Growing Up

Today Maggie and I had a conference with her preschool teacher and took a tour of the classroom.  Seems like just yesterday we were bringing her home from the hospital, and now I'm sending her to preschool and will be bringing her baby brother home from the hospital!

I've known Maggie's preschool teacher for years and am THRILLED that Maggie's in her class!  I think she will be perfect for her as Maggie transitions into the roles of big sister and preschooler.  Her teacher was so sweet to me today . . . she told me, "Don't worry that you won't be able to love this new baby as much as Maggie.  Your love doesn't divide- it multiplies!"

Here are Maggie's recent accomplishments and "Maggie-isms":

• Maggie's main form of entertainment is acting out books and movies.  The funny thing is that despite having tons of dress-up clothes, she does all of her acting without costumes and props.  Instead, she pantomimes the actions as she watches a movie or listens to a story.  She'll repeat lines from movies verbatim . . . Several times she has pretended that I'm one of the step-sisters from "Cinderella" (Anastasia).  She'll say, "Good morning, Anastasia.  Sleep well?" (an exact line from the movie).  Tonight she even pretended that she got her nose stuck in the door, like Gonzo from "The Great Muppet Caper".  She is literally a drama queen!
• Besides acting out books and movies, Maggie loves to pretend that she is a cat.  She gets the most genuinely sad look on her face and will come up to me and say, "Meow, meow.  I'm a cat that lives alone in the forest.  Will you be my mother?  Can I live with you?"
• Maggie can count to 29.
• Maggie is cutting very well with scissors.  She especially likes to cut fabric.
• Maggie enjoys folding wash cloths and helping me make my bed.  One day, without prompting, she made my bed all by herself!  Gotta love free child labor!
• Every day Maggie gets a vitamin (she calls it her "gummy" because she used to take the gummy kind) and a small sweet treat.  Maggie loves to give me and Brendon "gummies and treats", which are her hugs and kisses!  They are definitely good for us!
• After I praised Maggie for eating several kinds of vegetables at supper, she said, "It's a variety!" (a word she learned from the PBS show "Super Why")
• Maggie likes to tell us what she dreamed about (or made up that she dreamed about).  One day she said, "I had a dream last night.  You, me, and Daddy were doing handstands.  We had clothes on!"   That's a relief!
• A few of the things Maggie says are funny, but not necessarily appropriate . . . Maggie overheard Brendon talking about going to a brewing class.  I guess she thought that she was supposed to be included in this.  That night she said, "Daddy, we didn't make beer today!"  Another night I was lying in bed with Maggie as she was going to sleep.  After she passed gas, she said, "Was that a chicken blowing bubbles?!"  Who knows where she gets these ideas, but they sure make us laugh!

We're trying to make the most of Maggie's last few weeks as an only child.  Click here to see the highlights from July.