Hearts & Bones (or teeth or hair)

Happy Valentine's Day! I must admit that I much prefer celebrating Valentine's with kids than I ever did strictly as a couple. As a couple you're compelled to go out and eat some over-prix-fixed meal where I'm pretty certain more time and energy is devoted to the naming of each course (Love Me Pork Tenderloin, anyone?) than in the actual care and preparation. With kids you can do crafts! And eat candy! Both of which, thanks to more snow! And ice! We had ample opportunity to do. And now that one of my oldest and dearest friends has decided to add her crafting (among other things) two cents to the blogosphere, I've no reason not to drag out the Elmer's. So, this is what we accomplished...






And speaking of accomplished. For school, Esmé was required to bring in 20 Valentine's cards for each of her classmates. The assignment included having her attempt to sign them herself. Recently returned from another week in India, I thought Kris might like to oversee this task. Timing is everything, and the two didn't get to their "homework" until nearly 7:30 Sunday evening when Esmé's energy/ambition/enthusiasm/goodwill were all seriously flagging. I, of course, allowed events to unfold as they may and reserved any and all judgment of K's timing until after the task was complete.

Of course I didn't. I was too plagued by flash-forwards of hastily executed book reports and shoddy dioramas and late Sunday nights bleeding into early Monday mornings to not open my mouth.

But, truth be told she did OK. And even better than I expected because going into the task I knew she was capable of writing a very legible "E" and "T." And wouldn't you know it, by the end of the exercise, she pretty much could do the "M" on her own and was beginning to get the "S" down, one of the trickiest letters if I don't say so myself. Here's what she was able to do the next day:



I helped her with the "S," but that's all. The rest is all E-S-M-E.


Theo experienced his own milestone recently. No, he's still not crawling yet. But he did have his first haircut. Such a contrast to Esmé's first haircut which came more than six months later. She could sit in the seat and was even reading a book while the stylists clipped away. I had to hold Theo up, and true to form he approached this new experience with a mixture of curiosity and suspicion.

But in the end I believe he was pleased with the results. He did tell me later that next time he'd like her to take it up more around the ears. What can I say, this is new terrain for me.



And I totally neglected to mention in my last post that Theo has two new teeth in his possession. And I believe more are imminently on the way. According to Esmé once Theo has his teeth he will be able to talk to her.


Naturally.