Resilience

Whew. It's been a while. I planned to write a post back in June, then July, then August - something always got in the way of me sitting down and writing. Oh right, two kids. :-)

Much as I know how important it is to remember those precious details of the kids' childhood (it goes by so fast, it's fleeting, yadda yadda...), I have to be honest that there have been moments in this past year that I'd rather just forget. Maybe not moments so much as just feelings during those moments. Feelings of impatience, frustration, tension, or just sheer exhaustion. It's not always been easy getting through the rough patches (whether sleep issues, sickness, jet lag, tempers, defiance) but I know there are people who have exponentially worse problems. "A good half of the art of life is resilience", says a quote on my fridge. I love that quote and try to remind myself of that when the going gets tough.

Despite my gripes, there is much to be thankful for. Liana and Leo are growing into their own and surprising us constantly with the new things they say or do. Liana (nearly four) loved her first year of preschool at the local Friendly House, and so did we. As I write this post, I am counting down the hours (11 at this moment!) until she begins her first day. Can. Not. Wait. Throughout this year, she has taken dance classes, swimming and summer day camps, all of which she thoroughly enjoyed. I'm grateful that she is mostly okay with transitioning to new experiences - usually after we've explained things ahead of time.

One of our favorite things about Liana at this stage, is her imaginative play. She has an imaginary friend "Pig Will" (from the Richard Scarry series), and will often talk or consult with him on various matters throughout the day. After she wakes up in the morning, it's wonderful to listen over the monitor and hear her invent scenarios and stories with her stuffed animals and dolls. She still loves books and listening to stories or music on the iPod, and I hope that love continues as she grows up. Liana has almost outgrown the balance bike we've been borrowing (great invention!) and will soon be moving to a bigger pedal bike. She still can get easily frustrated with certain things, but for the most part is an independent and vivacious little girl.

Leo is 17 months and a full-blown toddler. He is tall for his age, and physically very solid. Once he started walking at a year, his wobbly stage didn't last long and he was up and about pretty quickly. He doesn't have a strong vocabulary yet (mama, dada, ba, mo) but can communicate his needs pretty well with gestures. Leo is very focused and often turns his toys over in all directions to inspect every hole, button, plug or screw. He weaned at around 15 months and I was surprised at how easy it was, given his strong attachment to me. He still cries almost every time we leave him with the babysitter, and can get shy with new people, but I'm sure that will get easier with time. He really loves his sister and recently has begun mimicking her - face in the water at bath time didn't go so well. :-) I'm looking forward to some one-on-one time with Leo once Liana starts preschool - we start a Music Together class soon and I think he's going to love it.

 

This is not the greatest photo, but I think it's the only one of all of us from the entire summer. Better than nothing!