100 Ways to Praise Your Child
A friend had a list like this one pinned up in her kitchen. I found some similar ideas online. I love being able to catch my child being good, and the way her face lights up when I say some of these things.
Wow • You’re on target • Way to go • Excellent • You’re special • Neat work
You are fun • You’re a real trooper • I like your attitude • Super star • Good effort
Looking good • You brighten my day • Top work • Well done • You’re a treasure
That’s very thoughtful of you • Outstanding performance •Let me give you a kiss
You’re fantastic • I knew you could do it • What an imagination • Good teamwork
I’m so proud of you • You’re a legend • You’re on top of it • You’re catching on
How smart • Now you’ve got it • Good job • You are so clever • That’s incredible
You are just delightful • That’s beautiful • You’re a winner • You make me laugh
You make me happy • It’s nice being with you • Dynamite • Hip, Hip Hooray
Magnificent • Beautiful sharing• You’re important • Great job • You’re the best
You’re on your way • Exceptional performance • You’re spectacular • I’m impressed
You are a darling • Beautiful work • Good for you • Bravo • You are exciting to watch
You’re so precious • Fantastic job • Great discovery •You’re a champion • Awesome
Marvellous • You are very responsible • Terrific • Nothing can stop you now
You’re growing up • You tried hard • You figured it out • Remarkable job• You’re A-OK
You’re unique • What a good listener • That’s really nice of you • You inspire me
You mean a lot to me • You’re a good friend • You deserve a big hug • That’s super
You are an absolute gem • You’re incredible • Now you’re flying • That’s really creative
That’s correct • Phenomenal • Hooray for you • Great work • You’re very caring
You made my day • You mean the world to me •You’ve discovered the secret
You’re a joy • You did that really well •You’re my buddy • I trust you • That’s perfect
Keep up the good work • You’re wonderful • I like you a lot • You’re sensational
I like the way you did that • Thank you for helping me • I LOVE YOU SO MUCH
My favourite NICU photos
Recently on the Li’l Aussie Prems website there was a thread where people posted their favourite NICU photograph(s). There were a lot of beautiful photographs.
I found it hard to choose only one, and in the end chose four.
This is her perfect little foot on day 3, the day of her lowest weight (795g).
Avoiding the paparazzi.
Our fingers touching. She is one month old. This photo is slightly out of focus and I intended to try and take it again, but without warning she graduated from the humidicrib to an open cot.
Guess who’s cycling off CPAP and just pulled her feeding tube out again? This is our first photo of her smile.
On a related note - I recommend you take lots of photos AND make a backup copy. I lost many of my early photos of Talia when my hard drive failed a few months after she came home and I had no backup.
Talking with your child (if they are using words)
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- Respond to all your chidl’s attempts at communication (ie interpret all the time eg if s/he says “eeeurgh” and you know think that means s/he wants a ball, respond as if they had asked you for a ball)
- Use lots of new words. Repeat the new words.
- Keep it simple. Use short sentences (2-3 words).
eg Here’s teddy. Nice teddy. Give teddy a hug.
eg It’s hot. Don’t burn. It’s hot. Too hot.
- Keep it fun! Add new animal sounds. Continue songs, rhymes and games. Share lots of books.
- Use gesture (body movements) as well as words.
- Try not to correct how they are talking - it will improve with practice.
- Speak more slowly and a little louder than usual.
Later:
- Expand on what your child has said - follow their focus and add new words.
- Explain why they can and can’t do things in simple language
Being a parent Food and feeding: breastmilk expressing milk
by Finisterre
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Farewell to the breastpump
Yesterday I sold my breast pump. It was only a little one, not like the double-pumper I hired from KEMH while Talia was in the nursery, but it kept me company on many an evening in front of the TV when I was trying to increase my supply. In tribute to those days, here’s an old post I wrote in March 2008 for the L’il Aussie Prems blog.
Good to the last drop
The bottom drawer of our freezer (we have an “upside-down” fridge) belongs to Talia. It’s full of plastic tubs containing ice-cube-sized portions of stewed fruit, mashed veg, pulverised chicken, flakes of fish in cheese sauce etc. Wedged in the middle of this oyster of solids was a little pearl - the last remaining bottle of my frozen expressed breast milk (EBM).
I’ve rambled at length about the ups and downs of milk production. It wasn’t easy, but it was worth it. I wanted to do more, but now I’m happy that I did as much as I could. If I had to do it all over again, I would. So what’s the story with this bottle of EBM? Talia stopped breastfeeding exclusively last October, and ceased completely at the end of January. It’s now the end of March. This bottle of liquid gold was dated 21/6/07 - the day before Talia came home from hospital. This bottle of milk has reigned, happy and glorious, over the bottom drawer of the freezer for NINE months, as one by one all the other bottles (older) and baggies (younger) of EBM were defrosted and used up. (Don’t worry, my freezer is cold enough that it was safe to keep it longer than the usually recommended three months). This bottle was a testament to my hours of expressing but also a life-line which I had clung to for months in case of emergency, but which was no longer needed now that Talia is healthy and happy with formula and solids.
So last Thursday, a week after Talia’s first birthday, I liberated this vintage bottle from its cryogenic home and defrosted it. On Saturday, Talia’s bottles were half formula and half EBM, the final instalment of my first gift to her. It doesn’t usually happen, but she completely finished every bottle. That night we both went to sleep satisfied.