It's turned into a busy summer and we've fallen behind on blogging. You can partially blame Facebook for that.
Niranjana finished first-year preschool and is entering "pre-kindergarten." I'm tiring of answering the question/comment "She's 5, so she's in kindergarten, right?" Anyone else out there in the same boat? But Niranjana's teachers say she is progressing as she should — no developmental delays, just still catching up to 3.5 years in an orphanage — and that we're doing the right thing by not pushing her into an academic area for which she's not ready.
That said, her interest in art is taking off and she's drawing stick figures with smiley faces and names. Our first family drawing was tonight!
Niranjana is learning her letters. Her first printed alphabet on the classic lined paper came home July 17.
She likes to pretend to read, which I know is a good reading behavior, although I've struggled a bit with getting her to take turns with me so I can actually read a book to her. We've finished a couple chapter books (Captain Underpants and Tinkerbell).
I'm trying to get her to let me read Harry Potter 1, the Sorcerer's Stone. "That might be a little scary for me," she said seriously. "Maybe when I'm 8." Sigh ... it's so hard to wait when it's such a favorite of mine.
Dinosaurs and sharks are her favorite creatures, and the friendship with our cats continues to grow. No snuggling yet, but they'll come to her when she feeds them.
Teacher says Niranjana is a bit bossy at school. She lost her movie day and free play today because she and another girl were being bossy. I've told the teacher to apply any consequences she deems appropriate to nip behavior issues in the bud. Today's loss of privileges also meant she lost an after-school trip to Blockbuster, as that was contingent on having a good day. Tears and tantrum ensued, but were resolved upon arrival at home, a hug from daddy and finding something new in our own movie collection. Nanny McPhee went over pretty well.
I finally read Love and Logic, and I learned some great tips. I managed to get through the first public meltdown (sorry to those Target shoppers who really wished I had let her buy the Scooby-Doo fruit snacks even though she had run away from me in the store). I remembered that I can't control the girl's tantrum, but I can control the location where it occurs. And despite concerns that people would wonder if I really am this brown girl's mother, I managed to get her into the parking lot...where she refused to get into the car. Then she refused to get into her seat. So I locked us in with the A/C running, called Andy for some advice and to explain why we were taking so long, and he came to the Target parking lot for a chat. She finally agreed to eat a cheese stick and, lo and behold, our charming daughter returned. Jiminy Christmas! But I didn't lose it! No timeout for Mommy! Yay!
Soccer is going well. Niranjana and our friend Leif are the team's top scorers. Soccer is canceled when the weather is 100 degrees, however.
Swimming is going fine. No fear of the water in this little girl. This might the activity we hold on to through the fall and winter, as she's in level 1 and needs some consistency if she's going to learn this important life skill.
We've enjoyed visits from Ammaji, Grandma, Grandpa, and even sometimes see Uncle Joe. Niranjana can kick anyone's bum in Wii bowling or tennis - literally with her back to the TV.
So things stay active and interesting at our house. Hope your summer is going well, too!
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