Happy 2015 - January!

With January came the start of Sanaa's next school adventure.  She joined a Montessori school here - quite a nice one with a playground that I could only dream of.  That first week was full of ups and downs as she got pretty sick just as I was adjusting back to work after having taken a few weeks off, but we made it through...with lots of snow.  I can't remember much else about that month - that's what I get for waiting 3 months.  No more!

The one magical weekend afternoon was when she and I went shopping for her "inside shoes" for Montessori school, and I found myself being tugged by her to go into a very fancy piano store.  My admonition was that we could go inside, but that she could not run around touching everything.  But I can't say anything other than she was DRAWN in by some kind of inner power.  When she walked in, and we stood near the first few pianos, she didn't want to leave.  She went up to the man in charge and asked to see some more.  She was polite, he said yes.  And, then there was a separate room with the most expensive ones - and she didn't want to leave until she could go in there too.  There were pianos in there that had been played on by the likes of Billy Joel.  Because of how she carried herself, he said yes.  And further, he allowed her to play one!  While I know NOTHING about musical instruments, apparently the way she played this piano was different than what other children typically do (something about methodically hitting the black keys - who knows).  I found the whole thing magical because I knew I had been caught - here I was telling her no no no/don't go in, and there she was ready to carry herself appropriately.  I like being found to be wrong as a mother - it sets me right and opens my eyes to where else I might be limiting her.

Anyway, she was talking enough about pianos and guitars for the next couple of months that we got her a ukulele for her birthday last month.  Ask me how many times she's played that?  (Hint - can be counted on one hand :)

Here are a few pics from the month.