Ups and Downs

Elizabeth:

Our 1.5 y/o has surprised us many many times with her development. Her latest? Talking. Elizabeth is talking to us in clear words and beginning to use those words in conversation.

Besides this, every morning we are greeted with a wave and a "Hi!". She can do about four animal sounds and uses "mom" and "dat" to distinguish Len and myself. She's still working on the word "stuck".  Besides using it for something BEING stuck, it can also be used for something that has been dropped. The top endearing thing though, is "book". (super emphasis on the consonants) Her habit is to pick up a book, bring it to the closest parent and say "boo-k". She hands it over then immediately turns around and scoots backwards until she can plop her tushie into your lap to be read to. It's adorable. The only thing keep the cuteness meter at bay is the fact this happens at least 10 times a day.

The latest surprise word is "hamper" because she now knows how to put her dirty clothes into the hamper.  Emily has been helping her learn this skill by handing over her dirty clothes too. I'm usually suppressing too much laughter to tell Em she needs to put her own clothes in the hamper.

Emily:

Yesterday I got to spend some wonderful time with my oldest daughter. We had some fun and difficult moments.

Let me preface this first story by mentioning that Emily has a habit of hoarding a collection of toys then standing guard over them when another young person approaches. We've been giving extra attention to learning to share. It's been rough. This day we had already had a warning and a time out period outside the store.

We went to an indoor playground equipped with toys and climbing apparatus, inflatables, etc. Em and I played with this little farmhouse and it's animals including a tray of animal feed.  Emily had a run in with some younger boys who came over and grabbed several of the animals. At first they were playing with them inside the barn, then one of them took the hay bales, etc. that Emily was handling. At that point, Em lost her patience and screamed at them to stop. I picked her up to leave triggering a kicking/screaming/biting fit. Our group left immediately. This was our difficult time today. On one side, I was appalled by Emily's fit, but proud of her advance in sharing. I was also setback by the absence of the boys' parent and by my own lack of skill to negotiate the situation diplomatically. It was a topic of discussion for the mommies on our way home. I also solicited my mother's advice later that evening. (open invite to send me your own advice.)  A continuance of this story swells my heart with pride: later than evening after a quick visit to Gran-Gran's house, Emily told me she saw a shooting star. The conversation went thus:

Em: I will make a wish!
Me: What are you going to wish for?
Em: I don't know.
Me: Well, you could always wish for something good to happen.
Em: I will wish for those mean boys to be happy.
Me: I think that's a perfect wish, Em. I'm proud of you.

Besides that, after lunch, Lizzie went down for a nap while Len was home. Em and I hit the pool! We did a search and rescue for dragon pets who couldn't swim. We brought them back to the steps for swimming school. Emily gave many demonstrations on proper tail and fin form until all the pets could swim.   This was a great moment today.

Thursdays:

 Our little girl group continues to volunteer our Thursday afternoons at the church office. We go at the end of the lunch hour to eat.  The afternoon continues with Lizzie napping (usually), Mom laying out, printing, and cutting bulletins, general office bustle, and Emily...Emily has the best time of all because she has a full supply of paperclips.

I will miss our Thursday afternoons. I doubt I could get Lizzie and Cora to nap at the same time. Not to mention it seems a bit excessive to haul three children to a small space like that.

Endorsement :

Dear Bissel,

If you're ever looking for a quality control or R&D testee, please give us a call. Our little Elizabeth has put our Little Green Machine through its paces. In case you were wondering, the LGM rocks on floors AND couches with all liquids and semi-liquids including coffee, milk, and sugary drinks.

Thank you,
The Demains