bonk!

Yesterday was Gusty's first day at the new daycare. She loved her teacher at the old one, but this new place has much better facilities for a toddler. There's a large grassy field and a smooth concrete area for carts and tricycles. Anand & I decided ahead of time to stay with August for an hour so she wouldn't feel abandoned among all the new faces. When we opened the door to her room at the daycare, she let my hand go and walked right in as if she owned the place. We all started playing with the toys. When I wasn't playing with August, I played with a very small 16 month old girl. I was told that little Mikayla weighed only 12 pounds. August is almost 15 months old and weighs 24 pounds. I was amazed at Mikayla's advanced walking skills - she could walk as well as any adult. She would even step on toys and not lose her footing. After an hour, we decided it was time to go. I was anxious for August. Would she cry or scream now that we were leaving her with strangers? Neither, it turns out. August smiled and waved and shouted, "Bye!" But poor Mikayla didn't want us to go, so she sat and cried.

Anand returned to pick up August at 5PM. He watched her finish her afternoon snack. She was sitting next to a boy named Harrison. He was older than her by 2 months, and though he's heftier, August is taller. Over and over, Harrison kept pushing August's cup of milk out of her mouth. When none of the care givers were watching, she took her cup of milk and smacked him in the head with it. Have I mentioned that August can throw her toys a good 3 meters? Poor Harrison started crying.

Lesson learned - don't get between Gusty and her milk.