Mia's New Baby Doll

Or so she seems to think...

I've said before that Mia is my "little mommy". The novelty of baby Pierce has not worn off and she still wants to do everything for him. I'm trying not to discourage her helpful, nurturing spirit, but it's a little scary when you turn your back and then find Mia has dragged the baby from his carseat, wrapped him head to toe in three blankets and is trying to feed him tap water she got from the sink in the bathroom....

Good Night

I love my rocking chair. It's not much to look at, but I love rocking and watching my babies go to sleep. And once the sisterly giggling, chatting and arguing has ceased...

This is what I look forward to. Sure, it's just sparkling cider and the girl's bath toys fall in the tub every time I move - but it's quiet and relaxing just the same. Good night!

Strong Leadership Skills

This is how we describe that part of Ali's personality that is intense, particular, bossy and slightly over-bearing. This is the part that made the "terrible twos" really terrible. Now that she's five, it's a little easier to deal with. Usually. Take, for example, this afternoon at the park... Ali manages to gather a group of about ten playmates ranging in age from three to seven and instruct every aspect of their play for about 45 minutes. She had them lining up along the see-saw, boys this side, girls this side - "Okay, okay, now you move and come over here. You sit here. This is what we're going to do." Then sitting along the play equipment - "Girls sit on the benches, boys sit on the floor. We're going to play the quiet game. I need everybody to sit very quietly, nobody talks." What astounds me is that they listen to her! For 45 minutes!! I finally had to call her off and ask her to just let the kids play whatever they want without instruction when I noticed the other parents looking around the playground like, "who does this child belong to??" Joe and I say that with the right guidance, she is going to be president of something.

And here's a Kindergarten update - Ali is doing fabulously. She finishes a week's worth of homework in 20 minutes and has no trouble staying focused. She is expected to finish five lists of "sight words" by the end of the year and she is on list three already! And tonight we began to read a couple little booklets her teacher sent home expecting Ali to take a couple weeks to learn them - and she read them without mistakes the first time! Not bad for the class's youngest student, eh?

What Is That?!

Yesterday while cuddling in Daddy's big chair, both girls felt "Baby Sister" kicking and moving about. Ali just smiled and giggled and said, "well, maybe she likes soccer too!". Mia cautiously peeked under my shirt to see what was moving around like that and then with her face right next to my belly she shouted, "Come out Baby Shishter, come out!!"

I understand her impatience. We'll give that instruction another try in about 15 weeks.