Another Perspective

I'm no great photographer, but every so often I catch an interesting pose and it gets me thinking. In this one, I caught Norah in a quiet moment last Saturday morning. Was she pondering the huge pile of leaves in the backyard, or the possibility of a trip to the playground? Maybe she was mulling over how it felt to share her toys at the neighbourhood party the night before or considering whether or not to behave that day. Regardless, I think it's a really neat picture, and one I think goes nicely with a post I've been mulling over for a while. It must be really tough, being a toddler - Norah is growing up so fast, and sometimes seems so sophisticated, it's easy to forget that she's not yet 3 and still lacks some of the facilities to process the world around her in the way we do. Perceived injustices are met with frustration, just as they are for us. The big difference, of course, is in the perception. In a world where the limited things she knows are all changing, is it any wonder that she'd be frustrated (and thus difficult to deal with)?

It's this perspective (as well as a marked improvement in her behavior lately!) that has led me to fully understand the importance of consistency for toddlers - when Norah knows what to expect, either because it's part of our routine or because I've prepped her ahead of time, we're all in much better shape. I literally just described an example to Matt, who is sitting next to me as I write this. Driving home from school today Norah volunteered "When we get home, I am going to take off my coat and shoes, and then go potty" - and she did! Likewise, if I tell her we are going to go to the playground after we do something else, like say nap, then the preceding activity will always go smoother with something to look forward to.

I was also struck recently by how similar Norah's hand and Roddie's hand felt in mine - really more similar than you might think - reminding me that in many ways she is really still a baby, despite her claims to the contrary, and it's up to us to ensure a happy and safe and predicable environment for her, as best we can.

Shhhh! Don't tell Norah...

... Roddie went for a ride in her red buggie today!

Happy Rod

Rod was in an exceptionally good mood getting ready for bed tonight, and I had an excuse to try out our new camera... enjoy!

Princess Norah

This morning, Norah picked out a skirt to wear. In the few minutes before the battle of wills ensued over which pair of tights she would wear, she spun around and said "I feel like a princess!"

Then, her preschool teacher told me that at circle time she's taken to saying that she feels "Princess Super" when her turn comes up... a change from her former "Super Duper"

Not sure how I ended up with a princess on my hands, but it's very clear that's what we've got!

Happy Halloween!

We took the kids out (yes, both of them!) trick or treating tonight. Roddie pretty much snoozed in his stroller, but Norah really got into it. It took her all of .45 seconds to catch on to how the whole thing worked, although for the first half a dozen houses or so she exclaimed with amazement "That guy/lady gave me a treat!" For various reasons, like weather, and attitude, we had some last minute costume changes or alterations. Norah was initially going to be whichever Disney Princess is the pink one - here she is getting ready to go
While Roddie was slated to be a spider. As you can see, he didn't care much for the costume, though I am sure you will admit he is the cutest spider you've ever seen...

With the addition of a pink furry coat and hat, and topped off with her Princess tiara, Norah came out looking more Queen Elizabeth than Princess, but it seemed to work for her, especially once she figured out how to get up stairs without tripping and dumping her candy.

Roddie, on the other hand, with more of a jail-bird look. It really came together accidentally, since this is the warm clothes we have that fit him at the moment! I am sad to say that 'jailbird' also works for him, and he seems to like it better that the spider get up.

We were joined by another neighbourhood family who has two daughters, one just older and one just younger than Norah. Norah and the older girl, Erin, had a blast! They started out the night holding hands and running up to each house together. As you can see below, they enjoyed a ride from Erin's Dad at the end of the night!All in all it was a great night, Norah certainly enjoyed herself and I for one, had a blast watching her! I had to duck out a little early with Roddie, but apparently she was pretty much crawling up the steps of the last house, so I think she had her fill as well!

A Witches Spell?

I think a witch cast her spell on us last night... after going to bed at 10:30, I woke up at 6 this morning to find the entire house still in darkness - and perfectly silent. It's been a rough week for sleep, not because of Roddie, who has been giving us anywhere from 5 to 6 hours at least once a night, but because of Norah. I'm not sure what's going on, but she's been waking up in the middle of Roddie's long stretch all week - very unlike her. When I talk to other parents I realize we have it good with her, and her sleeping habits, but still, we are certainly accustomed to a full night's sleep!

I last fed Roddie right before I went to sleep, and had expected to hear from him somewhere between 3 and 4 as usual. When I woke at 6 with throbbing and leaky boobs, I thought for sure he'd be up soon. After a half hour of waiting, and still the spell had not broken (even Matt was still asleep!!) I had to go and pump. Sneaking quietly around the house so as not to break this wonderful spell, I snuggled back into bed for another half hour before Matt stirred - unaware that I had even been up! Like thieves in the night, we chatted amongst ourselves, praying that we would not break this wonderful spell, and eventually got up to read the paper. We were enjoying our coffee and morning paper when Norah came into the kitchen around 7:45, followed shortly by some announcements from Roddie that he too, was ready to get up. The spell was broken.

Whoever the witch was who cast the spell, I hope she comes back soon. She is a good witch indeed!

Lazy Blogger Picture Update

I've been a bit lazy on the writing front lately, although I have composed several insightful posts in my mind, but I just don't seem to ever get to the computer to punch them in! Picture updates are much easier, and as you might suspect, pictures are plentiful these days! Overall things continue to go well, Roddie is going to bed at a reasonable hour and sleeping at night more often than not, I'm into week 2 of my return to the gym, and I've hit the half way point in my maternity leave! We have a busy couple of months ahead, and we're looking forward to introducing Roddie to a lot more of his relatives!

Norah continues to be a great big sister. Here she is reading Roddie a story before we set out for the day. Roddie actually seems to be enjoying it!!
Roddie continues to be a happy baby! He rewards us easily and often with his winning smile! As you may know, Roddie shares his name not only with my Dad, but also my paternal grandfather, who was known as Papa Roddie. Papa Roddie had a special knack for making each of his 20 grandchildren feel like we were the favorite - a fact only revealed after his death! The oldest of these 20 cousins has a son who's middle name is Roderick, and her mom swears he shares some characteristics with Papa Roddie. She asked about our Roddie, to which I replied that all I could say for sure at this early stage is that he is just as good at charming the pants off of me... I think with this picture, you'll have to agree!

Speaking of charming, here is Norah posing for the camera in the middle of our annual pumpkin carving session...

And last but not least, here is me and my babies, all sharing Norah's blankets, at her insistence, in the Jungle Gym!