Ok, that’s enough cranky already. Yes, The Big Move is daunting. Yes, spring time has brought mass chaos. Yes, my patience has been tried beyond its usual limits. But let’s be realistic. We’ve made so much progress that really, amidst all the chaos, there is still so much joy.
I don’t even remember the last time I shared a family update. As this outlet is generally meant to be that – a place for updates – I’ve certainly dropped the ball. So here you have it:
John and I are making our way, slowly but surely, to the end of another school year. We both took on leadership roles in our buildings this year and while challenging and new and definitely an adjustment for me, the year has been revitalizing. And we had a really great time together at a family wedding recently!
However, we are rather boring.
The children though… oh, the children. They are, as I tell anyone who asks, wild and crazy.
Seemingly overnight, Ellie went from scribbling haphazardly all over coloring books to this:
Mike Wazowski from Monster’s Inc, drawn from memory
Our family (there was “no room” for Daddy)
A tree (clearly, I hope)
I hear that those are pretty good for a three-and-a-half year old (though she is now getting much closer to FOUR than I care to admit). We have some artists in our family (especially my mother in law) so I’m sure that she could have some artistic talent. I’m not sending these off to the Louvre quite yet, but hey, if the kid can draw, that’d be pretty cool.
Ellie was also in the wedding that I mentioned above. She was the sweetest cutest little flower girl. Did she fall asleep in the salon chair? Yes, she did. Did she cry going down the aisle? Yes, she did. But did she look lovely during the whole shebang? Yes, quite lovely.
Tessa, while still very much a baby in a lot of ways, has catapulted herself toward toddlerhood.
We recently had some tests done on her eyesight and hearing, both of which have come back without concern. While her SLP (speech therapist) was concerned that she might not be hearing everything that she should, we know that she has an ear tube that is working its way out of her ear (as they usually do after 12-18 months) and it is partially blocking some of her hearing in one ear.
Tessa loves (LOVES.) to babble. Usually, her intonation makes it sound like she is speaking in long sentences of gibberish. There is a lot of emotion in her statements. We get a good laugh out of the angry Tessa, as we are quite sure that if she had words, they would be quite unkind when she’s upset. We have been working more on signing with her. Ellie loves signing and always asks how to say various words in sign. Tessa has just a couple signs – more, eat, daddy, and play (what more do you really need??). We are working on bedtime, please, thank you, drink, potty, Mommy, Ellie (we use the sign for E, but shake it like play), shoes, and of course, NO!!!
Very often, I have moments where I think “wow, she is absolutely nothing like an 18-month-old.” And then sometimes, she does things like this…..
…. and I’m reminded how she’s not entirely different from her typical peers. That cabinet had been closed, by the way.
Tessa crawls like a champ. MAN is she fast!! One of her favorite things to do is to hold a block or other object in her hand and race across our new laminate floors. She LOVES the loud bang bang bang of her little hands as she moves. We are working on getting her to bear weight on her feet. She fights it most of the time, but today, when John was giving Ellie her bath, Tessa was so desperate to see what was happening in the tub that she pulled herself right up to her feet. SO exciting!!! We have her wearing a SPIO suit on a fairly regular basis (supposed to be every day… realistically, it’s like 2-3 days a week) to give her more body awareness and support.
What I love the most about her right now is the budding personality. So far, Tessa is a little shy, but sweet as pie. She just loves to smile and laugh. While she is usually contended to roam around the house exploring, nothing makes her happier than to have the full attention of one of us or, most especially, her sister.
Did I mention that she gives kisses now? Or that she got her first haircut? Or that she can eat real table food? And she kind of drinks from a straw?? Have I shared that we finally moved up to 12 month clothes? Or that turning the pages on books makes her squeal with delight?
We’ve been busy.
In two weeks, school will be out for the summer… ok, three if you count my extended days. I can promise more updating as we take our deep summer breath. Get excited. Summer is going to be here before we know it!
Yo soy La Lay 