School Rules!

Yesterday was my birthday. I'm TWO! (And I know it!)

Mommy apologizes for her long blogging hiatus. She says she's been busy growing a baby in her tummy. (I'll believe it when I see it.) But this week is a big milestone in my life and she wants to record everything about it. No, not the beginning of the "Terrible Twos" (she says they began months ago) - my first week of preschool!

Last Friday was orientation. I was a little shy. In fact, my hands were in my mouth most of the time. You wouldn't know it because I'm never shy, but that's what I do when I'm shy.


Mommy and Daddy told my teacher, Morah Andrea, some things about me. Like that I call myself "Nana." (No more Lolly. That's just a nickname. Over the summer I decided to go by my full name. Which is just as well because there's another Lolly in my class.) And that I insist diapers be called nappies because that's what my best friend Sara, who's British, calls them. I say most words clearly but one funny thing I say (at least Mommy and Daddy think it's funny) is "Hodu." They say that means turkey, but how am I supposed to know that? I don't speak Hebrew. When I say "hodu" I mean "hold you" (which means, of course, "hold me.")

Monday was my first day. I had a special breakfast with Grandma and Zayde over the webcam.



There was an exciting atmosphere in the house and I couldn't get wait to get out the door.


Mommy and Daddy stayed with me for about 15 minutes, until I discovered the crayons. Then I didn't need them anymore.



At the end of the day Morah Andrea told Mommy and Daddy that I was the only kid in my class who didn't cry.

Every day of school was great, although I won't tell Mommy and Daddy what I do there. Even when Mommy asks me about things she knows I did ("Did you play outside today?" "Did you color in school?" "Did you read a book?") I say "No, no, no."

I never want to leave school. I don't understand why I have to go home and take a nap at 1:00 when other kids get to take a nap at school and then stay and play until 4:00. When Daddy walks me home I insist on rolling my backpack by myself and walking a few feet away from him to show that I'm a big girl and don't need anybody's help.


My class had a birthday party for me yesterday. We had a cake that Mommy made me, but I didn't really understand what it was for.


We had our first Shabbat party too. In the afternoon I wanted to color a picture but before I started I told Mommy that she needed to write my name on my paper first! Then I proceeded to write the letter "e" in the corner of the page before I started. Mommy claims it was a fluke but Daddy was impressed.


Today was Shabbat so there was no school. Mommy and I played a card game where we matched the colors. It was fun and Mommy said it was a big girl game! Later she reminded me that we have to clean up the toys when we're done with them, just like we do at school with Morah Andrea. I said "Anga! See! Fwends!" I can't wait to go to school tomorrow!

I like to "ten" (pretend). When Mommy tells me not to put something in my mouth I say "ten" and pretend to put it in my mouth. Speaking of ten, I know a few numbers now. I know one, two, free, fo', eight and nine. Pretty good, huh? Daddy has been practicing with me.

I'm also slowly working on my sentence structure. Today I was making "ten" food (when I cook I usually make "cone" (corn) and meat) and I was looking for a fork. I went to check in Coby's bed since I like to serve him there. I came back to Mommy and said "Fok! Coby. Have." Not a bad sentence, eh?

Mommy's favorite sentence of mine was a month or two ago, when my cousin Denny was visiting. I asked where Denny was and Mommy said she went to the potty. I said "Pie (potty). Denny. Peepee. Yay!" and clapped my hands.

I took a break from making on the potty for awhile, but now I'm back into it. On the first day of school when I woke up in the morning I asked to go potty and immediately made a poop! Now I like to sit on the potty a few times a day and I usually make once or twice. But sometimes I just ask to sit on the potty because I'm allowed to watch "Teebee" while I'm sitting. And my new trick is to ask for the potty when I'm supposed to be napping. It worked the first time but Mommy caught on pretty quickly. When I do make, though, the first thing I says is "teat!" (Treat.) Sometimes I say it when I make in my diaper too, but that's just because I am working on making the association and asking to go to the potty in time.