Weekend

Uncle Ed and Uncle Steve have a new puppy, so we needed to go see him. (XX said we went because Uncle Ed and Uncle Steve needed to see her.)

Gabey and XX were both happy to see someone else small. Gabey was wonderfully patient as XX hoisted him onto her lap, time after time after time.

XX also got to sled for the first time. She's been waiting to go, always asking if her uncles have enough snow yet. She wasn't disappointed this visit. Neighbors May (6 yo) and Ned (8 yo) brought their snow gear over and helped XX learn the wonders of sledding. Their daddy, Scott, and XX's daddy pulled kids all over and got their share of exercise.

Even Boris came along to watch. (He is not usually interested in the group activities so dog company is generally limited to Ariel and Ethan.)

Boris overdid it somewhat and is moving with some aches today. The stairs are not his friends, but I think he believes it's a small price to pay. A true snow dog.

I didn't bring my camera the second day or I would have had some killer shots of not only the sun on the white birches in front of a bluer than blue sky, but some video of XX sledding solo - arms out high (contrary to Daddy's admonitions to hold onto the sled), head thrown back as she yelled "WHEEEE!!!"

She even went down the big hill (with Mum), the sunniest grin on her face the whole way according to Scott.

I might also have had some video of Ariel, the only dog to join us yesterday, trying to catch snowballs. She could not figure out why they disappeared and when Scott threw them directly at her, she'd close her eyes and let them bounce off her nose. The efforts were valiant though the results comical.

Caleb the Cat (he is "the Cat") would not let Ariel in the house at first, but later relented. Actually, Uncle Steve scooped up Caleb and put him upstairs to relieve Ariel's anxiety. My furry baby was uneasy the rest of the time and spent more time outdoors than she would normally have wanted, especially with snow, but if Boris was around, she knew she was safe. Still, while the other dogs slept, there are three in a puddle on the couch next to John, Ariel kept her eyes open.

XiaoXiao also learned to play hide and seek, though she was warned repeatedly by May that she had to be quiet or she'd be found quickly. Guess who was found immediately every time?

The kids' mother said that they talked of nothing else but XX and how funny she was. They both asked to see her again the second day. My cartoon character of a child was thrilled to have them over and is already asking when we can go back.

I think the answer is "when the uncles' ears have stopped ringing."

Progress Report

The week before Christmas, XX was able to do both of her classes without me. Unfortunately, this doesn't mean she didn't cry. A lot. She was immediately glued to my side all day and night. She slept on my chest a few nights over the holidays, and her preferred play area since then has been at my desk, sharing my chair, her entire left side plastered against my right side.


But she's gotten more confident each week. This past week, for the first time she didn't cry at all in either class. Just walked in with no problem. At least, no separation problem.

While last week her ballet teacher exclaimed that there was a 180 degree turnaround, "XiaoXiao listened and followed direction and helped," this week, she was in trouble a few times.

But in ni hao class, she listened and followed direction, danced and sang. I saw no wild running in circles, no defiance. One little boy came and told me XX did a good job this week, not like other times when she didn't listen at all (is there always a tattletale?). He also told me that last week he waited and waited but XX didn't come (we missed because of our trip). Very sweet.

So I'm thinking that any week now, XX will not only do both her classes without a tear or backward glance toward me, but without a reprimand. It's coming. For sure. I'm so proud of her for being able to go in and join the class. She still hogs attention, because any attention is good attention, but she's so much better at listening and being able to do the tasks set in front of her.

On our trip, I took her to a beach park with swings, slides and lots of climbing apparatus. For the first time, she tried some climbing on her own. I think she's gotten that much bigger that it's not so overwhelming. It was still hard and still scary, but I was touched by her efforts.

And that night, for the first time, she slept without a peep. No yelling, no crying, no "Mum!"s, no pleading. Just uninterrupted sleep. What a gift.

Alas, a one-nighter. She's back to the screams and terrors, but here, too, progress. Most nights, it's 1 or 2 yells that don't wake her and don't send me into cardiac arrest. A few times a week, she wakes screaming and weeping. I run up and she is sitting and shaking her head no no no no no. I touch her and she falls back into troubled sleep. But it's all easier, milder.

We went to the zoo yesterday where XX ran excitedly to see the tigers. (She's been in her tiger suit most of the time since coming back.)


Today was the Aquarium where she did some climbing (with Baba's help) on a large walrus.


It was a big weekend and she's been in bed more than two hours without a peep. If she gets this far, she's usually past the terrors. My next marker is somewhere around 2 when the random yelling starts. There's another round at 4:30. XX is the happiest of children during the day, but the most frightened at night. Still, if she's done it once, she can do it again. Right?

Warmth

While "long" would describe our shadows on a 7 am stroll on the beach, it is hardly the word to describe our four-day weekend getaway.

We saw AI and UG and bathed in their love.

We celebrated Grandma's birthday, both at the Steakhouse and at IHOP the next morning.

Had Mom still been here, we would have had four generations of first daughters.

XX was thrilled to wear her outfit from Auntie Linda. The warm weather meant the pants stayed on during dinner and then immediately disappeared.

Dad now rests with Mom.

We got to experience more baby love. XX was enamored of this almost three-month old bundle she called "my Baby Kara." She was thrilled to be able to touch (okay, she said "pet"), hold and feed the baby.

XiaoXiao learned about saimin. She asked to take what she couldn't finish ... on the plane. (Didn't happen.)

She also loved guri-guri.

She also learned, thanks to AI, to say, not only "cheese" for photos, but "whiskey." That meant, on the plane when she was playing pretend cameras, she yelled, "WHISKEY!"

More than a few laughing heads turned our way. Also when the lights went down for takeoff and she yelled, "Ai-yah! It's dark and I can't see my magazine!" And on landing: "Ai-yi-yi! Those people are sticking their heads in front of the window and I can't see what the plane is doing!"

Even a moment in some places is enough to renew your spirits for a long, long time. The Island Air, slowed time - enough to enjoy and appreciate life, and more love than you can imagine work a magic far beyond any fiction. I'll hold this warmth in my heart forever.

The Niú Year

So we made it to Chinatown yesterday to see the parade. As luck would have it, the police barricaded us in as we were walking along the street trying to figure out where to go.

When the men in blue command, "step back, step back, step in," you do. And as a happy result, we ended up with a front row "seat" at the top of the parade.

XX wore whiskers and happily told people, "wǒ shì dà lǎo hǔ" (I'm a big tiger) when asked if she were a kitty cat. She waved and called out "Nǐ hǎo!" and "Xīnnián Kuàilè!" to the people on the floats. To be honest, she also shrieked with excitement when a truck drove past with a cherry picker. Everything was fabulous for her.

She said her favorite parts were the gold "lóng" (dragon) and the drums.

She also loved the constant confetti or "curlies" as she called them and the huge red lanterns.

She wasn't quite so taken with the lions, but I thought one in yellow was amazing. He must have worked off enough calories to eat for days without stopping. Perfect for New Year's according to Linda!

And as if that weren't enough, it was also Superbowl Sunday. We had guests, always a plus for XX. She was at her most frantic best.

Her assessment of football, though, was "They're falling on each other and that isn't nice." When she heard "Halftime!" she turned to me with wide eyes: "'Craft Time,' Mum!"

Bruce Springsteen did not quite measure up to gluesticks in her eyes, but she danced wildly anyway and then called it a day. A very good day.