Saturday, July 28, 2007

Nirvana


Genevieve is having a hard time falling asleep for her nap, and I have been short on patience all day long. And it’s not as if she doesn’t need the sleep. She was having multiple meltdowns with any frustration prior to lunch. I want to believe that she will be happy and cooperative after “nap” time, but…

Fact is, simultaneous napping is parental nirvana, and even if she nods off now, Reesa will be awake soon. For today, nirvana denied. Instead, I have to deal with a new Genevieve excuse to get up every 10 or 15 minutes. At some point, I will need to open the door and give in to the inevitable. I feel cranky and frustrated—heck, I need a nap!

I returned from a five-day conference on Wednesday night, and the children, with a little help from mommy, put together a calendar with daily updates and drawings for each day I was gone. It is very nice. I brought back a stuffed bear for Reesa (she already calls it “Boston”), a yo-yo for Genevieve (she claims that she can’t nap without it), and a book of games that you can play with only pencil and paper for my wife Marilee (she likes it).

Reesa is still in the super-cute stage. I’ll try to make some notes at some of the thoughts that she puts into words. She really works out how to say, or try to say, some amazing things. Her favorite and frequently repeated phrase is still “I wanna go run-chant eat!” Translation: I would like to go to a restaurant now.

Okay, it seems as if Genevieve has conked out. Quick, mini-nirvana!

Monday, July 9, 2007

Merry Go Round

They both love the carousel, in different ways. Genevieve was effusive in the moment. Reesa simply talks about "Merry Go Round again?" every day for the past week.


Genevieve, 2005, 19 months old.








Reesa, 2007, 23 months old.

Monkey. Bars.




Genevieve conquers brachiation.

Thursday, July 5, 2007

First Fourth


We survived our first family 4th of July fireworks display. First, Marilee and I had to help the children with successfully staying awake and well-behaved beyond their regular bedtime. This was not a problem for Reesa; she was patient, communicative, and eventually ate a good dinner. Genevieve woke from her nap announcing that she was still a little grumpy and did not want to go to the party. She eventually agreed to go, and needed only one “pull-aside” parent-child clarification (not so much a discussion as some time to calm down and to provide a reinforcement of the consequences of more misbehavior).

We stayed a good half-mile away (from the fireworks, not the children) and that helped. Genevieve enjoyed it without reservation. Reesa needed to sit on a children’s chair with a favorite toy and my hand and arm on her chest and abdomen—she would complain if I moved away from her. It made me feel like the big Protector Daddy on a primitive level, with my little girl wanting the cover of my arm.

All that celebrating makes for a late night. We’re letting the girls sleep in this morning.

Art by Genevieve, age 3.