Hi,
And just like that, it is nearly the end of April! Our December/January trip to South Carolina still feels recent, but it's five months have already flown by. As the kids grow, time seems to pass ever more quickly, perhaps in part because our lives are jam-packed these days. And so I am giving myself credit just for "showing up" to document how life has been recently--with no pressure to write eloquently, or write a lot, lest even these short posts stop happening!
Nitin is still at Shopify -- he hit the one-year mark recently and shows no sign of heading for the hills, which is notable. I am still settling into my new position in OCR, and feeling a push and pull between my work life and the rest of my life, including and especially family time. We've had packed first quarter of the year -- a couple of highlights include a trip to DC for enchiladas and time at the zoo in January, two trips to the Kennedy Center (for 123 Andres, a bilingual musical performer, and a Mo Willems opera), kajillions of birthday parties, Covid (in February, more of a lowlight, but managable), visiting a dozen baby pigs at Frying Pan Park, and a whole bunch of work travel for Nitin in March! We also headed to Charlottesville/Shenandoah for Spring break in April and enjoyed ice cream on the downtown mall, pineapple pizza, hiking to a waterfall, and the C'ville kids museum, with an awesome house in the woods as our home base.
And the kids are alright, as they say. Ellie has settled into kindergarten with more ease since January. We have experimented with different ways of doing things -- we have switched off so that Nitin handles dropping both kids off, and I handle picking both kids up. We finally realized in January that extended day was the most taxing and fraught part of Ellie's day -- her people energy was depleted by 3:50, and the last hour or two of time in a less structured setting led to memorable incidents -- kissing a friend, scratching a boy who was taunting her -- that caused us to realize she needed time at home instead. I placed her on a waiting list for several therapists in January, for a little help with processing the new stressors of kindergarten -- and, we're still waiting! But the good news is that a shorter school days helped a lot. She spends Tuesdays and Fridays with Nani, Wednesdays with a high school babysitter named Kaitlyn, and Mondays and Thursdays just doing her own thing at home. We've seen her reading skills grow by leaps and bounds -- fine, fine, I'll admit that we're drilling her with flashcards, but if it works, it works -- and we've seen her confidence grow in tandem. In the wake of playground dramas, especially with a group of boy friends who run hot and cold on Ellie, we've had lots of conversations about being a kind friend and picking friends who are kind to us. We're proud of Ellie for meeting with the school counselor once a week as part of a small group that works on building social skills and confidence together. Ellie is still taking ballet with her CCCC buddy, W, seeing CCCC friends at birthday parties and playdates, excelling in swimming lessons, and enjoying being part of a girl scout troop for the first time! The wheels are always turning in her sharp mind and we love spending time with her. She's thoughtful, kind, and a great big sister. She continues to love art, and in shows in her beautiful masterpieces. She's really enjoying music this year, also. We're down to the last nine weeks of the school year, and she's got a fun calendar lined up for summer -- with camps focused on music, astronomy, theater, violin, and gymnastics! We're so proud of Ellie, and looking forward to seeing what captures her attention next.
Myles turned 4 earlier this month, at a joint birthday party with friends featuring a firetruck visit, a bouncy house, pizza, and cupcakes! Myles is also doing a great job with swimming lessons, and is trying his hand at teeball this spring; his team is called the Giants. Nitin is running point on his teeball training and he looks pretty darn cute in his baseball uniform--Myles does, I mean, Nitin is also cute, but doesn't get to wear a uniform. Myles has had a great year in the middles at CCCC with his puzzle kitty friends, who he calls his "mighty crew." Myles has a talent for making friends--at the playground, at school, wherever he happens to be for at least five minutes--and may be the most social human member of the family. Myles very quickly learned the entire alphabet this spring and is so curious about books. He loves for us to read to him -- Frog and Toad, Pout Pout Fish, Star Wars, Natural Wonders, anything involving vehicles of any kind -- and he also loves to quietly look at books by himself. Myles loves to dance, sing, and snuggle--he still asks us if we'd like to sit in his lap when he's looking for a lap to sit in himself, which is quite endearing. Like Ellie, he can belt Taylor Swift lyrics like a millennial. He and Ellie have loved hanging in the backyard this spring, particularly on a swingset that Nitin nabbed from Costco for $200, which has been a big hit.
It's impossible to provide a completely comprehensive update, but I gave it a shot! We have a lot of travel planned in upcoming months. Chicago in May for Memorial Day weekend, Minnesota/Banff in June, a one-night getaway for Nitin and me in June, Deep Creek in August, Chicago (for the marathon) in October, and San Diego in December. We are also gaining a new (furry) family member in September, when we bring home a new labradoodle puppy! Yet to be named. :)
Without further ado, some funny quotes from recent months...
Sleeping Situations
Nitin: I walked into ellie's room just now and found it empty. Then i walked into Myles's rooms and found them both tucked in Myles's bed together.
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