These eyes

To me, these eyes are magic. I look into them and see so much beauty. But more than what I see in them is the magic that I get to see through them everyday. To a child who is happy, the world is new, it is surprising, and it is magic. Here are a few things that Solanne has taught me to see:

The tiny dust motes that float around in the sunlight that streams in through the window look like stars.

A violin is a small guitar.

Baby Cookie Monster looks like Baby Elmo (even if he's blue).

There are flowers, birds, and cats everywhere in our neighbourhood.

There are a surprising number of O's and A's in the world.

"Blue" is not so much a colour as a feeling; if there's something that makes her feel happy, it's blue.

I am beautiful.

The sky is something we can touch, if only someone big enough would hold us up.

We have a cat in our floor.

Solannese

Just in case you run into Solanne without her handy interpreters (Derek, Maïa, and me), here are a few key words and phrases you will hear her say but might not understand:

o' dee: I'll do it
papopo-yê: s'il-te-plaît lait (please, milk)
wee bo: read the book
upee do: stairs (up and down)
papo: poussette (stroller)
wa-too-fee-fo-fie-si: one, two, three, four, five, six
wa hay: wash hands
co eye: close eyes
opee eye: open eyes
go beebee: gros bébé (big baby)
a wa'see: I want to see
pie: please
kink'oo: thank you
messy: merci
soussee: sourcils (eyebrows)
yooyoo: lulus (pigtails)
awee: put it away
sussa: suce (pacifier)
cha: chien (dog)
ta: cat
bu': bird
ow sye: outside
i' sye: inside
cou cou: cours, cours (run, run)
bico: bicycle
kiki: Clickey
dayee: daddy
gayee: grandma
gago: grampa

Milestone: pipi

Today, Solanne asked to go potty and she actually produced some pipi! For the past month or so, she has been interested in the potty again — well, she's been interested in the toilet (perhaps the potty is below her). It all started when she began walking around outdoors in a bathing suit, sans diaper. She would notice when she wet herself. Soon enough, she would proudly announce, "pipi!" before she actually wet. She even started noticing with her diaper on.

A few other signs that she is ready have manifested themselves: she has started wanting to dress herself (she wants to do everything herself), she wants to sit on the toilet, and she knows when she has a dirty bum. I think we may be on the road to a diaper-free era in our household. I know it's a slow road, but it's the beginning...

To those non-parents out there reading this entry, my interest in potty training or potty learning, as is more politically correct, may seem to be bordering on obsessive. There are milestones in our children's lives that as parents we celebrate more than others. Some folks are more touched by their children's first steps or their first teeth. Others may look forward to first words or the first taste of "solid" foods. But most of us, I believe, look forward to the end of diapers. No more stinky bums, no more expenses (either of the disposibles or of the cost of hot water and detergent to wash cotton nappies), no more diaper rash, no more giant bag of diapers, cloths/wipes, creams, and hand sanitizer to carry around. Ah, the freedom.

Random things they do...

Nana and Grampa live in the country, so there are a lot of flies around and a few manage to get into the house. Nana hunts them down with her fly-swatter. Solanne is very interested in such activity, and after staying at her grandparents' house for nearly two weeks, she has become the official "fly-spotter" of the family: "Nana!!! fie! fie! Nana-fie!!"

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Maïa: Do you smell that smell that is happening?

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Both of them run around Nana and Grampa's huge back yard, playing with the cats. The bolla-bats (remember those??) have become a toy called "cat-ball" and the skipping ropes are also great cat toys. The kitties keep the children busy, on average, at least one or two hours per day.

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The two of them have been known to empty the kiddie pool with their water cans: they often head in the area of Nana's vines, which has never looked so well loved.

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Aunty Naomi has given them some plastic beads she obtained from a pride parade she ran into in NYC. The beads have been divied up between them, and both girls enjoy stuffing their respective hauls into their respective rain boots.

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Solanne now refers to herself as "Sa."

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Solanne has already begun using such personal pronouns as "me" and "mine" and "my." I guess being a second child will bring that about more quickly...

Maïa's theology

Maïa is a very thoughtful little girl who does a lot of wondering. Intermittently, she becomes interested in God, in heaven, and in the great universe. We're working through who God is and what happens when one dies — not the easiest of topics for anyone to grapple with. Here are some snatches of conversations we've had over the past couple of months:

Maïa: God is not a he or a she. God is it.
Derek: Well, Maïa, it's true that God isn't a he or a she, but we call God he and sometimes even she.
Maïa: No. God is IT.

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Maïa: When I die, I will become a skull in heaven.

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Derek: That's a cemetery, Maïa. That's where we put the bodies of people when they die.
Maïa: That's heaven, Daddy.