BIG Week!

This has been a BIG WEEK in the Otto house!  Vivi is all over the place!

Today, we had her 18 month check up.  Turns out we discovered a few things.  1) Vivi is smart enough to have place recognition, and unfortunately has mentally earmarked the doctor's office as a place she DOES NOT LIKE ONE BIT.  As soon as anyone who was not me or Russ entered the room, the screaming commenced.  Our pediatrician, thankfully, has a sense of humor, and says that this behavior shows above average intelligence for her age. I think he may have been trying to be kind. Hm.
We also found out Vivi is in the 30th/33rd percentile for weight and height.  Since they stop taking "gestational age" into account at 18 months...this means she will likely follow in her cousin Eva's beautifully petite footsteps.  Shrimp-shrimp ago-go!

Vivi also astounded us by counting to 10.  Then she did it again in front of Aunt Kate (and we were so very grateful, as we kind of felt like those psycho people who claim their kids can do ridiculous things like change a car battery whilst still in diapers...so it was nice to have a witness).  We later tested her to see if she could actually count, not just parrot back numbers, and sure enough, when we place different objects in front of her she will count them (if she feels like it).

And, on Tuesday, she started basic pre-school!  Ellen (our daycare provider) came to us and said that she wondered if we would mind if Vivi started pre-school early.  Normally she waits until kids are two, but on Monday all of the older kids were home for Martin Luther King Jr Day, and they were doing an activity centered around that while the little kids were doing free-play.  Viv ignored the free-play, and wanted to do the activity.  So, here is her MLK booklet, and her first "coloring sheet" from daycare!

Ellen is going to start helping her with numbers, colors, letters and shapes.  WE ARE SO EXCITED!  And I am, ps, super excited that Ellen actually has a pre-school program, complete with themes, activities, and what not.  I have learned from family and friends that just because someone advertises they offer pre-school it does not mean that it will be pre-school as you envision it.  Ellen is awesome.  I can't wait to see what Vivi comes up with next!