Playing with Flour

When I don't go to work, I have energy to be "Fun Mommy". Here is what I set up for her when she got home from school today. A toddler's dream.

Circles and Climbing

Here is a video from December.

Izzy wants to be a chicken?

Paul and Izzy playing on the computer.

Sword Fighting with a Toddler

Here is a video of Paul and Izzy having a "sword fight".

Washing Hands (a Practical Life Skill)

Pulling up her sleeves.

Turning on the Water

Soaping up her hands

Looking at her hands

Drying off her hands

We have been working on washing hands especially with the Pink Eyed Bandit in our house. She is loving the foam soap called Pink Grapefruit from Bath and Body Works. She likes to have me smell her yummy hands.

Gymnasics anyone?

I play my, Is this normal? game all the time. I have studied child development extensively including my focus of being delayed with respect to child development and Isabella is quite a wonder.

• No speech till almost a year old (delayed)
• Sat at 6 months (on time)
• Walked at 12 months (on time)
• Peek-a-boo or finger games well past a year (delayed)
• Follows directions/instructions (above average)
• Climbs (above average)
• Hangs (above average)
• Does somersaults (above average)
• Fits objects into defined spaces (above average)
• Eats with spoon and fork (was delayed this is a 9-18 mo old skill)
• Drinks from cup (on time)
• Potty training (above average) what 22 month old wants to and goes to the potty. Still working on being out and about and going potty.
• Can hold a pencil with a tripod grip (above average)
• Sings songs including A, B, C, D all the way to V without a mistake (on time to above average).
• Knows all her body parts including knee, elbow and shoulder (above average. The benchmark is 5 body parts 18-24 months).
• Imitates animal sounds (which is a 9-12 mo skill was delayed, but now knows almost all sounds).

So what does an educator mom do (especially a special education teacher mom), but test her child. I rated her using the Developmental Profile II. Here is the results:



Physical development: one month delayed


Self-Help: one month delayed


Social Development: 5 months advanced


Academic Development: one month advanced


Communication Development: 9 months advanced.



Looking at the results, I am surprised.

Physically I would think that she would have been more advanced seeing that she can hang on a bar by herself but 19-24 mo skill of riding on a big wheel or tricycle for 10 feet using the pedals is something she can't do.
Self-help is at the 19-24 mo age. She is unable to take her coat off without help. She can do it sometimes but not others so I said no.
Socially she is above the 19-24 mo, but you wouldn't know when we are around family because she is so shy. But when we are at home, in the car, or when there are just a few family members she is a happy, chatter-bug. She would have met the 25-30 mo area, but she doesn't know yet that she is a girl.
Academically she is right at the 19-24 mo. She works on all the 25-30 mo skills here and at home, but I would have to say hasn't mastered grouping by color and size, copying an up and down line, and saying the words big and small.
Communication is a huge surprise especially since she is an only child. This is where going to school everyday is key for her. She meets all the areas for 19-24 mo and 25-30 mo. She also has met a 31-36 mo item because of her love for music. Being able to sing at least 2 songs satisfactory.



So going back to my topic and off from my tangent, Izzy needs gymnastics. We discovered after her watching Sydney, that she too can do somersaults. So I say Is that normal? I don't know but I do know that we are going to be looking into gymnastics classes or something like that because this kid needs to hang, twirl, balance, roll, etc. and my house is not equipped for this. Instead of Paul building us a garden he is going to need to build a balance beam and uneven bars. Do I have the next Mary Lou?

The Pink Eye Bandit has struck again

You know, some families pass around the cold or the flu, our's has decided that pink eye will be the sickness we will share this winter season. Yes, I now have it and it is gross. We are pretty sure that I did not get it from Izzy, but from work. So pink eye is the new "flu". Instead of everyone getting sick from the flu we get pink eye. It is so much fun to wash your hands 3,000 times a day, want to scratch your eye out, and ohh, no kisses for anyone including the dogs.