Yet again, I bow before the truisms of parental insights and the well honed words of wisdom from those who have trod this path before me. Yes, you were all right. Time moves by at light speed when you’re living via a toddler. I mean, Buzz Lightyear, crazy fast. You blink and it’s next month, sneeze and it’s next year!This break in the space-time continuum is the excuse I’m using for not having posted any updates in the last two months. Well, there’s that, and the fact that I’m back at work, it’s summer, we are now the lowly servants of a two-year old who’s full of beans, and ready for action, leaving little time for much else.
I went back to work in the middle of June, which meant learning all sorts of new dances – the toddler tango, the pick-up polka, the breakfast break-dance, the wake-up waltz. Yes, it’s a lovely repertoire of popular favourites, and while we seem to have some of the steps down seamlessly, for most, I’d say we look more like Bert and Ernie than Fred and Ginger. It ain't pretty, there are a lot of noodles for dinner, but we're hanging in. Our transition was helpfully smoothed along with the help of Obaachan and Ojiichan who came to take care of Kiyomi for a week and a half - providing much undivided grandparent attention which Kiyomi just loved.
All in all, Kiyomi has taken to the new arrangement with her regular aplomb and panache. She's settling in with her caregiver, Krysten, and best buddy, Ella, with much excitement and giggling. For the last couple weeks, she has happily climbed on the bike for the “rii Aya hooose”, which in grown-up, means the “ride to Ella’s house”. The girls have a great time with Krysten, and certainly seem to be doing way more fun things that I do at my desk everyday.
July, however, was our momentous month. It started with marking our first anniversary as a family. Hard to believe one year has gone by faster than I can tie my shoe. We celebrated with our travel group, and it was pretty inspiring to see the girls tearing around the place. When we first met them, some weren’t even crawling. Now they’re a group of rambunctious toddlers with personalities and dramas all their own.
We also celebrated Kiyomi’s 2nd birthday, where she was spoiled rotten by friends and family alike and chowed down on chocolate cupcakes. Social butterfly that she is, there is nothing better than a room full of people there to pay attention to you, and you alone. Kohji spent most of the week teaching her how to hold up two fingers and yell “TWWWOOOO!!” when asked ‘how old are you?’
We’ve been partaking of all sorts of summer activities. Kiyomi went for her first real ride in the canoe. I wouldn’t say she loved it, but she certainly wasn’t unhappy. She might not yet understand that you can’t really wander up and down the boat, but she wasn’t leaping out of it. The
biggest challenge, actually, was finding a life jacket as she wasn’t thrilled about trying them on at MEC. We've also been going to bbqs, for swims, playing ultimate, to the park, and all those other typical summer things. I say yet again, this parenting thing is way easier in the summer.As for Kiyomi developments, it's really
impossible to track all those subtle changes that mean our little baby is turning into a little girl. Everyday, she learns more and claims her own little corner of the world. There is much less babble, and when she speaks now, she is indeed saying something. We might not always catch it, but there is meaning and intent behind everything. Our routines adjust as she moves from one 
stage to the next. She now 'brushes' her own teeth, 'dresses' herself (kinda), helps set the table, climbs into the stroller or wagon on her own. The neatest thing for us in the last couple months has been singing, pretty much constantly. Not only does she happily sing to herself, she also sings along with others. She might get into Harvard, she may become an astronaut or brain surgeon, she may win a Nobel prize, but as far as I’m concerned, her ability to sing along to a Beatles song surpasses all that. Yup, my child can sing along to her first Beatles tune. I tell ya, it doesn’t get any better than that.The parting shot for tonight just screams summer... Good night from Ottawa.
