Flying through the Holidays

We're in the car and Laika is kindly doling out little treats to Tineke.  You can't give her the whole container or it will be dumped.  All is going well.  Then Laika starts shouting, "NO Tineke!  Bad Girl!  Bad Girl!"  I say, "Oh Laika, don't yell at her.  Just don't let her get it.  But we don't say 'Bad Girl'.  We don't call you Bad, or Leif or Tineke Bad.  You are not Bad.  Sometimes we make Bad choices, but we are never Bad.  Tineke is not a Bad Girl, she is just making a Bad choice.  OK?"

Laika listens somewhat patiently and then says.  "Ok mom.  But NONE of that is important right now.  I'm trying to solve a PROBLEM right now."

We're at a restaurant and for dessert the kids get a choice of Chocolate, Strawberry or Vanilla ice cream.  Laika chooses Vanilla.  About halfway through she decides, "Next time I will definitely be getting Chocolate."  I say, "But I thought you preferred Vanilla?"  She licks her spoon and replies, "Well.  I prefer FRENCH Vanilla.  This is just plain Vanilla.  It is not quite as tasty as the French kind.  So I will not be ordering this again."

And lastly . . . we are leaving Butchart Gardens after having seen the Twelve Days of Christmas display.  We are noticing the 12 Drummers Drumming as you exit the Garden.  Laika starts loudly whining and hyperventilating.  She is about to cry.  We don't have a clue what has instantly upset her.  "I didn't get to see THEM!  I didn't get to see THEM!"  

"What didn't you get to see Laika?"

The 11 Vipers Viping!  I didn't see the Vipers!"

Well.  We all missed those.  Maybe they'll add them in next year.

Ride a Bike in 5 Easy Steps

Today was our first day of a five day session at Pedalheads. They promise an over 90% success rate for losing the training wheels in the first week. How do they get those wheels off so fast? Well, they do everything that we do, but in a camp like setting, where EVERYONE is doing it, and the instructor says so (instead of mom) and it's all a big game!

Firstly - make sure kids can ride bike with trainers on

Secondly - force them to ride on grass (it takes some effort, but is soft)

Thirdly - tell them that the training wheels are what is slowing them down and making it hard

Fourthly - tell them to eat their snacks while you remove their training wheels

Last - push them really fast and say "Keep pedalling! You're doing it!"

All morning Leif was obsessing about not wanting to go to Bike Camp. He already knew about the possibility that they would take off his trainers, and he knew about the grass riding and was not interested in either of those. But he was the first one to ride really far all by himself, and he is in for such a treat when they finally set him loose on some firm ground! Laika took a little bit longer to get the hang of it, but by the end she could also keep going after her push.

We have four more afternoons of Bike Camp and then lookout SeaWall!

Happy Birthday Laika

When you wake up tomorrow you will be 4 years old.
This picture was taken when you were about 15 minutes old.  We were amazed that a baby so young could already be so lovely.

You still amaze us every day.  You are so brave, strong and confident.  You are spontaneous and you make us laugh.  You love your brother and baby sister.  You are smart and creative and very kind.  

We love the sound of your voice, the feel of your skin, and the colour of your eyes.  

I loved when you gave me an envelope that was full of love. 

 

You are our precious Laika and we hope you have a wonderful birthday.  

Love, 

Mommy and Daddy.

What did you do at school today?

Only two days left in the school year!  Leif has had a wonderful year at Kindergarten and Laika has loved her preschool.  Even though they are only 3 and 5 they have already learned how to evade questions about school.  So, "What did you do at school today?" usually illicits a response such as, "played", "painted", "played with my friends" etc.   Then later on, when we are eating supper they might remember something and add a few details.

So, it was really fun today when Laika's preschool sent home a yearbook that included a DVD full of pictures from the school year.  I knew her teachers were very well planned and trained and that there were always plenty of fun activities going on, as they have a calendar posted online.  But to see the pictures of all of the things that they had done was really fun, and surprising.  There were beautiful dancers, many visits from the 'puppet guy' and Mark the Chef, some guy named 'Steve' makes quite a few appearances.  There were magicians, musicians and cultural days when they learned about Diwali and Hanukkah, Greece and Brazil.  But I think that my favourite group of pictures shows the kids playing with exotic little creatures, toads, snakes hedgehogs, millipedes, some strange alien bug and of course a rosy legged tarantula.  

This photo was a big surprise to me.  "Laika!  You didn't tell me about this day!"

"Oh yeah.  Steve brought in some animals."  

Man, Leif really missed out at Crazy Lady Montessori school.

Addendum

 . . . and Laika is not frightened of anything anymore.  She is thrightened.

It's Not Free!

One day in April Grandma and Laika sat in the chair for about half an hour and Laika was shown how to stick her tongue between her teeth and say, "THree"  instead of "Free" when describing her age.  She loved her newfound ability to say 'three' and uses it as often as possible.  When we meet people in an elevator she tells them how old she is, when we see objects in the world she counts them loudly and passes 3 with pleasure and ease.  However, she also says this, "One, Two, THREE, Four, THIVE . . . "

and when you describe something as being 'Free' you are corrected.

Because it is pronounced "THree".

Now here is a little Laika (not yet 2) standing in a box that is 3 feet tall.

Spring in the City

At last Spring has arrived! The past few days have been beautiful. 

To get into the whole 'spring cleaning' mood Laika was using some handsoap and her toothbrush to clean some toys. To her credit she did this all on her own, without my knowledge. So when it came time to brush her teeth I had no idea that we had some soapy contamination going on. When she complained of the toothpaste being too spicy and hurting her throat I was confused. When she started crying and big bubbles started coming out of her mouth and the bubbles smelled a little like 'French Linen' I knew we were dealing with something a little out of the ordinary. So of course I made her hold still while I took a picture.
Here are Leif and Erik at Queen Elizabeth Park. It was so bright and beautiful. You can see the whole city. This is the park beside the building where Laika takes gymnastics. I think we'll be picnicing here for the rest of the year!
Tineke has learned that sand is a lot of fun, and has yet to eat some!
I love Vancouver in the spring. The cherry blossoms are the best, but these rhododendrons are so huge and bright that they can't be overlooked.
At the top of Queen Elizabeth Park there is a beautiful pond and fountain with benches all around. Beyond that you can see the dome. That is the Bloedel Conservatory. It is filled with tropical plants and birds and the smell of rainforest flowers.
One of our favourite Sunday afternoon destinations is Jericho beach. You can watch people learning to sail and collect shells. Often police officers drive by on little dune buggies and wave at you.
This photo of Erik and Tineke commemorates last Sunday, when she sat in a swing for the first time. She loved it! She laughed every time she started swinging forward. Auntie C commented that Tin looks like TinTin in this picture. I agree! We just need to get a little mousse in the front.
And lastly, here are Leif and Laika at Jericho hill park. They are in their PJs waiting for swimming lessons to begin. How fun it is to run in the grass in your pajamas, seeing how long your shadow has become. Soon it will be this bright after swimming lessons as well.

6 Months!

Tineke turned HalfaYear old yesterday.  Her development for the day was to start saying, "A Dadada, A Dadada"  over and over again.  This makes everyone so excited.  But don't get too excited in her face or she might start crying.  There is a stage in her crying where she starts blowing raspberries.  So at 6 months she's learning to say the same thing over and over again.  She also sits in her highchair and eats food with the family now.  She keeps her chubby little arms out like she's flying and peeks over either side of the highchair to see if someone is going to play peekaboo with her.

And Leif is learning a lot at school.  In his 'Ecriture' book he has drawn a house and labelled it 'mizo' (maison) and a castle is 'chatoe' and a bird is oiseau!  He has also learned that if you call mommy 'lame' everyone starts laughing, and then tells you not to let it happen again.

Laika has recently learned that if you pull an entire roll of toilet paper into the bath with you the water becomes full of 1000 swimming ghosties.

Slow Down!

Today Laika and Leif were talking. Laika said, "Actually twins are two girls who are the same. They are from the same project. Right?"

Spring Break is starting today. It reminds me that last Spring Break is when we toilet trained Laika. (and the Spring Break before was Leif's turn). It all seems so long ago. I found this video message to Erik. It's from when Laika was 2 and a half. She was not toilet trained, but was on the way.

I'm pretty tough, but I did tear up when I watched this. Every time I watch it I tear up!

Trip To The Allergist

First you wait for the doctor to come.  He asks you about excema (no), hay fever (no) persistent runny nose (no) and asthma (no).  Then he pricks your arm with allergens.  It doesn't hurt.

Then there's a bit of waiting patiently, seeing if anything happens.

. . .  but it doesn't.  You look at the arm again and . . . no allergies!

Valentine's Parties

We are party animals.  A few nights ago we had my former professor over for dinner.  We had a lovely time and he was fabulous with the kids.  Within 5 minutes of his entrance Leif was trying to climb on him and Laika licked his sweater.  He told them stories about scorpions and elephants and pirates and had Leif singing "Yo Ho Ho and a bottle of rum".  Laika asked him if he had a girlfriend.  Then she pulled out her Godzilla suit and the party was on!   After supper Leif laid down on the couch with his head on said guests lap for a long cuddle as we attempted an adult discussion.  It was a great visit, and he left with some new art to put up on his fridge.  As I put her in bed later that night Laika asked if we could go to his next birthday party.  I said we probably could.  She wants to get him some 'little kids' for a present, since he doesn't have any grandkids yet.  I told her that we couldn't give him kids.  "Oh, well then I'll just get him an iPhone."

Today Laika hosted a little Tea Party with another little princess.  They ate jello and cupcakes and those weird wafer cookies and drank peppermint tea filled with sugar and cream.  This party was in response to the fact that Leif was going to a birthday party today, and it breaks Laika's heart that he is now invited to parties that she isn't.  A Valentine's Day Tea Party was the perfect distraction for her and gave us a reason to eat pink cupcakes and drink red wine.  As Erik went out to pick up some things he asked me, "Should I get a bottle  . . ." and before he could finish Leif called out "Of rum!"

(above is an old-timey pic of Laika as a babe)

Sunshine

Yippee!  It was Friday (or Friderday - whichever you prefer).  Leif went skating for the first time with school.  He held tightly to his cone (or pine cone - you choose) and very s l o w l y worked his way from one side of the rink to the other.  The most glamorous mom was also on the ice, and she took him for a little spin.  She is glamorous and kind both!  Leif said he loved it.   Laika was cold and didn't love watching all the skating, but it was highly amusing for those of us on the sidelines.  The best moment was when they opened the gate to let all 60 kindergarten kids on the ice.  The kids tried to flood through, but as each one hit the ice he or she wiped out, and then the next kid would wipe out and one would get back on her feet, and then down again.  The ten or so strong skaters pushed their way through and started showing their stuff.  The floundering horde were helped out by a bunch of big orange pylons.  

We went to Science World in the afternoon and checked out the Lego exhibit for the second time.  We were then inspired to buy more Lego - remember, members get a discount (this is how I justified it).  We got a box of 'girl Lego' for Laika.  It was completely worth it.  Now she is actually motivated to build when she can make a pink car with two little girls in it, or a white bunny with a flower on it's head.  We are getting quite the collection which is fine by me, because Lego is Awesome.

Our life is so busy with swimming and nightmares and school and grocery shopping and Legotime and gymnastics and cooking and cleaning and driving and playgrounds.  I am necessary in each endeavour, and Tineke is by my side through it all.  She is my little smiling, toe-sucking mascot.  There are 3 hours a week when it is just the two of us all alone while both kids are at school and she's often asleep.  The rest of the time we share the sidelines watching our big kids play.  Now she is at the point where she will watch the kids in the pool, gym or park.  They are so proud of their happy baby sister.  I learned that Laika knows how to sing "You Are My Sunshine", so we've been singing it to Tin all day.  We like to get very dramatic during the sad part.  As we sing, Tineke lays on the floor holding her toes in her tiny fingers and laughs at us.  She knows she is our Sunshine. 

Let's Have A Joint

The Scene: early Sunday morning, in our bed, Tineke in the middle, Laika on me and Leif climbing in . . . 

LO: Not Good Morning.  

LO: I said, "Not Good Morning."

ERT: Why not?

LO: I didn't even sleep last night.  I had too much cough.

AJN: That's too bad.  Climb in.

(Leif climbs in between us)

LO: Let's have a joint.  I have a joint.

AJN: What!?

LO: I am the joint and Tineke is the gear and Laika is a gear too.

AJN and ERT:  Oh.

The Scene:  Laika on the couch cuddling with Erik, but now he's talking to me and she's getting bored, and is trying to extricate herself from behind his legs.  He's not making it easy for her.

LJ: Oh man.  I gotta get out of this situation. 

(the best part is, she says it sort of under her breath - to herself)

The Scene: Sitting at the kitchen table eating Apple Cinnamon Cheerios.

LO: Mom.  What's your favourite thing in the world?

Me: You.  You and your sisters and dad.

LO: No, not your favourite people.  Your favourite thing.

Me: Snorkelling.

LO: No.  I mean.  What is your favourite thing!?  

Me: Umm.  Hmmmm . . .

LO: Come on! A rocket or a horse?

The Scene: Driving Laika and Tineke home from preschool.  Laika trying to talk to me from the backseat.

LJ: Mommy.  Did you bleepep auguuus a beee sooool?

Me:  Laika, I can't hear you.  Talk more loudly.

LJ:  Mommy.  Did you knoow that weee bleeeoooopp and a soooool and uuuuugg?

Me:  Laika, wait until we get home.  I really can't hear your question.

LJ:  MOMMY!  I SAID, "Did you know that Angela and Nargis don't actually sleep at Tiggy Winkle Preschool!"

Bedtime Interview

I'm putting kids to bed, so I'm going to interview them before they fall asleep.

Favourite Mythical Beast

Laika - Twinkle Monster

Leif - El Chupacabra

Favourite Song

Laika -  Tortuga (Pirates of the Caribbean soundtrack)

Leif - Popcorn (by Hot Butter)

Favourite Things to Dream About

Laika - Fairies flying around me

Leif - Clubhouse with robots in it

Favourite Teddy Bears

Laika - Rocky Raccoon, Baby Maxine, Saul the Bear, Posey the Dog

Leif - Trevor the Bear, Dixie the Dog, Tim Johnson the Dog

Favourite Movie

Laika - Happy Feet, Bee Movie

Leif - The Incredibles, Night at the Museum (he saw a bit on TV)

Favourite Place to Go

Laika - swimming lessons

Leif - Science World

Favourite Foods

Laika - apples (and my invisible pet dog likes raspberries)

Leif - bananas

Scariest Thing

Laika - a monster

Leif - a dragon

What do you like to Draw?

Laika - Agent Superthin

Leif - my favourite thing to draw is robots

OK, and now Erik is here to take over!

We'll do this again someday.

An Average Day

This may not be that exciting to read, but for future reference - Here's a little rundown of the average day.

Laika is always the first one up, at about 7:45.  She comes into our room, crawls in beside me and lays down for a few minutes.  When I start worrying about her falling off, I take her out to the living room and turn on Curious George.  Then I get Leif up.  The two of them watch CG while I empty the dishwasher and put away any old dishes or clothes that got stripped off in the living room the night before.  I also prepare breakfast at this time, and they will eat it when CG is over.

Usually Tineke is still asleep and in bed with Erik.  I prod him a few times before he gets into the shower leaving Tineke all tiny in the centre of the bed.  Her little fists straight out.

Eventually we all get washed and dressed.  Erik gets hugs and kisses and then the kids give him an 'arrow' (they stand in the hall and pretend to be traffic signs pointing to the elevator) and we say goodbye.

I make a pointed effort to remain calm as I try to get the kids out the door.  They try to get ready without standing up.

Today we took Laika to gymnastics.  We watch her do her thing and then we eat a packed lunch together on a mini picnic table in the viewing area.  

We take Leif to school and play outside for a few minutes while we wait for the teacher.

Today Laika skipped preschool so that she could come to the doctor with Tineke.  Tineke was measured and weighed and jabbed today (two shots).  Laika held her little head and kissed it while she was getting her shots.  She was really excellent.  I was so proud of her.  Afterward she told me that she didn't like seeing the needle, but that she wanted to help her sister.  She also said that when Tineke cried it made her lungs sad, and she placed her little hands on her chest when saying this.

After school we pick Leif up from Ben's house and come home.  If Tineke is asleep I will start supper (even if it's only 4 - which it was today).  I find it almost impossible to make supper when all 3 kids are awake.  I like to have them playing with toys or doing art or schoolwork while I cook, and these things take help, so it makes it easier if Tineke is asleep.

We eat supper either before or after Daddy gets home.  Then more playing, and a bath, or sometimes a movie.  Tonight they just played and played so well that I decided I'd give them a bath in the morning.  Often Erik puts L and L to bed (and falls asleep on the floor) while I take care of Tineke.  Tonight however he had a script to read, so I held Tineke and sat on their floor singing lullabies until all 3 fell asleep.  It was a lovely ending to a lovely day.

Falling in Love

Laika is concerned that she is not allowed to marry Leif.  She has been talking about it all day.  "Who will I fall in love with?"  I tell her I don't know, and she doesn't need to worry about it yet.  "But I already love Leif, I want to marry Leif."  Then she tried it out on other things.  "I think I'm falling in love with my new goggles.  Can you fall in love with goggles?"  I said that you couldn't really.  But her goggles do smell like cherries and come with a cherry carrying case, so I can see why she might be wondering.

First Swimming Lesson Ever

Today Leif and Laika started their swimming lessons.  They are so lucky to be in the same class of only 4 kids (all classes have only 4 students).  Lessons start at 11:30, but were a few minutes late as one of the babies in the baby class had pooped in the pool.  So they had all sort of vacuums and skimmers out and were changing the filter etc.  Very educational for our first day.

Before they went in we bought goggles.  These were a big hit.  They make them feel invinsible.

So, the instructional objective in the Starfish level is to get them used to water.  This means making them get their heads under the water . . . lots and lots of times.  The instructor was wonderful, she kept everything moving so fast and kept them so happy that they didn't have time to dwell on the fact that she kept tricking them.  Her number one tactic is to give them a rubber toy of some sort, then they put it on her head or shoulder, and then she stands a few feet back and they have to jump to her to get it back.  The trick is that she always steps back, so they flop into the water and then she picks them out and gives them the toy and they keep on going.  In 25 minutes both children had been fully immersed more than they have been in their lives so far!   They have these things called 'magic islands' which are big metal stools with bars on them that 4 kids can sit on.  They push these islands into the deep part of the water, so that the instructor can be working in deepish water and the kids have this handy island to jump on and off of.  The instructor would ask the kids to give her 5 and then when they slap her hand she falls right back into the water.  This is hilarious to them.  Getting into the water is easy as they keep the pool at bathtub temperature.

Both kids were chatting nonstop when they got out of the pool.  Their adrenaline was pumping, "I was the deepest kid!  I went soooo deep!  I could see underwater.  Did you see me go underwater?  Did you see us sitting on the island?  Next time I'm going to go under and try looking around.  When do we go back?"

Phew.

Godzilla!

Oops.

I said that something (I can't remember what) looked like Godzilla.  Then Leif said, "No mommy, Godzilla is a gorilla."  Then I said, "No, it's like a giant lizard."  Erik backed me up, and then offered to prove it by showing Leif some old Godzilla movie clips on YouTube.  You can guess how this might turn out.

Leif and Erik enjoyed the clips.  Laika did not.

Erik stopped the clip as soon as he sensed her tension, but the damage had been done.  She is now afraid of the giant fire-spewing lizard, and I'm just waiting for her to run to our bed in the night.  

We spent all evening talking about how Godzilla is actually a nice man named Jeff, who lives in Japan (but I thought that 'Jeff' sounded really non-threatening), has two kids and now works in a hot dog stand.  He doesn't even have that Godzilla costume anymore!  The buildings were made out of cardboard!  Then Leif sat down with a piece of paper and a felt.  He drew a picture of a tall building and a small man.  He said, "OK Laika, so this is how buildings REALLY are. But this is how they made the man in the Godzilla suit look big. . . " then he turned the paper over and drew a big man and a tiny building.  He said, "This building is made out of cardboard." Laika said, "I get it Leif!  I didn't know they were made out of cardboard."  So, she GETS that Godzilla isn't real, and really believes it, but is still worried that he might catch a plane to 'our village'.  This is part of being 3.

At least this fear is a little more understandable than Leif's big fear: 

the scary letters on the Curse of the Were-Rabbit poster.

No Drips

We knew a long time ago that having Tineke would be the hardest on Laika.  She has always been so possessive and so attached to me.  She is also very spirited and stubborn and affectionate.  When Tineke was born so was a middle child.  We are doing everything we can to give Laika all of the attention she has been used to.  We try to give her a lot of special time, but the necessary time given to Tineke and the attention that Leif gets going to school are keenly observed by Laika, and she does everything she can to compete for attention.  She does so by making us laugh with her wild bum shaking dances, her super expressive storytelling, or by surprising everyone by running into a room wearing nothing but a smile.  She has learned that she can make me feel really bad after she spills something or drops something and then says, "I'm sorry Mommy, I didn't mean to.  I'm sorry."

Sometimes she comes right out and tells me to put my nipple away and give her a hug.  Other times when she feels neglected she is more pitiful and makes herself into a little snail shape on the floor until someone picks her up for a cuddle or uses her body as a bongo drum.

One day she was overwhelmed by the emotional rollercoaster of her life and was crying.  She wanted to rejoin the fun of whatever it was we were doing and pressed her palms against her eyes saying to herself, "No drips.  No drips."  Her way of saying to herself, "Pull yourself together woman."  It was funny and sad at the same time.   

So there are some tragic moments, but for the vast majority of each day she is still the most vivacious and brilliant girl.  She is very loving with both Leif and Tineke.  She runs to get a cloth to wipe Tineke's chin, she puts her soother in her gently in T's mouth and is even trustworthy enough to help with a bottle without pushing down her little sister's throat.   This example of being able to embrace her challenges (while not ignoring them) gives me a glimpse into what a strong person she is going to be.  I just hope that in the future she'll forego the clothes-dropping and skip straight to the storytelling.

2 Month Old Kids!

Here are close ups of each baby at 2 months old, in chronological order.

When I'm interacting with Tineke she feels very familiar.  And when she's sleeping or nursing it's a trip down memory lane.