I know, I know! I haven't posted anything in FOREVER. What can I say? Except that I've been slacking. El is now going to daycare two days a week so I can work in our family's tax office. She goes to the same wonderful in-home daycare as Jackson. She loves, loves, loves playing with the other kids. It was hard to drop her off the first day, but I doubt that's unusual. Below you will find the note (essay?) I wrote to the daycare provider, Carol, regarding my little El-bell's days & ways. Thought I'd share :)
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Eleanor’s (usual,though not always) Schedule & Idiosyncrasies:
9:00 – 10:00: Somewhere in this hour she goes down for her morning nap. You will know she’s ready when she gets fussy and dramatic. She sleeps on average, about 40 minutes. Without fail, she fusses and cries when she goes down. I let her cry it out.
10:00 – 11:00: She usually eats a 6 oz bottle. Often, she’ll eat a couple ounces, push the bottle away, and crab-crawl off to play. Then, a bit later, she’ll realize she’s still hungry, fuss & finish the bottle. She’s a little weirdo like that.
11:30 – 12:30: She gets hungry for lunch and real food. She eats a ridiculous amount of food. You’ll know she’s done when she starts smashing things on her tray and fussing. She’s super dramatic about having her face & hands cleaned so don’t be alarmed if she starts squealing like you’re pulling out her toenails.
1:00- 1:30: She goes down within this half hour. I always offer her a small bottle before even though she usually has just eaten her weight in food. She’ll eat anywhere between two and four ounces. Pretty much without fail, she will cry and fuss when you put her down. Let her cry it out. She naps between 1.5 & 2 hours, though more often, it’s an hour and a half.
3:00-4:00: I offer her a bottle. She usually eats about six ounces, though I offer her eight. Sometimes, she’ll just eat a little and hold out for real food. She will happily snack when it is
snack time.
4:30-5:00: Sometimes she gets really hungry for real food. I will offer her a hearty snack/dinner around this time if she is fussing like she’s hungry.
Other idiosyncrasies:
-Eleanor is really into paper & there is no end to how much she will eat if she gets her hands on it. She’ll show uncanny determination to get a hold of it too, so just be aware that art projects within her reach are not safe.
Eleanor’s (usual,though not always) Schedule & Idiosyncrasies:
9:00 – 10:00: Somewhere in this hour she goes down for her morning nap. You will know she’s ready when she gets fussy and dramatic. She sleeps on average, about 40 minutes. Without fail, she fusses and cries when she goes down. I let her cry it out.
10:00 – 11:00: She usually eats a 6 oz bottle. Often, she’ll eat a couple ounces, push the bottle away, and crab-crawl off to play. Then, a bit later, she’ll realize she’s still hungry, fuss & finish the bottle. She’s a little weirdo like that.
11:30 – 12:30: She gets hungry for lunch and real food. She eats a ridiculous amount of food. You’ll know she’s done when she starts smashing things on her tray and fussing. She’s super dramatic about having her face & hands cleaned so don’t be alarmed if she starts squealing like you’re pulling out her toenails.
1:00- 1:30: She goes down within this half hour. I always offer her a small bottle before even though she usually has just eaten her weight in food. She’ll eat anywhere between two and four ounces. Pretty much without fail, she will cry and fuss when you put her down. Let her cry it out. She naps between 1.5 & 2 hours, though more often, it’s an hour and a half.
3:00-4:00: I offer her a bottle. She usually eats about six ounces, though I offer her eight. Sometimes, she’ll just eat a little and hold out for real food. She will happily snack when it is
snack time.
4:30-5:00: Sometimes she gets really hungry for real food. I will offer her a hearty snack/dinner around this time if she is fussing like she’s hungry.
Other idiosyncrasies:
-Eleanor is really into paper & there is no end to how much she will eat if she gets her hands on it. She’ll show uncanny determination to get a hold of it too, so just be aware that art projects within her reach are not safe.
-In addition to paper, she’s always trying to eat diaper wipes.
-She loves musical toys & Jackson-- maybe more than paper.
-She’s really into wristwatches & because her nanny always gives her the watch on demand, she thinks she’s entitled to every watch that catches her eye. Strange little phase.
-She’s practicing lots of new skills so bonks her head a lot. Usually a quick snuggle will suffice. We also tend to tell her, "You're tough, Eleanor. Be tough."
-She’s not particularly cuddly. She doesn’t tend to want to be held unless she’s tired.
-She seldom will lie still while having her diaper changed & sometimes she’ll fuss rather dramatically about putting her pants back on.
-I’m not above placating her fussiness with a cracker. Perhaps that’s why she’s such a chunk.
-When she touches something she isn’t suppose to, I tell her “Eleanor, no. No touch.” Then I relocate her away from said item and distract with another toy. Sometimes she’ll go back so I’ll
say no again. Sometimes, she’ll look and me and smile mischievously and continue on. This is when we give her a “time out.” I’ll hold her for about 40 seconds in a held/hug position. Don’t feel like you need to do it this way, but it’s what we do when she’s being a naughty little stinker.
say no again. Sometimes, she’ll look and me and smile mischievously and continue on. This is when we give her a “time out.” I’ll hold her for about 40 seconds in a held/hug position. Don’t feel like you need to do it this way, but it’s what we do when she’s being a naughty little stinker.
