Ghost of Conferences Past

Last night was my parent-teacher conference with Noelle's teachers.  It didn't start off particularly auspiciously as we began almost half an hour late but that ended up being due to a miscommunication on the start time.  But first, a little background is in order.

Noelle transitioned to the 3 year old class last December, the week before her birthday.  Our first conference was in mid-January and was...less than encouraging.  She didn't participate in circle time.  She didn't run around on the playground.  She didn't interact much with her classmates, preferring to play by herself.  She didn't want to play with her friends, some of whom she had been with since she was 12 weeks old.  She had always been a reserved child, not wanting to give or receive affection to or from anyone but Dyl and I.  And I worried about this.  A lot.  Who wants to be around a person who needs that much personal space?  This is in direct contrast to my niece who is just the most open and bubbly person ever.  And is the exact same age. Of course people are going to gravitate to her; she rewarded their attention with smiles, hugs and cuddles whereas Noelle would remain firmly attached to my leg as if grafted there.  I get that, I understood that and I stressed about that.  For a long time.  But slowly, slowly, Noelle became more accepting of attention and affection until she is just as open with family as her cousin. So this development was surprising and I had asked for a follow-up conference when lo and behold, the scheduled ones were back. 

And this time...a complete 180.  Her teachers had nothing but glowing and positive things to say about her and her progress.  She is a super-active participant in circle time.  She constructs amazingly complex play scenarios with her best friend.  She is sensitive to other children's feelings and is a 'nurturer'.  She is a leader and a great sharer.  She talks all the time and loves running around with her friends on the playground.  She is a drama queen the blame for which goes squarely on Dyl's shoulders.  She knows all of her letters, numbers, shapes and colors.  Numbers in English and Spanish to 25 and most colors in Spanish too.  Note:  we are not Hispanic.  She recognizes all of her letters, upper and lower case where the 'threshold' for 3 year olds is...2. 

I am so proud of her progress!  All of this and potty trained in the span of 3 months.  She is funny and silly.  She sings and dances.  She loves hats, dress-up and her little brother.  She's a beautiful little girl who still loves cuddling on my lap first thing in the morning. She is an absolute joy and nothing makes me happier than other people getting to see what I've known all along.  She is my Noellebear.  She is my princess.  And she is so very loved.