A Puzzling Development

Friday, May 31, 2013 0 comments
Over the last few weeks, Eric has gotten much better at doing a lot of things.  Just a few weeks ago, he was only able to do simple tasks like putting single puzzle pieces into children's puzzles.  Something a little more complex, like a puzzle with various pieces, was definitely above his level.

Last week, though, I decided to bring out a small puzzle for him to try again.  I was surprised by how quickly he learned how to put the puzzle together.  At first, sometimes he would pause, feeling like he was doing the puzzle incorrectly, even when they were in the right places, because of all of the open space around the pieces.  He also had a difficult time of figuring out when the pieces were upside down (it is a wooden puzzle with paint on all sides).
After a little lot of practice, though, he almost always immediately puts it together.  I think that he is so proud of himself that he likes to do it over and over and over again.
He is also starting to recognize animals, and the sounds that they make, in all of his different languages (Castellano, Valenciano, and English).  Last time we were in the US, we bought him a two-block puzzle with 6 different animals that can be put together.  When the blocks are put together correctly, the animal formed makes a sound.
His favorite is putting the chicken together.  He is fascinated by chickens, ever since we got our hens, and is constantly wanting to watch youtube videos about hens.  I wouldn't be surprised if some of the hen videos reach celebrity status eventually, considering the number of times that Eric wants to watch them daily.  I doubt that the guy who builds his hen house from found materials realizes how much his video is being seen here in Spain.  The guy with hens in Edmonton, and the guy who shows off his two pet hens, are also other favorites.  It makes me laugh to think how oblivious they are to the fact that their videos are watched over and over again at our house.  We probably know their videos better than they do.  :)  For those who want to watch these wonderful videos, all you have to do is type HENS into the search function of youtube, and you can see our watchlist.  Ironically, the only one he refuses to watch, is the one that has cartoon hens, which is probably the only one geared towards younger children.  I have never been able to see the end of that one, but I'm guessing that I'm probably not missing out on much.
Anyway, going back to the block puzzle, all I have to do is say to Eric, "Put the dog together," and he finally knows how to do it.  Mommy is so proud!
The only real confusion comes between the sheep and the cow.  You need to hear the background story, though, to understand why.  Several weeks back, we brought him to Mc Donald's and bought him a happy meal.  The box and toy were dedicated to "Shaun the Sheep."  Mauri, however, thought that Shaun the Sheep was a cow.  So, he kept calling it a "vaca."  I said that he looked nothing like a "vaca," and that it was a "sheep."  I had to find the name of the animal on the box to prove it to him.  (Should I be worried about the Spanish education system!?!?!?)
Smart Eric sided with mommy.  So, over the course of the next several days, every time Eric saw Mauri  or the sheep, he would say "Papi, vaca no!! Sheep!!"
"Besito a Mommy!"
The problem isn't with the sheep.  He sees the sheep on the puzzle and identifies it correctly.  The problem is identifying the cow, to which he has automatically wanted to shout out, "Vaca no!! Sheep!!"
I think I have finally convinced him, though, that the cow is a "Cow" and that it says "Moo" and makes him milk.  Considering how much Eric loves milk, that should help him take notice and learn it.
Meanwhile, I have been promoting my other blog crafts on Instructables.com, and my first two Instructables were instantly featured and used on their homepage, earning me 6 months of free pro membership so far.  I have heard of cases where people with Instructables have been called upon to use their ideas in books.  Whether or not something that exciting will ever happen to me remains to be seen, but, in any case, it is a lot of fun to have a lot of people see something you made and tell you they like it. :)
As for Eric's school, things have taken a turn for the worse.  June brings the last month of classes at his current school, that I have grown to know so well and love, and it is a bit depressing.  A new, large company from the north of Spain will be taking over in June, and they have already started the process to steal away the girls who are currently working there.  (It is in their best interest because parents aren't going to want to bring their kids in July if they and their kids don't know anybody working there).  Of course, nobody is interested in the moral implications.  They have already taken one of the girls, who has been appointed as the new director, leaving her class without a teacher without any notice.  It's sad to see what the politicians here have caused.  I have even heard speculation about canceling the preschool graduation this year, which would obviously make me very sad because a proud mommy wants to see her child graduate, even if it is only preschool.  Hopefully that won't really happen.
The picture is out of focus, but here he reminds me of his papi
Here's a video of Eric with his puzzles:


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