Taken atop Konica tower near Niagara Falls.

We receive a note from Ashwini’s preschool every week. Here are a couple of notes from her teacher, Sara…

  • Sept. 9, 2005: Ashwini spent a lot of time with Annie this week. They fed babies together in dramatic play and they picked flowers on the playground. She also spent time digging in the sandbox with LaRhonda. Payton was sitting on the potty. Ashwini went to sit on potty next to her and said in a supportive voice, "ooooh Payton, you're going poop". She is doing awesome and stepping out of her box.
  • Sept. 15, 2005: Ashwini has been talking a lot about potty time this week, although she hasn't been doing much when she gets there. Ashwini wasn't much interested with art this week and she refused to eat snack a couple of times as well. She is talking to other children and playing side-by-side. She is not yet to the point where she is actively engaging in collaborative play.
  • Sept. 22, 2005: Ashwini is doing amazing with her letters and numbers. She is beyond all of her similar age peers in recognition. She can identify 1 to 10 as well as almost all the letters. She can find her own name at circle time and snack. Ashwini has been singing a new song in school. It goes "choo choo" and it's got a lot of words I don't understand. I think it is Indian. I would like to learn if I could. :)
  • Oct. 7, 2005: Ashwini has always loved books but this week, more than ever, she had completely immersed herself in them. It is the first thing she asks when she comes in, she takes them outside with her, and if I am busy working with something, she tells, "I'll read it to you". Ashwini and Cameron were playing boggle together today. Ashwini was helping Cameron find letters for different words.


Ashwini wasn’t well a couple of weeks ago and when we went to the Doctor’s office, we had to see a different doctor, not her usual pediatrician. This doctor had some great techniques to deal with small children. He let Ashwini do everything to him with his instruments, i.e. looking into ears, looking inside the mouth and listening to his heart with a stethoscope. Ashwini was extremely thrilled with this and then let him examine her without any fuss. He kept telling her that if she became a doctor, she’ll get to do all that stuff. After this visit, whenever someone asks her, “When you grow up, what will you become?”, she replies, “doctor”, without even thinking for a second.

BTW, if you are wondering what song Ashwini was singing in her school, it was a Marathi song, mamachya gavala javuya. Unfortunately, I don’t have a recording of that song yet. But, here is Ashwini singing another popular Marathi song, Chandoba chandoba, bhaglas kaa?