Monday, April 18, 2011

Learning to stand in one week

11 April, Monday. Ellie rushes out of our room saying, "Kristen is standing!" She is, but on her knees. She's pulled herself up using her cot.

12 April, Tuesday. Kristen pulls herself up on her feet.

15 April. Friday. Kristen stands up by pulling herself up and is shuffling slowly by the sofa, using the sofa as support.  A baby milestone. They call this cruising.

I think Ellie and Caitlin did this a little later than seven and a half months. Maybe their little sister will the earliest walker in the family.


Tuesday, April 12, 2011

Off the cuff

Let's think of one thing to thank God for, I say to Ellie and Caitlin just before I start our nightly prayer.

Ellie says, "I thank God for my parents." (How nice, it is good to feel appreciated after a long day.)

Three year old Caitlin says, "I thank God that I will be able to cut my carrots with a knife." Uh, I how do I fit that one into my prayer? Every prayer is precious and no matter what, I need to make Caitlin feel that her prayer is important too. So I try to weave it in at the end. But before I get to the end, Caitlin goes, "Where is my section?"


Saturday, April 2, 2011

A week at home

I wasn't really looking forward to this week. KM was going to be in the US which meant that I had to put all three girls to bed every night. No break after a days hard work at home. Then on Monday morning, I noticed these spots on Caitlin's fore arm, and neck.  The all too familiar spots. The same sort Kristen had 2 weeks before when she was diagnosed with chicken pox. Something in me said that this was going to be a longer than expected week. I went to the doctor and he confirmed my suspicions. Chicken Pox. The very week KM had to be out of town.

Chicken pox meant that I had to take Caitlin out of school for a whole week. And for good measure I took Ellie out too. Just in case. That meant a whole week at home with the girls out of school. Sigh.

As it turned out, everyone had a lot of fun. The girls especially. And I? I just wasn't as tired as I usually am. I kept to my scheduled activities- something arty on mondays, science on wednesdays, cooking on fridays, with bit of other things in between, and managed to survive a whole week at indoors. Not even a trip downstairs to the playground. (I did manage to attend a google talk on tuesday, while my mom babysat! hooray!) But other than that were were pretty much indoors. Ellie and Caitlin had a blast playing together.  Caitlin's 10 pox(es) didn't seem to cause her much discomfort.  Kristen now that she can sit up and commando crawl could join in some of the fun. Amazingly Caitlin's usual whininess didn't get to me as much as it usually does. Must have been prayer.

We ended the week with the girls.......

a. making a collage each.

Caitlin always wants something fish-related. This time she wants to make a fish tank even though the lesson plan by the instructor (me) is to make a bedroom. Heck! Go with the flow I think. When I suggest making some seaweed, Caitlin says, do it for me I am so tired and runs off to bounce on the sofa. She comes back when I ask her to put the fish food in (thats all those little spots) and cuts just one rock (the bigger mass amongst the spots) for her fish.
 

Ellie sat down (and I am really amazed at this) for almost one and a half hours to design her princess bedroom. I helped cut the clothes for her princess out but she did pretty much everything else herself. There is a clothes stand on the right. Bed with drapes in the middle. Two dressing tables, a wardrobe with clothes and stuff in it, a tiny purple rug in the foreground and a toilet complete with a floor trap. (that's the architect in her.)




b. making their own dinner.

They love making their own favourite food. Pizza on whole meal pita, topped with heaps of Mozzarella, Cheddar and Parmesan, not forgetting the veggies- asparagus.

Caitlin's never serious when it comes to photos.

Ta-da! Pizza for dinner!

and here's Kristen, seven months old cheering everyone on.