Showing posts with label teachers. Show all posts
Showing posts with label teachers. Show all posts

Wednesday, August 14, 2013

18 months


I've said it before, I know... but I'll say it again: I cannot believe how fast Emmy is growing. Emmy is one and a half!

She is walking, talking, and expressing her thoughts in many ways. Sometimes she is sweet, sharing her toys and giving us kisses and hugs. Other times she is frustrated, stomping her feet or running to a corner to cry. She is always an entertainer though. She is making silly faces, sounds and dancing all the time to get Joe and I to watch her and laugh. It is so much fun to be around her most of the time. 


Emmy's favorites are so personal that I decided to just take a picture of all of them to capture not only what she likes but the actual items. The current condition of those things are important since some may get "well loved" in the future years. 

She loves her white fluffy pottery barn chair. It is her spot to read her books, eat a little snack and draw on her magnadoodle. It was a little pricy for a child's toy but still totally worth it. Once she gets settled, she'll hold up her blanket for me to cover her legs only to kick it off moments later. She gets hot like all the Bascom women before her!

She still loves "Beary" but her bunnies have moved in to her heart. She isn't attached to any one particular animal but these three are her top picks.  

The little hard books are great. There aren't too many words and she is able to flip the pages without causing damage. Occasionally we will pull out a big book but getting her to sit for a full story is tough. 

Her biggest love, though, is her shoes. 

"Shoes" might as well have been her first word. She is never found without at least one on and we have to hide the ones that don't fit because she will have a complete meltdown if we can't squish her foot in a shoe. She tried to bring me one of my own shoes while I was in the shower. She stood there, my shoe pressed against the glass, and cried because I wouldn't put it on. 

>>><<<

Another big milestone for her this week is that she moved up at daycare again. The adjustment has been a little rough. I really loved her teacher and Emmy did too. I don't know why they moved her up exactly, but they thought she was capable of handling the more mature classroom. Instead of free play all day, she is expected to sit for reading time and to sit around a table for learning. In her old classroom, those were options and she was not required to participate if she got bored. 

Don't get me wrong, I think that's great. I want her to learn, it's why I picked her daycare. They focus on teaching kids as early as possible and if they challenge Emmy, I know she will be better for it. The only problem is that she started biting every other kid in her class. I can just imagine her getting frustrated with her inability to communicate or her struggle to adjust and just literally biting a kid. 

I am so thankful that her teacher is understanding and hasn't asked me to do something about the biting. I have offered to help but I never see her or catch her in action so I'm not sure what to do. Today was the first day she didn't have an incident.

I braved Target with her again and she only had a few minor meltdowns. I was able to break them by telling her a joke about Rufus. The joke, in case you are curious, is to tell her that Rufus (Rooroo) says "meow". Gets her every time. 
 Joe said that she had a meltdown last night and just walked herself to a wall and cried. When she is acting out at school, they send her to a corner to calm down so she is carrying that over to home (yay!). 

The other day Joe told me that he could see why people only have one kid. Not because she is difficult but because she is awesome. Being part of her life is a treat that I don't intend to take for-granted so I'll treasure these moments and I'll find a way to laugh through the tantrums. 


Thursday, July 18, 2013

school time


Isn't that just the sweetest smile you've ever seen?!

Emmy started with a new teacher at her day care about a month ago and we are so in love with her! She is a sweet, no nonsense woman. I have been looking forward to getting in her class because I've seen her with other kids and she is the perfect teacher. She is fun and joyful, allowing the kids to play and freely roam throughout her room. She is often found with two kids in her lap, reading them a book while the others go about their own interests. 


The thing I love most about her, though, is her stern side. She isn't mean and she never yells at the kids but she knows what they are capable of learning and she encourages them to be obedient, helpful and to listen. I noticed Emmy's behavior changing almost immediately so I asked her teacher to teach me as well. I want to reinforce her rules to make it easier on everyone. 


When we fix her bottle Emmy promptly sits down to wait for it. When she makes a mess, we point at it and say "Pick it up!" and she does. She runs around picking up books and bringing us toys that she wants us to play with or read to her. It's hard to explain how quickly her communication is developing now, she understands our requests and compliments and tries to repeat them leading to the sweetest mumbo jumbo of vowels and consonants. 


Everything is easier now. Joe and I rarely debate chores. We have  a routine that is comfortable for everyone and Emmy's sweet and silly nature make her such a joy to be around.


Most days go something like: 

7:00 Joe showers
7:30 I wake Emmy 
8:00 Joe takes Emmy to school
9:00 I leave for work
4:30 I leave to pick Emmy up
5:30 I get home and start dinner
5:45 Joe gets home and we eat
6:15 Family time
7:00 Bath and bedtime cuddling (better known as Emmy wallering time)
8:00 Emmy goes to bed

We are a little spoiled because of my work schedule. I like that I get some time in the morning to myself, to get ready without a kid pulling on my pants or curiously putting all of my makeup in her mouth to see what it feels like. It really makes me feel fresh and brighter about my day. 


I spend most days looking forward to the time when we get home and have our family time. I know this sounds cheesy. As I type this, I'm thinking.. who are you? and shut the hell up, no way is life this perfect! And it's not! Believe me. But today it was. Most days it is really great. Most of the time we are so happy and I can't imagine it will ever be easier and more enjoyable than this. Life really is laughing and loving for now so yeah, I'm going to be cheesy and I'm going to appreciate it because I know it won't last forever. 


 Here is a little clip of Emmy being goofy during cuddle time...


   


Bell doesn't even have to bark for her to give us her "surprised" look - if we mention Bell, she gives us this look and starts laughing which gets us all laughing too.