Aurora Wells

Only four days late, I’m finally getting around to posting a few pictures from Judith’s Birthday/anniversary/housewarming party last Sunday afternoon. Blair spent the week hanging every picture they own, and Judith tried out the oven for her awesome baking. We were totally impressed with how quickly the hard-working couple were able to domesticate the place. I’m still trying to get seating for four in my living room after 7 1/2 years at Chez 159.

Okay, they’re no Ash & Dave (see “You moved… WHEN?”), but this isn’t a competition, and Judith does have to spend some time on med school these days.

Judith presides over an enticing array of teatime treats.

Aurora, decked out in her self-named “tea party shirt”, turns the balcony into a play yard with wicker gym equipment.

***Grandparents Beware*** Take whatever blood pressure meds or valium you need to stay calm next week when you see Aurora’s new death-defying feats of ascension. No chair, bed, or ladder is safe from her aspiring reach, and that includes climbing into her high chair. My philosophy: better that she gets some practice under careful supervision than making her scared of heights by constantly yelling, “NO!” at her. In the last two weeks of constant climbing, she’s only taken one minor spill. She’s doing way better than when she started cruising. Wish us luck!

If you’re looking for a parent blog with tips on backpacking through Costa Rica or the Northwest Territories with your toddler, or the frenetic lifestyle of a mother of six, you’ve come to the wrong place. I know I’m never going to be one of the most-read blogs of the week with the little things we do here at Chez Wells, but for those of you who just love us and want to see cute pictures of Aurora, here’s what we’ve been up to since summer ended.

Moving the Hammonds. Last weekend Daddy helped Blair and Judith move about six blocks closer to us (yay!). Aurora and I entertained Bombur in the empty apartment for a little while, then inspected the new condo, on a lovely shaded block of 13th Avenue.

Big south-facing windows and large deciduous street trees help keep their new place cool in summer and bright in winter. Less fossil fuel usage – I definitely approve.

Aurora was jazzed about the lever-style door handles, enabling her to open a door herself for the first time.

Family Centre Visit. Thanks to Petra and Cara’s recommendations, we went to the Mount Pleasant Family Centre for the first time on Tuesday. It was fantastic. Really warm and helpful staff people engage with the kids upstairs so that moms (or other caregivers) can have a small break, if they wish, downstairs. I stayed upstairs with Aurora, but she seemed so comfortable in the pleasant, cozy playroom that I didn’t have to be attached to her like I usually do. She observed, explored, and participated more than she ever did at the play gyms.

Olin found his own little slice of heaven in the toy vehicles and people bin right away.

After cleanup, snack and songs we ventured out to the playground to soak up some warm, Indian Summer sunshine. Avery, who only lives a couple of blocks away, introduces Aurora to the wide assortment of ride-on cars available.

Laundry Day. I don’t think adventures can get any smaller than this, but Aurora found a new way to make laundry fun when she climbed inside a bag half-full of clothes. She seemed perfectly happy to hang out there for a while.

There’s no way I could resist the photo opportunity.

The Freedom of the Open Bed. I don’t know exactly why we’re attempting this, other than the offer of a free twin-sized bed from Blair & Judith, but we’re introducing Aurora to crib-free sleeping this week. After a bit of furniture re-arranging, the mattress is on the floor, sans bedframe, and Aurora’s been sleeping down there about half the time, although she prefers dancing on it. Brian is really good at settling her down there at night, but although I’ve tried during the day, it’s been an absolute no-go. Today I tried to join her for a nap, thinking my somnolent presence would be a calming influence, but after 15 minutes of non-stop talking and fidgeting (grabbing books, peering out the window, undressing the teddy bear, etc.), and an almost-busted nose, I decided to move the girl, who couldn’t stay still for more than five seconds (I counted), back into the crib.

And lastly, a random priceless facial expression from this morning at the park. Love the new pants, Grandma Gail!

The other day Aurora and I went to the park, but the little pocket park we went to on 19th Avenue was overrun with – eek – kids, of all things. Too much for my girl to handle, anyway, so we headed home. On the way back, we stopped at a large traffic-calming island on 18th & Ontario which features a big chess/checkers set, with pieces generously provided by an anonymous neighbour. Aurora had fun setting up the board;

running over the pieces,

going back for more,

and mugging for the camera.

But that’s not all the micro-park has to offer! There’s dandelions;

which she had some trouble blowing,

so she ended up using her fingers.

And finally, the parklet has a number of small trees,

just the right size for hugging. It just goes to show that bigger isn’t necessarily better.

It’s high time for a new “Likes and Dislikes” list, so here goes:

Aurora likes:

Motorcycles and scooters, which are all called “modo-cycoh”. Daddy once took Aurora out for a walk after dinner to Cambie Street to count the motorcycles driving by, and followed this excitement up with an ice cream cone at Trixie’s. Now motorcycles and ice cream, not to mention staying up late after dinner, are a firmly cemented triad of pleasures in her mind.

Tubas, or any brass instrument, but particularly tubas. She points them out in classical and popular music, and loves to have solo instrumentals identified for her. So far I think she knows tubas and violins best, but flutes and trumpets are also identifiable. Pianos and guitars seem to be too ubiquitous to identify.

Talking, and she’s started to use other parts of speech, besides nouns and verbs. Conjunctions, adjectives, adverbs, modifiers and prepositions are all making an appearance. Some of my recent favourites include, “sometimes”, “maybe”, and “only”. After a sushi lunch last week, Aurora claimed, “Most people eat forks.” After a second of thinking, I replied, “Yes, people do eat with forks. What about chopsticks?” She thought about it and said, “People eat chopsticks – sometimes.” A few days ago Aurora learned that not only do I answer to the names, “Mommy” and “Mama”, but I will also come if you shout, “Lisa!” loud enough. So now when we put her to bed, she calls for me with all three; hoping to get lucky, I guess.

Toys, but really, what kid doesn’t? Legos are huge, and we help her stack them up to make elaborate towers. It’s best if you can use every wacky piece we have, even the carrots and the cake pieces from her grocery store set. She also likes to take 3-5 of her doll or stuffed animal “friends” at a time on stroller rides around and around the house. I knew when we bought this house seven years ago that our future kid would enjoy the circular thru-way aspect of the floor plan. There are endless variations to this game, too. The latest one is putting ALL her stuffed animals and dolls into a big cardboard box, and pushing that around the house, or sitting inside the box with them.

Hand-washing. This was a bit of a surprise, since she wasn’t too keen on it before. But last week I bought a folding one-step stool for the bathroom, and if Aurora stands way up on her tippy-toes, she can hold the tips of her fingers under the water at the sink. With Mommy or Daddy’s help with the faucets and the soap, she can wash her own hands, and this has made all the difference. Sometimes, especially during the first day or so, it was hard to convince her to stop washing her hands. With flu season almost upon us, I’m very happy with this new favourite activity. Incidentally, I bought a two-step stool for the kitchen at the same time, and now Aurora seems to enjoy helping us cook. Her first job in the kitchen was washing zucchini for chorizo chili, and she did it for about five minutes!

Aurora dislikes:

Naptime, our old nemesis, is still topping the list of things Aurora cannot stand. I don’t think she’s fallen asleep for her afternoon nap in fewer than 45 minutes more than once in the last three months. She talks about her day, complains about the outfit her bear is wearing, and repeats the dreaded refrain, “Wake Up MORNING!” for up to an hour and a half before dropping off to sleep or enlisting us to her cause. I don’t know how long it will be before she doesn’t need a nap anymore, but she definitely still needs one now. Because after all this fussing and kvetching for up to 90 minutes, she either sleeps like the dead for three hours, or if she doesn’t sleep, complains to me while we’re out and about that she’s, “tired, sleepy”. Like, duh!

Bees, or any buzzing insect. I tried to make them seem friendly and unthreatening when she was younger, but some instinctual fear must have kicked in about six months ago, because now if she hears or sees one, she goes into a low panic. High panic is reserved for the next item on the list. Strangely, though, she did not seem at all alarmed by the live bees in the nature room at Science World last weekend (we just got a two-year membership – thanks, G&G Nestor!). Maybe it’s because she couldn’t hear the buzzing through the plexiglas.

Strange kids, or basically any child under the age of ten whom she does not know. When they approach her at the park, try to use the slide she’s on, or even just stand less than five feet away from her, she totally freaks out, and if I try to encourage her to tolerate them, she has a full-on hysterical breakdown. Maybe she got pushed one too many times at “Fun and Games” class, or got hit one too many times in the face by water splashed by kids at the pool, but whatever it is, she only likes the kids she knows. I’m going to try extra hugs and reassurance for a while and hope that the panic attacks go away over time.

Public toilets. But really, who isn’t a little grossed out by this? On the upside, she’s developed a newfound ability to hold it for four to five hours at a stretch. On the downside, she’s less willing to pee at home now, too. Daddy may have solved this problem today by breaking out the “big-girl” potty. Let us hope all goes well tomorrow.

So that’s a snapshot of the current Aurora. Here’s another:

This week two out of three of us are dealing with molar-related pain; I’m glad one of us is still up and able to take care of the other two. Poor Aurora has been having a hard time with the emergence of her second (and last) set of baby molars. She’s been staying up late for weeks, and Monday and Tuesday she skipped her naps entirely, falling to sleep exhausted at the normal time or earlier. Also, yesterday she refused to eat solid food (except cookies), so we gave her smoothies. The good news is that at least one of the four has broken through the gums, so an end is in sight (it’s been months).

Then, with the impending end of our extended health coverage, Daddy decided to take care of those pesky wisdom teeth that his dentists have been trying to rid him of for decades. Today they finally came out, and two of them put up a pretty good fight, by all accounts. I’m just glad they didn’t have to break his jaw to remove them. Thank goodness Grandma Gail was here to watch Aurora this morning, so I could take Brian in for surgery and pick him up without an impatient toddler fussing in the waiting room. Grandma also kept watch while I went out to get Daddy’s antibiotics. Thanks, Grandma!

It’s a good thing I’m getting better at making smoothies, because they’re quite in demand these days. It’ll be a little while before Daddy’s back on solid food. Anybody got any favourite smoothie recipes they want to share?