Her left foot is a shark. Her right foot is a little girl.
I learned this at bathtime a week or so ago. They apparently play together quite nicely, although the shark will sometimes growl at Mommy while it's in the tub.
Tonight at bedtime her left foot became a kitty. I'm not sure why; it seemed perfectly happy as a shark. Nevertheless. Perhaps at bedtime the little girl prefers curling up with something furry.
She's filled with these little bursts of imagination. It astonishes me, sometimes, how fertile her mind is. She slips in and out of character seamlessly, depending on us to be observant enough to recognize what's going on. If she can learn to do that in front of an audience, she'll be quite an actress. For now, though, she shares it with her nearest and dearest, always with the slightest of sly smiles.
We are almost recovered from the Very Scary Incident. That is to say, she is completely recovered, and was last Saturday night. I only occasionally feel that fist of fear around my stomach. I don't think I'll ever take her health quite as much for granted again. The web sites can scream HARMLESS HARMLESS HARMLESS all they want.
She's adjusting to preschool. Drop-offs are still hard; she's eager to see her friends until we actually get in the room, and then it's loud and strange and out of her control. One of the teachers - an older woman who should know better - seems to think trying to tickle Emily is a good way to get her to warm up. Good Lord, woman, she's not being stubborn, she's shy! You'd think she'd have run into a shy kid before.
I don't completely blame her, though. I think the main problem is she's just not too bright. I watched her deal with two slightly rowdy boys this morning (they weren't that bad, really; just a little wired, and probably looking for some attention). She didn't lose her temper, but she said the same set of phrases to each kid. I think she has a limited repertoire. Full points to her, though, if she doesn't lose her temper - it's HARD with kids this age, especially when they're competing for your time. But i don't think she's got anything in her playbook that is going to help Em learn how to deal with that burst of anxiety she feels when she first walks into that room. That's something we'll need to help her with ourselves.