Parent Conference

Today we went to our first ever parent conference. It was interesting sitting on the other side of the table. Usually, I’m the one telling the parent how their child is doing (or more likely what the child is NOT doing) and ways to improve. Today it was my turn to listen and learn.

I am happy to report the Fiona is doing great. The biggest areas of concern are that she does not defend herself against other children and she doesn’t say her own name when asked. We discussed ways to encourage her to be more possessive of her things when another child tries to take them away and also that we need to teach her what her last name is and encourage her to say her first name. The name issue is probably due to her being very shy around people and not very comfortable in groups. Both teachers said she talks to them when they interact one on one with her, but she is very quiet when in a group setting. We know that she knows her classmates’ names, but at school, she does not say them. They are not at all worried about her and are trying to help her improve her social skills as well as communicating her needs, such as going to the bathroom or wanting a toy. Little miss chatterbox noisemaker is the silent type at school.

We were surprised to learn that she does not always participate in clean up at school. At home, Fi is quite fastidious when it comes to cleaning and neatening things, but apparently she is not so eager to clean up at school. If asked to put a specific toy away, she will do it without hesitation, but when they announce clean up time, she does not begin to clean up.

Her teachers said she follows directions well and does everything else that she is supposed to be doing. They said she loves doing crafts, gluing, painting, play dough, and anything involving music and movement (again interesting because at home, the only music I can get her to dance to is The Can Can). Both teachers noticed that Fi is very nurturing when it comes to baby dolls.

Fiona’s teachers told us that she has exceptional fine motor skills, listens well, and participates in all activities, and they love having her in class. We were given the applications for next year and have been told that two different teachers really want her in their classes next year. It is going to be a tough decision because both other teachers are great with kids and Fiona likes them both. We want her to continue three days a week with one of her current teachers, but we will need to pick between one of the other two for the remaining two days every week. Decisions, decisions. I feel like I am being asked to choose between a chocolate cake and another chocolate cake. In the end, I might just ask Fiona who she prefers. In the meantime, I think I will take Fiona’s current teacher’s advice and go check out the other classes myself to see what they are doing. It’s nice to know other people appreciate our little miracle. During the meeting I kept wanting to blurt out “She was a 31 weeker! She was nine weeks early! Look at her now! Can you believe it?!?” But I didn’t. It’s just nice to know other people feel she is special just as we do and that she is a desirable student.

All in all it was a great conference. We didn’t learn anything too surprising or shocking, other than her lack of cleaning. I am so glad Fi goes to this preschool. It has helped her so much in gaining confidence and social skills.  

What post is complete without a photo of silly Fi:

 

She found the hat in a dress up box and is spinning her vegetables and fruit from Ikea in her new favorite toy, the salad spinner.

Have a great weekend!

Nothing Much Going On

Fi continues to cling to me. Today she played with John for the first time in a long time and even went for a walk with him while I spoke on the phone to Krista.

Here is Fi on a bicycle (with training wheels), wearing her coat and her very own kiddie gardening gloves:

 

I let Fi play with finger paints:

She really enjoyed painting on herself, but then she cleaned herself off:

Amazingly, the paint stayed on the table and on Fi, and none of it got anywhere else. I’m very lucky to have such a neat and meticulous child.

We finally convinced John to join Fi in her crib after nap:

It rained for a few days and we went for walk. Of course Fiona insisted on carrying the umbrella:

That’s all really. Nothing exciting is happening around here. We went to a birthday party yesterday and were planning to attend one today, but Fi was having a tantrum so we went home. We have another party on Thursday afternoon. Work resumes tomorrow after a long weekend for me (yay finals week!). I’ve got class tomorrow night, a meeting on Tuesday, and Fi’s parent conference at her school on Thursday. I hope the week goes by quickly because it’s going to be a busy one.

It’s supposed to be dry and somewhat sunny, and we don’t have any complicated plans for the weekend. I hope Fi’s separation anxiety eases up and that I don’t get too stressed out in the coming months.

Stay warm and dry and have a happy week!

Planting the Tree

We planted the avocado tree on Sunday January 20.

 

Fi got in on the action:

 

 

It didn’t take long to dig the hole and fill it up again:

And there it is:

 

We thought it would take a really long time, but the soil was soft so digging was not as difficult as anticipated.

John took a rest:

 

Fi ate a snack while the tree was being planted:

 

 

She was excited to see the planted tree, ran out the door and fell:

 

My parents have an avocado tree now, and if the little tag on it is true, we will have avocados before Fiona starts kindergarten, and maybe even sooner! Matan loved avocados and I think the tree is a fitting tribute to him and Tu Bi’Shvat.

Happy Birthday to Matan!

Today would have been my brother Matan’s 30th birthday. Even though he is not physically with us today, we still celebrated. My mother and I (and Fiona and John) went to the local nursery and bought a tree to plant in Matan’s honor in the front yard. Right now, it is very close to the Jewish holiday Tu BiShvat. To celebrate Tu Bishvat, we plan trees. I remember growing up in Israel that we frequently planted the trees with little signs to honors people, especially those that passed, so it seemed fitting that for Matan’s birthday, we would plant a tree to honor him. We chose a Holiday avocado tree. It is a dwarf avocado, so hopefully it won’t grow bigger than eight or ten feet, and it produces fruit in the fall and early winter, when avocados are not as plentiful. We are going to plant it next week when my dad can be there too.

 

To Matan, I miss you sooooooo much! There is still not a day that goes by that I do not think of you or see or hear something that reminds me of you. I really wish you were here to meet Fiona, because I know that two of you would love each other. The rest of the post is about what we have been up to in the last week.

Here is Fi, having a little tea party in the backyard, drinking Chamomile tea and eating cookies that she made in class last Thursday:

Fiona uses John’s little espresso cups to drink her tea and if you are not holding your cup by the handle, she will remind you to do so:

Here is Fi riding around on the back of the Toddler Towncar with her friend Nano driving:

 

I’m sorry all the photos are fuzzy, John took them all.

Here is, Fi sitting at the table in John’s usual seat, without the booster chair:

 

Fi grabbed a calendar and lay down on the couch to read it like a magazine:

Then she posed with her glasses:

Ever since Sophie visited, Fiona is very interested in wearing her sun glasses.

That thing she is lying on is the cushion from the bench in the front hallway. Fiona likes to remove it and put it somewhere in the living room, then pile lots of blankets on top and call it a bed.

Well, that’s my recap of the last week. You can see Fi is not only growing into a sweet and polite little girl, she is also very silly and full of fun. I wish you were here to see that for yourself.

I love you Matan!