snapshots

We had an orientation session one evening this past week at the local kindergarten where Risa will start in September. There were play stations and descriptions for the parents of the skills that the children will be expected to master. One that caught my eye was the expectation that kids will independently take care of their own posessions and personal hygiene. Hmmm, we still help Risa in the bathroom and are constantly harping at her to put her things in order. We have our work cut out for us in preparation for this fall!

This was a day for hanging around the house as I had a bunch of chores to do. Risa usually plays alongside me as I do laundry, but doesn't do much else. Today, however, after I took the clothes out of the dryer and dumped them out on our bed, Risa not only picked out her own clothes, but also folded them (and rolled her socks together) and put them away in her room. This is the first time I've seen her do all 3 of those steps completely on her own, and without my even asking her.

Her play area is a very contentious issue. She has been very resistant to any previous attempts to clean it up. As they say, one man's treasure is another man's junk. However, I am beginning to appreciate that she seems to know where her favorite things are, and the loose bits of paper and other materials are the basic building blocks of her creativity. She has quite a knack for constructing things. My mission today was to filter through the mess to get rid of excess bits of paper and old creations she no longer wants, and reorganise the rest (this photo was taken before the cull). This time, Risa actually helped me thin out a recycling bag full of paper, and I secretly reclaimed some pens and other items she hopefully forgot about. Slowly but surely, this mess is actually receding.

And the final surprise of the day was when we made spice cookies with chocolate chips and raisins. I snuck in bran, too. Her usual job is to mix the dry ingredients together and I usually scoop the dough onto the baking sheet while she plays with her own separate scoop of dough. I haven't let her use the tablespoon to scoop dough onto the sheet as it's rather difficult for her and she dawdles at it. This time, she simply used her hands to pick the dough, roll it into a ball and place it on the sheet. To my astonishment, she was very good at it, making fairly uniform sized balls, and focusing on the task until all the dough was used up. Our little girl is growing up, and she didn't seem to mind the extra fibre in her cookies!

Ok here's a picture I took a couple of days ago of Risa without training wheels. Although this excursion was a little less successful overall, as Risa seems to have forgotten how to brake. I find it a bit baffling as she was just short of doing tricks on her bike with the training wheels on. I may have to put them back on but she's steadfastly refusing to let me do so.






Today we went on a field trip to the Vancouver Maritime Museum which features the RCMP boat St Roch on display which the kids could climb all over. Risa tries out a diving bell helmet.

Another milestone at the playground. Risa has wanted to slide down the pole for some time, but I was never prepared to spot her before as she was just out of my reach on the platform, and I didn't want 35 lbs of toddler falling on my head if she slipped. However, today, I was feeling lucky. She was able to reach the pole and place both hands on it. I told her to hang on tight. Then I grabbed one shin with my right hand and told her to bend her knees and jump. I then supported her bum with my left hand as she slid to the ground. It was a bit nerve wracking - for me - at first, but she got the hang (so to speak!) of jumping onto the pole, and after a few tries, did it all by herself.

We had gone to the playground on her bicycle, which I think she will outgrow soon. I'm thinking of taking the training wheels off. She's still a speed demon and nearly gave one of our neighbors a heart attack as she sped down our back lane, straight to our house. I also had a bit of a challenge trying to explain to Risa that skidding is not the same as stopping. The neighbor, however, rewarded Risa with a chomp on a home grown Brussels sprout.

To follow up on last week's trauma, Risa's ear piercings are doing very well. The studs turn easily and there is no sign of any inflammation or swelling. I think she hardly knows they're there, which is good as she's not touching them.

I've changed the age tracker in the intro post to reflect a couple of Risa's favorite things. The turtle comes from her turtle backpack which she has used for almost 2 years. It was kinda pricey at the time ($40 at Coast Mountain Sport) but considering the daily toddler abuse it has taken, and the trips around the world it has been on, it was well worth it. She is now outgrowing it as the straps are getting a little tight. Her 2nd favorite thing is looking for secret treasure. She has had hours of fun going on treasure hunting missions around the house, likely inspired by Dora the Explorer.