Norah News: Bike Chicks, the Next Generation

Norah has really been mastering her 2 wheeler, and no one is more excited than me!  (ok, well, maybe she is, but barely!)   I've always loved biking and am really happy to be able to share it with her.  We've been talking about taking a spin on the bike path recently, but with one thing and the other, haven't got around to it... until yesterday!  Roddie was with Matt, getting supplies for the tree house (yes, tree house, more on that later) and we girls were free to go!   I should note, Rod is also doing great on his bike, but he's still only 3.

Our wheels, just waiting for us to take a spin!

After a bit of a false start (forgotten helmet that was not actually forgotten after all!) we got on the bike trail around 10:30.  It was a beautiful day, with temperatures forecasted to be in the 80's.  We started off on our shady ride next to a beautiful lake, and I thought I'd just see how things went.  The lake was at about the halfway point in the bike path, so we could do an out and back in either direction.  I'll be honest, I wasn't sure which way we were facing, so really couldn't comment when she chose our direction.
We started biking and after a mile and a half or so, I checked in to see how she was doing and the answer was GREAT!  I tried to warn her that we might not make it to the end before we had to turn around (since I had no idea how far away the end actually was!) but she was not deterred!  Thankfully, the end of the path was about 2.5 miles from our starting point and we were both thrilled that we made it!

At 5 miles, asking for more!

After a short break at the pond, she was ready for more, so we took a spin in the other direction for another 3/4 mile out and back for a total of about 6.5 miles!  I don't know about her, (well, actually I do)  but that's about as far as I've biked in a few years!
I have some very good friends, from before I met Matt, and we refer to ourselves as the "Biker Chicks".  We biked and hiked and swam and ran together back when there was more time for such things!  I was the first of our gang to have a baby, so Norah, in turn is the first of the 2nd generation to master her two wheeler!  In another year or two we'll have a whole gang of bikers on our hands!

Biker Chick, the next generation!

Another thing Norah can do that the rest of the 2nd gen Biker gang can't is read and write.  Which means that in addition to spending the morning spinning around with my girl, I also get notes like this:

One highlight of the day

Norah News: Six Year Old Soccer!

Last night, I took Norah to soccer practice.  What a difference a year makes!  She was having so much fun, and I could not believe how into the game she was!  Last year, she was the kid who was doing pirouettes in the goal and picking dandelions while the game proceeded all around here.  But this year, maybe she’s older, maybe she’s more experienced, but she was totally into it.  After the spring season, I had kind of concluded that soccer just wasn’t her thing – no biggie.  When the fall season came around, she didn’t bring it up, so we let it ride.  When her friends started talking about it and still not a glimmer of interest from her, I figured her soccer days were done for the time being.

But then spring rolled around and a seemingly endless stream of sports fliers started coming home in her backpack – t-ball, lacrosse, basketball, football/cheer, and of course, soccer.  Each time, we discussed her level of interest along with general encouragement to try new things, but nothing seemed to catch her attention. (admittedly, I never offered up cheer!!)  Then, one day, shortly before the deadline, out of the blue she says, “I want to try soccer again”  So we sign her up again, get the right size of (unisex colored this time) cleats and wait for the snow to melt and the season to start.  She was off to a slow start, with bum weather and bad scheduling luck (the first few games coincided with her last few dace classes)  but next thing I hear, she’s scoring goals and knocking over other kids!  

Playing a game of "Clean your Room"

Looking every bit at home on the field...

Who IS this girl?  Kicking the ball all the way to the car!

Norah News: Kindergarten Day 2

Well the second day of school started out in much the same way as the first – a pink, giggly blur.  On this day we went to the early drop off program before school, so I had a chance of getting to work on time.  Lucky for us, eh… I mean her, Erin, her best buddy from around the corner, was also going to early drop off that day.  I blocked my calendar for the early morning and Roddie and I walked Norah and Erin up to school.  It was a beautiful sunny day, with none of the humidity we’d been dealing with lately and Rod and I thoroughly enjoyed the walk, even if it meant getting to work a little late. 

It's only the 3rd day today, and already I've come to understand that universal truth that all parents the world over eventually learn:  After a certain point in time, this is your most familiar view of your children:

 

Of course, it is all right and good, and we've only just begun, and that's what we're trying to do as parents, after all... and blah blah blah.  It just caught me a little by surprise what a difference a few days of school would make.

Norah News: You Oughta Be In Pictures

Getting ready for  DW2DT 2013 to kick off, we've been moving a lot of stuff to the basement, clearing out the cobwebs of our lives over the past 7 years.  Yesterday I came across a picture of Norah that was taken in December 2009, shortly before she turned 2.  I was struct by both how much she's changed and how much she is exactly the same 3.5 years later.. check it out.

Apologies for the photo of photos, but the scanner is packed up already... DW2DT 2013 here we come!

Norah News: sigh....

While I think a formal graduation complete with professional photographer (thankfully, no prom!) was a a bit over the top for preschool, the photographer captured one of my all time favorite pictures of Norah and I.

Honestly, it almost brings tears to my eyes every time I look at it.  She somehow managed to get Norah both pulling away from me and leaning back into me at the same time.  I think this really captures the essence of where she's at these days, as she (ok, we) get ready to head off to kindergarten.  I want to hold her tight and let her go at the same time also, but that doesn't show up quite as well in the photo :)

I told a few of my neighbor-mom friends about this picture last night and mused that I wondered how this picture would look at her highschool graduation - would there be more or less leaning in and pulling away?  One friend thought, rightfully so, that there will always be some of both... I think she's on to something, just ask my mom.

Life on the Other side...

I’ve been really noticing lately how big the kids are getting – Roddie is really starting to fill out -  he’s still got long limbs, but they seem almost the same size as Norah’s some days.  I also noticed that his body core has gotten much wider as well, during one of our late night sleep interruptions recently.  Norah seems to grow out of her pants on a regular basis, usually just after she finally decided she liked a particular pair!  I am thankful that leggings are not only in vogue for little girls and acceptable by Norah, but also quite forgiving in the length department.

I’m also acutely aware of the pending change to kindergarten for Norah.  Registration, after school care, school vacations…all these things are on my calendar already.  She’s also thinking of playing town soccer, you know, on a team, not lessons, this year and we’ve started shopping for a new dance class, now that she won’t be taking lessons at daycare.  Oh, and there is that 5^th birthday party coming up in a few weeks…

Roddie can sing his ABC’s, and recognize most of them.  He has favorite colors, pants, and toys.  He’s differentiating himself from his sister and at the same time they care for each other like no other.

All of these things are indications that we’re moving on to a new phase with the kids – truth be told, we’ve moved on – donated the crib, high chairs, booster seats and so on, but it wasn’t until this morning that it really hit me.

I saw a mom dropping off her child in the infant room, and as she left to go out to her car I noticed she had the tell-tale black Medela cooler – the one that comes with the breast pump.  Man, I thought, I don’t miss those days!  Then, as she drove away, I noticed another mom – turns out it was Roddie’s special pal Kendal’s mom – taking 2 kids out of her car.  Kendall is 2.5 and her little sister is less than six months old – so still in the carrier car seat.  Kendall’s mom, usually very attractive and well put together,  looked anything but herself.  In her defense, she’s either just back to work, or going back soon, but I wanted to give her a hug and tell her that it does get easier!   The winter when Norah and Roddie were roughly that age was definitely the hardest time for the morning routine.

The weather will warm up, the baby will learn to walk, and before you know it you’ll be registering for Kindergarten and wanting to give some other mom, who is where you’ve been, a hug.  It happens faster than you’d think.

On the Road

I traveled for work a week or so ago.  I've reached a point in my career where I really need to visit customer sites and some industry events to progress any further... not to mention I only started in this industry earlier in the year, so I have much to learn in some regards.  Matt is very supportive and doesn't seem to get too flummoxed with me leaving for a few days, though I know things are hectic for him while I"m gone and he's glad to see me return.  The kids seem to take it all in stride though and now that they are getting much better at talking on the phone, we have a nightly touch base that helps us all.  

The thing the phone can't show us, of course, is body language   Norah somehow looks like a teenager as she sits on the sofa, gabbing with her Mom.

 Roddie looked a little more like the toddler he is on the first night...

 Though was copying his sister by the second!

The Difference a Year Makes...

After our belated Halloween outing, I have been thinking about how much things change with the kids in a single year... first and foremost, the kids themselves, get so much bigger and more mature - for Rod, this is obvious as he's grown from an infant to a toddler. With Norah, who is now a mature preschooler, the change is more subtle, but it's there just the same.  Look at how grown up she is in this picture from the Halloween parade at school compared to last year! 



I was struck by the the following additional, Halloween related comparisons

• Last year, Roddie was tucked tightly into his stroller and never came out... this year, he barely sat in the wagon once he realized that people were giving him something if he went to their door!  He walked almost as fast and as far as Norah did!
• Last year, trick or treating with the neighbours was an impromptu arrangement, this year it seemed all the kids were looking forward to it!
• Last year, I put Norah's treats in the cupboard and she pretty much forgot about it, unless we brought it up.  This year, she asks about 50 times a day if she can have a treat.
• Last year, Roddie knew nothing but boobie milk, this year he's shown an affinity for peanut butter cups, among many other solid foods.
• Last year, Norah was blown away that people gave her treats at every house, this year she couldn't wait to collect her goodies, and it was Roddie who was amazed (see above) and he doesn't even really know what candy is!
• Last  year, Norah and Erin held hands running from house to house...they hadn't really started to be friends yet, like they are now, but were happy to have each other nonetheless.  This year, Norah ditched Erin for a boy.  Despite the fact that all she talked about was going trick or treating with Erin and Allie, she held fast to Jack's hand and passed on Erin's, even after Jack had gone home.  It made me sad, in a way, but I need to let her decide what kind of friend she's going to be, and I'm sure it won't be the last time she chooses a boy over her buddy (even though Jack is a buddy, who happens to be a boy)

and of course, last year, Halloween was on October 31, and not November 6!!

Norah News: Where's Mine?

Last night, Norah was looking at a book with Matt that showed a shadow along one of the character’s spine. Norah saw it and asked Matt about it, and he gave her an appropriate explanation, which included getting her to feel her spine at the top of her neck.

Later, when I was tucking her in, she asked me if I had a bump on my back too, and we both reached around and felt our spines. Then, she pointed at my chest and said “what’s that?” I wasn’t sure what she was pointing at, but as near as I can tell, it was my cleavage (what little there is!) So I told her it was called cleavage and hoped to leave it at that. She pulled out her own shirt and took at look at her chest and said “I don’t have one of those, maybe when I am bigger?”

Oh boy, I really thought I had quite a few more years before this started!

Roddie Report: Heading Towards Toddlerhood

Roddie has been outgrowing his clothes at a rapid pace!  It seems like things that have fit him for ages have all of a sudden become to small!  Some things I am glad to see go (one too many stains!), some things I don't care, and some things I am really sad to see get passed along.  He has these brown leather sneakers that I just adore!  We always get compliments on them and they just look so CUTE on him!  They are too small, and leaving them on him is going to start to affect his ability to stand and learn to walk, so I really need to move on.  Matt's been making fun of me, and asking if I want to bronze them.  I'm going to settle for posting a picture here, on the Bugle.

Obviously, it'a about more than just a pair of shoes.  We also moved him from his infant carrier car seat to Norah's convertible (and Norah has a big-girl carseat now)  He's learning all kinds of new things, and moving around on his own - not crawling, just moving.  My baby boy is rapidly moving towards toddlerhood.  *sniff*  I don't want to keep him a baby forever, but I'm not quite ready for him to move to the next stage yet either,  Luckily, these things happen gradually, so I can keep my baby a baby (at least in my mind) just a little while longer.