Seeking the Toddler Whisperer

Keith turns 3 in four short weeks.  He is so excited to have a birthday.  Ask him about it.... he wants a Storm Trooper helmet and a cake.  In preparation for big boyhood, we told him he has to stop sucking his finger.  He's obsessed.  Right now he is sitting on my lap explaining to me that he isn't going to preschool until he is five so he doesn't need to stop sucking his finger.

We've tried everything..... bribes, threats, ultimatums, gum, hot sauce, bandaids.......
Here's the bandaid therapy in action:

He is very exclusive to his pointer finger (aka spitty finger) on his right hand.  Until you wrap it up in a bandaid.

"See lady, I'll suck my pinky!" Desperate measures for all.

Gum on the other hand seems to work pretty well. Let's buy him some for his birthday.  When he gets gum, he usually brags, "See Mom, I not suck my finger."

Next step, hypnosis...... unless you have some other ideas.

Bits and pieces of happiness.....

A lifetime of joy.....

Hmmm... Silky Sheets....Who could possibly be napping in the basket of silky sheets.

OH! It's our dear, sweet Keith!

Kevin took the training wheels off of Patrick's bike a couple of weeks ago.  It is moments (days...weeks.....) like this that I am so grateful for my husband.  I mean I am grateful everyday but I am especially grateful when he is spending hours patiently teaching Patrick how to ride his bike.  It is of course a special milestone that only happens once (however protracted that moment might be), but I am happy to observe from the sidelines.  Apparently Patrick is very close to two-wheel success.  That's good because Keith is convinced that not only should he be allowed to ride his bike at all hours of the day, he also should be allowed to learn how to ride a two-wheeler.  I say, YES of course my precious boy.  Tell Daddy!

Pop Quiz (silky style)

The title should get you an A+ on this two question quiz. Open books, open notes, keep your eyes on your own paper.

Question #1
What is this?



A) A chair



B) A block suitable for carrying and throwing


C) A SILKY


Question #2
Please identify the primary function of this Michael Kors Jacket.

A) A jacket


B) The most expensive SILKY in the house

Characters Welcome

Keith, Keith, Keith....
Yesterday when I got home from work he insisted that I get the Wall-E toy down so he could play with it. It wasn't working but he continued to insist that I make it work for him. Finally he gave up on me and took it to his dad. Kevin did the exact same thing I did (turned on the robot and the remote control and pushed buttons) and concluded that Wall-E was "out of juice." Kevin and I continued our conversation and Keith did his thing. A few minutes later Keith returned with his sippy cup of juice. He immediately started giving Wall-E sips of juice from his sippy cup (slurps and ahhs, courtesy of Keith). It took us a minute to catch on but we eventually got it. Keith was disappointed that the juice didn't seem to make Wall-E go.



Keith's FAVORITE Christmas thing. He loves the Hallmark singing and dancing snowmen. This one sings "Rocking Around The Christmas Tree" and the penguins are sitting on a present that boasts a ribbon that happens to be SILKY. Half the time he laughs, sings, and bebops. Half the time he lays next to it rubbing the ribbon and sucking his finger. Yep, that's Keith.

The Silky Loophole

I know this picture of Keith is blurry but look at the face he is making. Crazy eyebrow boy.

Keith is exploiting a silky loophole big enough to sail a yacht through. Although he insists otherwise, the silkies are not allowed out of his crib. Remember? He definitely knows who is an unwitting accomplice, Uncle Jon, Jessica the Babysitter, Katy, Mommy when she feels sorry for the baby with a sore throat....

On the days he doesn't get his way he has found a way around it: SILKY-IZE ANYTHING. He is particularly fond of things with tags, silky tags that is. Lately he'll snatch a bib out of the drawer, snuggle up with a pillow, anything to feed the need. These pictures are all from this morning. Three silkies in less than 45 minutes.
1. Patrick's napping pillow
2. The dog blanket
3. A bib



The one consistent in these pictures is his pointer finger in his mouth. You see, the silky is just an excuse to suck on his finger.

When I picked him up after spin class today he tried to commandeer my sweaty gym towel. If you ask me, he needs to be a little more discriminating.

It is hard to argue against the power of the silky and finger. He is one content and self-soothed little boy. Wait until I tell you about the head massage........

Hello, Maslow.....We're going to need an amendment to the hierarchy

Kevin and I love the differences between our boys. Patrick never attached to any item to soothe him at night (or during the day for that matter). He loved his Clancy Bear and slept with him every night (and puked on him several times). But Patrick's love for Clancy is nothing compared to Keith's love of the SILKIES. This 8x8 square of fabric (regular fabric on one side and silky material on the other) is pure love for Keith Fox.

His first silky is actually a hand-me-down that Patrick never used (Kaidie bought it for Patrick before he was born). His second silky came from Devre and Steve last August. By November '07 he was hooked on the silky. To keep things sane we bought two more. So the inventory includes: two blue silkies from the aunties (these stay in the bed), a yellow Tigger silky for the car, and a white bear silky for Grandma's. He also has two friends that he picked out on Target trips somewhere along the way: a pink baby (with a ribbon around her neck that he has stretched enough to loop his finger and drag her through the house) and a bear with bunny ears (obviously named Bunny-Bear). His friends definately play second fiddle to the silkies but it is the culmination of the silkies, the friends and three perfect blankets that really get him in the mood for sleeping.

The rule generally is that he can't take silkies out of the bed, but his friends can come with him. The whole purpose of this rule is making life easier... First of all if he drags his silky out of bed, when he gets back in bed the silky is missing. Second, he should only have the silky for soothing not for playing. It is usually a screaming fit when the silky gets left in the crib.

So here's the thing: at some point over the last week or so Keith's cognition has started working over time. Climbing up the stairs is not a new thing. But he recently started climbing up the stairs again AND he knows how to climb back down. The difference is now he is climbing up and down those stairs with a purpose. Keith Callahan sneaks up to his room and sticks his arm into his crib to snatch a silky out!

The only thing funnier than my 16 month old smirking at me as he sneaks back down stairs with his silky? The day the silkies, the blankets and the friends all get washed. He throws me the attitude all day when I wash his stuff. Standing at the washing machine wailing, desperately making silkies out of anything laying around (Patrick's underwear, rags, a comforter). **He's trying to open the washing machine to rescue his silky in the picture.

We even took pictures with his silky when he turned one! Not because I wanted to but because he wouldn't give it up. He'll give it up someday I am sure but for now he sleeps all night (13 hours) so God bless the SILKIES.