I am loooong overdue for a Mayalstones post!
So then, let’s jump right in!
Two-year-olds vary in the particular skills they choose to focus on at any given time. While some labor away at learning to jump and balance and tumble, others, like Maya, are just hell-bent on talking, talking, talking. Maya’s verbal skills are what she’s most interested in developing right now; and my goodness, is she ever. This is an exciting time in that every day, Maya seems more and more able to build sentences, express herself, and answer open-ended questions.
Last night, as we were all sitting down to a delicious-looking curry Seth had made (with thanks to Trader Joe’s for the sauce), I remarked on what an appetizing dish he’d managed to throw together despite having to field multiple phone calls and hold a clingy toddler through much of the preparation. Maya then turned to Seth, hugged his arm, and said very earnestly, “Good job, Daddy!”
Well. Hello, waterworks. I got all sniffly and teary-eyed at Maya’s well-articulated show of support for her dad.
Earlier that evening, as I was arriving home from work and ran into Maya and Seth playing in the courtyard, Maya announced, “I’m blowing bubbles, Mommy!” with totally unbridled enthusiasm.
When I asked her what she’d done at school that day (a tough question for a two-year-old to answer, I think, since there’s such a huge selection of potential answers), she struggled a bit but managed to tell me, “Um, um, I drank water…sink!”
Me: “You drank water? From the sink? Wha- Oh! Do you mean the water fountain? Did you drink from the water fountain by yourself?”
Maya: “Yeah! By self!”
Seth: “Yeah, I saw her in the process of doing that when I arrived this afternoon.”
After exchanging quick glances of “Oh great, now she knows how to use nasty old germ-infested water fountains” with Seth, I really had to stop and marvel at the answer she gave. She’s making progress fast and furiously!

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…and now let’s talk about school. Maya’s been struggling some with the transition from the Infant/Toddler room at her daycare to the actual Green Room for two-year-olds at the preschool. It’s no wonder, really: In the I/T room, the emphasis was on large chunks of free play dotted here and there with storytime, dancing and singing, and art. This daily schedule was developmentally appropriate and really appealed to Maya’s sense of curiosity and toddler-sized attention span. In the Green Room, she has been confronting a much more structured day, full of transitions she does not want to make. When she’s having the time of her life fingerpainting, for example, she does not understand why she must suddenly stop and get cleaned up for a snack. The teachers said she’d been putting up a fuss and crying during such transitions; plus, when I’d take her to school in the mornings, she would freeze up right inside the door, and cry and shout “Mommeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!” as I left. It’s been stressful and not a good way to start our day. However, the past two days, Maya’s acceptance of school has apparently improved, and the teachers have sent home handwritten notes remarking on her “turnaround.” I’m sure there will be more backsliding and roadblocks to come---but for now, I am SO proud of Maya for her recent successes.