How about a round of applause?

GIMME A HAND...

We all know the value of positive reinforcement on the people around us, but it's so easy to get caught up in the mindless minutaie of daily living that we forget to value our loved ones accordingly. Until, that is, a certain small one reminds you how much it's appreciated.

Jake LOVES applause. I rediscovered this one day while I was caught up in my usual household chores frenzy. My habit had become to thank Jake for "finding" items he's not supposed to play with. "Oh, thank you Jake, for finding that fork Mommy dropped on the floor. Yes, it's too sharp to play with," I babble while extricating said object from Jake's little fingers. But then one day I decided to burst into applause at Jake's exploratory successes. Oh, how his eyes lit up! He stood taller, grinned wider, and began doing what Dan and I can only describe as his Happy Butt Dance. Whenever Jake is particularly pleased with himself or enthusiastic about something, that cute little behind starts wiggling. The round of applause spawned a Happy Butt Dance so energetic that Jake fell over from the effort.

Since then, I've done what any mommy of a burgeoning toddler would do: I've manipulated the applause to help in everyday situations. Jake is wiggling around too much on the changing table to put a new diaper on? Time to applaud! Suddenly he's lying peacefully, soaking up the praise with a big grin. Jake is whining because I've put my beverage out of his reach? Time to applaud! Now he's dancing around the edge of the couch, flirting and shaking his head.

At first I kept expecting that the applause would become a gimmick that Jake would tire of quickly, like so many other distraction methods we've tried. But no, he has not yet tired of the waves of praise that wash over him more regularly than any ocean tide. This is something I hope we both remember for a long, long time.


... OR A SPOON!

Jake's favorite habit this week has been to hold something while he eats. He's always been particular about feeding himself. He's known to refuse anything offered to him, but to happily pluck it out of your hand to shove whole-fisted into his own mouth. And his favorite foods also have been the ones that he could hold while eating, such as french fries and biter biscuits.

Now, however, the need for excessive control on Jake's part has led him to need to hold onto something ELSE while eating too. I happened to be spooning food onto his highchair tray one day when suddenly Jake lunged after the spoon. "What can it hurt?" I thought to myself. "It's just a spoon." The rest of the meal Jake firmly held the spoon aloft like a mini royal sceptre, while he appeared to be a mini Henry VIII, picking up bits of food with his free hand to shove into his mouth.

We all knew Jake was in charge around here, but it was amusing to finally find out the nature of his sovereignty. I suppose the mere serfs, ie Dan and myself, should start to worry if Jake ever starts referring to the royal "we"!


LITTLE CUDDLE POSSUM

Jake is continuing the habit of "fake sleep". This is the method he employs to gain extra cuddle time when he's supposed to be sleeping in his crib. The fake sleep that Dan and I used to quietly chuckle at and enjoy has become a lot less enjoyable now that Jake has resumed middle-of-the-night wakings. It's not as cute or funny when you stumble sleepily down the hall to lay Jake down at 3:45am, only to have his little head pop up and that little face light up in a big Cheshire grin. Trust me when I say that we're definitely not in the mood to applaud at these times.