As noted in the first post in this series, having children was akin to declaring war on the environment in my house. And adding a second child threw my somewhat simple life out of balance even more than the birth of the first. My hairdresser quipped while I was in her care one time that the second child can’t be as big a deal as the first. After all, you only lose your freedom once. But oh, how I beg to differ with her now. My second child has freed me to become an environmental disaster. And here’s why.
Up until my daughter was born, I lived in a 962 square foot house with my husband and then later, our son. It was a rambler with three bedrooms upstairs and another tucked away in the finished basement. The kitchen in that old house was what our realtor once termed a “one-butt kitchen”, for it was nearly impossible for more than one person to be in it at a time. Heck, we couldn’t even open the refrigerator and dishwasher at the same time, and it was impossible to get to our basement when the oven door was open. Problems abounded, but we made it work. It wasn’t that hard when there were only two adults in the house, and adding one child didn’t upset the balance that much.
And then came my daughter, and with her, the decision to get an au pair. Now all three bedrooms upstairs had a resident—my husband and I in one, my son in one, and my daughter in the third (because the thought of my daughter potentially waking my son—who has not always been the best of sleepers—at night was more than I could bear), the downstairs bedroom went to the au pair, and eventually, as we sat surrounded in baby and now toddler items, we decided to move. Now we live in a house that an energy auditor recently calculated has 3400 square foot of space. Our au pair has a great mini-apartment in our home, I rarely trip over toys because everything has a designated space, I can work from home whenever I want (that 5th bedroom is my office / guest room), the kids can actually join me in the kitchen cooking on their wooden stove while I prep dinner on my stove, and a sixth bedroom serves as a craft room (which I realize is not essential, but it does mean that I NEVER see craft detritus scattered throughout the house or worry about paint getting on someone’s bedroom walls…I love it).
Along the way, my son started attending pre-school five mornings each week, which prompted the purchase of a second car that my au pair uses to ferry my daughter about town and to pick-up my son from pre-school on days she’s with the kids. My husband takes the other car into work most days as he drops our son off on his way.
It’s a convenient life, for sure, designed to pack in as much time to just hang out together rather than being stressed out over misplaced items or extending anyone's individual commute. For possibly the first time in my life, everything around me feels organized, and it really puts me in a good frame of mind. But dear Mother Earth, forgive me my carbon footprint.
I love my house. I could get by with a smaller one, but it would mean I’d give up some of the spaces that have ultimately alleviated stress. I do, however, dream of being so efficient some day that I can live like Gary Chang! But don’t think I’ve totally thrown in the towel on this one even now. I know there’s lots more I can do. Next up: Declaring War on the Earth: Part 3, Should We Sweat the Small Stuff? And let’s talk about how we can minimize our footprint! (And no, solutions do not include getting rid of my daughter, because for as much carbon as I have used in her name, she brings more joy to this Earth than anyone who hasn't met her could possibly imagine.)
When Elaine is not pondering how she can reduce her carbon footprint, she records her children's lives at Connor and Helen!
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
Crack Marble Run Builders
On Saturday, we attended Acorn Hill's Spring Fair. Among the favorite activities was this marble run that had been constructed using pieces of wood, a large dirt hill, a bell, and a plate of water. Connor and Helen both enjoyed watching their marbles splash at the end.
We went home and tried our hand at making our own marble runs. The first attempt was mine.
On Sunday, Ed followed up with this ditty.
Clearly, we have a bit of work to do, but summer is long.
Elaine
We went home and tried our hand at making our own marble runs. The first attempt was mine.
On Sunday, Ed followed up with this ditty.
Clearly, we have a bit of work to do, but summer is long.
Elaine
Saturday, May 8, 2010
Mother's Day, 2010
Tomorrow, I get to celebrate Mother's Day, as a mother, for the 5th time. Here's the 4 year wrap-up.
Year 1: Connor sleeps in on Mother's Day, possibly the only day he ever slept in that whole year. I think he made it to around 7:00. I still remember how well-rested I felt.
Year 2: Connor gave me a tea kettle to replace one that had been broken. We also enjoyed lots of treats.
Year 3: Helen came along and woke up bright and early to spend the day with me. Connor slept in Ed's arms at the Nat's game which was quite enjoyable.
Year 4: I'm pretty sure I slept in and enjoyed a leisurely day, after a big weekend of excitement (Friday, Big Trucks Day in Herndon and Saturday, Natioanl Train Day).
This year? I'm planning on waking up early so that when the kids come downstairs at 6:30 or so, I'm showered and ready to have fun. We're going to romp in the yard, go to the park, and start a tradition of having a "just us" morning.
And at noon? I'm ditching the crew and going shopping with my girlfriends!
Elaine
Year 1: Connor sleeps in on Mother's Day, possibly the only day he ever slept in that whole year. I think he made it to around 7:00. I still remember how well-rested I felt.
Year 2: Connor gave me a tea kettle to replace one that had been broken. We also enjoyed lots of treats.
Year 3: Helen came along and woke up bright and early to spend the day with me. Connor slept in Ed's arms at the Nat's game which was quite enjoyable.
Year 4: I'm pretty sure I slept in and enjoyed a leisurely day, after a big weekend of excitement (Friday, Big Trucks Day in Herndon and Saturday, Natioanl Train Day).
This year? I'm planning on waking up early so that when the kids come downstairs at 6:30 or so, I'm showered and ready to have fun. We're going to romp in the yard, go to the park, and start a tradition of having a "just us" morning.
And at noon? I'm ditching the crew and going shopping with my girlfriends!
Elaine
Friday, May 7, 2010
DCMM: Declaring War on the Earth: Part 1, The Baby Arrives
A friend of mine put it pretty succinctly a few weeks ago. The day my first child was born was the day I declared war on the Earth. And I doubled down when my second came along. True, that first child who is now four wouldn’t consider tossing a piece of paper in the garbage, nor would he ever throw away a plastic recycle-able. He knows that the water he can use for his outdoor projects comes from our rain barrel, not the regular hose. And he’s certainly not afraid to tell his two-year old sibling “Helen! You can’t leave the water running. We might run out someday!”. Ok, it was a simplistic explanation of why it makes me insane to see water running in the house when it’s not being used, but it works. At least for my son. I’ve even seen him tell my husband, our au pair, and visitors about what can and cannot be recycled, referring to the pictures on our refrigerator. He’s not afraid to go fishing in the trashcan if he finds a misplaced object.
Kudos to all the Earth friendly moms out there. As witnessed by all the Earth Day posts, it's clear many parents are doing a lot to live earth-friendly lives - and teaching their kids to do the same, daily. But I can't help but wonder, are we missing the forest for the trees? Prior to having children, my husband and I kept the furnace low, and when it got cold, we reminded ourselves that Jimmy Carter had advised folks to put on another sweater. If he could do it in the White House, we could surely do it too. Likewise, in the summer we rarely used our AC, preferring instead to hang out in our basement and sleep in a bedroom tucked away down there, affectionately termed our “summer bedroom”. My husband and I biked to work almost daily, had one car that didn’t do much more than take us on weekend trips and to the grocery store. When gas prices started rising, we didn’t have cause to take notice. For the life of us, we couldn’t understand why Arlington County issued such large trash bins. If ours was filled more than one-third, it surprised us.
But oh, how life has changed with kids.
True we started out with our son in our bedroom downstairs, but eventually, we decided to put our son in his own room. On went the AC as we moved to the main floor of the house where we could sleep in the room across from my son. Good-bye, summer bedroom. We turned up the heat in the winter, because we were advised by multiple sources that we shouldn’t be piling a bunch of blankets on our infant who could barely move. Oh, it was comfortable in that house, the whole year round, it was comfortable! Friends who before would be offered a blanket and sweatshirt from my husband and I suddenly felt like a trip to our house was a vacation.
That car that used to sit in the driveway? Now it went to the pediatrician, the Reston Zoo, the National Zoo, the very cool waterpark. To paraphrase Dr. Seuss, Oh the Places We Went! And did you see the trashcan? We received so many items from friends and family after the birth of our son that the UPS guy actually got to know me well enough that he would just bring the packages right inside my house. And frankly, I was grateful not only for all the gifts but for the opportunity to exchange a few words with an adult. I’m praying that I will be forgiven my four years of tossing out of so many disposable diapers – two for each of my children. (We considered the cloth scene, but then we’d be using the washing machine nonstop.)
Ultimately, we found ourselves with a lot more money than time after our son was born. And this led to a lot more packaging and energy use than existed in our child-free years. True, we were able to make most of our baby food, but eventually sleep deprivation set in, and we succumbed to those ever-so-convenient pre-packaged foods. When I started working again, I needed to be home on time for the nanny, which ultimately meant more car trips into the office, rather than worry about the metro. And biking? Well, until recently, I just didn’t have the energy.
It’s been a big change in our life, and the addition of a second child and an au pair have exaggerated these not so earth-friendly changes. Next up: Declaring War on the Earth: Part 2, The Big Move.
This is an original DC Metro Moms blog post. When Elaine is not feeling guilty about her impact on the environment, she records her children’s lives at Connor and Helen!
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Posted by ElaineMM on May 07, 2010 at 02:00 AM in Elaine | Permalink
Children and the Environment, recycling, children's impact on Earth Comments
Vickie said...
Haha. We didn't have a dishwasher in DC, so when Teo was born we used up a LOT of paper plates and plastic cups. I am not quite sure our being carless (since we moved here 8 years ago) is enough to make up for how much our 2 kids have added to landfills.
Reply May 07, 2010 at 08:44 AM Sue @ Laundry for Six said...
Enemies of the Environment... I know! The same thing happens here.
Kudos to all the Earth friendly moms out there. As witnessed by all the Earth Day posts, it's clear many parents are doing a lot to live earth-friendly lives - and teaching their kids to do the same, daily. But I can't help but wonder, are we missing the forest for the trees? Prior to having children, my husband and I kept the furnace low, and when it got cold, we reminded ourselves that Jimmy Carter had advised folks to put on another sweater. If he could do it in the White House, we could surely do it too. Likewise, in the summer we rarely used our AC, preferring instead to hang out in our basement and sleep in a bedroom tucked away down there, affectionately termed our “summer bedroom”. My husband and I biked to work almost daily, had one car that didn’t do much more than take us on weekend trips and to the grocery store. When gas prices started rising, we didn’t have cause to take notice. For the life of us, we couldn’t understand why Arlington County issued such large trash bins. If ours was filled more than one-third, it surprised us.
But oh, how life has changed with kids.
True we started out with our son in our bedroom downstairs, but eventually, we decided to put our son in his own room. On went the AC as we moved to the main floor of the house where we could sleep in the room across from my son. Good-bye, summer bedroom. We turned up the heat in the winter, because we were advised by multiple sources that we shouldn’t be piling a bunch of blankets on our infant who could barely move. Oh, it was comfortable in that house, the whole year round, it was comfortable! Friends who before would be offered a blanket and sweatshirt from my husband and I suddenly felt like a trip to our house was a vacation.
That car that used to sit in the driveway? Now it went to the pediatrician, the Reston Zoo, the National Zoo, the very cool waterpark. To paraphrase Dr. Seuss, Oh the Places We Went! And did you see the trashcan? We received so many items from friends and family after the birth of our son that the UPS guy actually got to know me well enough that he would just bring the packages right inside my house. And frankly, I was grateful not only for all the gifts but for the opportunity to exchange a few words with an adult. I’m praying that I will be forgiven my four years of tossing out of so many disposable diapers – two for each of my children. (We considered the cloth scene, but then we’d be using the washing machine nonstop.)
Ultimately, we found ourselves with a lot more money than time after our son was born. And this led to a lot more packaging and energy use than existed in our child-free years. True, we were able to make most of our baby food, but eventually sleep deprivation set in, and we succumbed to those ever-so-convenient pre-packaged foods. When I started working again, I needed to be home on time for the nanny, which ultimately meant more car trips into the office, rather than worry about the metro. And biking? Well, until recently, I just didn’t have the energy.
It’s been a big change in our life, and the addition of a second child and an au pair have exaggerated these not so earth-friendly changes. Next up: Declaring War on the Earth: Part 2, The Big Move.
This is an original DC Metro Moms blog post. When Elaine is not feeling guilty about her impact on the environment, she records her children’s lives at Connor and Helen!
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Posted by ElaineMM on May 07, 2010 at 02:00 AM in Elaine | Permalink
Children and the Environment, recycling, children's impact on Earth Comments
Vickie said...
Haha. We didn't have a dishwasher in DC, so when Teo was born we used up a LOT of paper plates and plastic cups. I am not quite sure our being carless (since we moved here 8 years ago) is enough to make up for how much our 2 kids have added to landfills.
Reply May 07, 2010 at 08:44 AM Sue @ Laundry for Six said...
Enemies of the Environment... I know! The same thing happens here.
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
Project Completed: The Sandbox
Last fall, Ed and Connor built a sandbox. Shortly after that, we intended to fill it with sand. Only, because there was new grass growing beside the sandbox, the truck could not deliver the sand, because the driver was fairly certain his truck would sink into the mud and get stuck.
Over the winter, we could have had the sand delivered when the ground was frozen, but we were never inspired to do so, given that we had shoveled more snow than we ever thought possible in Northern Virginia. The thought of shoveling sand overwhelmed us.
This Spring, I called the quarry. Naturally, our order was no longer "in the queue" and it would take them a couple of days to locate the piece of paper indicating we had paid and were owed a massive amount of sand. We arranged a drop-off day. Only it rained, so we had to cancel. And I think both our neighbors and us were beginning to doubt there would ever be sand out back. Diligently, we sat studying weather reports and when we saw a window approaching (hot days to dry out the ground and dry days to keep the ground from getting wet again). Much to our delight, the truck was able to deliver our sand on the appointed day. Unlucky for us, it was a lot more than we needed.
Isn't Connor such a trooper? He literally dug right in to level the sand.
Even Helen pitched in!
Ed and I removed a large wheelbarrow full and a big box full, and still, the sandbox overfloweth. So Ed and Connor built a taller sandbox, which is actually a good thing all around because it's more fun to dig in deep sand than shallow sand.
The painting crew arrived on Sunday.
And finally, finally, we have an awesome sandbox that should provide many hours of fun. Oh the outside projects I will finish this year.
Elaine
Over the winter, we could have had the sand delivered when the ground was frozen, but we were never inspired to do so, given that we had shoveled more snow than we ever thought possible in Northern Virginia. The thought of shoveling sand overwhelmed us.
This Spring, I called the quarry. Naturally, our order was no longer "in the queue" and it would take them a couple of days to locate the piece of paper indicating we had paid and were owed a massive amount of sand. We arranged a drop-off day. Only it rained, so we had to cancel. And I think both our neighbors and us were beginning to doubt there would ever be sand out back. Diligently, we sat studying weather reports and when we saw a window approaching (hot days to dry out the ground and dry days to keep the ground from getting wet again). Much to our delight, the truck was able to deliver our sand on the appointed day. Unlucky for us, it was a lot more than we needed.
Isn't Connor such a trooper? He literally dug right in to level the sand.
Even Helen pitched in!
Ed and I removed a large wheelbarrow full and a big box full, and still, the sandbox overfloweth. So Ed and Connor built a taller sandbox, which is actually a good thing all around because it's more fun to dig in deep sand than shallow sand.
The painting crew arrived on Sunday.
And finally, finally, we have an awesome sandbox that should provide many hours of fun. Oh the outside projects I will finish this year.
Elaine
Saturday, May 1, 2010
Tylenol and Motrin Recall
I consider myself lucky. Rarely, do I have sick kids. Helen can count herself amongst the few children who, at the age of 2.5, has never had an ear infection. And that makes her the luckiest girl in the world, given that she spent the first year of her life with fluid in her ear obscuring her hearing, but never getting infected.
Last Thursday, I kept Connor home from school. He felt like he had a fever, but my thermometer sucks, and Connor hates to get his temperature taken with it, and blah, blah, blah, a fever did not register, but I gave him a dose of Tylenol before I left for work anyway. He had, after all, abstained from eating his favorite breakfast of the week - cinnamon rolls. He had another does four hours later when he still didn't look right, and I believe he got a third dose after his nap.
Turns out, the medicine I gave him would be recalled the next day. That's what I call awesome. I found out about it from Susan/WhyMommy over at Toddler Planet, who reported strange looking Tylenol to Johnson & Johnson. My Tylenol didn't look odd, but it is most definitely on the list. Thank you, Susan, for alerting me now so I at least won't continue feeding it my children.
Click here for the info. So far, Connor has not yet grown two heads, but I'm keeping my eye on him.
Crap.
Last Thursday, I kept Connor home from school. He felt like he had a fever, but my thermometer sucks, and Connor hates to get his temperature taken with it, and blah, blah, blah, a fever did not register, but I gave him a dose of Tylenol before I left for work anyway. He had, after all, abstained from eating his favorite breakfast of the week - cinnamon rolls. He had another does four hours later when he still didn't look right, and I believe he got a third dose after his nap.
Turns out, the medicine I gave him would be recalled the next day. That's what I call awesome. I found out about it from Susan/WhyMommy over at Toddler Planet, who reported strange looking Tylenol to Johnson & Johnson. My Tylenol didn't look odd, but it is most definitely on the list. Thank you, Susan, for alerting me now so I at least won't continue feeding it my children.
Click here for the info. So far, Connor has not yet grown two heads, but I'm keeping my eye on him.
Crap.
Friday, April 30, 2010
Happy Month 56, Connor
Dear Connor,
A couple of weeks ago, you flipped another month on the ol' timeline of life. Somehow, the update never happened. But now, your grandparents are in town and both of them have already asked me if time stood still this past month or if you aged. So, while you're away at school, and Helen is busy running Grandma Carlene and Grandpa Rodney or Grandpa Rod (she told me she was still trying to decide what she would call him this visit) ragged, I figured I would take the time to remind myself what a fantastic person you are.
I attended the movie Babies (FREE! A perk of blogging over at DCMetroMoms) on Wednesday night and do you know who sat in front of me? Erin. The fabulous woman who caught you, reassured me during your birth that things were moving along fine, and most of all, never let on that having a placenta take over an hour to come out is a bit out of the ordinary. As your dad and I sat marveling at this new human in our life, she and our birth assistant Audrey sat upstairs and started going over the procedures for manual extraction, and the whole time your dad and I had no idea anything might be wrong. Your dad even offered to cook breakfast but Erin very calmly told him perhaps we should get this placenta out first. It came out. On it's own. No manual extraction necessary. And only then did Erin tell us what she and Audrey had been talking about and worrying about a bit. I'm really grateful for the way she handled the whole thing. In any case, Erin asked me how you were and I smiled and told her "I love four".
I love the way you embrace everything in life. You were a trooper when it came to flying to Key West with your dad. At first you were a little bent that we weren't flying together, but you and dad had a grand time. You modeled beeswax, read books, ate snacks, and played lots of games. I don't think you ever slept you were having so much fun. When Helen and I arrived at Key West, you and Daddy were sharing lunch at a restaurant by the beach. You had already been swimming a bit and played in the sand.
You even enjoyed seeing Mike and Sima get married, sitting between Grandpa Dick and Grandma Lynn. You did, however, wonder how Grandma Lynn got to Key West, since previously I had told you she didn't fly. You extracted a promise from her that she might come visit us this summer in Arlington.
You were delighted to cruise around Key West on the back of Daddy's bike. You asked to ride on my bike but I do not think I could pedal far with you in tow. It was hard enough biking around with Helen back there.
You had a ton of fun at our annual egg hunt. You enjoyed hiding the eggs, finding the eggs, and eating the goods out of the eggs. You also enjoyed letting all the children know they could leave their plastic eggs behind if they didn't want them, and we would use them next year. You had them fill up a wheelbarrow with them so you could tote them around a bit.
You love our new rain barrel. And I love it too, because now when you want to play with water, you turn that spigot on instead of the regular one, and know that you need only hold the hose up high to get the water to stop. It's a good system.
You pretend to take an interest in Connor Baby, but that's only because Helen has decided she loves him/her.
You somehow managed to pick up a skink and drop it in your wheelbarrow. When I discovered this, you happily wheeled him around the yard looking for a new home for it. Once you released it, though, you kept right on playing with it. Ugh.
You love to climb and rarely find yourself intimidated by playground equipment. You also love to run, jump, paint, argue, point out "I already knew that because...", and cook.
Busy, busy we are these days.
Love,
Mommy
A couple of weeks ago, you flipped another month on the ol' timeline of life. Somehow, the update never happened. But now, your grandparents are in town and both of them have already asked me if time stood still this past month or if you aged. So, while you're away at school, and Helen is busy running Grandma Carlene and Grandpa Rodney or Grandpa Rod (she told me she was still trying to decide what she would call him this visit) ragged, I figured I would take the time to remind myself what a fantastic person you are.
I attended the movie Babies (FREE! A perk of blogging over at DCMetroMoms) on Wednesday night and do you know who sat in front of me? Erin. The fabulous woman who caught you, reassured me during your birth that things were moving along fine, and most of all, never let on that having a placenta take over an hour to come out is a bit out of the ordinary. As your dad and I sat marveling at this new human in our life, she and our birth assistant Audrey sat upstairs and started going over the procedures for manual extraction, and the whole time your dad and I had no idea anything might be wrong. Your dad even offered to cook breakfast but Erin very calmly told him perhaps we should get this placenta out first. It came out. On it's own. No manual extraction necessary. And only then did Erin tell us what she and Audrey had been talking about and worrying about a bit. I'm really grateful for the way she handled the whole thing. In any case, Erin asked me how you were and I smiled and told her "I love four".
I love the way you embrace everything in life. You were a trooper when it came to flying to Key West with your dad. At first you were a little bent that we weren't flying together, but you and dad had a grand time. You modeled beeswax, read books, ate snacks, and played lots of games. I don't think you ever slept you were having so much fun. When Helen and I arrived at Key West, you and Daddy were sharing lunch at a restaurant by the beach. You had already been swimming a bit and played in the sand.
You even enjoyed seeing Mike and Sima get married, sitting between Grandpa Dick and Grandma Lynn. You did, however, wonder how Grandma Lynn got to Key West, since previously I had told you she didn't fly. You extracted a promise from her that she might come visit us this summer in Arlington.
You were delighted to cruise around Key West on the back of Daddy's bike. You asked to ride on my bike but I do not think I could pedal far with you in tow. It was hard enough biking around with Helen back there.
You had a ton of fun at our annual egg hunt. You enjoyed hiding the eggs, finding the eggs, and eating the goods out of the eggs. You also enjoyed letting all the children know they could leave their plastic eggs behind if they didn't want them, and we would use them next year. You had them fill up a wheelbarrow with them so you could tote them around a bit.
You love our new rain barrel. And I love it too, because now when you want to play with water, you turn that spigot on instead of the regular one, and know that you need only hold the hose up high to get the water to stop. It's a good system.
You pretend to take an interest in Connor Baby, but that's only because Helen has decided she loves him/her.
You somehow managed to pick up a skink and drop it in your wheelbarrow. When I discovered this, you happily wheeled him around the yard looking for a new home for it. Once you released it, though, you kept right on playing with it. Ugh.
You love to climb and rarely find yourself intimidated by playground equipment. You also love to run, jump, paint, argue, point out "I already knew that because...", and cook.
Busy, busy we are these days.
Love,
Mommy
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
The reason manufacturers might consider anatomically correct dolls
Helen clearly knows the difference between a boy and girl. She's a girl, I'm a girl, Daddy and Connor are boys. She extends this knowledge to anyone I've ever asked her about. Except her dolls. Every one of them is a girl. This includes a doll that Grandma Lynn gave to Connor when I was pregnant with Helen, or right after Helen's birth. The doll has a baseball cap and is dressed in blue, the typical outward signs of maleness in children's toys. It is named Connor Baby, a name that originates from us calling it "Connor's Baby" and Helen shortening it slightly when she claimed the baby as her own.
Connor "Helen, Connor Baby is not a girl. He is a boy."
Helen "No she's not. She's a girl."
Connor "It's my doll that Grandma gave to me. It is a boy."
Helen looked right at Connor, removed Connor Baby's clothes, pointed to the downtown parts and said confidently. "No penis. Connor Baby is a girl."
Elaine
Connor "Helen, Connor Baby is not a girl. He is a boy."
Helen "No she's not. She's a girl."
Connor "It's my doll that Grandma gave to me. It is a boy."
Helen looked right at Connor, removed Connor Baby's clothes, pointed to the downtown parts and said confidently. "No penis. Connor Baby is a girl."
Elaine
Monday, April 26, 2010
Friday, April 23, 2010
Happy Month 30, Helen
Dear Helen,
Here it is, the official 2.5 mark. Just in time for you to be able to hold your first two fingers up in a "V" to announce your age. It takes more dexterity than I ever realized to keep those two smaller fingers down while the pointer and middle-man shoot upwards. After working on it for a few days though, you've got it pretty much mastered. Peace out, my little girl.
We've had glimpses of summer around here, and it just makes me excited about all the fun we're going to have. You love being outside, and if you can do it without wearing mittens, it's even better. Your favorite places on Earth are parks, and I suspect we'll be visiting a lot of them in the coming months.
It's difficult to discern whether you like cats or babies more. Luckily, we seem to be surrounded by babies these days, thanks to many friends giving birth in the past few months. You've been working hard on figuring out how to teach Baby Evelyn to crawl (she's 4 months after all, so it's about time, right?). You've been teaching Baby Grace at gymnastics how to stand up on her own, and you were quite pleased the day she actually did it after you showed her how. Whenever Juliet's mom shows up at playgroup without Baby James, you inquire about him, and you were thrilled the day he showed up at our house for our annual egg hunt. What a thrill!
You like to pretend you are a baby, and one day, when I got tired of the pretend crying that goes with the game, and I told you that you were not a baby you looked at me indignantly and said "I am a baby kangaroo!". Do you know what I love about baby kangaroos? They're quiet. Most assuredly, you are not a baby kangaroo.
While on our recent trip to Florida, you insisted on having me point out your letter "H" and then spent all of our travels pointing them out on your own. Yesterday, I had a "Chiefs" sweatshirt on and there you were, pointing out your letter. This impresses many people, though I tend to think it's not a very useful skill. But it excites you, and I love observing things that make you happy.
You discovered the joy of the life vest, and paddled the entire length of the pool - and back. You were so excited to be "swimming" on your own. At one point, I looked at you and said "two year olds can't swim" and you replied "Oh yes they can!". Now that's a good attitude. And we have decided to institute Friday swim night because after you big adventure you slept over 12 hours. I had to wake you up to go to gymnastics the next morning. That's a good night's sleep!
Don't ever let anyone tell you you're two, my friend, because then you might not be able to do all the things your brother does. This month, you climbed to the top of this bizarre spider-web thing at a playground. This was difficult for your dad to watch. He kept trying to position himself so that you wouldn't realize he was helping you, but that he'd catch you if you fell. I'm happy to report, you made it to the top, and down. You didn't fall until your second trip down, when I think you got a little cocky about your new found climbing skills. Lesson learned. That's what the mulch is for.
You also participated in a drama class for 4-6 year olds. Your dad was busy with a home energy auditor, so you tagged along with me and Connor. Luckily, the teacher was super nice, and she let you participate in the class. You played along so well, performing your lines just like the other (older) children that at the end of class, Miss Hannah said you could be in her class if you wanted, even though you were only two. I have a feeling you would love this, but my heart tells me it's better to wait to do these things, so we won't be taking the class.
You love it whenever you get to hang with Connor's friends. One day, we called one of his friends to play and she couldn't come over. You burst into tears and announced you were very sad.
You have a special place in your heart for Grandpa Dick, and you were very excited to see him in Key West. Yesterday, you announced you had gone skiing and were ready to go with Dick next year. I'm sure he'll be excited to hear this.
You are indignant; you are stubborn; you are cute. But most of all, you are my baby.
Love,
Mommy
Here it is, the official 2.5 mark. Just in time for you to be able to hold your first two fingers up in a "V" to announce your age. It takes more dexterity than I ever realized to keep those two smaller fingers down while the pointer and middle-man shoot upwards. After working on it for a few days though, you've got it pretty much mastered. Peace out, my little girl.
We've had glimpses of summer around here, and it just makes me excited about all the fun we're going to have. You love being outside, and if you can do it without wearing mittens, it's even better. Your favorite places on Earth are parks, and I suspect we'll be visiting a lot of them in the coming months.
It's difficult to discern whether you like cats or babies more. Luckily, we seem to be surrounded by babies these days, thanks to many friends giving birth in the past few months. You've been working hard on figuring out how to teach Baby Evelyn to crawl (she's 4 months after all, so it's about time, right?). You've been teaching Baby Grace at gymnastics how to stand up on her own, and you were quite pleased the day she actually did it after you showed her how. Whenever Juliet's mom shows up at playgroup without Baby James, you inquire about him, and you were thrilled the day he showed up at our house for our annual egg hunt. What a thrill!
You like to pretend you are a baby, and one day, when I got tired of the pretend crying that goes with the game, and I told you that you were not a baby you looked at me indignantly and said "I am a baby kangaroo!". Do you know what I love about baby kangaroos? They're quiet. Most assuredly, you are not a baby kangaroo.
While on our recent trip to Florida, you insisted on having me point out your letter "H" and then spent all of our travels pointing them out on your own. Yesterday, I had a "Chiefs" sweatshirt on and there you were, pointing out your letter. This impresses many people, though I tend to think it's not a very useful skill. But it excites you, and I love observing things that make you happy.
You discovered the joy of the life vest, and paddled the entire length of the pool - and back. You were so excited to be "swimming" on your own. At one point, I looked at you and said "two year olds can't swim" and you replied "Oh yes they can!". Now that's a good attitude. And we have decided to institute Friday swim night because after you big adventure you slept over 12 hours. I had to wake you up to go to gymnastics the next morning. That's a good night's sleep!
Don't ever let anyone tell you you're two, my friend, because then you might not be able to do all the things your brother does. This month, you climbed to the top of this bizarre spider-web thing at a playground. This was difficult for your dad to watch. He kept trying to position himself so that you wouldn't realize he was helping you, but that he'd catch you if you fell. I'm happy to report, you made it to the top, and down. You didn't fall until your second trip down, when I think you got a little cocky about your new found climbing skills. Lesson learned. That's what the mulch is for.
You also participated in a drama class for 4-6 year olds. Your dad was busy with a home energy auditor, so you tagged along with me and Connor. Luckily, the teacher was super nice, and she let you participate in the class. You played along so well, performing your lines just like the other (older) children that at the end of class, Miss Hannah said you could be in her class if you wanted, even though you were only two. I have a feeling you would love this, but my heart tells me it's better to wait to do these things, so we won't be taking the class.
You love it whenever you get to hang with Connor's friends. One day, we called one of his friends to play and she couldn't come over. You burst into tears and announced you were very sad.
You have a special place in your heart for Grandpa Dick, and you were very excited to see him in Key West. Yesterday, you announced you had gone skiing and were ready to go with Dick next year. I'm sure he'll be excited to hear this.
You are indignant; you are stubborn; you are cute. But most of all, you are my baby.
Love,
Mommy
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