Jun 2012
HAPPY FATHER'S DAY
My son gave me his feet for my first Father's Day. I have to admit I welled up a little. I feel so lucky to have him in our lives. We spent the day hanging out while mom went to a baby shower. We went to Home Depot and bought manly stuff. Then we came home and worked on the boat until it was dinner time. Then we played a little more until at last, he conked out. Not a bad Father's Day at all.
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IF THE APPLE DOESN'T FALL FAR FROM THE TREE, I'M IN TROUBLE
This is a video created by CFP/E-SHOTS for the YoungDirectorsAward 2012 Festival. As I work on a music video with Conor, this hits pretty close to home. As soon as he's able to talk, I imagine he'll be as opinionated as this little twerp.
AFTER TWO WEEKS OF RADIO SILENCE WITH A WORKING LOBSTER BOAT
After 2 weeks of radio silence, I emerge with the beginnings of a refurbished wooden lobster boat. Today, Valerie, Conor and I tested the new boat on the ocean. Okay, I took it out first to make sure everything was working properly. After a few tweaks, we all headed out together. If you can't see Conor, he's the one behind the life vest and under the hat. It was super sunny and if you haven't noticed from other pictures, he's Irish white. So sunburn is not an option.
CONOR LEARNS TO STAND ON HIS OWN. GAME CHANGER.
Conor is apparently right on time, according to developmental stages when kids learn to stand. from six to 9 months, says Wondertime.go.com. According to Parenting.com, "It takes most babies about 1,000 hours of practice from the time they pull themselves upright to the time they can walk alone." So when I do the math, if Conor started practicing right now, 24 hours a day without sleeping, he will be walking in 40 days. But since child labor laws prevent such treatment, it'll still be sometime before Conor can walk. Whew!
To help a child prepare to walk, you can do the following;
1. Let the rascal walk in front of you while you hold his hands
2. Hold only one hand so he learns to feel what balancing is
3. when he can stand on his own, step away and call his name so he'll take a few steps on his own.
4. Arrange sturdy furniture that he can hold on to as he walks so he can do so without your help.
SEPARATION ANXIETY
6 and 7 months is the time when some kids get separation anxiety. This can manifest itself by being shy around strangers or getting upset when you leave the room and they don’t get to come along.
While our son, Conor, has a very happy disposition and loves to meet strangers, he is showing some signs of separation anxiety when we leave the room. If he’s playing with a toy, there’s a good chance he won’t cause a commotion. But if he’s between toys and realizes that he’s on his own, he begins to cry. At night, Conor does not like to be put in his crib and have us walk away. We have tried leaving him in his crib to cry but 15 minutes is about as long as we care to hold out. After that, it just seems cruel to him and irritatingly noisy to us. It’s easier to pick him up after a cry and within 5 minutes he’s asleep in our arms and can then go back to sleep in his crib.
I don’t think I’m necessarily strict with Conor, but at the same time, I do think there has to be some boundaries. But at 7 months, I’m still trying to decide what they are. And wanting to be held by his dad right before bed doesn’t seem too outrageous.