This summer was rough. Normally the rains start in August, but this year they were late, which means temperatures were out of control. An article in the paper said this September was the hottest on record for Belize since 1857.
The problem with the heat is that the girls and I just can't escape it. Our house is so tiny, all of us in one room all day long. By 9am it is too hot to be outside, so we bounce around the (un air-conditioned) 12X20 ft downstairs, everyone getting a little crazier each day. Everything edible/throwable/breakable has migrated to above 3 1/2 ft and yet the house still looks like a hurricane has hit it approximately 10 minutes after the girls wake up. Once a week or so we journey out into the world, for a playdate or a visit to see Daddy at school. Nowhere is air-conditioned, there is no escape from the 90 degree heat, so these trips (with the in/out of the car carseat wrestling matches, the inevitable toddler faceplants, and the dreaded car seat naps) wipe me out for the rest of the day. Coping mechanisms have been lots of iced tea (for me) and Disney movies (for them). Ms M now knows most of the words to the songs from Annie, the Lion King, and Mary Poppins.... which actually I feel is quite an accomplishment for a 2 year old.
I've been reflecting on this summer, though, and I decided I want to remember the good things. The funny toddler sayings, their weird little quirks. I have a pretty poor memory, so by writing down the good things and ignoring most of the bad things (AHEM potty training) in a few years I will look back at these toddler years with happiness. Hopefully.
So on to my babies. Since Ms M turned 2, her language has exploded. Every day she tries out new words and phrases, and often Daniel and I turn to each other, puzzled as to where she heard her newest expression. Her face and expressions are so animated, that even when she is just babbling in baby talk people often ask me what she is saying, convinced maybe she is speaking some other language. She is quite, quite certain that there are monkeys in the fridge, and points that out to us several times a day. She belts out show tunes and nursery rhymes, and dances with total freedom. It's a joy to watch. She is gentle with babies, but not with her sister. She takes my face in both hands every night, and gives me a run down of her day in baby babble, often ending with, "monkeys upstairs?" She talks to herself in third person, saying, "Look Emma, look!," She still hasn't figured out the logic of names, and calls pretty much everyone (including Daniel and I) "Tio." (Spanish for uncle). Lu she has nicknamed Isa. She is a night owl and a morning grump.
Lu is up, awake, and smiling by 6:30 every morning. She talks a lot, mostly about her favorite things: flowers, balls, and the cat. The cat she loves with much physical affection, and the cat really does not reciprocate. She is an independent miss, not really affectionate, but she likes to lean against me when I am sitting on the floor. She is always dirty, even minutes after a bath. She eats everything (even non edible things) with gusto. She is absolutely fearless. When she falls she never cries, just picks herself up and barrels onwards. She likes to spin in circles until she falls down and walk around the house with her eyes closed. When you ask for a kiss, she shuts her eyes tight, sucks in her bottom lip, and turns her face up to yours.... which looks like a beaver. She is obsessed with giving fist bumps, and will circle the room at family gatherings giving bump after bump. She sits on her sister whenever she gets a chance (revenge I think for all the times her sister sat on her as a baby). She has the longest eyelashes I have ever seen on a baby.
So that is us, at the end of the summer. Hanging on, looking forward to rainy days and cool nights.
So that is us, at the end of the summer. Hanging on, looking forward to rainy days and cool nights.
