walking now... walking then

Eliana is officially walking!

Both the girls were 'late walkers' according to the norm. My theory is that the little ones seem to get their balance sooner and that the taller ones tend to take a little longer. In my case, it means delaying how soon I have to be up and running after the little go-getters!

It's funny to me that both girls seemed to need some kind of incentive to get them walking. For Maia, it was the roller coaster we borrowed from the toy bus that put her over the edge. Crazy first time parents. We set up the thing to roll down the incline from the kitchen to the living room and basically crash into the soft couch. Maia loved it so much she couldn't wait to repeat the fun and started walking herself back to the top when we weren't quick enough on the draw. Here's a little trip down memory lane. (Warning: Like I said, it will make us look like crazy parents!)

And for Eliana, she has her big sis to thank in part. We have a little toy car with a tall back that Maia decided would be fun for Eliana to hold onto. It totally worked. At first, Maia would push with her feet while Ellie hung on and walked behind at Maia's pace. But as of this week, Eliana does all the pushing and Maia puts her feet up and enjoys the ride. I think this has helped boost Ellie's confidence and last week she started taking a few steps on her own. Now she can make it almost all the way across a room without falling.

Anyone else ever wish they could freeze time?

one last camping hurrah

Tim had really been hoping for one more overnight in a tent on his day off before it was too late in the season to camp with the girls. With the forecast being a low of about 3 degrees at night, we hesitated, but in the end it was worth the effort and the late night chill. The chance to be out in the quiet, in the beauty and simplicity of nature -- it's good for our hearts and minds.

It's no wonder Lake Huron sunsets are rated among the top in the world. The sunsets here are delicious. I chased my camera-shy 4-year-old with the lens on our sunset walk on the beach at Point Farms...

Maia insisted on taking a picture of us in return. This proved a challenge.

After half a dozen, she snapped a good one! (Yes, I was donning mittens and a winter hat. It probably looks dramatic but I love to be toasty in the evening.)

Eliana is still so content to ride on our backs. Daddy's getting pretty handy with the mei tai.

Have I mentioned that Eliana is now walking? She's taking a half dozen or more steps on her own... at last! As for talking, it hasn't slowed. Her sweetest new word is "honeys", which refers to her favourite book: a story about Pooh bear following the honey bees to track down more honey.

I am so thankful for my three honeys....

on letting go

This photo was taken at our visit to the classroom two weeks ago.

Maia's new teacher (who is both wonderfully experienced and passionate)

helped her find the letters for her name to put on the overhead projector.

Today marks the first big 'letting go' for me as a mom. Armed with a belly full of blueberry pancakes, a pink polka-dot backpack, two lunches, indoor shoes and an almost undetectable smidge of reservation, my four year old 'baby' went eagerly off to her first day of Junior Kindergarten this morning.

Maia and I walked our two blocks to the school together with the neighbour kids who are so eager and sweet, and have been chomping at the bit to escort her and show her the ropes at her new school. She had an extra bounce in her step as she led the way on the sidewalk. No reassurance needed. A few older kids went out of their way to excitedly welcome her on arrival, knowing it was her first day (including a grade 8 boy -- such great kids!). We had our little goodbye smooch. She also put up with my momentary photo request. I thought I might get away without tears as she bounced off, but then -- silly me -- I decided to stand at the playground's edge and watch her walk away on the school yard instead of turning for home right away. And that's when the emotions caught up with me.

So big... yet so little. So ready for school... and yet so naive about how cruel the world can be. And of course, as a mom, sending your kid off for a full six hours into the hands of others (even if they are wonderful, competant, caring adults... as I understand they are) feels like sending her off into the 'big, bad world'! You know, it's a strange combination: wanting to prepare your own to walk confidently and bravely in the world, and simultaneously wanting to shelter them from the harm you know will inevitably come. It certainly helped that she was so eager to go. Goodness -- how do parents do this when their kids don't want to go on the first day!?

For me, the experience is compounded by knowing that after having this precious girl under my wing for four years, she's now going to go off for a whole day only to return and not tell me everything. Ha!

At Heart to Heart this morning, a few friends confirmed that it does get easier after the first. Phew. But then two older friends also reassured me that sending their kids off to highschool.... and then college.... felt like a very similar, heart-bending 'letting go' for them. Ah, the roller coaster we sign up for when we become mothers!

My mom told me this week that she can still see in her mind's eye the day she watched me and my skinny little legs head off for my first day of school with my own big backpack. She said in those days, moms didn't walk their kids to school. Once they knew the way -- even at the earliest age -- they would let them walk on their own without any thought of danger. How the times have changed. I have a whole new appreciation for all the 'leaving' I did throughout the years, when I gave almost no thought to what it was like for my parents to see me head off on some new adventure (Kindgergarten, highschool, university, work terms in various cities, the Yukon, France...). Thanks, mom and dad. You did it so graciously that I didn't even know it wasn't all about me! :)

Four years is so much time... and yet rather like the blink of an eye. I'm thankful for this first chapter with this precious gift of God called Maia. And today begins a new chapter. I confess I am looking forward to the opportunity to run errands with one kiddo again, and to have a couple of hours each afternoon that she's at school to work on my music and such. (More on the upcoming changes in that part of my life another day...)

I'll comment below to let you curious cats know what she reports back when I pick her up in a half an hour!

happy (chatty) ellie

Eliana is still not walking. But boy, is she talking.

I've lost count of all the words now. There must be close to thirty all of a sudden. Yesterday we added "bath" (the clear TH surprised me). Today, Tim tells me that she added the words "honey" and "hug" while I was out teaching. (Can't be gone for even four hours, can I!?)

We've been hearing a lot of requests for "bubbles" and "apples" and "cookies" (a LOT of requests for cookies, though few given) and "Maia" and "walking". Of course, "walking" to her still means "hold both my hands while I whip around the room with glee."

But the word that tickles my insides the most is when she randomly declares, "Happy." It started when I went to pick her up from her nap a few weeks ago. Her face lit up as usual when I entered the room, but then she decided to also articulate how it made her feel about the prospect of being picked up: "Happy!" Talk about melting a mother's heart. Ever since, she's been using it at random moments just to let us know when she is especially content. Don't you just love that?

Today at lunch, she started talking about one of her favourite people and how she feels when she sees him. I'll let you see for yourself.

And to think that before motherhood, I used to think kids didn't communicate much for the first couple of years.... !

one last tri

Yesterday we spent some time at Tim's sister Tanya's place with the six little cousins on that side (more on that to come) and spent the night in Guelph before Tim's last triathlon of the season.

It's fun being Tim's cheering section these days. After all the training he's put in for Ironman this year, he's no slowpoke and it's exciting to see him haulin' it on the course, leaving nothing behind. He had a great day at Guelph Lake II today. My favourite moment was when Tim took the time to cross the finish line with both Maia and Ellie. That was a first. I managed to capture it on video... though it appears rather like a dream. The whole thing is completely blurry -- not sure why since that's never happened before -- but still hilarious to watch. Listen for the screaming. Watch as the camera gets dropped at my side so I can hand the littlest Doh over to her dad. Watch for the dangling legs. And listen for Kevin, the announcer, who I think got as much of a kick out of it as the rest of us.





We're a little sad that the tri season is behind us now. Especially when we don't know what next year will hold with our family being on sabbatical for the months that would normally be Timmer's highest volume training months (Feb-May). So we're not sure he'll be tri-ing it next summer. Everything has its season... We're thankful for this season of inspiration and able-bodiedness (is that a word?) to be able to take part in this kind of stuff. (Yeah. I write that like I take part physically... me, who was brazenly downing a donut with the girls while watching people's heart rates explode on the uphill run of the swim-to-bike transition.)




Earlier this summer, I thought that our post-Ironman tri experiences might lose their colour in comparison, but that's absolutely not been the case. Even today, I found myself tearing up as I watched people of all ages and levels of fitness conquer the course. I cheer for just about everybody... and unashamedly now more than ever, even when the crowd around me is just quietly waiting for a familar face. I cheer most especially for those who are clearly struggling. Each one has a story behind the struggle. I'd love to know them all.

If you haven't experienced triathlon spectating before, you'll have to invite yourself along one of these days. I never tire of watching people lay it all out there on the course. I guess it reminds me of how I want to live my life: to spend it all well and have nothing left.