Cole's Front Tooth, Spanish, Swimming and Other Stuff...

About a week ago Cole lost one of his upper front teeth. I don't know what it is about the two front teeth --- but it certainly makes me realize how fast he is growing up and he looks older. Once again for this third lost tooth (the other two being his bottom front teeth), he went to the nurses office to get it pulled with the desired white plastic tooth-shaped carrier to wear around his neck. I didn't even know it was that loose and then I come home to get him after lunch and his front tooth is missing! He now has it stored with his other tooth (first one got lost) and still with no desire to give it over to the tooth fairy or raton.

Cole has been in school now for about 6 1/2 months. I don't often get to hear his Spanish - but occasionally I do and it is amazing how he has progressed in a relatively short period of time. His accent seems quite on target and sometimes I don't really understand all that he is saying or I learn from him how to string certain words together. His teachers and parents of classmates tell me how good he is now in speaking Spanish. I hear him speaking with Haydee and most of the time it seems they understand each other. He will also use Spanish words when he is at play at home. And now when we have playdates with his friends (especially when they come over to our house and it is mainly me supervising) it is much easier and the "conversation" seems to go pretty well. We are still working on sharing, taking turns, doing things your friends like, etc... Cole attends quite a few pinatas (birthday parties) - which is whole blog in itself - but his progression with these events from August until now says a lot! Cole is developing friendships with his classmates in and out of school and the language is a big part of it, so it's great that it is coming along so well. And next year more of his friends will speak English! (I hear a few of them now practicing with Cole.)

Picture of Cole at school during snack time and 2 pictures at a Pizza Hut pinata!

Cole at Tin Marin (Children's Museum in San Salvador) with his friend Andres playing together in the theatre with a fantastic volunteer (spoke Spanish and English) ~ the boys have done various things together like go to the Air Museum, beach, play areas, parks, etc...

Yet we all need to be able to be at ease from time to time - for it to be "easy" both culturally and lingually. He has play telephone conversations with his friends back in Colorado, including a girl friend. He has real conversations from time to time with his friends back in Colorado. And he enjoys the occassional play times he has with English speaking kiddos no matter what the age (younger, older). I am going to continue to seek that out more for him - it is surprisingly not that easy to find kids his age that are English speaking, but there are a few more avenues to pursue with other bilingual schools and a few kids at the US Embassy (with me being as intentional as I have been with his classmates).

Here are some things Cole really likes: to ride his red scooter (and is getting better and better at balancing for longer periods of time); swimming in both pools and the ocean - he is very comfortable and confident in a pool (and now snorkels as well) and likes to be in the waves and boogie-board; collecting and/or catching (then letting go) things in nature - rocks, wood, sea shells, sand dollars, sea glass, seeds, geckos, crabs, hermit crabs, snails, little fish; and doing art - whether it be in his after-school art class or at home making scribbly pictures or creating cardboard, taped-up "things". Cole also has soccer after school two days a week and seems to enjoy it, but the kids are a year/grade older and that makes the dynamic a little challenging.

It certainly is a journey and experience for us all -- day by day...we are all learning and growing.