L continues to be her own person. Perhaps I don’t spend enough time around three-year-olds. I have to admit my idea of what a typical three-year-old is is based on scant evidence. Last week, we headed to the park Thursday morning to meet a friend and her daughter of the same age. There was a school class there for some reason, and they were swarming all over the play structure. L’s little friend was un-intimidated, but L did not want to tangle with all the rough and tumble kids and preferred to simply stand and watch. There was a spray park there as well, but L does not like to risk getting sprayed by water. Half the time when we go to the park, L will do very well in the sense that she will run (or walk at least) around and play on the various play structures. Other times, however, she just opts out.
Friday, we headed to the pool, and once again L’s approach to life and its difference from that of the other kids of similar age was on full display. I have learned when we go to the pool to leave L alone for at least ten minutes, sometimes fifteen. That is the length of time she prefers to sit on the pool steps and gradually get used to the water. She’ll spend at least five minutes sitting on the first step, then gradually move the second step and so on. After the full warming up period, I’ll encourage her to move around the pool a bit. We stay in the young kids’ area of the pool. It varies from 2 to 2.5 feet, and she can stand up throughout. Anyway, usually she can be enticed to walk along the wall and jump, maybe try and kick her feet and just move around the water a bit. Last time we were there, she was willing to walk around the pool a little without holding onto me, but this time, she didn’t want to walk across the pool even holding my hand. I have to admit I was a little disheartened, wondering if she would ever learn to swim. She is such a little sweetie. She tries so hard and wants so much to please, but not at the expense of her personal safety nor at the risk of water in her eyes.
We checked out Ferdinand from the library last week, and I think it may be my new favorite book simply because L reminds me very much of Ferdinand the bull and vice versa. She prefers to sit and smell the flowers. It’s really a lovely book. I recommend it. (Beware if you decide to buy on Amazon; the first result that pops up is an abridged edition.)
L continues to be an enthusiastic reader, to put it mildly. On an average day, she must look through dozens of books. Her favorite activity by far is to look through her books and then cart them throughout the house. She pages through them, piles them up, “reads” them, opens them and stands them up. My favorite, of course, is when she reads them aloud. She hasn’t shown much interest in the alphabet, but I prefer her original version of the stories anyway.
We’ve been taking advantage of the beautiful weather lately, and we go to local beach parks frequently. One benefit of our move last summer is that we now live quite close to Lake Washington. Our favorite outdoor outing is a local park, New.castle Beach Park on the lake. It features a flat paved path, maybe 1/3rd of a mile, and we’ll go around a couple times with L on her trike or scooter. Lately, she loves to play in the sand. It is frankly exhausting to try and manage a 9 month old in the sand while making sure L is safe (given the proximity of water), but L loves it, so we’ll usually spend half an hour or so at least on the beach. L is very into making channels from the water inland.
It’s a good life. The days are exhausting, but I try and realize the pleasure in everyday life – in our little outings to the park or the library or even the grocery store, in lunches and baths, in cuddling with B when she nurses. I honestly enjoy cooking in the evenings most of the time (and H does the cleanup), and of course, I enjoy my quilting in the evenings as well. I’m starting a new long-term project, but more on that later.
