Lightening Up

As we “spring ahead” and begin to emerge from our long winter’s nap and revel in extra daylight my thoughts naturally lead to our growing daughter.  It hit me when during our first playground outing in months our neighbor did not recognize Lila and when I asked him how his baby was, he pointed to his waddling toddler- yes, it has been a very long winter.  While it is certainly a bit too soon to look for the first flower buds- the children, liberated from the layers, are showing their little heads.   The long-since white snow is relinquishing its freeze, and drip by drip providing a clearing for sneakers and scooters.  Speaking of which, Lila put on her own sneakers today and for the most part can dress herself (quite colorfully) and scoots around the neighborhood tennis courts like a pro. 

With this blossoming independence also comes a new found assertiveness.  Maybe I missed the Parenting 101 chapter but I wasn’t prepared for door slamming and face-contorting rants of “just leave me alone” and "I don't want you" at 3 and a half.  Is that why we got her a room of her own?  Lila’s vocabulary and “phraseology” continues to grow so we get a lot of “let me think about it,” “we’ll talk about it,” and our personal favorite, “where is that damn daddy?”  I have no idea where she gets this stuff…

Enrolled in the young pre-school class since September Lila’s routine has gained more structure- something we appreciate as Lila extends her self-expression.  She actually has homework- which may seem too much at this age and though occasionally fraught with some resistance, does provide time for quiet concentration and a window into the rapidly turning wheels.  Lila has graduated from the Little Gym to weekly formal ballet lessons at Hudson Dance Studio. In a small class setting every Saturday morning we watch our willful daughter learn technique and practice patience.

 

Patience certainly does not come easy at this age – there are many frustrations, foot stomps and tears that come out of nowhere and flow like a river.  So we have learned to take a minute and in the process realized that sometimes hugs and talking it out are better than time outs.  As one of  Lila’s favorite PBS characters, Daniel Tiger wisely teaches, “When you feel so mad that you want to roar, take deep breath and count to four.”  It has been a long winter and we all are certainly in need of some relief and a collective exhale.  I picked Lila up early from school today and we celebrated the coming of spring with ice cream and a walk along the promenade.  As I sat on the bench watching this suddenly big girl running and playing in the late afternoon sun without a care in the world I realized that a little more sunlight really does make us see more clearly. 

 

What’s new:  Lila is 38.5 inches and 30lbs and wears a size 8 shoe.  Time to put away the boots and break out the Toms!  If you have been to our house you know have the princess kingdom continues- Sophia, Cinderella, Ariel… they are all here.  Greg is a great “prince king” to Lila’s Cinderella.  Lots of dress-up and the infamous flower sundress is still holding on, though the Sophia dress is a close second.  Frozen hit us hard and was on a daily run but now that spring is here we may really “Let it Go.”   Lila is now up to the letter “N” at school, working on "simple math" and also takes computer class every Tuesday.