Evelyn, the preschooler

Evelyn has been learning some general aspects of Native American culture in preschool in preparation for Thanksgiving.  All of the preschoolers chose new names; Evelyn is Sparkly Star.  She is really in her element at preschool.  She talks to all of the kids after school and excitedly yells "'Bye!" or tries to set up play dates.  Evelyn knows, of course, that the kids themselves can't schedule these play dates.  She goes right to the source.  It's not at all uncommon for Evie to give me a rapid-fire "Hi Mom, look what I made!" before turning to find another mother and ask if she can set up a play date.   

Sunny Afternoon

Last night was rather sleepless as Henry's molars work their way to the surface of his swollen gums.  Sleep deprivation is a sure-fire way to increase my anxiety, so I decided that it would be best to get out of the house to enjoy some sunshine and good company. 

Fortunately, some friends were free to meet with us and the kids had a lovely time riding a train and playing pretend together in a little house.  Evelyn was especially excited about the outing because we decided to pack a lunch.  She made her sandwich ("butter"-- earth balance spread and roasted turkey meat on Udi's gluten-free bread) all by herself.  The earth balance container now resembles mashed potatoes, but Evelyn did it on her own!

The Joy of Dirt

Today was supposed to be quite glum, if the weather reports were to be believed.  Fortunately, I am an optimist and we met up with friends at a local park with the hope that the rain would hold off for at least an hour. Well, three hours later, we left-- satisfied with the sun breaks and the giggles and good conversation.  Being outdoors is good for the soul.  Even better if there is a puddle to splash, rocks to toss into a lake, and dirt to spare.  Later, while it was still not raining, we played outside in the garden beds. 

One of Evelyn's favorite past times is digging.  She digs with a real sense of purpose.  "I'm doing my work right now," she tells me.  Often, the dirt is transferred from the earth into a blue tin pail and then back again.  Sometimes it is scattered about the back deck or the sidewalk.  It always finds its way underneath Evelyn's fingernails and forms a little smear across one of her cheeks or her forehead as she wipes wisps of hair away from her face. 

Today, Henry decided to embrace the goodness of this dirt.  Dressed warmly in a hand-me-down fleece suit, he took about seven steps with an outdoor push toy before dropping to his knees and crawling with a vengeance toward the nearest garden bed.  He squished and smooshed the soil in his chubby little land and looked thoroughly pleased with himself.  He tasted the dirt and protested as I fished it back out of his mouth.  I sat on the grass next to him and we tickled our hands with blades of grass.  I took pine cone after stick after pine cone out of his mouth.  How can we possibly know what something is without tasting it?   Henry's eyes asked.  All the while, Evelyn dug little holes and trenches among the lilacs and roses.  It was quite a lovely way to pass the afternoon really.  By the time we went inside to wash our hands and begin dinner, Henry and Evelyn were both noticeably content, relaxed even.  And, they were covered in dirt.

Two babies

Thankfully, summer has returned to the Pacific Northwest. Since we don't really know if the sun is here to stay for more than a couple of weeks in this fickle corner of the country, we kicked off our "yay for summer" extravaganza with friends at a nearby park this morning. My hope was for Evie to fall asleep in the car on the way home so that I wouldn't have lay down with her in her bed for nap and leave little Henry on his own if he was awake. I am no supporter of leaving a newborn awake in a room all by himself while he cries-- it just doesn't serve any purpose and doesn't make sense to me. Ordinarily, when Henry and Evelyn both need me, I wear Henry is a wrap or in the Ergo carrier or I just nurse him in my arms while talking to Evie or engaging with her in some way. Nap time, however, is not an ordinary time. Evelyn gets really sleepy, and understandably so, and she just wants my full attention. Scratch that, she wants my full physical presence and my full attention. So, we tried to go down for a nap, but it was not going to happen peacefully so I took sweet Henry to my bedroom and let Evelyn play quietly with her dollhouse in her room for about ten minutes or so. Once Henry was asleep, I took Evie outside (ah, the great outdoors-- it cures even the worst mood!) to have a snack and color in the shade for a bit. Then, Evelyn and I rinsed out and refilled her water table.

The little blue water table represents probably the best thirty or so dollars we've spent in a while because it serves so many purposes-- though it's a means of getting wet, first and foremost. Today, the table was her stage. Oh the drama! One of the characters was "missing" (penguin, walrus, and polar bear) and the others had to call out for him to return. This game can last anywhere from one to ten minutes depending on the enthusiasm of the search party, but today she really enjoyed playing and it lasted for a little while-- until Evelyn noticed that my attention had shifted from her to something inside the house for a moment. She was quite overtired and so little things like this are pretty distracting.

I realized that with Henry asleep, I had a window of time to try for a nap, so we went into her room and went through our little routine again. She fell asleep, about two and a half hours after the point where she was so tired she was whining and melting down. Oh well. I'm just happy that she is asleep!

Snapshot: A winter day at the park!

Up the steps!



Wee!



In addition to bouncing on the T Rex, Evelyn enjoyed discussing its features-- eyes, teeth, two ears (she pointed to where they would be, if this dinosaur had ears).

Mamas Galore!

I was going to write a little something about my newfound food allergies and how I am on a quest to strike all gluten, baker's yeast, (goodbye glorious whole grain bagels), eggs (eggs!), asparagus and oysters (not shedding a tear over that one) from my diet. But I don't really have too much to say as my quest has only just begun.

Instead, I'll write about my morning. Or maybe I should begin with last night? It's really all a blur at this point. Evelyn is working on her seventh tooth and she was unable to stay asleep for more than two consecutive hours. This translates to my inability to sleep. I have essentially been sleep-deprived for over a year, but last night was just unbearable. I can hardly keep my eyes open. Hopefully once this tooth comes through, we'll get back to our regular sleep routine of waking just once to nurse in the middle of the night. Needless to say though, this morning it was a bit of a challenge to get out the door, but we had plans by golly!

The maternal forces behind mothers' meetup groups were strong today. I hosted a coffee play date for the Attachment Parenting group I am involved with. I really love this group and Evie does too. We love the other Mamas and tots and we are pretty active with this group. Nevertheless, I am also somewhat involved in another Mom group (as well as a book club and a group for Moms, Dads, and kids). Well, the other Mom group was also meeting at the coffee shop and play area, as was another Mom group. It was quite the coincidence.

A few of the other ladies are in multiple groups as well. For a moment I saw flashes of high school cafeteria tables, wondering where to sit and wondering who would join which table but, hallelujah, I didn't sense a stitch of awkwardness. The more, the merrier I say! We had some great conversations and Evie enjoyed a game of "Let's Make my Exhausted Mother Run After Me as I Chase This Robin." We also played with the outdoor musical instruments at the Sensory Garden play area outside the coffee shop. All in all, the morning was a success. Now, I am just counting down the hours until my husband returns from work so that I can potentially rest my eyes (after I organize our paper work for our move and do 16, 789 loads of laundry, that is).