Monday, May 8, 2017

15/52 & 16/52 & 17/52 & 18/52.

Time cascading! I am always so disappointed in myself when I don't keep this log current. Late last week I finally set aside time to cull through photos since my last post and I can see such clear physical changes in the girls. Describing exactly how they have grown, on the other hand, is considerably more difficult. And naturally, recalling specifics becomes more difficult with every passing minute ... of which there have been many, many, many since my last entry. And so ...

I'll start with Genevieve. A flurry of words accompanies her wherever she goes. About a month ago, she and I were sitting at the kitchen table and she was wholly occupied with her yogurt breakfast. Until she broke the silence, declaring, "Mac eats my toes!" It was her first complete sentence. (A little context: My father, whom the girls have dubbed 'Mac' makes quite a scene nibbling on the girls' bare feet whenever he sees them.) Her words were proof there is so much more going on in that little mind of hers than I give her credit for. Like, the other day when the skies were pouring sheets of rain, without a prompt she found and put on her goulashes. It shouldn't, but it so impressed me. Also, she refuses to be misunderstood. I love this little thing she does: While she's generally a patient person who is happy to sit on my hip as I tidy the house and such (my back is paying for this move as of late), if she has something to say and I'm not giving her the attention she needs to say it, she grabs my chin, directs my face to face hers, and then tells me what she needs. It's really funny. There's still some baby yet in her, though. We are no longer nursing, but she still loves a good long snuggle, loves to give big hugs, loves to be loved. She still has her chicken run, as we call it, and that delicious protruding toddler tummy that is so fun to kiss. She's in a really good place, lately. This age and phase she's in may be my very favorite.

And then I also have my Cecile. That one is a strong personality. Or continues to be a strong personality. (Pantsuit nation!) Oh my goodness, and her mind is a steel trap. There has been more than one instance lately that she recalls details about things that I either thought she wasn't paying attention to (i.e. adult conversation) or that happened so long ago I barely remember all the details. And she has been reading! Really! She'll pick up the newspaper and piece together sentences, or strings of words. I am so impressed. She has also been pushing boundaries, spinning some mighty tall tales lately. One that made me laugh: A friend of hers from school is one of four children and she gets school lunch. Cecile asked me if she, too, could start getting school lunch and I absent-mindedly told her when we have four children in our house she could. (Please note we have zero plans to have four children in our household.) A week or so later her teacher cautiously offered her congratulations on our growing family. I set that record straight so fast. So, so fast. And girlfriend has also gotten tall. Suddenly I look at her and she's just so long. Like, there is true length to her neck, and her shorts and skirts are suddenly mini. None of her shoes fit. There is not a bit of baby left in her.

The girls play together better and better. There are conflicts, sure. And poor Genevieve gets hurt--by a sister in a non-sharing mood, or when she is trying to be bigger than she truly is--more often than I'd like. But she rolls with it. Cecile is a great teacher. She loves to instruct, and when she's in the right mindset, is one of the most patient people. Both of them love ballet, which I love, though I am trying not to encourage it too much or get too excited. Both love reading--I really lucked out there. Legos and building toys are a big hit, lately. Even when it's soggy, the kids want to be on the new swing, or digging in the garden. We are less afraid of getting dirty. 

So it's good. We're good. And there have been a lot of things lately that I won't get into in this forum that have further highlighted just how good we have it, how lucky we are, and how fleeting this all is. Even though, yes of course, there are challenges. There are stresses. But yeah, it's pretty damned awesome and I am trying to live it and absorb it so that when it's gone, as it someday will be, the memory will be there and it will be nourishing.
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