Guppy time...

Has it come to this already? This is my reward for raising a child that is advanced, huh? I embarked on my normal lunchtime outing...to daycare to feed Tatum...and it turned my world upside down today. Sigh.

So I walk in her classroom, and the lead teacher, whom I absolutely adore, starts off with, 'Um...they're wanting to move Tatum to the Guppy room on February 4th.'

"Say wha' huh?" was my very eloquent response to this statment. I was mighty proud of myself for that one, let me tell you.

She then proceeds to tell me that the director of the daycare was covering for another teacher in Tatum's class this morning and got to witness just how truly advanced my little 10-month old actually is developmentally. There are two other kids in her class that are older than her, and they normally "graduate" children to the next class based on chronological age, not developmental progress. However, Kellen "jumped" someone to graduate to the Guppies and it appears that his sister will beat him by jumping two people. The current oldest little girl has yet to crawl - yes, I'm serious, and she's right at a month older than Tatum. The second is unfortunately having to undergo two different surgeries that will immobilize her very soon, so they'll graduate her once she's completed the healing from those.

They had previously told me that they wouldn't have Tatum jump anyone because of developmental issues, but I think at the time they told me that (about a month or so ago) they really thought that little girl #1 would start moving, which she has not yet done. Poor Carolyn, she was given the job of "breaking the ice" with me about this topic today. They hadn't (at least at lunchtime) talked with the mom of little girl #1 about not moving up, but I think that she was already really hesitant about the change because of the lack of movement. Historically, there have at times been a combination of kids in the Guppy room at both walking and crawling stages; however, currently ALL of the kids in there are completely mobile and walking. So if she doesn't get moving within the next two weeks, she is quite literally going to get run over.

Bless Carolyn's heart! She and the other teacher know that I'm desperately trying to make it to a year with nursing, and that this will REALLY put a crimp into that plan because it will take away one whole nursing session (my lunchtime session).

Oh yes, did I mention that I will no longer be able to go and nurse her at lunch? The Guppy class eats lunch from 11:00 - 11:30 AM and then goes down for their nap. So if I came at lunch, she would (hopefully) be asleep - unless I restructured my lunchtime. Oh, and they don't really like for the kids in this room to have bottles...so we'll have to work to get her used to a sippy cup so that she can take her 9 AM and 3 PM milk from a sippy cup instead of a bottle. In two weeks. So we spent a little time talking about ways to transition and things of the such during lunch today.

Sigh.

I know that this is coming across as oh-so-much more negative than it really is. She is READY to go to the Guppy room - socially, physically, emotionally, etc. I have no doubt that she'll do great there and that she is ready to move up.

I'm just not ready for her to be ready to move up. She's my baby, and she won't be in the baby room anymore. And that just makes me want to cry.

Speaking of not being a baby.................

I told Kellen at dinnertime that Tatum was going to be a Guppy. His response, a very emphatic, "I KNOW!"

Kellen: Maybe we can shrink Tatum.
Mommy: Why would we want to shrink Tatum?
Kellen: So that she'll stay small. I don't want her to get big. I want to ALWAYS have a baby.
Mommy: You know what Kellen, Mommy feels the same way sometimes. I don't want you or Tatum to get big. But you will. Does that mean you want another baby?
Kellen: No. We can't have another baby.
Mommy: We can't?
Kellen: No. God can't make another baby.
Mommy (laughing at this point in time): Oh yes he can, buddy.