Merry Christmas! This morning, Noa woke up as if it were any other day. Grandma had to prompt her to check and see if Santa ate his cookies. Then, she saw her present from Santa... a Frozen scooter! She said, "I'm so glad Santa bring me a scooter!".
She did ask to see if the reindeer had eaten their food, we checked and it was still out on the lawn... hmmm, I must read more about that.
Wishing all our loved ones a Merry Christmas!
P.S. Noa turned 3.5 years old on December 15th!
Tonight, we said 'goodbye' to our Elf On The Shelf, who has yet to be named. Noa hugged him goodbye as he will soon head back to the North Pole.
Noa loves to help mom, okay who are we kidding... Noa loves to help grandma do the dishes. Drought or no drought, I'm letting her 'do the dishes' - its all part of making memories and playing house!
It's no secret, I don't cook - but I do try to make her lunch box cute. I've been obsessed with creating cute bento box lunches. So, off to the Asian store I go in search of silicone cupcake molds. We shop, eat lunch, and are having a nice day. As we are crossing busy Sawtelle Blvd. in Los Angeles, Noa asks, "Do I have a dad?" I thought I heard her but just to double check, I blurted out "What did you say?" She gave me a shy look and asked again .. I said, "no, just a mommy" and she continued skipping across the street.
I will have many opportunities over Noa's lifetime to revisit this subject at different stages of development, for now she knows she just has a mom, and life is good.
Noa is 3 years, 3 months old.
Yaya, grandma, Noa and I went to meet Noa's preschool teacher, Teacher Tanya.
Both Noa and I survived the first day of preschool without any tears!! Noa had an amazing opportunity to attend Dwire Preschool in Oxnard. Dwire is an integrated preschool that is designed to provide the enrolled students with special needs an opportunity to interact with non-disabled/typical peers who can serve as age-appropriate role models for communication, mobility, and social skills.
Before I said goodbye to Noa she said, "Mom, I wanna tell you a secret, I don't wanna go." A huge thank you to Marylove and Susan for making sure she got in to class, so I could make it to work on time. My school is literally next door!
Noa's sitter, Rita, picks her up from school at 11:15 a.m. and I pick her up after work.
When asked about her first day she said she played on the merry-go-round and sang Wheels On The Bus, she was very happy!!
The teacher sent home quite a nice note:
8/27 Great first day for Noa! She was so independent and content. She was an awesome model for my other typical student who was having anxiety. Noa is a very bright girl who I obviously have to put harder work for in her independent work station! She participated in everything. (Circle, art, independent work station and playdough.) She sits very well, follows directions and has excellent behavior. What a lucky teacher I am! Noa is beyond her years! Lots of self-control, very attentive and focused! I'm in awe! Great job mom! You done an amazing job!
After reading the note (and holding back tears) I gave a huge thank you to Mrs. Rita, Noa's sitter. Mrs. Rita is the one who has taught Noa, and me, so much! Just 3 days ago Noa was coloring and I had no idea how well she was able to stay in the lines... why? Because I'm working all day and Mrs. Rita is the one who works with her, provides structure, love, and discipline.
Thank you, Marylove, for the beautiful First Day sign!
A special package arrived all the way from NY... a lovely teddy bear from Al, aka "Owl" - she loves it!! Thank you!
Costco had Halloween costumes out today and Noa wanted to be Princess Merida ... I wasn't aware of a Princess Merida and asked her to show me the costume... she took me right to the costume she wanted, and 'Merida' was on the tag... just when I thought I had learned all their names!
Noa is so girly, I'm having fun learning alongside of her!
Noa had a swim lesson today and she did great... she just wasn't ready last year. I thought I'd take her for a mani/pedi afterwards. She chose a pink color for her fingers, and a different shade of pink for her toes ... with flowers of course.
