The Letter "M"

M is finally showing an interest in letters.  While E was verbal from the beginning, M always loved music much, much more.  She didn't memorize words to songs the way E did, but she was always calmed by classical music - to such an extent that it is really all we listen to in the car.  (If music has words, M asks for "real" music.)  The rest of her learning seems to be taking a different slant as well.  In ballet class she isn't as into the patterns, but her body skills and movement are much more graceful and fluid than her sister's.  And while E never learned to put her binky in her mouth by herself in the middle of the night, M has always been able to manipulate objects to her every desire.  Words have just never held the same interest to her as they did to E, and while E has been reading chapter books for almost a year now - I wondered when M would feel like taking that step.

Anyway, up until now every time I've tried to teach M her letters she has giggled at me and told me all the letters were "A" until we got to the letter "A" - and then it was something else.  Just like "red" and "green" were always each other for several months last year - to the point I thought she might actually be color-blind.  Color-blind?  No.  Contrary?  Yes.  I didn't go much beyond trying to teach her one or two letters since she was obviously intent on telling me any letter other than the one they were.  Even GQ knew the letter on the fridge was "Y" while M continued to say "H."

Recently I found she is much more interested in writing letters down than in identifying them.  So, she has been learning the letters in her name and practicing real "H's" on the driveway.

Today, after conference, I took a shower.  A real shower.  A shower where no one was allowed to barge in and tell me how someone else had whacked them while I was gone... where GQ was not allowed to claim his own tubby time at the other end of the bathtub... where I could do more than speed through wash, soap, rinse, dry before exiting the bathroom and getting back to business. 

It was wonderful.

While I showered, Justin played monster downstairs with the kids.  I heard them having great fun through the venting system while I sat on a stool in my towell and read a book.  Isn't that part of your normal shower routine?  Anyway, after I finished and emerged from my getaway, we discovered that sometime during all this someone had taken a marker and written on the walls downstairs and on the back of the recliner - luckily with washable marker.

Have you ever heard those stories about criminals who leave their Driver's Licenses behind, or other such stupid things?

Oh M, what a time to start learning your letters!!!!  Now it so much easier to tell that it is you and not GQ who took to scribbling on the walls. 

Yes, all those nice big "M's" make it slightly more obvious.