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Ellie is born!
Although I had a very rough pregnancy, Ellie May was born on a crisp fall day and blessed our lives! She had an Apgar Score of 6. The text explains that a score of 4-7 is not normal, that may require "some resuscitative measures" (page 88). Since Ellie was only 5 pounds and had a lower Apgar Score, she stayed in the hospital for a week to be monitered. However, she made it home and we couldn't be happier! -
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Ellie's Childhood Development
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Object Permanence
Ellie is 12 months old and is in love with the hidden object game. She finally has reached the developmental stage where she can find the toy I hide from her under her favorite blanky. She has an understanding of object permenance (pp. 145), that the object still exists although she cannot see it. Even with two hiding spots she can find where I put it. She loves to do it over and over! -
Toddling and Exploring
Ellie is 2.5 years old. She is less clingy and wants to adventure and explore her surroundings. We have to put up baby gates and baby proof the house extensively! She is showing signs of secure attachment, as she uses me as a "home base" while exploring new territory and brings me her discoveries, but she is fairly independent when I am in the room. She is in the 2/3 of North American children who have secure attachment (pg. 178). -
School begins!
Ellie has started school at 5 years old and is loving Kindergarten! She has started socializing with her classmates and making friends. As an older preschooler almost entering middle childhood, Ellie is innitiating in associative and cooperative play, where she shares her toys and materials at her table with her friends, but each work on their own craft, as well as sharing toys and learns to take turns doing the same activity (pg. 255). We make play dates for her to have friends over promote it. -
Intelligence Tests
At 8 years and 11 months Ellie was tested in school on her intelligence with an IQ test, which accounts for her chronological age and her mental age (pg. 313). She also took other various intelligence tests as well. She scored average to above average in reading and language and gifted in math! She loves math and science and it shows! -
End of Fifth Grade
Ellie's end of 5th grade report card from school showed that she demonstrates strength in all classes, except for art where she is just age appropriate. She works very hard in school and it shows!
Ellie is also rather tall for her age, which may be because her father and I are very tall. She is 5 feet tall, two inches above her average female classmates and seems towering over the boys (pg. 277). -
Dating!?
Ellie is 14 years old and time is flying! She is starting to be interested in boys. She has a crush on a boy who is in honors classes on on the JV basketball team at her school. We don't let her "date" exactly, but she is allowed to go to his house or have him over if parents are present, and hang out in groups. The courting and dating is a function of learning how to be intimate with another individual, setting up the learned foundation for future intimate relationships to come (pg. 425). -
Growing Independence
Ellie is 16 now, which means she is a licensed driver and barrows the car on occasion. She is becoming more independent and we work together to make sure she is respecting our boundaries while we respect her need for less dependence on us, therefore we help decrease arguments. She spends much less time with us and more time is focused on friends and extended family like her cousins (pg. 419). -
Ellie Graduates High School!
She has worked so hard for her diploma over the course of her education and is ready for college in the fall! Although she has been above average in her entire childhood in math and science we are worried about her success in college classes. Research shows that because of stereotypes, female students who scored just as well on math and science on the SAT as their male peers, they perform weaker in college classes in math and science (pg. 395). We will make sure she knows she can succeed!
