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Learning “no”

I’m amazed that C is actually grasping the concept of “no.” She’s not yet retaining much of what she’s not supposed to do, but when I notice her playing with the trashcan, for instance, or some files on a low shelf, I say “no, C, don’t play with that.” She looks up at me and does what I ask.

We’ll see how long this lasts, right?

What, me sleep?

It all started on Friday. The Bug had a good nap in the morning, lasting about 45 minutes. Then when I tried to put her down for a nap in the afternoon - she was already asleep - she started screaming when she touched the mattress. I got her back to sleep on my lap and tried again the transfer to the bed, and once again I got screams. C and I ended the day on Friday sans nap.

This morning I tried to look past Friday’s lack of naps. The Bug fell happily asleep in my lap around 10. I did what I always did; I picked her up and put her gently down in her bed.

Screams.

I tried getting her back to sleep, but she was now wide awake. A new tactic was required.

I gave up on sleep for the moment and took C for a nice, thirty minute walk around the neighborhood. When we got back, I gave her a bottle, and she drifted gently off to sleep. She was down for the count. I waited about ten minutes, and tried again to put her in bed.

Screams.

She’s now playing happily at my feet (perhaps she doesn’t need sleep so much right now?). She loves the board books.

Well, at least we’re making progress with “no.”

No means no

The Bug and I are working on the concept of “no” today, as in “no, you can’t play with the trashcan” and “no, you can’t play with the computer cords.” She’s begining to realize that this no has a lot in common with “no, you cannot stand up in the bath tub.”