Olivia: "Do 'Bih-yee' saht wih dis yetter?" (holding up a "B" in the bathtub)
Me: "Yes!! Good girl!"
So the one day of being "Billie" at school** did stick a little bit...smart girl!! :)
She was determined to finish spelling "Billie" despite the fact that we have only one 'L' and one 'I.' We substituted a '7' and a 'Y' respectively.
**For those of you who missed The Saga, here's what went down:
Olivia is darn cute and LOVES to talk a lot (Grandma Marty can account for 30 minutes+ of Olivia's jibber jabber on the swing recently, and Nana and Pop recall the car trip to Georgetown during which we could barely cut into her monologue). We don't, however, understand all that she says, as her articulation is not fantastic.
Last April we had her speech evaluated, and heard she was "on track." Kids develop at different rates, and many sounds are not mastered until age 7.
At her preschool this fall, however, the Speech & Hearing Screen determined she should have some further evaluation. We took her back to Child Find for a more in-depth eval, and they decided she was on the cusp of needing some assistance. If we were interested in switching her to a public preschool, she'd receive free preschool and some speech intervention.
I visited the new school without and with Olivia; it is almost exactly 4 miles from us (and very near a drive-through Starbucks and "the Red Park"). The director and her assistant are fabulous, and the philosophy and activities are too. On the day we visited together, Olivia jumped right in and began shaving "Steve" the mannequin head, with real shaving cream (glad the school thinks that mess is fun!) at the salon learning center and she LOVED playing cashier, selling candy and real popcorn at the movie theater learning center.
Hoping this is all for the best, but sad to leave friends and teachers at the old school, we decided to enroll O at the new school, excited that she'll be getting intervention early.
A couple of cons to the sitchiation: 1) Zach now attends school five mornings a week from 8:30-11:15a, and O attends 4 afternoons from 12-2:30p. That doesn't leave much time to try to make O eat something for lunch, and does add up to some quality car time. 2) Before her arrival, there were already two 'Olivia's in her class. The teachers wondered if our O had any nicknames, and I shared that I call her "Billy" (not having ever spelled it, and mentioning that she wasn't super-thrilled with that name when I asked what she wanted to be called at school) or we could go with "Olivia Cate."
On her first day, the teachers greeted us, with, "Why, hello, Billy! Are you excited to start school here, Billy? Here's your coat hook, Billy." (Said coat hook was labeled "Billy.")
Gulp.
Olivia said, "My name is not Bih-yee. My name is Oh-yih-via, but you can cah me "Bih-yee." Sweet girl!
Despite her ready attitude, my stomach began to drop. "Billy" flashed at me on her attendance plaque, and play plan sheet, etc. They asked how I was feeling about her nickname, and I asked that we be allowed to think about it, and in the mean time please change it to "Billie" with an 'ie.' No problem, they said. "Billie, we'll just show you around..."
Talking to Scott ("Hmm, I'm not sure we want her to be called 'Billie' just because two other Olivia's beat us to her class") and friends ("She'll be like Miley Cyrus in a few years, legally changing her name because she's always been "Billie"), and chewing it over, I decided we needed to go with "Olivia Cate." I mean, otherwise she'd have been learning to spell and pronounce her name as "Billie." I started picturing her years down the road, in 6th grade and at graduation, introducing herself as "Billie." Personally, I LOVE the nickname, but I didn't want that to be her name officially unless she chooses to be that later in life.
So, identity crisis *hopefully* averted, she remains Olivia Cate. And she appears to be thriving in the new class. :)
Showing posts with label Milestones. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Milestones. Show all posts
January 28, 2011
March 18, 2010
April 27, 2009
Breakfast Counting
...and then the camera ran out of memory. He can definitely count beyond four.
Zach has really mastered his "th"s lately.
I'm (a little bit) lamenting the loss of the "I sink I left dat sick book over der."
Got Chocolate Milk?
Olivia can finally tell you her name! (I'd better get practicing. I'm not sure I've been saying it right.)
December 30, 2008
Christmas Letter 2008
December 2008/January 2009
Greetings of the Season, Dear Friends and Family!
We’re still writing from Colorado, and it’s hard to imagine a place we’d rather be. The sun, the mountains…with some more of you and a large body of water, it’d be perfect. We’re excited that the kids can do a bit more on their own, and last summer we enjoyed some hikes and swims at Bear Creek Lake Park. A few weeks ago, we even went to so far as to purchase a four-pack of ski tickets for Scott and me to use. It’s been a years since we’ve really threaded the slopes, so this little toe-dip back in is pretty exciting.
We feel blessed that 2008 was rich with visits to and from family. We greeted the New Year in balmy Fargo celebrating my cousin’s nuptials. The youngest guest at the wedding was my sister’s one-month-old baby, Kacie Clair, sweet girl! Then both sets of grandparents visited Denver in February, March, and April, able to help us celebrate Olivia’s big, first birthday and Zach’s Spiderman cupcake third. In July, we drove back to MN for Olivia and Kacie’s joint baptism at the church where my grandma served coffee for 30 years. The kids (and we ‘rents) enjoyed time at the lake, and Zach caught his first fish. We should have just kept the car packed because in August we headed up to Montana to see Scott’s uncle, grandma and parents. Again, Zach was thrilled to operate the hay-baler. We welcomed Nana and Pop back to Denver as they headed west in October and back through in November. The kids love all the time they get to be spoiled by grandparents!
It seems impossible, but Zach is going to be four in March. He continues to amaze us with his learning. He must be the smartest child on the planet! He played in a fall soccer league and started at a new T/Th morning preschool up the hill from us. Trucks and outdoor play remain high on his list of favorite things, but he enjoys “projrecks” like painting and making potato stamps. It’s hard to find him happier than when he gets to spend time “working” with Daddy, but he sure does love to play with Olivia and celebrate her new words, “She said ‘bus!’ Mama, she said ‘bus!’”
As you’d imagine, Olivia remains fascinated with her big brother and everything he does. She started a morning daycare program one day a week, and I love to read her report cards, which usually mention cars and trucks. She’s at “that active stage,” and every once in a while we can spy the little horns sprouting out of her bean. It’s been a big year for Olivia, as she learned to walk, or rather run, at about 14 months. She’s definitely our climber, and has so far focused most of her energy into the physical development, though recently she’s started speaking two-word sentences. We know, too soon, we’ll be wishing she were a little less verbose. We’ll enjoy it all as it comes!
And what of the parents? Scott continues to find (not enough) time for his two-wheeled pursuits. The big rides this year were the Triple By-Pass (120 road miles over 3 mtn. passes) and the Breck 67 (67 miles of beautiful but grueling off-road terrain), which he finished like a champ. His job with Square D takes him to Phoenix almost every month, but not for too long. We’ve set up a great babysitting exchange with some neighbors, so we even get some date nights in.
I remain entertained by and committed to book club, shuttling kids, and various crafty projects. I ran the Bolder Boulder 10K with some friends in May and tried to play some softball until I had a season-ending ankle sprain. As I managed to procrastinate on this letter long enough to take us into the new year, I can share that I “plunged” into 2009 via the Evergreen Polar Plunge! What a fantastic cleansing moment it was. We’re thankful that Scott is still employed and I’m able to stay home with the kiddoes.
Though our house doesn’t have lavish guest bedrooms, we always welcome visitors and would love to show off our haunts and hikes. In the mean time, you can keep up (sort of) with our daily stuff via our blog: http://thewallacesonline.blogspot.com. Please keep in touch!
Much love to you,
Kjirsten, Scott, Zach & Olivia
Greetings of the Season, Dear Friends and Family!
We’re still writing from Colorado, and it’s hard to imagine a place we’d rather be. The sun, the mountains…with some more of you and a large body of water, it’d be perfect. We’re excited that the kids can do a bit more on their own, and last summer we enjoyed some hikes and swims at Bear Creek Lake Park. A few weeks ago, we even went to so far as to purchase a four-pack of ski tickets for Scott and me to use. It’s been a years since we’ve really threaded the slopes, so this little toe-dip back in is pretty exciting.
We feel blessed that 2008 was rich with visits to and from family. We greeted the New Year in balmy Fargo celebrating my cousin’s nuptials. The youngest guest at the wedding was my sister’s one-month-old baby, Kacie Clair, sweet girl! Then both sets of grandparents visited Denver in February, March, and April, able to help us celebrate Olivia’s big, first birthday and Zach’s Spiderman cupcake third. In July, we drove back to MN for Olivia and Kacie’s joint baptism at the church where my grandma served coffee for 30 years. The kids (and we ‘rents) enjoyed time at the lake, and Zach caught his first fish. We should have just kept the car packed because in August we headed up to Montana to see Scott’s uncle, grandma and parents. Again, Zach was thrilled to operate the hay-baler. We welcomed Nana and Pop back to Denver as they headed west in October and back through in November. The kids love all the time they get to be spoiled by grandparents!
It seems impossible, but Zach is going to be four in March. He continues to amaze us with his learning. He must be the smartest child on the planet! He played in a fall soccer league and started at a new T/Th morning preschool up the hill from us. Trucks and outdoor play remain high on his list of favorite things, but he enjoys “projrecks” like painting and making potato stamps. It’s hard to find him happier than when he gets to spend time “working” with Daddy, but he sure does love to play with Olivia and celebrate her new words, “She said ‘bus!’ Mama, she said ‘bus!’”
As you’d imagine, Olivia remains fascinated with her big brother and everything he does. She started a morning daycare program one day a week, and I love to read her report cards, which usually mention cars and trucks. She’s at “that active stage,” and every once in a while we can spy the little horns sprouting out of her bean. It’s been a big year for Olivia, as she learned to walk, or rather run, at about 14 months. She’s definitely our climber, and has so far focused most of her energy into the physical development, though recently she’s started speaking two-word sentences. We know, too soon, we’ll be wishing she were a little less verbose. We’ll enjoy it all as it comes!
And what of the parents? Scott continues to find (not enough) time for his two-wheeled pursuits. The big rides this year were the Triple By-Pass (120 road miles over 3 mtn. passes) and the Breck 67 (67 miles of beautiful but grueling off-road terrain), which he finished like a champ. His job with Square D takes him to Phoenix almost every month, but not for too long. We’ve set up a great babysitting exchange with some neighbors, so we even get some date nights in.
I remain entertained by and committed to book club, shuttling kids, and various crafty projects. I ran the Bolder Boulder 10K with some friends in May and tried to play some softball until I had a season-ending ankle sprain. As I managed to procrastinate on this letter long enough to take us into the new year, I can share that I “plunged” into 2009 via the Evergreen Polar Plunge! What a fantastic cleansing moment it was. We’re thankful that Scott is still employed and I’m able to stay home with the kiddoes.
Though our house doesn’t have lavish guest bedrooms, we always welcome visitors and would love to show off our haunts and hikes. In the mean time, you can keep up (sort of) with our daily stuff via our blog: http://thewallacesonline.blogspot.com. Please keep in touch!
Much love to you,
Kjirsten, Scott, Zach & Olivia
October 27, 2008
How Do They Learn this Stuff?
Flash back with me to January of 2008.
That's only 10ish months ago, right? Wow, has a lot changed since then.
I opened my My Pictures folder, and found this little mug muggin' at me. Really, who teaches these kids that this is a "smile?" Somehow they learn because, not even just when it's mine, whenever a camera comes out, our kids bring out the crinkle-your-nose-squint-your-eyes-bare-your-teeth-almost-puppy-like smile. It's often accompanied by a sound that's presumably a version of "Cheeeeeeeese" but without the "ch" and the "s." So basically, "Eeeeeeee."
I'll dig up some of Zach's cheesing, but for now, here are a few of Olivia in January, at almost 11 months. Please excuse the terrible linoleum and especially the flakes of whatever she's scooting over. Maybe it was just something on the camera lens. Let's go with that.
Check out those CHOPPERS.
"The view down here's the cat's meow, almost literally, if that were possible!"
That's only 10ish months ago, right? Wow, has a lot changed since then.
I opened my My Pictures folder, and found this little mug muggin' at me. Really, who teaches these kids that this is a "smile?" Somehow they learn because, not even just when it's mine, whenever a camera comes out, our kids bring out the crinkle-your-nose-squint-your-eyes-bare-your-teeth-almost-puppy-like smile. It's often accompanied by a sound that's presumably a version of "Cheeeeeeeese" but without the "ch" and the "s." So basically, "Eeeeeeee."
I'll dig up some of Zach's cheesing, but for now, here are a few of Olivia in January, at almost 11 months. Please excuse the terrible linoleum and especially the flakes of whatever she's scooting over. Maybe it was just something on the camera lens. Let's go with that.
"Eeeeeeee"
Check out those CHOPPERS.
"The view down here's the cat's meow, almost literally, if that were possible!"
October 12, 2008
Big Girl Bed!
At almost 20 mos., Olivia began climbing INTO her crib, so we decided, we'd better pull the front barrier off and make it a big-girl bed before she decided to climb OUT.
These pics were taken her first night in her "new" bed.
She had a rough time at naptime, earlier in the day. She cried and climbed out, and pulled the wipes out of the container, and moved the garbage behind the rocker and unloaded the blanket drawer and cried and played with the monitor, and cried. And, finally, after several visits and an extra lullaby, she fell asleep.
At bedtime, she cried a bit, and climbed out of bed a bit, but she did fall asleep much quicker, probably also due to the short nap earlier.
No front barrier to keep her confined!
"Woudja stop with the flash, Mom?"
Also, last night - 10/19/08 - she successfully used the toilet for the first time, for both functions! BIG girl. I wish that meant we were going to be done with diapers, but I am a realist, and we came home from the store with another box. But we're getting closer. Yay!
These pics were taken her first night in her "new" bed.
She had a rough time at naptime, earlier in the day. She cried and climbed out, and pulled the wipes out of the container, and moved the garbage behind the rocker and unloaded the blanket drawer and cried and played with the monitor, and cried. And, finally, after several visits and an extra lullaby, she fell asleep.
At bedtime, she cried a bit, and climbed out of bed a bit, but she did fall asleep much quicker, probably also due to the short nap earlier.
Big Girl! Sweetly sleeping.
No front barrier to keep her confined!
"Woudja stop with the flash, Mom?"
Also, last night - 10/19/08 - she successfully used the toilet for the first time, for both functions! BIG girl. I wish that meant we were going to be done with diapers, but I am a realist, and we came home from the store with another box. But we're getting closer. Yay!
(I didn't provide pics of this milestone. Sorry.)
August 15, 2008
June 10, 2008
"AC? What's that?"
Olivia was quite fascinated with the cold air flowing out of the air duct!
Tap, tap, tap, giggle. Walk away. Walk back. Tap, tap, tap...etc.
Tap, tap, tap, giggle. Walk away. Walk back. Tap, tap, tap...etc.
April 26, 2008
Walking!
Olivia apparently decided this afternoon that she should show us she knows how to walk. She has taken a few (maybe three?) steps occasionally before today. Most of those were to cover the two feet between the coffee table and the couch.
Today, she walked about 7 steps from the kitchen island to the middle of the floor, then sat down. A few minutes later, Zach (who had alerted us to her first traverse) shouted again, "She's walking!" There she was, another few feet of open floor covered before she sat. We cheered and cheered.
At that point, we stood about 15 feet apart and stood her up to walk across the room, and she did! So cute, with the little lunge for Mommy or Daddy in the last couple of steps, but mostly on her own.
Big girl!
(Of course the video camera did not cooperate when we wanted to capture this milestone, but I did get some footage on the point-and-shoot's video. I'll see if we can get 'er up here.)
Today, she walked about 7 steps from the kitchen island to the middle of the floor, then sat down. A few minutes later, Zach (who had alerted us to her first traverse) shouted again, "She's walking!" There she was, another few feet of open floor covered before she sat. We cheered and cheered.
At that point, we stood about 15 feet apart and stood her up to walk across the room, and she did! So cute, with the little lunge for Mommy or Daddy in the last couple of steps, but mostly on her own.
Big girl!
(Of course the video camera did not cooperate when we wanted to capture this milestone, but I did get some footage on the point-and-shoot's video. I'll see if we can get 'er up here.)
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