wow, 2 months gone by. where did they go? where have i been? honestly, i have just been living my life and being present with my family. haven't taken pictures, haven't been blogging. sometimes it just becomes one more thing to "keep on top of" and i just have to say to hell with it. but i do like keeping track of things here and i know one day my children will appreciate it too. so with that, here is a brief update.
pilar has enjoyed a busy fall playing soccer and is now doing a tumbling/circus class. something happened to that little girl out there on the big open field. she found her body and she found that it could move in ways she never quite knew. soccer has given her a sense of confidence in her physical self that she has never had before. while other girls were busy climbing trees, polls or anything else that shot up out of the ground, and swinging from monkey bars, my little girl was busy making fairy houses, drawing, knitting, and creating art out of any material that crossed her path. this girl could fill a gallery monthly. and i worried about this. worried about her lop-sidedness. but once again, life proves me wrong, proves that worrying is futile because things change and grow constantly. she now only has a slight lean as she now slips down the poll on the playground, then bounds across the monkey bars, then jumps in to a game of scramble. and i can see her beaming with pride as she discovers she too has a body that moves and is strong and agile.
mateo is giving us a run for our money. he is everything pilar never was. you could say they are polar opposites (which probably really isn't true and just as i write this something will shift to be certain). mateo dashes off every time you turn your head. every possible thing becomes a stepping stone to get to something else-- ie the drum is a stool for which to use to get on top of the table and swing the lamp from side to side. the kitchen stool is a uselful tool for attempting to climb on top of the refridgerator. when he bathes we have to mop up an inch of water from the floor. he hits, he bites, he pinches and he seems to be oblivious to my words "mateo, we are gentle with people & animals-- here bang on the drum or bite the pillow"-- this works for a moment but then he is right back to his antics. taking him out in public is challenging at best. it never goes very well when meeting another mama at the music circle by saying "i'm so sorry my son just whopped yours on the head". not the best ice breaker out there. and quickly you learn who are the parents who have dealt with similar issues and those who have not. i have always joked that the universe gave me a "pony girl" as retribution for not being so kind to the pony girls when i was younger. and now the universe has provided me with my very own little bully for all the judgement i have placed on parents and there children who were of this nature before having my own little devil. "must be bad parenting going on in that house- can't they control their child!"-- yep, life is funny that way, always sticking you with a lesson to learn. on the flip side, mateo is sweet and articulate. he loves music and requests it every time we hop in the car "mickas please mama". he loves the drums-- we are all for this but sometimes starting out the day at 6:30 with an intense jam session can be a bit much. he has his favorite friends; elephant, guy, monkey and rabbit-- they travel with him from bed to bed. he loves "piyar" and copies everything she does- if she dresses her doll, mateo follows suit. he counts to 20. he loves to be read to and comes to me saying "read couple books mama"-- how can i resist?
i love pilar and all her grace and perfectionism and i equally love mateo and all of his energy and puppy like qualities. i think if i were to ask my mom she would say "there goes history repeating itself". it is bewildering to me how two children from the same gene pool can be so completely different. truly amazing.
