Amy is moving on up June 20, 2007
Although Amy isn’t two until next Thursday, she has been promoted to the over-two room at her daycare. I went in to pick the kids up yesterday and the teachers, with a mildly panicked undertone (omg! accidents waiting to happen!) told me that Amy had worked out how to unfasten the side of her cot at naptime, and it was no longer safe for her to nap.
Ha. Just think about it: Amy has managed to make it dangerous to nap. Only she could do that.
So I said fine, fine, we’ll just skip the naps, because I’d rather a grumpy tired daughter than, you know, a concussed daughter. Coincidentally as I was saying this, Amy tripped and clonked her head on a shelf. Because she was tired. We hurriedly left before further shame could occur.
This morning when I arrived, it turned out the teachers had had a meeting! of great importance! about Amy! (oh my god) and had come to the conclusion that the best thing for her was to move up early to the over-twos. Technically they decided she’d spend lunchtime and naptime there, but when I arrived this morning she settled herself down at the big kids’ table, seriating coloured marbles, and when I picked her up at 2:30 she was playing in the big kids’ playground riding a trike (well, being pushed around by a teacher while sitting on a trike).
When I left this morning, I instructed Ethan that his job was to be a helpful and caring big brother and to look out for his wee sister if he saw her. Apparently Ethan and his buddies were building a “jail” outside and Amy went in, but instead of forcibly removing her (which is normal), the boys spent ten minutes standing outside the jail, asking her nicely to please come out and go and do something else.
I met with her new primary caregiver (she’s not in a rest home, but it sounds like it), and we talked about Amy’s interests (uh…she likes dolls? and…um…bikes? and…I think she likes to break stuff) and her routines (hmm…well, did I mention the breaking of stuff?), and I was introduced to all the teachers, which was hysterical since of course I know everyone because of Ethan, and everyone knows me because the daycare is my second home as much as it is theirs, and this is a long sentence.
All in all it looks like Amy’s transition is going to be a success. She loves being in with the big kids, just exploring on her own and having a look at what everyone else is doing and occasionally having a try herself. She took an hour to go to sleep today with three different teachers trying different techniques, but she did sleep and that’s pretty darn good for a first day.
