Everyday Personality Moments

There are definite personality trends that have taken root in Eva that seem to be constant themes, even as she grows older and her personality tweaks a little through each stage. 

Eva is very tender-hearted and sweet - with her dolls, with me and Peter, and with friends. Quick to hug, cuddle, or curl up in a lap, this little girl is also usually very kindhearted and encouraging. She's been lovingly putting her baby dolls to bed , over and over again, and singing them songs, telling them she loves them, etc. as a new game. She made it up and all the details involved; sometimes it strikes me how much she is already internalizing and/or expressing care for others and an awareness of what love is. 

This photo and video are of a typical play afternoon - this day she wanted to have a picnic with her dolls, where she carefully fed and cared for each baby doll and then put baby Maya to sleep.

Another tender-hearted memory that made me smile today was when we were in the car, and before we even left the garage, Eva was telling me that she liked my hair, she liked driving with me, and she loved me SO MUCH. So I told her that she was very encouraging, and then explained what the word meant. And after she thought about it for awhile, she said that everyone is encouraging, and everyone needs encouraging, and she loved me SO MUCH. :) Well, she kind of got the meaning of the word; halvsies counts, right?

Another trait I see lately is that Eva is very strong, active and a quick learner. She masters every trick at gymnastics near the front of the class, if not first, and is willing to jump/twirl/run/skip/hop the whole class through. She waits in line for the teacher to give her a stamp (reward each kid gets), plays with other kids when they want to and then runs off and starts anther course when it gets slow. She seems to be both pretty independent and careful to listen (usually). Today in class I was noticing that out of the 15 or so kids in her gymnastics class that are of similar age, she was - by far - listening and responding the most consistently to me and to the teacher. I had a little mommy moment of pride when I realized this was really often true week after week in her class - although I think a lot of it is just her wiring, along with some of it is coming from our parenting. (She now also has her front and back rolls, hand stands, and trampolene skills well-honed from this class, btw!)

She also loves most sports or active games we do together. She played t-ball for the first time this weekend with Peter very well, hitting the ball right off the tee over and over and then running to go get it. Today she and I practiced bowling (in the kitchen), and she routinely wants to run/chase, flip and dance, and "hit the ball and run the bases" inside (throw the squishy softball in the playroom and then run from the back to the front of the house for her bases.) She's got the basics of soccer in the backyard down, and lately has been climbing up the wooden climber at the park (5 ft tall) on her own, and up the slippery side of the slide over and over with no problem.  I'm amazed at how strong she is sometimes and how quick to pick things up and respond to learning a new activity.

The third trait I keep seeing her display is her deep empathy and emotive streak. The girl knows when anyone is feeling sad, mad, happy, scared, etc. and will ask me/you/anyone about those feelings!  She started announcing that she was getting sad at around age 1, which I later learned not all kids do. She still tells us and expresses just about every feeling she goes through, having a wide range of looks go across her face and also a fairly wide range of vocab to describe it all (common looks include her frustrated glower with chin down, her frantic flapping arms full of excitement, her wide open eyes and mouth in surprise or surprise, her deep chortle and giggles at all kinds of provocations, her impish nose wrinkle and grin when she's being mischevious, her hand up and waving with wide eyes rationalizing to us what she wants and how it is a good deal, and her all out full body frustration tantrum!)

She also asks us how we are feeling, or if we are having a "discussion" says "What's wrong?" right away as soon as there is any tone shift in the room. If a friend of hers is sad, she will hold his/her hand and say, "It's ok." If we walk by total strangers she can tell are sad or angry or excited, she will ask me what's wrong until I explain what their feeling may be or what caused them. I realized the other day that I was explaining life and meaning to her at a very basic level when we do this exercise. Why is that lady mad mommy? Well, she might be tired because she is working so hard. Why is that man scared mommy? Well, maybe he is worried about that old lady he is with and if she is feeling ok. Why is that little girl crying? Well, she misses her mommy and wants her attention. Why are you sad mommy? Well, it was a hard day and I am just tired honey. You okay mommy - you want a hug? Yeah honey, I am great, give me that hug. How to let her have her feelings but still express them and understand them appropriately, I often wonder? How do we model expressing our emotions and letting others in to help, but also not spilling stuff all the time and and still dealing with what is ours as adults to just deal with? Sometimes we pray together over sad or mad feelings, but its not as often as it should be; I don't think I would notice that unless I was explaining life to another little human being. But now I do notice that.                    
   
When she is excited or happy, she also positively vibrates!  As empathetic as she is to so many negative feelings around her, she is also very developed on the happy side of the spectrum, much to my relief! She jumps up and down over many simple pleasures, like 'new' boots from the thrift store or getting two star barrettes in her hair today instead of just one. When we suggest a fun destination, or tell her great job for cleaning up, or tease her in the middle of a game - her whole face lights up, you can see the wheels turning inside her head, and she jumps full force into whatever the next thing is.   

I am very aware lately of all that I love about this little person and how she shines through these everyday personality moments. She's also still very creative, smart, loves music and movement, people and art projects, has a wild imagination and tries to convince us of things all the time! Taken together, these qualities are forming our little 2.5 year old into a delightful girl who teaches me something every day and challenges me in ways I never knew possible - and that is a beautiful thing to witness. 

Reasons that 2.5 Year Old Eva Cracks Up Her Mom

1. She often pronounces "I love you," as, "I lub you." Still 'bery' heartfelt though.

2. She makes deals with me - in similar fashion to how I sometimes talk to her. Although my deals go like this: "If you eat two bites of veggies, you can have some ice cream - deal?" Her deals go like this: "Oh-KAY, here is a deal, I will watch TEE-vee, not a lot, just a little, and then go to sleep, and then wake up, and then watch TEE-vee, and then we can play together, and then watch TEE-vee - is that a deal?" 

3. When I picked up her cup that had fallen on the floor of the car's back seat, she exclaimed, "Momma, I am SO proud of you!"

4. She dramatically uses the phrases "I promise" (sometimes accurately, often when telling stories about herself), "That is just terrible!" (when trying to type her name and struggling), and "Don't say that!" (when I say no to something.)

5. She tells intricate stories to and with her toys, dolls, and me and her dad - most of the day. Some of them I can track, those that have characters and plot lines - some I can't so much... Regardless of the story arc, her little voice recounting the adventures  of a bunny going to school or a little girl driving with Diego to the grocery store are pretty darn cute - and funny - to overhear. 

6. Am pretty sure she has two imaginary friends, Galla and Holly; sometimes they are her friends, sometimes they are called her sisters, and sometimes she says, "My sister and my brother" - names and person-hood changes are fluid it seems.   

7. She plays a game lately that usually signifies that she wants to held, cuddled, or reassured in some way - I call it the "The baby animal game." It goes something like this: "Momma, are you a momma bumble bee?"  I say, "Yes," so she can say, "I am a baby bumble bee, and I need you to hold me, I hurt my wings, I can't fly." (Then she lays down face on the floor, flapping her "wings" until I pick her up and hold her.) Or another common version of the game is:" Momma, are you a momma polar bear?" "Yes, I am."  "Oh, I am a baby polar bear, I hurt my foot."  This morning it was, "My foot fell off - help me, help me - oh, there it is, silly! It was in the water. Got it! Silly polar bear!"

8. She apologizes at silly times - like when others make a mistake (I drop something and she says, sorry!), or an inanimate object runs into/get run into by/  her (like say, a pole in an aisle at Home Depot, which she runs into and then chuckles, saying, "Oh, sorry pole.")

9. She can tell the story of Lady and the Tramp in a reader book of hers almost word for word; its actually impressive/ little scary how much she knows what detail comes next and in what order. My favorite lines are the repeated ones that Eva retells with exaggerated intonation and smiles. "What's that noise, Lady assssssk-ed." And, "Lady, we are safe and sound, I'm the bravest dog around!" with a rhythmic punctuated thing going on.

10. She dances, a lot, all over our house, in the yard, at stores, while waiting for food at restaurants, etc. Her latest new place to dance is in front of the mirrors on the doors at our new apt. - and she GOES for it, talking and singing to herself, admiring her bad skills pretty happily. :)

11. She pronounces some words really cute - like "a-pot-mint" (apartment) and "wool-pill" (whirpool) - random ones I just heard tonight and remembered as so funny... should remember more later on. 

12. She plays giggle, tickle, hiding and sleeping games with her dad ALL THE TIME. One of her recent ones includes hiding under a towel or blanket, saying "Shh, I am asleep," and then throwing off the cover to exclaim "Surprise! I am not asleep!"

13. She pretends to put us to sleep. Complete with tucking us in bed, kissing us, saying "Good night sweet-art," then closing the door - and a split second later, opening it grandly saying, "What's wrong? What's wrong? Do you need a song?" Then she sings an abbreviated version of one of her favorite nighttime songs, and does the whole routine again, closes the door, and then opens it abruptly again, asking, "What's wrong?" She can do this up to about twenty times if we go along! (Keep in mind that as far as games go, laying in bed while she sings to us and hands out kisses is an okay one to play along with.)

14. She remembers words to songs like its her job; I catch her singing large snippets of Chim-Chiminey, Feed the Birds, Baby Mine, Sesame Street, Jesus Loves Me, Clang went the Trolley, and standards like Twinkle and ABC's at random times. I don't even know that she know these songs until she sings them back to me. (Then I secretly start to think about what songs I better sing more of so that she will know them and repeat them back!)

There are so many more, but I wanted to remember some of these hilarious little quirks that make Eva M our little joy. I am loving this girl's personality and all she teaches and reminds Peter and I about - I can't wait to see how she continues to develop and entertain us with her sweet, funny, emotive and larger the life expressions!       

Second Half of Summer Pics...

FYI family, our smugmug account is finally caught up on most of our summer fun. (And I also have two great videos of Eva from this week, but am still having trouble loading videos on here. It did work on facebook, however, so I am still exploring how to easily share videos with you all...)

So below are a few of my favorite photos that recently got loaded online - reminding me of what a rich and fun summer we've had this year! 2 1/2 is the perfect age for experiencing the simple joys of summer I've decided. :) Eva LOVED it all.

A 23 month old....

...now lives at our house! Eva has become a funny, talkative, opinionated but easy-going, cute and smart little person. Each day I realize more and more how much of an independent personality we now have in our toddler. Her latest favorite activities include playing with her fisher price toys, in her tent, talking with Elmo, reading (by herself or to her animals), rocking her babies, and pretending to do anything along with me/Peter. She's also developed a definite goofy side - she will tickle us, surprise us under the covers, and cover her face in a smirk pretty often. She also sings along to a handful of songs, including Halo and I Could Have Danced All Night (from Glee), and old faves like Frosty, Jingle Bells, Baby Mine, the Alphabet, and Jesus Loves Me.





I am often surprised by how many words she knows, including concepts, feelings, and memories about people or events. She is especially into animals, shapes, the snow, music, dancing, moving and tumbling, and chicken nuggets lately :). Not bad for an almost two year old!

More Highlight Photo Collages from 2009

Below are a few more collages summarizing the past year for me. These are mainly from events that were too significant - and we had too many cute photos - for me to cut down and only splice into the seasonal summary collages. Most of these event collages revolve around a new little person in our family (I know, surprising, right?) So - in addition to the previously posted seasonal summaries, the following collages show Eva's first Christmas ('08), first birthday party, one-year-old photo shoot, and her baptism. I love to look over these again and remember each of these big events from our past year... we some amazing memories.  

Good Bye 2009....

Happy New Year Everyone!

After some tastey homeade liquers to celebrate, and recovering from getting our car towed tonight from Lake Shore Drive (bad alternator cut short our downtown drive/sightseeing stops), I started slowing down to reflect some on this past year. It's been a year full of changes and also waiting for change; full of the same everyday and small things right along with the unique and deeply significant events. It's been a complicated year in some ways - but also a very simple one. I think I am ready for 2010, ready to welcome whatever is next.

I've been loving making collages of my fave photos lately, since the visual connection of where we've been and what has happened helps me remember and organize (at least some of) the random thoughts in my head. I find myself looking back at the collages when I can't remember when something happened, or where the time went. So here is our past year in photo review form. :)  2010 - here we come!

Winter 2009:  (photo above) New yrs at our apt, wedding, mtng Linley/Ando/Wyatt, midwinter Sankofa reunion, trip to FL to lead conference, helmet was finished!, a gets very chattery and expressive

Spring 2009: weddings!! fun with family and visits, Izey turns 2, Eva starts to walk, Tim and Megs leave :(

Summer 2009: traveling to the cabin/MN/MI/Door County/all over, discovering stickers and the deck, started house hunting, saw cousin Sarah and visiting godparents, Eva's first sprinkler and paint set, OPRAH!

 Fall 2009: trip to Thailand, fall fun, visits with fam, more Lincoln Park Zoo/Children's museum, Ando's dedication, seeing Eva turn into a comedic little toddler!

Thailand Part 4 - Koh Chang

Koh Chang: Island Chillin, Jamaican Pool, and "The Motorbiking Incident"
Left the north to head for the islands on the east coast via plane, bus and ferry from Trat to Koh Chang (elephant island.) Trekked up the hillside late at night and found "Little Eden" - great low-cost bungalows, main cathedral-ceiling hang-out house, yummy food and nice English/Thai host couple. Beautiful windy roads for motorbiking, up and down gravel roads, to end of the path stream, and late night billiards at Jamaican bar we had all to ourselves. Explored windy roads and switchback by motorbike again, found the end of the road/stream south of our town by bike, while researching new place to stay overnight, I had my bike-wipe out (super girl-style - flying over the handlebars and grazing the whole front right side of my torso). I hit wet sand that grabbed my rear wheel while turning. Got to pour rubbing alcohol on the bleeding flesh on my arm and hands. Then doused myself/wound in salty ocean water at our new beach front resort. Can't stop listening to Colbie Caillet here on the laid-back beach, a mix of grown-up hippies and artsy, Door County-like craftspeople. Love it.

Koh Chang: Snorkeling, Fishing and Boating
Explored port city and docks with restaurants, shopping and see-through into the ocean tables. Got adorable flowered skirt for Eva on the docks, reminded of how ready I am to see her again! Rented our own carved wooden Thai fishing boat for the day, left in pouring rain to get to the pier (although minus a very sick Jed :(. ) After drying out in the sun, snorkeled in aqua-perfect waters on top of magical coral and striped exotic fish; then later in the day deep-sea fishing started, at about the same time my sea-sickness started. Meghan - of course - caught fish, & guys caught some too, and I spent several hours in framed middle of ship watching for the horizon before performing an impressive second-story vomit into the water. Freshly-caught grilled fish for supper on the boat, or Tums - whatever works.

Koh Chang: Memorable Last Days
Cards at night, pineapple smoothies, and big french doors wih geckos on the ceiling here at this resort. Enjoy our own little beach, porch swing, and conversations about going back to real life after a vacation. Talk about not being afraid - fearless - how to hang onto the space and rest of this vacation away. Enjoy amazing crab, mussels, prawns, scallops, and more at fresh fish house out on the dock - talk with fun waitress there. 4 of us went with Tim to get his bamboo tattoo at Yo's - one of the coolest nights for me by far. Seeing how my brother was so excited, present, and gracious while having ink jammed into his upper arm - and learning about the Thai phrase he chose to have done: it means "finish well," or if its hard you can do it, work hard and you will complete it. :) Very appropriate and powerful. Oh - and saw cute little street puppies all over - decided Megs should get one.  Last thing I experienced in Thailand was a traditional massage by this spry older woman who did amazing work on every muscle in my body. A-Ma-Zing. Then saw Peter get a shortened massage and somehow she was picking his entire body up on her knees using just the torque of her (80 lb) body leaning back on her heels. Unreal.

Home
Leaving Tim and Megs after spending two weeks together felt strange - but knowing they were heading to our country shortly definitely helped. We all were at various stages of being wiped out/not feeling great on the flights home (three flights, to be exact), but played cards in the airport, packed my trusty Mentos (to fight off travel sickness), and I finished reading several books that felt right at home in the east (The Monkey and the Fish - by Gibbons, and The Centered Life - by Fortin.) Journaled much of my way back home, while listening to Fearless and Imogen Heap on repeat most of the way home.  Felt very aware of how when you travel, you see your own life - your own normal - differently, and it's a gift. Also was very aware that while breaks from stress and routine are so necessary, they do not solve the stress or questions waiting for me. Ready to jump back in, tackle and see things for what they are, for who I am, and work at taking some lessons learned from Tim/Megs/Thai culture back into my 'normal.' Am freshly aware of what expectations and rules are in my life - want to look at those more closely now. Also need to research buying a motorbike and what kind of tattoo to get. Stat. :)   

Thailand Part 3 - Chiang Mai

Chiang Mai: Motorbiking Up the Mountain Day

Loved our time in Chiang Mai - felt like a relatively big city with cool blend of industry/culture surrounded by countryside. Rented motorbikes for the first time and LOVED the first day speeding around the 8-lane city loop, climbing the mountainside on switchbacks to Wat Doi Sep, then motoring to a series of waterfalls and finally taking my own morning spin (24 hours for a 100cc motorbike cost just 200 baht = $6.00!) The mountain-top Wat was amazing - many people worshipping here. Torrential rain storm forced another afternoon break and slower pace while descending the wet curvy roads.Could feel a noticeable temperature drop as we leaned into turns heading down the mountain through fresh green countryside... beautiful, even though my helmet was an aquarium! Got Eva and other kiddo gifts at this temple bazaar. Also biked outside the city and into the evening to the state park with 10 waterfalls and damp, slippery rock trails. Good, good day.  

Chaing Mai: Flight of the Gibbon & Cooking Class Day
Peter, Josh, Tim and Megs spent the day flying through the jungle canopy - 100 ft or so above the ground! Saw gibbons, heard 'feet up' all day, and got back exhausted after all the zip-lines! I discovered the beauty of skyping Eva from our guesthouse's garden breakfast terrace and sleeping in :). Jed and I met Kenny from Bethel for lunch - small world thanks to fb! That night Jed, Peter and I took our cooking class at Asia Scenic Thai Cooking school - who knew we could make curry and stir-fried dishes! Learned about a 'bomb in your mouth' from our funny teacher and heard about RSA current politics from classmates. Shopped legendary night market - started the beauty of bargaining.

Chiang Mai: Up on an Elephant Day & My Down Day

I purposely carved out a day of "not doing" for myself - the rest of the crew took another jungle trek, this time riding on elephants up and down muddy hillsides, taking a bamboo raft, and visiting a native hill tribe village. I enjoyed the bliss of doing nothing, thinking, writing, reading, and spending a loung-ie afternoon at 'Love at First Bite' cafe - misty fans blowing in the palm trees as American 60's musak played around me and Thai couples of all ages ate quiche and cheesecake. :)

Thailand Part 2 - Sukhothai Highlights

Sukhothai: Train Rides and At Home
I loved the long travel days on the train from Bangkok to Sukhothai, and then from Sukhothai farther north to Chiang Mai. Saw the view of big cities change to outlying slums, then grasslands change to fields, then on to hills and mountains with lush vines all over and a misty sunset. Caught up with people while chugging further and further north, learned to not eat the sweet rolls served (they had a surprise black-bean-something in the middle), and read "The Shack" and talked through it forever with Megs. Listened to Imogen's "First Train Home" song, appropriately, and realized I had gone several hours in a row without thinking about Eva, for the first time on the trip. :)

We also found an amazing guesthouse, rightly named 'At Home' - and settled into teak-studded rooms with screens and shutters over big open windows, then had amazing dinners downstairs in Swiss Family Robinson-like open air family room. Singha, cards, Dreamgirls on the big screen TV, and my first taste of Massaman curry... what a place!

Sukhothai: Biking the Ruins
Had a GREAT day in the old capital of Thailand/Siam that is now home to vast acres of temple ruins and remaining statuesque buddhas. Took turns taking pictures of amazing sights - and taking pictures of each other taking pictures. :) Started being able to interact a little more with the local population, saw other people visiting the ruins from all over Asia, admiring families who gathered to worship and give offerings. Laughed at - I mean helped - Meghan when her tire on our already-low old bikes blew out.

Thailand Part I - Bangkok

In honor of Tim and Megs being back home, and since the time is already flying by... I wanted to make sure to capture some of my own mental highlights from our fab trip to Thailand last month. I know I can't remember all the details about our adventure, but between notes we took, photos, my ipod playlist and lingering impressions, I feel like I can hold on to some of the highlights from each stage of the journey. The following posts are just a few photos/experiences/songs that summed up the our trip for me, done in segments. This first post starts off with the first leg of our two-week trip:

Bangkok: Arrival
Arrived at 1 am, got off the plane on the tarmack while listening to "I Gotta Feeling" and grinning, then took crazy cab ride straight to Ko Sahn Road. "Angels" from West Wing soundtrack was playing as we 'descended' into the main streets of Bangkok and got off the highway - so appropriate. Reminded me of Burnout Revenge East Coast driving map...in some ways. :)  Learned to throw toilet paper in the garbage can and shower with everything else outside the bathroom door. Learned that one is capable of sweating even more than previously thought was possible. (Above photo is of our crew together our first night on the town in Bangkok: L-R is Tim, Jed, Peter, Liz, Josh, and Meghan - which includes two sets of siblings, two best friends, two serious camera geekheads, two married couples, five Minnesotans at heart, one Iowan for now, one Michigander, and two Chicagoans!)

Bangkok: Daytime
Saw the familiar stomping grounds for Tim and Meghan's weekends; ate at 'their' breakfast place. Whirlwind day seeing the Grand Palace/related museums/few big Wats downtown, then sitting & talking during an afternoon rainstorm about life and our futures and relationships and expectations and... life. Got street vendor Pad Thai, our first bucket, and shopped along the side streets with Megs. Bargained for fisherman pants before hitting "The Club" and soaking up the air-conditioned internet cafe that charged 1 baht per minute (roughly $2.00 an hour.)

Bangkok: Departure
Packed up for our train ride north to Sukhothai. Had real coffee in upstairs of train station while watching crazy Thai sitcom. Ran back and forth finding right train but had super helpful attendants help us out. Leaving Bangkok I realized I was feeling kind of sad - about the three year olds I had seen running around everywhere at 1:00am, the street people covering the corners just down the block from the clubs, and the fairly visible sex-trade industry that defines the party side of Bangkok. Beautiful country so far - but also complicated.