Hey everyone, we're about a week away from our big move (3rd one in 2 years, ouch), so we have a ton to do, and yet there are really slow periods too, when we feel like all we can do is wait. It's a weird feeling. Minnow is taking the move really hard; she's old enough to be cognizant that she's leaving her friends and home, and even the knowledge that she'll be with us, the cats, and grandparents in LC, doesn't assuage her fears. She has had a hard time seeing everything in our apartment gradually dismantled and disassembled, and she frequently brings up the move and how hard it will be. She's very sad about leaving her best friends, Lula and Jilly. Every time we say goodbye to someone, she gets stressed out, worrying it will be the last time, because she knows the move is impending, but she doesn't really grasp when. ("Not for a few more months/weeks/days" isn't particularly helpful to a preschooler). We dis actually say our final goodbyes at playgroup on Friday, which was as hard as I had feared it would be! We try to keep it positive, though! (We've made a lot of promises about various vehicles we will get for her after we're settled). Minnow does occasionally mention positive things about the move, such as, "In LC, we can do...(insert fun thing here)." So it's not a lost cause-- she's excited but nervous--understandable, since I think that's how we all feel.
It's a time of major changes for her anyway--getting used to having a little sister and sharing Mama and Papa, going through a growth spurt, knowing the move is coming up, and starting a morning daycare (only one morning a week, but still a hard adjustment). The fact that it's a French immersion program probably didn't help. So we've been dealing with a lot of meltdowns and sadness lately. She went through a really rough couple of months where she would wake up screeeeeeaming 8-10 times a night, and upon waking in the morning, but that has gotten a lot better recently. We realized making the room darker so the morning sun wouldn't wake her prematurely has helped a lot.
Personality-wise, we're realizing she's very shy and sensitive, which makes all the transitions even harder for her. She's not a total wallflower--she's a total show-stealer at home, and while she likes to hang out by herself sometimes, she will mingle other times,. She definitely doesn't just follow the group, though; she marches to the beat of her own drum! :) We have also noticed that she totally blossomed once spring came--she thrives on being outside, and she plays so much better at the parks than she does in an indoor environment, like playgroup or daycare. She prefers roughhousing and chasing other kids to sharing toys and playing inside, which creates some difficulties with playing nicely with other kids. She has recently declared that she doesn't like parties or birthdays. She even seemed overwhelmed by her own small birthday party--had to go take a nap in the middle. The end-of-term party at her daycare was way overwhelming for her, and she was really upset that she was expected to get up in the front of the room and dance/sing.
I don't mean to suggest that her sensitivity is a negative thing, though. She has a really tender heart, and is extremely loving and caring as a result. She will hug trees and put branches and leaves at the base as a gift to the Lorax. Just today she fell in love with a birch tree, or a painted tree, as she called it. She started a garden, and she has the greenest thumb ever! She is so attentive with her plants, and she is very proud of them. Right now she's growing carrots, parsely, chives, sprouts, and whatever weeds are along for the ride. Oh yes, and she adores dandelions. She gives them out as gifts to people she loves. She is also so very sweet with Storey, and takes her role of big sister seriously (although it's hard to get through to her that Storey isn't ready for roughhousing yet--that's Minnow's way of showing her affection, and it is hard for her to refrain!
Other quirks: she's super into the color black, and she wants everything she owns to be black. Everything. One of her best friends (aside from Jilly and Lula) is the moon. She spots the moon whenever we're out and about, and dreams of the moon. Several times she has told me about dreams where she flies to the sky to hold the moon, and the moon flying back with her through her window. I made her her own stuffed moon so she'll always be close to it. :) After reading the book Zen Ties at playgroup (we recommend it!) about a philosophical panda named Stillwater, she got into doing tai chi, and she will stop whatever she's doing to bust a tai chi move. Magic is another interest of hers, and she has a pretty rad magic show she does, where she makes a rabbit appear and disappear from a bowl. She also loves toy cars and monster trucks, and she came up with some inventive names for her cars: Tiny Box Carnage (lol), Schweeny Schwiney, Oxen Oxen, Boxen, Anxen, etc. Ian has been trying to read her The Hobbit, and she actually made it a couple chapters in, but is generally bored by it so far. But she did come up with a list of dwarf names that are similar to her car names :p When I read to her, she makes me change all the characters' names to "Poop." (Because poop is hilarious to 3-year-olds and also everyone :P). Papa has been more successful at instilling a love of video games in her--she loves Yoshi's Island so far :)
She's also an amazing artist--I've included a picture below that she drew of Mama pulling her in a red wagon. She still likes drawing the Mole Sisters, and now she likes drawing pictures of herself hanging out with the Moon, and pictures of people holding balloons.
Minnow enjoys making jokes too: When she was watering her plants and Grand-Dad asked her if she wanted sparkling or still water, her response was, "still....I still want more water." Encouraged by the ensuing laughter, she now says, "I still want more water" frequently. One time, I was making her a pizza and asked if she wanted me to use a grater for the cheese. Her response: "I think it would be greater if I just did it myself." :3
We've been trying to make the most of our limited time in Montreal, so we've gone to the Old Port to ride trains, which she's really into (When watching some street musicians there, instead of putting money in their open guitar case like they wanted, Minnow adorably marched right up to them and put the coins on the drummer's drum, much to the crowd's delight), St-Joseph's Oratory (halfway up the garden walk, Minnow had to pee, of course :p) family fests, street fairs, music class (both girls were all about music class!) and uhhh.....Storey is crying, so I'm drawing a blank. Lots of parks and swimming? I've got lots more planned for LC! Since Ian doesn't start work (officially) until August 18, his parental leave is effectively extended through July, whooo!
Speaking of Storey, she is a total beast. ;p She looooooooooooves food, any and every type! At 4 months old exactly, she face-planted into a piece of thyme bread I was eating--I was worried she would be disgusted at the overwhelming herbiness, but no! She lapped it up, and hasn't stopped eating table food since. So we're having fun with foods for her, since she's totally opposite of how Minnow was/is, in that regard. Since she'll eat anything, I'm making sure to get in as many healthy foods as I can now, so she'll have a taste for them. So she's also gigantic, and STRONG! :P This, combined with the fact that she is constantly on the go and wants to be moving all the time, makes holding her like constant gator rasslin', it's exhausting!
Fortunately, she started getting around by herself! She learned to sit by herself at 4 months, and she started to crawl on the full moon, Friday the 13th of June, at 6.5 months. It means having to make sure the floor is always clear (a tough order when you're trying to move), but I couldn't be happier! Her having the freedom of mobility means I have less gator rasslin' to contend with; she's happy too, because she doesn't have to depend on her tired parents to keep up with her constant movement :p She has also started playing peekaboo, and she can say "Mama" and "Papa" (she also says "Obama, but not clear what her opinion of him is :P). And she's already pulling herself up and walking along while holding furniture. I'm allowed to be braggy and say she's advanced, just like big sis. :D I have to say, too, that Ian and I have gotten better at elimination communication this time around--we cath all of her poop and most of her pee in her potty. Thank goodness, because the amount of laundry we have is already ridic!
Other things about Storey: she is a giant ball of love; of course she cries sometimes, but overall she is just a happy, totally zen baby--just pure love and sunshine. Everyone who sees her is totally smitten. I think she has given several playgroup parents baby fever! :p She's always smiling her quirky, goofy grin at everyone, cooing, and cracking up at Big Sister Minnow (She adores her big sister; she'll follow her with her eyes, try to imitate her, and just beam at anything Minnow does. She loves to laugh at Minnow's antics, and she's a knee-slapper when she laughs; Minnow knows this and hams it up).
Storey is also really into music; I smuggled her into Minnow's music classes, and she was like the mascot of the class. She would just boogie down to all the music, and had the biggest grin throughout every class. When I first brought her into the class, I had planned on having to leave if she started to cry, but she never once did, throughout 8 weeks of the class. Now whenever I sing her the songs from the class, she snaps to attention and flashes me the biggest smile! She also plays the keyboard, and will head-bang and sing along to the music she's making, or to the beat that's playing. I randomly discovered that her favorite song is "Two of Us" by the Beatles. Sweet yet mischievous and free-spirited--an apt choice for Storey and Minnow :)
We also started letting Storey "swim" when we take Minnow to the pool, and she is totally a fan of it! No big surprise, since she was born in the water ;) Minnow is awesome at swimming, too--she can swim by herself, provided she has a noodle or life jacket, and she doesn't mind her face getting underwater. She's getting really good at kicking her legs!
So, to wrap this up: we are the luckiest! We have the most adorable, awesome kids, and I can't wait to settle in LC and start making memories there, closer to all our family!
Some videos: Storey playing peekaboo, Storey jamming out with her keyboard, and The Great Minnow's Magic Show!
"The red wagon"
Swings and sisters:
She asked us to take her picture with this tree en route to the pool:
A tea party with Tigger
Posing at Metro Champ de Mars, after riding trains at the Old Port:
Daycare/playschool!
As evidenced by the goopy mess on her shirt, Storey had a blast at the buffet table at Big Sister's end-of-daycare party!
Magic show!
Glam-rock legend Storey Evelyn (first time painting):
For you!
With Jilly:
An oldie: the snow fest :) Can't say I'll miss this too much :p
Another oldie: Hugging new baby Storey
Exploring the barn at Quinn Farms for Easter Egg hunting
Sitting with the Lorax on a tree stump:
Storey learned to sit very early. But she still hasn't learned to not eat the sand!
Sisters.
Very proud of making an octopus out of a kickball, socks, and blocks:
She managed to get a black hat at Lula's birthday party, whooo! :)
"Yeah I eat sand. You jealous?"
Minnow and Papa at St-Joseph's Oratory:
Doing tai chi:
This is apparently a tai chi move ;)
