a november update

Life just keeps chugging along in our house. Playschool on Tuesday and Thursday mornings, dance class Tuesday afternoon, Playgroup on Wed morning, chores Monday and Friday, and I usually work on Saturday and Sunday. Just repeat, over and over, and you have our routine.

This past Saturday, we went to the city. I was so stressed by all the people and keeping the kids under control in all the stores. My back felt like it was one big knot.

Ryan and Evelyn went to see a movie. A silly kids flick about a group of Chihuahuas (had to spell check that word!) Evelyn enjoyed it. Ryan says she waited to eat her popcorn (or "pot-croum" as she says it) until the actual movie started. She would not touch it during the lengthy previews, or when the projector broke and took 20 min to fix. I guess that is just the way it is done.

I have no pictures of Evelyn to post. She just does not co-operate with pictures most of the time. Rest assured, she is just as cute as she was the last time you saw her!

Everything Evelyn sees right now has to go on her "Christmas List". Thankfully, as soon as we say the desired object can be put on the list, she stops asking for it. We will have to make it very clear to her that she will not get everything on her list (nor should she).

I was called from Playschool on Thursday. Evelyn was not participating in anything and just wanted to lay on the floor - saying "I'm tired". I was asked to pick her up. So, I went and got her. I was expecting a sick girl who would readily come home. What I got was a fireball. Blazing hot (tempered) and upset that I broke routine and unexpectedly came to snatch her away from school when she feels fine and is not sick. How dare I! The ensuing tantrum was one of the worst I have experienced from her. Definitely in the top 5. No child who is sick could possible pull that one off. It took me about 5 -10 min to get her calm enough for me to carry up the stairs and into the car. She continued to scream the entire way home (about 20 min). Amazingly, Ethan fell asleep in the middle of her tirade! Once we got home, she calmed down enough to listen to my reason for getting her, she calmly had lunch and was very well bahaved the rest of the day.

She had good reason to be tired. Ethan had been waking up at around 4:30 am for the past many days. He would wake her up, and none of us would get back to sleep. After a few standoffs with him, we seem to have broken that behaviour. I feel human again!

She has had a fixation with sleepovers lately. She so wants her friend Juliana to come over for the night. She even had a bed for her made up on her floor for a few days. Alternately, she wants to go "Over the mountains" to have a sleepover with Auntie Dawne and McKenzie and the cats Gracie and Foxie. Have no fear Dawne, Evelyn is keeping up your campaign to have us move back home in your stead!

About 2 weeks ago, I let Evelyn watch a show called 'little miracles' that follows different kids at Toronto's Hospital for Sick Kids. She really loved it and was following the stories closely. One was a little girl who needed surgery for her kidney tumour that did not respond to chemo. They actually showed the operation. Evelyn asked some questions like "what's that!?" and "what are they doing?" These were the sorts of questions I was expecting. Then, she looked at me and asked "Do you cry at work mommy?" "Yes, sometimes" was my answer. "A lot or a little?" she replied. "Hmm, only a little. It can be pretty sad sometimes."

Since watching that episode, she has wanted to watch "The nurse show" several times. Now, when she plays dress-up, instead of being a doctor, she wants to be a nurse! She has also expressed a greater understanding of what I do when I go to work. She'll say things like "Have a good day at work, Mom. You're going to make the kids feel better." Maybe she will be a nurse. My grandmother told me I expressed a definite intention towards a nursing career at the same age.

On other fronts, Ethan has continued to do extremely well with potty training. He will do both on either the potty or toilet. As long as he's in only training pants or underwear, he'll make it without accident most of the time. Our biggest issue is keeping the pee directed into the potty - rather than the floor in front of it! If he's in a diaper only, he'll often pee in that instead. I am so impressed with him! I remember feeling like potty training was the hardest thing I had to do with Evelyn. It was hard! Ethan is kind of training himself!

Ethan's favorite phrase right now is "I'll do it" He wants to do his buttons, snaps, zippers, and anything else on his own. He is trying to dress himself, and is responsible for putting his dirty clothes in the basket, taking out the garbage, and cleaning up the toys. He is doing well with his responsibilities, not as well with the fine motor skills.

This morning he said "Band-aid teeth please Mommy?" "Are your teeth sore?" I replied. "Yes, sore teeth. Band-aid please?" It was a good idea, but some medicine is probably more effective! He has cut 3 eye teeth recently, and the 4th is coming. He is knawing on his fingers and toys a fair bit. He just has the 2 year molars left - then teething is behind us!

Ethan has really been pushing boundaries lately. He gets into everything! Some days I feel like all I do is yell at him. Every time I turn my back he is into things I never even thought he would try to get into. Splashing in the toilet - then putting his fingers in his mouth **[gag]** is one highlight - you get the idea.

On the flip side, he has started to say "I Love You" very clearly and frequently. That smooths over a lot of tense moments. He'll walk up behind me, hug my legs and say "I love you, Mommy". Aaaawww, doesen't that just melt your heart!? His other trick is to pull on my hand and say "Nuggle me mommy, Now!" as he leads me to the couch. I admit, I'm a sucker for snuggles.