Trading in My Car For a Preschool Education

Do you think that the government will accept a student loan application for a 3 year old? Maybe they give out bursaries for pre-elementary education.
I've been looking into preschools for next year and seriously... what's with the exorbitant preschool costs these days?! For this kind of money my kid had better come home knowing how to calculate derivatives.

The Minstrel

"Baa baa black sheep

Happy wool

Yes sir

Big and full."

Creating Order from Chaos

Our library has a very cool play area in the children's section that Esmé wanted to hang out in while I chose a few books to check out. I wasn't really paying much attention to what she was doing and had my back turned while I was looking at the books. When I finally looked over, I realized that my child just might have some sort of toddler OCD. The chairs, which were previously scattered around the area, were now organized into a line and each stuffed animal was being assigned a chair to sit in. In this picture, she is now trying to drag the Fraggle Rock doll, which is bigger than she is, into the last chair. Poor girl was busy the whole time trying to organize the play area!

Halloween #2

Discovering pumpkin goo

Esmé kept trying to blow out the candles like it was a cake.

Ready to go "tick a teat"

Supergirl vs. Marvin the Martian

(AKA Auntie Gillian)

Happy Birthday Esmé

Our dear little girl is 2! We had a wonderful day doing all the things Esmé loves best. Watching the fish at the aquarium, visiting with Grandma and Auntie, opening presents, and blowing out candles. Even now, a couple weeks after her birthday, whenever we ask her, "Esmé, how old are you?" She still replies, "Esmé happy birthday! Esmé be 2!"

Dress Up

Motion 58

I have a confession to make. I've been recently blogging for another website. I wanted to tell you sooner but just couldn't find the right words. We met just a couple weeks ago and hit it off right away. But my hope is that you will understand and grow to love it too. Its name is Motion 58. I'd like to introduce you. Just look to the right of this screen. See it? I put a special link there. So come on over and see what's happening on the other side of our life. You can even subscribe if you fall in love too.

First Set of Wheels

I wish I could have captured the look on her face when she came around the corner to show us that she was riding her new tricycle. I think it was the most excited she's ever been in her entire life. Pure elation.

She was glued to the seat of that trike for the rest of the day, even sat on it in the bathroom as she brushed her teeth. And then it was a big disappointment when I told her the trike couldn't go with her into bed that night.

What I Did on My Summer Vacation

Bathroom Humour Countdown

Besides the one major upside to toilet training, there are just a few drawbacks...

10. Grocery shopping seems to take twice a long when we have to trek to the other side of the store to find a bathroom, twice, and I forget which aisle we left off at, twice.

9. Two words shouted from the back seat, "Mama, pee!" sends our car careening across two lanes of traffic to catch the nearest exit off the highway, jumping out on the side of the road, freeing a panicked child from the carseat, shoving on her shoes (why is she wearing high-tops?!), and holding her over the muddy grass praying that she aims away from my feet.

8. Apparently the only thing that was ever holding up her pants was that big diaper bum. They don't seem to make pants in a size 2-diaperless.

7. Public restrooms. That's all I have to say on that one.

6. Peaceful nights of sleeping through the wet diapers turn into shouts of, "mama, pee!" and a toddler who thinks that because she is now out of her crib and on the toilet, it must be morning. At 10:00 pm.

5. How can the sudden urge to use the bathroom be timed so well with sitting down to the beginning of a delicious hot dinner?

4. Crying wolf. The phrase, "uh-oh, pee" is now being used to get out of certain situations. Where once we would jump at those words, now we have to discern whether it really is a full bladder or just nap procrastination.

3. The words "pee" "poo" "toilet" and "bathroom" now make up 90% of my daily vocabulary.

2. The toddler's urge to be an independent wiper coupled with frequently overestimating the number of squares needed, has caused our weekly toilet paper consumption to triple.

1. Most playgrounds don't come equipped with bathrooms. And no, I don't consider a port-a-potty a bathroom.

The Fort

She sits in her fort, colouring, reading, chatting away to herself. Content to live, just for a moment, away from us and in her own world. Only the tiny feet peeking out at us. And as we watch, our little girl seems to grow just a bit older.

Then and Now

October 2010

August 2011

Esmé is taking after her father and has grown to LOVE bikes. She is always pointing them out on the street and tries to steal other kids bikes at the park. We haven't got her one of her own yet, but I guess it's time! (Oh, and she also loves the helmet, which she occasionally wears around the house.)

Throwing Rocks into the Sea

(I still can't believe we live here.)

Little Lady

Friends

Enjoying the View

Here we are, in the heart of the city, 31 floors up. (While our car is parked 5 floors down. Yes, that's 5 floors below the earth.)

We are slowly starting to explore our new neighbourhood and discovering that everything is right at our doorstep. Our car just might start collecting dust!

Moving Day

As Moving Day Approaches

Packing boxes to move is hard. Packing boxes to move while a toddler is running around is just stupid. I pack a box, she unpacks it. I get out a new box, she climbs into it. I sort through the crystal vases, she picks one up and breaks it. I label the box, she rips off the labels (because, hey! free sticker!)

Two days left in our apartment. The little one bedroom apartment that we've lived in for the past 8 years. We were newly weds when we moved in, Kyle was still in acting school and I was a youth worker in Surrey. We dreamt of our future together, wondering what would come. I look back through the memories and am happy to have been here in this place at this time. And now we move on. New memories to be made.

Feet

Esmé was "helping" me bake when she dumped the baking powder all over the ground as well as the chair she was standing on. I had a moment of frustration and began to clean it up when I noticed the tiny feet. Amazing how quickly the frustration can melt away.

Hard at Work

Nunnery Application In Progress

Esmé likes to pretend to read and pretend to say letters when she sees them on signs or in books. She says letters in random order but when I ask her, she can tell me what some letters are, like A, B, and M. (We were working on C but she has trouble saying the "s" sound and M stands for moon which gets her really excited, so A, B, M it is.)

Today she was looking at the computer keys and among her babbling started saying the letters, "B... O... Y." Then she repeated it over and over, "B...O...Y, B...O...Y."

Noooo! This is too soon! I can't take it!

N..O, N..O, N..O!

Latest Obsession

Esmé found my old glasses and decided they are the coolest thing. I popped the lenses out and now she wears them all the time. She puts them on first thing in the morning, wears them while she's playing or eating or when we go out, and even wears them to bed.

We figure it's good training for when she inherits her parents' bad eyesight and has to wear them for real.

Toddler Penitentiary

I finally made the decision that maybe I should have more than one pair of decent jeans. I am, after all, a grown-up and ripped jeans don't really go with the whole grown-up look. (Although they probably do go with the tired mom look.) So I packed Esmé into the car and we made the trek over to Metrotown to get lost in the gigantic maze of stores.

Esmé sat patiently in her stroller, watching the crowds, being cute for the sales ladies, and making faces into the mirrors. Pretty much just minding her own business. Or so I thought.

Once I had had enough of the mall (which was very quickly because I loath shopping) we made our way toward the car. It wasn't until I had put her in the car seat and started to fold up the stroller that I saw the evidence.

A tank top. Army green. Size medium. Neatly tucked into the seat of the stroller. A shirt I have never seen before.

She's starting young folks, and she knows her stuff. Surveying the clothes, deciding which table is low enough for her to reach and make a quick grab. Choosing an item that won't set off the alarms as we leave the store. Batting her big blue eyes at the sales ladies to solidify her innocence. And tucking the evidence away and out of sight. It all makes sense now.

And then here is where I become the accomplice.

I stand there in the parking lot weighing my options. Our shopping experience has left us both grouchy. Esmé, in addition to being mentally exhausted from carrying out her elaborate burglary, is now hungry and tired and cranky. She's already buckled in to her car seat. I look at the tank top lying there. I think about the store it came from. Where is that damn store anyway? I'd have to wander around that monster of a mall all over again? My morals give way to fatigue. I don't care anymore. We're going home.

When we get home I have a talk with Esmé, "Honey, next time you see a shirt you like and think you want it, why don't you check the tag and make sure it's Mama's size first."

Please don't tell anyone.

The Fourth Plane Trip

Our little globetrotter is becoming very familiar with the word "airplane." We frequently see them passing by our window when we are sitting at our dining room table (we are 5 min. from the airport) and Esmé loves to point them out. She's also experienced her share of plane rides, including our latest adventure, the mother of all plane trips. A 24 hour flight plus a 3 hour drive from Vancouver to Esfahan.

In Iran, New Years Day is on the first day of spring. Norooz, as it's called, is a big holiday and everyone has a couple weeks off work. So this was the perfect time for a visit and to introduce my father to his first grandchild.

(We chose not to bring our camera, so these are either given to us by other people or taken with our iphone.)

The Table of Seven S is a traditional Norooz table setting, similar to decorating a Christmas tree. All of the items on the table begin with the letter S.

With Norooz comes a whole lot of visiting. Every night families go to each other's houses for tea and sweets. Kyle and I usually just sit there as other people come around and offer us the food in a very ritualistic manner. But this night Kyle decided to lend a hand, much to the amusement of everyone in the room.

My siblings.

Much of our time there is always spent eating, but we aren't complaining!

Esmé was a big hit of course. From the moment we arrived she was swept up into the arms of many loving family members. Most of the time I felt like I wasn't even a mother anymore as her grandparents, uncles, aunts, and cousins all jumped in and took over, making sure she was happy, entertained, and well fed. She loved every minute.

Making new friends.

Helping out.

Learning to play the sitar.

We all rented a van and took a 3 hour road trip out to the desert and hiked the sand dunes.

I promise this isn't a backdrop.

It was so windy and cold at first that the sand blew in our faces and stung our eyes.

Someone wrapped Esmé in a scarf to keep the sun off her fair skin. (We forgot to bring a hat or sunscreen... even though we were going out into the desert...) She loved sliding down the sand dunes and feeling the warm sand in her fingers and toes.

Me and my bro.

Esmé's first camel ride.

We are still finding sand in our shoes and pockets.

Near the desert was a traditional restaurant where we stopped to have lunch. It was located in a tiny village in the middle of nowhere but it was amazing.

Esmé loves her tea.

Across the street from this restaurant was a 1,500 year old fortress. It contained the remains of a village with about a hundred different homes set along winding streets. Each home had a domed roof to eliminate the need for beams and to keep the rain and snow off. Most of them were if very good shape, which is surprising considering they are completely unprotected. The government puts no effort into the preservation of such historical landmarks and so this ancient village is littered with garbage and graffiti.

Pigeon manure is a hot commodity and these buildings are a common sight. Pigeons fly in through the small holes and make their nests. Occasionally someone comes and collects all the droppings from the ground.