Barbie joined us:
As did this giant:
Huffing and puffing Alina wearily said: "Now I know what it was like for those people who crossed the desert!" She was probably referring to a Bible story. I pointed out that at least we had the hope of quickly finding shade as well as cold water and modern conveniences.
And we did! ... In that building off in the distance.
Swinging like regular monkeys:
Laura's good at it:
Ecstatic monkey:
First month of classes: Sociology.
Loving it!
I do so prefer when they are silly. Reminds me of the innocence of childhood and how ignorance is bliss. And I sure don't tire of their joyous squeals and funny faces!
One rainy day ...
Alina insisted on wearing pijamas that are still too big for her:
A serious pose:
A close-up of the monkey slippers (courtesy of the Grandmother):
Life's just funner when you're wearing a cardboard crown:
And having [sugarless] cornflakes for snack:
And when you have a sister to share such memorable times with:
I recently came across this piece of information which sheds some light on Laura's fascination/obsession with organizing and grouping things. Even though she's very particular about certain things, like where her cup should be placed at mealtimes, it's not like I was worried that she had some sort of problem.
Actually, it's all quite new and interesting for me because even though she's my second child and has been developing normally (other than the fact that she's a pretty late talker), she is completely different from Alina. Each of them amaze me in different ways.
Q: My toddler is obsessed with organizing things. She's constantly stacking toys and other objects, lining them up in perfect rows, or grouping them by color. Is it possible that she has obsessive-compulsive disorder?
Expert Answer
Penelope Leach, child psychologist
Though your toddler's stacking, grouping, and sorting behavior may strike you as odd, it's actually perfectly normal for a child this age. Indeed, noticing the similarities and differences between objects and learning to group like with like is one of a toddler's most important cognitive tasks. Granted, her fingers' constant sorting, arranging, and grouping activity may seem like a tic, but remember that she must first do this work with her hands before she can do it with her brain.
If you watch your child closely — with pleasure rather than anxiety — you may notice her carefully separating her soft toys from her dolls, putting them into neat rows, and perhaps even dividing them into smaller subcategories (the baby dolls in one row, for instance, and the Barbies in another). If you're lucky, you may even witness her contemplating higher-level dilemmas, such as whether the apple should go with the ball (because they're both round) or with the cookie (because they're both things to eat).
Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), on the other hand, is debilitating rather than empowering. Instead of using organization to gain an understanding of her world, a child with OCD uses her compulsion to keep the world — and the extreme anxiety and fear that it causes for her — at bay. She may stay in the bathroom for hours and wash her hands until they're raw, for instance, or not be able to leave the house until she's completed a complex series of rituals. These obsessions and compulsions tend to get in the way of social interactions, interfere with normal activities, and are often accompanied by sleep problems, depression, and quirky eating habits.
The behavior your child is exhibiting is not OCD but the sign of a normal — and completely healthy — cognitive advance.
As usual, we didn't do anything extraordinary during this prolonged holiday. It rained every single day so plenty of indoor activities were had by the girls such as: watching favorite movies, drinking lots of hot chocolate milk, making puzzles, helping Grandma in the kitchen ...
(the reward of her labor)
... and of course, playing. With barbies.
I had high hopes and plans of doing some major, and much needed, organizing. But instead I took advantage of my extra two days off to study for an upcoming test and to try to make some sort of progress in reading the required books of my course.
We did have a barbecue one of the evenings and some of my siblings' friends came over. Played several games of Boggle afterwards ... I like.
Oh, right, and on the last day of school before the holiday, Alina's school had a small Carnival celebration and she got to go dressed up. 'Twas the highlight of her week. And yes, it was raining.
Kids grow up so quickly and their looks, mannerisms, trips, etc. change practically overnight, especially the younger they are. Hence the many photos of Laura.
I know that soon enough she'll be out of the oh-so-cute phase, she'll have lost her baby fat, and she probably won't be as mischievous as she currently is. And besides, the girls really enjoy looking at pictures of when they were younger. So I figure the more the merrier!
Busy playing:
Whenever I ask Alina to walk on my back (it alleviates some of the pain), Laura comes running and tries to walk on it as well. She's actually gotten quite good at keeping her balance.
Here she is walking on Daddy's back:
Lil' weirdo:
I knew it'd happen sooner rather than later. This daring monkey jumped off a ledge and twisted her foot. Thankfully, she didn't break a bone, although she sure scared us.
One of her latest passions: puzzles.
Wiping her mouth with a napkin. So polite.
Another recent passion: lining up anything and everything.
Having breakfast with Grandpa and Grandma:
A wee piggy:
So concentrated:
Last week several of us went out to celebrate my little brother's 19th birthday. Due to the continuous rain and subsequent traffic, it took us almost two hours to get a little more then halfway to our destination.
Being that the rain wasn't letting up and the traffic wasn't getting any better, we decided to go somewhere closer than originally planned. When we arrived at the restaurant, there was no electricity. Great.
By that time the rain let up a bit so we walked a few blocks down looking for a place that had electricity. Thankfully, we found one and we were able to have a good time.
Shhh, don't tell him I posted this.
My youngest sister and a friend:
