The Vieves

Hi all.... it's Charlene.

It seems as though the last few months, it's been all about Bella and all the wonderful accomplishments and adventures she's been on. It was starting to feel as though Vivi was getting lost in the shuffle, so I wanted to take a minute to write about her.

Vivi has been through an amazing journey these past few months. She seems to have gone from my toddler, to a little girl. Her vocabulary is outstanding. I forget that I'm speaking to a three year old sometimes. A typical conversation will go something like this:

VIVI: Mom, I don't know why Bella doesn't like chocolate. I know it's not healthy, but it's so tasty. I love it. I don't know why Bella doesn't like chocolate.

Her musings really are priceless.

Today, when I picked her up from preschool, there was a Development Assessment waiting for me. Her school does one every few months for every child. It's basically a form which observes a child's progress with her cognitive, language, social, emotional and physical development based on her age. The observations range from 'O', meaning observed regularly, 'E' which means emerging/occasionally, and 'N' meaning needs more time.

Vivi got 'O's all the way down.

I kind of knew all of this as I've always felt that Vivi was way advanced for her age (and that's not just me being a proud parent.) She did everything so much earlier than Bella, it was no surprise that she was doing so well at her preschool.

But here was my favorite part of the evaluation. There's a section for teacher's comments. Her observations described Vivi PERFECTLY. Here's what she said:

Vivi is very independent.

She adjusted quickly when she went up to Rainbow Fish. (Vivi's class). To her, it was just like going up one step higher, and that was that. She instantly made new friends.

She is also firm in doing things on her own. If Vivi does not agree with what you are saying, she will give you her signature 'stare' - a long penetrating one that speaks.

Vivi is very smart. Her knowledge of letters and numbers is a plus. She is able to match similar letters or numbers and recognizes each of the them. In doing her art, she quickly follows directions. If she does not understand, she will always ask help from the teacher. She does not need to be told twice. It will be a pleasure watching her progress more and more in the months to come.

I am so proud of Vivi and the young lady she's becoming. It's hard to believe (and to accept), but I don't have babies anymore. The days of baby talk, baby smells and baby food are long behind me. Now my little ones speak (and argue) like adults, smell like sunshine and play and order from the big kids menu when we go out.

Everyday the two of them just grow smarter and more independent. I only hope that I can continue to instill in them kindness, empathy, responsibility to themselves and others, and openness to new ideas along with all that wonderful intelligence they already possess. If I can manage half of all of that, then I think I would have done my job.

Judging from what I'm seeing from Vivi, I think she's well on her way...