Ceilidh's Artistic Talents

If the number of paintings, crafts and drawings she brings home is any indication, I think "art" is a big component of junior kindergarten. Everyday, there's something new to post on our fridge door, which is now buried under so much "art", I can't find the door handle!
Here's the latest drawing she brought home. For Daddy.
When I asked her what it was, this was her explanation (as told to her teacher apparently, her uncle, and her daddy as well):
It's a picture of my daddy. I drew it at school. See, he's so fat because he eats lots of grapes. Look - there's the grapes in his big tummy!

When Devlin interpreted the drawing for Auntie Grace, he was admonished for his use of the word "fat".
Auntie Grace: Devlin, it's not very nice to say someone's fat.
Devlin: Well, you better talk to Ceilidh about that one.

Contrast in Sleep Styles

I love watching my children sleep - it's the only time they're quiet and angelic. A few nights ago, after a late frisbee game, we came home to our three monkeys, slumbering away in our bed. I think I stood there for five minutes, just relishing the peacefulness, while gazing upon their sleeping forms. Devlin was curled up against a pillow, Ceilidh in the middle and Aisling on the side with her arms flung up and soother firmly between her lips.
I don't know how our nanny does it, but she always convinces them to sleep together in the same bed. We can never seem to all the parties to agree to this, unless we - the parents- also agree to sleep in the same bed. We did start out with the family bed, but we've now moved onto the parental beds. That is, Daddy gets one kid (usually Ceilidh) and I get the other two. Which is fine with me since both Devlin and Aisling fall asleep within minutes of their heads hitting the pillow. They are truly tactile children, whereas Ceilidh is apparently a auditory child.
Huh? Yep, apparently one can now classify children by senses. Tactile children are the kids who are full of energy that must released before sleep can occur. They're also the kids that cannot bear to go to sleep if something else is going on with other family members. Bedtime is a group activity where opting is not an option. But once that excess energy is gone, and their batteries are on low, Devlin and Aisling enter into dream land quickly. It's like a switch that goes off. What's interesting is that, as babies, these two were the ones that woke up regularly every 3 hours or so to be fed. Now, they will sleep through thunder, snoring, crying and whatever else once they've fallen asleep, and so long as no one is kicking them in the face.
Ceilidh is a different story. Even though she's clearly exhausted, she will fight the idea of going to sleep if she can't sleep with her hero - Daddy. And she loves to chat as she's falling asleep. After discovering her classification as an "auditory" child, I've learned to deal with her bedtime struggles by letting her talk until she's used up her daily word quota. In fact, I've fallen asleep listening to her chatter on about the princesses and the castle and the superheroes that came to rescue the princess. (Apparently there are also classifications of children as visual and taste and smell. While I understand the absence of visual cues, or things to look at like a tv or books, will calm a "visual" child, I'm not sure about the taste and smell child.)

As a mother of three, I have learned that a baby's early sleep patterns are not indicative of their sleep styles as they get older. For example, Devlin and Aisling never slept through the night as infants. I think it took Devlin almost 2 and half years before he would slumber without waking. Aisling, probably 18 months. Both would wake every 2-3 hours for a feed in the early months, and then every 4 hours, and then once a night for middle of the night snack. Meanwhile as a baby, Ceilidh was THAT one - the babe that slept through the night at 6 weeks! She would fall asleep anywhere easily, and even manage to sleep through her older brother's tantrums. She's also the only one of my children to smile while sleeping.
I still catch a glimpse of that baby in my Ceilidh nowadays. When Ceilidh is tired during the day, she will have a nap. Whether it's in the car, or on the couch, or sometimes on the floor where she was playing with her stickers. One day, she turned to her Aunt Grace and announced she was going to have a nap. Then she stretched out, closed her eyes and slept. Similarly, Aisling is easy to convince when it comes to nap time. In fact, when she was about 15 months old, and it was nap time, Aisling would head upstairs for the rocking chair and retrieve her blanket. Then she'd wait at the top of the stairs for Daddy to come and rock her to the lullabies.
Devlin was another story. When he turned two, he decided that naps were overrated. Especially when Mommy or Daddy were home.(Again, see definition of tactile child above.) When I was home on maternity leave after Ceilidh, the only way I could manage to have both Devlin and Ceilidh fall asleep at the same time during the afternoon was by taking them for a drive. I'd pop Ceilidh into her infant seat, strap Devlin into his car seat and then head for the nearest Tim Horton's drive thru while playing soft lullabies on the CD. After picking up a coffee, I'd start driving a 10km route that took us out to the nearby farms and highways. Eventually, with both kids snoozing, I'd make my way back home. I even mastered unstrapping Devlin and removing him from the car seat, entering the house, removing his shoes and getting him onto the couch without waking him. On rare occasions, he'd fall asleep on his own. Like the time I found him asleep in his laundry basket, with a pillow, after a tantrum.

With the arrival of Aisling, I gave up trying to convince Devlin it was nap time. While Ceilidh slept, and Aisling dozed, I'd let Devlin watch some Treehouse and try to catch a few winks myself. One afternoon, I remember smelling toast while I dozed on the couch with Aisling on my chest. In a panic, I ran to the kitchen. All the kitchen cupboards were open, there was milk on the counter, the fridge door was hanging open, and Devlin looking pleased with himself sitting at the table. He had prepared for himself some toast and poured a cup of milk because he was hungry and didn't want to wake me up.

Eventually, I'm sure my monkeys will sleep in their own bed, and won't require so much hands-on treatment to fall asleep. In the meantime, we have our bedtime routines that the experts preach will aid in developing good sleep habits. There's a bath and story time, although in our family, it's more like 4 or 5 stories. Sometimes there's a game of UNO beforehand. After prayers and the last sip of milk, it's time for lights out and we all fall asleep. All of us. Including mommy and daddy. Maybe when they're sleeping in their own beds, mommy and daddy will be able to stay awake to watch prime time television, or the late night news.

But really, with cute monkeys like these, how can I possibly exile them to sleep in their own bed?

Aspiring to be a Worthy Parent

Recently, the media reported a story of a young boy in Kingston who was selling his toys to raise money for a headstone for his late father. The boy was 9 years old and he had lost his father to a sudden illness last year. Even though there was insurance to deal with debts, the mother explained there hadn't been enough money left over to pay for a headstone. The young child, wanting something permanent to mark his father's burial site, decided to hold a garage sale and sell his toys. As I read the selfless and loving actions of this young child, tears welled up in my eyes. The story touched the hearts of many across Canada. A follow-up article reported that a company was willing to construct the headstone, free of charge, while others were sending in money to help this child meet his goal. Athletes and celebrities called to donate memorabilia for the garage sale and classmates were donating their toys for the sale. Many of the readers who were touched by this story had also lost their parents at a young age. Although the headstone has now been secured, the garage sale is still going ahead with proceeds to be donated to a local charity, also the young child's decision. The remainder of the donations are to be put into an education fund for this boy.
As I read this story, I thought to myself, how lucky was that child, even though it was for a short time, to have such a great dad that it compelled him to act in such a selfless manner. To be motivated, at age 9, to sell his toys and find the money to purchase a headstone for his father. That dad must have been one great parent. To be loved and held in such esteem. And then I felt such guilt and remorse for yelling at my kids earlier. Children have short memories, and my actions would not invoke such loving gestures from my offspring. I can't promise I won't ever yell at my kids ('cuz that would be foolhardy), but I can vow to try harder to be a better mom. I can promise to work harder at keeping my patience. After all, five or ten years from now, will it really matter that we were late again for another lesson, or that dinner was served cold? Will it matter that the milk was spilled again? (It shouldn't considering the state of our floors anyways.) We all know the answer to this. We want to "do right" by our kids, and what we all want is to be held up, in the eyes of our children, as heroes. And what superhero yells at their kid all the time?

Potty Training Adventures - part 1

Now that Devlin and Ceilidh are in school all day long, we've decided it's a great time to get serious with potty training Aisling. Previous attempts were met with some success, and then total refusal.
When I'd suggest she pee in the potty, Aisling would look at me with disdain, and state calmly, "Change my bum."
If I urged her even more to sit on the toilet, she would refuse and lay down on the floor, assuming the bum-changing position.
Sticker rewards meant nothing to her. Smarties only worked for two days. We upped the ante and offered her Oreo cookies for successful trips to the potty. Then Aisling caught on to the game. She began to demand the treat BEFORE she'd sit on the potty. With treat in hand, she'd sit for a few minutes and then declare "I can't!" and hop off the throne.
With the excitement of summer and the adventures that accompany it, potty training was shelved for awhile. Last week, we've re-evaluated our strategy, and stocked up on a Costco-sized box of Princess Pull-ups. Aisling is more amenable to sitting on the toilet and producing a result. Of course, in addition to the pretty princess pull-up, we've acquiesced to her demands for bottles (as opposed to sippy cups) of milk, and all the soothers her little paws can hold. She is much more agreeable to being taken to the toilet by our nanny, and more or less fights with Daddy about the issue.
Yesterday morning, I was rushing around packing lunches for Devlin and Ceilidh, while consuming my own breakfast. Aisling woke up and demanded her morning bottle. I provided it with a suggestion that she go potty. She said "NO" quite clearly. Instead she sat on the counter, begging for bites of my bagel while cuddling against me. In between tiny nibbles, she noticed the bracelet I was wearing.
"What's that?" she pointed.
"It's mommy's bracelet. Do you want it? I'll let you wear it if you go pee pee on the potty," I tried to tempt her.
"No."
"Go potty, and you can have the bracelet," I said as I took off the bauble.
"No, I want that!" my precocious toddler stated as she pointed to my diamond engagement ring.

Well, she's got good taste and a stubborn streak. I can't deny she's mine.

How I spent my summer vacation (by a mom)

I did not visit a spa or obtain a much needed pedicure and foot massage, despite the wear and tear from a season of ultimate frisbee.
I did not spend an afternoon watching soaps, or my favorite TV chefs, or even catch of re-run of Oprah.
I did not have leisurely mornings spent in bed while some fairy whipped up delicious breakfasts.
I did not travel to an exotic location that required passports and hours of air travel.

But...

I did go to the mall six or seven times to purchase back-to-school gear, backpacks, shoes, clothes for Ceilidh who sprouted over the summer months.
I did schedule a visit with the pediatrician to have Devlin's medical forms filled out for school, and then dropped of the forms and medication at the school BEFORE the school year began.
I did register the children in all of their extra-curricular activities: gymnastics for Ceilidh and Aisling on Tuesdays; piano lessons for Devlin on Tuesday; swimming lessons for all three on Fridays; gymnastics for Devlin on Saturdays; dance lessons for Ceilidh and Aisling on Saturdays; and hockey for Devlin on Saturday and Sunday.
Then, I acquired all the required accouterments for the above activities. New dance shoes purchased for Ceilidh, old pair of Ceilidh's dance shoes for Aisling. New dance leotards for Ceilidh and old one found for Aisling. Hockey equipment became a bone of contention between the parents. Dad didn't believe old helmet was still suitable and spent $63 on a new one. He came home and discovered he bought the EXACT SAME helmet we already had, which meant a trip back to the store to return the $63 helmet and the totally unnecessary $90 hockey bag.
I put away summer clothes, or at least most of the summer clothes, and dug out fall/winter clothing for the children. I took stock of what was needed and returned to the stores once again.
Lunch box paraphernalia also had to be purchased.
I did finally get around to weeding and trimming the overgrown hedges in the backyard.
I realized I forgot to purchase new rubber boots. But umbrellas we have.
A note came home from school on Friday. Indoor shoes required for Devlin. Another trip to the store.
Husband also noted that he needed new pants. Yet another outing for the credit card.

I think I need a vacation to recover from my summer vacation.

Okay, I did spend a few days at the family cottage where I read the Millenium trilogy by Stieg Larrson. Very good.
I did get caught up on reading 6 months of back-issues of Today's Parent and Canadian Living. I now know what to do for Easter next year.
I did go through the toys and manage to collect two large bags to donate to charity. Yet the pile of toys haven't shrunk noticeably. Perhaps they reproduce while we sleep?

Ceilidh's First Day of School

Due to a staggered start, today was Ceilidh's first day of junior kindergarten. It will be a full day. I know there's lots of debates and differing opinions on full day kindergarten - waste of money or short term pain for a stronger economy is a popular theme being echoed in the media. It's even become an election issue. Parents also have concerns about his all-day kindergarten. Are these children too young for full day? Opponents will argue many of the children already spend long days in daycares, some of which will be similar to junior kindergarten. The lack of structured nap times are troubling some parents, including myself. More concerning is whether or not the children be adequately fueled throughout the day. After seeing Devlin's half-eaten lunch come home yesterday, I think these concerns are justified. He ate the Bearpaw cookies (4), 1 granola bar, a peach, half a bun and NOTHING ELSE! The strawberries were slightly mushy, the carrots remained untouched, the cheese string was now warm but unopened, as was his pepperette. He drank his juice on the way home. I adjusted the contents today to one treat (animal crackers) but kept the fruit content the same. We'll see how that works out. Ceilidh is even a fussier eater, so I'm worried about how she'll do with the food.

But I digress. This post is about Ceilidh's first day and the excitement surrounding it. She woke up with a smile, and hurried to get dressed. Our nanny braided her hair (a talent I sadly lack must rectify considering I have 2 girls) while I rushed to get ready after an early-morning run. Devlin decided the Batman shirt was much cooler than the striped shirt I picked out for him. There was much urging from Daddy to eat their breakfast but again, the excitement was interfering with hunger. We settled for a yogurt drink, and then there was mass confusion as shoes were located, backpacks put on and taken off as jackets had to be worn. Mommy forgot to pack and label the indoor shoes so she went to take care of that while Daddy looked for the camera for the first day photos. Throughout all of this, there was one person who was decidedly not happy. In fact, this little person was very, very upset and the tears started flowing. Poor Aisling. She knew something was up that didn't involve her, and she was beginning to understand that both Ceilidh and Devlin were heading off to school - without her.

This year will bring lots of changes, but none more so than for Aisling. Her playmates will be gone for the majority of the day, so this will be new territory for her.
Along with Aisling's tears, there were teary eyes from both Mommy and Daddy as we escorted her to school. Daddy was fortunate enough to witness Ceilidh's happy chat with her teacher as she showed off her backpack and the contents and her new indoor shoes. So far, so good. No calls from the school.

First Day of Grade One!

Although Devlin went to sleep quite late last night - a combination of late nights at the cottage and excitement over the new school year - he was awake at the slightest nudge this morning. He bounded out of bed, threw on his clothes excitedly and hopped down the stairs for breakfast. Devlin was raring to go.

He was so excited he declared he couldn't finish his breakfast. I coaxed him to at least finish his yogurt drink. When I advised him that I would pick him for lunch, he was very upset. I explained I hadn't gone grocery shopping so I didn't have much. He wanted to eat lunch at school with his friends, like everyone else. So I scrounged around the fridge looking for something suitable to pack into his lunch bag. A couple of pepperettes, string cheese and hot dog bun. Devlin proclaimed it satisfactory. He quickly posed for the obligatory first day of school photos and then urged us to get our shoes on.
And off we went at a brisk pace. Mommy, Daddy, Ceilidh and Devlin. Along the way, we saw many others parents accompanying their children on the first day of school. The school yard was a confusion of bodies - parents with cameras, children running around greeting their classmates, teachers with clipboards checking off student names. We found Devlin's class, met his teacher and escorted him to the back of the line.
"Bye Mommy! Bye Daddy! Bye Ceilidh!" he said as he waved with a smile on his face. One last hug and kiss for mom and dad, and then he followed the line into the building. As I gazed upon my first-born, strutting confidently while hoisting up his backpack, my husband turned to me and asked if I was teary-eyed yet. Not until that moment. He, of course, was wiping away some moisture from his eyes.
Two years ago, it was a different story. There was lots of tears and untangling of little arms from my legs. There was a look of nervous apprehension. I saw none of that today from my first-grader. As I scanned the schoolyard, I did see more than one kindergarten pupil clinging to their parent while sobbing. That was me a mere twenty-four months ago. And then there were the after-school chats and phone calls from the teachers regarding his behaviour. A visit to the vice-principal's office in the first week of junior kindergarten for fighting! That had to be a record. I'll admit that throughout the day, I kept checking our phone, nervously, lest there was a call from the school. It's 25 minutes from dismissal, and I haven't heard anything yet. Let's hope this is a sign of the year to come.
Tomorrow - Ceilidh's first day of (all-day) junior kindergarten!