Author Archives

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Living with the Cold

Well, I can’t decide if I’m sensible or a wimp.

It was 16-below this morning– for this first time this winter?  And I decided we were staying home from MOPS.

We went to the library yesterday at zero, and I learned what an odd age/cold combination I have.

Natasha is old enough to winterize herself, and walk quickly from warm place to warm place.  Elisha lets me winterize him (somewhat– though he still pulls his mittens off sometimes), and I can carry him.  But Melody walks more slowly when she hits the cold, and with my arms full of Elisha I can’t scoop her up too– which means we all have to move more slowly because we can’t leave her behind.

I guess it’s time to put a sled in the back of the Subaru again– in case of emergency.

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Catching up

Well, it’s been a while so I wanted to write something 😉

We spent a lovely week up North with Jim and Teena, half of it also with Aaron and Autumn, allowing me the rare opportunity to talk with them and especially to get to know Autumn better. Very special.

If I haven’t said so before, Elisha is definitely not a baby anymore. He is done nursing, plays with the big kids, and knows his own mind. He is picking up quickly on new signs, loves his animal-noises book and when he uses an English word it can be surprisingly distinct– once you realize he’s saying a word.

(“Stuck” was one that debuted at Grandma Teena’s house. And he was.)

Melody has been nearly dry for two days– that is to say, I think she had two wet diapers yesterday, and only one today. She was also dry all night.

Still doesn’t seem to care much though. I praise her when she’s dry but she *hates* to be “reminded” (nagged) so this is still very much going at her pace. This is the same progression that happened with Natasha a little bit earlier age, even, so I’m content just riding along for a while more.

The less I rush it the less trained I have to be.

Natasha has been very snuggly lately. I mentioned to Dad tonight that if I didn’t have snuggly kids I might be mourning more the growing up of my babies. But since they all are still little starfish– desiring to be with and on and attached to me– I have nothing to miss except their smallness, which I only miss when I’ve been holding them, standing, for way too long.

Natasha is, I think, more ready for focused, orderly, school work, but that is currently on-hold until I learn a new way to provide her was the structure she needs and shelter that order from her siblings who do not currently crave the same type of order.

All the Children love to dance– at home– all it takes is putting on one of their favorite recordings and they are instantly into it. Natasha will sing along too, sometimes, when encouraged. Mom is hoping we can get all the kids to sing together when her other grandkids are in town for a few days.

I have my doubts about its chance for success, but maybe having older models will be enough to surprise me.

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Practicing Being a Man

After a wedding last year Jay was surprised to realize how early a little girl’s wedding fantasies could begin. This week I was surprised to learn how early a little boy could begin acting like a man.

~

When visiting the homestead I always feel uncomfortable having my little children around Toby. He’s very dominant and doesn’t listen well to me, which, I admit, disposes me more against him.

He’s only actually acted dangerous when the kids are running and shreaking (usually from an uncle or Grandpa playing “monster”), but whenever the dog wanders into the vicinity of the children someone will tell him to get away.  I prefer it this way.

One morning Toby followed a bunch of us into the back of the house. Teena told him to get on his way and he wandered into a bedroom further down the hall. Elisha kept stumping toward Toby as he walked away from us, and shook his finger in the empty hallway, grunting authoritatively ( “Ungh! Ungh!”).

Then he took my finger and tottled around until he was between me and the room the dog had gone into, then he *pushed* me ahead of him up the hallway. He watched the bedroom door all the way, and when Toby poked his head out it prompted another series of fierce grunts and finger-shaking.

He didn’t let go of me or stop pushing until he’d taken us straight to the room where Jay was working. When he saw his dad and I started telling the story, Elisha wandered off in his normal, aimless, little-boy way.

But there was no question that for a while there he was very focussed on protecting his Mama and getting her where he thought she’d be safe.

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Pictures!

elisha-18-months.jpge-helping.jpg

Elisha has to be told to sit on the opposite side of the kitchen (against the cabinets) if I’m trying to take someting out of the oven. Otherwise he’s hovering right by the door, signing hot! hot! excitedly. Here he’s heard the timer go off and he knows what’s supposed to come next.

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This beautiful quilt was a gift from one of the ladies at our church. It’s awesome he has his “own” quilt now– since I’ve not been doing that since before he was born.

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Here’s the crew measuring out the last details for the new computer desk.

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Melody mugging for a picture. It’s really hard to catch one of her spontaneous smiles. I’m really praying for understanding about this one. She has such a capacity for love and delight, but she seems sullen and resentful too, sometimes, in a way the others aren’t.

the-good-life.jpg

Jay has been reading in the evenings, lately, and I just love this picture as a collection of some major pleasures in our lives (that’s ice cream he’s eating, in case you needed to ask).

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Natasha and Kindergarten

I’m not sure where exactly she got the concept of “kindergarten,” but Natasha’s asked a couple times now when she’s starting and how it will be different than preschool.

In case you haven’t heard, I’m planning to start her in the Fall of ’08. She’ll be 5, then. I had wanted to wait until she was 6, but then I realized that Melody would be 5 that fall (maybe ready to start, herself), and I did want them to be separated a year.

I explained that kindergarten will be different because she will be doing school every day that Daddy goes to work, and we will be spending more time on some new things. The idea pricks her interest, but I can tell she’s not ready for it yet. She has a terrific attention span for things of her own choosing, but she hasn’t learned to consistently apply it to something of my choosing, which is something school will require.

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Lots of Elisha Milestones this Week

Monday:

Elisha was fussing with Jay at bedtime, wanting me (trying to get away from Jay) and Jay told him (as he has before) that Mama was helping the girls go to sleep and he’d have to wait till I was available. For the first time he seemed to understand, settling sadly back to wait with Daddy instead of continuing to fight.

He fell asleep for me in five minutes. Just in the rocking chair. I haven’t bedtime-nursed him for abut a week now (first night was Killer, but it’s been great since then– one or no wakings a night).

Tuesday:

  • Elisha picked-up the “apple” sign in about two goes. Absolutely sweet grin– he knows he’s doing something new and special.
  • Elisha followed directions (in all fairness, he’s known “clean that up” for a while now– after he spills something he knows how to use a towel). I asked him to take an apple slice to Melody after he got his and he went to the other room to bring it straight to her.
  • First day he went to nap without nursing. In fact, no nursing at all today.
  • Let me lay him in down at bedtime while he was still awake. (He’s done this for Jay before, but not for me).

Today:

He let me lay him down at nap while he was still awake. I have to wonder if he rolls with this because he sees his sisters do it every day. For what ever reason, I laid down all three kids today (albeit late for nap) and walked out of the room knowing they were still awake, expecting them to go to sleep.

Like I said. Milestones. This is awesome.

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I’ve Got it so Easy

We were to have some company yesterday morning, and knowing that always makes the children impatient.  It led to my having this exchange with Natasha:

N: What’s taking her so long?

A: She’s got two little kids who are too little to help, so she has to do all the getting ready herself.

N: Wow.  That’s a lot of work

A: Yes, it is.  I’m glad I have such big kids to help me.  It’s very nice.

And she  went back to helping clean up.  Very nice.

 

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“Where Do They Go to School?”

We took the kids to a playgroud last Saturday morning. There was a family of three kids already there, the oldest brother (maybe 10) seemed to be vaguely in-charge and eager to converse with an adult (hey, that’s me!).

He asked if that school was where my kids went. I said they weren’t old enough to “go” anywhere yet. “Well, will they come here when they’re old enough?” he persisted.

“No,” I said, “I’ll be teaching them at home.” The young man seemed nearly distressed, and protested, “But they need friends!“