Hendrik
These days, Hendrik spends more time on his head than he does on his feet; he's our upside down jellyfish. Headstands on the couch on the floor in the chair on the futon on our bed in the window - he likes being up-side-down. He likes doing things he's not supposed to do - run on the couch, throw blocks, cars, his placemat (/everything) and steamroll and knee-slam his sister; and he also likes not doing things he is supposed to do - listen, go to bed when we tell him to etc. So yeah, he's pretty on cue for a two-year old. He throws tantrums sometimes, but usually just when he's a tired sack o potatoes, and sometimes he's kind and affectionate with Alana - but this is definitely the exception to the norm. His favourite toys are cars cars cars, and he's still super into books (current faves are Earl the Squirrel
and Blueberries for Sal
). Potty training is going well, and this is, in large part we believe, thanks to Franklin. We switched up our rewards system from potty charts and cars to right-away watch a Franklin or get iPad time, and it seems to be working. Sure, there are some spills and lumps from time to time, but more often than not it is all ending up where it should - in le toilet. Que mas que mas what else... the kid is starting to show his competitive colours - if he's dawdling to get out of the house (which is every time we want to leave the house) and you throw in a "who'll get there first!?", he's all over it, with a fast-footed flash to the door. We are both aware that we're setting ourselves up for some trouble once Alana is big enough to get in on this game, but we just think it's one of those inevitable things, no? He has a new blanket that is pretty much the best blanket a two-year old could ask for: trains on one side and construction vehicles on the other, complete with "HLB Construction" (Hendrik Lawrence Brinkman) sewn right into both a front-end loader and a dump truck. It's a Grandma B original, and let's hope it keeps him under wraps in sleepville for a solid night tonight; that's been a bit up and down too, the quality of his - and our - sleeps. Okay, onwards. |
| a rare, but very lovely moment |
Alana
Alana - our growing girl! We can't believe she'll be one in a week. Well, we can and we can't - it seems like she's been around forever, even though she was just a big bean in my big belly at this time last year. Her favourite things to do are eat, woof like a dog (she was woofing at a women's bag this afternoon while we lunched... very entertaining) and... chew on things? She likes motoring around on all fours still, even though she is capable of cruising on two; she can stand by herself for several seconds at a time and has stood up from a crouch-down toute seule, but I think these are things that she does without thinking about them, and mindful actions in these departments will take a bit longer to show up. New words include a baby version of ball ("bah") and a sometimes "mama"; it's not her go-to (woof is), but she knows what it means and will use it from time to time. She's in bed between 7:30 and 8:00 and usually sleeps until 5:30-6:00; then, I'll feed her and put her back to bed until she wakes between 7:30 and 8:00. However, since I'm trying to drop the last two feeds (a morning and a night), I took the opportunity this morning, after a night of no wake-ups and a 6:20 start to the day, to skip right to pancakes. She didn't seem to mind, so we'll see how things go tonight (and tomorrow morning). She is also into books (indoctrination!!) and her faves are The House in the Night
, A Book of Sleep
and two Martine Perrin books (Look Who's There! and What Do You See?
). She'll also check things out on her own (books, toys), which I love. 
Me
Gulp... I am running a half-marathon in one week. One week! And no, I have not been training. I have been running two sometimes three times a week, with my longest log-in being 10km. Ak. Twenty-one is going to be painful, but I'll do my best. All I want out of this business is to finish the thing and if pain intercedes and I can't do it, then so be it. I started The Paris Wife
this afternoon (while everyone else was doing what I have no idea) and it is so far so so so so good. I can't wait to read it after I get this blog posted. Mmmmmm what else can I say about myself.... hmph. Someone posted a link on facebook to this hilarious article, and it kinda makes me want to get pregnant again just so I can act on some of this advice. Heh, just kidding Steve....
Steve
Is home and not in Europe. It's bad news and good news, all wrapped up together. It means he gets to be home with us instead of doing the same hotel-drive--gym-drive-hotel circuit thing in what could be any city in any country in the world, which is really not all that much fun. However, it kind of means that he'll be off the roster for the NORCECA tournament that is coming up in September in Langley, and it would have been nice for him to play there - I'm sure family and friends would (and will anyways) come out to support him and the team. So yeah, he still has to be around for some training in the next few weeks, but has been dealt an extra-long long weekend coming up here, so we'll likely head to the cottage for a few days. There's still no word on a contract for this fall, so that's a waiting game too. If nothing comes up, he'll join me and the kids in Vancouver in late-ish September for my best friend's wedding and a family get-together.
I don't think I missed too much, and anyways, I need to shower and (read and) go to bed. The kids were up early today, to bed early today, and will likely be up in the night and/or at the crack of dawn. Until next time!
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