Learning

I often comment on how hard it is to notice new skills the girls have mastered, because they're slower skills and don't come as often, so I'm not looking for them. However, we've had a few. First and foremost, Cadence has learned to use the computer. I attempted to teach her using a normal mouse, but she got frustrated with it. She did eventually get it, but never really mastered it. Then, one day, she asked to play a game on my computer. I didn't pull out the mouse, just plopped my laptop in her lap. She mastered the touchpad mouse in minutes and has been asking to play ever since, which is good, since I'll be using computer programs to teach them in the coming months.

I am excited to start up what I'm calling "preschool" for the girls. Paying for Cadence to go to a preschool is outrageously overpriced, plus there's the added inconvenience of getting her there when we're still a one-car household. Cadence already knows her letters and numbers, so I won't be teaching her anything new, but she will get to review, make sure she can write them properly, and practice sitting and doing worksheets and following directions for art projects. Megan will be joining us, because the two girls are inseparable, so she might learn a few things. We'll also be doing a "science" topic each week and every other week we'll be going on "field trips" (mostly to the natural science museum) to emphasize something they've learned. For example, the week we learn about fruits/veggies and farm animals, we'll be going to Dewberry Farms.

Connor's milestones are slowly starting to appear. He's rolling, when he wants to, but he HATES being on his belly, so almost never does, because then he gets so upset he forgets he's capable of rolling onto his back again and just cries. Mostly, he likes being on his side and, if given the chance and left alone by his sisters, he'll happily roll to his side and put himself to sleep. He's starting to sit up well, but I won't claim that milestone yet. He still flops over more often than not, but he has managed to balance himself on occasion and not fall completely over. No rush, he's only 4 months (tomorrow! Wow, how time flies). All too soon, he'll be sitting up on his own and then the next step is crawling and I haven't baby-proofed yet!

Megan's newest skill is one I've been eagerly awaiting. Cadence started drawing at age 2 1/2, so with Megan being more than halfway to 4, I was getting antsy. I knew Cadence had started unusually early and drawing wasn't really Megan's "thing", but I was more than thrilled when she brought me her notebook and showed me the family she had drawn (complete with James's beard). I was a little less thrilled when I discovered she had followed in her sister's footsteps a little too closely and also drew a family on the wall: