Difference in a day

Today we had Nick and Diana's family over for dinner.  The kids and I spent the day at home while Amine worked at the office.  Tayeb made an amazing Lego world and I read lots of books to Aya.  I cleaned the kitchen and Amine came home to cook.  It makes a world of difference to have friends over and extra kids playing in the house.  Chaos but also relaxing and refreshing.  I had s long session of tickle monster chasing all the kids around.  After our guests left we even put the house back together so the kitchen is clean again and the linen closet fort has been restored to a linen closet.  We haven't managed date nights very often, but this might be even better, having social time for the adults and the kids have fun too instead of sitter drama.

I remembered that I should document the tooth count for the big kids.  Tayeb lost his first top front tooth a week or two before Christmas.  Iman lost the same tooth last week and her other front tooth a few days later (Jan. 7th and 10th).

Rhythm

Time passes too quickly.  I feel as though I blink and six months have passed.  We have gotten into our rhythm of days, the kids in school, drop offs, pick ups, trying to keep the house reasonably clean and tidy, laundry, food.  That's the big boring bulk of it.  No great adventures or travels, but then I realize that Aya is a real little person now.  The last time I wrote she was crawling, a week before her birthday she was walking.  I think she was running a week after that.  She dances, laughs and climbs. She opens the freezer and asks for books to be read all day long.  She still talks in mostly vowels, "uhn-uh" for "no" and "uh-huh" for yes, "mama", "baba", "boyah, boyah" and sometimes "maba" which might be "Adam".  She does seem to understand most of what I say and answers with her yes or no when we ask a question.  I think six months from now she will be a chatterbox so I wanted to document the time of few words.  I finally started helping Adam pronounce l's.  I always thought it was cute to hear his words with w's instead of l's (wight instead of light etc.). I think part of me liked still hearing him with some baby talk, but it is dawning on me that he will be four in a few weeks, not my little baby.  Tayeb is still closely bonded to Aya.  She gives him real kisses and loves him so much, maybe even more than she loves kitty boo.  I know Iman wants to be close to her, but many times she treats Aya as though she were a baby doll.  It willbe interesting to see how their relationship develops.  Sisters always seem to have interesting and complicated relationships.  I can already see that Tayeb and Adam will be the big brothers who look out for her.  I think the weather is getting to me this winter.  Snow is at least pretty and is fun for the kids, but grey and cold really has no benefits.  We just stay inside more than we should.  I am already looking forward to spring and summer and I feel like there is still a lot of winter left.  I am starting to think of things in that vague future when I have more time.  I would like to attend a doula training and even become a midwife.  I always think it would be good to paint more and practice yoga regularly.  Right now I am still in survival mode, a somewhat relaxed survival mode.