Dear ***Name of Daycare***,
Colin and Claire Ham start "school" today in the infant room, and there are a few things that I wanted to mention because it won't fit on the Social Resume. Can you please print this and attach it to their "All About Me" paperwork?
Colin and Claire are one week shy of 4 months old, but their adjusted age is 11 weeks old because they were 6 weeks premature.
This is my sweetheart, Claire.
She is social and smiley, and adores having someone to talk to. Sometimes when you talk to her she'll grin so big you think she's never been happier in her life. She'll smile even when she's never been hungrier or sadder. She loves to snuggle and chit chat.
Claire has very little problem with digestion or fussiness and is not colicky, but can get overstimulated and struggle to sleep. She dozes, and takes cat naps throughout the day. She will nap anywhere, but is a very light sleeper and will not always truly fall asleep. She nearly always wants her pacifier to soothe her. I am also leaving a pink cloth "doll" that has my scent on it for her to have near her when she sleeps.
Claire also has extremely sensitive skin and cannot use Johnson & Johnson products. Please only use Pamper's Sensitive wipes on her skin as well.
She is very in tune with her twin brother Colin and if he cries for long, she will cry too. Usually, if you can get Colin to stop crying, she will stop as well. She is one of the easiest babies I know, but would benefit very much from some socialization from some smiling adult faces as well as some smiling baby faces. I would love if she could be around Colin to smile at him and continue bonding, but I'd also love for them both to interact with other babies.
Claire is strong and she can almost sit up already and has excellent head control. She could really use some work at tummy time and using those neck muscles to hold her head up. She rolled over at 5 weeks old, but has not rolled over much since about 2 months, so she needs a little more practice. She has found her hands and immediately puts him in her mouth. She is working on sitting up on her own, finding her feet, and holding a bottle.
When she's overstimulated she tries to stuff both of her hands in her mouth at once and she grunts. She doesn't like the sound of trash bags rustling or or loud sneezes, but she recovers quickly with lots of hugs. Her favorite things to do are sit up, talk to and smile at everyone, and cuddling with her twin brother.
This is my sweet little boy, Colin.
He is the strong, silent type, but adores being held and talked to. He may cry when you put him down, but that's because he doesn't want to be left there and worried you will leave him. If you talk to him when you put him down for a diaper change, he'll smile his big smiles and he won't cry. Colin does not take a pacifier because he refuses. I am sending a white cloth with stars on it that has Mom's scent for him to keep near him while he sleeps.
Colin has had some troubles with digestion for the last 2 months, and we are working on the miracle combination of food, a splash of prune juice, and probiotics to help keep his colic and his acid reflux at bay. While you won't need to give him any medicines while he is at school, I want you to know in case he cries and you can't figure out why. He's comforted by soft voices and smiling faces. He really likes to have help sitting up and looking around the room, and this also helps with getting out all those pesky gas bubbles too. When all else fails, he is calmed by being near his sister. At home, they sleep together.
Colin prefers to sleep on his stomach and struggles to fall asleep on his back. I know that because of regulations you cannot put him to sleep on his stomach, but if he is having a hard time, he will sleep better if you start him on his stomach (maybe tummy time?) and flip him over after he has fallen asleep. He likes to be rocked if he feels very sick, so you may have luck getting him to fall asleep if you rock him.
His time in the swing should be extremely limited, as he has plagiocephaly on the right side of his head, and we are attempting to keep him off of that side and out of the swing as much as we can. When you feed him, please put his head on your right elbow instead of your left in order to keep pressure off that side of his head. We go for a follow up appointment to see about a helmet on October 23.
My Colin is laid back and sweet, and I call him my little Bear. Even though he may cry it is truly because he doesn't feel good or he is overly sleepy, and he likes to be in a quiet dark place to sleep. I know that isn't always possible, but he is used to loud toddler voices because his big brother Adam is two, and adores his baby brother and sister. Colin is used to hearing his sister cry near him while he sleeps, so even just a little bit of quiet may help him calm down.
Again, if all else fails, just put him near Claire and hopefully he will feel better.
Colin does very well with tummy time and is working on controlling his head movements while sitting up. Colin also rolled over at 5 weeks old, but does not do it very often anymore and could use more practice. He is also very interested in finding his hands and is close to start working on finding his feet. He would benefit greatly by having some one-on-one attention if possible and some help practicing sitting up, because he's very motivated to do so.
This is their big brother, Adam, who is almost two and a half. He is in Ms. Jenny's class and absolutely adores "his babies."
Thank you so much for caring for my little babies while I am away from them. I hope that seeing Colin's face and big dimpled smile everyday brings you as much joy as it does for me. I hope that chatting with Claire's always smiling face is as fun and exciting for you and lights up that room just as it does at home.
Please do not hesitate to call or text me at any time.
Erin Ham
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