The Infant Study was actually last Friday... but of course, we had a very busy weekend so here's everything in one post.
Abby hasn't done one of the Linguistic Studies before (obviously if they are studying language and hers is just developing - she did do some Speech and Hearing tests early on). I filled out a survey before we came about all the words she could SAY. Which meant I had to distinguish what she was actually say from what she could sign. This was harder than I realized because I have become tuned into her language.
The first part of the study she watched a video (as usual, I was asked to close my eyes), but I could hear the narrator identify two similar animals (a mouse with a yellow hat and a mouse with a red scarf) and then another character was introduced and an interaction took place ("see the mouse with the yellow hat hug the dog"). She was video taped so they could track where she was looking the whole time.
The second part was more annoying. I had to wear head phones (given the option of listening to Aretha Franklin, The Beach Boys, or The Beatles - I chose The Beatles). A light would start flashing on one side of the room, when Abby turned towards it a recording of nonsense syllables would begin and play until she looked away. Then the light would flash on the opposite side of the room and again say nonsense syllables when she looked at it. Abby did not enjoy this very much - and since I was simultaneously listening to The Beatles and nonsense syllables, I didn't either.
On Saturday, we went to hear the Dangertones which is the band of a friend of a friend. They played at a marina on Maryland's Eastern shore near Chestertown. Despite traffic, the drive was pretty nice - it reminds me that not everyone lives in the suburb of a large city.
On Sunday, we visited our last church, Manassas Presbyterian and got to have lunch with some good friends. Abby does not nap when there are people to interact with, so it was a very long morning for her. Because a lot of the youth that Rob had worked with at MPC were on their summer trip, we will probably make another visit in the Fall.
Yesterday, Abby slept - a lot. And I did laundry - a lot.
Make sure to check out all the awesome pictures of our weekend.
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Our Trip to St Louis, V1
Friends, I have been negligent in my blogging again, but have all intentions of making it up over the next few days! I refuse to do a step-by-step of our trip to see the family in St Louis, but I will touch on highlights. I think I will break it into categories:
1 - OUR Kiddo
2 - The Kiddos Together
3 - Parents
Today is dedicated to OUR Kiddo!
We decided to fly out late on Thursday and return mid-day Monday, mostly for Abby's sake. We ended up doing a LOT of walking around the airport, and stopped for some dinner. It was actually an ideal place for her to practice walking great distances while safely in the sight of her parents.
Once we got on the plane we grabbed two as close to the front as we could that were together. Ended up sitting next to a very nice woman who slept for most of the trip. It's always awkward to be the person bringing a baby/child onto a plane. I am always looking over my shoulder, wanting to apologize in advance. Turns out that on the flight out, we didn't have to apologize for much! Abby was a little fussy because she was being cramped, but went to sleep before we were out of Maryland airspace and slept until after we landed.
Once we landed, though, things changed. I can imagine that it's a little intimidating, though, to fall asleep in a cramped plane and wake up to a big cousin poking your leg! Abby was a trooper, and then she really woke up. And stayed up. For many hours. New Rule: Do not let Abby nap at 5:30, even if it's on a plane.
Over the weekend she was great with her cousins, but that's for the next post. :o) (Yes, just to build anticipation...)
On Monday we flew back, this time planning on landing before dinner, so that we could try to get Abby back into her "normal" of the Eastern time zone. She fell asleep between lunch and the airport. We let her sleep as long as she wanted to, which was pretty amazing. We checked in, still asleep. We got through security, including a very thorough check of both Anny and Abby because the buckles on her overalls set off the metal detector. Still asleep. She finally woke up when we found a place to sit down.
She was great in the airport again. I think that she has some extroversion in her system. Abby knows how to work a room already, and she sure did work the airport! I think she went out of her way to make eye contact with everyone at Gate 4. It's really neat to see people gabbing on their cell phones, irate about something at the office just stop and smile. The scary thing is that it looks like she understands that, so she will work to make that happen. Very cute.
On the plane we managed to get the inside seats on the front row, sitting next to a woman who had just met her 7 month old grandson for the first time. It was a great situation for us. Whenever Abby was on the floor our "friend" would put her leg out so that Abby could not get to the aisle. Brilliant. Abby also began the flight on a good note with the flight attendant by clapping for him whenever he was on the loudspeaker. It was even cuter when they welcomed "ladies, gentlemen, and Abby to flight...." She heard her name again, so she got excited again.
We tried to occupy her, and had success at it. It helped us that we didn't play all of our cards at once. We started with her book. Moved on to playing with a water bottle. Then snacks came. Then she pooped, so it was a lot of fun to distract until we got through the (very light) turbulence. After a clean diaper I showed her the clouds out the window, and when that got old I showed her that the windows could be closed. We had two windows, so it was twice the fun!
Abby fell asleep during the descent, but we knew better than to let her sleep this time! As soon as we got to the carpet inside BWI I began to gently wake her up. By the time we got to the baggage carousel she was awake and chipper again, walking all over the place with Mama. When my brother and his wife got there, Abby was in even more heaven. (They were life and money savers by picking us up from the airport, so we bought them dinner.)
GREAT trip from Abby's perspective. I'm looking forward to our next trip out, which will be at Christmas time.
Next post will be about all three of the girls. If you're itching for pictures, check them out HERE!
1 - OUR Kiddo
2 - The Kiddos Together
3 - Parents
Today is dedicated to OUR Kiddo!
We decided to fly out late on Thursday and return mid-day Monday, mostly for Abby's sake. We ended up doing a LOT of walking around the airport, and stopped for some dinner. It was actually an ideal place for her to practice walking great distances while safely in the sight of her parents.
Once we got on the plane we grabbed two as close to the front as we could that were together. Ended up sitting next to a very nice woman who slept for most of the trip. It's always awkward to be the person bringing a baby/child onto a plane. I am always looking over my shoulder, wanting to apologize in advance. Turns out that on the flight out, we didn't have to apologize for much! Abby was a little fussy because she was being cramped, but went to sleep before we were out of Maryland airspace and slept until after we landed.
Once we landed, though, things changed. I can imagine that it's a little intimidating, though, to fall asleep in a cramped plane and wake up to a big cousin poking your leg! Abby was a trooper, and then she really woke up. And stayed up. For many hours. New Rule: Do not let Abby nap at 5:30, even if it's on a plane.
Over the weekend she was great with her cousins, but that's for the next post. :o) (Yes, just to build anticipation...)
On Monday we flew back, this time planning on landing before dinner, so that we could try to get Abby back into her "normal" of the Eastern time zone. She fell asleep between lunch and the airport. We let her sleep as long as she wanted to, which was pretty amazing. We checked in, still asleep. We got through security, including a very thorough check of both Anny and Abby because the buckles on her overalls set off the metal detector. Still asleep. She finally woke up when we found a place to sit down.
She was great in the airport again. I think that she has some extroversion in her system. Abby knows how to work a room already, and she sure did work the airport! I think she went out of her way to make eye contact with everyone at Gate 4. It's really neat to see people gabbing on their cell phones, irate about something at the office just stop and smile. The scary thing is that it looks like she understands that, so she will work to make that happen. Very cute.
On the plane we managed to get the inside seats on the front row, sitting next to a woman who had just met her 7 month old grandson for the first time. It was a great situation for us. Whenever Abby was on the floor our "friend" would put her leg out so that Abby could not get to the aisle. Brilliant. Abby also began the flight on a good note with the flight attendant by clapping for him whenever he was on the loudspeaker. It was even cuter when they welcomed "ladies, gentlemen, and Abby to flight...." She heard her name again, so she got excited again.
We tried to occupy her, and had success at it. It helped us that we didn't play all of our cards at once. We started with her book. Moved on to playing with a water bottle. Then snacks came. Then she pooped, so it was a lot of fun to distract until we got through the (very light) turbulence. After a clean diaper I showed her the clouds out the window, and when that got old I showed her that the windows could be closed. We had two windows, so it was twice the fun!
Abby fell asleep during the descent, but we knew better than to let her sleep this time! As soon as we got to the carpet inside BWI I began to gently wake her up. By the time we got to the baggage carousel she was awake and chipper again, walking all over the place with Mama. When my brother and his wife got there, Abby was in even more heaven. (They were life and money savers by picking us up from the airport, so we bought them dinner.)
GREAT trip from Abby's perspective. I'm looking forward to our next trip out, which will be at Christmas time.
Next post will be about all three of the girls. If you're itching for pictures, check them out HERE!
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Some Attention on Dad Labs!
Umm.... My daughter is going to be very unhappy with me one day. At least it is MY name mentioned, and not hers...
(Warning - very Poopy conversation. Both gross and funny. Do not watch while dining!)
Watch more hillarious parenting over at DadLabs.com!
(Warning - very Poopy conversation. Both gross and funny. Do not watch while dining!)
Watch more hillarious parenting over at DadLabs.com!
Monday, July 14, 2008
Nana & Grampa's Visit
Abby's Nana and Grampa have just spent a few days with us. Since they live in Casper, Wyoming (insert joke here about more cattle than people in the state of Wyoming), this is the first time they have made the 2000 mile drive although they have made several visits by plane. The excuse for the trip was that Grampa had built a toy "box" which is too big to ship or carry on a plane! And they took the time to tour a few of the Great Lakes along the way.
In the time they were here, Abby went from taking a few occasional steps by herself to walking all over the house alone. She still takes advantage of an adult's finger for an extended walk-about-the-house, but we officially have a toddler.
In the time they were here, Abby went from taking a few occasional steps by herself to walking all over the house alone. She still takes advantage of an adult's finger for an extended walk-about-the-house, but we officially have a toddler.
We visited the Baltimore Aquarium, saw the Capitals Hockey team practice, and had lunch with Great Aunt Jackie and Great Uncle Bill. Most importantly Abby played with Nana and Grampa - a lot - I only wish we had taken pictures so I could put them here.
On Thursday we fly to St. Louis where we will meet up with Nana and Grampa at Uncle Paul and Aunt Sarahlynn's house - it made their departure this morning a little easier. We can't wait to swing in Cousin Ellie and Cousin Ada's swings and visit the Magic House. Maybe we'll take pictures so I can post them...
Wednesday, July 09, 2008
Balls in the Bucket and Clear Plastic Boxes
Monday was our latest UMD Infant Study. There was a little bit of a mix up about which tests Abby had completed, but they figured it out and we got down to work.
The first study used an infrared eye tracker while Abby watched a short video. The video was shown nine times - each time a candy-machine-claw picked up a grey ball and dropped it in a bucket, then a red ball and dropped it in the bucket, and then a blue ball and dropped it in the bucket - NINE times. Afterwards, the researcher showed me what the computer tracked her eyes doing - as she watched the video, she started anticipating where the claw was going next!
The second study was more simple - a researcher placed a small colored plastic block (alternating square, round, triangle) in a CLEAR plastic box. She opened the box, took the block out, and then set the box on one side of the board and the block on the opposite. She pushed the board towards Abby and then we waited for Abby to grab either the block or the box. The first couple times, Abby just waited patiently for the researcher to do something else. When the researcher removed the box and block without further demonstration, Abby finally began grabbing the block because obviously, there was nothing fun to play with left in the CLEAR plastic box.
I often wonder how other infants do in the same study - but I may have to wait several years before any of these results get published. To me, Abby is amazingly intelligent!
The first study used an infrared eye tracker while Abby watched a short video. The video was shown nine times - each time a candy-machine-claw picked up a grey ball and dropped it in a bucket, then a red ball and dropped it in the bucket, and then a blue ball and dropped it in the bucket - NINE times. Afterwards, the researcher showed me what the computer tracked her eyes doing - as she watched the video, she started anticipating where the claw was going next!
The second study was more simple - a researcher placed a small colored plastic block (alternating square, round, triangle) in a CLEAR plastic box. She opened the box, took the block out, and then set the box on one side of the board and the block on the opposite. She pushed the board towards Abby and then we waited for Abby to grab either the block or the box. The first couple times, Abby just waited patiently for the researcher to do something else. When the researcher removed the box and block without further demonstration, Abby finally began grabbing the block because obviously, there was nothing fun to play with left in the CLEAR plastic box.
I often wonder how other infants do in the same study - but I may have to wait several years before any of these results get published. To me, Abby is amazingly intelligent!
Fun With Friends
Since Steph did such a great job describing our fun at Fort McHenry, here's her blog about it:
Monday, July 07, 2008
Abby's Project 365
Anny asked me yesterday, very honestly:
"Do you just sit around and think this stuff up all day?"
She knows better! I was with her all day! There was very little "just sitting around" on Saturday when we helped to host a surprise birthday party for our friend Charlene. We did the farmers market, breakfast, and some cleaning house before leaving at 10:30 ish to get to their house. The only time for thinking was in the car, when we were talking.
(insert joke about Rob choosing between thinking and talking, and rarely doing both at the same time.)
So, what was she so baffled about? A picture concept in my head*.
As I've taken up the Project 365 Challenge over on our Flickr account (HERE). Project 365 is where you take a picture a day for a year. In our case, we're taking our 365 days of pictures of Abby. We have missed a couple of days already, but have made up for it in other days. Our project is the 365 days between Abby's First Birthday and her Second.
The real reason that I began the project is that I want to take better pictures of Abby, not just more pictures. (If I kept all of the pictures that I have taken in the last 13 months, there would be no room for any more on the three computers in our house) I was tired of taking the same picture over and over. Right now, Abby is still gaining toys like it's going out of style, but she's also gaining personality and style.
I've got a ton of ideas from other people, and scenes that are in my head for pictures of Abby. She's always game for a camera and I'm always game to take pictures. We're perfect for each other.
Feel free to pop by Abby's Project 365 anytime. I'll link to it on the sidebar starting today.
*The particular picture-idea I had just come up with was using all of her foam bath-time letters for a picture of "alphabet soup." I'll do it one evening when I think about it. My proble is that I think of them at odd times when I can't follow through....
"Do you just sit around and think this stuff up all day?"
She knows better! I was with her all day! There was very little "just sitting around" on Saturday when we helped to host a surprise birthday party for our friend Charlene. We did the farmers market, breakfast, and some cleaning house before leaving at 10:30 ish to get to their house. The only time for thinking was in the car, when we were talking.
(insert joke about Rob choosing between thinking and talking, and rarely doing both at the same time.)
So, what was she so baffled about? A picture concept in my head*.
As I've taken up the Project 365 Challenge over on our Flickr account (HERE). Project 365 is where you take a picture a day for a year. In our case, we're taking our 365 days of pictures of Abby. We have missed a couple of days already, but have made up for it in other days. Our project is the 365 days between Abby's First Birthday and her Second.
The real reason that I began the project is that I want to take better pictures of Abby, not just more pictures. (If I kept all of the pictures that I have taken in the last 13 months, there would be no room for any more on the three computers in our house) I was tired of taking the same picture over and over. Right now, Abby is still gaining toys like it's going out of style, but she's also gaining personality and style.
I've got a ton of ideas from other people, and scenes that are in my head for pictures of Abby. She's always game for a camera and I'm always game to take pictures. We're perfect for each other.
Feel free to pop by Abby's Project 365 anytime. I'll link to it on the sidebar starting today.
*The particular picture-idea I had just come up with was using all of her foam bath-time letters for a picture of "alphabet soup." I'll do it one evening when I think about it. My proble is that I think of them at odd times when I can't follow through....
Tuesday, July 01, 2008
"Dog"
As we were making our way back to the car (up a very steep hill, I might add) this morning after stroller strides, there was a deer next to the road in the woods. So I stopped and pointed it out to Abby and said "Deer." She replied, "Dog" as another deer came across the road. I realized that Abby has had limited experience with live animals - hopefully, we'll make it to a petting zoo this summer and change that.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
