Micah has begun drawing.
He used to color. As in marks on a paper. I would ask, “Sooo what is this?”
And he would say, “Oh, that’s brown.”
“Okay,” I would reply, recognizing that it was in fact quite obviously–brown. “And what’s this?”
“It’s purrrrple and greeeeeen. . .”
At that point I would quit asking.
Now he is actually drawing, and this week he drew our family: Dad, Mom, Mara and Micah.
Mara remarked, “Oh, we all look like Wazowski [Monsters Inc]!”
Love it!!!
Mara has become a prolific artist, and her “art” often reflects our day-to-day life. Sometimes I think I should blog one of her drawings every day.
Mara and Micah are best of friends, and this series reflects that. These days Mara draws herself with red hair and Micah with blond curly hair. 🙂
The pictures are of Mara and Micah; Mara and Micah swimming; Mara and Micah hugging. 🙂
Not to be outdone by Carissa, who is learning her letters and sounds, Mara decided to make her own alphabet chart this morning, where. . .
A = Apple
B = Ball
C = Cow
D = Daisy
E = Egg
F = Fish
G = Gumball
H = Horn
I = Igloo
J = Jet
K = Koala
L = Lollipop
M = Monkey
N = Nest
O =Octopus
P =Pop
Q = Quilt (on a bed)
R =Rain
S = Snake
T =Taxi
U =Umbrella
V =Volcano
W = (a little girl) Walking
X = X-ray (because “a pipe inside the little girl was broken, because you have pipes all inside you”)
Y= Yarn
Z= Zig-zag
Unexpectedly I have the opportunity for Carissa to participate in the Beasts class at The Little Gym! I was so excited about this because Carissa–my number three–is the one that can seem lost in the shuffle.
I always feel that, although she’s clothed, changed, fed, put down for naps and she participates with the older kids in a lot of activity, she doesn’t get the opportunity for reading books with mommy and one-on-one play that the older two had and her “baby stage” was cut short by my bedrest and the arrival of little David. I know that ultimately, she will be fine, but it helps to have something really exciting built into our week that is just for “mommy and me.”
The Beasts class (for 19-mo-olds – 2-1/2 year-olds) is just perfect for her! She is my daredevil child. The one laughing hysterically when you throw her up to the ceiling, one who wants to dance “again! again!”, the one free-falling from the arm of the couch into the seat, the one setting stools on top of the couch in order to reach things up high, and jumping off the ottoman. . . The one I worry about in parking lots and even on our hardwood staircase! . . .The one who wants to dance “again! again!”
My mother-in-law offers to watch two children one morning a week–partly to spend time with the grandchildren and partly as a service to me: an opportunity for me to go grocery shopping or do another activity with 1/2 the children. 🙂 Very gracious of her! We all benefit from this–the kids love spending time with her, and believe it or not, the ones that come with me, enjoy spending time with me too! So while Carissa is in the Beasts class, Grandmom will be watching the other three.
We had a great first class. Initially she was leery going into this room with a bunch of strangers. She didn’t want to jump on the humongous “air mattress” type thing, but I knew it would take a little time to warm up. Once she started to understand that this was fun–and Mom wasn’t going anywhere, she loved it!
She is at the “repetitive” stage developmentally. So she would find an activity she liked and keep repeating it over and over and over. There is one event where you are supposed to bounce in place and spring onto some blocks, then jump from block to block. . . she did that one over and over and OVER!! She also loved the balls and “follow the bubbles.”
I tried to snap a few photos, but she was so excited and so happy that all the pictures are blurry. Here they are anyway (I know these are terrible quality to post on a blog, but for family and friends who want to see them anyway. . .) You can tell she was having a great time!
When it’s time to go, everyone gets “stamps” on their hands and feet, and Carissa got her stamps and then tried to run back into the gym. 🙂 Sooo cute! I could tell she loved it.
On the way home, she kept holding out her hands, saying, “Demp! Demp! [stamp, stamp!]” and when I asked her what we did there that she liked, she said, “Jump! Jump!”
That’s my little Beastie!!
With several little ones, it seems like if I’m not up nursing the baby, someone else is up with a bad dream, or a diaper, or coming down with a cold, or needing a drink of water. . .
Every night I get up at some point with Carissa to change her diaper. Or if I haven’t gone to bed by 12 or 1, I just change her on the way to bed. (That is another story, but if I don’t change her in the middle of the night, I will have to change her bedding in the morning. When I forget, I pay for it!)
One night last week, it was Mara calling for me.
“Mommy,” she began, verrrry slowly. “I just . . . had a dream. And it was . . . not-so-good.”
“What was it about?”
Tonight I was in the living room around midnight, and Micah staggered down the top three stairs and peered earnestly down at me.
Instantly a smile of relief spread over his face, and he leaned his head back. “Everything’s okay!” he exclaimed.
“Did you think something wasn’t okay?. . .” and when there was no reply, I hugged him and asked, “Was it a bad dream?”
He sighed a smirk, and sheepishly said, “Yeah.”
There will be a time in just a few short years that I won’t be rocking him any more. And there was a time just a few months ago on bedrest when I couldn’t carry him to his bed.
So I carried him back up to his room and rocked him for a few minutes. . . just because I can.
“Are you gonna be okay now, buddy?” I asked.
His eyes were closed again, thumb in his mouth: “Mm-mm.” Everything’s okay.