My Big Girl

My Maggie.  6 1/2 years old, 1/2 way through Kindergarten – coasting her way through!  We had parent/teacher conferences on Monday, and while Maggie is not off the charts, she is darn close!  She is excelling at reading and catching onto the math concepts so well.  She loves to practice her math with workbooks her grandparents have given her.  Her school is doing a read-a-thon and the first night she read for 90 minutes, instead of the requested 30.  Of course, she did have new books to help that along.  She is starting to like Chapter books and as she told Ms Rodacker: “the fun thing about chapter books is there aren’t a lot of pictures, so you have to make pictures in  your head!”

Emotionally, she has really matured as well.  She is not as prone to bursting into tears at the drop of a hat, and when she feels the tears coming on, she is able to pull herself together quickly.  She can still get upset and we have seen the tears come if she is tired or hungry, but just not as often as before.

Maggie is a Daisy Scout and finally gets to sell Girl Scout cookies!  She actually got a little upset that I sold some for her the other night!  Less than a week into sales, she is 9 boxes from her goal of 175 boxes – so she can get a giraffe print journal & pen pal.  The girls are going to use their money to help sponsor a Poison Arrow Dart Frog at ZooMontana and do a fun activity as well – Maggie has voted for an afternoon at the Reef, an indoor water park here in Billings!  She has earned a few badges and was so proud of her Daisy pin.  She even took her vest to school for show and tell.

She is still a good big sister, sharing well with Jessie.  She also does pretty good at just going upstairs if she needs some time away from Jessie.  Maggie loves to wrestle; hardly a night goes by without her coming up to either me or her Dad, with an impish grin on her face, “Wanna wrestle?”

Maggie really is a good kid.  I am so proud of her!

Maggie on Martin Luther King Jr

Last week, Maggie pipes up from the backseat to tell me about a book her teacher read at school about Martin Luther King Jr.

Mom, you didn't know that in the olden days some white people weren't very nice to black people. And they made black people sit in the back of the bus. And then Martin Luther Kings Jr came and told people to be nice to each other. And then, and Mom this is the sad part, somebody shot him. But we remember him now because he just wanted people to be nice to each other.

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Maggie Goes Rafting

Yesterday, Rocky took Maggie rafting on the Stillwater River (Stillwater is quite the misnomer as the river is anything but still! ) I did not get to go so here is Maggie's version of the trip:

It was fun. Dad was wrong there was no dinosaur attack and Superman is not real! But there was cliff diving! I didn't jump out silly! I went in the water and I learned how to row only when the raft was down. Well Dad helped me. Well I throwed rocks. And I tried to skip rocks but every time I did the just went down. We went on waves. I never went in or fell overboard. We saw an eagle. We rode on SpongeBob!

Well we went on a bus back to the car and our clothes were in the car. We didn't have lunch on the rafting trip. We had pizza and it was all you can eat! And salad. I can't remember the rest.

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Maggie's Wishes

Tonight, Maggie was watching "Aladdin" and told me all about wishes. So I asked her what she would wish for if she found a Genie in a lamp. "Well, first, I would wish for puppies at the pet store." She takes a few minutes to think and says "Then I would wish that I could be rich. That me and Dad and you and Jessie could be rich. Then we could give things to people. And I would wish I could catch the rabbits." And while I was processing that last one she says, "Well, I think I would just use 2 wishes. I would use my third wish to free the Genie and then he would have legs."

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Maggie-isms

A few new Maggie-isms

• They are learning about weather in Pre-K (and a little from the movie "Up"). As we were driving home from work one day, she looked out the window and said "Mom, look at those cutie-o-nimbus clouds!"


• Maggie is really into the whole princess thing right now. She loves to watch all 3 (yes there are 3) Cinderella movies. She told Rocky that she has a "true love." But as she wants it to be a "family secret", I won't divulge the object of her affection.


• After watching "Tangled" last night (which really is a cute movie), Rocky asked Maggie if he could kiss a girl. She said no, he has to kiss a woman. So, of course, he asked if he could kiss any woman. She replied "No! Only the woman you love!"

A visit to the Eye Doctor, in Maggie’s words

“Well, they checked my eyes if they are healthy.  Well, I didn’t need any glasses. I had to read something. I had to read, I have to see cake, a motorcycle, what else? Hmmm.  I got it!  Hmm, I got one more!  A hand! And a bird!  I have to cover an eye, but the first one, my mom has to cover my eyes, but just one eye. First this eye then the other eye.  Then, I have to check if they are good or not good in the other room. He put drops in my eye.  It feels a little itchy.  Well, they do help my eyes.  And what else do they help? They help the doctor see behind my eye.  We went to McDonalds after the eye doctor.

He did it first.  Cover my eyes.  I get to do it too.  I sit in a big chair. I make how the Es were and they were different.  They were some normal.  They were some upside down!  I mean they were some on the back and also on the threes they kinda look like an E upside down.  Then it was over.”

 

 

Maggie did a very good job at the eye doctor!  He said her eyes are very healthy, with a slight astigmatism in each eye, which could indicate a need for glasses in the future.  He said she doesn’t need to come back for a couple years unless we notice she’s having some problems.  She was disappointed the other day when we told her she probably wouldn’t get glasses today, but didn’t even mention it today.

Groundhog Day!

Maggie had homework last night: to find out whether or not the Groundhog saw his shadow this morning. When she got up, Rocky took her downstairs to check on the computer. She happily ran upstairs to tell me the Groundhog didn't see his shadow and "that means spring is just around the corner!" As we were driving to daycare and work, she told us "When the sun comes out, it will melt all the snow to water. drip drip drip."

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Maggie-isms

I haven't had a Maggie-isms post in some time, but she gave me a few these past few days:

• When I got Maggie up this morning, she informed me that it is still night. I reminded her that in the winter, it's dark when we get up (like it has been EVERY SINGLE MORNING for some time now). So she gets out of bed, goes to her window, opens the curtains, points to the moon and says "But Mo-om, when the moon is out that means you have to sleep!"
• Last night, when I got home from work, Rocky, Maggie & Jessie were on the couch watching "Snow Buddies." In it, there is a "hip" puppy that calls everyone dawg and says "You straight up trippin" a lot. Rocky tried several times to get Maggie to say it as well. Finally, she says "You straight up chicken!"
• Maggie walks into the kitchen, arm flailing and states "I don't know what I'm doing!"
• Last night, while fighting off sleep, Maggie asked her dad "Do reindeer lay eggs?"
• Last week, she asked her teacher, Miss Carole: "Are elves and reindeer real?" Miss Carole told her that yes, they are real and told us that Maggie looked VERY releaved!

Maggie-isms

Maggie math: "Mom, I want to show you a plus equals problem. What does a spider plus a flower equal? A spider-flower!!"

"Mom, is heaven down here?"
"I like to think so."
"So is Nala right here with us?"
"Yes, sweetie, I really hope so."

The Dentist

I took Maggie to the dentist on Thursday. I thought it would be nice for her to talk about it in her own words:

“I was very brave. And I wasn’t scared. I just stayed still when I take my x-ray. The dentist gave me a new toothbrush. I just get a Princess toothbrush. And I just also get dental floss. It was very ticklish. And I wasn’t wobbly. And my mom just read a book to me. And I played with a toy truck. I just wear my jelly shoes there. The dentist just called my name. I have 10 teeth on top and 10 on the bottom. I was tell when it’s Mom’s turn. I was ready for my turn. That’s it.”

transcribed by Mom

Maggie is sometimes too smart

Maggie has a new pool. She loves to play in it. For about 5 minutes. Then she gets cold and needs a "warm bath." Grandpa Rich, Aunt Holly and cousins Jada & Jeff are here, and Maggie was thrilled to have more people to play with in her pool. Yesterday, she got Grandpa to go out with her and then Jada went out with her later. She got a bath after the first go around, but after playing with Jada, I decided she'd spent enough time in water (her warm baths can last up to an hour) and told her no, that I could wrap her in a warm towel to help her warm up. She pouted and asked why several times. Of course, once the whining starts, I know I can't change my mind. Then Maggie says "Mom, I will just ask Grandpa." Grandpa was sitting right there, so he also said "no." Then Maggie goes upstairs. A few minutes later she comes back with this cheap McDonald's Happy Meal toy: a "magic meatball" which is kind of like the old Magic 8 balls. She gets half way down the stairs and says "But Mom, the meatball says Yes!"

I wish I could say it's the first time she's tried this. She tried it several times while Grandma & Grandpa Dailey were here (especially the "well, I'll just ask Grandpa or Grandma")

Maggie-isms

Maggie has not stopped being a source of wonderful smiles for us on a regular basis:

• Last night, Maggie was playing with the Wii drum stand. Rocky asked her why. She explained she needs to practice for her drum class. A little later she came downstairs crying because she hit her head with the guitar. When Rocky asked her why, she said she needs to practice for her guitar class. So Rocky asked her where these classes take place. She thought about it a bit and said "South Dakota. But it's very far away so I need to practice."
• At church yesterday, Maggie asked if my sister was in heaven. The question came out of the blue and not sure what she was thinking.
• And my new favorite: "Mom, when you give someone a hug, you give them love."

Maggie-isms

Chatting with Maggie on the way to school today reminded me I haven't posted any Maggie-isms in a while. Here are some new ones:

• This morning we were chatting about how big girls don't have potty accidents, only babies. Then Maggie told me "Don't worry, Mom, I will teach you how to change the baby's diaper."
• Last night, Maggie asked for popcorn. She "helped" Rocky make it, and found some chopsticks in the drawer. She decided to eat her popcorn with the "China sticks." She was actually pretty good at using them! Later, she told us "You better take me to a China restaurant so I can eat China food with China sticks!"
• A couple of weeks ago, when I picked up Maggie at daycare, she and her friend Carmen were completing a puzzle on the floor. She wanted to finish it so she could tell me the story of the puzzle. It was a "puzzle floor" of the Three Billy Goats Gruff.
• A couple of nights ago, we were enjoying the deck, watching the sun set. Maggie asked if the puppies wanted to sleep outside, but Rocky told her they would probably bark too much. And Maggie said "yeah, and den I will have to say 'neighbors, that's just my dog Wiconi. She was barking, but it's okay'."
• Maggie told one of her daycare teachers "My baby will be named Baby Mike if it's a boy or Jessie if it's a girl. But it's definitely going to be a boy!"

Those difficult questions

Tonight, while watching the “Ultimate Avengers” movie, the subject of dying came up. And of course, Maggie asked Daddy “what happened to those people?” Daddy told her they died. “Why did they die?” To which Daddy asked “Are you going to start asking those hard questions?” Maggie: “yes. Dad, I think we need to have a talk.”

They talked a little bit about growing older and your body getting sick and not working anymore and going to heaven to be with Jesus. Then Daddy asked if Maggie remembered Nala. Of course, she said “Yes!” He told her that Nala got old and sick and she died. And Maggie replied “And then she came back as Wiconi!” Ummm, okay.

Bath time Maggie-isms

Maggie takes her baths alone. She loves to spend about an hour playing in the tub, so I take advantage of knowing exactly where she is to relax, watch what TV I want, play on the computer (though with giving up Facebook and my parenting site, I didn't spend as much time on the computer last night). Last night, I got in a little Wii workout, which I haven't done as much of lately. I need to as the yoga really helps my back and round ligament pain. So, as I was getting close to finished, Maggie starts calling for me. Daddy responds to her with "Maggie, what do you need?" and of course Maggie replies "I need Mommy!" So I finish up the downward facing dog pose and trudge upstairs where Maggie says "Mommy, I'm done" (helping her out of the bath is of course my job. No matter how many times I tell her it's okay for Daddy to see her naked or with her underpants on, she just doesn't want him to see her naked. Probably because he teases her with "I see a naked butt" or "I can see your underpants!")

I help her out of the tub and get her dried off when I notice her bath rug is SOAKED. As in dripping wet. Water is still running down the side of the tub a little as well. So I put her towel down to help clean up a bit and get her a new towel. And I ask her "Maggie, did you splash a lot?"

"No, Mom, but my invisible puppies and kitties and hamsters did."

I finished drying her off and said "Maggie, do you want to put your lotion on by yourself?" Of course she does. So I leave her alone in the bathroom to take her wet towels to the laundry room. As I leave I say "Maggie, when you are done with the lotion, put on your underpants and brush your teeth. I'm going to do one more thing in my work out and then I'll be up to help you."

In the middle of one final yoga stretch, Maggie hollars for me again "Mommy, come here!" "Maggie, what do you need?" "I need you to come here!" Which I assume is her usual code for just come and be by me. "In a minute!" So I finish up. I put away the Wii. I take my time getting upstairs to her bathroom. When I get there, Maggie is in covering herself modestly and is in a THICK layer of lotion. Then I notice she is standing in some water. It comes to me. "Maggie, did you pee on the floor?"

"No, Mom. But I was jumping up and down and some came out."

I'm still going to let her bath alone.

Maggie on Shrimp Stir-Fry

"Mom, I'll like shrimp when I'm bigger. I'm too short to like shrimp." To her credit, she did try the shrimp (licked it) and a bean. She enjoyed a peanut butter taco last night for her meal.

And a few other Maggie-isms to save for posterity:

• "Mom, when your belly button pops out, then the baby will come out and you will feed it with your boo-boos."
• "When I get big, I will like pickle sandwiches. And I will have big feet and a big butt and a hairy butt and big boo-boos."

Maggie and the Baby

Maggie has started asking questions about the baby in my tummy. The other night, she asked me what was growing in my tummy, and after I told her a baby, she proceeded to put her cold feet on my tummy! So now that she's asking questions, we are talking about it in more concrete terms rather than hypothetical.

This morning, Maggie mentioned again that she would like 2 babies, a baby brother and a baby sister. We told her again that there was only one baby. She is very disappointed that there is only one. I'm not quite sure why she is fixated on having 2 babies, but it is very important to her. She even told us this morning that "We can have 2 cradles on top of each other. One will be painted with rainbows for my baby sister and the other with Transformers for my baby brother. And Mommy and I can paint them!" Perhaps we need to find her some twin baby dolls and some cribs for them that she can paint.

Hero Up!

Every morning before heading to daycare and work, we watch the Super Hero Squad. I think Rocky enjoys having a kid who likes the super heros (even though Spider-Man is not part of the Super Hero Squad). The other night, we had the Fantastic Four movie on. Maggie decided that Johnny had the best powers and told me that she wants to be the "Fire Kid" and Mommy can be "Invisible Mom." Which I think would be great. I could watch her in action at daycare or Sunday School!! Then I asked what super powers Daddy would have. She decided he could be "Bolverine" (Wolverine). Probably because Daddy can make the "snick-snick" noise of Wolverine's claws.

The Invisible Box

Last night, after watching an episode of "Phineas and Ferb", Maggie & Daddy played the "invisible box" game. They would point at each other and say "Zap! You're in an invisible box!" A little later, while Maggie was sitting beside me, Daddy put us both in an invisible box and the conversation went a little like this:

D "Zap! I put you and Mommy in an invisible box!"
M "Oh, no! I know, I'll make an invisible door!"
D "I put an invisible lock on the invisible door."
M "Hmm. I know! I have an invisible key to unlock the door!"
D "But there's an invisible dog outside. And he won't let you get out."
M "I have an invisible treat for the dog. And he won't get me."
D "I put an invisible dinosaur outside!"
M "I will get on his head and he will let us down."

Grandma & Grandpa's visit

Grandma Bonnie and Grandpa Mike are here, so here are few chunks of "wisdom" from Maggie:

• "Grandma can't play Grandpa Mike games because she's too short." "Grandpa is this tall and I am this tall."
• "I need to babysit the puppies." (she told Daddy this at an auction sale she went to with Grandpa Mike and Daddy. They had 1 month old dauschaund puppies.) "I just need to take one home." (they did not come home with a puppy, but Maggie was happy to just tell us about them)
• Maggie has been telling us the story of "Goldilocks and the 3 Bears." The other night, she got to the part where Goldilocks broke into the Bears' house and she started talking about Goldilocks breaking into our house. "She better not take my carrots!"
• Grandma and Grandpa took Maggie to McDonald's for lunch today. Grandma wasn't sure how to get there. Maggie told her "Grandma, we just follow the road."
• Then she went on to tell Grandma about the "Wizard of Oz" and the Yellow Brick Road, "but I don't know where the Yellow Brick Road is!"