Independent Moments

Katherine, the days and months are flying by – you have completed your first year of pre-school and we’re having much fun this summer!

It’s such a joy to watch you grow and become more and more independent. Yes, there is that little part of me that just wants to keep my arms wrapped around you forever to keep you safe, but I know it’s your time to explore the world more and more on your own.

You are becoming more adventurous and you’re also becoming more confident when you’re doing things by yourself.

From charging up the ladder when we’re picking cherries in the backyard, and waving from the top with a big smile on your face as you are reaching for the cherries as high as you can… to telling me “I know, I really know…” when I am trying to show you how to do something – you are thoughtful, but confident in all you do.

Last week you went to a gymnastics camp a couple of mornings and we had many talks about you staying there all by yourself. You had been there before for classes and other things, but never just by yourself. You asked me a lot of “what if” questions and we found a lot of answers and when I dropped you off, you were a little tentative for a couple of moments. But then you made up your mind that you had covered all your “what if’s” and gave me a hug and a kiss (as we always do when we say good-bye) and went to your group. Once you say your good-byes, you move forward – you don’t look back, you don’t waiver in your decision. That’s when I know you’ll be ok. When I picked you up later, you had such a proud smile on your face and your eyes were sparking – you did it… all by yourself!

You are teaching me that it’s my job to let you go… a little bit at a time. Yesterday you asked me if I will still love you when you grow up and I told you that I will never ever stop loving you. You always put your little arms as far apart as you can and ask me if I love you “this much” and I always put my longer arms as far apart as I can and answer you “I love you this much!”. And that is my promise to you: I love you always and forever.

Swimming… Your Way

Katherine, it’s Spring Break and I have booked swimming lessons for you. You have done swimming lessons before, but you never seemed to have great fun doing them. The first year we did them, you were less than impressed when the instructor asked me to turn you on your back and float you in the water. Last year, you were no longer engaging in the class after you saw the instructor pull another child in the class through the pool with his head under water for a short distance (there was no way you would let that happen to you). So for the past year you have gotten by quite well with little swim wings that helped you stay above water when we were at a pool or on vacation – and you have even practiced the techniques you learned in your classes… like blowing bubbles under water.

With summer getting closer, a few weeks ago we talked about swimming and you mentioned you can “almost” swim. Taking my window of opportunity, I suggested taking another class which was met with a thoughtful pause from you after which you replied that you don’t want your head dunked under water. I can relate to that – I don’t like it either, but I knew mentioning that wouldn’t help my argument.  So instead I asked you how we could solve that – and you had obviously thought about this before, because without hesitation your answer was “goggles”.

So here we are today at your first day of lessons and on the drive to the class you reminded me that you don’t want your head dunked under water. We talked about it and I suggested that you could tell the teacher when we arrived. You did (and the head instructor made sure to tell your instructor) and we also arranged for us to go over to the goggle display where you were able to select a pair yourself that we would purchase for you.

What a difference that made! Knowing no one would ask you to go under water without your permission and having your goggles firmly on your head made the class fun for you. You even put your face under water a few times by yourself and when it came time to jump into the water from the edge of the pool you went in with a big splash (and climbed out and did it again!)

You are teaching me that it’s important for all of us that our voice is being heard. Today your little hand was holding mine so tight and it took all your courage to speak up to an adult you didn’t really know. Your opinion was respected – you are still little, but your thoughts and feelings are just as important. Today I saw you stand up for yourself. I am very proud of you. I love you always and forever.

Happy Birthday

Katherine – Happy, happy 4^th Birthday!!!!

It’s hard to believe you are already 4 years old today. People always tell me to be mindful of those early years we have with a child, they pass so quickly. You have grown from a toddler into a young girl – especially these last few months you have become more assertive, confident and independent. Your world is growing with preschool and friends and you are embracing all of it.

I am in awe watching you learn life skills.  I am constantly reminded that it’s your daddy’s and my job to teach you, and also model the right behaviour for you. Things we take for granted, like crossing the road: we are teaching you to stop, look left-right-left and when it’s safe, start walking. You have caught me more than a few times where I looked in passing instead of really stopping at the edge of the sidewalk. There is nothing like a little girl yelling “STOP”, followed by a stern “you did not look” comment. Point taken! Rules are there to be followed, right?

But I also still love those moments when it’s just you and me time – when we snuggle together, play together and read together. I have to admit, I’m not ready to give up those moments quite yet and I’m hoping as you grow older they’ll shift into moments where we have meaningful conversations, share some laughs and simply spend quality time together.

My birthday girl, you are teaching me that time doesn’t stand still. Things change… always. But I know the best is yet to come for you as you grow up and grow into anything you want to be. As little as you still are, you already are a kind, bright and caring person and while the future is still an unwritten story, what I know in my heart is that you’ll have an impact on this world. I love you always and forever.

Your First Day at Preschool

Katherine, today was a milestone day! Your first day of preschool.

This day has been coming for a long time and we talked about you staying without daddy and me at preschool (for less than 3 hours). We have prepared, bought your backpack and snack pack and all the little items you needed to get ready. Today was the big day – a new chapter in your life is starting.

We were packing your back pack and snack pack together earlier today and I realized in that moment you were ready for your new adventure. And I also realized my little girl is growing up. Your world of independence grows and you are making good decisions for yourself.

Dropping you off at preschool was exciting… until it came to the moment where we actually dropped you off and left. There were tears (yes, I admit, not only from you!), but you quickly forgot all about it once we left and when it was time you pick you up, you greeted us with a big smile!

Your backpack is the shape of a butterfly and just before we were leaving the house you said “look, it’s flying its wings”.  How fitting, as you are spreading your wings today.

Here is my wish for you:

May you always be curious about the world,
And never stop asking questions.
May you always enjoy your journey,
And never stop dancing in the rain.
May you always be kind to those that you meet,
And never stop being true to yourself.
May you always have a caring heart,
And never stop believing that anything is possible.
May you always know you are loved more than words can ever express.

I love you always and forever.

Our Trip to the Fair

Katherine, today we went to the IPE fair. We had such a fun afternoon together! As soon as we got to the fairgrounds, there was this twinkle in your eyes and you pulled us in all different directions - there was so much to see and do.

We visited the goats, the cows, the bunnies, the pigeons and the geese. When we visited the chickens you even got to see a little chick hatch!

In the amusement park section we discovered a beautiful Merry-Go-Round (we call it Karussell in Germany) with colourful horses. After watching the ride for a little while, I asked you if you want to ride it. With big eyes you shook your head and continued to watch it go round and round. I asked you again if you want to ride it… if I came with you. This time you agreed! After we got our tickets, we waited in line to get on the ride. You were so excited, jumping up and down. When it was our time to get on, you chose a beautiful horse to sit on and held on tight. The ride began to go round and round, the lights were blinking, the music was playing, and your horse was moving up and down… and you were mesmerized by it all!

We continued our fun afternoon by visiting the petting zoo, panning for gold, a pony ride and playing some amusement games (where you won a little cute orange bear you named Care Bear Puppyrella!).

At the end of the evening when it was time to go home, you asked us to take you back to the Merry-Go-Round to go on it for one more ride – with daddy!

You are teaching me to see the world through your eyes. When I looked into your eyes during this Merry-Go-Round ride today, I saw pure joy and wonder and when I looked around us I saw the reason for it. It was one of those truly perfect moments in time… I hope you never lose your sense of wonder that shows you the beauty of life. I love you always and forever.

“I Do It!”

Katherine, you are becoming more and more independent – and you are speaking more, which allows you to express yourself and your desire to be independent. A common phrase we hear is “No, no, no - I do it”. When your daddy and I do not comply, a repeat of the same phrase is in order. Sometimes you emphasize your point by raising your voice or by giving us a stern look.

The best investment we have recently made is a pink step stool which you carry everywhere in the house to reach up a little higher. It’s become a great tool in your journey to independence. I love that you don’t mind that it takes way longer to go get the step stool, set it up to reach up to the counter and get what you want and then climb back off the step stool than it would take for me to simply hand you what you wanted.

You are also getting quite proficient at putting your shoes on (the left on the left and the right on the right) and taking them off. I am watching you as you sometimes struggle to get your little hands to do what you need them to do, but you try and try again until you succeed. And what puts me in awe is that when it’s time to go out, you go to the wardrobe, pick the shoes you want to wear and then proceed to take out daddy’s and my shoes as well and line them up for us to get dressed too (mine on the stairs beside yours and daddy’s beside the chair at the entrance door, because that’s where you know we always sit down)!

You are teaching me to be patient, because sometimes being independent isn’t about being fast, it’s about the sparkle in your eyes when you did what you set out to accomplish. You are teaching me to be patient when I see you struggle, to trust that you know how to ask for help when you need it, and to know it’s not my decision to make when that time is. I love you always and forever.

First Time Skating

Katherine, today is New Year’s Eve and 2013 has been filled with many special moments with you. You bring so much joy to our lives and we enjoy every day we get to spend with you.

Today was a beautiful sunny and warm day – how perfect to wrap up a beautiful year! Your dad and I had been talking for a bit about going downtown to the outdoor ice-rink to see if you would enjoy being on skates, and looking outside around lunch time, today seemed like a perfect day for it.

Wrapped in warm jackets and gloves we made our way to the skate rental. You were very excited… and your daddy and I? Well, we hadn’t been on skates for many, many years, so the closer the moment came to actually get on the ice, the more silly our jokes became. We carefully put you on the ice (luckily the rental place also had one of those handy push bars for you). At first you weren’t quite sure what to think about the skates and the fact that your legs now slid back, forth and sideways on the ice, but after a few moments you got the hang of how to drape your arms around the push bar while keeping your legs on the ice. Your daddy and I did pretty much the same thing at first – figuring out how to keep our legs on the ice while hanging on to the push bar! But it didn’t take long for your daddy to get his “skating legs” back and he started to quite elegantly move on the ice again (I had never seen him skate as long as I have known him, so I was quite impressed how well he skated!). I wanted to follow, but your plan was different – you asked me to wrap my arms around you while pushing you and the push bar around the rink. Snuggled up together like this we made our rounds around the rink – I loved it!

I couldn’t have thought of a more special way of spending the afternoon of the last day this year.

You are teaching me that when we spend time together as a family life is perfect, filled with love, laughter and adventure. As we look forward to a new year, I hope we’ll have many more days like today ahead of us. I love you always and forever.