Swimming for real
Nanna and Miranda and I went swimming today. Miranda finally decided to stop being afraid and try it. I'm not sure what did it, but she realised that being in the water wasn't so scary after all.
She ended up swimming all over the place! Granted, she was wearing water wings and sometimes she was using a pool noodle, but she was really swimming, all on her own. She went out into "the deep water" (which was actually only up to about my chest, but it was deep to her) and then turned around and swam back, and she did it quite a few times.
I've always loved the water, and I was a bit concerned when she seemed to be more afraid than anything else, but she's proved that she is my child, after all, and she's finally taken to the water like a little mermaid. Or at least a little mermaid who doesn't like getting her face wet very much and who needs water wings and a pool noodle, but still, she was swimming all on her own and having a wonderful time of it.
We'll go again next week, and then she'll be going to school five days a week and I'm not sure when we'd manage to get in a swim (the weekends tend to be really hectic). I'm definitely going to be signing her up for proper swimming lessons at mid-term, though. We've been looking for some physical activity for her to do, and while we considered ballet and karate, I think swimming is going to be the way to go, and it's a lot more practical than ballet, anyway (have you ever heard someone shouting desperately, "Help! Help! I can't pirouette!").
We went to the.... sharps?
Miranda brings home her excercises from school every day, and they've been practicing writing. The teacher prints a sentence for the child on a piece of paper, and then the child practices writing it.
Miranda's said "I went to the shops".
We were amused to note that for the word "shops" she actually had written #s. You know, #? Like F# or C#.... (And it's not my accent to blame, I pronounce the "r" in "sharp"!)
Swimming
Miranda has Wednesdays off for this month, it being her first month. Next month she goes to a full five day week, but for now, she's only going four days.
So today, Nanna and Grandpop and I took her with us to the pool for a swim. Miranda was very apprehensive. She clung to the adults like a baby monkey, despite the fact that she was wearing water wings. After a while, we managed to convince her that we weren't going to let anything happen to her, but she never did quite relax completely in the water.
Next time, I hope she'll be a little more comfortable in the water so we can teach her a few basics.
Miranda the Moocher
At Miranda's school, the canteen sells icy poles (uhm... popcicles for you non-Australians) on hot days. Yesterday Miranda coveted one very much. Today, apparently, she did, as well, but this time she managed to get one, even without money.
From the sounds of it, she stood near the canteen and looked very cute and small (she's the shortest child in her class and probably in all of the prep group) and almost certainly sad and pathetic. One of the bigger girls asked if she wanted an icy pole. Miranda said she did, but that she didn't have any money. The bigger girl then asked her friend for some money and they bought Miranda an icy pole with it.
First: That was very nice of them, and I'm glad she remembered to say thank you.
Secondly: This is not to be encouraged.
Third: There are advantages to being little and cute.
Fourth: Next time we'll make sure she has her own money for an icy pole on a hot day.
Of Music and Schools
Miranda has started doing piano lessons. She's taking to it like a duck to water, I'm extremely pleased. I'm not too surprised, given the amount of musical ability in the family on all sides, but she's just really enjoying it and doing very, very well at it.
She's also doing quite well at her music theory. She's already preparing to do her Grade 1 examination. I expect she'll pass with flying colours.
She started school on Thursday, just for two hours. Today she went for four hours and had lunch there. Monday she starts full days, but she's got Wednesdays off for a few weeks. So far, she's enjoying it very much and coming home telling us all about the things she's learning (which bells mean what, for example).
We've got an appointment to meet with her teacher on 21 February, just the usual routine sort of stuff. If he hasn't already worked it out, I'll make sure he's aware that she can read (really, truly read, and quite fluently) and that she's doing music. Her school offers German as a second language, but I don't know if they offer it to the very little kids. I think she'd actually be able to learn it, though, believe it or not (she's almost unbelievably intelligent and she just soaks up knowledge).
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