John Lindal’s Blog

Kids

Raising a child is exhausting, but also rewarding. Every now and then, there comes a moment when you realize, This changes everything!

Independence (5/25/07)

On her second birthday, we were in Friday Fellowship at church, and she asked to be carried to sit and listen to the person playing guitar. She sat on my lap for a short while, then got down, walked to the row of seats in front of me, got up on the chair, and sat down to listen by herself. She did turn around to check that I was still there, but it was obvious that she was growing up!

Talking

She had only learned a couple of words, but I still remember the time when I was lying in bed next to her, to help her go to sleep, and she clearly said Milk! Ah! I thought. Now she can tell me what she wants! Until then, it had always been a guessing game, because all she could do was cry. Learning to communicate is a long process, but it was exciting to realize that the journey had started.

Walking

Soon after she began toddling around, I remember sitting in Friday Fellowship at church and watching her toddle off amongst the other children and adults. Wow! I thought. Now she can interact with others! Until then, she had only been able to sit and watch.

Learning

What’s this? Now she can actively learn instead of just soaking it up from her environment.

Dancing (1/5/08)

I noticed a while ago that she had her beat. Now she has her groove, too. My wife and I were testing our new sound system and discovered that the Moulin Rouge soundtrack was meant for rock arena mode. While we were enjoying it, our daughter started dancing to the beat and choreographing as she went. She mixed in gymnastics, ballet, wiggling, etc. It was truly amazing to watch her, because it fit the music so well!

Learning (4/26/08)

She was trying to explain that a doll she was holding was the same color as the TV character. What’s this called? she asked. This is a big step up from What’s this? because it demonstrates an understanding that something has multiple attributes.

Dirt (10/18/08)

She has an annoying habit of sucking her fingers. Today, after playing with a dusty carpet on the floor, she started to put her fingers in her mouth and then stopped. Dirty fingers! She washed her hands in the nearby sink. Finally, she starts to get it!

Spelling (10/18/09)

After learning cat and mat at school, she figured out how to spell rat, hat, and bat. She understands the symbols!

Engineering (10/31/09)

She just designed and built a simple car out of LEGO’s! This demonstrates that she understands how to build stable structures out of small components, because she did not use a large flat sheet as the base of the car.

Engineering (3/21/10)

She built her first house out of Lincoln Logs.

Music (4/19/10)

She discovered fingering on the Ukulele.