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deadlightsgirl Gracie is really beginning to pop in noticeable ways. Yes, she still tantrums when she doesn't get her way sometimes, yes, she is still challenging.
BUT there have been some things I have noticed just over the past few days, and I share them with you because they make me bouncy.
She likes to climb the tree in our front yard, but the bark was cutting up her bare toes. I made a rule that she has to have shoes on if she wants to climb the tree. The other day she asked, I reminded about shoes. Not only did she run and get them, but she has been putting them on first ever since without my having to remind.
Conversation is really happening more and more. She even is getting a little better at the direct question, which she had had trouble with before. Wayyy more regular use of words, and lots of times I only have to say something once to her as opposed to the bunches of times it had taken before (sometimes the bunches are still required, but hey, she's 5)
She is more engaging in play. Yesterday she had me sit in the car with her in the garage, and we actually went on a pretend adventure (we pretended to drive the car to see a snowman, but then the car broke, so Gracie used a pretend hammer to fix it).
She's been sleeping a little better. Now there are usually a couple of nights during the week where she actually sleeps all night in her own bed (very often on shot night, bless her, plus most of the time I was really sick. It's like she knows).
She finally knows her colours and most of her letters (!), and will recite them on command. The letters thing, I JUST noticed - she had taken all her letter magnets off the refrigerator (chicka chicka boom boom), and I told her to put them back on before I gave her juice. As she did, I asked her to name some of the letters. She did! I hadn't known she could do that...I always try to point out letters and I know she does that in school, but she hadn't let me quiz her on them before.
She is also MUCH better with babysitters, even the ones with whom she isn't super-familiar, and is confident enough in Mama's return etc that as soon as I leave, she will usually cuddle up with whoever and watch TV with them.
She also puts her clothes into the hamper or the laundry when I ask her to - actually, once she figured out that some clothes go in the laundry, the then decided she wanted to put ALL her clothes in the laundry, and I had to explain that it was only the dirty clothes we do that with. I also made a new rule that whenever we leave the downstairs room, the pillows all have to be put back on the couch (I tripped over them, you see). She did so quite happily.
She's still challenging. I don't dare take her to a street fair or let her go into the bathroom alone, and she still doesn't listen a lot of the time...but she's 5. I will still keep the appointment I made with Klaus the shrink, but more and more I believe that there isn't a blessed thing wrong with her that time and extra TLC/management won't sort out. And she's increasingly the most loving, creative, and charming kid in the world (yes, I am biased).
Gracie is super-exciting! Yayyy!
BUT there have been some things I have noticed just over the past few days, and I share them with you because they make me bouncy.
She likes to climb the tree in our front yard, but the bark was cutting up her bare toes. I made a rule that she has to have shoes on if she wants to climb the tree. The other day she asked, I reminded about shoes. Not only did she run and get them, but she has been putting them on first ever since without my having to remind.
Conversation is really happening more and more. She even is getting a little better at the direct question, which she had had trouble with before. Wayyy more regular use of words, and lots of times I only have to say something once to her as opposed to the bunches of times it had taken before (sometimes the bunches are still required, but hey, she's 5)
She is more engaging in play. Yesterday she had me sit in the car with her in the garage, and we actually went on a pretend adventure (we pretended to drive the car to see a snowman, but then the car broke, so Gracie used a pretend hammer to fix it).
She's been sleeping a little better. Now there are usually a couple of nights during the week where she actually sleeps all night in her own bed (very often on shot night, bless her, plus most of the time I was really sick. It's like she knows).
She finally knows her colours and most of her letters (!), and will recite them on command. The letters thing, I JUST noticed - she had taken all her letter magnets off the refrigerator (chicka chicka boom boom), and I told her to put them back on before I gave her juice. As she did, I asked her to name some of the letters. She did! I hadn't known she could do that...I always try to point out letters and I know she does that in school, but she hadn't let me quiz her on them before.
She is also MUCH better with babysitters, even the ones with whom she isn't super-familiar, and is confident enough in Mama's return etc that as soon as I leave, she will usually cuddle up with whoever and watch TV with them.
She also puts her clothes into the hamper or the laundry when I ask her to - actually, once she figured out that some clothes go in the laundry, the then decided she wanted to put ALL her clothes in the laundry, and I had to explain that it was only the dirty clothes we do that with. I also made a new rule that whenever we leave the downstairs room, the pillows all have to be put back on the couch (I tripped over them, you see). She did so quite happily.
She's still challenging. I don't dare take her to a street fair or let her go into the bathroom alone, and she still doesn't listen a lot of the time...but she's 5. I will still keep the appointment I made with Klaus the shrink, but more and more I believe that there isn't a blessed thing wrong with her that time and extra TLC/management won't sort out. And she's increasingly the most loving, creative, and charming kid in the world (yes, I am biased).
Gracie is super-exciting! Yayyy!
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Date: 2010-05-16 04:46 pm (UTC)