Charlotte started morning Kindergarten on Monday and now attends five day’s a week. She is by far the smallest child in the group, but is coping well. She came home on Monday to say, ‘Everyone asked me if I was a baby!’. I told her that she might be small, but she has a big personality and in time she’ll have everyone convinced she is a big girl. I have fond memories of my smaller peers at school and the majority were ‘chatter boxes’ with love-able, big personalities.
Charlotte has personality and spirit in abundance (Warning: Don’t get in her way or touch one of her ‘creations’!):
She is enjoying the contact with older peers and more challenging activities. Today she came home with an airplane she’d made at the woodwork bench (it was more of a wooden cross, but with childhood imagination it could have been anything!). She’d nailed two pieces of wood together and painted them. She was enthralled at trying something new (and a little scary!).
At home we now hear the call of ‘Haere Mai!’ [Welcome! Come!] before any daily event – so bath-time is heralded with a loud, ‘Haere Mai, Bath-time!’.
Sophie is adjusting to the absence of her big sister and it will be great for her to get involved with some other little toddlers. There is a lovely playgroup and music group just around the corner. The past two day’s Sophie has journeyed to the library, playground and beach with only Mummy for company. There isn’t the regular chatter of big sister, so I am back to pointing out various objects and sharing singular word conversations, ‘Bin’, ‘Bus’, ‘Bench’, ‘Bird’ (so many first words start with the letter ‘B’!).
Today was another beautiful day and Sophie and I walked down to meet Charlotte at midday. The 3km walk home from Lyall Bay to Houghton Bay, including the steep ascent of Hungerford Road up to View Road, was completed entirely on foot by Charlotte. There was only a slight hint of tiredness near the end, but the mention of sweet rewards on completion spurred her on (there was no way I was going to push both the girls up that hill in the buggy!).
I was so proud of Charlotte and we talked of some of the beautiful walks we’ll enjoy come July, when we holiday in the Lake District (UK) with family. Sophie slipped into sweet slumbers whilst we walked and it was time for Charlotte and I to share some precious ‘one-on-one’ time. We got home, ate chocolate, and played shops.
