Spring and things

Paging spring.

The crocuses started blooming exactly on March 1 this year. It was lovely and seemed just right symbolically--even if I worried that it was actually rather early for New Jersey and could be viewed as yet one more sign of global warning.

But March passed, and only the crocuses bloomed, with perhaps a few tentative daffodils poking up. What a long lingering month of not-freezing, not-growing.

Now with the turn of the month, there are suddenly a few more signs: a blush of pink in a few trees as of yesterday, more daffodils, a few hyacinths. And I'm noticing just how many there are in town of a particular tree that blooms in small red fuzzballs, dropping big prickly seed-balls in the fall (they're still all over the ground). Does anyone know what that one is?

Still, spring is taking a looong time. I shouldn't be complaining on a blog read by people in Wisconsin, with its record-breaking snowfalls this winter, and New England, with nearly the same. But it would be nice to feel just a hint of warmth.

We went outside the other day and tried to usher in spring by flying Edith's new kite. Tom's Easter bunny always used to put a new kite in his Easter basket, and by chance Edith's does, too.

Some of the neighbor kids came over to join us in trying to fly the kite and throwing sticks for Bismarck. The wind was a little too erratic to keep the kite up, but Bismarck had a good time with Ellie, who is actually big enough to throw the stick some distance.

Another sign of spring: They've started rehearsing the spring play at school. Edith and her friends in the Older Toddler class are all going to be zoo animals--she showed me her tiger mask yesterday. And this afternoon on our dog walk, she recited most of the script for us and told us which animal each child in her class is going to be. It's wonderful to have arrived at the point where she can tell us in detail about what goes on at school--and we can trust that it's more or less true. And it's delightful to hear her thoughts about it all: "Sifa is going to be a peacock. That will be beautiful. He'll have to wear a really beautiful costume." When I asked her what she's going to do as a tiger, she told me, "Well, I have to wear black stripes. And lots of orange to go with the black stripes. Then I have to stalk." I asked her how she stalked and what she stalked. "You have to put your hands down on the ground and move your shoulders like this...I stalk things."

It has been such a joy to spend time with her recently. She has been in a perpetual good mood at home (watch me jinx it). She loves being asked to help with tasks around the house and has moved from "Sure!" to "Of course!" She also purports to love watching basketball with us--is this kid trying to get into our good graces or what?

During one of the basketball games last week, she decided she wanted a drink of milk. I said I'd get it, but she jumped up and raced for the kitchen saying she'd get it. I was about to protest when she stuck her head back around the corner and said, "I'll look at the milk jug, and if it looks very full, then I will tell you it's too heavy for me, and you can get it. But if it has just a little milk left, then I will get it and bring it to you with a cup so you can pour it." Which is exactly what she did.

She's been having a somewhat rougher time at school, for reasons that escape all of us. Maybe it's that she's having such a good time at home, it's hard to leave fun times with mommy and daddy and go to a place that's pretty noisy and busy, where she's one in a crowd and it's hard to lose herself in her pretend play. So she's apparently been yelling angrily at people now and then when frustrated, which is upsetting for everyone. Yesterday Tom and I tried to ask her about what had gone wrong that day, and she recited a long litany of little hurts and squabbles with friends, then cut it off saying, "It's just rough," in a strikingly adult voice.

So we've been trying to pick her up an hour early the last few days, to have more time at home with her in the afternoons. Today we spent that time making banana bread and were enjoying ourselves hugely, when she said, "So I can see that I'm going to be hanging out with you and daddy from now on. That's good. I don't like school. It's just rough, you know? I tend to have a tough time there."

Way to tug on a mama's heartstrings.

Even if she's having a tough time with school in the last week or two, she's expressing ever more appreciation for her friends, which is gratifying to hear. It's really fun to see them start to be old enough to interact with each other, even if sporadically.

Today Edith asked Harry if he would like to go to the circus with her. And he said, "The circus! That's a great idea, Edith!" You almost expected them to start hashing out the details of buying tickets and carpooling.

But Edith has been getting a fair amount of attention from other friends besides Harry. The teachers are smiling down their sleeves, because Torrey saves a seat next to him at Circle Time for Edith, then gives her hugs and tells her she's beautiful. Elias is quieter in his affections, but he had Edith over to play the other day after bugging his mother about it for several weeks. And Monday Edith came in to school to find a collage that Elias had made her, with her name across the front, in her cubby. When we commented on what good friends she has, she said, "Yes, I do. Elias made me a project with my name on it. That was so nice of him! And Zekie found my monkey. Tell me that story again." [Her friend Zeke spent the better part of the winter searching for a little plastic monkey Edith had dropped on his lawn and was so happy when he finally was able to present it to her.]

But when we asked her about Torrey's affection she said, "Yes, Torrey is a pretty good friend. But the Princesses are better friends!"

That was just what Tom wanted to hear.