My little lady is moving on up! She is moving up to the Toddler I class. At her school, there is an infant class (0-9 months), Step up class (9-14 months), then Toddler I class (14 -18 months).
She has definitely shown signs that she is ready to move up - the teachers all agree that she has started looking bored in her current class. She is literally running laps around the other kiddos while most of them are just starting to walk, etc.
This week, she is transitioning into her new class doing 2 to 3 hours a day. Next Monday is the official move! And let me tell you when they gave us the paperwork explaining her move up, Steve and I were super stoked that tuition is going down a whole $10!!!! It may not seem like much, but at the end of the month, that is $40 to $50 we are going to save!
CHANGES
What She's Learning / Favorite Things
Over the course of the last month, Lottie has changed so much. She is such a smart little bugger! As I've said before, Lottie is really into books. She'd prefer a book over any toy she's got. The cutest thing is her constantly bringing us books, then turning herself around to be picked up and put on your lap. If I happen to be sitting on the floor with her, she turns herself around and plops right down on my legs, then opens the book and starts flipping the pages.
Although, she hasn't said very many new words other than "TA" (means thank you in England), she certainly knows the meaning of words. One of her favorite things to do is tell you what noise the wise old owl makes - she says, "Hoo, Hoo, Hoo, Hoo". I've got to try and get it on video. This past weekend when asked what noise the dog makes - she says, "Ruff, Ruff, Ruff". Another good one is to ask her what the Monkey does - she starts doing the monkey moves where she sort of beats on her chest the way a monkey would. It's awesome. Even though we aren't communicating in full blown sentences yet, she is definitely grasping on and obtaining knowledge.
One of the things I have been working on with her is learning body parts. She has nailed NOSE! When I ask her where her nose is, she points to her nose. It is really freaking CUTE! Now that she has gotten Nose down to a tee, I've been trying Knee, Ears and Mouth b/c when I ask her where her Eyes are - she starts making the owl noise. :) Guess they sound too much alike. We'll be skipping Eyes for now.
Another thing we've been working on is doing puzzles. A couple of weeks ago when we ran to Marshalls, I bought her a Safari Animals Puzzle (she chose that one over the farm animals puzzle). Can I just stop here and say that Marshalls blows Walmart and Target out of the water when it comes to books! I love them - they are the interactive ones that she adores and nice on the wallet. She's done brilliant when it comes to the puzzle - she knows exactly where they go and loves for me to applaud her afterwards.
Overall, I think she's right where she should be as far as education goes. I so enjoy our little late night learning sessions before bed. It is truly amazing watching her learn and progressing right along.
Eating
The girl is about to eat me out of home!!!!!!!!!! I mean her snacking is truly out of control! Thankfully she's been a pretty good, healthy eater and not too picky. She will normally try anything once. Some of her current favorites are chicken, cod bites (yum), steamed carrots and zucchini, spaghetti, creamy pasta with broccoli and carrots, pizza, pickles, peas, garlic bread, Gerber veggie puffs, yogurt, oatmeal, bananas, cheerios, etc.
Our current routine is I leave work every day at 4:00 p.m. to make the trek to pick her up. I usually chat with the teachers about her day, then we either go straight home, go to the grocery store, Target or whatever errand I might need to run. Once we get home, she usually heads straight to the kitchen or pantry and starts pointing for a snack. Normally she'll have a hand full of veggie puffs & juice (half apple juice, half water).
I'll usually start cooking dinner afterwards and when I get to a stopping point we usually go outside to play. I bought her a giant pink ball that she loves throwing around.
Growth
After Lottie's 12 month check up, her next check up is not until she turns 18 months old. THANK GOD WE'VE NOT HAD TO GO BACK TO THE DOCTOR SINCE TUBES WERE PUT IN!!!!!!!
So, with that said, I have no idea how much she weighs or how much she has grown height wise. I have a digital scale at home, but it's tough to know for sure how much she weighs because she moves too fast. I do know that all of her clothes with the exception of a few pairs of pants/shorts are all 18 months. She can still fit into some 12 month pants / shorts still, but most everything is 18 months. She's also still in a Size 3 shoe. She has just moved up to Size 4 diapers. I feel like she was in Size 3 forever! Although, when I went to buy a box of diapers in a Size 4 the other day, I noticed that you get less diapers for the same price. I guess the extra material makes that difference!
As much as the girl is eating - she's bound to have gained weight, and she definitely looks taller. If I could get her to stand still against the wall, I'd measure her with my tape measure but the chances of that happening is slim to none!
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Each day Lottie's school gives me a sheet explaining what she did that day. I love it. I love knowing how she spends her days which includes what she eats, diaper changes and nap times! This week she started receiving a new sheet from her upcoming class that she spent most of the week in....... The Toddler Daily News!!!!!!!!!! How cute is that?
It is certainly sad in a way to think about how big she's getting, but at the same time, she is so much fun at this age. I am enjoying every minute of it! I am so grateful for the happy little lady in my life. She is such a good girl!
Here's a look back at the last couple of weeks!
The girl loves bracelets and since she didn't have any of mine to put on, she found one of the rings to her toys to put on!
Always chasing after the camera to hold it when I get it out
Spaghetti face
"Bear Face"
Hilarious! She found her old car seat and decided it would be the perfect place to nap for an hour last Sunday! She literally just sat down, rocked herself for a minute and went to sleep!
Since I leave around 5:20 a.m. every day, Steve handles the morning routine of changing her, feeding her breakfast and taking her to school. For whatever reason, he has a hard time remembering to brush her teeth as well, so I leave him a note every morning to make sure it gets done!
Running around the house after school - into everything of course!
She is obsessed with the wedges I bought in England! Constantly picking them up and running around the house with them.
Come back here!!! She carries them around on her arm like a purse!
Lottie and I playing outside!
Finally, Lottie and I VOTED! The lady at the door gave her a sticker
Hope all of you mamas out there have a great weekend. While I wish my mama was here to celebrate with, I will be thinking of her and celebrating through her with my sweet girl.
Happy Mother's Day Weekend!!
