As we were preparing dinner tonight Moriarty announced that tomorrow would be the New Years Eve party. He started talking about the food, activities, and saying over and over he knew it wasn’t really New Years Eve, but he was pretending. While we were eating he informed us that after dinner we would need to do our training. As a staunch introvert, what could possibly be worse than a party? A training session on how to attend a party.
He is really into superheroes right now and has named many parts of our yard as the bases where his superhero adventures happen. There’s Resting Base, under an incredible rhododendron, Upload Base, in the outdoor eating area, and Ninja Base, close to the road but hidden by the plants so you can see the cars but they can’t see you. Every day Pip and I are led on adventures where we have some task Moriarty makes up on the spot, and we run between bases, and do stuff, and earn tools, and do missions. This has really helped me understand that in some ways I preferred things when he couldn’t run. But it is great to be outside and moving all through the yard enjoying our plants. He’s been obsessed with seeing pictures and videos of himself for years and just last night figured out the old cell phone we gave him as a timer and white noise source has a camera. He took about 50 photos so far. I’ll start including highlights of Moriarty’s photography next post.
We’re planting a garden this year, but unlike last year we have put measures in place to ensure we’ll get more than 2 carrots and a hand full of beans (last year’s haul). We added chicken wire to the bottom of the fence to guard against bunnies, we built raised beds and put high quality soil in, and planted a bunch of stuff last weekend. Now tiny green sprouts are appearing in neat rows and next we get to teach Moriarty about weeding and caring for the plants. It’s awesome. Oh, and Lorelei likes to eat the dirt.
Lorelei is as charming as ever. She’s ready to walk physically but not psychologically. We tricked Moriarty into walking by setting 2 chairs a couple steps apart and putting his favorite stuffed monkey on the other chair. He happily walked to Monkey. But Lorelei doesn’t have a lovey and so far has seen through my attempts to trick her. She hasn’t really done any more talking or signing. We’re theorizing she’s getting her needs met just fine without it so why bother. It would be nice to have a little more direction when we eat like, yes I want more, vs I actually want that other thing on the table, vs I have a lot of feelings and want to squawk and hold out my arms. She sounds a lot like a droid with the chuffing, squeaks, squawks, and shrieks. Sunday is her birthday and since I don’t want to give her sugary foods yet Moriarty and I made birthday cranberry scones. Delicious!!!
The kids are still playing really well together. He brings her into his room or they hang out in the Great Room and play for long periods of time. I’m not sure what they’re doing, but they’re happy. He still has typical preschool judgement lapses like when he informed us “she has stuff in her eye. I found it with my laser”... He meant LED finger light, but that was a teaching moment about how we shouldn’t shine lasers in the baby’s eye. He means well and hasn’t sent her to the hospital yet. One silver lining to the Covid madness is that both kids have gotten better at entertaining themselves. Lorelei in particular. I’m not thrilled that she’s in this position, but we’re all doing our best.
Photos are here, password “mal”
Selected Videos ——
Lo in the garden, including her eating some dirt
Moriarty doing science (mentos in diet coke)
Moriarty doing engineering, helping Pip at work
Loli in a wagon (to keep her safe in the shop)
Mama hummingbird feeding her babies - she nested outside the kitchen window