What's up with Glenn, Heather, Katrine, and Elspeth
And no, I didn’t mean rap. Did I get your attention though?
This morning Elspeth came out with a request that went something like this, “Mama, mama…..cra*, cra*!” Well that stopped me in my tracks. No, she was not having a potty emergency. When I didn’t get it, she said in an exasperated tone, “Sparky. Painty……*rap.” Okay, CRAFTS. She wanted to break out the art supplies so we did. We may need to work on her prounciation of the word craft though.
Okay, I am very tired from being home with sick Katrine and Elspeth, and not having enough sleep that I am looking for an excuse to avoid working. (Hence the procrastination in the title) It is not that my AQ course is not interesting. To the contrary, it is very informative. If I can start to apply myself again, I will be the better teacher for it. Alas, I think that tonight will end with a complete assignment more full of flaws than learning. Perhaps tomorrow will be more conducive to learning and retention. Thank you for humouring me as I procrastinate and now onto to attachment.
We were thrilled on Gotcha Day to see how strongly Elspeth reacted to the chance. To us it was a good sign that she had been loved and known attachment with her foster family. Fast forward 6 months. As hard as it is to have a sick and well kid at home, Elspeth seems to have chosen this week to enter a new stage in the development of attachment. Yippee! We now have Follow The Parent. She will follow me everywhere or call out to check and see if I am still around. Yes, this is anxious behaviour but at least she is seeking to connect with Glenn and I as preferred caregivers.   Seek out Comfort When Hurt. When we first got home we literally had to force our attentions on her if she got hurt. Today she was walking in circles around the coffee table (we were watching TV -the sick kid activity of choice- and Elspeth got bored) and kept bumping her side on the edge. With each bump she would announce “Oww” and run over for a cuddle. We also have my favourite stage developing What! I Have to Share a Parent which is more frequently called having a sibling. If one of us were rubbing Katrine’s back, Elspeth just had to get her back rubbed too. If Katrine was cuddled up against me with her head in my lap, Elspeth would climb over top of her and try to wedge herself in. Ahh. Happy times. Finally, Mommy as a Security Blanket. Got that one during play time at playschool. There is one of those plastic playhouses with shutters that all of the kids like to go in. Of course, most want to be in by themselves. Well, Elspeth decided to venture out and try to enter the house while another child was inside. Needless to say, the child was unimpressed and pulled the door shut on her which caused her to run to me. Happy smile. Don’t worry, the attachment also extends to Glenn. He fills the Security Blanket role at swim class where she will do lots of things, like blow bubbles, if he is holding her but not so many if she is in the wading pool without direct contact.
We obviously still have a ways to go before Elspeth could be called securely attached to us. After all, she lived with another family for almost two years. We are seeing positive signs of progress which is truly a gift. Now for a random cute photo.
It was a very long yet fun day today spent almost exclusively at the arena due to RHFSC’s club competition. Of course, Katrine wanted to participate in everything and skated in 6 different events for which she had 3 costumes. I think that my favourite was the extreme costume because it was so shiny on the ice, plus I loved her funky hair. How did she do? Well, she put in a lot of focus and effort today. She placed 4th in her Dutch Waltz and Solo (funny thing about skating – when you add too many jumps you lose points, lesson learned) and 6th in her Extreme spin. She got 3rd for her Introductory Elements (collection of skating moves), and then a 1st for Longest Waltz jump (funny ’cause she was the shortest by a lot) and 2nd for Longest spiral from sheer determination. She held that thing until she stopped moving. Katrine was tickled pink to walk away with a “full set of medals”. Here are some photos and video. Enjoy and come back tomorrow for news on the dance competition.
Katrine’s really looooooong spiral
Katrine’s Solo to “Little Orphan Anne”
A great morning. My mom and dad were able to come down to watch Katrine which she was thrilled about. Again she put in focus and effort, coming home with four medals between 4th and 6th. The biggest surprise is that she pulled a medal in the reel. Today was the first time that she did the reel in competition. Plus, she had the dreeded inside spot (dreeded because you not only have to dance around three other dancers, but change spots through out the dance). All things considered, she did remarkably well in it. Didn’t knock anyone over. Ended up in the right spot. She was really proud of herself.
Never had one growing up but apparently they make good tables. Both seem to be happy though. 6 months!!! Can you believe it?
We had a wonderful time at the FCC Toronto New Years Banquet tonight. If you have been following us for a while, you know that this is an annual event. Katrine has been checking the calendar regularly for the last two weeks to make sure that we were not going to miss it. It is a wonderful opportunity to reconnect and get caught up. All of the girls are so busy, there is a lot to get caught up on. Plus, it gives the girls yet another chance to just bond between chatting, eating and running around like crazy.
This year was even more special because we filled up 4 seats not just 3. It was fun watching Elspeth join in the general craziness of the evening by twirling, jumping and dancing on the stage. She was also spoiled rotten by her various Aies and managed to consume vast quantities of chocolate from her red envelopes (we usually do chocolate coins instead of money). Then she had Glenn working over time cutting up items from various dishes. She couldn’t get the food in fast enough – duck, mushrooms, chicken, more mushrooms, beans. I don’t think that she slowed down until we were on about the 6th course and then by dessert she barely managed a bite of her almond cookie.
This year there was a Chinese folkdance troop for entertainment. The girls dance well and put on a really nice show which was made even better by the fact that one of Katrine’s China sisters danced with her Chinese folkdance troop. Watching them made me wish that we had more money and time so that our two could give it a whirl. Oh well, only so much time and mental and physical resources. At least we got to enjoy their performance.
The evening drew to a close with the lion dance. Katrine was right in there. Touching, dancing, playing the cymbals. Elspeth was not so fond of the chaos and noise which accompanied the lions. At one point Glenn had to take her outside because being held was not enough to help her feel safe. Once the lions stopped walking around the restaurant she was able to relax enough to come back in. Katrine reacted much the same to the lions when she was two and now you almost have to pry her away from them. Hopefully next year it will be easier for Elspeth.
Katrine successfully completed her first solo in competition today. She got all of the way through and didn’t fall down. The quality of the skating was not her usually but she was really nervous this morning. She was the best dressed though. Came in 6th though and got a pink ribbon so she was content. Things went better for her during the team elements. She and her partner placed second. The day, well night by this time, ended with the best Dutch Waltz I have ever seen her do. Ended up in 9th but was super proud of herself (rightly so). Congratulations to all of our fellow RHFSC members who competed today. What a great group of kids.
Just in case you are feeling hungry for a frosty, snowy treat with just a hint of salt and a dash of dirt thought that we should pass on their newly released commercial. Gotta support those small business incentives right?
