just crawl into a shell and wait until this baby comes along. But, unfortunately, I have things to do and places to go. Thankfully, not too many places to go. Thursdays are our busy day. I seriously considered skipping our activities just because I didn't want to hear about it from the ladies, especially at dance class!
I guess it wasn't really so bad... if you're someone who doesn't mind people talking about you like you #1 can't hear or #2 aren't there! :( Seriously. I would think these people just landed on planet Earth or something. I thought I was of little tact/finesse, but they certainly take the cake right out of my mouth, I must say! I mean, can't they imagine that, yes, I would REALLY like to have this baby, but that maybe I have more on my mind than my personal comfort!? *sigh* It's REALLY depressing to me to realize how LITTLE people (women, especially) know about the processes of labor, birth, and the importance of limiting (eliminating!) drugs from the newborn's experience! I swear they ALL either asked when or if I would be induced. WHY!??! All of them were concerned about how they wouldn't be able to take being pregnant. Yeah, ok, it's difficult and emotionally debilitating, to be completely honest, but MAN, get over it! Seriously, I'd rather feel a little bummed or whatever and have a baby born in its own time and in a TRULY safe way than try to force the bugger-boo along and have complications due to underdevelopment or side effects of pit or the epidural!!! I swear... if I swore... *sigh*
I'm going to try to leave than rant alone, though I would really like to keep purging.
A Dentist in Our Future!
We're going to finally have dental insurance for Jess and the girls as of tomorrow! YEAY!!! Now... to find the money to use it so they can each SEE a denitist! Joke of the century, right? Perhaps that's what my next ChaCha check will be for, instead of the piano or homeschool stuff I was hoping to be able to fully payback/purchase. Rats, foiled again!
Story Time
So, if there was any room for wonder in my mind before, there is no longer. Ria is definitely a performer! Today after Story Time the story time volunteer lady had Ria choose a book to read to her. She'd mentioned she'd like Ria to do as much last week and did, indeed, follow through. Apparently (this is all through Jess and Ria), the other two adults who brought children decided to stay and observe as an audience.
So, Ria read a book she chose from the children's section. It was not a leveled reader, it was not a book she'd read previously, it was just one she randomly selected based on interest. She read it to the story time lady (and audience) and then was emphatically applauded. When Jess and I asked her how she felt about the people clapping for her when they were home, Ria got this sweet whistful/joyful expression on her face and said something like, "I felt like a princess on stage! I love it when people clap for me!" ^_^
The Story Time volunteer lady was duely impressed. She told Jess that Ria was a gifted reader. Jess responded that Ria had a good teacher (and I would add, teacherS!). The lady countered that, no, it didn't matter how good a teacher she had, Ria would be a gifted reader no matter what.
I beg to differ! The woman does not know how much effort and time went into the program we did to get her ABLE to develop on her own. Yes, Ria has made great progress since completing her huge step into reading via HOW TO TEACH YOUR CHILD TO READ IN 100 EASY LESSONS because she reads to herself, Kat, Jess, and me almost constantly, but she didn't teach herself!
To me, a gifted reader is one (like my brother Eddie was, I believe and like Jess was) who teaches him or herself to read by memorizing texts and making inferences based on prior memorizations! Ria IS exceptional, she TOTALLY DOES have an exceptional (perhaps genius of a) memory, but I'm quite sure she's not gifted in and of herself in reading... she's VERY motivated and loves to read (and since she doesn't get to watch TV all the time, she has LOTS of time for reading!), but she's not gifted in the way I think of as gifted. I'm sure she has her genius, but I don't believe we've found it just yet. :)
Still, I do have to admit that it's pleasant to hear that a career kindergarden educator believes my child is gifted. I'd be blowin' smoke where the sun don't shine if I tried to deny that! ^_^
Dance Class and Piano Class
Ria did well in both of her classes. I was able to watch a little of her dance class and she was quite attentive and followed along really well. I love to see her dance! And when the little girls do barr work at the beginning... I think it's about the sweetest and most beautiful thing!
We walked to piano class (the mere 5 blocks round trip) because Kat was tired and I didn't want her to sleep in a hot van! She slept through almost the whole piano class. So, because Kat was sleeping, I didn't get to sit in and watch/listen to her lesson.
Ria was fidgety and easily distracted, but did her lesson pretty well. Mary Kay told me she could really tell we'd worked on memorizing how to find the keys as well as counting notes while playing. I'm so glad! Ria did pretty well for me prior to the last lesson (with regard to counting her beats), but then didn't perform as well for her teacher. It seems her performance did improve this time.
Mary Kay was surprised by Ria's opinionated expressions today. Ria told her a few times (not rudely, at least, though) that she didn't want to do certain things for the lesson. I'm very frustrated to hear she would do such a thing with an adult outside of our family, but that's definitely a part of the phase we're dealing with lately! I'm glad, at least, to know that she knows what she wants and doesn't want (on the bright side?).
As of this lesson, we have transitioned from working exclusively on the black keys, to working on the white ones. That's so exciting to me, but also daunting because here's where praciticing on a keyboard becomes a bit of a detriment. Ria's little fingers aren't as strong as they need to be to play a piano with any clear sounding notes and the only way to get them stronger is to practice on a REAL piano! So, that's my goal for this weekend. I've already borrowed some money from someone who loves us and I've found TWO absolutely beautiful pianos for $100... now I just have to see if our hometeacher with a truck can take Jess to Jacksonville to buy one of them (assuming one or both are available)! One has a broken spindle (front leg from piano to foot), but they are both sound and gorgeous!!! I feel almost lucky to have missed the previous $100 pianos I've come across because these two are far more beautiful to me! Cross your fingers that it works out so Ria can practice on a real piano and keep making the awesome progress (and even better, strengthen her fingers in the way pianists need) as of this weekend. That's what I'm hoping right now! Actually, I'm hoping lots of things, but this is the one that seems most likely to pan out! ;)
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