Friday, December 30, 2011

Forrest of Bubbles

So we've been told that Millie has a way with words.  Her preschool teacher actually said that her use of language is "unprecedented" in her 35 years of teaching kindergarten. She's 4 years old. wow. We've been told to write it down but honestly it flows like the rapids in a river-- it's hard to get a teacup full to give a sample.  

But here are are some recent examples:

Today we went to the local aquarium. They have a lovely bubble fountain feature that's pretty cool.  




Millie ran up to it and said, "Look Mom, a FOREST OF BUBBLES!!"  Leave it to Millie to transport you from an aquarium with a cool bubble feature- to a forest of magical tall bubble trees. 
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Millie was talking with a friend about how brave she is (no problems with self-confidence here). She admitted though: 
Millie: I don't care for shots.
Her friend: I don't mind. I think they feel like a pinch.
Millie: I think a shot feels like a big shark tooth gnawing a teeny tiny part of me away.  
No wonder she screams like she's having her arm sawed off. Apparently, that's what it feels like to her. 

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A few days ago, she ran off/away from her grandmother while they were playing outside.  She's fast and she flew around the corner of the house too fast for her grandmother to see that she had actually run inside.  It's actually the THIRD time this has happened and if you're the responsible adult-- it's terrifying when she disappears. It happened to me in her school lobby, it happened to her teacher while coming in from the playground and now her grandmother. Our conversation this time went this way:
Millie: I just wanted to go inside.
Me:  But you have to tell the adult what your plan is.
Millie: But I can't!
Me: Why?
Millie: Because I'm HOT like a candle in a menorah and I'm thinking so fast like a candle burning that the words will come out too fast for a grownup. So I have to just GO!

wow. hot like a candle in a menorah. We're not even Jewish. I explained that she should take a few breaths to calm down and slow down, then tell the adult so she doesn't get in trouble or get lost or hurt.  

*As a side note, with an imagination as vivid as hers, I'm reluctant to feed it stories of child abduction but I think I'm going to have to.  Simple request and reasoning just isn't working... She's an adventurous girl and loves meeting new people. Right now her universe is boundless and technicolor and full of vividly wonderful things at every turn. Somehow I have to figure out how to convince her that it is possible for her to get hurt without raining on her Magical Millie parade...*

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She had a bad cold the other day.  We were eating dinner and she said, "Ow! My head hurts," and grabbed her right jaw. We were worried that she had an ear infection so my husband took her to the pediatrician the next morning.  

Pediatrician: Millie, was something hurting you yesterday at dinner?
Millie:  Yes! A pain ERUPTED into my mouth.
Pediatrician was speechless for a moment and exchanged glances with my husband who shrugged.  That's just our Millie. It didn't hurt- it ERUPTED.

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Her teacher actually sent us an email with the following story last week:
Time: Monday 3:10 PM

Scene: Millie and the last of the nappers are packing up their nap things and getting ready to walk back from the nap room to our room. 

Me: Stopping by the room to say hello! "Hi nappers how was your sleep?"

Some children mumbling sleepily "Ok, fine"

Millie: "NAPILICIOUS!"

It was so cute and heartfelt and sooo Millie! She really is one in a million!

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Her teacher has forecasted that whatever she decides to pursue in the future it will involve an imagination and mastery of words.  An author perhaps? Who knows.  Needless to say, three different people bought her blank notebooks for Christmas.  We'll see what unfolds.


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