Today Sara is 10 months old! It is both sad and proud. Sad that she is my last baby and that she is growing so much faster than I remember Danielle growing up. But proud, too, that in 10 short months she has gone from a helpless little bit of a thing to this funny little character that is more likely to laugh than cry. She is a constant source of amusement in our house and we are truly blessed to have her. She has completed our family and I have this sense of peace that we are all as we should be. The four of us - together and whole.
Sara was a tentative crawler in the beginning. She figured out how to move those little arms and legs but didn't often go anywhere. But now she is constantly on the move. She spends her time on the go from toy to toy, following the dog, and wandering up and down the hallway - either in pursuit of Danielle, or to sit patiently outside Danielle's bedroom door waiting for it to open and her sister to appear.
She is also transferring herself back and forth from the chair to the stool or the table to my arm. The gaps between the items are getting farther apart too! Two nights ago at bath time, she was standing up at the tub while I was filling it. She picked up a rubber duckie off the edge and stood - unaided! - for about 5 seconds before plopping down on her bottom. And so it begins!
Danielle is growing like crazy, too! Next week is already "portfolio night" where she shows us what they have been doing in the second term of the school year. From the amount of work that she brings home, I am sure it is a lot! I love to see her progress in the art and writing that she does. Her writing is getting neater and her letters are more consistent. And her pictures are getting more detailed all the time. What really amazes me is her reading skills! She knows a lot of bigger words that I didn't think would ever be in the grade 1 reading level. So much for "See Spot run. Run Spot run!" Robert Munch is one of the favorites and those books are pretty detailed!
Danielle is also doing so well at both skating and swimming lessons. Her preference is swimming because the teacher is more engaging, but for a girl who had never set foot on the ice in skates until 6 weeks ago, she is doing fantastic! I just wish the instructor for skating was still the lady that we started with. She hurt her back, so one of the men took over. I think he mostly teaches older kids hockey because he just has them doing drills. I was quite proud of Danielle two weeks ago when she pointed out to him that the other groups on the ice were playing games and that she wanted to do something fun too. He then finished up the lessons with a game of tag (guess who was "it" first!) He did it again this past week, so I think he has a better idea of how to reach the younger groups now. Good for her!
Since she has taken to skating, it has renewed my desire to get back out on the ice. I dusted off my skates and hit the ice again after 20+ years. I am happy to report that there are no broken bones or bruised tooshies! Mostly because I had the stroller to hold on to until I got my "ice legs". But after a few minutes, I got my balance back and had a blast.
We've been watching the Olympics so much the last week and a half. It is great to see Canada doing so well and how proud we are as a nation. There are so many great cultures within our borders and it is fantastic to see them all being celebrated on this national stage! It was also a proud Canadian moment when Maelle Ricker won Canada's first at-home gold medal! What a fantastic milestone in Canadian sports history. And last night's gold medals for Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir were also monumental - the first Canadians/North Americans to win gold in pairs/dance since the 1960's. How great is that!
I must admit that I am disappointed in CTV's coverage of the games. Most of the time they are showing filler interviews and profiles instead of the actual sports. It wouldn't be so bad if the news personalities they chose had something intelligent to say, but when you have one of Canada's skating greats rating falls of skating pairs it is disrespectful to the athletes and their sport. Or having the celebrity stalker reporters encouraging one another to go to a party and hit on Michael Phelps - who cares?? Why are you people even on TV? If this is the best you have to show CTV, go back to running your regular programming in the early morning hours and save the Olympic broadcasts for later in the day. Then show the SPORTS and the broadcasters that know what they are talking about!!! That's my rant for today.
The rest of my time will be spent cheering Go Canada Go because we really are the best nation in the world! Just ask us. :)
