Finn (aka 'Tazmanian Devil')

December 23, 2011

Finn (aka 'Tazmanian Devil')

Time for the next post raving on about how brilliant my kidlets are - if a mum can't be proud of her own kids, then who can? This one about Finn.

Finn is a delightful mix of contrasts and opposites - he is very patient and laid-back when waiting to have his needs seen to and always has been (e.g. eating, drinking, being changed, etc), but yet he is very energetic in terms of needing to be on the go all day, constantly running and climbing and doing things, hardly ever sits down for long, etc. He is very thoughtful when it comes to William, very intuitive and understanding of his needs, encourages him to get involved and try to do things and he has always been this way since birth, but yet he is very destructive in his play and exploration of the world - some of his favourite things to do are tipping things out, pulling things onto the floor, piling things into heaps, banging things together, playing in the dirt, making a mess in general. He is very happy and contented, always smiling and giggling, excited about new things he can do and new things to be discovered, easy to keep amused and occupied, but yet he is also going through a 'no' phase where he answers 'no' to everything we ask him to do, has occasional but very big tantrums if he can't get his own way and has started having 'grumpy' moments where nothing can cheer him up. Overall, Finn is happy, cheeky, cheery, mischevious, friendly, impulsive, patient, energetic, tolerant, destructive, caring, noisy, thoughtful, boisterous and fun.

Finn, like Poppy, is ahead in his development and has been since he was born. He was early to walk and to talk and now at the age of 16 months has already mastered these skills:

- say about 60 words recognisably and is beginning to put words together into 2-word phrases
- use pointing, gestures and body language to communicate as well as some signs if he doesn't have the words
- ask questions using appropriate vocal tone
- understand most of what is said to him and answer simple questions, such as pointing to body parts etc.
- recognise many objects and pictures and point to them on request
- walk, run, go up and down stairs, climb, dance, throw objects, roll and kick a ball
- use a 'big boy' bed
- build towers of bricks and use stacking and posting toys
- complete simple inset puzzles on his own
- dig in sand using a spade and pour water into and out of containers
- feed himself and drink independently from an open cup
- take his clothes off and attempt to put some on
- copy adults' actions and engage in pretend play, such as using a toy hoover
- scribble with a crayon
- search for hidden objects and people

Some of Finn's favourite things are: Sesame Street (especially Elmo), cars, trains, motorbikes, boats, planes, trucks, tractors, balls, painting, messy play, music, noisy toys, bricks and building blocks, interactive character toys, bubbles, being outside, being naked, bath-time, water, the park, the woods, mud. For Christmas we have got Finn lots of Sesame Street toys, Duplo, a toy garage, a new train set, sensory and messy play toys, a baby drum set, a bubble blower, a ride-on tractor, sand and water toys and noisy/sound toys. He should be very happy with his loot!

Thanks for reading :)