CEP 800 Assignment, starring Finley!

We just got back from Thailand a couple of days ago (more on that later), and I've been hard at work writing papers and making a digital storytelling project. I won't make you read my papers, but thought you might like to see the finished digital storytelling project since I made it with Finley. The class is one on how technology affects learning. Long story short, the assignment was essentially to pick a theory of learning (I chose behaviorism, specifically operant conditioning), teach something using that theory, and document the learning experience with audio and visual components. Click here to watch the video. Then, of course, I had to write a paper based around an article I read and the experience of creating the video, discussing how the aesthetics of technology affect learning.

P.S. Just because I now know how to make fancy home movies, don't expect it every time. It's a bit time-consuming!

18 Months Old!

Guess who is 18 months old now! We went in for Finley's 18 month vaccinations this week and they weighed and measured him. He's 88cm tall, head is 50cm, and weight is 12.2 kg. That translates to 60th percentile for weight, 75th percentile for head, and....drumroll, please...a whopping 95th percentile for height!

Some exciting changes have been going on in our house recently. Finley gave up his pacifier, which is great as far as I'm concerned. I wasn't even trying to take it away, it just kind of happened. Previously, the main time Finley was allowed his pacifier was when he had diaper changes. Last week, however, he started getting so angry about the diaper changes that he would throw the pacifier at me, so of course I wouldn't give it back if he threw it at me! I saw an opportunity to do away with the pacifier and went with it! My only concern now is getting through long flights without it...

Unfortunately, one negative change is that Finley suddenly hasn't been napping on his own. Finley has never been a particularly fabulous sleeper. Recently he's been sleeping very well at night (around 11 straight hours), but terribly during naps. I think we need lots of prayer for this one. I've tried everything! It's making getting all my school work done pretty difficult.

Finley keeps learning more words ("no" is a popular one at the moment, as is "hi" every time he picks up one of our phones), and his dance moves continue to improve. He wants music on almost all the time we're at home, but then he won't stop pushing all the buttons on the stereo. Finley loves to get into the drawers in the kitchen, particularly the tupperware drawer. And he currently loves baths! He will even sit down in the bathtub sometimes now! (We can hardly get him to sit down anywhere, anytime, so that's saying a lot.) Finley still loves to be outside, and he loves to play with blocks and balls and read books.

Now on to the photos!

I took this photo during Finley's nap, because he was just too cute in his diaper, with his little bum up in the air. He stayed like that for about 45 minutes straight. It's bad quality because I took it with my computer, as that was all I had there with me in the bedroom.

Finley is somewhat of a picky eater, but then he surprises me by eating things that are very flavorful, such as Indian food. The kid LOVES curries!

HKIS had Pumpkinfest this weekend. It was a bit chaotic, but Finley had a good time checking out the pumpkins. Iris preferred sitting on the pumpkins.

This one was a bit too heavy for him to pick up, but he sure tried!

Trying to take a bite out of a pumpkin when he thought no one was watching.

17 Months Video

Click here for our video and get ready to giggle!

Ch-ch-changes

Change is in the air at the Dennison house (er, apartment). Finley is so big he has surpassed the weight limit for having his car seat backwards, so we were forced to turn it around. This is a pretty great change, if you ask me, because it means I've moved back to the front seat after over 17 months of riding in the back with him!

I've also started tutoring a little, as well as some half-day substitute teaching. And I'm helping to lead the mom's Bible study at our church this year. All this is in addition to working on my masters. So that means more time away from the little man than I'm accustomed to. The beauty of it is that all those things are flexible, and I'm in control of my schedule. I can always be there when Finley needs me, which is probably more comforting for me than Finley. Finley, meanwhile, is having lots of playdates and trying to learn how to play and coexist with other toddlers. Finley will be 18 months old next week, so I'll give you more of an update on him then!

Boursin & Bath Hair

Nate and I were eating Boursin cheese and crackers a few nights ago, and Finley wanted to get in on the action.

He basically just licked all the Boursin off the cracker.

Then he started playing peek-a-boo with his Boursin-covered hands all over his face.

Luckily, it was almost bath time when this happened.

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Finley had not had a hair cut in two months, and it was getting pretty long.

Daddy decided to make a mohawk in the bath.

You'll have to wait for more photos to see the hair cut I gave Finley on Monday. Will it be a mohawk like this...
...or something more traditional?

15 Minutes of Tourism

Often when you live in a place, you take for granted the interesting sights around you. We had a long weekend a couple of weeks ago, and the holiday spirit inspired me to be a tourist in HK, even if it was for just 15 minutes. Here are the results-- photos of the wet market in Shau Kei Wan. It's important to locals to have very fresh food, so most people go shopping at a market such as this everyday.

You can get an anatomy lesson going to a wet market. Check out all the different parts of animals you can buy.

The fish are so fresh some are trying to jump out of the styrofoam containers.

Our Little Reader

Finley loves to read! He usually wants us to read to him, but this weekend he just grabbed a book, climbed up on the couch, and started "reading" all on his own.

Sweet boy.