Summer is Really Over

It’s still hot, but summer is really over for me. I’ve been back at work for a week and we are all adjusting. Thankfully, Fiona is still sleeping until well past 6:30. I was worried that she will start waking up earlier, but the whole week John and I were able to get up and get dressed before she started stirring. I really miss my mornings with her, especially because she is talking so much and says so many new things every day, I’m afraid that I am missing out.

On Wednesday it actually rained here. My dad and I took Fiona to the mall to run around. We didn’t go into any stores, but we did ride the train:

We rode in the red caboose. I don’t think it was intended to carry anyone larger than I am. My poor dad was so squished. Fiona calls him Grandpa Mommy Daddy because he is Mommy’s daddy. Her other grandpa is Grandpa Don. She is starting to distinguish people based on their relationships to John and me. Grandpa Don is Daddy’s Daddy for example.

There was some sitting around at the mall:

And going around in circles:

Speaking of which, the other day I was chasing Fiona around her room and she declared “Running around in circles!” Totally unprompted. Today I wanted her to take her binky out of her mouth. I told her that I cannot understand what she says when she has it in her mouth and she said “I done talking” and popped it back in. These are just two examples in the last two days that her language is getting to the point that she is not just repeating what we say but really articulating her thoughts. It’s very exciting for all of us! Fiona continues to recall events, people, and songs from at least a month or more in the past. Even though I’m sure she won’t remember any of this in six months or a year, it’s really exciting when she mentions something that happened long enough ago that I stopped thinking about it.

In preschool she made challah, but she and I ate it before I took any photos. It reminded me a little of when I was in the Gan (from ages three until 6) on the kibbutz. We made challah every Friday. It’s when I learned how to braid things. We ate it with avocado because Fiona requested avocado for lunch. She made lunch requests for most of the week. The nice thing is the food she asks for is pretty good for her and she eats it. Who am I to deny peas to my little toddling daughter?

On another note, we got a new kitchen rug:

It feels really nice under our feet and looks much nicer than the old rugs we had.

Here is a picture of the fountain I mentioned in a previous post. I think it looks nice there:

 

On the work front, the first week of school went pretty smoothly. I like my classes so far and have no complaints. I hope it stays that way because we have a loooong way to go until the next summer vacation. At least Thanksgiving is only two months away.