Us3

Us3

Wednesday, July 20, 2011

3 Year Stats

AJ finally had his 3 year well check appointment today and he did really well. The doctor was really nice to him and he was talking to her telling her all about Monsters, Inc and other cute things. He thought it was funny when she checked his reflexes and his ears. The only problem was....the shot. :( Poor guy! I hadn't prepared him for it for two reasons. I didn't know if he was going to get any today and also if he was going to get one, I wasn't sure if it was better to surprise him or tell him in advance. When I found out that he was going to get one, I had the doctor tell him. "Just one little poke in the arm and then the nurse will give you a lollipop!" Well... let me tell you- it wasn't quite that easy. The nurse came in to give him his shot and she wasn't nearly as friendly as the doctor. I'm sure she's been giving shots to kids forever and has no emotion about it anymore. So, she asked me to lay him down on the little table (that's never a good thing for kids) and she was going to give him a shot in the leg (not at all what I had told him, right?). She said to him, "Your mommy is going to hold both of your arms down, ok?"- ugh! Freaky! And before you knew it, it was over. Except, IT HURT! As with every other time he's gotten a shot, he knew the instant it broke his skin and it was painful! He started balling right away and then the nurse walked out- WITHOUT giving him the lollipop! Which I don't think he was thinking about, but sure would have been a nice way to quickly recover!

So, after a few minutes of holding him and telling him how sorry I was, he finally recovered and we went and found him a lollipop. He talked about the shot for a while after and was confused by it, but he was fine. Then, we went to this park with all kinds of water spouts and he did alright there (even though he really seemed out of it all day) until he fell HARD on his head in the water. Now he's got a huge goose egg on his poor head. It wasn't the best day for my poor guy.

Anyway, he's just fine now and here are his stats:

3 years old
34.6 pounds (80th percentile)
34 3/4 inches tall (15th percentile)

The only other things we talked about with the doctor aside from the normal stuff was AJ's constipation (poor guy has had some miserable days) and what we think are allergies. She told me that he needs more water, less milk, more "P" letter fruits (peaches, peas, pears, etc..), and we've started giving him stool softener to make it not hurt so bad when he goes poop. The problem with the softner this past week or so is that now it doesn't hurt, but he thinks it will, so he goes in his pants. He refused to go poop in the potty. It's a messy problem, let me tell ya. But the doctor said not to worry about that right now. To go a few more weeks with the softner and let him learn that it wont hurt. She said to worry about the potty training piece of it later. (Thankfully, we still have diapers for naps and bedtime)

Regarding the allergies, if they aren't bothering him (which at this time they aren't) then there's no need to do anything. If they do start to bother him, she told me they make Claritin and Zyrtek for children. I had no idea?!

So happy to have SUCH a happy and healthy boy :) Sure do love him!

Tuesday, July 19, 2011

Time for School! (sniff, sniff...)

For many months Jason and I have been discussing the idea of sending AJ to an actual daycare. We absolutely LOVE his current babysitter, Jamie, but we feel like AJ could really use some structure and would just thrive in more of a school setting. Jamie has been so wonderful and so consistent and loving and exactly what AJ needed during a tough time in his life (all of our lives, actually). AJ just loves her and loves playing with all of his buddies- Luke, Sophie, Sam, Jack, Abby and all the other kids. I know he will miss them all so much!

That being said, Jason and I have finally decided it's time to make the change. A few weeks ago, all three of us went to check out a school (I call it school, but I suppose it's more of a daycare/preschool) called Castle Academy. It's right in the center of Castle Rock- convenient for all of us. We both have friends who've sent their children there and have been very happy. It's a family run school and they've been in business for 11 years. They have programs for children from 6 weeks old up to after school programs for elementary aged children. Here's just a bit of info from their website:

The children are introduced to a balanced program of interaction with friends in both teacher-directed and child-directed experiences. The daily schedule includes free choice of time spent in the learning centers with language arts, math, science, computers, practical life, etc. and group times for creative movement, music, storytelling and dramatization.

Our professional staff encourages exploration and growth in a well-equipped environment that is stimulating, safe, consistent and nurturing. Castle Academy provides opportunities for each child to master tasks that are appropriate to his or her individual level of development.


Castle Academy is a Montessori preschool, but when we went for the visit, I saw that they don't just let the kids run around like crazy and make all the decisions. They offer the kids structure and choices, and let them learn at their own pace. I know AJ could use some structure, but I also want him to think and make decisions for himself. What really pushed me over the edge in making this decision was that AJ really enjoyed himself on the visit. He started playing with these 2 little boys and was interested in all that was going on. Some kids were doing art, some doing math, some reading- it looked like a lot of fun! I really think he's going to do great!

AJ will start going to Castle Academy on August 8th and he'll go Monday thru Thursday and then Grandma will still have him for one day a week, on Fridays. The school is open from 6am-6pm which I hope to NEVER have him there that long, but it's nice to be able to have that flexibility when we need it. Another great thing is that they have cameras in all of the rooms and we can log in online to watch him play.
It's bittersweet I tell ya! I can't believe he's getting SO BIG! When did this happen??
 
I'll keep ya posted :)

Play Time!

I love to watch him play! And he is having some fun in this one! :)