Ballerina

Ballerina, originally uploaded by audcrane.

Clementine started dance lessons *and* swim lessons this week. Three is a glorious age, when you can start all these things. She is hesitant at both lessons, she wants to stand back and watch, and she just can't. However when push comes to shove (or when her mother gets kicked out of the dance class), she does just fine.

I am trying hard to keep people from calling her 'shy'. Of course there's no reason anyone would think twice about it, but I am more and more aware of how the stories we tell about them affect children. If everyone calls her shy, she is certain to oblige. If we call her a good sleeper, she might oblige there as well. Of course there are limits, but I am trying to focus the words I use to describe her and her actions: generous, kind, loving, gracious, cautious, polite, cooperative, independent, persistent, clever, a good problem-solver, a good big sister.

We have our new (old) nanny back. Since she's in school, our nanny hours have shifted and thrown me completely off. I can't get anything done somehow, no cooking, always late, can't go running, house a mess. I have carefully put together a schedule and really trying to do the whole housewife thing while still working. Of course Ryan does his share too. And yet we simply cannot get it together. I don't know how parents of 2 very young kids with 2 full-time jobs and no help do it -- even this feels simply impossible. Come to think of it, I don't know any parents of 2 very young kids with 2 full-time jobs and no help. Hrm.

The Bolder Boulder

I'm Smiling Because It's Early, originally uploaded by audcrane.

Well, I did it. Ran my first adult athletic event, and a 10k at that. People tell me Ryan and I were very slow, but hey, I finished ahead of 20,000 other people. And I expected to finish a sobbing mess halfway through. So victories all around. Anyone who's reading this knows I'm not an athlete... Ryan came with me and kept me happy and distracted, so the kudos really go to him. Anyone who's reading this knows how hard it is to keep me happy for 90 minutes too...

Clementine started swimming lessons today and dance lessons yesterday. I will post a photo of her ballet outfit. Unbelievably cute. She's also had 2 days of being quite sweet, and I hardly know what to do with myself.

Sisert is waking the last few days at midnight, 2am, 4am, 6am. I am tired. She is also saying, as of today, "Hi". For the record, the first time she ever said it was to the clerk at Payless at about 10:50 this morning. Imagine how many times she'll say that in her life... She had a checkup recently, and is nearly 20 pounds, and has gone from the -3rd percentile to the 5th. Woo hoo!