Monday, July 27, 2009

No More Tears

Leah does not cry at morning dropoff anymore! She went ALL last week, as well as today, without shedding one single tear when either Dan or I (or both of us) have said goodbye and left Sarah's house. She might whine for a minute, because she prefers that we don't leave, but that's it. I am over the moon! It only took two weeks of staying with Sarah to accomplish what we couldn't do in a year at the daycare center. Amazing. :D

So, I have this Tigger hand-puppet that I passed along to Leah. One day last week, I put Tigger on my hand and sang (in a silly voice) "The Most Wonderful Thing About Tiggers". Not only does she crack up when I do this, but she's started bringing me the Tigger puppet. As I put him on my hand, she bounces and "sings" because she knows what's coming. It is too cute!

I took a couple videos yesterday, as well as a bunch of pictures (those of you on Facebook may have seen the pics), so I'll try to get those out tonight or tomorrow.

Sunday, July 19, 2009

The Distinguished Era

This is Leah's new look... standing or walking with her hands behind her back, looking very prim and proper. Thus, the "distinguished" era. :)

Leah had her 15 month checkup this past week. She weighs 23.4 lbs and is almost 31 inches tall. She's right on track developmentally. Only two vaccines this time around, but of course she still wailed. :(  Thankfully, up until the shots, she was so much more cheerful during her checkup. I don't know if she "forgot" about the upcoming vaccines or she's getting over her stranger anxiety or if it has to do with her age. But wow, she was a little ham! Walking and babbling all over the waiting room, waving at various people, and she even played peek-a-boo with her doctor. So cute.

And for the first time ever at the doc's office, when we were called back to the exam room, Leah held my hand and walked back there with me! I didn't carry her. Definitely not my baby anymore; she's a big girl now!

In just the last few days, Leah has become a pro at climbing the deck stairs on her hands & knees. She's getting faster and faster! Last night, she also walked the entire length of our driveway. For those of you who have visited us, you know how long that walk is, especially for little feet! She's very, very active.

Leah is enjoying getting her groove on. She dances more and more whenever she hears music from a toy. :) And the girl's got rhythm - you should see her drum TWO different beats at the same time!

Everything is still going extremely well with her new caregiver, Sarah. Leah seems so happy, pleasant, and confident. We are overjoyed!

I think those are the highlights for this week. I'll try to stay more up-to-date. ;)

Wednesday, July 8, 2009

Childcare Success!

Ooops, been awhile since an update! Since I last wrote, Leah had her last day at the daycare center (July 2) and began staying with her new caregiver, Sarah this past Monday. WOW. This has already got to be one of the best decisions we've ever made.

When we arrived at Sarah's on Monday morning, Leah was babbling up a storm and was very excited by all the toys in the playroom. It was awesome. She started to cry as Dan & I got up to leave, which we expected, but I received an email at work from Sarah just before 9am that said by the time she had picked up Leah and went to lock the door, Leah had stopped crying. She ate all her breakfast, was talking and toddling around the playroom, and was doing great! I was ecstatic. I was so appreciative of the email update and I felt incredibly relaxed for the rest of the day.

When we picked her up on Monday, Dan & I were amazed. When Leah saw us, she smiled and then turned around and walked away, babbling the whole time! I've never seen her so happy upon pick-up. We were THRILLED.

Leah has since learned that going to Sarah's in the morning means that Dan & I are going to leave, so she's been a little more clingy the past two days. But honestly, it's still not as bad as daycare. She's not full out wailing. And we can hear her start to quiet down by the time we leave. This is going to be SO much healthier for her in the long run, and Dan & I are very satisfied with our decision already. Thank goodness!