A word with Elise

Elise caught a fish!

What's going on in Elise's mind? The past few months have revealed such treasures as: "Purple purple purple," and "Look hop-hop" ("Look at the bunny!") and much more. I love knowing what's passing through my kids' minds--and usually they're eager to share, sometimes too willing, in the case of dark thoughts against their sister, for instance.

And I'm happy to say that, only a few months after the childhood development expert thought Elise should be stringing two words together, she has finally begun doing just that--and more! In fact, I imagine the little tyke would be well on her way to becoming a chatterbox if she didn't have an older sister who dominates Mommy's mind and mouth by demanding answers for, "What do helicopters do that's different from airplanes?" and "What do kittens need?" (Yes, we still occasionally brainstorm kittens' needs, and attempt to meet every single one.).

The cousins visited! And
went to the zoo with us!

But what does a nearly 2-year-old have to talk about? Purple, needing a drink, wanting to go outside, not wanting to wear shoes outside, putting Bear down for a nap, missing Daddy at work, and, of course, MOMMY (I'm flattered!).

Not only that, but the toddler demands to be taken seriously. Gone are the days when I can chalk "I want that purple lollipop" (or something similar) up to baby babble. Now, I must answer each request, even if it just about kills both of us ("No, you may not have the purple lollipop right now, let's go do a puzzle." "Waaaahhhh!"--Elise still sometimes resorts to "baby talk!").

And then there are the times when she demands to not be taken seriously. For instance, Elise's first joke, which gets repeated mercilessly and has even been taken up by her big sister at times:
Elise (pointing at Mommy and grinning): Daddy!
And we all laugh uproariously, Mommy and Daddy because we think Elise is cute and are glad she's not screaming, Kalina because she's young enough to actually think the joke is funny, and Elise because she's making all of us laugh, plus she doesn't yet possess any stigma  against laughing at her own jokes.

Purple, purple everywhere.

Elise's enunciation, as one would expect, still leaves a bit to be desired. It'd be particularly helpful if she could distinguish between "purple" and "potty" a little better. However, I give her extra credit every time she queries, mournfully, "Where did the Bear go?" (Which sounds like, "Wheah di da Bah go?") This is the most advanced sentence she uses, but she can apply it to all kinds of situations (cup, Kalina, cat, Mommy, etc.). Elise is also happy to add new words and phrases to her collection, and seems to be gaining rapidly. For instance, she can now use two adjectives in a row to describe a noun.

Perhaps best of all, Elise's growing ability to communicate has been embraced by her big sister, who, when she's in a good mood, will happily do her best to accommodate all requests, even the unreasonable ones (unless, of course, Elise is asking for the toy Kalina is currently playing with), and even advocate on her behalf.
Kalina: Mommy, Elise wants more animal crackers.
Me: She finished hers. Snacktime's over, let's go play.
Kalina: Elise, are you still hungry?
Elise: Eh! (Yes)
Kalina: Oh. What would you like to eat?
Elise: An cra. (Animal crackers)
Kalina: Mommy, Elise says she's still hungry. She'd like more animal crackers.
Me: She had lots of animal crackers, plus lots of other food. She's fine. Let's go play!
Kalina: Elise, do you really, really want more animal crackers?
Elise: Ri, ri an cra (Really really animal crackers)
Kalina: But Mommy, she really, really wants them!
Me: She'll be fine. Doesn't Lamby need a hug or something?
Elise: Waaaahhhh!

It'd be cute if it weren't counter-productive (note that Elise was perfectly content before Kalina put the idea in her mind). They do have real conversations, however, usually led by Kalina and centered on animals.

But don't let Elise's new talents fool you--she's certainly not above tantruming as an attempt to get her way. That's right--this relatively new (for us) and intense form of communication has recently come into play. I will say that I've seen far more impressive displays of emotion from other kids, but it's really fine with me if Elise doesn't excel in the screaming-fit department. And she has plenty of time (and opportunities) to practice.

When there's nothing else to say, Elise sings, which is another of my very favorite milestones. Our favorite: "Hah hah hah haah haaah haaaah." This is her version of "Happy Birthday," and she can get through the whole song, in tune, this way. Often, she'll throw in a "Mommy" or "Daddy" or "Kalina" ("Hah hah Mommmy hah hah haaaah,"), depending on the particular occasion, or how she's feeling at the time.

Now, the only challenge is to let Elise get a word in edgewise. Somehow, I think she'll find a way.

Swim lessons: a perfect 10

I can't figure out how to get my swim
lesson pics of Kalina off my phone,
so here's an equally impressive pic
of her playing sight word Bingo with
a few of her friends. Good thing our
game comes with enough cards for a
classroom! 

It has not escaped me that Kalina's introduction to swim lessons has corresponded nicely with the summer Olympics. And in fact, most competitors began their sporting pursuits when they were roughly Kalina's age. Certainly, none of us have Olympic dreams (or, realistic ones, anyway) but when Kalina took to the water nearly like a little fish (albeit a fish that's afraid of getting its nose wet), we couldn't help but notice.

As we all anticipated, Kalina would rather have stayed home and played with tiny plastic animals than venture to the unknown of swim lessons on the first day. After all, what if there was a boy teacher? There had been in the class that we watched.

Consoled by the fact that I would be sitting poolside, never to stray away, she suited up easily enough and even thanked me for her sunscreen ("Thank you, Mommy. I don't want to get a sunburn.").

Upon arrival, we scoped out a shady lawn chair so Kalina would know just where Elise and I would be sitting (my goal, of course, being to keep the little one out of the water while keeping the big one in it). Then, we found her group of teachers and breathed a sigh of relief to see that, 1.) All three were women and 2.) There were many more girls than splashy boys in the class.

As class began, I left a relatively contented Kalina scooting into the the pool with her classmates (which was conveniently the perfect depth), and not freaking out at all, unlike a certain summer camp that's all too fresh in our collective memory. Back at the lawn chair, Elise spent the first 10 minutes of this 95-degree, sunny day cuddling with me (because who doesn't want to be attached to an oven when it's 95 degrees?), the second 10 minutes eating crackers, and the third 10 minutes relaxing on the lawn chair beside me. Easy peasy.

Still waiting for the tears to begin, I watched Kalina refuse to blow bubbles in the pool, but happily work on kicking, floating and the rest. She appeared quite enthusiastic about her kickboard ride and cupped her hands mostly correctly when asked.

It had helped to be prepared. Not only had we watched a previous group of Seahorse class swimmers in their lesson a week or two before, but we'd talked to other moms and kids who'd taken swim lessons. Kalina was practically an old pro.

Afterward, Kalina decided she'd like swim lessons every day. Good thing, kiddo, because you're going back tomorrow! And the next day, and the next. And next summer, and the next, most likely.

On Tuesday morning, I kept waiting for the, "I don't think I'll be going to swim lessons today," but it never came. What's more, after practicing a bit in the bathtub, Kalina actually bubbled with the rest of the class. We were all so proud!

A small hiccup occurred when Elise needed to be taken potty in the middle of the lesson. I managed to catch Kalina's eye on the way out and quickly explain my mission, plus make it back before the end of class. No problem.

The next day, I took the girls swimming in the adjacent kiddie pool before and after the lesson. According to Kalina, I was allowed to go to the kiddie pool, and anywhere in the swimming pool area, even out to the parking lot, but I was not to drive home. I assured her we'd be nearby.

Kalina practiced her skills before and after, even "swimming" through the kiddie pool by walking along the ground with her arms. She loved it, as did her little sister who copied her movements in the shallower water and insisted she was big enough for swim lessons, too.

And so it went, through eight days of swim lessons. While the routine got a bit tiresome, Elise never attempted to put much more than the occasional finger or toe in the big pool, and Kalina showed clear improvement with her skills--which were already good to begin with. She only once mentioned that she wasn't planning to attend swim lessons that day, and was easily distracted out of it.

Kalina's favorite activity was noodle riding--when a teacher would take each kid out to practice swimming while using a noodle for support. Looked like fun to me, too. She even loved practicing without the noodle, and seemed to welcome the opportunity to float, supported. Eventually, she submitted to putting her nose in. And then we discovered that free suckers were given away on our way out to the parking lot, so those became a favorite tradition as well.


She also liked watching the bigger kids swim as we walked to our car--two levels above Seahorse had a particularly dynamic teacher. While Kalina has mentioned that she never wants to be in that class, she can't help but be fascinated. Little does she know that she will, indeed, be in that class in a couple years. And she'll do fine.

Day 7 was testing day. Despite the fact that Mommy and Kalina had both already tested each others' patience many times over that morning, Kalina's teacher mentioned that she did "really awesome." Really? My sensitive little kitten fanatic? Awesome at swimming lessons?

Day 8 proved it: Kalina received an "Excellent" rating (as opposed to a "Good, needs work" rating) on every skill on her report card. She'll be allowed to enroll in the Starfish class next summer. Where they learn to dunk their heads under water (Shh! Don't tell!).

Day 8 also had the unfortunate honor of being pirate/shark day for the littler classes. After practicing their skills, the kids were placed onto a rubber raft and floated around while a boy teacher swam around and pretended to be a shark or a pirate or both.

What happens when you take sweet Kalina and put her on an unsteady boat, then send a strange 18-year-old male roaring right up to her pretending to be a fearsome beast? The tears I'd been expecting all along finally made their appearance. Poor girl. A hysterical Kalina was consoled by a teacher, and lessons ended shortly after that. Just in time for us to be worrying about next year. ("Will there be a boy teacher?")

Not that we need rankings, but might my girl have been at least in the top two of eight or nine kids? I couldn't help but compare, just a little. I smiled sympathetically, I hope, at the mom whose girl seemed to dislike swim lessons about as much as I had expected Kalina to. Another couple of girls could already stick their heads clear under water (but their floating could use some work). Kalina had the propensity to wander off during the lesson, but overall followed the teachers well  and seemed to understand the concepts and enjoy herself.

And, of course, we aren't planning to send Kalina to the Olympics anytime soon. Pirates and sharks aside, we'd rather she'd follow her dreams of kitten farming, at least for the time being.