Tuesday, January 28, 2014

Avery's 18-month check-up

Avery's appointment today went very well.

All of the things listed under "What your child is learning now" she does. Her speech is still a concern for the doctor because he didn't hear her say one word during the visit and only grunts and groans. I explained to him that she can say many words but her older sister, right now, seems to be talking for her a lot of the time at home. When I make her say what she wants, she will fight me and scream for a VERY long time. Can you say stubborn? She has one month to really start talking and putting two words together. Starting...NOW! (Or else, it's another Early Intervention evaluation.)

"What your child will be learning next" she is also doing very well in!
Walking forward and backward - yes, rolls a large ball back and forth - she is ok with this. We will work on this with her. Stoops and squats - yes (this is how she sometime poops!). Turns pages of books - most definitely! Uses 2-3 word sentences - no where close yet. Points to some body parts - yes! She knows her eyes, ears, hair, nose & belly! Sings and dances - she's starting to dance but by no means does she sing! Imitates parents activities - not sure about parents activities but definitely her sisters activities!!! Does that count?

Avery's growth...
She weighs 22lbs 15.2 oz and she's in the 51%tile.
She is 2'7.75" and in the 39%tile.
Her head is 18.74" around and that puts her in the 81%tile.

She is progressing very well. Avery may not be verbalizing with words but she is VERY smart and surprising and impressing us everyday with how smart she is. Give her a book and ask her to point to the (whatever) and 9 times out of 10 she will be right. She takes directions and understands what you say or tell her or ask of her. She is 18-months so yes, she still disobeys and doesn't always listen!

We are still meeting with the Allergist and as a last resort and trying her on Lactaid milk. Fingers are crossed this will work for her. Her face is looking better, although the eczema on her face looks better (today) it's now on her one elbow and legs. Her poop is another issue. We will wait and see.

I also have a script to have a lateral neck x-ray done on her. This is to see if her adnoids are enlarged. It's not scheduled yet but I will keep you posted.
 
Thanks for checking in!

Sunday, January 26, 2014

A few recent pics

Excitement is is the air for Alexis!
Yesterday we went to David's Bridal with Miss Rebecca and together her and Alexis picked out a VERY pretty dress to wear in her wedding! April 4th can't come fast enough for Alexis so she can wear her princess dress again!





 Alexis requested her hamburger look like a "sandwich" like Daddy eats! (It was exciting long enough to take the picture and then she took it all apart and never ate the bread!)
 Every day Avery is wanting everything Alexis has and wanting to do what she does. Twice during their last bath she said "poopy" and wanted to get out of the tub to sit on the toilet! Don't get too excited, nothing came out!
Here is our little trouble maker climbing in to the table to get a closer look at Daddy's computer!



Tuesday, January 21, 2014

Ariel

Guess who Alexis got to meet last weekend?

Her second birthday party of the day was for her friend Marielle, at Marielle's house. It was a Princess Ariel party. Ariel is a mermaid.

The pics are from my phone, so i apologize they are not the greatest.




Alexis was so fascinated by her. She even got some one-on-one time with her.

Ariel read to the girls, sang to them, danced with them, played games, dress up and ended with talking about Princess manors right before having cupcakes!

It was very special and she had a wonderful time!
Thanks Marielle and Happy 4th Birthday!

Monday, January 13, 2014

Progress Report time!

Avery is doing wonderful! She just moved up from the First Step room to the Young Toddlers room!

Her first semester scores were great!
In Cognitive Milestones she had all 3's except for one 2 in "Shows understanding of different colors".
Comment: Avery points to objects that she wants. She also follows one step directions.
All 3's in Language Milestones except for one 2 in "Attempts to call teacher by name".
Comment: Avery is beginning to use words to express herself. She loves to sit and look at books.
She got all 3's in Social/Emotional Milestones!
Comment: Avery likes giving the baby dolls hugs and carrying them around the room. She likes to explore different objects.
Physical Milestones - two 2's. Kneels, squats, walks backward a few steps (this I KNOW she can do) and Uses writing or drawing tools with limited coordination.
Comment: Avery had good large motor skills. She likes to play on the outside climber and is able to manipulate it independently.
Art/Music Milestones - All 3's!
Comment: Avery enjoys our music activities. She especially likes to make music with her hands, as well as with the instruments.
Self-help Milestones - one 2. Removes basic clothing. (This I'm ok with, knowing how often Alexis wants to change her clothes already!)
Comment: Avery's self-help skills are good for her age. She is able to use a spook and fork to self-feed.

Very proud of her and her accomplishments! She often surprises me with all she can do! She is learning so much from her BIG Sister!

Avery's overall comment: Avery has been successful in the First Step Class. She loves reading stories and doing puzzles. In the next semester, we will continue adding new vocabulary. We are going to work on her shape and color recognition skills. It has been a pleasure having Avery in my class and I look forward to watching her continue to grow with us. Miss Michelle.

Alexis's progress...
Language Milestones - All 3's except for, Predicts story content based on cover, Discusses events in a book or story, and Identifies the beginning and end of a story.
Comment: Alexis is always very curious and eager to share with her peers and teachers the events from her weekend. She uses manners when asking for things and loves learning new songs and fingerplays.
Multicultural/Social Studies Milestones - two 2's; Associates a few foreign language words with English counterparts and Shares or offers items to others. two 1's; Understands basic concepts of maps and Demonstrates an awareness of the uses of money.
Comment: Alexis has an understanding of different community helpers and what their jobs are to help us. She will continue to be exposed to different map activities while in school.
Technology Milestones - One 2. Uses computer programs after training.
Comment: Alexis can identify different parts of the computer and uses the mouse independently. She is always enthusiastic learning different computer programs.
Science Milestones - 7 two's - areas where she needs a bit of improvement - Understands the basic concepts of seasons and weather, Shows awareness of the 5 senses and related body parts, Categorizes common living things into plants and animals, Identifies that plants and animals have different kinds of parts, Practices basic hygiene routines with adult reminders, and identities items that are helpful and harmful to our planet.
Comment: Alexis enjoys participating in different science experiments. She will be encouraged to use her imagination when making predictions. She is able to understand the concept of weather and that it changes.
Cognitive Milestones - 7 two's - Groups and classifies objects by shape, color, size and texture, Understands size comparatives such as heaviest, longest, biggest, Differentiates numerals from letters, Uses non-standard and standard tools to measure familiar objects, Recognizes and names basic shapes in the environment, Recognizes and describes simple patterns, and Recalls 3 hidden objects from memory. She also had one 1 in this category and that was, Completes a 10-piece puzzle.
Comment: Alexis is able to engage with her peers and teachers in conversation and play for periods of time. Alexis will continue to work on completing puzzles independently.
Physical Milestones - a few more two's - Uses classroom tools independently (scissors, glue, brushes, etc), Strings small beads, Uses tongs to grasp small objects, Stacks small objects into a tower, Can button and unbutton, Throws ball overhead (this should be a 3!), and Catches a bounced ball.
Comment: Alexis has shown a preference for using her right hand and can hold a crayon or marker with a refined grip. She has great balance and can walk across the balance beam.
Art/Music Milestones - two 2's; Cleans up or puts away materials on own or with teacher assistance and Repeats rhythmic patterns. One 1; Creates age appropriate representations of real objects and concepts in artwork.
Comment: Alexis loves to sing the clean-up song to encourage her friends. She is very imaginative and expresses herself through dance.

Very, very proud of Alexis. She is a bright, cheerful and happy girl. She loves her teachers and going to school. She is learning so much and is starting to express her interests. We have some work to do at home because as you can see, Preschool is a lot of work! :)

Alexis's final comment: Moving forward, Alexis' teachers would like to see her begin to draw shapes and be more eager to participate in art projects. She will continue to be exposed to map and sorting activities. Alexis will be encouraged to use her imagination to predict what will happen in a story based on the cover. Miss Desiree.

We are very thankful for wonderful teachers that love and care for our girls. They want them to enjoy class-time, be happy and to succeed!

Thanks Malvern!


Wednesday, January 1, 2014

A few random pics

From these past holidays home!
 This is the first picture that Alexis drew that resembles a person! She drew a face, eyes and ears! I'm so proud!
 Avery's snowflake headband from Miss Rebecca.
 Playing so nicely together.

 Dance Party!!!





 New Year's Eve breakfast.

 Avery being silly. Our refrigerator wasn't keeping cool (but our freezer was), so we took everything out to attempt to fix it. (Fingers crossed!)
BACK TO SCHOOL TOMORROW! It's been a long few days. We are all ready for our lives to go back to normal. We welcome a healthy 2014! (again, fingers crossed!)

Happy New Year everyone!
Thanks for checking in!

Christmas with the Wiszneski's

Finally, the celebrating comes to a end. We spent some time on New Years Eve with Bob, Deb and the kids.







 Alexis's new bracelet, made by Sierrah.


 Daddy playing with the boys!
 Peyton, thier Berneese Mountain dog.
 My beautiful girls!
It was nice to spend a few hours with my cousins.

Christmas celebration with the Harpers!

Me and my Best Friend Ellie!









We really did have a GREAT night!