What's New With My Girls

(Written in August but not published until September)

As mentioned in the last post, both girls are going to Spanish immersion camp in Brooklyn. We just finished the first week. I was shadowing a pediatrician all week so they were doing before-care as well.

Calliope did great but poor Amelie had a rough time with her first drop-off experience ever. She's normally a very outgoing, fearless little girl so I assume it was the lack of transition that made it so hard for her. Poor baby. Each morning she started crying earlier in the journey.

At least on Friday she finally ate some lunch. The rest of the week she refused to eat and barely napped. Poor peanut.

I wanted to remember a few funny things that she says before she outgrows them and I immediately forget them:

• sun screen is "ice cream"
• hot tub is "hot dog"
• when she wants to be picked up she says "hug?" (instead of the more typical "up")
• today she said "Mommy, help on it?" when she wanted me to "turn it on"

And in major Calliope developments... I had to drag her out of the apartment yesterday to go practice bike riding after a month break -- she never wanted to go when I suggested it. There were a lot of tears and some yelling on my part but she finally, finally, rode her bike across the parking lot of a nearby junior high school. I told her one more time and that was it, she could go home. She did it one more time. I cheered for her and told her it was time to go. She mournfully said she wanted to do it again. And again. And then she was riding circles around the parking lot.

Today when I reminded her we were going to practice again she readily agreed... and for the first time ever, actually managed to pedal a little bit on the sidewalk on the way there. She rode around the parking lot joyfully and the whole way home.  I see family bike rides (with Amelie in a baby seat) in our very near future, at last.

So proud of my girl and relieved that my yelling didn't seem to do any permanent damage.

Our embryo recipient, came to visit this weekend. She is 22 weeks pregnant today. She spent some time with Calliope, building a volcano and then making it erupt. Perfect activity for C. Not too far from me but didn't require me, either. I think they really bonded.

Leslie looks radiant. She's 46 but looks much younger. I'm so happy she's growing "Super Baby Cousin" and indirectly growing our family!