The airlines wouldn't dare lose my child on Christmas

On Christmas morning, when many of my friends and neighbors were lolling about in their pajamas, opening presents and eating cinnamon rolls, I drove Zoe to Midway airport for her first solo flight. The airport was surprisingly crowded--especially after an easy, traffic-free drive to the airport--but her flight took off on time and landed early. So early, in fact, that I initially missed the "I've got your daughter" call my mom placed to my cell phone immediately upon picking up Zoe in D.C.

And I'm only half joking when I say I booked her travel on December 25th knowing what a PR nightmare it would be for an airline to misplace a youngster on Christmas. It's only been a day or so, but it sounds like my 7 year old is having a grand old time with my mom and stepdad in Virginia--reading Ramona books, looking at old photographs, learning to pick out tunes on the piano, playing ping pong and visiting my extended family.

For the record, it isn't cheap to send your child unaccompanied. In addition to the regular airfare, United and American Airlines charge an additional $100 each way, while Southwest charges half that: $50 each way (and two bags of luggage fly free). Since Zoe is only going for 4 nights, we didn't end up checking any luggage. Instead, she rolled aboard with a small child's suitcase and a backpack packed with 2 Boxcar Children paperbacks, a couple of snacks, a pack of gum and an iPod Touch with headphones. I'd also tucked her birth certificate in there, but we were never asked to show it.

From Ada to Zoe, on her birthday

Who am I kidding with the Z's an A's? From here on out, I'll be using the kids' names. Reserving, of course, the right to change my mind.

In honor of her big sister's birthday, 4 year old Ada wrote her a book--complete with the first sentences I've seen her write. She also started reading simple words last week. Yay for literacy!

Mom said that [I need a] nap

Ada wanted to boss Zoe

Happy Birthday I luv you Zoe I luv you

Stay tune for a post on the sewing party we hosted for seven 7 year old girls. It was a blast.

The first day of second grade

A new backpack.
A new lunchbox, which matches the backpack.
An outfit carefully selected and laid out on the bedroom floor the night before.
Hair brushed. Teeth brushed.
Breakfast? Barely touched.
Z jumped out of bed and began counting the minutes until we would leave the house and start the 15 minute walk to school. Every 5 minutes I got an update and a request to "leave now."

Finally, I snapped her picture and we joined two neighbor families for the inaugural walk. Z, flanked by a kindergartener she's grown up with and his 4th grade brother, led the way, beating us by a block.

The schoolyard was packed with parents, younger siblings, bulky bags of school supplies and teachers in orange safety vests. Z joined her classmates, saying "hi," giggling and bouncing up and down in line behind their 2nd grade teacher--a new hire and a Mister. 


Betcha tomorrow she'll want to take the bus.

Next week: 1st grade
Her first day of kindergarten
Her first day of school
Preschool's back in session
Her first day of preschool

Her first day of kindergarten

Z was all smiles at this morning's drop-off. Although she'll eventually catch the bus down the street, we walked her there and escorted her to the "kindergarten porch" where the youngest students line up with their classrooms.

Josh and I then headed upstairs to the media center (a.k.a. the library) for an orientation prepared specifically for new kindergarten parents. I left around 8:40 so that I wouldn't be too late for work. It had, after all, been a few days since I'd been in the office.

Her first day was only 3 hours long, but the lunchtime report I received from Z was a positive one. She made two new friends, completed a craft and found a Judy B. Jones book to read in a nook in the classroom. She can't wait to go back and dive into new experiences like gym, music and art classes, Spanish lessons and trips to the school library.

Tomorrow she'll also be buying hot lunch. A big deal for a picky eater and a mom who doesn't much relish packing lunch boxes.

Wordless Wednesday: Montessori Graduate

She's mastered the 2-wheeler

Z rides her bike for the first time from almaklein on Vimeo.

After spending a couple of weekends working on balancing her bicycle like a run-bike (not using the pedals), Z picked up her feet and put them on the pedals. She's a natural!

Art milestones: First face, first family

A drew her first recognizable face and family portrait this morning--although the latter probably resembles a family of jellyfish (or perhaps nothing if you're not her parent).

For comparison's sake, here's Z's first drawing of a face. Fascinating that both girls drew their first portrait at 33 months of age!

The longest 2 day weekend, ever

I can't believe Friday was only two days ago. Since the sun went down on Friday night, I've hung out with a neighborhood knitting circle I've joined, finished a scarf for A (a purple version of this one) and started a cowl-neck scarf for myself. I cleaned out our closets and reorganized the kitchen cabinets, bringing 5 bags of goods to The Brown Elephant a couple to the local kids consignment shop. I met with our tax preparer, wrapped presents for the two birthday parties Z attended (one at a bowling alley and the other at a kits art studio) and took the kids out to enjoy the sunshine and slightly warmed weather at Fox Park (our first trips to the park this season). I took Z to see FAME at the local high school and I folded laundry and made granola and pancakes and wrote shopping lists and menu plans.

But the most exciting accomplishment of the weekend is A's. Josh took the side off her crib this morning and she went right to sleep in her "new" big girl bed at both naptime and bedtime. Without her paci. The pacifier that has been her constant comfort for the last 2 1/2 years is gone. It was so easy I'm scared to blog this and jinx it.

An ode to my bookworm

As if it wasn't troubling enough that my 5 year old can more quickly and confidently identify the countries of South America or the faces and places on U.S. coins than I can, I've found myself in the awkward position of wondering if she's reading too well, too soon. And trying to figure out what that means (if anything) long term.

A brief history. My daughter learned to read somewhere between 4 and 4 1/2. Shortly before she was officially 4 1/2 she fluently read me a 28 page book she'd hadn't seen before. It was then that I acknowledged she really was reading--not merely memorizing her favorite books.

Z is 5 now and her reading and writing skills are tremendous. Her Montessori teacher deserves a lot of credit for teaching her to read and continually challenging her, and she's probably inherited some natural verbal ability from me and her father as we're both professional writers. But still.

It is no longer sufficient to lug home a bag of picture books from the library each week. We need to get those picture books plus a bunch of early reader chapter books. Z can devour Crystal the Snow Fairy before she leaves for school and finish a Judy Moody book in the afternoon. Last night, after I'd read her a chapter of A Little House on the Prairie, she flipped her bedside lamp on and plowed through 3 chapter of Charlotte's Web. Then I discovered her reading Roald Dahl's The Twits as she pulled on her socks, put on her coat and rode to school in the back seat of our car.

I'm proud of my daughter (and I love to read as well), but I worry that that she might find content she can read but isn't emotionally mature enough to understand. I feel like my husband and I should be reading along with her, checking her comprehension and asking her to sit back and reflect on what she's read. But really, it's virtually impossible to keep up

Z lost her first tooth

After a morning birthday party at Pump It Up and an afternoon sledding adventure with the family, I can't say I was too surprised when Z lost her tooth at Tri-Star Gymnastics' family playtime. The tiny tooth got lost on the gymnasium bathroom floor, but Z doesn't care. "The tooth fairy will see my gap while I'm smiling in my sleep and know I lost a tooth."

Happy 5th birthday to you

Dear Z,

I can't believe I'm the mother of a five year old. Five!

It's clear you are not a baby anymore. You're not a toddler. You're barely a preschooler, flourishing as you are in the kindergarten program at Montessori school. You're a kid. A little person. Heck, you'll probably remember being five.

Since turning four, you've learned so much and made me so proud. Since learning to read, you've progressed rapidly to level 3 on those Early Reader books. You love all aspects of school: math, science, geography, culture and art. You're still into fairy tales and princesses, but you're also asking questions (and occasionally jumping to conclusions) about Judaism, history and the natural world. You've learned to swim (although you're still doggie-paddling at this point) and you continue to shine in gymnastics class.

The year ahead is packed with the promise of more firsts. A trip to Australia. Public school. The school bus. Riding a bike without training wheels. Even the possibility of flying unaccompanied to visit grandparents (although I'm not sure I'm ready for that).

You're a model big sister, advocating for A and leading her around the house in elaborate games of pretend. Although you're not a holding hands, huggy kind of kid, you still have an enormous number of friends. Limiting your birthday party invite list was a touchy affair since you wanted to invite all your school friends, neighborhood friends and the kids from your old playgroup. We ended up limiting you to 10 female school friends--all of whom RSVPed yes and are coming to the almost sleepover on Saturday.

But life with you isn't all sunshine and roses. Your smarts, coupled with two parents who never shy away from a debate, mean you try to negotiate for everything (I think I wrote this last year, too). You're moody, and you have a whiny cranky voice that can peel wallpaper off a wall. You've also become more of a picky eater than before--something I honestly didn't think was possible. The whiny, cranky negotiator in you becomes particularly intolerable at bedtime. It's virtually impossible for me to put you to bed without a fight, but you behave much better for Daddy, since he has a zero-tolerance policy for nonsense. Good thing the both of you are enjoying the Lemony Snicket series so much!

More birthday letters

Z at age 4

Z at age 3

Z at age 2

Her first day of school

No butterflies in this girl's belly. Of course, since this is her third year in the same Montessori classroom, with the same, wonderful Directress, Z's got nothing to worry about.

She is, however, going to be taking a full day of classes instead of "napping" after lunch. She'll be in Morning Montessori in a 3-6 year old classroom and then have two hours of afternoon coursework with the other 5-6 year olds. Yes, she's 4 until November, but she's already reading better than many 1st graders.

To quote Z this morning, "I'm ready for some new lessons!"

Pretty much potty trained

A, drinking water at a restaurant in Iowa. We visited that toilet at least twice.

Now I finally understand pull-up diapers. When Z was being potty trained, it was a parent-led affair. We waited until she was 2 1/2, circled a day on the calendar and called it "no more diapers day." We literally gave away Z's diapers and offered her Princess Pull-Ups only at nap and nighttime. There were tears. There were bribes. There wasn't any turning back.

A, on the other hand, started showing some interest in the potty exactly one month ago, a day after she turned 2. We were at Irazu, remember? Since then, she's been going with more and more regularity. No trip to the park or the pool or someone else's house is complete without a "pee-pee in da potty."

Since our trip to Omaha was chock full of OPP (other people's potties), A only wet her diapers at night. And with all those trips in and out of unfamiliar bathroom stalls, and all that undressing and balancing and redressing, I really learned to appreciate the pull-up diaper. Since we've been home, I think it's fair to say that A's potty trained. She can't pull down her own clothes, pull them back up or reach the sink, but she's got pretty darn good control of her toileting.

But here's the rub: I haven't actually put her in big girl underpants yet. I've shown the dorky hand-me-down training pants to her and she always shakes her head no. Doesn't seem interested. And I'm reluctant to push the issue because I'm just not that excited about cleaning up the eventual accident mess. But the day is coming.

Soon.

And so the terrible twos begin

A's second birthday is a little more than a month away, but she's acting more like a two year old every day. She's talking up a storm, dedicating much of her language acquisition to mastering demands and negativity like "no want that," "no like that," "no go bye-bye," "yucky," "messy," "poopy," "pee-pee," "cookie!" "dance!" "no, other one" "cat down!" "uppy!" "help you" (help me), "mocos" (snot), "[Z] come," and "dat's mines!"

When she doesn't get what she wants immediately, she screeches her demand louder and louder. When we calmly inform her that she's not getting a cookie while she eats her noodles or another fruit bar to smear across her face while in the stroller, she scowls fiercely--all big eyes and tucked chin--and lets a small stream of drool fall off her pouty lower lip. If she's pissed enough, she'll lock eyes, narrow them ever so slightly and then throw or drop something in an act of sheer defiance.

The good news is that her tantrums, while overly dramatic, resolve themselves quickly if ignored and moments later she's giggling gleefully as she strews toys across the floor, launches herself from the ottoman onto the couch or stands up on a dining room chair and shakes her tushie. Yeah, she's kind of a little terror.

My baby has a buddy!

There's only one thing in the world cuter than an adorable 21 month old, and that is an adorable 21 month old playing with an equally adorable 20 month old. Watching A and her new friend Stella was so sweet I probably should have forgone that ice cream cone.

A little background. As the second-born, A's seriously gotten then shaft when it comes to playmates. Sure, she's got 24-7 access to her big sister, but her "friends" have until now been a handful of Z's friends younger sibs.

But tonight we had over a new-to-Oak Park couple, parents to Stella and a 2nd daughter due in late June. We ate barbecue chicken, salads and corn of the cob in the backyard (yay, spring!) and watched the little girls share toys (yes, I was astonished), share snacks and point out airplanes to each other. They even held hands!

My daughter, reader and world traveler

I've got a couple of reasons to be very proud of Z. If you read my husband's blog, you probably know what a champ she was during their five nights in Leeds, England. They traveled stroller-less, and Z walked all day without complaint. She also adjusted well to the time change, new sleeping arrangements and plenty of sightseeing just Dad and her Aunt Bethany.

Shortly after her return, met another milestone on the road to big-kidhood. She started reading! I knew she could sight read a few words and sound out all the letters from her phonics work at Montessori school, but on Saturday afternoon she picked up a dusty old copy of Hop, Skip Jumparoo Zoo from the basement shelf and proceeded to read me all 30 pages! She only needed help with a handful of words. It was obvious she was as proud of herself as I was of her. The lightbulb had been turned on and she realized I can really do this. Since then she's also read Biscuit and the Baby and a couple of other books. Since she's only 4 years old and a November birthday, she's going to be quite the accomplished reader before she enters kindergarten in the the fall of 2011. Until then, her Montessori school will let her progress as rapidly as she wishes.

Food and my 19 month old

A only wants big pieces of fruit. Do not cut her fruit! She is undaunted by the size of this apple, but she will not finish it. It is, after all, approximately the circumference of her head. Instead, she will gnaw on it until it looks ravaged by a rabid squirrel and summarily hand it to me for disposal.

She demands "snack" 20 times a day. She has a snack in mind, perhaps, but any suggestions Josh or I make will be met with an angry "No!" Unless its a cookie. The girl also loves her "milk," "juicz" and "wa-wa" and demands them only slightly less often than "snack." She prefers her beverages served in an open-topped cup.

A has a pretty broad palate and many of her 75+ words are dedicated to foodstuffs, including: Cheerios, crackers, cookie, apple, peach, banana, peanut butter, bread, cheese, peas, apple sauce, beans, ice cream, hot dog and fries. She'll spoon up a bowl of Grape-Nuts or Cheerios and eat a PB&J with some measure of daintiness, but she prefers to feed herself oatmeal and spaghetti with meat sauce with her bare hands.

She does, however, punctuate every meal with a request for "nap-kin." She wipes her hands, face and the food-splattered tabletop in front of her, slides down off her chair and places the soiled napkin in the "tash." And yes, she quit using a booster seat at 18 months of age. To my eternal dismay.

On the cusp of reading

Z, who turned 4 in November, is showing more and more signs of reading readiness. She can sound out a lot of words and yesterday she wrote MGAZEN and said "Look mommy, I spelled magazine. I just sounded out the letters!" Before MGAZEN, all the words Z's written have been memorized, and most of them are the names of her family members or friends.

Check out this Slate article on how you can help your infant, toddler or elementary school child build his or her reading skills.

Baby A is 16 months old today

My not so little girl is off the bottle and off the boob (although not by choice) and sleeping better than ever. Last night (and I sure hope I'm not jinxing this by blogging), she slept from 6:50 p.m. to 6:20 a.m!

She's adding new words to her vocabulary every day and it's clear she understands most of what we're saying. She's also started mimicking her sister and other bigger kids. On Saturday she watched Z play hide and go seek with a couple of friends and she lined up against the wall and put her hands over her eyes as they counted to 20.

Yes, I'm finally weaning my baby

I never thought I'd end up nursing A until she was pushing 16 months of age, but time flies with number two and Josh and I were just too damned lazy to make the effort (at 5:30am, mind you) to wean her. But with some encouragement from my sister, we're finally doing it. For the past two mornings, Josh has picked our little early riser out of her crib and marched her straight downstairs for breakfast! Hopefully she'll forget about my boobs sooner rather than later and I can stop worrying about her angrily sticking her hands down my shirt in public.

But it's not just us parents who are hitting the milestones. A's had a virtual word explosion in the last week. After months of Mama, cat, dog, mine, bye, night-night, agua and not much else, A's been surprising us with all kinds of pronouncements. Among her new words are mine, bird, house, car, vroom-vroom, bag, brush, juice, woof-woof, baby, banana and snack. And she's named her beloved pacifier "nah."