I graduated from Pre-K this week, which entailed a special ceremony at “The Landing,” our neighboring retirement community, complete with academic regalia, balloons, a certificate of achievement, and an individualized award just for me (I got the Penguin Award for being fun to be around, and a great classmate).  The entire class learned a dance to the tune of Uptown Funk, which we performed for our adoring fans:

“Pre-K graduation, Pre-K graduates! Pre-K graduation, Pre-K graduates!  Let’s dance!  Jump on  it!  We’re going to Kindergarten!”

Of course I was a little embarrassed about everyone watching me cross the stage, but all things considered I was very proud of myself, and thrilled with my gift of a book of photo memories of all my Pre-K friends.

World, allow me to introduce you to the expression my parents have lovingly come to call “Lena Face.”  It’s a mixture of enthusiastic joy and world-dominating will.  Why yes, I’m screaming at a plastic penguin head in this photo.  That activity calls for “Lena Face,” as do most others, I find.  This face is actually the first thing my Mommy and Daddy see when they wake up most mornings – it’s a great way to greet the day.

I am a very expressive kid to begin with, and I’ve been wearing my emotions on my sleeve even more this month, vacillating between happy and sad and seeming to cry at the drop of a hat.  Welcome to the emotional roller coaster of parenting a girl, Mommy and Daddy!  The other day I actually cried because Mommy wouldn’t let me squeeze out the entire contents of a bottle of hand sanitizer (or as I call it, “han-ih-ti-zer”).

My bossy pants are also in full effect.  I like to utter a lot of commands, but the logic behind them is usually pretty circular (“you need to do it because you need to do it”).  My favorite subjects to boss around are Mommy, Daddy, and (you guessed it), Jack.  They are only sometimes receptive to my orders.  I guess I’ll just have to make them louder.

Current likes: chocolate (or as I call it, “chuh-lok-o-lick”)

Current dislikes: Having my orders defied

She’s a maaaaniac, maaaaniac on the floor

Mommy and Daddy recently accepted an offer to purchase our house, which means we’ll be moving to a different school district soon.  Nevertheless, I went in to my current school today to complete kindergarten assessment.  As you can imagine, this was pretty much my nightmare.  I showed up at a new place and a stranger told me to leave my mom and follow her into another room.  Not happening, lady!

However, once they relented and allowed Mommy to accompany me into the testing area, I did go and fully participate.  My favorite parts were showing off my knowledge, including letter, shape, and number recognition, and some early math concepts.  The only part I was too embarrassed to complete was the speech assessment, because they asked me to repeat silly words in public, which I politely declined to do.

My reward for participation was a trip to Dunkin’ Donuts (score!), a loot bag with a pencil and play-doh in it, and the prestige associated with kindergarten amongst the kids at my daycare.  I’m feeling like the king of the hill today.

Oh my goodness, I’m five!  At my most recent doctor’s appointment I was 43.5 inches tall and 42.5 pounds, which means I’m officially heavy enough to move out of my trusty car seat and into a booster like a big kid.

Speaking of big kids, I’ve been working really hard on my frustration tolerance, and I’ve been successful enough in managing my emotions to really enjoy things like following directions to build Lego sets and playing games like Guess Who and Slap Jack, even when I don’t win.

I’m not in TOO much of a hurry to grow up, however, and I frequently tell my Mom that I still want to marry her and continue living with my parents forever.  The thought of having to get my own house one day makes me a little sad.

At five I am extremely cerebral – a bright kid with a strong intellectual base that will help me be successful in school (on top of which, I love knowing things and being right).  I’m imaginative and creative – I love dreaming up elaborate play scenarios for my sister Lena and our “babies,” and I can be brave when I have to be for her – like when I have to save her from ants, or imaginary hot lava flows.  I can be a clown and appreciate attention when I’m on my turf and fully in my element (my crazy, hip-shaking tushie dance is one example of this), but I still have a lot of anxiety about performing in front of strangers or large groups of people.

My choice for my birthday party was to have a “Rio bowling party,” so that’s just what we did.  I had a blast (except for the part where people tried to sing to me … I had them sing to my sister instead), and Lena and I have made excellent use of the leftover flower leis, maracas, and pineapple cup favors in our latest adventures.

Current likes: My stickers and play food shaped like desserts

Current dislikes: Too much attention

The return of warmer weather has been most welcome, especially since it means it’s officially ice cream season!  I don’t actually like ice cream – I think it’s too cold.  But I DO so enjoy the toppings.  Any time my brother asks to go out for ice cream, I’m right there by his side asking for “neminems and shprinkles” (M&Ms and sprinkles), my favorite dessert.  Well, almost my favorite dessert.  I also like cupcakes a lot.  Even when I’m not eating them I’m talking about them constantly.  When I play with my pretend food I always pretend to pass out cupcakes at my picnics, and one of my favorite books is Pete the Cat and the Case of the Missing Cupcakes.  I have a lot of opinions about this book, including the fact that Grumpy Toad should not have taken two cupcakes – we only one cupcake, lest we get a “belly ache.”

I really love having books read to me, and other than Pete the Cat, my current favorite is probably A Day In the Life of Marlon Bundo, which I call “Moiy-lun Bundo” (I’m still working on pronouncing my “Rs”).  One of the characters in that book is the Stink Bug.  Stink bugs, or “stinky bahgs,” as I call them, are my nemeses.  I can spot ants and other bugs from about a mile away, and when I do, I make my brother dispatch them for me.

I’m turning into a strong willed little lady with a very big heart and a personality to match.  I’m becoming increasingly comfortable ordering my big brother around, and going toe to toe with him when necessary.  For example, when I was a bit younger I would be satisfied to eat whatever yogurt flavor he didn’t want, or whichever package didn’t contain his preferred character.  Now I’ll make a scene if he gets a Sponge Bob on his Gogurt in the morning and I don’t.  My biggest complaint about my brother is that he doesn’t let me go first as frequently as I would like.  My favorite thing is to “go first” when we’re going up or down stairs.  I’ll yell “follow me, Salands!” and I get very upset if he charges on ahead of me.

Current likes: being the leader

Current dislikes: when my brother doesn’t respect my authority as leader

Spring has sprung here in the Hudson Valley, and so have my freckles!  I’ve spent some quality time in the garden with Mommy this past month (helping her get ready to list our house for sale) and the result has been a little constellation of freckles across the bridge of my nose.  I like to point out to my sister that she has only one freckle, whereas I have a lot, like Mommy, so it’s sort of a status symbol.  Planting our garden has helped me learn a bit about how plants grow, and I can tell you that all plants need three things: dirt, water, and sunshine.

I’ve been working on trying new things, and although I’m still pretty timid (especially at the outset of new activities), I was willing to try rollerskating for the first time this past month.  And I almost kind of liked it!.  I’ve also been working on my math skills, and can fairly reliably add two or three one-digit numbers together (for example, I know that two plus four more plus two more is eight).

My favorite thing in the whole world right now is my sticker book of sweets, which I guard with my life.  I love talking about all of the goodies contained within my book, and if you’re especially nice to be I’ll grant you a sticker.

Current likes: the Rio movie and the Penguins of Madagascar movie

Current dislikes: when my sister gets her hands on my sticker book

Easter and Passover coincided this year, so we headed down to Washington, D.C. for some time with our aunts, uncles, and cousins.  Everybody had a great time scrambling around a park near Aunt Dede and Uncle Charlie’s house at a neighborhood egg hunt, and then we did a family-only version later at Auntie M and Uncle Jeff’s house.  Holidays … what’s not to like?

Welcome to my toy tunnel, which I like to load up with as many toys as possible!  This is my current M.O. – to surround myself with a stockpile of toys as if they’re a precious and limited resource.  My crib looks like the crib of a hoarder, because I have about a dozen stuffed animals and five books in there that I can’t/won’t sleep without.

I also insist on a very specific and elaborate bedtime routine, which includes book reading, tooth brushing, rocking and being sung to, then being “flown” into my crib while more songs are sung, having my blanket folded into a “pillow,” being covered by my other blanket and tucked in, and then having Mommy sit in my chair and “shush shush shush me” while I fall asleep.  I’m what you might call high needs!

Mommy and Daddy have been wondering recently whether the fact that I walk around yelling everything I want to communicate is simply a product of my big personality, or a sign of a potential hearing issue.  I still have a lot of ear infections, so there may be a potential pediatric ENT visit in my future.  Nevertheless, it’s pretty cute to hear me across the house yelling “no thank you, loonie loonie!” which is one of my standard phrases.

Current likes: playing babies with Jack

Current dislikes: having to share said babies

Have cars, will travel!

I got a haircut this month – don’t I look mensch-y?

In other news, I’ve been working on mastering some of my fine muscle control, and have some significant progress to report.  I finally learned how to wiggle my eyebrows like Mommy, and I also learned how to snap my fingers!  Now if I could only figure out how to whistle, I’d be off to the races …

I’m making some cool cognitive strides, too, including learning to recite the colors of the rainbow in order (R-O-Y-G-B-I-V) and the three primary colors.  Thanks to Sesame Street and some bathtub dye from my Mimi, I’ve also learned about color mixing.  I can reliably tell you that yellow and blue make green, red and yellow make orange, and blue and red make purple.  Our family even saw a real-life rainbow after a spring rainstorm this month, which I thought was pretty cool!

Current likes: drawing rainbows

Current dislikes: forcing my rainbows to conform to society’s expectations

Mommy and Daddy took us to Sprout Creek Farm this past month, to see the hundreds of baby goats that have been born there.  It’s free and open to the public, which makes it a great weekend activity for us.  Even better, if you time your visit correctly you can help feed a baby goat from a bottle!