kvale

Wednesday, February 14, 2007

What happened?

Kks talks up a storm these days. Her expressive language gains complexity each day, offering her observations and interpretations of the world. I have longed to learn more about what goes on in her mind--about what thing occupy her thoughts. For so long, we had little if any idea. Even more exciting, kks tells us in simple terms what happened in the past tense. The kids work on this in school. We work on this with things recently spoken--we want to know, "what happened?" Kks' daycare provider yesterday asked "what did you have for lunch?" Kks answered: "Chips. Juice. Ice Cream (she forgot the turkey sandwich, but 3 out of 4 causes jubilation in this household)."

Thursday, February 08, 2007

Every little thing

A second child has taught me to appreciate the small, daily joys of parenting and childhood. My wife and I are not easily panic stricken, nor are we hypochondriacs. However, I feel calmer as a parent this time around. I find myself savoring certain moments. I tend to shovel my food in--my parents often said to me at meal time "you're eating like you're going to a fire!" I think I parented KKS at times like I was going to a fire. Her younger sister, AAS has slowed me down.

Two moments to recently savor:

1. KKS this morning greeted me with a question "What's up, Daddy?" Not really her style. Maybe it is her style, and I'm learning more about it.

2. Last night as I was futzing about the house, I notice KKS reading to AAS. She wasn't trying to drag her around by the arm or yank on her three month old limbs, only recreating what we have emphasized lately in reading.

I want to share more of the small, savory moments, especially as KKS opens more of her world to us through verbal communication. I shall savor those moments all the more.