First Day of School (Parts I and II)

Tali's first day in the 3's.

Tali's first day in the 2's.

Last year when H and I were looking for a new school closer to our new home, we toured two different schools. Neither would take Tali in their 2's program as she was too verbal and they were worried she'd be frustrated and bored with younger 2's who didn't speak much at all. So we settled on a school and agreed to put her in a 3's class and simply repeat the 3's or 4's.

After Tali's first day in the 3's (a Friday), the teachers approached the principal with concern. Tali was so young (there was a girl almost an entire year older than her!) and she seemed a bit uncomfortable. Perhaps she'd be better off in the 2's. On Monday morning, I spoke with the principal. H and I both agreed that we'd like to put Tali back in the 2's as that is where she belongs. So, we made the switch. (Of course, after her second day in the 3's the teachers said she did great and they'd like to keep her.) I'm so happy we did. The 2's class started a week later so she didn't walk into a situation where everyone was comfortable but her. There are 10 kids in her class and two are actually older than her by just a week and two. Another two are younger by only a month and two. The kids in her class are very verbal and the moms I've met so far are very nice.

The only downside to all this change is that Tali has cried a lot. This makes her fourth new classroom in a year (last year's 2's, camp, the 3's and now back to the 2's). Poor thing is very confused. She quickly made friends with another girl in class so I'm sure things will calm down soon.

Birthday

Tali's was born on Christmas Eve. Yes, there will be many disadvantages to her actual birth date, but this year there's a huge advantage - she gets to celebrate three times! This past Wednesday, we had a little party for her and Eloise (whose birthday is a week before Tali's) with their friends in the complex. On Thursday, we celebrated her birthday at preschool. And next Friday, her actual birthday, we'll go out to dinner with all of her grandparents. Below is a clip from her birthday celebration at school. H and I brought in some mini-cupcakes for the class. Tali had a great time and, of course, was the last one to leave the table as she was still eating!

Happy Hanukkah!

Or, as Tali would say, Happy Camca!

Last night was the first night of Hanukkah. H came home a bit later than normal so I had Tali bathed and ready for bed before we light the candles. Last year, Tali just watched us as we sang. This year, she wanted to hold the candle, she squirmed in our arms and just wasn't as into it. After she opened her present, she decided it was time to do headstands. So she did headstands for a good 20 minutes before H put her to bed.


Today Tali had her class Hanukkah party. It was very cute. We all sat in a circle and sang songs together. Then it was time to eat, which Tali did. She had fruit, vegetables, latkes, a donut, and an edible dreidel. At one point, her boyfriend fed her a carrot! Very cute. She was the last one to leave as she was still eating until they put the food away! But, she had a blast and it was nice to see her with all of her friends.

More about preschool

This was Tali's first full week at preschool. On Tuesday I left the room for a little while but had to go back in after about 15 minutes. I stayed for about 10 minutes then left again and she was fine for the rest of class. Today I left and managed to stay out of the room the whole time! Tali was great. She and Boden (see previous post) played together and the teacher said she had a good time. Next Tuesday I can officially leave the building after I've dropped her off. I'm glad she's adjusted well, especially being the youngest in the class, but now I'm a bit sad that I'm going to miss all the cute things she does in nursery school. They should have cameras in the classroom!

First Boyfriend

Tali has her first boyfriend. His name is Boden and he is the cutest boy in her nursery school class (she's the cutest girl, of course). The teacher told us that they played together for most of the class - kitchen, water table, Play-Doh, etc. When we (the moms) went to pick them up from the playground at the end of class, Tali and Boden were on a see-saw together having a blast! They then followed each other around the playground for a while and ended by playing in the house. He was playing peek-a-bo0 with her and poking her. She thought it was funny. We thought it was adorable. Tali calls him Boned.

Nursery School Update

I've been waiting to write an update because I wanted to get a few more classes under her belt before I reported on how she was doing. But, today Tali had a runny nose (each time it ran, she would come over to me and say "runin" so that I could wipe it) so I kept her home. Therefore, this post only involves Tuesday.

After all the kids had arrived and settled, the teachers told the moms it was time to leave the classroom. At the previous class, Tali was the only one who didn't cry. But when all the moms (but me) came back in to comfort their kids, she cried that I didn't join them. This time, only one girl cried - and she was hysterical. All of those tears made Tali cry so both moms were asked to come back in the room. (To be fair, Tali and this other girl are the youngest in the class and I'm sure that has something to do with it.) The other kids were fine, even with us there. I was hoping that today would be better, but now I'll have to wait until Tuesday to find out.

At snack time, all the moms were invited to come in as it was one of the kids birthdays and the mom brought mini-cupcakes for everyone. The kids were already sitting down with their apple and animal crackers when the cupcakes came out. One girl, upon seeing the cupcakes, poured her plate of apples and crackers on the table then held it out and shouted "cake!" Not Tali. She went right on eating her apple (which she'd been asking for during half of the class). Each kid picked their cupcake, ignored their fruit, and devoured every last crumb. Not Tali. She would eat a bit of the frosting and go back to her apple. After the kids were finished, the moms packed them up and left. Not Tali. She asked for more apple. Tali and I stayed in the room for an extra 15 minutes so she could eat all of the leftover apple that hadn't been served to her classmates. (The teachers were cleaning up so it wasn't as if they were waiting on us.)

In the end, Tali only ate the frosting (and mini M&Ms that were on top) of her cupcake. She was much more interested in the apple. I was very proud to see her make such a healthy choice at such a young age. Hopefully that will continue.

First Day of Nursery School

Yup, that's right. Tali started nursery school today. I'm now the parent of a school-aged child. She'll go two days a week for about two hours. There are two teachers in the classroom and Dan and I met them at Parent's Night yesterday evening. This school has a great reputation for its academics as well as giving children a good Jewish foundation. I'm happy we're sending her there, even if it won't be for the whole four years. (Hopefully we'll buy a house and move at some point before she starts kindergarten!)

Tali's nursery school does a gradual separation process so the moms/nannys are in the room or school for about a month until the child is fully comfortable in the classroom. We sit in the back of the room and are there simply for support, if needed. We don't encourage or play with the kids. There are a total of seven kids in Tali's class (three girls, four boys) and today they were broken up into two groups. Tali came for the first hour with the other girls and one boy. The three other boys came for the second hour. It will be like this for a few classes before all seven kids are in one room together. So today I got to watch her and snap some pictures.

They started off with play time - didn't take any pictures as I didn't want to distract her. Tali went right to the Play-doh and put it in her mouth, of course. Once she realized it didn't taste good, she had a great time playing with it. She also played at their water table and had a blast. After playtime was over, there was circle time and the moms were invited to join and sing songs. Then there was snack (Tali ate everything) and it was time to go.

Tali's first day was very successful. No tears. She didn't cling to me. She only came to me once or twice to show me something. But, she went to my handbag about five times looking/asking for food even though she had a big breakfast. I think she's going to love nursery school. I've already picked out the girl who I believe is going to be her good friend. They're just alike - very outgoing.

At my handbag, looking/asking for food.

Snacktime - apples and graham crackers, yum!

Drinking (spilling) her water in a cubby.