This week's common topic..."Celebrating Milestones"
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So I'm sitting here thinking about milestones Ty has reached lately. If you're going by the developmental milestone charts, well then I could talk about how Ty can stand on his tippy toes now, or throw a ball overhand. He is working on dressing skills, and on sorting colors into groups. All of those things that can be checked off on a chart to show how Ty is progressing. But really, those aren't the milestones that I focus on lately. It's the little things that Ty does that make us say, "wow, he's like a little boy now!" that stand out in my mind when I think of Ty's milestones. They will never be found on a milestone chart, and will never be taken into consideration when determining his current progress. But they are the little moments in life that matter, and make you smile when you look back on them. Those are the milestones I celebrate these days.
Probably the cutest little milestone is Ty's learning to play fetch with the dog. The thing about him these days is that he watches everything and misses nothing. (He repeated a hand gesture that he saw Daddy make in the car today...he really misses nothing!) So he was watching Eric throw a toy for the dog to chase, and thought it was hilarious how Nick brought back the toy every time. After the game was over, we peeked in the living room and caught Ty taking the toy from Nick and throwing it across the room. The cutest part...when Nick didn't move, Ty waved his arm to say, "come on!" and show him where to go! Now, it's become a regular event in the house. Whenever Nick starts chewing his toy, Ty pops out of nowhere, takes it from him, and throws it to start a game. Sometimes Nick participates, sometimes he doesn't, but each and every time we laugh...it's a milestone that never gets old!
Here's a sneak peek at this milestone: Playing Fetch With Nick
Then there's the game that Ty plays with me. It's called, "1,2,3, Go!" A few mini-skills have had to happen for this game to take place. First, we are working on counting lately, which is where this game originated. Not only are we working on counting, but Ty is working on holding up the correct number of fingers (which is pretty darn cute to watch on its own!). Next, Ty started "running" recently (more like a very fast walk with a little pep in his step). Finally, Ty's new word is "bop!" (stop!), which makes for a dramatic finish to the end of this game. So this is how it's played. Ty stands on one side of the room. Together, we say "1, 2, 3, Go!" and his little legs take off in a trot across the room as he yells "Run! Run! Run! Run!" When he reaches the other side, we say "Stop!" And repeat. It is the perfect game for running off excess amounts of energy! What I love about this game though, is that my son is playing a game with me! As simple as that milestone is, it's one that makes us smile every time!
Watch our game in action: Run, run, run!
So as you see, milestones don't always appear on charts or graphs, or get reported in annual evaluations. Sometimes the best milestones...the ones most worth celebrating...are those that are simply embedded in everyday life.
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