Daycare Update: Abby is a Blueberry!

Yesterday was Abigail's first full day in the Blueberry Room. (She's now considered a toddler - yikes!) Last week, Abby was "transitioned" from the Strawberry Room to the Blueberry Room, spending some time in both rooms, being introduced to the new teachers slowly, and having time to get used to her new surroundings. Monday marked Abby's first complete day as a Blueberry.

Thankfully, the transition seems to be going very smoothly. The other kiddos in the Blueberry Room are kiddos that Abby has played with at various points when she was a Shrimp and then a Strawberry. Most notably, Abby and her best friend, "dimples Derrick", are now back together, and it's as if they were never apart!

Some big changes that came along with this switch:

• Abby is now on a schedule. In the infant room, the babies were fed on demand, able to sleep on demand, etc. Now, breakfast is served at 8:00 am, lunch is served at 11:00 am, nap time is from 12 noon - 2:15, and afternoon snack is at 2:30 pm. Obviously, they aren't starving our child, and we supply supplemental foods that she can eat if she's hungry and it's not a meal time. However, the schedule that they have set up seems to be working really well for Abby.
• Abby no longer naps in a crib. (I know - this shocked me, too!) Toddlers take naps on cots - basically a small mat that is taken out for nap times and stored away at all other times. This allows more room for toys and activities in the classroom. I was worried when I found out that Abby wouldn't be in a crib, but she has been doing great. In fact, she's napping longer than she was towards the end of her time in the infant room. I think that, because the lights are turned down and all the other kids are down for naps at the same time, Abby doesn't feel like she's missing anything. For example, yesterday's nap was almost 2.5 hours, compared to 45-60 minutes in the Strawberry Room. It's definitely noticeable - Abby is in a great mood when I pick her up, and she's not crabby when we're home at night.
• The toddlers also go outside to play on the playground. (Which might help explain those longer naps!) Tutor Time has playground space behind their facility, and this space is divided up by age group, that way little kids aren't trampled by bigger kids. Well, on days when the weather is nice, the Blueberries go out to play and Abby absolutely loves it. She will just run around, exploring and chasing the other kiddos.

So, in a nutshell, Abby is doing great. And, in honor of her first day as a Blueberry, we dressed Abby in, what else, BLUE! :-)