At the beginning of January, when classes resumed at daycare, Cora's teacher sent me home with a list of milestones that she wanted Cora to reach before moving her up into the 2-year-old class. As I read through the list, I told Ms. Lois that Cora could already do all those things, except for the last one. So now that she's officially moved up (and it's going well - she had a very good first week!), I thought I'd write out those milestones, for documentation purposes:
1. Runs
She started walking at 12-months and was running after her big bro by 15-months
2. Throws a ball overhand without falling
She's been doing this long enough that we don't remember when it started (and we didn't know it was a milestone, so we didn't bother recording the date)
3. Builds a tower of 5-6 blocks
She does better with Legos and
Geokid blocks, but she can build with wooden blocks too
4. Completes a 6+ piece puzzle
Puzzles are one of Cora's favorite activities, and she's really good about finding the right pieces for each of the 4 puzzles we keep in our windowsills and placing them in the correct spots
5. Looks at pictures in books and turns pages
She's become more interested in books since she turned 18-months, reading to herself as well as bringing them to us to read with her, and she's able to not only turn the pages, but to point out and name many things on each and every page
6. Points to 5 or more body parts
OK, let's count the body parts she can point out: head, hair, ears, eyes, eyebrows, nose, mouth, teeth, lips, cheeks, hands, fingers, feet, toes, knees, shoulders, belly, belly button, butt (and she also knows vagina and penis - yes, I just typed that...), and she can name them all too
7. Uses spoon with little spilling
She started using a spoon around 13-months and had it pretty well figured out by 15-months
8. Speaks 20 words
Please, we have SO lost count - she probably has at least 100 commonly used words now
9. Uses toilet when taken by an adult
This is the one she hasn't mastered yet, but she does go willingly and sit on the toilet, and so far she's peed in the potty once, so we think potty training might not be too hard with her. But only time will tell. It's bound to help now that she's in a class with lots of potty trained toddlers though - peers who lead by example carry heavy influence, even at this young age (monkey see, monkey do)!
(In case you're wondering what she's up to in these photos, James recently taught her how to be a "gate" and use the magic password, which is "please". She doesn't fully grasp the concept though, and just stops randomly around the house to put her arms out. Not that she can reach both sides of a door frame at the same time anyway. Silly little baby. She's so dang entertaining!)
She watched James and I pretend to drink from the wooden condiment jars yesterday. Monkey see, monkey do.
Oh goodness, is she ever beautiful!
The only thing that made her happy today (when not nursing or being held), was having something in each hand (for security?) All day long, she HAD to have at least 2 objects in her possession. Here she's holding her toothbrush and James' wooden engine for his train table. While dressed in her cooking gear.
James climbed up on the catfish, unprompted, multiple times...
(When I pulled out his clothes for the day, he pointed at the shirt and said "Pirate!", made his index finger into a hook, and said "Yarrrrr!")
I had to be sly and sneak a picture of Coltin with his daddy (since he isn't too fond of being photographed). He was having a "sit down" with his sippy.
James wasn't too interested in the Scrabble board this time, but Cora had fun crawling around.
And Coltin helped his daddy make an impromptu Mother's Day card, finding all the letters as Stirlin called them out. Except that the board didn't have enough P's and A's...
You get the gist though, eh?
I guess she just thought I was going to abandon her at the rock wall though, because she was fine as soon as I picked her back up, and wore her crown happily for the rest of the day. Jay made me one too. Except it was too small for my head...
When we went underground, James surprised us by heading straight into the tunnels. (Remember, he was terrified of them 2 months ago?)
And Cora followed right behind him! She is definitely our fearless child...
After the museum, we headed over to the adjoining park for a picnic lunch. Cora was determined to get herself a PB&J sandwich. And we were determined not to give her peanut butter for the first time on a weekend when far from home and the pediatrician's office. Hold on there Sissy, you've still got over a month until you hit the 1-year mark! Then you can have all the PB and honey you want.
She was happy enough with a chunk of bread though. Those new chompers sure make tearing up food a whole lot easier!
After a bit, Sophie and Manu joined us for some soccer and games and time at the playground.
Manu thought he was pretty funny putting this turtle on James' head. James thought it was funny to dramatically knock it off. I lost count of how many times they did this...
When Cora tried to take off with Sophie's phone, Manu went to rescue it. She thought he wanted to play with her, but he really just wanted that phone back!
For the second time this weekend, James swung on the big swing like a big boy. He does great holding on, and is SO proud of himself!
He wouldn't go down the slides by himself though. And he wouldn't go with Manu. I tricked him into going in front of me a couple times, and he rode down in Sophie's lap once. Too bad my photo turned out so blurry... it was pretty cute seeing him balanced on her knees, with her ever-shrinking lap between them (she's due with Manu's little brother in August). James says her name so clearly, and he's picked up on her sayings. When he first started saying "Whoops" we had to think long and hard where he'd learned it from. Too cute!
It was hot and sunny at the playground, so we retreated underneath the play structures. Cora loved chasing the boys around, especially in all the little nooks and crannies us adults couldn't fit into!
All in all it was a GREAT day. Jay and I were exhausted when we got home. Of course, the kids napped for the entire hour drive back from Jackson, so they were NOT sleepy. Cora nursed 3 different times and kept flinging herself off my lap to go play or crawl over to Jay and James on the other couch. James thought it was awesome and encouraged her to climb up on the couch with them, trying to pull her up himself, saying "Come on Sissy!" And who were we to enforce bedtime when the kiddos so obviously wanted to hang out together and snuggle?
Or perhaps they were just working the system? Knowing we wouldn't make them go to sleep if they continued to be sweet and adorable? Sneaky little monkeys...