We begin with Annie's squishiness. Pre-bath . . .
. . . and post-bath. She has started rolling onto her side to look at things, and is getting more and more control over her hands every day. I love baby shapes. I keep feeling like I should apologize for all the neked pictures, but I'm not sorry for taking them; I want to remember this little body!
We're getting a little better at tummy time.
It always helps to get those arms up for support.
Annie had a couple of firsts this week. She took her first ride in a swing. Drew said she was ambivalent.
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| How about I chew . . . on my fist! |
And she went for her first swim in a pool. It was pretty cold, but she didn't hate it. We got to go because the kids had a "yasumi" (holiday) from school. Vivi picked up right where she left off this summer swimming-wise; she even dove for a few things on the bottom of the kiddie pool! Rafe was happy to keep his head above water and play with the rubber ducks. He loves the whale mural on the wall of the kiddie pool; in fact, the indoor pool is "the Whale Pool!" as far as he's concerned. There are no pictures because I didn't trust myself to handle baby and camera so close to the water. But here's Vivi and Rafe warming up in the sauna afterwards in some hand-me-down Angry Birds towels. They are good little friends.
One more first for Annie--she stayed with me in Primary for all of 3rd hour this week. She was very good while I played for singing time, and then we walked the hall during sharing time because she was happy-yelling.
And now for some Vivi stories. I started Vivi on violin. We made a foot chart and practiced going from rest position to playing position with our feet while listening to the Twinkle variations. She was excited. Then she said she really, really wanted to hold her real violin, so I got out the box violin, taught her rest position, and told her that we would practice being gentle with the box violin so that when we got out the real violin it would be safe. After our practice session we made a place where she could put her things away. I walked into the kitchen, feeling proud and excited for our new adventure, and not 10 seconds later I heard a snap. She'd jumped on the couch while holding her box violin. I fear my ambition for this project has lost a little steam . . .
Funny conversations
Me in the morning, trying to get them ready for school: Here Vivi, put on your skirt.
Vivi: But I'm trying to make myself pure. For Jesus Christ to see me.
Me: You are so beautiful and big! When did you get to be such a big girl?
Vivi: Half an hour.
Vivi: Do you know what Isabelle means?
Me: I do not.
Vivi: It's a girl. In my class. She's a classmeter. (That's her new word for "classmate")
Drew and I were talking in the car the other day about our friend whose hairline is starting to recede. He is Mexican and has thick, curly, black hair and a very impressive beard to go with it. His wife doesn't like that he's losing his hair and wanted him to try some products out to slow things down, so he asked Drew if he had had any luck with anything. Drew was recounting the conversation for me. Then I commented.
Me: So, she doesn't like it, huh? Maybe it's because he'll look like a dirty Mexican with it gone.
Vivi (from the back of the van): Watch out for the dirty Mexican . . .
Me: Uhhhhhh. Backpedal, backpedal, backpedal.
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| A journey through Drew's hair loss, told in drivers license pictures. Just for fun. Drew was organizing his closet today and these turned up, so they must be shared. |
Vivien has started to be very interested in learning to write her letters. She does O's and H's very well. Sometimes she'll "write a letter" to a friend and hand it to me to read, so I'll read what is written ("HO! HO! OH! HO! OOH!"). She does not appreciate this, and will exasperatedly tell me what it really says. But the other day she wanted to try writing "HO! HO! HO! MERRY CHRISTMAS!" So I sat down with her and had her do her exemplary H's and O's. Then I wrote an M and had her try to copy it below. She wrote a W, so I said we just needed to stand him upright, because he was upside down, and then she wrote an M. Then we did the E without incident. Then I wrote the R and she said, "I don't know how to write R." She could not be encouraged to try on her own, so I guided her hand to write the two R's. She loved Y because it was V ("like me!") with a tail. Then she was convinced she couldn't make a C, so I guided her hand again, but she was upset that I put a big space between the Y and the C, so she made her H to fill up the space. Then it was time for R again, which she maintained she did not know how to write. I convinced her to give it a try, and she drew a circle and then a line, but when the line didn't go where she wanted it to, the frustrated tears and the can't-ing started. I tried to make it all better by drawing another line on the side to complete her R, and then she totally lost it. Big, fat crocodile tears spilling onto the paper. I am so afraid of all the years of homework ahead of us . . .
When the weeping and self-insulting of her abilities and worth had dragged on for an alarming amount of time without abating, I flipped the paper over and drew a Christmas tree and asked her to decorate it. She perked up and drew some lovely ornaments, then proceeded to add presents and happy kids on Christmas morning. She asked for a banner of HO! HO! HO! MERRY CHRISTMAS! to top it off. Whew! Crisis averted. My daughter has so many feelings.
But I love to see her start making an effort to color in the lines and play with different hues.
She even tried out a new medium when I got out the wood to make a project that I just remembered I forgot to photograph and have already put away in a storage bin with the rest of the fall décor. It was modpodgey and everything! I'll catch it next year I guess.
This is the song she made up about her piece:
Here are my intrepid explorers, going for a (very loud) ride in an Amazon rocket.
What else? We had a half day in addition to our yasumi this week, so we passed the time by making edible play dough. Pretty much equal parts powdered sugar, powdered milk, peanut butter, and corn syrup. It was like peanut butter nougat.
They played with it for a very, very long time, and there was not much left by the end.
I have been trying out toy rotation lately. I have divided up all of our toys into 4 big suitcases/totes in the kids' closet and locked it. Only one of the container's contents are out at a time. When the kids go to school on Monday, I switch them out and display the new batch of toys in an exciting fashion. It's like Christmas every week! And I feel like the toys are getting played with more often and with less fighting. And, it's much easier to clean up because there's so much less to get out. Now let's just see if I can keep it up.
Tracy granted us Calvin's old trains. I showed the kids a couple episodes of Thomas the Tank Engine and they were so excited when the train tracks showed up in the rotation the next day.
They even played quietly in their room when they woke up the morning after. I got to sleep in till 7:30!
Rafe is in heaven. He loveth wheely things.
The only tricky thing about the toy rotation is when toys miss their pack up; it's not very convenient to open up the closet and find the bin they should go in. So, I just keep a box on top of the bookshelf in Vivi's room and all the lonely toys go in there. I finished exercising the other day and crawled over to the couch to heft myself off the floor, when what should I spy camouflaged in the throw blanket but Brother Rabbit's shirt! I had been looking for it for 3 weeks, but I don't think I ever would have found it if I hadn't stuck my nose right in it. Into the box it went. I think the doll house comes out again tomorrow. I'm sure Brother Rabbit will be happy to have his shirt back.
I got some pictures of Vivi from youchien this week. I'm sure I'll get some of Rafe tomorrow, but I'll just put these up now and add his in later. Once a month they have a traffic safety class given by the police department. Here they are learning not to "dash out" and to look both ways before crossing. "Migi OK! Hidari OK! Migi OK! Douzo!"
They had their annual "potatoes digging" day.
I'm not sure whose garden it is, but it's right behind the school and I wouldn't be surprised if it was the youchien's garden and the older kids planted the potatoes. I'll have to learn how to ask.
Vivien is strangely excited about this batch of potatoes, for a girl who will not touch potatoes unless they are fried in the French style. She wants me to save them for her birthday to make her a sweet potato birthday cake that is pink. ???
Here are the kids in front of all the crafts they've made so far this year. They had a big bazaar ("Come to see my claft!") but we missed it. I think I spent that Saturday running errands while Drew was home with babies . . .
But don't worry. We did get to physically see some of the crafts, because the day after Thanksgiving, they organized a big market for the kids. They made paper money and decorated a shopping bag, then the kids got to wander through the exhibition room and purchase each other's crafts.
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| Don't American preschool children make tempura shrimp, onigiri, curry, and sushi for their crafts? |
Vivien loved it. I was feeling guilty about sending her to school when Drew was off for Thanksgiving, but she had a blast.
I think Rafe had fun too. His favorite purchase was his own sword (each of the crafts were labeled with the creator's name) made out of a paper towel roll. He's been hitting everyone with it all weekend, and consequently spending a lot of minutes in time out. I tried to ask him about his shopping experience. Is it any wonder I struggle to form coherent sentences when I'm talking to adults if this is what I'm usually listening to? Bless him!
The nice thing about them going to school on Friday is that Drew and I got to go on a date.
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| A date! |
We went for a hike. Andelynn was our third wheel, but she was very good, so we didn't mind.
Here's Drew in front of Three Peaks, our destination.
We climbed up the left side of the mountain. It had snowed the night before, so the trail was slushy in addition to being very steep. The Japanese love their hiking stairs.
We went to the highest of the three peaks first and everyone had a snack.
Then we proceeded on to Peak 2. Andelynn was mad because we had to use chains to get up to it and she didn't appreciate dangling in the Baby Bjorn unsupported.
Peak 3 was .03km off the main trail. I was a little bit embarrassed at how long it took me to figure out how many meters that is.
And then we headed down the right side of the mountain. In hindsight, we should've reversed our directions. It was a steep, slippery descent. I got to use my Japanese word of the week, "suberu!" (slippery!) that I had read on a warning sign at the pool earlier.
Drew did an awesome job keeping the baby safe. I was impressed, because I was feeling a little adrenaline rush just getting myself down.
We passed a wall that had bolts for rock climbing.
There were also several of these cool trees, which I think are Japanese yew.
It's been pretty warm here until this week, so there were beautiful fall leaves and even some flowers scattered over the snow. Plus all the brilliant green ferns . . . The world is beautiful.
Sleepy baby.
