen kids under 5 and Cy was having a blast.  Food, cake, games playing and presents.  My sister and mother in law kept asking me are you sure you’re okay you’re awful quiet.  I’m fine is all I’d reply.  By this time those sharp pains we quite regular, but I wasn’t going to get everyone together and make Cy leave the party for us to go sit in a hospital room for hours.  I had been induced with Cy and was in the labor room for over a day before he finally arrived. 

Finally we were headed home and I divulged to Sean that I was in labor, I left out the part that I had known since about noon.  I told him let’s get home get Cy settled and I’ll call my sister to stay with him over night.  I then sent Sean to his friend’s father's memorial service that he had planned on stopping in at.  My sister got over to the house after I got Cy to bed, we sat and talked for awhile.  When Sean got back to the house he was insistent that we needed to leave now.  But keep in mind I’m just as stubborn as my boys are, both a week late, and I made Sean wait.

We finally did make it down to the hospital, it was after hours and we needed to walk up to the maternity unit from the ER entrance.  About 10 feet down the hallway to the maternity unit I realized hmm.. I should have listened to Sean and gotten here an hour ago.  

We got checked in, gown on, both Grandmas arrived and they checked me.  9 cm.  I thought Sean was going to fall over, he said I told you we should have left sooner!  About the time the doctor made it to the hospital I was ready to push.  15 minutes later Sage came barreling into this world.  11:57 p.m. just in time to share his cousin's birthday date. 

There he was that perfect little rosy body with that unforgettable new baby wail.  He stole my heart and took my breath away all in one moment, one second of meeting him.

They took him down to the nursery to get all his information and Sean snuck down to peak in on him.  The nurse invited him in to give Sage his first bottle and offered a word of advice: if you and your wife have any more children next time get here sooner.  

Sage’s birth story is very fitting of him.  Half the time he’s just along for the ride, but he keeps up and when he wants your attention hey he’ll get it!

 

Happy 1st birthday to my little baby who is growing up so fast!

Thank you for letting me be your mother. 

Everyday is a gift.