My favourite day of the year

When I was a kid, living at home in our bungalow in Ottawa, my very favourite day of the year was the day I would step out, in the spring, and feel the warm spring air on my skin and realise it was warmer outside than it was inside. It usually occurred in late April or early May, and it usually preceded our weird mid-spring heat wave.

I have always loved summer and disliked—to avoid the word hated—winter. I am always cold and I can never seem to warm my hands and feet before May. So the warmth is always a welcome relief. But there's more. The short days and long, long periods of darkness affect me, though not severely, acutely. I have low levels of energy, I get grumpy, I feel lonely. And I have been like that since I can remember. So feeling the heat of the oncoming summer was a promise I wanted to hold, like a security blanket, close to my face and heart.

Now my favourite day of the year comes much earlier. Today was that day. It was that day when the sun touches my face and it feels warm. When the fact that the sun actually heats our planet was not just theoretical in my mind but felt by my body. As I walked to Maïa's daycare, pushing the chariot, I felt the sun and knew. That it was almost time. That the dark days are on their way out. That the earth was tilting, ever so slowly, back toward the sun. That I will one day be able to leave the house within five minutes, without snowsuits and hats and mittens and scarves and boots. That joy was returning.

More fun with words

Derek has taken up squash, and so we went raquet shopping over the weekend. As he was testing them all out, he explained to the girls what the raquets were for. Maïa astutely responded, "I want to play sweet potato, Daddy."

When we visit Grandma, who lives on the 11th floor, Solanne knows we have to take the "alligator."

News flash

Solanne is officially out of size 2 clothing and very comfortably into size 3. She's wearing the clothes Maïa wore last year! At this rate, I'll soon have to buy a double wardrobe of a single size... or do laundry twice as often!

I knew she had a growth spurt coming on when she suddenly started taking epic naps (upward of three hours) every day, consistently, for about three weeks. She got back into a normal routine of about 90 minutes of sleep, which seems wickedly short to me now. And suddenly her shirts were all belly-shirts and her pants were capris. I'm a little concerned, now: she's been sleeping over three hours every afternoon for the past three days... she's better not grow again!

Misunderstood lyrics and other malapropisms

One of the best things about having a toddler is watching how she mis-hears and mis-understands the world around her. Since her experience is limited, she can only put what she hears into that small context. Here are some of the cute things Solanne says.

• the ABC song goes like this: a-b-c-d-e-f-geez! ache-i-j-k-all-a-many-pees-q-r-s-t-u-v-w-x-y-z-now i now i ABC's, next time won't you sing with me?


• Baa-baa, black sheep, how you doin'?


• eye-browns (instead of eyebrows)


• she calls the Fisher Price village the Bumble Bee (still not sure why)


• hey! wait until me (instead of what for me)


• my two-head (instead of forehead: if Maïa is four years old and has a forehead, then Sol, who's two, must have a two-head, right?)

Proud moment

Yesterday, Maïa and I were frantically trying to get her little Valentines all done for her friends at daycare. Well, I was frantic, she was just putting on stickers and writing out names, calm as could be. I had written up a list of the kids in her class, and I felt that there was someone missing.

"Katrina isn't on the list!" Maïa shouted. So I added her on, Maïa wrote her name on the Valentine, and we went along our merry way, completing the task. Later that evening, when Maïa was in bed, I heard her shouting. Derek went in to check on her; it's rather unlike her to say anything these days after her head hits the pillow. Derek came back, a smile on his face.

"What was wrong?"

"She said that we forgot Aliza on the list. She wanted to make sure we made a Valentine for her, too."

I couldn't believe how thoughtful she was! She was so concerned that we make a card for everyone in her class that she had to let us know. It came to her as she was falling asleep, and she had to make sure that Aliza wasn't left out. I might note, here, that while Maïa doesn't necessarily dislike this girl, she has never spoken fondly of her... she barely speaks of her at all.

Yet Maïa has this sense of justice, of equity, already at this young age. She didn't want anyone to be left out. When I realised this, my heart just welled up in immense pride. I've felt proud of her countless times before, like when she does big puzzles all on her own, or sounds out words and writes them out, or when she draws her amazing creations. But I've never felt anything like this. This generosity she has in her little soul is something that surpasses what I've taught her (at least directly) and what I expect of her. It goes beyond the academic or the sporty. It's deeper. It's part of her, and it's beautiful.

I'm just proud that this little kid is my daughter.

Virus number 7

victims: Maïa, Solanne, Cristina

symptoms: slight fever at onset, congestion, runny nose (how do those happen at the same time??), slight cough due to mucus, disorientation (wait... I think that's caused by the Sinutab... oh, sweet sleep, I hear you calling..........

creations

Solanne has recently taken an interest in drawing and colouring. Just two days ago, she astonished Derek and me by drawing "inside the lines." I use the term "inside" loosely, but she was trying. And, like Maïa did, she only uses one colour at a time, so by the end of her colouring, you wouldn't know that she's colouring in the lines, but if you've watched attentively, you can see that she has coloured the picture section by section.

Visit our craft site to see a couple of her drawings. They're her first recognizable creations.