Brag Part 2

We had our fall conference with Natalie's teacher this morning.  I knew she'd made great strides since the first days when she was clinging to me like a barnacle at drop-off but I had no idea just how well she was doing!  She has a circle of girlfriends with whom she plays each day, according to Mrs. B.  They congregate around the arts and crafts table and chatter away as they create.  One girl in particular is Nat's special buddy and Nattie goes out of her way to make entertain this child, making her friend laugh herself silly.  Although she may balk at first, after hearing what the class is going to do and seeing the others in action, my girl is participating in all of the activities.  I think that's kind of great -- she considers the activity, wanting to see how things work and whether it will be safe before jumping in headfirst.  That kind of thoughtful deliberation will serve her well as she ages.

Mrs. B said she is very bright, very verbal and so funny.  "Such a great, quirky sense of humor; she makes me laugh out loud!"  She really is a funny kid with a better sense of humor than some adults I know. The more her vocabulary expands, the clearer her sharp wit becomes.  Mrs. B said she is very independent which sounds contradictory to anyone who knows Madam's attachment to me but she is right -- Natalie loves to do things for herself and takes great pride in her accomplishments.  While I will probably still be picking out Jack's clothes and dressing him on the morning of his wedding, Natalie has been choosing her own ensembles and putting them on "BY MYSELF!!!" since she was 18 months old.

I am so proud of her.  She really didn't want to go to school and was genuinely terrified but she gave it an honest try and realized that she loved it.  Once that happened, she embraced preschool wholeheartedly and has thrown herself into it.  Watching her blossom has been one of the two greatest joys of my life and I feel very thankful to have this smart, sassy, silly, sarcastic, sweet, shrewd, sunny girl as my daughter.