A quick holiday update from the Shoyces. We celebrated Christmas three days ago, as a family of four, with cameos from the Joyces via Zoom. COVID continues its rampage across the country as the first doses of vaccine trickle out to health care workers. We visited two holiday lights displays, a walk through and a drive through; constructed and decorated a gingerbread village; baked ninja-bread and rainbow sprinkle cookies; sipped cocoa with the fixins by the fireplace; decked the halls; and watched The Polar Express one weekday afternoon.
This could have seemed forced, given that these were all items on a winter bucket list I crafted weeks ahead of time, but fortunately, E & M infused the magic of the season into each activity. E was particularly enthralled by both holiday lights displays, with sugar-related baking and decorating activities close behind. M loved snatching decorations from the tree, maiming some and attempting to eat others, but always with a jubilant spirit. We met up with Grandma and Grandpa at a sheltered pavillion in Bull Run Regional Park the morning Christmas Eve; despite chilly and rainy weather, we danced to holiday tunes, played freeze dance and an awkwardly executed (by me) holiday-themed game of Simon Says. I am tremendously grateful for the strength of the ties that bind us, and the joy and comfort we have brought each other throughout this unusual year.
A few brief updates about the children themselves. Sending E back to school was like flipping a switch. There were moments of adjustment anxiety but the transition was overwhelmingly positive. Our girl is back. She expresses a preference for being at home but overall seems so much more comfortable at home when she always has a life and a community at school. There was no substitute for playground banter with her own friends, supportive relationships with other caring adults, and the structure and challenges that school brings. She surprises us continuously with her keen observations and her skill at articulating complex concepts. She loves glitter pens and remains obsessed with her Peppa Pig stuffie, a constant companion who leaves her side only for school. We have a running gag that Peppa, whose full name is Pepparius Peppa Pig, sleeps in my office while E is at school, disrupting my concentration with her noisy snoring. She loves pretend play, whether pouring tea for Peppa or serving pretend ice cream to us, and her enthusiasm about organized activities, like soccer, is hit-or-miss. She comes by that honestly.
M's language skills improve by the day, in a very gradual sense. I may finally realize, for example, that he has been saying for days, "It's sunny," when he points out the window -- toddlers are not known for their perfect enunciation! He is an excellent mimic, and still seems less than concerned about complete precision with language. For example, he frequently calls both Nitin and I "Mommy-Daddy" and generally answers our questions about sounds that animals make with "meow," regardless of which animal we were asking about. I get the sense that he is plenty intelligent but prefers this type of playful communication. I asked him to bring me a toy teapot the other day and he dug it out from under the couch without hesitation, which suggests that he can demonstrate receptive language skills when he feels like it! We compare him to a puppy pretty frequently; he loves to drape himself across people, drape Zoe's harness over his shoulders, and chew. He also pants like a dog on command. He has made some progress in learning to count, also, but he always starts at the number three! He loves to play, he loves to laugh, and he bops around to the beat of his own music.
We're pretty smitten with both of them! And excited to see what 2021 will bring.
P.S. Another little milestone -- first time wearing overnight underwear on 12/19 for Ellie, and so far, so good!
Ellie Quotes
Ellie as Secretary
Bridget: do you have any calls this afternoon?
Nitin: none at the moment?
