Toddler Practice 101

As we get closer to bringing Nadia home to our family, it has occurred to us that we haven't really had much practice with the "toddler" stage in a long time. Our youngest is turning 10 and other than some babysitting here and there, we're kind of out of that phase completely...but not for long. So, it's time to brush up on some activities that keep busy little 2yr. olds out of trouble. :) Thankfully, we got to spend the afternoon with our goddaughter, Isabella who is now 19 months old. She was delightful to have around and probably too easy for a practice run at this, but nonetheless, each Ferguson Child had a chance to see what it was like to entertain a toddler.

First up, Allen tried reading Bella a book. After all, that's a nice calm activity where the toddler in question should easily be entertained through the completion of all the pages right? Wrong! I think Bella made it through 2 pages before she was off the couch and ready to explore some more. (Allen even tried to hold Bella's baby to try to keep her interested longer).



Josi, on the other hand realized that some good old Play-doh might do the trick for keeping a little person occupied for more than 5 minutes. OK, so we had to keep a close eye out for Play-doh consumption but other than that, this activity was a winner!!! We'll tuck that one away for sure. Anything to keep little hands busy will be remembered for our new one coming home!

Michael enjoyed some floor time with Bella playing with the Sesame Street House that I got at a church yard sale when Allen was about 2. This is a tried and true playtime activity that all of our kids have enjoyed. Bella did too! This is always a hit!!!

My youngest (who thinks he's a child) is the only one I'm worried about having transition issues when Nadia arrives on the scene. A.J. was not at all happy when I picked up, held, or basically gave any attention to Bella. He's not unhappy in an aggressive way, just kind of confused and following me around more than usual. He sat in the middle of the toy area as if to say, "Hey, what about me? Can I play too???" Poor guy. He doesn't know what's coming!!

So, in order to cope with his up and coming reduced rank in the pecking order, A.J. decided to do what most dogs (and some people) do when they're a little stressed. He climbed up on top of the couch and settled in for a nap!!!

While we know life is going to change dramatically around our household, we're very excited to chase after, entertain, change diapers (did I really say that?), and basically go through "that toddler phase" all over again with Nadia. She is sooo worth it and we feel blessed to be given a chance to bring her into our family.