pre school count-down

Teacher Penny visited today. You were so happy and wanted to bring out every single toy you had. Teacher Penny is wonderful, and so on a young child's level. When you got out the elephant game, she thought about just tossing the butterflies to make the game more fun for you, rather than having them fly out of the elephant's trunk, and you loved it! I'd never have thought of it.

You are excited about school, loving being at Aunty B's daycare, are incredibly imaginative in your play, like to control things (including conversations) and seem to respond well to rewards.

I got a speeding ticket taking you to Aunty B's on Wednesday and now you tell me continuously in the car to slow

Yah Yah!! Sunny day

It was a rare sunny day in Oregon in the winter today.  It's supposed to start being it's usual cold and rainy self again tomorrow, so when you asked to go to the playground for the 5th time today, I said yes.  We went to Magnolia park after gymnastics and you had a blast.  You could run around on the equipment all day, especially with me trailing along after you, pushing you on the swings and sliding down slides with you and climbing up the chain ladders. 

Several times you found other kids to play with.  You're still a bit new at the social scene, so it's good to see you playing.  You still need lots of prompting. 

"Tell her your name." 

"Umm." 

"Say 'My name is Isabel.'" 

"My Name is Isabel."

"Ask her her name."

"What?"

"Ask her what her name is."

"What's your name?"

For three year olds, that seems to be all it takes to get the ball rolling.  You and another girl, Freya, ran around played with saw dust and played with a ball you found until Freya tripped and got a bloody lip.  Even then you both wanted to play more, but Freya was looking a bit peeked so her mother took her for something to drink (milk, not something stronger).

You did very well in gymnastics today.  Dad gave you the big pep talk this morning and really poured it on thick. 

"I want you to be my good big girl today and do well in gymnastics.  Can you do that?"

"Yes Daddy."

"What does being good mean?"

"Listen to the teacher." (You have heard that several hundred times now.)

"And.."

"Watch what she shows."

"Yes, and.."

"Follow the other kids."

"Yes, and..."

"Ummm..."

"Do all the obstacles on your course."

"Oh yeah, yes."

"Good job.  I know I'll be so proud of you.  When you finish call me up and tell me what a good job you did."

"And I get a snack!"

"Yes, then you get a snack for doing well.  I need you to be good in your class while I'm at work, so you can learn lots.  Can you do that for me?"

"Yes Dad.  Bye."

(kiss) "Bye.  Love you."

"Don't forget your hat., Dad."

"Ok.  Bye."  (Walks out the door.)

"Don't forget your lunch."

"Ok.  Gotta go.  Bye."  (Walks down the steps.)

"Don't walk in the street.  Come home about five thirty seventy two." (yelled as Dad's walking across the street).

(Hand wave from Dad.)

I wasn't sure if he poured it on a little thick, but you lapped it up and did your best.

New way to put you to sleep - Spanish

I put you right to sleep tonight by reading from "My First 100 words in Spanish".  I would point to the picture and say the word, along with a sound if it had one.  I started trying to say it all in Spanish.  By the second page, you were fast asleep next to me.  Never underestimate the soporific power of study. 

You've started to call Dad "Guy".  As in "Hey guy, get up".  I have no idea where you got it from, but you use it more often than Dad. 

More play, more fits

Your play has gotten more and more imaginative.  You have long scenarios where your dolls go swimming in their own little pools (your little chairs).  You play out parts of  from the movies "Bolt" and "Madeline", sometimes with Isbre as a stand in for one of the dogs in the movies. 

You also have bigger and better fits.  In some ways they're just a continuation from the ones you had when you were little, but they are impressive. 

Omnimax and sea creatures = nightmares

We took you to OMSI (Oregon Museum of Science and Industry) and while we were there we saw "Deep Sea" about creatures in the ocean. The footage was dazzling and awesome, the vignettes riveting. After the first few minutes, you leaned over to me and asked "Have they closed the window so the fish don't get out". It took me a minute to figure out that the picture was so life-like that you thought it was real. You handled the movie well at the time, and were pretty well behaved (migrating back and forth from Dad's lap to your seat) for the movie.

The rest of the evening at home was uneventful, but that night you got up and woke me up and asked me to sleep with you. I came in to lie down with you, and for the first time that wasn't enough - you wanted Dad too. You were talking about seeing a 'scary dancing puppy' in your room. I put you in our bed (eventually driving Dad out with squirming) and you slept.

The next night when Dad put you to bed you wanted Dad to stay in your room because the 'scary dancing puppy' might come back. He had to assure you that he had locked all the doors and no puppy was getting in. He had to explain that no dog has hands or keys and so couldn't unlock the door or open it. Eventually you were satisfied and went to sleep on your own. Anyway, no more giant scary movis for a while.

Christmas and the beginning of avarice

This was the first Christmas Isabel had an idea of what was happening. She refused to see or sit with Santa, but did tell me she wanted Santa to get her earings and a bracelet.

More Isabelisms

Yesterday, you were playing on the stools at the kitchen bar with Dad. You were on one and calling it a train. Dad got on a stool and called it a bike. Then he lifted both hands up in the air and said "No Hands". You hustled over to him and started pushing on his hands. Not pushing them down to the "handle-bars", but towards his arms. Dad was confused until you said "There, hands back on."

From there, you put back on all the body parts, just to be sure.

Also yesterday, Sunday, you were an angel in the Christmas pageant at church. Somehow it seemed appropriate that your halo was always a little askew. You did pretty well during the walk up to the front of the church, although you didn't twirl like you were supposed to. But then you got all your twirling in, since you didn't stop twirling for almost all the rest of the pageant. You slowly twirled around the front of the alter, and almost into the Christmas tree. After a while you twirls started to look a little drunken as you got dizzy. After the service, everyone said they were just waiting for you to fall down, but you never did.

You had terrible coughing last night, and threw up 3 times from coughing so hard. Today we went to your Doctor, Dr. Lufti, who said you have a sinus infection and prescribed an antibiotic (amoxicillan). I was pleased after the swine flu that only I got a sinus infection, not you. But then....you got one too.

Isabel-isms

Every day there are new phrases you use that aren't quite right but show how your mind works. When you were describing where the ginger bread houses were to Dad, you said they were on the "radio desk". They were on the armoire, which is where we used to keep the TV and radio receiver. Dad gave you a funny look, so you figured out that what you called it wasn't quite right, so then you called it "the open and close", because the doors of it open and close.

A few days ago you told me that Daddy had given you some "nipple glue" and you had put it on. This made me really curious, so I asked you about it. You thought for a minute, then said it was so you wouldn't stink. At that point I knew what you were talking about. When you ask Dad why he puts on deodorant he tells you "So I don't stink." Lately he's been letting you use it when he does, and you tend to put it on your chest rather than under your arms.

My Whirly Twirly Baby

Isabel, you love to dance and sing, but most of all you love to climb and tumble. You climb up both your dad and I.

Can they come over?

Today you were endlessly asking if Tino and Francis could come over. I set your analog wind-up clock with the alarm so you could see how long it was until we picked them up (and I could sneak in a lesson on telling time) and you carried the clock all over the house with you and still kept asking me.

I decided that if I don't lay down to take a nap with you, getting you to take a nap is impossible. This week and the last part of last week, I let you stay up if you give me an hour of peace and quiet. I thought it would be impossible for you to not keep after me constantly, so it was going to be more of an excuse for me to put your in your room than a viable solution, but you were very good. You needed to be reminded several times, but not that many. You mostly just played by yourself (something that never happens otherwise), giving your dolls instructions on how to slide down the slide.