Princess on the Playground

Mia had fun at her preschool Halloween carnival. The day was slightly chilly, so we put a camisole under our princess's gown and she was fine. Thankfully, there was no talk of being a witch. Mom (me, that is) helped setup the games and stayed for the festivities. The school director distributed a schedule that broke the morning into 20-minute intervals, rotating children through the different activities. Mia got a butterfly painted on her face and rode the pony, "a really big pony" as Mia accurately observed. They played little games like "find the spider in the confetti and win a prize." Since I'd helped with setup, I'd make sure there were non-candy prize options for each game, and I succeeded in limiting Mia's take to 3 pieces of candy and 4 trinkets.
One of the games took me back to the elementary school carnivals of my childhood. The kids picked up fishing poles outfitted with clothes pins where the hook should be. They cast their line over the top of a curtain, and when they felt a tug they pulled their "fish" (i.e., candy) out of the "water." With 2-year-olds, the teachers had to keep reminding the kids to pull their fish out of the water. As much as the world has changed in the last 4 decades, you can still wow a little girl by letting her fish for prizes.
They had a great professional storyteller who told some Halloween-related stories (featuring pumpkins, black cats, and scarecrows rather than ghosts and goblins). I personally felt the stories were a slightly too complicated for 2-3 year-olds, but she made up for it by getting the kids engaged in copying her hand motions (rapping on the door, tears streaming down the cheeks, etc.).
After she was done with the stories, the storyteller (a grandmotherly type dressed as a scarecrow), sang a song of her own invention. It went something like, "If you're dressed as Woody, stand up. If you're dressed as Woody, sit down." She made sure every child had the chance to model their costume for the crowd. Mia had her turn early in the song, when the storyteller had princesses stand up and sit down. That didn't stop Mia and her partner-in-crime, Sophie, from standing up and sitting down at seemingly random intervals during the 5 minutes it took to cover every costume. They were sitting too far from my reach (or the teachers' reach, for that matter) for me to get their attention. I guess I don't blame them - by that time they'd been sitting still for a good 20 minutes.
After the pony rides, carnival games, cookie-decorating, storytelling, and pizza lunch were over, Mia meandered over to her favorite place, the swings. I sat down next to Mia's teacher, who reminded me that Mia learned to swing at a younger age than any kid she'd ever taught. As if I needed another reason to be proud of my little gal!

P.S. That night Mia got on the phone with a friend of ours. When asked what she'd been for Halloween, Mia replied, "A pirate."

Alter Ego

We got Mia's blue princess costume back from the seamstress today, just in the nick of time for tomorrow's Halloween carnival at preschool. This morning, Mia surprised me by announcing out of the blue, "I'm gonna be a witch. A scary, scary witch. And I'm gonna fly away."
I'm not sure who has been talking to her about witches - it sure wasn't her parents. I gently reminded her that she has been planning to be a princess, praying she didn't kick up a fuss. She didn't, so I thought about it no more until I picked her up at school. Her teacher bid her good-bye, saying she was looking forward to seeing her witch costume tomorrow. I must have been rolling my eyes, because the teacher said, "Isn't she going to be a witch?" I assured her that the blue princess costume was ready to go.
Teacher: "Meeeeaaaaa, you told us you were going to be a witch."
Mia grinned slyly as if pleased she'd fooled her teacher. I can't wait to see how things go when it is time to put the blue princess gown on tomorrow morning. Wish me luck!

Halloween Preparations

We are getting ready for the big (big if you're a preschooler, that is) Halloween Carnival at preschool. This is probably the most fun day of the school year for the children. The kids don't have to perform their rehearsed programs as they do on the other big holidays, it is just plain fun. The 6 or so classes rotate through a series of activities according to a schedule. Having observed this event last year, I have to say the school's director has developed a foolproof formula for fun. There is an award-winning storyteller in the big gathering room, pony rides, face-painting (while they wait their turn for the pony), and various little games of skill like fishing the duck out of the inflatable swimming pool. Everyone's a winner, every time.
Parents are encouraged to bring goodies, help with setup, and enjoy the festivities with their child. Last year I stayed for only an hour, but this year I'm going to play hookey from my job search/consulting activities and stay for the entire event.
I let Mia choose a costume from her array of dress-up gear. Her dress-up bin contains mostly gently-used princess costumes bought at the school's consignment sale, plus some leotards, tutus, and other girly-girl stuff she has received as gifts. Of course she wants to be a princess and of course she wants to wear the blue princess gown, which is the only garment that needs mending. (A couple of days ago I finally gave up the fantasy that I'll be able to mend the torn and fraying puffy sleeves and asked a seamstress friend to bail me out.
I know I've said this before, but once again I am realizing that one of the joys of being a parent is getting to relive my own childhood. Halloween was different back then - we wore costumes to school during the day (no carnival) and traipsed miles (or so it seemed) through the neighboring subdivisions collecting as much candy as possible. I remember that it was stressful deciding what I would "be" for Halloween. One year I was so visibly depressed that my Mom took me to the fabric store and let me pick out a pattern and fabric for a Little House on the Prairie cotton print dress and bonnet. Given my Mom had four kids and a part-time job, I have to say that was a supreme act of love. Oh, what I would give to be able to show that outfit to Mia!

P.S. Oh, Mia, I hope that someday you enjoy reading these little snippets about your life, and your Mom's life before that.

You Don't Say!

I am constantly amazed by how quickly Mia is expanding her worldview and language skills. Almost daily, she says something that has me doing a double-take. Recent examples:

We were creating Halloween pictures with some sticky foam Halloween shapes. Mia had put a haunted house, trees, and bats on her page when I volunteered, "Here is a pumpkin for you, Mia." Her reply: "Mom, that is not a pumpkin, it is a jack-o-lantern."

Then there was the day I brought Mia home from preschool. She had one of those Scholastic handouts they periodically distribute. As I helped her exit the minivan, she said earnestly, "Mom, I have to do my homework."

Mia has been enjoying the book, "Over the Moon: An Adoption Tale" before bedtime. Before we start the story, she wants to look at the flyleaf, which has a scene of brightly colored row-houses. She says, "I want to count the houses" and proceeds to do just that. Then we can get on to the story. (But not before reading the title and author.) The other night she announced, "I want to count the houses in Spanish" and she did. She counted to 10 in Spanish, beaming with pride.

Since I taught her none of the above concepts, I have to conclude they are doing a great job at preschool.

Mia At Age 2.9

She loves pizza, Swiss and cheddar cheese, and strawberries. Goldfish crackers and dried apple slices are in. She adores "the spicy Triscuits", namely the Rosemary and Olive Oil variety. Smoothies are out, "Dad juice" (a little bit of Fresca added to her watered-down V8 Fusion) is in. Chocolate milk is in. Vegetables are hit or miss - she rejected roasted red peppers on Saturday then devoured raw and roasted orange peppers on Monday. Any food is more attractive if it is on Mom or Dad's plate instead of her own. The mention of McDonald's makes her whisper "french fries" in a tone that could only be described as reverent.
She insists on wearing dresses most days and prefers going bare-legged rather than wearing tights or leggings. She doesn't like dressing in layers. If we put a jacket on her on a cool day, she must remove it before we can buckle her in to her car seat. She rarely seems to get cold.
She loves making funny faces. She has perfected wrinkling her nose as if in disgust, then laughs when I match her. She just learned how to stick out her tongue and practices this skill frequently, despite any consequences we have inflicted to date.
She sees a time out as a chance to practice getting Mom and Dad's attention by jumping out of her chair, running to us, and giggling. (We try not to take the bait.) If we are so dumb as to ask, "Do you want a time out?" when she is misbehaving, there is a 50/50 chance she'll say "Yes".
She recently discovered Mother Goose rhymes and demands them several times a day. Favorites include Humpty Dumpty and Sing a Song of Sixpence. She is fascinated with the scene where the blackbird snips off the maid's nose, and loves re-enacting it. She thinks Jack (in Jack & Jill) looks like a girl. Her other current favorite books are Curious George Goes To The Aquarium (still) and Over The Moon: An Adoption Tale (new).
She has an impressive (in my view) vocabulary with words like camisole and veterinarian and Jarlsberg, but she generally has trouble pronouncing K and R sounds. She can do it when she concentrates.
She has started taking ballet at school. At home, she sings and dances a lot. I recently concluded she can carry a tune. (I'd been wondering.)
She is perfectly capable of using the toilet but still wants to wear diapers. This morning when my back was turned she put on a fresh Pull-Up for the express purpose of pooping in it. Oh, and she likes to wear panties over her Pull-Ups. (My mistake - should have kept the panties hidden.)
She frequently asks to go to Starbuck's, which in her mind is the place you get chocolate milk. We go there a couple of times a week and she is always disappointed if her favorite server (aka "the lady") isn't there. She loves Kroger because they give out free balloons. She prefers Home Depot over Lowe's because HD offers father/child workshops on the first Saturday of the month, and Lowe's has a scary automated monster on display for Halloween.
Her favorite toys are her Color Wonder markers and blocks. Bristle blocks, wooden blocks, cardboard bricks. She refers to every structure she builds as a "castle."
We don't let her watch TV very often, to the point that when we do turn on a cartoon in mid-show, she insists that we "start over" as if it is a DVD.
She has rediscovered her love of ASL and amuses herself in the back of the van by practicing her signs. We are thrilled to have a respite from constantly listening to the Chicka Chicka Boom Boom CD in the car. She sometimes makes up a new sign and innocently asks, "Mom, what is this sign?" When I say, "Mia, you made that one up" she laughs, apparently delighted that I got the joke.
She has a lot of empathy and if she hears another child crying it rivets her attention. She has recently demonstrated a propensity for pointing to people in stores and saying things like, "He's big." (Not so bad if a tall person overhears her, but embarassing if the individual is overweight.)
She loves her Dad and her Mom and has become really very snuggly.

Am I Going To Have To Separate You Two?

Since school started Mia has been misbehaving a lot, just to see how we react. She makes sure we're watching before she throws food on the floor or sticks her tongue out. After a couple of weeks of that, we decided to lay down the law and enforce it with time outs. I had been attributing the misbehavior to the back-to-school transition. To be honest, I was guessing it was a product of being around lots of little boys. The ratio in her classroom is 5 boys to 2 girls on most days. The other girl is a cute little blondie named Sophie, and they stick together like glue. I even saw them holding hands on the way out to the playground. Soooo cute!
Imagine my surprise when Miss Diane took me aside last week to tell me they were making a change. Apparently my Mia who was an angel for Miss Diane last year has been acting up, and Sophie is the instigator. According to Miss Diane, Sophie defies the teachers' direction and then Mia follows suit! Miss Diane explained that they are purposely keeping the two girls apart, not letting them sit together or play together. They want Mia to start thinking for herself. The girl I know has no trouble thinking for herself, so I find it puzzling that she becomes a lemming after I drop her off at the schoolhouse door. Peer pressure already?
When I reported this to Jeff, he asked "Should we talk to her?" I was of the view that Mia wouldn't benefit from a lecture hours after the behavior - instead the teachers should give her feedback at the point of transgression.
A couple of days later, Jeff reported that as he drove Mia to school she announced that "Miss Diane yelled yesterday. She was mad." She explained that Sophie told all the kids to take their shoes off while playing on the playground, and they all did. That allowed Jeff to give her the standard, "Mia, just because the other kids do something doesn't mean you should do it!"
Somehow I didn't think we'd need to deliver that message at such a tender age.