And Now, Back to the Program Already in Progress

After that brief interlude with lament, we return to the regularly scheduled program.

Addie consistently identified the colors yellow, orange, blue and purple at school this week. Again, we knew she knew these colors and more already, but it's a big processing job for her to separate a thing from something that describes a thing. After work at home and school, everyone's about ready to say she knows her colors. Knowing them was not the mountain, proving that she knows them was.

Scale the Color Id Mountain.
Check.

In even better news, Addie has another friend over right now. Interestingly, this is the first time she's had a girlfriend over. It's been all about boys up to this point. And we are having a blast. I am sitting here typing this only to restrain myself from getting in this poor sweet girl's grill for a bit. It's hard for me not to ask a million questions about what Madeline does for fun, what they worked on in P.E., if she likes Art class... A regular feast of responses. I have to resist gorging myself.

This darling Madaline is utterly delightful and is bringing back all manner of memories from my own Cate's 4th year. Everything is a remarkable cooincidence - wow! I have 2 friends named Ava. Hey! This doll looks like my doll! Cool! Addie has a little bed! Look, Addie's mom - she LOVES her sandwich! I love mine, too! You like to dance? I like to dance! Addie said grr! I can say grr!

Addie is still into the parallel play, especially in her domain, but every once in a while she shimmies up to Madeline to giggle in her ear or to bear hug her. Madeline giggles back or hugs back every time.

But my favorite thing about this in-progress friendship: Madeline has her own nickname for Addie. She refers to her as Addie when she talks to me, but when she talks directly to Addie (which is quite often, despite the lack of verbal response from Addie herself), she calls her Ad. Ad, want to play with this little dollhouse together? You like balloons too, Ad? Aaa-ad! Come upstairs with me!

Again, that's between these 2 pals - this term of endearment, this intimate and familiar shortening of Addison's name.

Addie has a friend over. All is as it should be.


Post-play date photo: Rainbow/Crazy Hair Day at school, playing drums with pencils and her new hand-me-down-from-cousin-Audrey vanity.


(update: Madeline cried when her mom came to pick her up. She wasn't ready to go.)