Preschool Hunting and Pretending

Dear Isabella,

We started looking for a preschool for you and we've only toured one so far (we have another tour scheduled next week) but it was so perfect and you loved it! The Early Learning Center (Seagull Schools) was so great! You got to play with a few classes and when the tour was over you didn't want to leave. The kids all shared nicely with you. You played with homemade play-dough with the older (pre-kindergarten) class, played outside with a 4 year old class, and played with the toys at the 3 year old classroom. All the teachers and staff seemed so enthusiastic and welcoming. It made me excited to think of you as such a big girl but also a little scared! What happened to my bald little wiggle worm?

When I asked you if you wanted to go to school there you said "yesh." It was interesting to see you so fearless also. When we first got there all you could see was the playgrounds so of course you wanted to go "pay" (play). And when we checked in at the office the security/maintenance man tried to talk to you and play a harmonica for you but you became very serious and turned your head away. But when we started talking to the director and walked near a group of kids playing you asked to go down and when we let you down you walked right up to the kids. Then when we went to another classroom where the kids were all sitting on the carpet facing the teacher you walked right into the group and didn't freak out when the teachers and kids started talking to you.

Speaking of talking - you talk a lot now! You even say two and three word "sentences." Like "Daddy work" or Mommy cook." And you know how to tattle on people. Haha, I'm only joking because I found a blood blister on your finger and asked you what happened and you said, "Oh no! Car seat. Gwapa [Grandpa] peech [pinch]. Yah. Oh no." Grandpa confirmed your finger got accidentally pinched in the car seat buckle. You can almost tell a story now!

You also love pretending. You put your doll on the chair, put your monkeys from your Barrel of Monkeys under the chair, and use the comb to pretend you're brushing and cutting hair. You also "read" to yourself - you open a book and babble and turn the pages. With the books you're really familiar with I hear you saying the words related to that part of the story - like saying "hi!" and "hat" in the parts of Go Dog Go where the two dogs say hello and talk about the girl-dog's hat. Also you pretend to rock your baby dolls and make your toys walk and say "walk walk." Of course you also love cooking in your kitchen at Grandma's house.

You also like cleaning. You insist on wiping the table, and you like sweeping, folding clothes, and washing your bath baby. Let's hope this love of cleaning lasts!

Just today Grandma said you started (all by yourself) trying or pretending to draw letters! She said you drew circles and lines and said, "A! Y! O!"

I know I say this every time but it's astonishing how fast you are growing up.

Love,
Mommy