A Smorgasbord of Events

Well, the last month and a half have been a whirlwind of activity and development. We found a new house here in Toronto after a fairly in-depth search. Daigoro and Kenshin were very patient as we trucked them around from house to house. Daigoro would often ask if there were "guys" (kids) or toys in each house as we went in, as one of the earlier houses we toured had toys on display in one room.

We're happy with our find, which should give us a lot more elbow room in the long term. It's close to schools, parks and shops, as well as being not too far from where we are currently, so many of the social contacts we've already made in the area won't have to be dropped. I'm also pleased that it's actually closer to our current United Church, so we'll be able to stay on with the congregation there without a long commute each Sunday. The commute will be shorter for Marli and only a few minutes longer by bike (and shorter by transit) for me, so it's a great find.

Based on the way we're bursting at the seams in our little two-bedroom apartment currently, moving day couldn't come a day sooner.

Kenshin is more mobile in his cruising and occasionally stands without support, though still nowhere near as rapidly as Daigoro seemed to progress. In the past two weeks, he's been increasingly hyperactive (in the non-clinical sense) which has been a little bit of a strain for Marli and me. Some of his increased awake time and night-time feeding may be due to yet another pair of teeth coming in, the first of which poked through his gum this morning. Kenshin's current favourite toy is a Curious George jack-in-the-box which he received as a gift from his aunt this past Christmas; it absolutely entrances him when it plays. He generally shows a markedly higher interest in music and rhythm than Daigoro ever did; Daigoro is not uninterested in music, but it's not his first love.

Daigoro swings between being a really resilient and well-behaved kid to a whiny little so-and-so, with the decent majority of it being good rather than bad. I suppose that's entirely normal for a kid his age, but I can see how some parents start to lose their cool about now. I have a comparatively short fuse when it comes to whiny-ness, whether it be children or adults. I tend to think I'm a fairly patient guy otherwise, so it's difficult for me to find myself blowing my top at times. His hand-eye coordination development continues to impress me, just last week he drew a pretty credible version of a whale which had a striking (but coincidental, in my opinion) resemblance to West Coast aboriginal art depictions of whales. I'm pleased that he's showing an interest in art.

Starting last Tuesday (February 19th), he's been running a streak where he hasn't pooped in his diapers while he was awake. He's been quite motivated by the reward of being able to wear special "Cars"-themed pull-up diapers if he tells us that he has to go potty in time (and subsequently goes). Seems the reward/carrot motivator has trumped basic training methods this time.

We're continuing our now three month tradition of going to my parents' house on Thursday and swimming at a local community centre for about forty-five minutes to an hour. Both kids seem to enjoy it a lot (so long as the wading pool is warm) and Daigoro in particular has advanced a long way towards being more confident in the water.

More to follow... I've just run out of steam on this entry for now.

Quote Gold

Daigoro has been the source of some pretty funny quotation material lately. A few samples:

"We're running in a race but we don't know where we're going."

(interesting summation of the plight of modern man)

"If you like something then you like it."

(circular reasoning or Zen philosophy?)

"I'm kicking you because I love you."

(school-yard romances prefigured)

[After being given bacon for the first time] "Oh my goodness... I love bacon!"

(cardiovascular problems ahead)

More to come... I've suddenly drawn a blank. Watch this space.