This morning I could hear Jaclyn whisper in her bed: “mommy, daddy! Where aaaare you!” Just like she does when we play hide and seek. Then follow up with another whispered question “are you asleep in you bed?”
Then she turned to Rufus who by now was chasing his tail on the shaggy carpet “how is it going Rufusica? Do you need to go out?”
Our life now is challenged to keep up with the high standard we set for ourselves. With fresh energy of new and excited parents, we gave our very best, and it lasted a long time. We seem to be slowing down in stamina. But if we were to do it all over again, we would do the same. Play hard, do everything we can to connect, enjoy all the time together we can.
Two nights ago we went to another Christmas caroling concert, but stayed only for the first part. Bunica and Bunicu came with us, and enjoyed Jaclyn’s outburst of evening energy and verbose state. She even walked hand in hand with them the whole way back, and told them everything her little mouth could debit. They were so happy!
We continue to go swimming every other day and she lights up every time I ask her if she wants to go to the pool. We give her full attention, and she gets to use up her energy. She then eats with an appetite and sleep well after noon.
Last night she didn’t sleep much, and my attempt to give us all an uninterrupted full night sleep backfired. I asked her to wear a night pull-up so she wouldn’t have to wake up at night. She wasn’t happy about it. Because during these past many weeks she already got used to getting up to pee, this time she got so ambitious to do it all herself, just to prove that she doesn’t need the pull-ups anymore.
We live such a mix of emotions… of delight and exhaustion at the same time. Out of probably frustration with the language, or maybe all 3 year olds are like that, she asks or repeats the same thing over and over and over again, even after I acknowledge or answer it. And even when daddy answers to her in Romanian, she pretends she didn’t understand, or doesn’t know how to adapt to his accent yet.
Jaclyn yearns for kids’ company. She is now asking for a baby sister. Or any sister. I guess it is what most 3 years old ask for. Mama tells me that my brother asked for a sister at this same age. Hence the 4 years difference between him and me. Jaclyn asks me about everyone she knows, and their mother, and father. Where are they, what are they doing, can we go play with them… We look forward to spring kindergarten. Or for her to be a little older and coordinate her own play dates. I guess life in a village is simpler that way. Everyone just gets out on the road and plays. One day Terra will be like that. Maybe summer.
In the meantime, this very cold Sunday, we spend it low key, recovering from a slight fever.
