[not as easy to get all three of them as it was when there were just two]
Leona (4 years and 2 months)
Leona has really come into herself these last few months, or grown a lot I should say, as she has always been herself. She has found an increased confidence both in terms of interacting with other people who she isn't familiar with (as long as it is on her terms and especially when it is on her turf...at home) as well as in her climbing abilities. And so, often, recently, I look at her and am just amazed at how big...how mature and grown...she suddenly is.
She still loves to talk. Makes up words when describing what she draws and paints, talks to herself non stop, to Eliana all through their play, and to us constantly. If she is quiet, it means she is sleeping.
I have found that after about a year of only speaking Norwegian with her, her English has begun to slip more and more, being replaced both in grammar and vocabulary by Norwegian. "We for see" (vi får se) "look on me" (se på meg) "I plukka opp en mark" (I picked up a worm), etc. She speaks tons of Norwegian every day, but only to herself, because it is her choice. I think in terms of speaking Norwegian to people in the village, she's a bit scared to do it, because she doesn't understand everything they say and I think she is worried they won't understand what she says, because I - and thus she - speak a different dialect than they do here. But I feel we may be on the cusp of a change, as these past couple days she's spoken Norwegian to me - a full sentence now and then.
The whole 'speak English to everyone' has run deep. Even when two of her third cousins stayed with us a few days this Easter, who speak Portuguese and Norwegian, she only spoke English with them. The fact they didn't understand her didn't stop her and especially the youngest of the two (who is also a careful soul around people she doesn't know too good yet, like Leona) to have some awesome play together.
An amazing quality of hers is how she cares for and includes her siblings. When Eliana was born, Leona would make up a spot to lay down right beside her, and sing to her and tell her all about what they were looking at "mama there, papa there" etc. And she is equally caring with Cedrik, wanting to often hold him, talk with him, care for him.
She also has this protector gene that just blows me away. The other day Eliana wanted to go out on the balcony, and Leona was going to help her open the door, but when they got over to it Leona spotted a wasp on the inside about half a foot from them. She was petrified, like I've never seen her so genuinely and completely terrified before, and screamed "Bee!" and started crying/screaming powerfully as she was not running away but trying desperately to save Eliana by grabbing her and pulling her away from the wasp, while Eliana wasn't really sure what was going on and so wasn't allowing herself to be smoothly pulled away. Talking to her about it after she said she was so scared because she thought the wasp might hurt Eliana - or herself, and so was trying to protect her (Eliana).
She is super helpful, especially in terms of helping out Eliana when she needs help with something, like getting something or doing something. Eliana is sometimes less enthusiastic about getting help from Leona, especially if I am there.
Then there's the politeness. "Thanks you" and please, takk for maten (after finishing a meal one says thanks for the food here). But only when she's in her comfort zone...so not to people she's not comfortable around. We haven't ever requested she say this stuff, but we use it with them and with each other. The only thing I started doing a while back (and sometimes still use) is when she said, for example, "I need more milk" or something else like that, a statement, I would just say to her "I hear you say you need more milk" and leave it at that. She would then change it to a question "Can you get me some more milk?" and for me that was enough, no please necessary, but a question rather than a statement.
She often says "my love" to Eliana, when trying to get her to do something or telling her about something that will happen later.
Speaking of which. The other day they were playing outside, and I was watching from the balcony. Leona was going to go up to the front porch to put something away, and said to E: "I'm going to go put this away. I will be right back. Don't be scared, I won't be a long time. You can just stay here. I'm just going up and then I will be right back." (etc...did I mention she's a talker?). I think this clearly stating what is going to happen next comes from how we do the same (minus lots of repetition) with them so that they know what is coming/going on.
Eliana's vocabulary and sentence complexity/length has really been developing a lot lately. She says sentences of 3-5 words sometimes, and loves to practice new things over and over and over again ("noona bi(g) girl, ana bi(g) girl, papa bi(g) girl"..."papa's a man" "papa ma, mama yedi, oona bi(g) girl, ana ..." and on and on, requiring us to be paying attention to her, or sometimes just on her own to herself.
However, Judge is concerned Eliana has inherited her language ear from him. A prime example is when she learned the name of one of the 10 yo girls she was hanging around with (one of them lives downstairs, the other two visit her sometimes). The three girls' names are Angelica, Anastasia, and Arhet. She calls out 'Agika!'. I tell Judge she is calling the name of...you guessed it perhaps, Anastasia (~!), and he doesn't quite believe me, so he asks Eliana "Angelica?" and she gives him an almost offended "nooooooooooo" and shake of her head. "Anastasia?" "Yah! Agika!!"
Another example is she often request to wear her "gagama" lately. It would be logical for you to assume she is asking for her pajamas, but no, it is her bathing suit (badedrakt in Norwegian...as much a resemblance to gagama as the English term). Though today she was saying she wanted her "baby q" before bed, and when I didn't catch what she was saying she said "gagama!". Ah yes, baby q...bathing suit.
Eliana is a joyful girl. Serious and observant at times, when out and meeting others especially, but also with this animated exuberance when she's in her element, with a hearty deep and full belly laugh.
She also loves to push known and vocalized boundaries, and push Leona's buttons. One of many, many examples is that she will twist her leg so her foot touches Leona's chair, or stretch her arm out so her finger touches her chair or Leona, with this purposeful and knowing look in her eyes, as she is fully aware that this will set Leona off.
About a month and a half ago, she also decided she wanted to start wearing a diaper again, after being completely diaper free day and night for about 5 months, with an 'accident' only once in a long while. This came about because she had seen the kids her age and older get their diaper changed when we were visiting the kindy. So two days in a row she purposefully peed on the floor or in her pants thee times each day. I told her that she was going to have to wear a diaper again until she started using the potty or toilet to pee and poop again every time, and she gleefully yells "yay!!" as she runs over to where we used to keep her diapers. Since then, as long as we have had a diaper on her she has used the potty/toilet every time, but if we leave the diaper off she will, without fail, pee her pants or on the floor (if she's naked). Only this past week or so has she started to sometimes pee in the diaper as well, often with her legs apart and looking down, still not quite believing that the pee will be contained in the diaper.
Even when we went swimming for their first time ever about two weeks ago, and I had put a swimming diaper on her, she actually came out of the pool and said she had to go pee, rather than pee in the pool.
She has an awesome running style, with a hopping gallop and arms that wave in circles in front of her body and out to the sides.
She is having a bit of a hard time adjusting to Cedrik's arrival, while at the same time being over the moon about him - often wanting to hold him and see him and be close to him, and very concerned when he cries (something he seldom does), coming over to him to pat him. This concern for others is something that runs deep in her. So although she loves to push Leona's buttons and make her agitated and stressed/cry, if Leona is crying due to something else, she is always there with that concerned look and feeling.
She is also very polite, often saying please and takk for maten ("yayaya"). I think this is not because of us, but because of Leona's influence.
[trying on a dress we received in a care package from Taiwan]
Cedrik (3 weeks)
The first couple weeks he slept about 20 hours a day, and was calm during his awake times. This was a totally new concept for me, and so I didn't dare comment about it as I knew colic could very well kick in at around the 2 week mark. Thankfully, it didn't. He is awake for longer and longer stretches, and requests to be held more often than before, only cries for short periods for reasons I can't solve/figure out once a day or every other day, as well as is more present in his interactions, all of which I'd say is pretty normal development stuff.
One thing that surprised me is that from literally day 2 he has been able to do quarter rolls. I remember this was a huge milestone (in my eyes) when the girls did it at around 10 weeks old. I don't think he usually does it on purpose, but rather most times due to squirming so much, for example when changing his diaper. But who's to say. He also hasn't had any trouble getting back to his back from his side.
And, I've started the ECing journey for a third time.
[a quarter roll]
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