Hammy

Sophie's class at daycare has a pet hamster affectionately and imaginatively named Hammy. The kids take turn to care of it on weekends and this past weekend was Sophie's turn. It happened to be a long weekend so we got to spend an extra day with Hammy so that was nice :)

Being so gentle with Hammy

I have to admit that Jude and I were initially a little trepidatious that something might happen to Hammy while in our care. I can't even keep a cactus alive so you can imagine our anxiety at a real life scampering creature that has actual needs. But Sophie was a most committed caregiver and made sure Hammy got its seeds, fresh water, and change of shower sand every morning.

Taking her responsibility very seriously

She was very very gentle with it and would find every opportunity to run by its cage and give us an update of what Hammy's up to (which usually wasn't very much in the day- it's a more "run around his wheel at 12 in the morning kind of hamster...)- "Look Mama, his eyes are open!"; "Hammy is burrowing under the sawdust!"; "I think Hammy's stinky. He's giving himself a bath."; "Dada, Hammy's running in his gym!"

Laughing at Hammy's antics

There were also many quiet moments when Sophie was content to just sit and watch Hammy, whether it was doing anything or not. I wondered what was going through that little brain of hers as she contemplated this living creature so much smaller than she is.

Just watching...

She was sad to bring Hammy back to school today, but at least she'll still get to see it everyday. It was a wonderful experience for all of us, particularly for Sophie who did such a great job.

Such a good caregiver

Even though Hammy was by no means a demanding animal to care for, Sophie still learned about what it means to take care of a pet, that it's not all fun and cuddles and that it has needs that must be met first. We talked about how different Hammy is from us (he doesn't shower with water, doesn't drink from a cup, and only eats seeds), but also how alike many living creatures are (we both need water and food, and have the same desire to be clean).

Also, we now we know we can ostensibly own a pet and not run the risk of accidentally "misplacing" it... ;)

More pictures here.

Our snuggle bunny

"I didn't have a good day at school today. Can we have lots and lots of snuggles at home?"

So said Sophie on the drive home after daycare today. The poor thing sounded miserable and I asked her why she didn't have a good day (even though I had already gotten most of the story from her teacher at pick-up).

Incident #1: "I had an accident. I fell off the swing when it didn't stop."

One of Sophie's favorite things at school is a round net swing that she loves to lie on. Apparently, she decided she was all done with it and launched herself off before her friend who was pushing stopped.

Incident #2: "I bumped my head on something."

The thing about Sophie is that she doesn't really walk or run. She scampers. That's her default mode of getting from one place to the next. And she's also sort of easily distracted. Which means en route from one place to the next, it is not unusual for her to knock into something because she got sidetracked by something else in her line of vision. And apparently, that's what happened today with a certain concrete pillar.

Incident #3: "I was afraid to go potty and I cried and cried and cried."

This happens occasionally when Sophie only wants to go potty at home. It's not related to cleanliness (because this has happened even when we're at nice, clean bathrooms) but more about familiarity and comfort, I suspect. And today was one of those days, when she just refused to go potty even though she needed to. Holding your pee for 6 hours couldn't have been comfortable but apparently, every time her teacher asked if she needed to go potty, she would just whine and cry.

According to her teacher, she also didn't take a good nap (probably related to #3) and was sort of fussy and out of sorts for most of the afternoon.

Incident #4: "I got a bloody nose."

Sophie's pretty much recovered from whatever bug was ailing her over the weekend but there was still some residual runny nose this morning. So it seems Sophie was probably blowing it too hard or poking around in it with her finger so much so that it started to bleed.

So really, it was such an (im)perfect storm of a whole host of unfortunate things happening all in the same day...

"I wanted Mama and Dada."

Fundamentally, I think this was the issue, that after having spent four straight days at home with us because she was sick, it was just a little tough going back to the routine of school. She missed the snuggles and hugs and our constant attention, which I guess is really kind of wonderful if you think about it :) Like my friend Adelene commented, at least she could verbalize how sad she was feeling and knows what she needs to be soothed and comforted.

Which we gave her plenty off this evening- there was a lolly for finally going potty after almost 8 hours, videos with Jude while I got dinner ready, an extended post-dinner fruit-for-dessert chit chat on the couch (together with a talk about how she could  have a better day at school tomorrow, sans boo-boos), 7 books instead of the usual 3 before bedtime, and lots of hugs and snuggles in between. And so our snuggle bunny went to bed happy as a lark and looking forward to school in the morning.

Let's hope tomorrow will be a better day for her :)

Bug

It was one of those things that went about as soon as it came. Sophie stayed home from school since Thursday and today's probably the first day she seemed completely back to her usual self mood-wise (although slightly sans voice coz of phlegm in her throat...). It started with a fever and a cough and the poor thing seemed pretty miserable.

Sick bunny

She didn't have much of an appetite and only wanted to eat blueberries and jam sandwiches. She also then started wheezing, which worried us more. She hadn't had an asthma/wheezing episode since January and to make things worse, our nebulizer that we've always used in the U.S. conked out on us despite using a power transformer to convert the power wattage. Thankfully, we managed to borrow one from our sister-in-law and also eventually bought a brand new one, thanks to Jude's mom-- family rocks!-- but Thursday was really a little stressful to say the least.

Thankfully, Sam and her friends came by in the middle of the day to cheer the sick bunny up when they had a 4-hour break in between classes- again, yay to family! (and an apartment close to the university). It gave me a little breather and also really helped to relieve much of Sophie's lethargy- thanks Yiyis Sam, Ellie, and Su!

Dress-up with Yiyis Ellie & Su

Reading with Yiyi Sam

By yesterday, although there was still some residual coughing, Sophie was more than well enough to attend an early morning wedding mass AND a MacDonald's birthday party, all before noon. Recovering from a cold is hard though and she zonked out for a power nap before the party. She really needed that- she wouldn't have been able to have all the fun she did blowing bubbles after otherwise :)

Nothing better than bubbles at birthdays!

The Snail and the Whale

So excited!

Sometime last year-- or maybe it was Christmas the year before-- Sophie received the activity book to The Snail and the Whale from my friend Khanh Duc who lives in the U.K. She fell in love with it almost immediately-- you know, because of the whale-- and I had to get her the storybook just so we could find out what the story was actually about. Since then, it's become a solid favorite and regularly comes up in our nightly bedtime reading. It's a beautiful story about a tiny snail's immense wanderlust and how it ends up saving the life of the "great big grey-blue humpback whale" (Sophie's favorite line from the book...)

And so two months ago-- literally a week after we had just arrived back in Singapore-- when I found out that the Singapore Repertory Theatre was going to be putting up a production of the story in October, I jumped at the chance to get tickets. They are a little pricey, I have to say, and probably not something we can do on a regular basis, but Sophie (and us too) had a wonderful time, which made it so worth the while.

We only told her we were going to the play on Friday night-- she's at that age when telling her things too early in advance only frustrates her because her grasp of time is still sort of tenuous-- and it was the first thing she asked about yesterday morning when she woke up. She got washed up and had breakfast in record time and we didn't even have to ask her twice to wear her shoes (which usually takes her forever...) Nearly bursting with anticipation by that time, she still managed to make sure she brought her copy of The Snail and the Whale along and even wanted to bring her whale plush toy with her, but changed her mind in the end because she didn't want to lose it at the theatre.

And she had an awesome, awesome time :) The production company did a fantastic job keeping the play intimate, interactive (complete with squirting water at the audience!), and funny enough for a three-year-old to appreciate. They used the book as a metaphor for a more melancholic story of a daughter missing her seafaring father, which I don't think Sophie got, but that Jude and I kind of liked actually. Props were cleverly used (customized modular furniture were re-arranged to form the shape of the whale) but modestly and sparingly so it didn't get too overwhelming for the kids or distract from the story.

Super grainy picture from during the play

Sophie was entranced from beginning to end. She would periodically ask worriedly, "Is it ending yet?" and settled back in comfortably when we said no. And when the 55 minutes was over, she asked plaintively, "Can we watch it again?" like it was one of her beloved Kipper videos. We had to explain to her that a play involves real people acting 'live' and that you can't just watch it immediately again from the beginning, and promised to take her to more plays in the future. That seemed to satisfy and we spent the rest of the day talking about her favorite parts of the production (when the father-- the whale-- was tickling his daughter-- the snail) and the parts she didn't like so much (any parts involving crashing waves, thunder, or lightning).

We of course had to read the book before bed last night (and tonight too) and she actually started singing some of the lines in the book just as the actors did in the play. The story has gained greater resonance for her now that she connects it to a different context and we're glad she got that experience to enrich her already deep love for the book.

More photos here.

DONUTS!

Sophie has never had donuts. She's probably seen them at the store or they might have come up in some book we were reading, but as with many pastries and baked goods, we've avoided donuts because of her allergies.

So I was surprised when a couple of weeks ago, she started asking for them. Specifically donuts with sprinkles. Until now, I still have no idea what triggered the request but I managed to find this recipe for vegan donuts and it looked easy enough. Finding donut trays turned out to be the bigger challenge and after looking around all the major department stores in vain, I discover that my mom and sis have a complete donut tray set (for regular-sized and mini donuts and even a little tool for injecting jelly-filled donuts) in the storeroom that they were about to throw away! Yay for bakers in the family!

And so yesterday, I surprised Sophie with a tray of unglazed mini donuts when she came home from school and got her to help me with the decorating. You should have seen her quivering with excitement- she could barely stay still enough to wash her hands and climb up her stool onto the kitchen counter :) It was quite the challenge for her to resist eating the donuts as she went along (I told her we would wait till we were done glazing all of them first)-- although she did steal a couple of sprinkles-- and she actually had a foreboding running conversation with each of them as she dipped them into the icing sugar glaze, "I'm going to eat you later.", she would say... ;)

Talking to the donut...

But when it came to dipping them in melted chocolate, I think the temptation proved too much and she asked if she could "please, please, please" try one. It was such a plaintive request that I couldn't say 'no':

Mmmmmmmm

Testimony to how much she loved "her" donuts, she asked to have two donuts for dessert instead of her beloved fruit, she brought three to school today for snack, and when Jude asked if he could take a few to work for his snack, she looked like a pirate who was about to have her treasure looted: "No please, Dada... Please don't eat all my donuts. Please. Pretty please..."

Mini donut bounty

More pictures here.

讲华语**

One of the things we worry about with Sophie being in daycare in Singapore is the whole speaking Chinese situation. Until we moved back, Sophie almost never heard any Chinese spoken around her. We taught her the Chinese words for "soy milk", "grape", and "apple", and that was about it.

But now that we're home, she hears it everywhere-- when we're at the store, at a restaurant, on TV at the grandparents' (we don't have TV signal in our apartment yet), and most importantly, at school.

But thankfully, she's actually been keenly enthusiastic about the language. She constantly asks what the name of things are in Chinese and she's been surprisingly receptive to us reading her Chinese books at bedtime (with us translating the story line by line in English, of course). In fact, right now, she's particularly enamored with the Tao Shu books that we borrowed from the cousins. We only have two from the series and we've read them almost every other day :) Honestly, it's actually been interesting for me to rediscover my mother tongue as well- I think the last time I was asked to read anything in Chinese was when I was 17!

It helps too that Sophie's favorite teacher at school is also her Chinese teacher. It's fascinating how children form attachments and particularly so in this case when Sophie barely understands what her Chinese teacher says to her. Her teacher will sometimes speak to Sophie in English if it's an important instruction, but for the most part, she only speaks Chinese. We suspect part of it is precisely because she speaks primarily Chinese. We think that for Sophie, Chinese is like a new puzzle- her curiosity and interest are being piqued and it's something to be explored and discovered. And her Chinese teacher represents all of that in one adoring, affectionate package.

Watch as Sophie sings her first Chinese song :) She has no idea what the words mean individually but she's actually got the intonations down quite accurately.




**speak Chinese

Sunshine after the rain

Sophie asked for three things for her birthday: balloons, dinosaurs, and a chocolate cake with purple stars. And we made sure she got them all :)

Balloons!

Note the T-Rex piñata in the background 
and the dinosaur themed cutlery

As requested

Almost all the credit has to go to my sisters who made sure that Sophie got everything she wanted- Sam painstakingly handmade the purple stars that adorned Sophie's vegan chocolate cake (thanks, Delcie's Cakes!) and her giant present (more on that in another post) and Sherri picked out all the dinosaur decorations, the piñata, and the balloons.

It was a small family affair since we are technically still in mourning; in fact, we celebrated Sophie's birthday a day late since it was my grandfather's funeral on her actual birthday. But Sophie was none the wiser of course- all that mattered was that she got everything she asked for and was just happy relishing the family love (her first birthday with the grandparents, aunts, uncle, and cousin!).

After a really sad week for the family, it was nice to bask in some happy vibes again... Happy birthday again, our sweet sweet Sophie. And thank you for cheering us all up with your boundless birthday joy!

More photos here.

Up and down bus

You would have thought I had brought her on the most amazing carnival ride ever, or that we were sitting in a fancy space shuttle ready to take off on some fantastic journey. And to a three year old who until a week ago, had never seen a double-decker bus, sitting right in front on the upper deck probably elicits the same level of thrill and excitement :)

Sitting  right up front on the upper deck

Sophie calls it the "up and down bus" and we rode on it yesterday, fully intending to visit the library to get her a library card. But no, Sophie had such a wonderful time sitting where she was and seeing what she was seeing from the vantage point that there was no way she was getting off before she was ready. And so we ended up bypassing the library and taking the bus all the way to my parents' instead, 45 minutes away from our hotel. Thankfully it was all on the same bus line.

You should have seen and heard Sophie-

"We get to sit on a double-decker bus- that makes me smile!"

"You can call me Bus-driver Sophie! Hi! Nice to meet you!"

"Ok everybody, no squirming on the bus! Put your bottoms on the seat, please!"

"Oh look, Mama- the cars look like toys. And I'm on a giant bus!"

"Oh hi, Mr Bus-driver- thank you for taking me to my Por Por's house."

Throughout the ride, she alternated between pretending to drive the "upstairs bus" and hanging on to the edge of the window because something new caught her attention outside-- some billboard of some sort, an interesting looking building, the MRT train zooming close-by, etc. It was probably 45 of the most exciting minutes she's had in Singapore; and that made me smile. I'm glad Sophie is so curious about her new home and how open she is to all the new experiences and sensations. One day, she'll eventually take riding on a double-decker bus for granted-- just as many of us do-- but until then, I'm happy to just sit back, watch her revel in her newfound love for public transportation, and pray that it lasts for a long, long time :)

Exhilaration

Part of me was a little afraid that a year later, Sophie wouldn't enjoy the carnival as much as she did when it rolled into town last year. I was worried that being a year old and more aware of her emotions and anxieties, that she might be a little more apprehensive of the different sensory experiences of the rides and the carnival itself.

I was wrong :)

[Click to watch a flying spin ride as experienced by an almost three-year-old]

Up!!

Sophie woke up at 6.30 this morning-- almost a full hour before she usually does; she barely touched the breakfast she specifically asked for (apple-cinnamon oatmeal); and she hardly said a word on our drive to school when she's usually hyper-chatty. Had we made any sudden movements around her, she probably would have spontaneously combust from all the excitement she was containing.

Today, Sophie starts preschool :)

Preschooool!!

Going to preschool has basically been all she's talked about for the past 6 months and we're glad she'll get to experience it, even if it's just for a month before we leave. It's basically been the motivating force behind getting her to potty-train and move out of her crib. And over the weekend, the only way we could get her to do anything-- eat her vegetables, pick up after herself, come home from the sandbox, etc.-- was to remind her about preschool on Monday.

It's not like things are going to be very different for Sophie in preschool- the preschool classroom keeps pretty much the same schedule and it's in the room just next to hers right now. Their use of time is probably a little more structured and there's likely to be a tad more learning that goes on, but in general, I don't think it'll be a huge transition for her. She'll have new teachers but again, they're all in the same wing so she knows who they are already (also, being the nosey girl that she is and having been at her daycare since she was 6 months old, she knows EVERYONE and they all know her...) But in spite of this all, as far as Sophie's concerned, preschool might as well be in a different country. Oh, and then of course, there's the fact that the preschoolers have their own playground that they don't have to share with the smaller kids. I remember seeing a boat structure in there but was sternly corrected by Sophie this morning- "It's a ship, Mama. It's not a boat. It's HUUUUUUGE!"

Because this is the first week of transitions, Sophie has the option of returning to her toddler classroom after lunch in case she gets anxious about the new surroundings. I told her toddler teachers not to hold their breath... :)

Making faces

Sophie and I are working on a picture book describing the different emotions she feels. Until we're finished, here's a look at the photos we'll be using:

Field of dreams

Here's a thought experiment- think of something you really really love. Like really. Got that? Now imagine a roomful of it. You following? Okay, now imagine entire museum halls filled with nothing but life-size manifestations (albeit in skeletal form) of this object of love. Throw in a generous helping of pure toddler wonder and awe, and what you have is Sophie Yew at Chicago's absolutely brilliant Field Museum of Natural History.

It's quite something to be in the presence of 500-million years of evolutionary history- forces you to put your life in perspective a little and it's oddly humbling and inspiring both at the same time... Since nothing I write can describe the magnificence of the museum or how enthralled all three of us were by the exhibits, here are some photos instead:

"Woah, Mama..."

In front of Sue, the largest and most complete (80%)
Tyrannosaurus rex skeleton currently known. She is
67 million years old.

Sophie's favorite pterodactyl that she spotted the moment
we entered the Main Hall.

Sitting inside a dinosaur footprint :)

The Artic (no, that's not a typo...)

Talking with Sophie about Chagall's America Windows

It was one of those very special moments that I wanted to bottle up and preserve forever. Sophie will likely not have any memory of it when she grows up but I always will. And I will remind her of it as she gets older, that we once stood together in front of Chagall's America Windows at the Art Institute of Chicago.

Ever since I saw it in person in 2004, America Windows has been one of my favorite pieces of (public) art ever. I've always been a Chagall fan and have seen a few of his original artwork, but nothing quite prepares you for the stunning magnificence that is America Windows. Calling it stained glass is like calling the Taj Mahal a house- it's so much more than that. I only managed to see it twice before it was removed for restoration in 2005. It took 5 years of intensive conservation treatment and archival research before the windows returned in 2010 as the stunning centerpiece of a new presentation at the east end of the museum’s new wing. And the moment we walked into the Art Institute yesterday, I made a beeline straight to it with Sophie in tow.

And it took my breath away. Again. Sparkling, shimmering, glowing. I asked Sophie what she saw in the windows, which sections she liked, and I told her why it's one of my favorite pieces of art. It wasn't like I gave her a crash course in art history or anything- we just talked about the windows like we would talk about a picture in one of her storybooks- the colors, the "characters", what we thought was going on, how the images made us feel, etc.

In fact, that's how we spent the next hour or so at the Art Institute. Visiting the Art Institute was one of the first things we've done with Sophie that was more for Jude and I than it was for her. Usually, on our vacations, we'd stick to things Sophie enjoys-- the children's museum, the aquarium, parks, etc. But this time, we wanted to go to the Art Institute and we took it as an opportunity to share with her something we love.

And it turned out to be really fun. And funny. Trust almost-three year olds to be the harshest art critics. The Art Institute was having a Roy Lichtenstein retrospective which was great- we thought Sophie might enjoy Pop Art a little more than say, the Impressionists. Sophie had very honest-- and VOCAL-- opinions about several of the pieces that caught her eye. "Why is the lady not wearing a diaper?", she asked, as we stood in front of Frolic (which prompted the woman next to us to say, "You must write this down in her baby book- how precious!"); "Oooh... I like hotdog. But I like it with ketchup, not mustard." (Hot Dog with Mustard); "I like some spaghetti too!" (Ball of Twine); and my favorite, "Why is the lady crying? Maybe she's in the shower. I think she has shampoo in her eyes." (Drowning Girl). Like I said, it was loud and hilarious :)

We had a wonderful time even though we obviously didn't visit all the exhibits. We're actually looking forward to some local and regional art when we move back to Singapore. Jude and I really enjoyed the National Museum of Singapore after it reopened a while back and I have a feeling Sophie might too. Here's to more museums to discover and explore together!

"When I get older..."

I can eat spicy food.

I will be a doctor and drive the ambulance.

I can eat cheese.

I will cook for you and Dada so much food!

I will read a book all by myself.

I can drive a firetruck.

I will go to work too.

I will wear Mama shoes.

I will drink fizzy water.

Say cheese!

It started out better than I could have imagined- Sophie was SO excited for her first visit to the dentist and told anyone who would listen-- her teachers, her friends, the office manager at her daycare, etc-- her great "adventure" ahead. We had been reading The Berenstain Bears Visit the Dentist as recommended by the pediatric dentist and it definitely helped to get her prepared for what to expect when we got there. I also made sure to tell Sophie how I enjoy going to the dentist to get my teeth cleaned (I wasn't just saying it, I really do like seeing my dental hygienist for my regular checks) so she could see that going to the dentist isn't anything to be anxious about.

And so from the moment I picked her up from school to us sitting in the waiting area at the dentist's office, you really would not have seen a happier child going to the dentist- you would have thought she was going to the circus! She said 'hi' to the nurses when we walked in, showed them her Berestain Bears book, and even bragged about how she brushes her teeth all by herself (she doesn't, she just likes to think she does). I couldn't have been more proud...

Even when we entered the examination room, Sophie was still really excited and curious- she asked the nurses about the "tools", just like she had read in her book and happily picked out a free toothbrush that the dentist would later use to show us how to properly brush her teeth. And then, it happened. They asked her to sit in the dentist chair and it was straight downhill from there- screaming, crying, flailing, big fat rolling tears- everything you DON'T WANT a first dental vist to be like :( I ended up having to hold her in my lap facing me, legs around my waist, lying back across the dentist's lap. To make things worse, the dentist then tried flossing Sophie's teeth (with what I guess was flavored with menthol/mint), at which point the poor girl started shouting plaintively, "No! No! It's spicy! I don't want spicy!!! Noooooo!!!"

The dentist was amazing though and actually managed to complete the check-up despite the catastrophic meltdown- all 20 baby teeth are in and accounted for (yay!), teeth are in perfect condition (yay!), and no cavities (yay!). Which meant Sophie got her name put in the No Cavity Club where at the end of each month, one name will be drawn and the child picked will receive either a Beanie Baby or a gift card to our local bookstore. How awesome is that?

Just as quickly as she descended into her epic freak-out, Sophie snapped right back to her happy irrepressible self the moment the check-up was over. I asked her later if she had been afraid of the dentist and she said 'no' (thank you, Berestain Bears!)- apparently, what made her cry was lying in that chair alone. I told her she could bring one of her stuffed toys along the next time and that made her break out into a huge smile- "Can I bring DoDo (her teddy bear)? Oh no, that's not a good idea. DoDo has no teeth! He has fur!! Silly Sophie!!"

With Dr. Amy, the calm AFTER the storm...

Random daycare daily report #30

Our daughter, the firetruck groupie...

The firetruck visits daycare!

You were right, Sophie was pretty thrilled about the fire truck visit. The kids were a little nervous that the siren might sound, but Sophie wasn't going to let that slow her down. Before we left the room, she slapped on a set of headphones, just in case, and she was good to go. When the firefighter asked if anyone wanted to get in the truck, most of the kids said no and scooted away. But not Sophie. She said, "I do!" and let the firefighter pick her up and put her on the truck :)

I really don't know clouds at all

Girl on grass

This was Sophie this evening in our backyard as Jude was firing up the grill for dinner. She spent a good 10 minutes rolling around the grass, sometimes lying still and just starring up into the sky. I asked her later why she was lying on the grass.

"I was watching the clouds go by."

How very Joni Mitchell of our daughter :)

Toddler problem solving

The problem that Sophie and her friend, Conor, encountered at daycare today:
How to get onto the tire swing all by themselves? (because clearly, toddlers are fully independent creatures who require no assistance from anyone)

Solution:
1) Work together
2) Find crate to prop themselves up
3) Realize that said crate is too high to get up as well
4) Gather more crates and build a row of them to the slide so that the slide handle can be used as an assist up the crates



Honestly, when their teachers told us what Sophie and Conor had done, we could barely believe it; but when we saw the structure for ourselves and also how proud the two of them were of their accomplishment, that incredulity turned into a profound sense of pride :) According to the teachers, they worked really hard at it and it took them a while to put everything together all by themselves. Apart from being so very very proud of her ingenuity and thoughtfulness, we also appreciate that the teachers allowed them to explore their own solution without 1) stopping them from "making a mess" or 2) solving the problem for them.

Oh, and even better, Sophie managed to do it all without losing her balance or her hat! :)

Sparkle

"Mama, can you wear the sparkly shoes to your office today, please?"

She asked so nicely, I couldn't say no.

S for Sophie

It all started when we received this adorable personalized plate in the mail last week- a surprise present from my sister, Sherri, which has gotten Sophie really excited about mealtimes ever since :) It not only has her name on it, the picture of the little girl with two ponytails looks a little like her too, which of course, thrills Sophie to no end. She's been wanting to eat everything off that plate, including noodle soup and I had to tell her no, but place a couple pieces of popcorn on it just to placate her.

"This is my S for Sophie plate!"

The other thing the plate has inspired is an interest in the alphabet. When I told Sophie that the word on the plate spells "Sophie," she asked, "What else the letters say?" which got me really excited :) She was showing an interest in reading and learning her letters and I was more than happy to jump in! I explained to her that 'S' is Sophie's special letter because that's the first letter of her name.

Now, it's the one letter she can confidently identify- "S for Sophie!" she would shout, whenever she sees the letter. Like when we were walking towards our neighbourhood grocery store, Busch's yesterday- Sophie saw the two large 'S's on the sign and practically yelled to the entire parking lot- "Two 'S's for Sophie! There are two 'S's for Sophie!" Or when we were reading the book, Spring is Here: A Story About Seeds that she got from school- she was almost delirious with joy :) I think it helps that she thinks the letter looks like a snake and a worm so it's easy for her to remember. We also put a star sticker on the 'S' of a used keyboard she plays with so she easily identifies it whenever she "send(s) Gong Gong (my dad) an email"...

So far, apart from 'S', she can often also identify 'O' and 'P'- 'O' simply because once you mimic the shape with your mouth, it's a pretty easy one, and 'P' because I told her 'P' is for Payton, her best friend at school. I also said 'P' looks like a magnifying glass (I mean, it sort of does, no?) so that helps her a little too. These days, whenever we look at the title of whatever book we're reading, I'll ask her to find 'S', 'O', and 'P'. It's been a fun little game and I'm hoping it helps her slowly learn the other letters of her name. I'm in no hurry for her to grasp the entire alphabet-- she'll get there eventually-- but I think it's been quite the special thing for her to understand that these disparate symbols come together to spell her name.

All this, because of a plate. Thanks, 姨姨二二＊!

＊This is what Sophie calls my sister, Sherri: 姨(aunt); 二(two/second)