To Our Nursery School Graduate (almost)

It is really hard to believe that, in two days, you will be all done with your beloved pre-school. We have been through so much there and you have done an unbelievable amount of growing up. I'm sitting on the couch right now as I write this, the very same couch I sat on 2 1/2 years ago as I talked to your teacher Jennifer on the phone every night about your difficulty separating. Those days are so far gone now. You skip to school and literally run up the stairs (seven flights!) to get to your classroom. You are proud to be one of the oldest kids in school, allowed to go to the bathroom by yourselves and just generally the kids who "rule the school". On Color Day recently, you were so happy to be "the reddest one," with your red dress and red bows in your hair. You have such school spirit and enthusiasm. You are really excited about the Rainbow Fish play which Daddy and I will see at your graduation on Wednesday. But you've been practicing your lines at home a lot and one night you told me, "If you see me walking around like a fish, it is just because I am practicing for the play." I guess you didn't want me to be alarmed or to worry that my daughter was becoming a fish.

Every single one of your parent-teacher conferences -- Sun, Silver and Red Room -- have been glowing. All your teachers love you and have told us that you are a pleasure to have in their classrooms. Your last Red Room conference was particularly glowy and they made a point to tell us that we should appreciate this, that not every parent gets to hear only good things. But they also emphasized that you are not a goody-goody or annoyingly perfect. We appreciate that they see in you so many of the wonderful qualities that we see and that they seem to really appreciate you. At the first conference this year, we were told that your dictionary (a project that you have been working on all year) was the one that was used as the example when parents came to look at the school. It is because all your work is so carefully done and thoughtful. YOu have worked hard to improve your handwriting and your drawing. You went through the whole dictionary for us the other night (now that you've brought it home) and told us stories about creating each page. For example, you were annoyed making the D is for Duck because you had to come in from the terrace to do it. I think you must have been absent the day the rest of the class did it. You missed a few days of school after spring break and when you got back, your teacher told us you had to work "like a dog", I assume making up for all the missed projects. You confirmed that you had, indeed, worked extra hard that day. I bet that was the D is for Duck Day.

I am going to miss so much all of the things that I've enjoyed these past three years. Even making your lunch. Recently, as I've packed your lunch each day, I have really tried to celebrate that I get to do this. Next year you will eat in a cafeteria. I will not be able to put little notes in for you or to pack a special thing that I know you really like. I will not be able to put my good vibes into your lunch. So, although there were times when it felt like a burden -- when I couldn't decide what to pack or we didn't have great things in the house -- I have come to really appreciate that that is something I get to do as your mom. (Credit goes to Daddy too because he put your lunch together a lot of the time as well.)

I will miss the early pick-up. Which at times I complained about because it sometimes felt like I could only do one thing in the morning before it was time to go get you. But it gave us lots of long afternoons together and I LOVED this year where I got to come into the classroom a lot or to see you practicing cartwheels on the terrace. Next year, I will have to wait for you in the school lobby. And it will be much later. This is because you are growing up. And while I am so proud of that and so very proud of the girl you are and the girl you are becoming, I will forever miss the little one who loves me and needs me in such a basic and uncomplicated way. The one who brings her lunch to school and gets dismissed at 1:45 Monday - Thursday and 12:30pm on Fridays.

Ironically, I will probably not miss the commute and this is something that I have always enjoyed. Daddy and I both agree that having to travel to school has given us very special time alone with you -- especially since Vivian's birth. But it will be nice not to have to go to the east side anymore and we'll still have a little bit of a commute next year.

It feels like your Nursery School graduation is a hugely symbolic moment where we are coming to the end of a big chapter and starting a very exciting next one. I know that there will be many great things ahead for you and that you are going to learn and grow so much in your new school environment. But your pre-school has been a truly special place that I will miss a lot. Thanks for being such a great kid and for sharing so much of what you've done in the past few years with us. I really feel like I know what went on in your day to day life there and I have really loved sharing it with you.

Congratulations, Stella!

Love,
Mommy

To Vivian 20 months

You are beyond cute. Everyone thinks so. I don't know exactly what it is about you but you are just literally the most adorable human who ever ever lived. And I get to be your mom. I am your first choice cuddle partner, the one you most want to hold you or comfort you when you are sad and I consider this a real privilege.

You are starting to talk quite a bit, putting two words together and you love to tell dramatic stories about things that have happened to you. You have three bad stories to tell. "Boy push", "Hot tove" and "Bit Daddy". A long time ago at music class a boy pushed you and you fell down. You did not like this at all but you do like to tell about it. Another time, I put you up on the counter near the stove while your milk was heating. I turned around for a second and you cried out. When I turned back, your face had a look of horror on it. I asked what happened, did you touch the hot stove? You did. We put ice on your finger and you were fine and this gave you another good story to tell. And finally, one day you bit Daddy, not out of anger but out of sheer happiness and joy. However, Daddy screamed very very loud causing you to cry hysterically. I wasn't there but I heard all about it, of course. It is fun to listen to you tell these stories and to ask you questions like, "When you touched the hot stove, which finger did you burn" and you will show your little pointer. Then I will ask, "What did we do?" and you will answer "Ice".

At your 19mo check-up (which was really at 19+ months) you were 21 pounds 10 oz (10%) and, I think 33 inches (75%) and your head circumference was 18. This means we no longer have to really worry about how tiny you are and how little you (sometimes) eat. For awhile there you were more like 3% and I just didn't want you to go off the chart even though I know all that percentile stuff is silly.

Your most favorite food in the whole world is french fries. I was very surprised one night when we went to Blue Smoke for dinner. I was carrying you to the table when all of a sudden you spied some fried potatoes on a nearby plate and started saying "Ruff ries! Ruff ries!" Now we really cannot go to a restaurant and expect you to eat a morsel of anything else. Unlike Stella who did not have ice cream until she was just shy of two years old, you regularly enjoy a "pop" (lollipop) and cookies. Sometimes you will come up to me and go "nack. nack" and I know you are hungry for a snack.

You really enjoy pushing a baby in your little baby stroller although I have found it is a bit dangerous to let you take the stroller out. Inevitably, you will really enjoy pushing it for about half a block and then I will be left carrying it the rest of the way. I learned this when we took the little stroller (but no big stroller) with us on a quick errand to our nearby health food store. You also love your older sister and work super hard to keep up with her. You've really loved your Chelsea Piers gymnastics class and you have mastered jumping. It is actually amazing to see how much you have grown and learned since we started the class. In the beginning, the idea of following directions was pretty much a joke but now you do almost everything that the coaches tell you to do. You do most of the warm-up, you carry little plastic eggs on a spoon from one end of the mat to the other, you do at least part of every obstacle course, you sit and listen to songs, you hang from bars (your greatest event) and you jump like crazy. You have really learned how to jump now and you love doing it. When Stella is practicing cartwheels or handstands at Grandma and Grandpa's house, you definitely want your turn to do your version of one of these tricks or a forward roll, butt flop or some other feat.

This month, Daddy took me to a hotel in NYC for my birthday and you and Stella spent a few nights at Grandma and Grandpa's house. They had such a good time with you. I was a little bit apprehensive about what would happen when we picked you up. I remembered leaving Stella when she was about your age and she really punished me for a couple days when we got back. Daddy and I missed you guys so much and we couldn't wait to see you, we were so excited when we got to Grandma and Grandpa's to pick you up. When we got there, you were in the bathtub. We opened the bathroom door and you looked up at us with such a big smile. We asked what you were doing and you answered, "swimming". You were so happy, had obviously had a great time with "Nama Heen and Pow" but were also really excited to see us. Unlike your older sister, you did not punish us for one second. You are so flexible and easygoing and totally joyous and fun.

We celebrated my birthday as a small family over the weekend. Stella and Daddy made a cake and you were very excited to sing "Happy Birthday" to me and to help me blow out the candles. You do love the birthday song and whenever you see a candle burning anywhere you point to it and say, "Happy Birthday."

Daddy and I love being your parents and talk all the time about how perfect it is to have two daughters. It is so much better than I ever imagined.

I love you.

Love,
Mommy