We’re living through the apocalypse. I really like infectious diseases so I’m well read on things like 1918 flu and quarantine, but it’s quite different to live it with 2 small kids in the house. Pip and I have been working from home for weeks now, and for about a week with the kids. That means Lorelei spends a lot of time on the floor near my desk. Sometimes she tries to topple my desk, since it’s the perfect height for pulling up. She’s also discovered that flipping the switch on the power strip turns the light off and on. Endless fun! We also put up the old busy board we had made for Moriarty and she’s very into the door stop spring.
Turns out she's a unicorn baby. If she seems sleepy at all we can walk into her room and she reaches for her bed, grabs a binkie and lays down. It's not at all like Moriarty who needed half an hour of bouncing and singing, or more. And, an exciting milestone, she signed milk this week and started waving. She waves goodbye at the coworkers on my video calls.
Moriarty is showing concern and anxiety around all the changes. First his field trips got cancelled, then school got very serious about hand washing and talked about corona virus. Then I was working from home, then Pip, then he stopped going to school. The zoo is closed, and so on. He’s definitely anxious so we’ve been trying to reassure him that he’s safe, and we’re safe, and the virus is most dangerous for people who are old and sick, but his grandparents are all being very careful, etc. It seems to be helping but he’s definitely old enough to get that this is really bad.
We’re trying to create structure for Moriarty. Some TV, some free play, some sister play, some academics, lots of time outside, etc. It’s not always well received, but he needs it. I had a bad mommy moment yesterday. First I’d moved all my computer/work stuff outside so I could be near him while he played, then after 5 min he wanted to come inside. No, it’s outside time!!! I moved here, we’re gonna hang outside. He threw an enormous tantrum that was so draining. We recovered and 2 hours later he was throwing another enormous tantrum about having a pancake as a snack (after I’d gotten him a large and wonderful snack). I completely lost it. I actually threw a pancake at him. I can’t believe I was that angry and immature. We both calmed down, but this quarantine thing is making us all more touchy. Pip and I are getting more intentional about focused time with him, and he's started having Skype dance parties with Aunt Lisa [Francine]. She entertains him and gets some wiggles out.
It does help that the weather has turned and we all want to be out in the yard for an hour in the evening (Moriarty wants us to play with him, then he’s thrilled to be outside). Nature is exploding too. Pip caught our woodpecker on video, the daffodils are blooming like mad, and we put 3 new trees in the ground: another flower cherry, a fruiting plum, and a combination fruiting asian pear. That means it’s 4 types of pear grafted to a single tree. We’ve been slaying blackberries like crazy. Moriarty is good with clippers but not ready for a big shovel. He used a hand saw to cut a large branch that was blocking a walkway (that we finally uncovered under the blackberries).
Moriarty had his 5th birthday party. It was amazing. We went to the inflatable bouncy house place. Part of the time was in black light and the kids had glow stick necklaces. Moriarty and I went in the wind tunnel. He got a slot car set for his birthday and was figuring it out, Day 1. He and I made his cake from scratch. He designed it, a large fire engine made partly of strawberry cake and party of rice crispy treats. He watches baking shows with me so he was clear he wanted buttercream and fondant. He chose pink and red fondant colors, and in the end we had a pretty incredible cake! He helped with all the parts but his attention span couldn’t quite do it all. But I was so proud and he was thrilled to make something he designed. Baking is so fun, but it’s also a way to sneak in some math. I got measuring cups that are shaped like the “pieces of the pie”, to help visualize fractions. We have to split batter in half for two pans, etc. Surreptitious teaching is my favorite.
Lorelei is growing. She’s more talkative, her tongue is out half the time, she’s learning to wave and give high fives. She has eczema so she’s getting more baths now and the splashing and giggle is incredible. I like her focus and curiosity. She does this thing where she shakes her head in a ‘no’ fashion but she’s not saying no. I have no idea what it’s about but it’s signature Lorelei.
The kiddos are playing well with each other. Moriarty likes to take toys that she’s found and I don’t want him grabbing stuff she has. So, the rule is, if she finds it and can’t easily break it, she gets to play until she’s done. If he leaves a transformer toy on the floor, he can’t snatch it back. It’s helping him keep his toys up! And respect her more. He adores her though. They play and he lets her wack on him and ride him.
Recent pictures password “mal”