Creative Expressions

Solvi on Pleasant Bay Rock

Just shy of two, Solvi is already little miss independent. Her new favorite statement, “I wanna do it my SELF!” God forbid you should try and help her get dressed. Even if you insist that you are only trying to help set her up, she throws a big fit and runs and hides (a charming technique she learned from Olie.) And whoa to the person who wants to help her down some rain soaked, concrete steps or across a busy street. And she is undaunted even if she has no idea how to! The other morning I had to bully her into her coat because she wanted to put her jacket on herself. I tried to show her, but she thought I was trying to squelch her independence. So then I had Olie show her the “pre-school” way. Too late, big fit. Luckily she is quite a fast learner. A couple hours after the coat fit, I picked her up from the Y babysitting and watched amazed as she indeed did put her coat on the pre-school way, just as Olie had just shown her! Was there a twinkle in her eye as she did so? I think so.

Out with Sheila

Solvi’s dexterity also applies to her linguistic skills. Another mother informed me that her pediatrician said kids should be putting 2 words together at least by 2.5 yrs. Well Solvi isn’t even 2 and, despite some issues with diction, she basically speaks at the level of a three-year-old! Single subjects are frequently treated with three or four complete sentences of 5 to 7 words. And she's been doing this for months! Experts and lay people alike continued to be impressed. The other day she said, “Mommy I like your shirt.” “Why, I asked.” “Because it’s fancy. I like fancy shirts.” What pre-2-year-old knows the word “fancy”?! Or consider this treatise dealing with a deaf caregiver at the Y, who Solvi was temporarily afraid of due to the way she spoke. So we’re driving by the Y and Solvi said, “I wanna go to da Y. I not scared at da lady. She’s a nice girl. She just has a different voice.” Solvi also knows all her colors and shapes and can almost count to 20 (with a few missteps). When you try to read her books you often have to wait until she’s taken a breathless tally of everything on the pages. “Dere’s an orange bird, and anodder bird. And a cute butterfly, and a green bug, and a nice dog. He looks like Bella.”

Not to be outdone by his sister Oliver also continues to be verbally precocious. The other day he was narrating our Thomas the Train game with the following, ‘“Ouch!” complained Thomas as Burdy hit him.” Notice the used of the word “complained” instead of just plain “said.” Or “We’re plant eaters!” Stegasaurus and Ankylosaurus insisted. We also had Oliver’s mid term school review yesterday, during which the teacher described the days advanced challenge. That morning she had asked the students to take a person, an object and a vehicle and construct a narrative sentence with all three and draw a representational picture. Now need I remind you that these kids are 4! She admitted that this was advanced kindergarten-level stuff that she’s had not actually expected any of the kids to be able to do. Oliver was the only one who could! Yes, I’m bragging here. But I’m proud! He sentence was: “A girl put a block in the dump truck then drove and dumped it out in a dirt pile.” And underneath, was his drawing of the girl, truck, and pile of dirt.

Whoa Grampa turns 97!

Olie is also just starting to “read” in that he sounds out at least the first letter of words. He is also interested in copying letters. Unfortunately this sometimes results in some graffiti. The other day while staying with Auntie Stephanie, I called Olie down from a time out in his room/Stephanie’s office. When he came down, I asked if he wanted to draw. After a few minutes Olie asked, “Mom, what does this say?” I looked to see that he had written B-O-B on the page. “Bob” I said. “Where did you learn that?” Chad piped in. "Go upstairs..." I went upstairs to find that Aunt Stephanie’s file labelled “Bob” for Bob Keiter now also sported the words “Bob” and “Oliver” shakily scrawled in hot pink highlighter by some youngster just learning to write. Hmmmm. Olie then went on to copy the word “CAT” from Stephanie’s frig.

Easter photos:

Olie’s representational drawing has also really come a long way in the last few weeks. Suddenly he’s moved from abstract forms to complicated things. Today he drew a tiger, complete with stripes!

Tiger!

Oliver is also our effusive child. He frequently gives me enthusiastic praise and hugs for the evening meal - “Mom, I LOVE this meal! It’s GRE-AT!” - sometimes even if he doesn’t like it. After such a reception to dinner, Chad later informed me that Oliver had confided in him that he didn’t actually like it. “But don’t tell Mom,” he said. AND the other morning when I came back from my well-deserved 40th bday night away, Olie threw his arms around me and said, “Mom I love you. I really love you after you've come back from a long trip. But then I get a little bored,” he admitted. “But you’re beautiful whenever.” Ok I’ll take that.

Running around the yard at Steph's

Oh and Olie’s no longer likes blue. This year the girls in class have introduced him to a whole new world of color. In the fall Olie came home and announced that he’d discovered gold. “It’s like yellow, Mom,” he explained, “but shiny!” Then he went throw a brief rainbow phase, following Tilly’s lead. Then pink!. Yes, after the school pajama day we’d had to go to Target and get “pink, monkey pajamas” just like Kylie and Asma had. Fortunately Olie has now moved on to red, which is much easier to accommodate.

Red Knot by Martha (Gramma Birds) and Olie