Mika's Big Day

Growth can usually only be seen when looking back over a longish stretch of time. But occasionally it presents itself in-progress so that you can see the child changing and evolving right at that moment. Friday, July 18 was such a day for Mika.

The day started ordinarily enough. It was my Friday off (generally referred to around here as a "Mama Day") and we ate breakfast and went immediately to the park before it got too hot. Both girls headed straight to the swings. This in itself is a bit unusual, as Allison generally avoids the swings or only swings for about 30 seconds before toddling off to the jungle gym to play independently while I push Mika. But today for the first time EVER, Allison wanted to swing longer than Mika did.

While swinging, Mika had spotted a girl playing alone; her mom was reading on a bench nearby. Mika decided she wanted to go play with this little girl and told me she was all done swinging. I pulled her out of the swing and set her on the ground. She grabbed my hand and tried to lead me over to the little girl. I explained that I had to keep pushing Allison and that she should go over there on her own.

Mika was torn. Allison was used to entertaining herself while I pushed Mika on the swings, but Mika had never experienced the same. She was certainly accustomed to me dividing my time between the two of them if they didn't want to play on the same toy. But I'd never told her to go play independently at the park.

She stayed near my legs for a couple of minutes, watching the little girl run from toy to toy. Finally she summoned the courage (I actually saw her take a deep breath -- so cute!) and walked up to the girl.

I heard her say, "Hi, I'm Mika." The girl introduced herself as Crystal. Crystal was quite a bit older (I found out from her mom later that she's six) but she was open to playing with my two-year-old Mika. She patiently showed Mika how to correctly hold the two-person rocking airplane they were on. Mika and Crystal were inseperable until Crystal's mom decided it was time to go home. I was so proud of Mika, making a friend all on her own.

When we got home, we had a snack then went upstairs. I explained to the girls that the time had come for them to start napping in the same room. Up until now, Mika had slept in a Pack'N'Play in the office. I've been suggesting the idea for months so it wasn't a sudden move at all. I was still surprised though by how receptive they were to the idea. They helped me dismantle and put away the Pack'N'Play and said "bye, bye" to it. I didn't expect them to nap at all that day, nor for several days after. Much to my surprise, they settled right down and went to sleep. I didn't hear a peep. They even slept longer than usual!

When Jason got home we discovered that there wasn't much in the way of dinner fixins in the pantry. I spotted a couple near-black bananas and decided it would be a breakfast-for-dinner night: we'd have banana pancakes and sausages.

Jason took the girls out back so I could cook in peace but Mika didn't want to stay outside for long (the mosquitos love her). Figuring it'd be better to involve her in cooking than plop her in front of the TV, I gave her super-special permission to stand on a chair at the kitchen counter. This was the first time I'd tried to have either of the girls cook with me and wasn't sure how it would go.

Mika turned out to be a fantastic assistant chef. She helped me measure and pour ingredients, then stir it up with her own special spoon. She was very attentive and well-behaved. About this time Allison came inside and joined us. They were both fascinated by the pancakes on the griddle and kept poking the pancakes with their spoons. Jason put Jack Johnson's "Banana Pancakes" on the stereo and the twins danced in their chairs.

Finally, the pancakes were done. Both girls were very excited to climb into their highchairs for dinner. When Mika's plate was put in front of her though, she burst into tears. She didn't want to eat her creation! When she saw Jason and Allison devouring their pancakes (I was in the kitchen still working on the next batch) she reluctantly took a bite. "Delicous!" she exclaimed and soon cleared her plate.

Mika showed courage in making her new friend, flexibility in changing her nap routine, and the ability to follow directions and engage in grown-up activities when making pancakes. I couldn't be more proud of her.

And speaking of pride, here's a photo of Mika from a couple months ago, looking pretty darn proud of herself. She's quite the climber; have I mentioned that?