She's growing up

Some random anecdotes so that I don't forget things down the road:

Our nanny told us that K put her hand up to volunteer to answer a question at circle time for the first time on Thursday. Apparently Leslie asked "What fruits do you know?", and K put up her hand and said "grapes". Hopefully she'll be confident enough to speak up when she gets to school.

I've also heard that she's the least pushy kid at the school drop-in. When they're told to put their toys away before circle time, K will try to weave her way through the other kids to put what she's got back, but will never push or touch another kid to try to accomplish her task. Instead, she'll wait until everyone else is done and then put her toy away. At home, she'll often push against one of us if she wants to go someplace, saying "Sorry. Sorry." until you move out of her way.

She's a very sensitive wee girl too. A week or so ago, our nanny told me that she'd burst out in tears during circle time. Leslie had been singing the 5 little ducks song, and told the kids to sing in a sad voice about no little ducks coming back. I think she said Mama duck was sad, and that sent K into a crying fit and running back to our nanny to be comforted. She apparently told K that it was ok to be sad that the ducks had gone away, but to remember that they all come back, which promptly made her cheer up.

She LOVES snails. I got home from work last night and saw DH and K squatting on the sidewalk by the church across the street from the laneway our garage is on. Sure enough, they were there checking out all the snails that had come out after it had rained earlier that day. Our nanny had phoned DH as she walked past the church on the way to her bus stop to tell him that there were tons there to look at. I joined them for a while, and K took us from one patch to another, pointing out all the snails, and talking about "Mama Schnecke" and "Papa Schnecke" and "Baby Schnecke". She asked if she could hold one, and was so very gentle with it.

These days, I'm trying to implement a bit of 1-2-3 Ma.gic for discipline. For now, the most effective privilege to take away as a time out alternative is her nightly vitamin C or multivitamin. She loves those things, and even before nap time starts asking if she's been good enough for her "C". Sometimes when I start counting 1 and 2, she'll suddenly say "K will nicht Timeout" (K not want timeout), and will cease whatever I was counting her for, or start doing what I wanted her to do. I think I need to refine my techniques a little more, since counting to start a behaviour is apparently not an effective thing to do.

She's such a joy these days. Wonderful to take out to restaurants for dinner, better behaved than many of the other kids at the park, and so loving to her friends. Our neighbour's daughter bashed her forehead at daycare on Thurs and needed to go to the hospital to have the cut closed. K apparently insisted on kissing it better, and properly, when she saw A at the park afterwards. She's so good at sharing things, and not putting up too much of a fuss if someone takes something from her. She did burst out in tears when her friend O took her 'treat' one morning this week at snacktime, but otherwise he can take what he wants from her with impunity. I just hope she'll be generous but not a pushover.