Thoughts about Kinder and Hailey is 11 Months!

Dear Hannah, 

I don't know what is going on, but I am so sad to see you start school once again. This past week you started 2 days of gymnastics class and I really miss hanging out with you. Is it because I'm less sleep deprived and more patient? Has turning 4 flipped a switch that made you just so pleasant to be around? Has not having to fight for attention made you just a nicer person in general? I don't know. 

 You really are a caring, thoughtful and helpful kid and because we now spend most of the day Nathan-free, this part of you really shines through.

 We've had lots of quality time together while Hailey sleeps. You love to play with your little Cinderella figures and tea set. You are also OK with just putzing around, playing with random things while I get things done around the house. I could be vacuuming, cooking, or cleaning and you are always within sight, just playing.

 Nathan,
Tonight I got a chance to meet your teacher at Back to School night. I was very impressed with your teacher and I pretty much think that she is the perfect teacher for you! Even though I was a teacher myself, I've always been intrigued by how younger elementary teachers differentiate when there is such a wide range of abilities when they start school. Tonight, Ms. Reid did a great job explaining the method to her madness.

After listening to her presentation, I am now super excited about Kindergarten for you. I think this year will be a year full of growth both emotionally, socially, and academically.

Here are the points that I was impressed with:

• Every day, you guys will have circle time. She utilizes "restorative justice" to help share feelings, resolve conflicts, celebrate accomplishments, and encourage each other. 
• Math is not a series of worksheets or flash cards. What I love about it is that her process of teaching math is more focused on metacognition, getting you guys to think about your thinking. I know that this will lead to a deeper level of understanding of concepts, which in the end will help with higher level thinking. It really is a student-led process and so developmentally appropriate for Kinder. 
• Reading will also be differentiated and kids will be assigned word lists based on their ability. 
• You guys have 45 minutes of recess each day divided into 2 sessions! 

Well, that's all I have to say for now. Kinder. Exciting times! 

Hailey, 

You are now moving with purpose and gumption. You now know cause and effect. You know the purpose of things and you are trying to talk and say phrases like "nai nai" which means milk. Which also kind of sounds like "no no." 

 You absolutely love peas. You will eat your weight in peas if I let you.

 You are also getting pretty good at feeding yourself. You are now at a point where sometimes you won't let us even hold the pouch for you--you have to do it yourself.

 You love taking things out of buckets and then putting them back inside. I don't remember this being a huge stage in Nathan or Hannah's baby days, because I remember reading it as a milestone in baby books and thinking to myself, "They don't do that..."

 You also now understand the purpose of markers. You especially like red and pink, which can easily be mistaken as blood...which caught me a few times already.

 If given a spoon and a baby is close by, you will feed the baby.

 But when you try feeding yourself (or if Mommy doesn't seal your pouch properly), you tend to make a mess, a big, hose-you-off with a garden hose kind of mess.

 You are also now pulling and starting to cruise when you can. It seems like you just want to climb up these days. If there's nothing around to pull up on, you will crawl to me and pull up on me. It's like you have an itch to climb and you just can't get enough of it.

 Today, you were fascinated with putting a block into a chute and watch it come flying out. And then you did it again, and again.

It's been so fun playing with you and hearing you giggle. You will give a good belly giggle when you see things fall down. I don't know why it is so hilarious, but you just get a kick out of it.

I generally have to wake you up at around 7:30. You go down for your first nap around 10:15, sleep for an hour and 45 minutes. Then around 2:30 you go down for another nap. This usually lasts for only 30 - 45 minutes. At around 8, you go to bed and you wake up at around 11:30 and 5:30 for a feed. You are sleeping about 13.5 hours a day, which is a good amount for you.

Things are finally settling down at the Havlir household for now. Except for the 3 birthday parties coming up this weekend. Yikes! On the plus side, birthday parties usually mean fun!

Until next week,
Love,
Mommy