This and That

Second week of kindergarten, and all is well. Yesterday, Emma tried to teach me how to count to 10 in Chinese. She has a spelling test on Friday, so Chris and I helped her review the words. She already knows them all, so there wasn't much for us to do but listen and praise. At bedtime, she read me the entire book "The Fat Cat Sat on the Mat" and only needed help sounding out a few of the words. And it's a long book - over 30 pages, with several sentences on each page. Perhaps she is simply on par with her peers - I wouldn't know as I don't often hang out with other 5 year olds. But to me, she's a genius.

The last couple of days, Sophie has given us a slight reprieve from the screaming/whining/crying of the last few months. It's been so lovely. She's been giggly and silly and saucy and delightful. I've missed that Sophie. A lot. Right now, she's happily playing on the floor with a big pile of fake bugs. Once in awhile she shouts "Hello bug," gives the bug a kiss and then puts it back on the floor. She is talking more every day. Her favorite phrase of the moment seems to be, "I do it." Translation: "Get away from me adult person, I can do it myself!" She won't let me hold her hand when she walks down the stairs, so I'm forced to back down in front of her with my hands splayed out, ready to catch her if she stumbles. She is still fascinated with baby dolls, and her new favorite toy is Emma's Light Bright. She will spend an hour or longer quietly moving the little light bulbs in and out, in and out of their holder. In addition to using the phrase correctly with people, she's often overheard saying, "Thank you! Welcome" to toys, furniture, the car, etc. We aren't sure what these things did to warrant a thanks, but Sophie feels obligated to express her gratitude for whatever reason. As we watched Em's school bus pull away this morning, she sat on my lap, waving goodbye and quietly repeating, "Bye Emma! Luv you." Then she pointed in the direction of the bus and told another parent, "My Emma bus!" The mother leaned down and asked, "What did you say? My Emma?" Sophie glared at her and yelled, "No! My Emma. Ma-ma Emma. No you Emma." Sophie ain't too shabby in the intelligence department either.